Chapter 32

Chapter 32

Zhang Shengguo

The man introduced himself, "Granny, my name is Zhang Shengguo. I'm Lu Hang's fellow soldier. You can call me Young Zhang."

"Ah, good," Grandma Lu replied, her eyes reddening as she looked at the strapping young man, thinking of her grandson lying paralyzed in bed.

"Granny, it's our fault. We mishandled things, putting you through all this," Zhang Shengguo said apologetically.

Grandma Lu shook her head. "This has nothing to do with you. A-Hang's told us, and we understand."

The worse she spoke like this, the worse Zhang Shengguo felt.

"Is Lu Hang here? Can we see him?" Zhang Shengguo asked.

Grandma Lu nodded and immediately called out, "Nan Nan, show them in to A-Hang!"

Lin Nannan nodded. She got up and went over, calling out, "A-Hang, your army buddies are here. Do you want to see them?"

Lu Hang, who had already heard the commotion inside, couldn't contain his excitement upon hearing Lin Nannan's voice. "Nan Nan, bring them in!"

Lin Nannan immediately opened the door and led them inside.

The small room was crowded with five grown men, but none of them paid attention to that. Instead, their hearts sank when they saw Lu Hang lying on the bed.

Lin Nannan stood in the corner, staying put without a word...

"A-Hang," Zhang Shengguo sat by the bed, looking at Lu Hang, at a loss for words.

They all knew Lu Hang would never recover. Any words of comfort would ring hollow, so nothing they said now would be right or meaningful.

One wrong word could cut even deeper.

"Commander Zhang, was the mission successful?" Lu Hang asked hopefully.

Zhang Shengguo hesitated, then shook his head. "I came here precisely because of this matter."

Lu Hang's expression turned grave.

Those words made his heart drop—this couldn't be good news.

"The mission wasn't completed. The news of your severe injury and withdrawal was leaked. The captured Han Li had been hiding in your village all along. The incidents set up by him using his wife were targeting you," Zhang Shengguo said solemnly.

"How?" Lu Hang frowned. "Why was my identity exposed?"

His identity was supposed to be a secret, unknown to most.

After the incident, they had come up with a cover story to erase any traces. Yet now, he was being told his identity had been compromised.

If that were the case, his family would be in danger.

"Han Li said someone contacted him, but he doesn't know who," Zhang Shengguo explained. Initially thinking it was a minor issue, he had rushed over immediately after learning Han Li's true identity.

Lu Hang took a deep breath, forcing himself to stay calm. "What was Han Li originally planning?"

Zhang Shengguo's tone grew heavier. "He said they wanted you dead. Han Li didn’t want to ruin his current life, so he got He Ye to smear you. It was supposed to be the subtlest yet surest method, and also the safest. But unexpectedly, it blew up in his face, exposing him instead."

"So, my family is in danger now, right?" The tense atmosphere in the room was suddenly broken by Lin Nannan's voice. Everyone's eyes turned to her, including Lu Hang's.

"Nan Nan," he said, voice thick with guilt.

He had already put enough on her plate. Now, with their lives at risk, he didn’t want to drag her down further.

"This is..." Zhang Shengguo asked curiously, observing the woman standing in the corner. Though she seemed unremarkable at first glance, her calm presence amidst them all made her impossible to underestimate.