Chapter 396

Chapter 396

Explanation

"They're all here, none missing!" After counting the headcount, they found the numbers matched what Lin Nannan had reported, and everyone couldn't help but sigh in relief.

It wasn’t that they were overly nervous, but when they checked the scene and saw the equipment on the downed hostiles, they all drew sharp breaths.

If they had encountered these people unprepared, it could've gotten us killed.

"Lin Nannan," a middle-aged man stepped forward from the crowd. He looked at her politely and asked, "Could you explain how you discovered these people?"

Given how serious the situation had become, none of them knew what had actually happened.

Lin Nannan didn’t recognize him, but judging by his authoritative bearing, she knew he must hold a high position. She quickly replied, "Well, after I was injured before, the officers' wives from the compound sent me many gifts. I wanted to hunt some game to cook them a thank-you meal..."

"Then why did you come this way?" Qiao Nian pressed, staring at her.

"Recently, the nearby hills have been too noisy because the wives have been gathering herbs, so there’s hardly any game left. Beyond that is the military training area, and I figured any remaining animals would’ve fled too. So, I purposely came this way. But before I could gather much, I heard hostile voices and got suspicious. When I looked, I noticed their uniforms and gear didn't match our military's. I thought they were targeting the soldiers training in the mountains, but then they circled around and headed straight for the camp..."

Her throat felt dry from talking. Just as she paused to wet her lips, Lu Hang handed her some water. She took it but didn’t drink, continuing instead, "They were carrying IEDs/explosive devices. I was afraid they’d catch our soldiers off guard and cause casualties, so I fired warning shots to alert them and give the camp time to prepare."

Qiao Nian asked curiously, "You had a gun?"

Lin Nannan glanced at Lu Hang, unsure if she should answer...

Lu Hang stepped closer to Qiao Nian and whispered a few words. Qiao Nian’s expression cleared, and he nodded with a smile. "We'll take it from here. You two should head back down first."

"Understood!"

Lu Hang led Lin Nannan down the mountain while Ah Si's team remained to secure the area...

On their way down, Lin Nannan asked curiously, "Who was that man earlier? I’ve never seen him before!"

"That’s Commander Qiao. He wasn’t stationed here before—he only returned recently," Lu Hang explained.

Lin Nannan nodded in understanding. "No wonder I didn’t recognize him. But do you have any idea who those people in the mountains were?"

Lu Hang’s expression turned serious. "Not yet. But they were fully armed and acted like a special ops team. This is above our clearance level—we’ll have to wait for command to assess."

Lin Nannan sighed. "I just wanted to bag some game, and now I’m dragged into this operation!"

"It’s my fault. I promised you earlier but got too busy and forgot," Lu Hang said with a light chuckle. "Let’s go back into the mountains in a couple of days. You can hunt as much as you want, alright?"

"Fine!"

When they returned to the base, Lu Hang didn’t let her go home immediately. Instead, he took her to the hospital for a full medical evaluation to ensure nothing had been overlooked.

Lin Nannan felt perfectly fine, but Lu Hang insisted, so she complied.

After Lin Nannan’s disappearance and return, Lu Hang sent her for a medical examination. Lu Jianan took it very seriously, but after running the tests, his face grew stern.

"What’s wrong?" Lu Hang asked worriedly, noticing his grim look.

Lin Nannan, lying on the hospital bed, was equally puzzled. "I don’t feel unwell at all!"