After their simple meal, they were about to leave when someone in the tent mentioned that, for safety reasons, people were not permitted to leave the base after six o'clock each evening. Departures resumed the following morning at eight. Chen Wan and her group had no choice but to spend another night at the base.
Still, Chen Wan thought — given that Jiang Wan Ning wasn't well, another night's rest wasn't a bad thing.
Jiang Yan Xin gave Wan Ning another round of fever reducer and antihistamine. The hives on Wan Ning's face had already improved considerably, and she soon drifted back to sleep.
Chen Wan thought for a moment, then said to Jiang Zhao Yuan and Ye Lan: "Mom, Dad — get some rest. We'll leave first thing tomorrow morning."
"Yes, yes, of course." The two of them readily agreed.
Lights out in the Zone D tents were typically around nine at night. By seven, with no entertainment to speak of, most people had already lain down and were drifting toward sleep.
Chen Wan, holding the little one in her arms, sidled up next to Jiang Yan Xin and asked softly: "Honey? Will you and the baby sleep against me tonight?"
Jiang Yan Xin studied Chen Wan for a moment, then reached over and took the baby from her arms, laid out some clothes on the ground for herself, and lay down with the baby facing away from Chen Wan — making it very clear she had no intention of acknowledging her.
Seeing that her wife was ignoring her and had taken the little one away, Chen Wan could only resign herself to laying out a pile of clothes behind Jiang Yan Xin and settling down there, alone. She'd been about to reach out and wrap an arm around her, but her hand went out and came back — she didn't quite dare.
Ye Lan and Jiang Zhao Yuan had lain down early but hadn't actually fallen asleep. They kept glancing over at their daughter and Chen Wan, and when they caught that last moment, they looked at each other and both shook their heads. After so long at the base, they'd seen too many alphas abandon their wives and chase after more attractive omegas the moment they earned a few credits. Their daughter's stubborn streak didn't help matters — they'd already tried talking to her, and it hadn't done any good.
Meanwhile, the base Commander was in his quarters listening to his most trusted aide, Major General Yao, report on the latest findings. He hadn't intended to pursue accountability over the Xiang Jiawei matter, but he still wanted to know who had actually done it — so he'd sent his most reliable confidant to look into it.
"Commander, I've completed the investigation you assigned. The ones who dealt with Xiang Jiawei were two female alphas who joined the base just today. From the moment they entered Zone D, they'd been clearing out group after group of thugs and troublemakers. When they arrived, there were four of them in total, but it was essentially these two alphas doing all the fighting. After they were brought before Xiang Jiawei's people, they actually pulled it off — just the two of them against all of his men. Their reason for coming to the base seems to be to find someone — I had people look into it, and one of their family members is ill and has been unconscious." Major General Yao delivered her report respectfully.
"So these two female alphas are actually something special?" The Commander had assumed it was a larger group, or perhaps a collective uprising of the victims — he hadn't expected two people to have taken down Xiang Jiawei's entire operation.
"Yes, Commander. The omegas who escaped from Xiang Jiawei's hands spoke of them in almost mythic terms — said their combat skills were exceptional and that they were highly proficient with firearms. After making Xiang Jiawei's people drop their weapons, the two of them held the enemy down with suppressive fire the whole time, pinning them back inside the building until they finally finished it with a fire." Major General Yao continued relaying what she'd gathered.
"So these two alphas are genuinely rare talents? Not only did they clean up the lawless elements in Zone D, they also took care of that whole crew of degenerates led by Xiang Jiawei. Little Yao — here's what I want. Bring them to me. In times like these, we need passionate, capable young people more than ever. Actually, first have the Special Operations squadron test their abilities. If they're as good as people say, bring them to me. Otherwise, don't waste my time." Having said his piece, the Commander picked up a book and fell silent.
Major General Yao withdrew respectfully. Given that the Commander seemed genuinely interested in these two, she decided to go to Zone D herself to "invite" them.
She promptly ordered fourteen of her personal guard — fully armed — to accompany her into Zone D. This wasn't just for intimidation; it was also for safety: the lawlessness of Zones C and D was something everyone at the base knew well.
It was seven-thirty in the evening. Many people in Zone D were still awake — the heat made sleep difficult, and a fair number were sitting outside their tents to catch the breeze. When they saw military personnel arrive, a hush fell over the area, though with no small amount of curiosity about where the soldiers were heading at this hour. Heads turned, and eyes followed.
Major General Yao quickly led her group to the outside of Tent No. 1267 in Zone D. So much had happened around that tent today that the people in the neighboring tents hadn't even finished digesting the first round of drama before a second began. All in all, it had been a thoroughly eventful day for the onlookers.
When the people nearby saw military personnel arrive at No. 1267, a tall, thin man standing at the entrance of the tent across the way hastily called back inside in a hushed voice: "Holy crap, something's happening again over there — the military's here, come look."
His words drew out a crowd of curious onlookers, all jostling to peer out from their tent entrance.
Inside Chen Wan's tent, everyone had begun settling down for sleep when Major General Yao led her group in. Before she could even say a word, one of her male alpha subordinates called out across the tent: "Who is Chen Wan? Who is Qin Ke? Step forward, now."
Major General Yao had already obtained their names, so her subordinate called them out directly.
Chen Wan had been exhausted after such a grueling day and had nearly fallen asleep, but the commotion outside snapped her awake immediately. Qin Ke came alert at the same moment — and even Jiang Yan Xin, who had still been silently annoyed at Chen Wan, quickly woke up too.
Chen Wan counted fifteen people, every one of them armed. She knew that a direct confrontation was not an option, so she decided to first find out what this was about before deciding her next move.
Major General Yao waved her subordinate down and turned to Chen Wan and Qin Ke, who had already gotten to their feet, with a smile. "You two are the ones who dealt with Xiang Jiawei and his lot today, aren't you? Given the nature of the matter, the base Commander has sent me to invite you over for a brief conversation. We're military — we mean you no harm."
Chen Wan and Qin Ke exchanged a glance, then turned their eyes to Major General Yao — this smiling fox. "I have no idea what you're talking about. Xiang Jiawei's side was a fire caused by improper electrical use. If you're looking for whoever 'dealt with' them, the base electricians would be a much more sensible place to start."
"You dare talk back to a major general — have you got a death wish?" Before Major General Yao could react, one of her personal guards had already raised a weapon toward Chen Wan.
The smile disappeared from Major General Yao's face. She waved her hand and snapped: "What sort of way is that to treat someone the Commander himself wants to meet? Put it away."
"Yes, Major General." The guard quickly lowered the weapon.
Chen Wan watched them play good cop and bad cop without a flicker of additional expression. "So we have no choice but to go, is that it?"
"We're in a base — it's only right to cooperate with military authority and be a good citizen." Major General Yao continued with her smile. "And we won't be asking anything difficult of you. Just a few words, nothing more."
Chen Wan clearly didn't believe a word of that, but she and Qin Ke had no way out. If only she'd known it would come to this, she wouldn't have stopped to rest at the base this afternoon. She hadn't expected the military to trace things back to her and Qin Ke this quickly.
"Fine. My friend and I will go with the Major General. Everyone else here needs their rest — let's not disturb them." Chen Wan's expression was utterly calm — as if she were talking about stepping out to run an errand, without a trace of fear.
"How refreshing, Miss Chen. Right this way, then, both of you." Major General Yao privately admired Chen Wan's composure. With fifteen armed soldiers surrounding her, to still be able to make a calm, measured decision — that was something most people simply couldn't do.
Major General Yao felt a flicker of genuine interest. These two female alphas really did seem to be something else.
Chen Wan glanced back at Jiang Yan Xin, signaling her not to worry, then followed Major General Yao out of the tent with Qin Ke.
Ye Lan and Jiang Zhao Yuan were sick with worry. "She only just got back — how did she manage to get tangled up with the military? Oh, what are we going to do?"
"Mom, don't panic. Chen Wan and Qin Ke know what they're doing — they'll be fine." Jiang Yan Xin wasn't sure whether she was reassuring her mother or herself.
Chen Wan and Qin Ke followed Major General Yao toward Zone A again — their second visit in a single day. So much had happened in such a short time; she and Qin Ke had already made this trip twice.
Major General Yao led them toward a five-story building, its perimeter guarded by a substantial number of armed soldiers. Chen Wan surmised this was where the military leadership was stationed.
Major General Yao stopped at the open area in front of the building's entrance, turned to Chen Wan and Qin Ke with a smile, and said: "Wait here a moment — I need to check in with the guards."
She gave her personal guard a look, signaling all fourteen of them to keep watch over Chen Wan and Qin Ke, then stepped into the first-floor lobby and pulled out a radio. "Squad Leader Xing, I already spoke with your squadron leader earlier — he should have briefed you. Why aren't your people here yet?"
"Ready to go, arriving shortly," came the reply from Squad Leader Xing on the other end.
When Major General Yao stepped back outside, three more men had appeared in the open area in front of the building. Two of them moved directly toward Qin Ke and Chen Wan — no words, no warning — and immediately launched punches at both of them.
Chen Wan's fists tightened. She twisted to the side, dodging the attack, and looked sharply toward Major General Yao. "Is this how your military welcomes guests?"
Major General Yao simply smiled at her. "You'll need to show us what you're made of first — then we can talk about how to welcome you properly."
Chen Wan pushed her anger down. She knew that fighting back recklessly here wasn't an option. She'd already spotted several sniper positions on the upper floors of the building, and between those and the armed guards all around, if she and Qin Ke lost control and killed any military personnel, they'd very likely be gunned down on the spot.