Chapter 78
Bo Yan had a dream. He was in a hot, humid tropical rainforest filled with gunpowder smoke and flas of war, along with his brothers who lived and died together.
He dread of Jing Chi's face, a face that was a little worn but always brimming with smiles.
Jing Chi kept saying sothing to him, but Bo Yan couldn't make out his words over the constant roar of bombing. He couldn't even see Jing Chi's face clearly.
Later, Bo Yan found himself in a pure white world where everyone else was gone. He stood alone at the center of the empty world, devoured by boundless loneliness.
Bo Yan woke from the dream with a start. The night was still long, and the girl lay sleeping quietly beside him.
Peace and happiness still enfolded him, like the fragrant, soft down comforter covering his body.
He kissed the girl's forehead, then quietly got up and went to the bathroom.
But his back was already soaked with cold sweat.
It had been nearly six months since he lost contact with Jing Chi and Xu Chaoyang. Six months ago, Xu Chaoyang said he had a special mission and might lose contact for a while, telling Bo Yan not to worry.
Bo Yan knew the nature of their work. With confidential missions, it wasn't unusual to lose touch for even three or five years.
After a hot shower, the phone in the study rang eerily.
The house had a secure landline installed, generally only used for relaying confidential work.
Bo Yan looked at the ti—it was 3 AM.
Not wanting to wake Jin Xi, he hurried into the room and closed the door, then quickly answered the call.
"Captain Qin?"
On the phone, heavy breathing could be heard.
Bo Yan paused for two seconds as his heart was seized with tension all at once: "Xu Chaoyang?"
"Bo Yan, Bo Yan!" Xu Chaoyang cried out his na with a sob.
"What happened?"
The normally composed Bo Yan was anxious now too.
"Bo Yan, you know Old Jing would never defect. We were roommates. You know what kind of man he is. Others may not, but we do... He would never turn traitor, never!"
"Don't panic. Take a deep breath and explain clearly what happened."
Xu Chaoyang breathed slowly to calm himself down. "I just got word from the team announcing Jing Chi defected. Shoot to kill if you see him, no questions asked!"
Bo Yan asked, "Did he beco a prisoner?"
Xu Chaoyang slowly explained everything.
The anti-drug mission six months ago had failed. To cover Xu Chaoyang's escape, Jing Chi took multiple gunshots but couldn't get out himself. Later, team mbers searched the border rainforest many tis but never found his body.
Because of the mission's confidential nature, his death was not announced publicly.
It wasn't until recently that a team mber on border patrol spotted Jing Chi. He was mingling with the drug dealers and even shot at a team mber when discovered.
Later, a special ops mber reported back that Jing Chi had been taken by the drug dealers after being shot. They healed his wounds and he joined forces with the drug lord, even getting engaged to marry the drug lord's daughter.
At first, everyone thought Jing Chi was undercover, infiltrating the drug lord's gang. But they never expected him to open fire on his own n without hesitation. So command finally issued the order declaring his defection.
Bo Yan listened silently to Xu Chaoyang's account, only asking one question: "Did he kill the team mber he attacked?"
"No, the bullet just grazed his ear. It was very close, just a few centiters from blowing his head off."
Xu Chaoyang couldn't hold it in and called Bo Yan secretly. He couldn't convince himself to believe Jing Chi would defect, and he couldn't imagine having to point a gun at his own brother if they t again.
"Bo Yan, tell ...tell
he wouldn't change. He's still our brother." Xu Chaoyang's voice carried sobs. He was on the verge of a breakdown.
Bo Yan's hands had unconsciously clenched into fists.
"Of course."
Bo Yan lowered his voice and said in a firm, forceful tone, "He would never change."
**
In the ti that followed, news of Jing Chi's defection also reached City B from the distant border. Everyone who knew Jing Chi refused to believe it was true, yet the facts were undeniable that he had joined forces with the drug lord.
Chu Zhao's reaction surprised Jin Xi. She only said four words: "As long as he lives."
As long as you're alive, there's still hope.
Bo Yan wrote a transfer application but left it sitting in the drawer without submitting it.
That night when he returned ho, Jin Xi had already prepared a table full of delicious food, waiting for him to co back.
"What's the occasion today? Our little lazy pig is actually cooking."
Jin Xi had him sit at the table. "Of course I don't cook easily. Consider this
seeing you off. Don't forget the taste of ho when you're out there, darling."
Bo Yan froze for a mont, pretending not to understand her aning: "It's just a field exercise tomorrow. What are you seeing
off for?"
Jin Xi's smile remained, but it had beco quite forced. "I an...I know you want to go. It's okay, if you want to go, then go bring Older Brother Jing back safe and sound."
Bo Yan's expression gradually darkened.
That night, he lay awake until dawn, smoking in the living room.
Jin Xi didn't make a sound or disturb him, but she knew everything.
Four years as classmates, this brotherly bond was impossible to sever.
Bo Yan held Jin Xi in his lap and lightly pinched her lips with his fingers. "To be honest, are you really willing to let
go?"
Jin Xi could no longer hold back her emotions. She buried her face in Bo Yan's shoulder, her muffled voice saying, "Of course I can't bear to... Such a dangerous place..."
"Then don't make
go."
Jin Xi leaned against him reluctantly for a long ti before slowly saying, "Because I don't want you to have a second regret."
When she said this, Bo Yan's heart suddenly ached.
The first ti, his parents left and he was too weak to do anything but cry alone.
The second ti... If he stood by powerlessly again while his brother was trapped, he would regret it for life.
Bo Yan hugged Jin Xi tightly with one arm. Though his voice was hoarse, it was very firm: "I'll co back safe."
"Okay."
...
The next day, Bo Yan submitted his transfer application.
Bo Yan was Captain Qin's most capable team mber, and Captain Qin really didn't want to let him go. But Bo Yan said it would only be temporary, to rescue his brother. Then he would co back.
On the day he left, Jin Xi didn't go see him off. Bo Yan didn't like tearful goodbye scenes, because years ago when he cried and clung to his parents' legs begging them to co back soon, they never returned.
That was the shadow in Bo Yan's heart. So Jin Xi didn't go see him off.
As the plane rose into the gloomy sky, Jin Xi stood at the lectern in the classroom, gazing out the window. The dark horizon churned with storm clouds, giving an oppressive feeling like the calm before a downpour.
In her heart, she prayed silently for her lover's safe return.
**
Nidan was an ungoverned no man's land on the southeast border, filled with local warlords and rcenaries who cultivated poppies.
In the dense tropical rainforest that blotted out the sun, the man drew a sharp Swiss knife from his waist and carved a deep gash into an oak tree.
Following the trunk down, there were countless gashes already etched densely into the bark.
Two hundred and seven marks in total, representing the two hundred and seven days since he arrived here.
The man erged from the rainforest. Before him stretched endless fields growing copious amounts of poppies. A breeze blew and the swollen red flowers swayed, filling the air with their intoxicating scent.
Many local farrs were in the fields harvesting the crop.
It was a "bumper harvest" this year.
A shapely, demure girl sat at the edge of the fields gazing at the vast poppy flowers. She closed her eyes.
Jing Chi passed by her silently, trying his best not to attract her attention.
Without turning, she softly called out, "Chaoyang?"
Hearing her flawed Mandarin pronounce the na "Chaoyang," he still felt a surreal sense. Now he wasn't Jing Chi anymore, he was Chaoyang.
He abandoned the na Jing Chi, so now everyone here called him "Chaoyang".
"Chaoyang ans the rising sun, full of passion and smiles," the girl stood up and walked over to him. Her deep black eyes gazed at him, "But you never smile and are not passionate towards ."
Her Mandarin had a strange accent, but at least she spoke the best Mandarin among the girls here, because she had her own private tutor.
She was WeiXun the drug lord's daughter, nad Wei Zhaozhao.
When Jing Chi was first brought back, he was barely breathing. His corpse was originally going to be thrown directly into the fire and burnt together with the poppy shells.
In his semi-conscious state, he kept calling out "Zhaozhao
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