Chapter 95: A Downpour in the Southern Capital

Gu Wan's father.

He was a man from the Ministry of Military Diplomacy.

It seemed he was even a deputy minister.

The moment he learned that his daughter had been involved in such an incident at school, he immediately pulled strings and arranged matters at once.

So the university pushed Jiang Qiqi out to take the fall.

When Jiang Qiqi asked that name, it was easy to see the face of the university representative change.

At the same time, Shen Chaoxi, who had heard the news in the officers' quarters, lifted an eyebrow.

Looking at Xiao Xiao, she said, "The Ministry of Military Diplomacy? A deputy minister?"

"Yes. They say the Gu family found someone, used their connections, and suppressed what happened to Gu Wan."

"Ha." Shen Chaoxi gave a soft laugh.

"Since when did a deputy minister of the Ministry of Military Diplomacy gain such power that he could cover the sky with one hand?"

"And someone would even dare interfere with an order sent down from above?"

A faint, detached curve touched her lips as she spoke.

"Hand this matter over to the military command."

"Yes!" Xiao Xiao answered solemnly.

At first, Shen Chaoxi had thought Jiang Qiqi and Gu Wan were only spreading rumors and stirring up trouble.

As long as Capital University could give an appropriate punishment and expel students of such disgraceful character, that would have been the end of it.

But since someone believed their backing was strong enough, and powerful enough, to protect Gu Wan,

then this matter would be far broader than that.

Let the Foreign Affairs side investigate as well.

"There's another matter," Xiao Xiao continued.

"Several terrorists of unknown origin have infiltrated the Jingnan area."

"The military district has already sent people to suppress them."

Shen Chaoxi's gaze darkened.

The weather had turned.

A wind had risen.

Dark, leaden clouds pressed low over the Jingnan region, heavy and suffocating.

The atmosphere was utterly still.

And within that cold, oppressive air, there were still figures holding on in the dim rain.

Even if they had to roll through the mud, they still had to complete the day's training.

It looked grueling.

But in truth, day after day, this was simply how they trained.

"Captain, something's wrong."

Lu Shiwu ran into the training ground and saw the man who was exchanging training duties with several instructors.

In the pouring rain, they were soaked through, their uniforms clinging to their bodies with water.

He stood there in a damp, immaculate military uniform, like a grim-faced king of hell.

At the sound, his black eyes, shadowed with a hint of complexity, turned toward Lu Shiwu.

"What is it? Why are you so flustered?"

"Captain, it's bad. Someone from above has come and taken Mu Ting away."

Over the years, Lu Shiwu had followed Lu Yunzhou, so naturally he knew the relationship between his captain and Mu Ting.

That was why, the moment Mu Ting was taken away, he rushed over to tell him.

But that wasn't the main point.

The main point was that their captain had only warned Mu Ting, yet the military command had sent people.

And they were from the military inspection division.

One had to know that the military inspection office was an oversight body under the General Military Command.

What exactly had happened?

What could have prompted someone from above to personally descend and take away an ordinary female reporter from the military district?

Lu Shiwu did not dare imagine it.

So he hurried over to report the matter.

Although, in a sense, they too were people from above.

And Lu Yunzhou hardly needed to ask.

He already knew what kind of people had come from above.

"Did they say what offense she committed?"

Lu Yunzhou's voice was cold, with a trace of calculation beneath it.

It was not that he cared about Mu Ting's affairs.

Rather, in this military base, people from above did not usually come here.

Unless someone had committed an offense involving the military.

"No, they were very discreet in their movements."

Lu Shiwu had only noticed the vehicle from the military inspection office, which was how he knew they had arrived.

By the time they took Mu Ting away, he still had no idea what had happened.

Had this reporter Mu done something so unforgivable that heaven itself would not tolerate it?

Following Lu Yunzhou all these years, Lu Shiwu knew more than just the relationship between Mu Ting and his captain.

He also knew that Mu Ting was not right in the head.

She spent the entire year clinging to their captain.

She would run to the military district looking for him at the slightest provocation.

Fortunately, over the years, the captain had always given her a false identity.

Otherwise, if she had truly found her way to the Thirteenth Military Region, it would have been an enormous headache.

He had even seen Mu Ting, when her emotions had become unstable, point at their captain's nose and curse him, saying that all her misfortune had been caused by the captain, and that nothing he did could ever repay the debt.

That he was the one who owed her.

Sigh. So aside from funding her once before, the captain had never met her again.

Much less had there been any entanglement between them.

There was simply none.

On the contrary, it was this Mu Ting who was always acting as though she were ill.

Her delusions had flared up.

She thought their captain had wronged her.

She had enjoyed every kindness, and yet still thought it was not enough.

At times, Lu Shiwu even felt some sympathy for the captain.

Fortunately, Mu Ting had been taken away.

But after Lu Shiwu finished speaking, the sky darkened further.

Standing in the training grounds, while still exchanging work with the other instructors, Lu Yunzhou's expression grew grim.

His face was ice-cold.

People descending from the military command could only mean two things.

Either Mu Ting was the one who had posted behind the scenes.

She had spread rumors and smeared Shen Chaoxi.

But that post had already been deleted by them.

Or else she had somehow been implicated in matters involving the disturbance of military order, or the insulting of soldiers' image, or something of that sort, which would warrant an investigation from above.

But the latter would not have been serious enough to lead to such a grave situation.

Just as Lu Yunzhou was pondering all this with a complicated look in his eyes,

before he could think any further,

another piece of bad news came.

"Captain, the Jingnan region is under torrential rain. In less than half an hour, half the towns have already been flooded."

"Residents in the surrounding areas are requesting rescue!"

"Send people to rescue them at once!"

"Yes!"

The flood was coming.

But the rain showed no sign of stopping.

Instead, it only grew fiercer.

As several teams were dispatched from the military base to aid the disaster-stricken areas nearby, vehicles were blocked on the roads.

Hills collapsed.

The downpour came suddenly.

The entire Jingnan region,

including the military base, was swallowed by a black, murky haze.

Even the daylight was obscured.

"Continue sending reinforcements!"

An emergency meeting was hastily convened.

Lu Yunzhou decided to personally lead the rescue efforts.

And before he could even get into the vehicle, he saw a figure running through the rain toward him.

A young girl stood behind him.

He turned around and saw her clothes soaked by the rain, along with that pale face.

"What are you doing here?"

"Go back at once."

The situation had happened too suddenly.

Lu Yunzhou had not had time to tell Shen Chaoxi.

But he had not expected the girl to come running here on her own.

"I'll go with you."

Her voice was very soft.

The rain was too heavy.

So heavy that it was hard to hear what she was saying.

Lu Yunzhou's brows drew together.

"Lu Shiwu!"

he called out in a low voice.

"Here!"

Lu Yunzhou said coldly, "Take her back."

He had no time to explain.

But he did not want the girl going along.

If anything happened.

If she encountered danger.

"They can go too..."

The girl looked toward several vehicles in the distance inside the military base.

They were all students from Capital University in training.

After learning of the disaster, they were also willing to contribute their share.

So they had already begun preparing supplies and were heading to the disaster area to help.

Seeing Lu Yunzhou's cold face and his unyielding attitude, Shen Chaoxi said, "If you won't let me go with you, then I'll go with the Capital University students instead..."

Her meaning was obvious.

They were girls about her age, and regardless of gender, they were all putting themselves to work and heading into the disaster zone.

So why couldn't she?

In Lu Yunzhou's eyes, her body was weak. If she followed and encountered danger, what then?

The first thing she had to do was protect herself.

But the girl persisted.

And Lu Yunzhou seemed to understand her temper.

She was delicate.

And stubborn too.

If she said it, she might really go with those Capital University students.

Rather than let her go with them,

it would be better to keep her by his side.

So his eyes darkened, and those deep, dark pupils looked at the rain-soaked girl as he drew her toward him.

He lifted her into the vehicle.

His expression was complicated.

Then he ordered, "Lu Shiwu."

"Yes, Captain. What are your orders?"

"You are responsible for looking after her."

Lu Yunzhou pressed his thin lips together, his voice cold to the bone.

Lu Shiwu: "Huh?"

In truth, Shen Chaoxi had meant to deliberately cling to him at a time like this.

She wanted him to take her along and think of her as a burden.

A nuisance.

Something he would dislike.

But the situation was urgent, and the disaster had struck suddenly.

The matter was too serious, and Shen Chaoxi changed her mind.

She had to help.

Besides, the Jingnan region was about more than just a disaster.

She had to find a way to solve it.

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