"Give me a can of American beef." Song Hui hastily handed over a can of beef.

"Thanks." Lin Chuan took it.

Pop...

With a flick of his finger, he easily opened the can. The fragrance of beef wafted through the air. American beef was popular worldwide. Even though these were military rations, the American cans were clearly tastier. Perhaps it was because of their judicious selection of beef and the exceptionally fine production. The flavor was really good.

After a brief rest and regroup, the group immediately embarked on their journey back home.

The mountain in front of them marked the border between China and Myanmar—Nujiang State.

"As long as we get over this mountain, we'll be stepping onto home soil," Lin Chuan said, shaking his gear. "However, the path ahead probably won't be that easy."

"Do we have to cross the Nu River?" Song Hui asked from the side.

"Yes!" Lin Chuan nodded firmly. "The terrain of the Nu River is treacherous, and the mountains on both sides are extremely steep. I reckon it'll take us a full day and night to cross this mountain, so everybody brace yourselves."

Zhao Zhonghai nodded and said, "I've taken this route before, and lost a few comrades."

Recalling these things, Zhao Zhonghai seemed rather sad, his eyes filled with grief, as if reflecting on the past. His heart was heavy with sorrow.

"Don't dwell on the past," Liu Shaolong patted Zhao Zhonghai on the shoulder. "Those are bygone days. You should think about how we are now going to cross the Nu River and how we'll return to the embrace of our motherland."

"Right!" agreed Zhao Zhonghai. "We will definitely make it back."

"Let's set off," Lin Chuan said, standing on a rock, looking ahead. Not far away was the Nu River, and the roaring sound of the river's rapids could already be heard from afar. The huge bellowing noise, with water continuously crashing against the rocks on both sides. Lin Chuan's mouth twisted into a peculiar smile: "Next, we're about to face God's test."

"Right!" Zhao Zhonghai nodded.

After that, the group of six immediately began their journey home.

To get across the Nu River, one truly needed some skills. Thirty-five kilometers away, there was a rope bridge. This was the shortest way for the local residents to get around. Only by crossing this bridge could one continue forward.

When everyone arrived at the bridge, they were dumbfounded, except for Lin Chuan and Zhao Zhonghai, who were not intimidated by the sight before them.

There were only three iron chains as thick as an arm, spanning a length of about fifty to sixty meters. This was where the river was the shortest above the Nu River, but also where the river's momentum was most ferocious. Here, the river's water was forced into a narrow exit, creating a continuous pressure that resulted in thunderous roaring sounds. The immense roaring noise kicked up sprays of water, and the vast mist almost covered the entire surface of the Nu River. One couldn't see the conditions of the river at all, but could only hear the beast-like roaring sounds from below, similar to the roar of an airplane engine.

From a distance, it was impossible to see where these three iron chains led; perhaps to hell, or perhaps to heaven.

Lin Chuan's mouth showed that peculiar smile again as he laughed coldly and said, "Brothers, let's go."

"Oh my god!" Song Hui was stunned. Staring, he said, "Can we... can we really get across?"

"Of course we can!" Zhao Zhonghai nodded and said. "Follow me."

After saying that, Zhao Zhonghai was the first to step onto the chains. He grabbed two of the chains with his hands and stepped on the one below with his feet, quickly advancing forward. Lin Chuan followed him closely. Liu Shaolong, Song Hui, and the others also followed suit.

The six of them quickly got onto the cable bridge.

Zhao Zhonghai, leading in front, felt the mist getting heavier when he was in the middle of the river. Standing on the cable, it seemed as if one could feel the water's spray. It was only when they reached the center that they discovered, not only was the current strong, but the wind was also fierce.

Strong gusts of wind blew, and Zhao Zhonghai began to sway alarmingly.

"Ah!" Zhao Zhonghai slipped, and his body suddenly fell.

"Old Zhao!" Lin Chuan shouted.

Zhao Zhonghai tightly clung to the chains, his body dangling before he pulled himself up, and hooked his legs onto the chains, finally standing securely once again. Panting heavily, he said, "Damn, that was close."

"Be careful!" Lin Chuan said hastily.

"Take it easy," Liu Shaolong spoke up.

Zhao Zhonghai nodded, saying, "I know, I'll be more careful."

The six men tread carefully and endured countless hardships before finally crossing the Nu River. After getting through, only one more mountain lay ahead before they would be safe. As they crossed the Nu River, joyous smiles appeared on everyone's faces.

"Damn, when that gust of wind hit in the middle of the river, I almost pissed myself," said Song Hui, patting his chest.

"Yeah," Liu Shaolong nodded and added, "It's much scarier than fighting a war."

"We made it without incident," Lin Chuan smiled, "Brothers, let's get ready to go."

Smiles appeared on everyone's faces. It seemed they saw the victorious dawn of returning home.

For Lin Chuan and Zhao Zhonghai, who were accustomed to military training and frequent outdoor survival exercises, climbing over such mountains was basically not a big problem.

The next day, they finally crossed the towering mountain before them.

They were getting closer and closer to China's border.

The six of them dashed down the mountain rapidly. Not far ahead, the national boundary line was visible, with boundary markers in sight. Zhao Zhonghai and his companions were extremely excited. They shouted with exhilaration, "I'm finally home, we're finally back home."

This place was very familiar to them; their excitement was off the charts. They were frequently active in this area, often catching drug traffickers within the national boundaries. This was the first time they were so thrilled, the first time they saw their own country's boundary markers with such intense excitement and emotion.

Bang...

A crisp sound suddenly erupted from the dark jungle. Following that, a soldier behind Zhao Zhonghai immediately fell to the ground. A spray of blood burst from his chest; the man had no chance to scream before he collapsed.

"Damn it, there's a sniper." Zhao Zhonghai's eyes widened.

"Ah Hai!" Zhao Zhonghai yelled.

Seeing his own brother fall right before his eyes, Zhao Zhonghai felt unbearable pain. He was on the verge of breaking down, lying on the ground, not only watchful for the hidden sniper but also desperate to save Xiao Hai.

"Damn it," Liu Shaolong cursed furiously, "Who the hell is it?!"

"I'll take him out," Song Hui said before he could stand up, and then the opponent's gunfire rang out again.

Lin Chuan carefully crawled through a thicket, quickly determining the sniper's location. He swiftly rolled into a trench behind him. Hunched over, he lay on the edge of the ditch, carefully removing the gun from his shoulder.

Lin Chuan signaled to Zhao Zhonghai with a gesture. Zhao Zhonghai was stunned at first but then nodded quickly, taking off his hat and propping it with the gun barrel to reveal just a bit.

Bang...

The opponent took the bait.

As the other side fired, Lin Chuan also immediately squeezed the trigger.

Bang!

A crisp sound. The world went silent.

Lin Chuan and his team carefully concealed themselves in the bushes, all of them carefully watching the sniper's position.

Zhao Zhonghai hesitated for three seconds, then he quickly raised his gun with the hat on top. Lifting it up and down several times, he seemed to detect no issues. At that moment, Zhao Zhonghai could no longer contain himself, leaping up and sprinting towards Xiao Hai's direction.

"Old Zhao, be careful!" Liu Shaolong yelled urgently, his face twisting with intensity. He leapt out of the bushes and dashed towards Zhao Zhonghai to cover him.

"Xiao Hai." Zhao Zhonghai quickly helped Xiao Hai up.

Alas, Xiao Hai had already shown no signs of life. Zhao Zhonghai frantically checked Xiao Hai's carotid artery, only to find no pulse. He yelled to the heavens, "Ah, Xiao Hai!"

Song Hui ran over quickly, asking urgently, "What happened?"

"Xiao Hai is dead," Zhao Zhonghai said choked up.

"Fuck!" Song Hui cursed in anger.

At that moment, Liu Shaolong swiftly ran towards the spot where the sniper had fired. In no time, he flipped a body out from the bushes. A sniper in black camouflage was dragged out from the foliage.

Liu Shaolong shouted, "Lin Chuan, found him."

"Be careful!" Lin Chuan warned from a distance, still maintaining high alert, ready for any potential threats. He watched his surroundings with caution.

Song Hui hurried over quickly.

The group carefully checked the sniper's equipment. Apart from a Chinese face, none of the gear was domestic. The rifle was a German sniper rifle, the bulletproof vest was American-made, and the helmet was of German style. Even the gloves to prevent burns were exclusive to the American Delta Force.

Song Hui anxiously said, "Fuck, what's the background of this guy?"

"Why did he target us?" Liu Shaolong frowned.

"Probably only heaven knows," Song Hui shook his head.

At this moment, Lin Chuan walked over, carefully removing the man's clothing and searched a photograph from within the clothes worn close to the body. It was a group photo featuring a young man and woman; the girl was beautiful and nestled affectionately against the man. The man in the photo was the sniper Lin Chuan had killed.

Looking at the photograph, Lin Chuan suddenly felt a sense of guilt, the first time he'd experienced such a feeling on the battlefield, and it was hard to bear. It felt like torture, an internal agony. He carefully placed the photograph into his chest pocket, aware that from this day forth, there would be one more heartbroken and desolate girl in this country. Perhaps, another tear-jerking love story had just begun.

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