cicada

Chapter 1547 Extra (Qiu Chan returns home)
"Sir, here are your documents. Welcome home."

At the Ningbo Airport immigration gate, a staff member smiled and handed a Temasek passport to an elderly overseas Chinese man outside the window.

The elderly man politely thanked them, then collected his luggage, went through customs, and walked out of the airport alone. Several young men in black quickly stepped forward to take the suitcase.

"Chairman, you've worked hard."

"kindness."

When the young man greeted him, the old man, with an air of importance, casually replied and walked straight to the luxury car in the parking area. Someone immediately opened the car door and held onto the car's edge.

A dozen seconds later, as the young people closed the doors in unison, several black cars pulled out of the waiting area and headed towards the city center.

Passengers who witnessed this scene secretly guessed the old man's identity, but quickly forgot about it, treating it as just a small episode in their busy lives.

Unbeknownst to anyone, the security camera in front of the airport slowly rotated, flashing red lights intermittently.

On the other side, the old man sat in the car looking out the window at the street scene: the bustling residential area, the thriving commercial center, and the young people and children playing on the lawn—everything seemed so natural.

The old man tried to find traces of his hometown in the city before him, but he failed until he saw a small stone bridge.

In his memory, he had walked across this small bridge with his brothers. Who were there at the time?
Oh, right, there was He Yijun, Gu Qi, Song Minghao, Wu Chunyang, and Gui Youguang. They were all very young back then.

Perhaps recalling a funny incident from years ago, Zuo Zhong, whose hair was already gray, burst into laughter. He hadn't been this happy in a long time since his old friends had passed away.

The convoy slowly came to a stop. Not far away, at the site of the Zuo family's ancestral home, stood the Leifute Hope Primary School, with a bright national flag fluttering in the wind on the flagpole.

Zuo Zhong gazed at the national flag quietly for a long time, and finally said wearily to the driver, "Let's go, I want to take a good look at the country now."

The black sedan drove away silently, and a leaf was blown by the wind and drifted down again, as if bidding farewell to this wanderer who had been away from his hometown for decades, and this time it might be a final goodbye.

Over the next two weeks, Zuo Zhong went to Shanghai, Nanjing, Jiangcheng, and Chongqing.

In these cities where he had lived and fought, Zuo Zhong's memories of his past life completely lost their function, and many buildings and things became ambiguous.

In a small eatery in Nanjing, the owner proudly told Zuo Zhong that the shop was opened by his great-great-grandfather and has been open for a full hundred years this year, with many regular customers.

Zuo Zhong took a bite of the dumpling, and the familiar taste brought back many memories. He smiled and nodded to the owner, "You make it better than your great-grandfather's."

The boss was momentarily dazed. By the time he came to his senses, the old man had already left, leaving only a large bill on the table.

Zuo Zhong, who had already gotten into the car, glanced back at the snack shop. He and Ban Jun had eaten two bowls of dumplings (section 481) here during the Jiujiawei incident, which happened to be the winter solstice.

To be honest, the dumplings didn't taste that great, but they were filled with friendship and camaraderie, and Zuo Zhong misses them dearly.

In front of the Presidential Palace, Director Zuo, who was preparing to reminisce about the past, was told that the appointments were full. After listening to the staff's explanation, he could only smile helplessly and tell the driver to drive off.

The car drove along Zhongshan Road into Sanyuan Lane. Ahead was Hong Gongci, the former headquarters of the Military Intelligence Bureau, but now everything has changed.

When Japan bombed Nanjing, the old Kuomintang office building was destroyed in the explosion. The building that was rebuilt after the victory of the War of Resistance was completely burned down by fire on the eve of the Kuomintang's escape.

Zuo Zhong leaned out of the car window, feeling the breeze on his face, and saw the golden shield emblem on the top of a building by the roadside.

As the vehicle passed the building, several men in plain clothes turned around abruptly. When they saw that the person spying on them was an elderly man with a smiling face, they were filled with suspicion and uncertainty.

Each generation has its own mission, its own responsibilities, and its own stories, which will only become more fascinating.

Zuo Chong pressed the button, and the tinted glass slowly rose, obscuring his profile. The man in plain clothes watched the convoy drive away.

The same scene also occurred in the mountain city. The headquarters of the Military Intelligence Bureau at No. 29 Luojiawan was demolished, and the site was transformed into a children's hospital. This was truly an incredibly dramatic change.

The Military Intelligence Bureau under Zuo Zhong fought for the future of the country and the nation, and the Children's Hospital was also saving the future.

Deeply moved, Zuo Zhong left the mountain city and headed straight to Harbin in the northeast. There, he spent a very long time alone at the Memorial Hall for the Victims of the Victims.

Even with their existence, the Japanese still committed countless heinous crimes in this timeline.

But what is heartening is that young people placed white chrysanthemums in front of the stone tablet and clasped their hands together to pray for their deceased compatriots.

After leaving the exhibition hall, Zuo Zhong sat on a bench under the shade of a tree, feeling a cool breeze blowing in his face. He looked silently at the red brick building of the water supply unit, then nodded to a couple.

"Let's go, I need to see that old bastard Ling Sanping and settle some old scores from decades ago."

The couple looked puzzled, seemingly unaware of what he was talking about. Zuo Zhong shook his head and pointed to the man's ears and shoes.

"No need to pretend anymore, your headset is showing. It's an IHS monitoring headset, which costs about 30,000 yuan a pair. A young man wearing ordinary sneakers can't afford such high-end products."

"And you, you've been with me since Ningbo, haven't you? You disguised yourself quite well; I only found out when I got to Nanjing."

Before he finished speaking, a middle-aged sanitation worker walked up to the three men. The man quickly lowered his head, bracing himself for the impending storm.

“Go back and write a 30,000-word self-criticism, then return to the camp for six months of training.”

The sanitation worker, with a dark expression, gave the order, then turned to Zuo Zhong with a smile: "Mr. Zuo, the old commander is waiting for you in Beiping."

Zuo Chong made a face at the couple, got up and walked away, saying, "Lead the way. Ling Sanping's disciples and grand-disciples have finally produced someone worthy of respect, otherwise I would really have doubted that old guy's abilities."

The sanitation workers were both amused and exasperated, and had no choice but to lead Zuo Zhong to an open space. Shortly afterward, a helicopter landed there and then quickly took off again, heading directly towards Beiping.

That evening, two elderly people sat in a private room of a quaint old-fashioned restaurant in Beiping, with world news playing on a television in the corner.

Former Japanese Prime Minister Fuichiro Hayashi expressed dissatisfaction with the current government's visits to the shrine, believing that only Asia can truly achieve lasting peace.

[Temasek President May Yuan Cheng visits; multiple consensuses reached]

[New Zealand and Australia officially launched a referendum on unification, with a majority of voters supporting it. New Zealand President Zuo Yuanming delivered a speech.]

[Korea Maxim's Group President Hsiao Ku-sheng denies any connection between Maxim's Group and Takagi, reiterates...]

The US president has pledged to disclose the operations of his family's Duoduo Charitable Foundation and accept an IRS audit.

The TV volume gradually decreased. An elderly man with a weathered face but still handsome features put down the remote control. Seeing that Zuo Zhong seemed unaffected, he finally couldn't help but slam his hand on the table.

"What are you doing back here?" "I'm telling you, Zuo Zhong, it was indeed Ling who took those chip data back then."

“I don’t know where you got the technology, but it’s important to the country and can even determine the country’s fate and future.”

"If you want to collect your debt, I only have one thing to say: I have no money, but you can take my life!"

Listening to Ling Sanping's blustering yet cowardly rogue remarks, Zuo Zhong gently blew away the foam in his teacup and took a small sip.

After drinking the tea, he put down the teacup and said helplessly, "See, you're in such a hurry again."

"Am I in a hurry?!"

Ling Sanping stood up abruptly, his pale face turning bright red, clearly indicating that what happened back then was a hurdle in his heart.

Zuo Zhong sighed, wondering if Ling Sanping had ever considered that without his tacit approval, he could have taken the data from the research base and returned to China safely.
You should know that this was top-secret technology that Gui Youguang had stolen from the Germans, and it was also the organization's top secret.

Seeing that Zuo Zhong remained silent, Ling Sanping deflated like a punctured balloon and slumped back onto his stool.

After a long while, he moved his lips and asked a question: "Are He Yijun and Chunyang alright?"

After asking the question, Ling Sanping stared intently at Zuo Zhong's face, feeling extremely nervous, afraid of hearing the answer he least wanted to hear from the other party.

Zuo Zhong's expression turned sorrowful, and he sighed, "They've all left, leaving me all alone in New Zealand."

Ling Sanping was stunned. Familiar faces flashed through his mind again and again. Although they were on different sides, they were comrades who had shared life and death.

When he stole the documents and left New Zealand, he cut off all contact with everyone, and that separation lasted for decades.

He had considered that some people might have already passed away, such as the oldest Gu Qi and Song Minghao, so he hadn't asked about their situation. But he didn't expect that even He Yijun and the others were gone.

Ling Sanping's eyes gradually welled up with tears, but Zuo Zhong said angrily, "Yi Jun and the others went to South America. I told them I didn't like the weather there, but they wouldn't listen."

"Uh"

This sudden turn of events forced Ling Sanping to hold back his tears. He glared angrily at Zuo Zhong, his chest heaving violently, and he stammered as he spoke.

"You're surnamed Zuo! Can you stop talking so dramatically?! I thought they all..."

"You thought they were all dead, so there's nothing to hide. But if I told you that Gu Qi and Lao Song are also alive, would you be even more surprised?"

Zuo Zhong smiled mysteriously, took out his phone and clicked a button. As the video call was connected, many people appeared on the other side of the screen.

"Old Ling, why do you look so old?"

"Haha, there's light! Quick, take a screenshot!"

"My turn, my turn."

On a South American beach, Gu Qi, Song Minghao, Wu Chunyang, Gui Youguang, and others were scrambling for a cell phone, shouting and yelling.

Looking at his old friends jumping around on the screen, Ling Sanping was dumbfounded, feeling like he was dreaming.

He was a doctor, and a good one at that, and he knew very well the limits of human lifespan. Gu Qi and Song Minghao could not possibly still be alive.

Suddenly, Ling Sanping's body stiffened, and he stared into Zuo Zhong's eyes, asking, "Has the laboratory developed new life technology?"

As one of the people who had followed Zuo Zhong the longest, he knew that the other party had many secrets, such as the incredibly futuristic laboratory base in New Zealand, and his ability to foresee the future at certain times.

When Zuo Chong forcibly took him away from Shanghai, he said that he would know some things in the future, and he did indeed understand them later. But the technology to extend lifespan? This was simply challenging Ling Sanping's worldview.

Zuo Zhong did not answer his question. After hanging up the video call, he placed a bottle of green potion on the table. The emerald green liquid shimmered under the light, as if it had a life of its own.

The German nest house contains many valuable things, including advanced microelectronics technology and even more futuristic life sciences. Researchers at the base have been studying these technologies for many years but have not been able to find their origin.

People from the future? Aliens? Either is possible; in any case, they don't belong to this world.

While Ling Sanping was examining the medicine, Zuo Zhong took out his old cell phone, which had been with him for most of his life, from his spatial storage and secretly sent a coded message.

The coded message contained only his current location and four words: "Autumn Cicada, go home."

Half an hour later, someone knocked on the door of the private room. Ling Sanping saw the person and quickly got up to greet them, but the person asked to talk to Zuo Zhong alone.

No one knows what Zuo Zhong and this person talked about; their conversation remains a secret and will never be revealed.

In the early hours of the following day, Zuo Zhong stopped his unlicensed car at a certain location. The streetlights were still on, and pedestrians were coming and going.

Elderly people dressed in ethnic costumes, young people hurriedly tidying their clothes, and children sleepy-eyed in their parents' arms—everyone was waiting for that moment to arrive.

As the first rays of sunlight appeared on the horizon, majestic music began to play, and Zuo Zhong watched as the crimson hue gradually rose higher.

From 1933 to the present, he has finally completed his mission, but many more people have sacrificed their lives and did not live to see this day of victory.

Zuo Zhong turned on his phone and opened an old photo in the album. Gu Lan and Xie Jiuwen were smiling and snuggling together, as if time had stood still.

Gu Lan was an underground party member he met when he handled his first case. Xie Jiuwen was Gu Lan's husband and also her partner.

Back then, Zuo Chong witnessed them fall to the enemy's guns (section 248), and their vow before their heroic sacrifice, "Never betray the Party," still echoed in his ears.

Today, he wants to take Gu Lan and Xie Jiuwen to see the new world that they and all the martyrs bought with their lives.

"stand up."

The children raised their right hands in greeting, their innocent voices drifting into the car through the cracks in the window. This symbolized a passing down of tradition, a flame that would burn forever from one generation to the next.

The monument carved from granite stands tall, a testament to the countless ordinary yet resilient people who created a magnificent history from the burning of opium at Humen to the founding of the new China.

Zuo Zhong pushed open the car door and gave a standard military salute amidst the astonished gazes of nearby tourists. At that moment, the cell phone in the car emitted a barely audible mechanical sound.

[Main quest completed. Congratulations, user, a system error has occurred. Reward withdrawn...]

This chapter is a bit surreal, and some people may not like it, but I want to give Zuo Zhong and all his companions a happy ending. All good things must come to an end. Thank you all for your support along the way, and see you in the next book.