A young boy from the 1970s, separated from his family, fled famine and led his younger brother into

The military compound is like a small kingdom independent of the secular world.

When Su Nianci was held in Lu Zhenguo's arms and passed through the heavy iron gate, she felt as if she had instantly entered another time and space.

Outside the gate, the streets were a chaotic scene of people struggling to survive; inside, however, lay a neat and orderly military camp.

The snow on the wide road had been swept away, revealing the black asphalt surface. Rows of tall poplar trees lined both sides of the road, their branches adorned with glistening icicles that shimmered in the setting sun. In the distance, rows of uniformly styled red-brick family housing buildings stood in a neat, staggered arrangement. Occasionally, people in military uniforms would walk by, each with an upright posture and brisk steps. Upon seeing Lu Zhenguo, they would stop at a distance, stand at attention, salute, and shout, "Greetings, Commander!"

The air was filled with a solemn and rigorous atmosphere, yet also a strong sense of security.

Little Stone was clearly seeing this for the first time. He peeked his head out from under his military overcoat, his big, dark eyes filled with curiosity and... a hint of fear. He clung tightly to Su Nianci's clothes, his small body trembling slightly in Lu Zhenguo's broad embrace.

"Don't be afraid, these are all your uncles." Lu Zhenguo sensed the tension in the child's arms, so he slowed his pace and reassured him in the gentlest possible voice.

His voice still carried the characteristic hoarseness and authority of a soldier, but the deliberately suppressed gentleness gradually relaxed Xiao Shitou. He stopped dodging and instead curiously observed this new world.

Instead of returning to his office, Lu Zhenguo carried the two children across the playground and headed towards the family quarters.

His bodyguard and driver, in their black Volga, followed at a distance. They were still in a state of utter bewilderment, completely clueless as to who these two suddenly appearing children were, and why they could cause their iron-willed political commissar to lose his composure like this.

Lu Zhenguo remained silent throughout the journey.

He simply carried his two children, walking with unusually steady steps.

But Su Nianci could clearly feel that the arm holding her was tense and even trembling slightly from the force.

She knew that his heart was far from as calm as he appeared on the surface.

Soon, they arrived at the foot of a red brick building.

Lu Zhenguo's home is on the second floor.

He carried the two children and quickly made his way upstairs. Instead of using a key, he used his free hand to knock loudly on the door.

"Who is it? Why are you making such a racket? Are you trying to break the door down?" A gentle, slightly reproachful female voice came from inside the door.

With a "click," the door opened.

A woman in her forties, wearing a blue polyester shirt and a floral apron, with a gentle and quiet demeanor, appeared at the door. She was Zhou Yayun, Lu Zhenguo's wife.

She was stunned when she saw her husband holding two dirty children dressed like little beggars, and her husband himself wearing only a thin sweater with red eyes.

"Old...Old Lu? What's this...?" Zhou Ya Yun's face was filled with shock and confusion. "These...these two children are...?"

Lu Zhenguo did not answer her. He simply carried the child, walked past his wife, and went straight into the house.

The room was spacious and bright. The floor was polished cement, the walls were whitewashed, and although the furniture was simple—all issued by the military—it was spotless and neatly arranged. A faint aroma of food wafted from the kitchen, filling the room with the comforting scent of home.

Lu Zhenguo walked to the long sofa in the center of the living room and carefully placed Su Nianci and Xiao Shitou on the soft sofa.

He turned to face his bewildered wife and said, "Ya Yun, close the door."

Although Zhou Yayun didn't know what had happened, she realized something terrible had occurred from her husband's solemn expression and trembling voice.

She immediately closed and locked the door tightly.

"Old Lu, what exactly...?"

"They are the children of Weiguo," Lu Zhenguo interrupted her.

"Wei...Weiguo?!" Zhou Yayun's body swayed violently, and her face turned deathly pale instantly!

As Lu Zhenguo's wife, how could she not know the name "Su Weiguo"! It was not only her husband's comrade-in-arms, but also a taboo buried in their family for nearly ten years, a scar that no one dared to touch easily!

"Wei Guo...he's not...they're not all..." Zhou Ya Yun's voice trembled.

"I don't know." Lu Zhenguo shook his head. For the first time, pain and confusion showed on his resolute face. "I don't know anything."

After he finished speaking, he slowly opened the hand that had been tightly clenched.

The yellowed letter and the equally yellowed black-and-white photograph appeared before Zhou Yayun.

Zhou Yayun picked up the photo with trembling hands.

When she saw the familiar young face in the photo, smiling as brightly as the sun, tears welled up in her eyes instantly.

"It's Weiguo...it really is Weiguo..." she murmured, her voice choked with emotion.

Then, she picked up the letter again.

The envelope bore the inscription "To Brother Lu Zhenhua" in strong, vigorous handwriting—it was Su Weiguo's handwriting.

Zhou Yayun's hands trembled even more violently.

She slowly opened the envelope.

The letter was only a thin sheet of paper.

The words above, though few, are each one heart-wrenching and each sentence piercing the soul.

"My dear brother Zhenhua:"

Zhan Xin'an.

By the time you read this letter, I may have already died for my country, my body wrapped in a horse's hide. This is a soldier's duty, and I will die without regret.

However, there are two major matters on my mind that I cannot let go of, and I have no choice but to entrust them to my brother.

Firstly, my son Nianci is exceptionally intelligent and resolute, much like myself. However, if my wife and I were to pass away, I fear our relatives are not benevolent, and I worry that she will be bullied and left destitute. I earnestly hope that, brother, you can consider our past brotherly bond and look after her, protecting her completely. I would be eternally grateful even in the afterlife.

Secondly…

The letter ends abruptly here.

The content following "the second" seems to have been scraped away with some sharp tool!

It left behind a jarring, glaring blank space!

"What...what happened?" Zhou Ya Yun's pupils constricted sharply. "The letter...how come half of the letter is missing?!"

Lu Zhenguo's face was also extremely ugly!

He snatched the letter from his wife's hand and stared at the blank space that had been scraped away, his eyes becoming incredibly sinister and ruthless!

He knew that the part that had been scraped off contained the most crucial and core secret of the letter!

This is what Su Weiguo truly wanted to entrust to him!

who is it? !

Who exactly came into contact with this last letter after Su Weiguo's sacrifice, and deliberately destroyed the most important part of it?!

A tremendous, sinister chill enveloped the entire room.

Lu Zhenguo raised his head, his sharp, hawk-like eyes falling once again on the little girl on the sofa who had remained unusually calm throughout.

"Nianci, tell your uncle about it!"

"What's going on with this letter?!"

"What was written on the part that was scraped off?!"

"And why did you have to call out my name only when Uncle appeared?!"

"Who are you?! And what is your real purpose in coming here?!"