Everyone's playing hide-and-seek: This crazy beauty has maxed-out third eyes.

"Yes!" Chen Zheng replied crisply and decisively.

Jiang Lai held the communicator tightly, glancing at the cracked ground beneath her feet before looking up at the distant thicket of gray fog.

"Withdraw first. All border outposts should be moved back 15 kilometers. The exact distance will be adjusted after the supercomputing model runs."

There was a two-second silence on the communicator.

Chen Zheng paused, his voice faltering: "Fifteen kilometers? Chief of Staff, then our buffer zone is equal to...?"

"A soldier's life is more important!"

"implement."

"yes!"

Jiang Lai hung up the phone. The wind blew in from outside the defense line, carrying the dry, earthy smell. She stood next to the sandbag pile and looked at the sky for a while. It was getting dark.

"An'an".

Lin Sui'an squatted next to the armored vehicle's wheels, still poking at the cracks in the ground with a wooden stick.

"Um?"

"We've inspected all the strange intrusion zones. Would you like to stay here tonight, or take the helicopter back to command center?"

Lin Sui'an stuck the wooden stick into the ground and stood up: "Let's go back."

She tidied her wind-blown hair and added earnestly, "I kind of miss the cafeteria."

Jiang Lai couldn't help but smirk, then pressed the communication button again to switch to Jiang Zhi's communication with the command center.

"Jiang Zhi".

"Chief of Staff!" Jiang Zhi's voice replied instantly.

"Arrange dinner; we'll be there in three hours."

Before she could finish speaking, Lin Sui'an had already darted to Jiang Lai's side and put his head close to the communicator.

"Sister Jiang Zhi!"

"An'an!"

"I want braised pork!"

Lin Sui'an counted on her fingers: "And there's chicken stew with mushrooms!"

Jiang Zhi's laughter came through the communicator: "Okay~ I'll arrange everything for you!"

"I want rice too! A big bowl!"

"Okay, okay, a big bowl."

Lin Sui'an was satisfied and began to look forward to dinner.

After hanging up the communication, Jiang Lai turned and walked quickly toward the defense command post. The garrison commanders were already lined up and waiting for her.

"Starting today, all outposts will be withdrawn."

Jiang Lai glanced around at the officers present.

"Until the command center issues a document and orders are received, no one may approach the fog buffer zone."

The person in charge should stand at attention.

Jiang Lai then looked at the captain of the Seventh Assault Team: "You all return to your units, you don't need to follow anymore."

The captain opened his mouth, as if to say something.

Jiang Lai had already turned and walked out: "An'an and I are taking the helicopter back."

Twenty minutes later, a military helicopter took off from the temporary helipad behind the defensive line, the sound of its rotors shattering the night.

Lin Sui'an leaned over the porthole and looked down.

The lights on the ground grew smaller and smaller, and the outline of the defensive line shrank into a line. Further away, the gray fog swallowed all the light sources, leaving a vast, dark void.

She looked away, leaned back in her seat, closed her eyes for a moment, and a thought popped into her mind: the lights are still the best.

Three hours later, the helicopter landed on the helipad of the command center.

The hatch opened, and Jiang Zhi was already standing below, waving to the two of them.

"An'an!"

"Sister Jiang Zhi!"

"Come on, come on, dinner's ready!"

Jiang Zhi reached out and grabbed Lin Sui'an, then headed towards the cafeteria.

Lin Sui'an took two steps, then suddenly stopped and turned to look at Jiang Lai.

Jiang Lai stepped off the helicopter, still holding a tablet in her hand, and turned toward the command center building.

"elder sister."

Jiang Lai paused for a moment.

Lin Sui'an jogged back a couple of steps and grabbed Jiang Lai's sleeve: "Where are you going?"

"Go back and deal with the withdrawal."

Jiang Lai glanced down at the sleeve that was being grabbed: "Eat your food properly, you don't need to wait for me."

Lin Sui'an didn't let go; she stared intently at Jiang Lai, her eyes shining brightly under the lights of the tarmac.

"elder sister."

"Um?"

"Everyone's drinking nutrient solution, right?"

Jiang Lai paused for a moment.

Lin Sui'an said seriously, "I'm not stupid."

"The cafeteria always cooks so many dishes for me, but I've never seen anyone else eating in the cafeteria."

"There were empty nutrient solution bags next to the trash cans in the corridor."

"This week, at every outpost, all I saw was everyone eating nutrient solutions."

Jiang Lai opened her mouth.

Lin Sui'an loosened her sleeve, raised her chin, and changed her tone: "I already know, the whole country is short of food, and there is no proper food to eat."

"Sister, I will definitely play the game well and make sure everyone has food to eat and meat to eat."

"Believe me, I will definitely do it!"

Her voice grew louder and louder, and the light in her eyes grew brighter and brighter.

Jiang Lai stood there, a lump stuck in her throat, unable to go up or down.

This girl had been watching everything silently, bearing everything without a word, and then speaking it out in such a solemn tone.

Lin Sui'an suddenly took another step closer, her tone shifting and drawing out the last syllable.

So~

"Sister, shall we have dinner together today?"

She put her hands behind her back, leaned forward, and her eyes crinkled into a smile.

Jiang Lai's throat felt dry, and she swallowed, "Okay."

"Yay!"

Lin Sui'an jumped up and down, then turned to Jiang Zhi and shouted, "Sister Jiang Zhi, come along too!"

Jiang Zhi paused for a moment, then subconsciously waved her hand: "I don't..."

Let's go together.

Jiang Lai's voice came from behind, silencing Jiang Zhi's refusal.

Jiang Zhi looked up at her sister, then at Lin Sui'an.

Lin Sui'an had already grabbed one in each hand and dragged them towards the cafeteria.

"Hurry up, hurry up, the braised pork is getting cold!"

The cafeteria door opened, revealing four dishes and a soup laid out on the table.

The braised pork belly was arranged on a white porcelain plate, glistening with a dark brown color.

The chicken stew with mushrooms was still steaming, and the mushrooms and glass noodles inside were soaked in the broth.

A dish of smashed cucumber, a plate of stir-fried bean sprouts, and a pot of seaweed and egg drop soup.

A set of bowls and chopsticks.

"Master, master, two more sets of bowls and chopsticks!"

"Alright~" Upon hearing this, the head chef immediately prepared two more sets of bowls and chopsticks and placed them in front of the chief of staff and Secretary Jiang.

Lin Sui'an sat down, and moved both hands at the same time. With his left hand, he picked up the braised pork with chopsticks, and with his right hand, he used a spoon to scoop up the soup.

Hmm~

She squinted and puffed out her cheeks.

Jiang Lai sat down opposite, picked up her chopsticks, and put a piece of chicken in her mouth.

I chewed it a couple of times, then slowed down.

She couldn't remember the last time she had eaten meat.

The taste of the nutrient solution lingered in my mouth for so long that my tongue almost forgot the layers of seasoning.

Jiang Zhi sat down next to her, holding a bowl, and scooped a mouthful of rice into her mouth. The sensation of the rice grains being crushed between her teeth brought a lump to her throat.

Lin Sui'an ate very quickly, and had already finished three pieces of braised pork.

She looked up and saw Jiang Lai chewing slowly across from her, her gaze fixed on the bowl.

Seeing that Jiang Zhi had her head down and was poking at the rice with her chopsticks without moving, I noticed that Jiang Zhi was looking down.

Lin Sui'an swallowed what was in his mouth, picked up a piece of chicken, and put it into Jiang Zhi's bowl.

He picked up another piece of braised pork, stretched out his arm, and put it into the bowl of ginger and vegetables.

"Eat!"

"What are you spacing out for?"

"It won't taste good when it's cold."

Jiang Zhi sniffed and stuffed the chicken into her mouth.

Jiang Lai looked down at the braised pork in her bowl, gripped her chopsticks tightly, picked it up, and put it in her mouth. The salty and sweet flavors spread throughout her mouth.

Lin Sui'an stuffed another mouthful of rice into his mouth and mumbled something indistinctly.

Jiang Zhi didn't hear her clearly: "What did you say?"

Lin Sui'an swallowed hard and patted his chest.

"I'll say it!"

"Next time I want sweet and sour pork ribs."