"It's not necessary to speak so harshly. We won't make any edits to the phone's content; we just want to know what she's planning to explain to Pei Yan so that we can prepare in advance!" Listening to Jiang Donghu, Yuan Shaoqing leaned forward and smiled as he persuaded. Now, with Mei Simiao, who was responsible for intelligence, severely injured and unconscious, he had to take over his work temporarily.

Jiang Donghu shifted his body, covering his wound with one hand and pressing the phone on the table with the other, responding resolutely: "I'm sorry, I can't comply. A promise is a promise!"

"Jiang Donghu! Don't forget that you're a soldier! A soldier's duty is to obey orders! I order you to hand over the phone now!" Captain Dong, observing others in the investigation office growing increasingly displeased, had no choice but to protect his old subordinate by slamming the table and commanding loudly.

"Captain Dong, you can punish me! Whether it's confinement or stripping me of my uniform, I'll accept it!" Jiang Donghu straightened himself up, refusing to back down.

"Alright, don't make it difficult for him! In this situation, we should be understanding! But Jiang Donghu, you must also understand us. We cannot let Pei Yan know the truth too soon, at least not until Mei Simiao wakes up and explains, because many matters were handled in direct communication between him and Pei Jin. According to your statement, her departure contains hidden details, and until we understand the truth, we can't allow you to hand such crucial information to Pei Yan." Elder Lin, sitting at the other end of the conference table, spoke, exhausted.

Jiang Donghu understood their concerns and looked at his vibrating phone hesitantly, "Then what do you propose we do now?"

"Don't answer the phone yet; let it be for now. I'll arrange for someone to handle it later." Yuan Shaoqing exchanged glances with others and spoke in a deep tone.

Later that day, Pei Yan, feeling anxious, finally called his sister's phone. Hearing the familiar voice on the other end, his heart sank entirely. His elder sister explained she had left her phone at home in a hurry that day before work and didn't expect him to call. After a brief conversation, she claimed she had work to handle at home, advised him to take care of himself in the military, and disconnected the call.

After hanging up, Pei Yan's smiling face immediately turned dark. He pounded the bed board with his fist, his body trembling uncontrollably.

Now living in the military dormitory, Ye Jiumu and Wang Wenze, sharing a room with him, saw his expression and knew something was wrong. Wang Wenze jumped down from the upper bunk, sat opposite him, and asked in a deep voice, "Yan Zi, what's wrong? Did something happen at home?"

"It's about my sister!" Pei Yan replied with rage, his eyes flaring.

"Your sister!" At this, everyone in the dorm gathered around, and Jiang Feiyang turned his head curiously, "Didn't you just talk to your sister? It seemed like you two were chatting happily!"

"That wasn't my sister, just someone with a similar voice! Though she sounded alike and talked about my sister's work, I knew! We haven't spoken in half a year, and my sister wouldn't hang up abruptly for work reasons!"

Jiang Feiyang, sitting up on his upper bunk, mocked, "Oh, aren't you overthinking it? You're so self-centered! The pressure of society is high; maybe your sister really is very busy!"

"If that were all, then maybe I am overthinking. But I called out my sister's nickname during the call, and she hesitated, laughed it off. My sister would have scolded me! She hates it when I call her nickname using our parents' tone! She'd be angry every time since we were kids!" Pei Yan clenched his fists and shouted.

"Uh...! That can change too, right? Maybe you are overthinking!" Jiang Feiyang frowned uncertainly, as such childhood habits rarely change. He wasn't like Pei Yan; the subtle connection between siblings was intricate. Could there really be something wrong?

At this moment, Ye Jiumu, who had been silent opposite Pei Yan, suddenly raised his head and said, "Your sister said she was at home. Do you know her landline number in Shanghai? Call it, if she's home, there won't be a problem!"

"You're right! Old Ye is right!" Jiang Feiyang pointed out.

Pei Yan nodded repeatedly. He was about to dial but paused briefly. He lightly flicked his left hand, releasing a power, then dialed his sister's Shanghai home landline again.

The line was busy. After a tense wait, the call connected, and as his sister's voice emerged from the other end, Pei Yan ended the call without further conversation. He tossed the phone onto the bed and strode towards the door!

"What's going on? Why hang up without finishing the conversation?" Jiang Feiyang asked, bewildered.

Wang Wenze, sensing the situation's severity, quickly put on his shoes and shouted, "Let's follow him; something's up!"

Within the military command post, Yuan Shaoqing, staring at the now-disconnected call, turned to the room and sighed, "It's exposed, this approach won't work! We'd better..."

Before he could finish, Pei Yan's thunderous voice echoed across the entire military courtyard, "Gu Shenghui! Come out here!"

The loudspeakers in the courtyard replayed this sentence repeatedly. In the meeting room, everyone's eyes simultaneously focused on Gu Shenghui.

"Ah! There's always a cause, and the ones responsible always show up!" Gu Shenghui, wincing from the loud voice, stood up and sighed, "I'll go see him; bring the phone and come with me!" He then pointed towards Jiang Donghu, who sat opposite him.

Soon, Gu and Jiang appeared on the playground, which was now half filled by military personnel and investigation office members who came upon hearing the commotion. Everyone watched Pei Yan in the field's center, roaring furiously. Wang Wenze attempted to intervene several times, only to be held back by Ye Jiumu, who shook his head helplessly, understanding Pei Yan's feelings as someone with siblings at home.

.

"I'm here! Stop shouting!" Gu Shenghui, with a cigarette in his mouth, pushed through the crowd and loudly called to Pei Yan in the field. Seeing Pei Yan rushing towards him furiously, he waved his hand, then turned to others at the sidelines, shouting, "Stop watching! Where's your discipline? Are you spectators at a market? Go back to your dormitories!"

With this order, team leaders and captains stepped out of the crowd, ordering their subordinates to return to their dormitories. The vast ground was left with just Pei Yan and his squadmates.

After clearing the area, Gu Shenghui turned to Pei Yan, "What do you need from me?"