It was the middle of the night.
Song Ning woke up to add more firewood.
She had gathered all the firewood she could find in the cave into one place. There was still a small pile left, but at this rate, it would not last long.
Fortunately, all her clothes, inside and out, had dried by the fire, and she was warm.
The rain outside had stopped, leaving the air damp and cold.
There was no telling whether it would start again.
Song Ning figured she should go out to look for more firewood after daybreak.
She could burn wet wood together with dry wood.
It would smoke more, but it would still burn.
In weather like this, she could not let the fire go out.
As she quietly considered this, Song Ning picked up on movement outside the cave.
The faint sound of branches snapping underfoot.
And it came from more than one spot.
More than one person was approaching the cave.
If the rain had not happened to stop...
If she had not happened to be awake...
She would never have noticed such faint sounds.
Song Ning had already reached into the backpack and taken out the dagger.
She quietly pressed herself against the cave wall, her eyes fixed on the entrance.
Soon, several low birdcalls sounded outside.
No bird would call in this season, in weather like this.
Three short calls and one long one, at that.
Song Ning relaxed. It was Han Xiao.
She had heard him use this method to communicate with his teammates before.
She immediately called out, "Han Xiao! It's me!"
The moment she spoke, two figures carrying guns appeared at the entrance.
They held their weapons ready, aiming into the cave.
Their weapon handling alone made it clear they were regular troops.