The immediate crisis was over.
The rescued children were taken into warm carriages by the soldiers and given hot water and food.
The tall, thin human trafficker was trussed up and thrown into an empty baggage car. What awaited him was the harshest judgment the law could deliver.
After dealing with everything, Su Mingfeng returned to his compartment, bringing the cold in with him.
The moment he pushed open the door, a rush of warmth mixed with a faint milky scent greeted him.
Inside, the military doctor had already treated Nuannuan's wounds and changed her into a clean cotton shirt. It was far too big for her but very soft, one of Su Ming-feng's spare shirts.
The little one lay on the bed beneath a thick military quilt, a hint of color returning to her small face in the heat of the steam heater.
Her brows remained tightly knitted, as though she was restless even in her sleep.
"Sir." Seeing him enter, the military doctor lowered his voice to report, "Her high fever has started coming down. Physical cooling has been very effective. I gave her some hot milk with sugar, and she drank a little. What she needs most now is rest."
Su Mingfeng nodded, walked over to the bed, and gently sat down.
As he gazed at Nuannuan's sleeping face, the killing intent in his heart gradually faded, leaving only endless tenderness and heartache.
He reached out to stroke her cheek but feared disturbing her. His hand hovered in midair for a long while before he finally did nothing more than gently tuck the quilt around her.
"Thank you for your hard work," he told the military doctor.
"You're too kind, sir. I was only doing my duty."
"You can go now. I'll stay with her."
"Yes, sir."
The military doctor slipped out silently and closed the door.
Only Nuannuan's steady breathing and the faint crackle of charcoal burning in the heater remained in the compartment.
Su Mingfeng sat there quietly, watching her, as though he could make up for all five missing years simply by looking at her.
An unknown amount of time passed.
"Whine..."
A low, aggrieved whine came from outside the compartment door.
Then came a knocking sound as claws scratched at the door.
Su Mingfeng frowned.
He had almost forgotten there was another "great contributor" outside.
He rose and opened the door. Sure enough, the enormous snow leopard lay outside his compartment, gazing pitifully up at him with its ice-blue eyes and whining urgently.
Its gaze passed over Su Mingfeng and fixed directly on Nuannuan in bed.
Its meaning was clear: Give me back my cub.
Su Mingfeng felt a headache coming on.
This was a wild beast, after all. Although it had rendered a great service this time, surely he couldn't actually let it aboard the military train, much less take it back to the capital?
"Go on," Su Mingfeng tried to reason with it, though he knew how absurd that was. "She's safe here now. Thank you for bringing her back. Go back to your snowy mountains."
The snow leopard tilted its head, seemingly not understanding.
It merely edged closer, its enormous head almost poking into the compartment.
"Go back!" Su Mingfeng hardened his tone, trying to scare it away with his imposing presence.
At his sharp command, the snow leopard backed away two steps, but its eyes grew even more aggrieved.
It refused to leave, simply lying in the doorway and fixing Su Ming-feng with an intensely reproachful stare.
Man and leopard remained locked in a standoff at the door.
Su Ming-feng's authority as a commander seemed utterly useless against this persistent beast.
"Sir, how about... we drive it away?" suggested Xiao Zhang, the guard who had come over after hearing the commotion.
"How? By shooting it?" Su Mingfeng glared at him. "It saved Nuannuan's life! Just let anyone try to touch a single hair on its body!"
"Then... what do we do?" Xiao Zhang was at a loss as well.
Just then, Nuannuan seemed to be woken by the commotion at the door.
Her long eyelashes fluttered, and she slowly opened her eyes.
"Uncle..."
When she spoke, her voice was as hoarse as a cracked gong.
"Nuannuan! You're awake!" Overjoyed, Su Ming-feng immediately turned and hurried back to the bedside, asking anxiously, "How do you feel? Does anything hurt?"
Nuannuan shook her head. Looking past Su Mingfeng's shoulder, she spotted the enormous, fluffy white head at the door.
"Big kitty..."
For the first time in days, a smile appeared on her little face.
Seeing her awake, the snow leopard at the door grew excited too. Its tail thumped against the floor behind it as it let out happy whines.
"Uncle." Nuannuan reached out her little hand and tugged at Su Mingfeng's sleeve, pleading softly, "Let... let big kitty come in... please?"
Su Mingfeng looked into his niece's clear, expectant eyes, then at the equally expectant "big cat" at the door, and felt his headache worsen.
What could he do?
He could only surrender.
"...Let it in." Gritting his teeth, he waved at the guard by the door. "But! Keep an eye on it! Don't let it run around the train!"
"Yes, sir!" Xiao Zhang stepped aside, trying to suppress a laugh.
With permission granted, the snow leopard immediately bounded excitedly into the compartment.
It was so large that the tiny compartment instantly became unbearably cramped.
Yet it behaved extremely well, carefully making its way around the table and chairs to the bedside, where it gently rested its enormous head on the edge of the bed, right against Nuannuan's little hand.
Then it stretched out its long tail and gently draped it over Nuannuan's quilt-covered legs like a living blanket.
Nuannuan giggled and reached out to stroke the snow leopard's nose.
The snow leopard narrowed its eyes in comfort, a contented rumble rising from its throat.
Standing to one side, Su Mingfeng watched this harmonious yet bizarre scene, utterly speechless.
He, a military region commander, now not only had to play nanny but was being forced to become a "poop scooper" too.
What kind of situation was this!
He sighed helplessly, yet his eyes were filled with an indulgence he had not even noticed himself.
Oh, fine. Let her be spoiled.
He owed her all of it.
He turned and issued a new order to the communications officer who had followed him inside.
"Immediately send a top-secret telegram of the highest urgency to the Capital Military Region Headquarters in my name."
"Say... the Su family's precious pearl, missing for five years, has been found."