Sandwich Cookie

Fortunately, Wilk was on her left and Lu Yu was on her right, so she didn't have to be too nervous.

Wilk thoughtfully pulled Song Zhi's sleeping bag closer to his own, then cast a sidelong glance at Lu Yu, who was lying beside her. His green eyes were full of warning.

"Okay, I'll turn over." Lu Yu shrugged and rolled onto his side, turning his back to Wilk.

Song Zhi watched the two of them, the corners of her mouth twitching involuntarily. Were these two kindergarteners? How childish!

She sighed helplessly and was about to lie down when she suddenly heard Lai'en's voice behind her. "You three, quiet down."

His tone was as calm as ever, but it carried an unquestionable authority.

Song Zhi froze for a moment, then felt someone gently pat her sleeping bag. She looked back to find Hill crouching behind her, a blanket in his hand.

"It might get cold tonight. Keep yourself covered." He stood up after speaking and walked toward the fire, as though he had merely done it in passing.

Song Zhi held the blanket, and a warmth inexplicably welled up in her heart.

Kelante took the first watch. He sat leaning against something beside the fire, his gun in his arms. His face betrayed little expression as he watched the darkness in the distance intently.

Song Zhi fell asleep soon after settling into her sleeping bag, but her sleep was restless. In her drowsy state, she could only sense someone walking back and forth beside her. She frowned but never opened her eyes, failing to notice even when the person beside her changed.

After finishing the first night watch, Kelante woke Wilk and slipped into his sleeping bag, pressing close against Song Zhi.

Lu Yu snorted, then moved closer as well. He even reached out and mischievously pinched Song Zhi's nose.

Song Zhi wrinkled her nose in her sleep, seemingly sensing something amiss, but she was far too tired. She merely waved a hand unconsciously, as though shooing away an annoying little bug.

Her movement made Lu Yu chuckle, but Kelante shot him a cold, warning look. Lu Yu pursed his lips and pulled his hand back, yet he still refused to leave. Instead, he lay down at the edge of the sleeping bag and stared blankly at Song Zhi's face.

Song Zhi, thoroughly annoyed, turned over in her sleep and rolled straight into Kelante's arms. She found a comfortable position nestled beside him and continued sleeping.

Kelante patted Song Zhi's back as naturally as could be.

"Tsk!" Lu Yu's face darkened.

Elsewhere, Hill had finished his brief rest. He stood up, stretched his limbs, then walked to the fire to relieve Wilk on watch. His footsteps were light, making almost no sound, but in the firelight, his expression looked unusually grave. He glanced at the sleeping Song Zhi, then swept his gaze over the people gathered around her. A complicated expression crossed his face, but in the end, he merely snorted and turned his attention to the darkness deep at the far end of the thicket.

The entire camp gradually quieted down, with only the occasional crackle of burning branches and the rustle of grass in the wind breaking the silence of the night. Yet this outward calm could not conceal the turmoil hidden in everyone's hearts, especially the subtle maneuvering quietly unfolding around Song Zhi, like an invisible contest slowly brewing in the darkness.

Lai'en reclined in his sleeping bag, his head lowered as he analyzed the various data from the exercise. He looked at the sleeping Song Zhi and frowned slightly without realizing it. The data from this combat exercise was terrible across the board. There was no longer any need to continue tomorrow's exercise; even if he insisted on seeing it through, those guys would still deliberately go easy.

It was the first time he had encountered such an uncontrollable development: the entire group had rebelled!

He closed his tactical tablet and made the worst decision of his military career: tomorrow's exercise would continue. However, the assessment needed to be adjusted, changing the tactical assessment to one of synchronized teamwork.

Just as he was fully focused on revising tomorrow's battle plan, Song Zhi, who had been sleeping soundly, suddenly woke with a start, a buzzing ringing filling her ears. She clapped her hands over her ears and sat bolt upright. She knew this sensation all too well. When Zone C had been bombed with missiles, the ultrasonic interference had made her ears ring!

"There are missiles incoming!"

The moment she spoke, the entire group snapped awake. Lu Yu thought Song Zhi had had a nightmare and was about to tease her when he saw the sky light up in the direction of the harbor, the white glare too bright to look at.

The members of Group A knew that light all too well. It was a missile!

"It's an enemy attack! Everyone, stay alert!" Lai'en sprang out of his sleeping bag, pressed one hand to his headset, and switched the communications channel to Sri Lanka's security channel. He reported rapidly, "Miller, Miller, the base is under enemy attack! The base is under attack! The base is under attack! Respond if you copy! Respond if you copy!"

Before Miller could reply, the missile exploded. Waves surged hundreds of meters into the air before crashing heavily onto land, and a massive shock wave from the explosion spread outward with devastating force.

Kelante tackled Song Zhi and shielded her beneath him. The others also dropped into the pit. Dirt and fragments of rock rained down, quickly burying them.

Song Zhi covered her ears beneath Kelante, scared witless. The hell, was this part of the exercise too? Were they using live missiles?

The explosions continued for a long time, followed by a long silence.

Song Zhi felt her heart pounding so fast it was almost bursting out of her chest. Her fingers clutched Kelante's clothes tightly, as though that could give her some sense of security. The ringing in her ears gradually faded, but the suffocating pressure did not lessen in the slightest.

She tried to raise her head, but Kelante pressed a hand against the back of it and barked in a low voice, "Don't move!" Though his voice was subdued, it carried an unquestionable authority.

Time seemed to stretch, every second becoming especially hard to endure. Song Zhi could clearly hear her own heavy breathing, as well as Kelante and Lu Yu's suppressed gasps beside her.

The air was thick with the acrid smell of smoke and gunpowder, mixed with the raw scent of earth, making it almost impossible to think straight. She had no idea what was happening outside. All she could tell from the rubble continually falling overhead and the occasional tremors was that the attack was far from over.

Suddenly, the weight on her lifted. Kelante got up first, brushed the rubble off himself, and pulled Song Zhi up, carefully checking her for injuries. He reassured her, "Do you feel unwell anywhere? Are you hurt?"

The shock wave had left Song Zhi dizzy and unable to speak. She meant to shake her head, but her vision suddenly went black, and she nearly lost her footing. Fortunately, Lu Yu caught her from behind and put her tactical helmet on her head.

Everything had happened so suddenly. Thanks to Song Zhi's warning, they had avoided being buried alive in their sleeping bags.

Lai'en still hadn't managed to contact Miller or the base's senior officers. The base's defense system had failed to intercept the missile attack, the bay harbor had been bombed, and the communications system was paralyzed. They had to return to the base at once to provide fire support.

"Replenish your ammunition. Wilk, escort Song to the hospital. There are garrison troops there. Everyone else, move out and provide support!" Lai'en issued the orders swiftly, then was the first to jump out of the pit.

They quickly gathered their equipment, their expressions grim and solemn. They reacted with the speed typical of professional mercenaries, a complete contrast to their carelessness during the combat exercises of the previous two days.

Before Song Zhi could react, Kelante wrapped an arm around her neck and gave her dusty forehead a light kiss. "Keep yourself safe at the hospital. This isn't an exercise."

With his sniper rifle over his shoulder, Lu Yu also bent down to kiss her forehead. "Fellow countrywoman, don't look at any other soldiers when you're providing medical aid."

Hill walked over and gave her a gentle hug without saying anything, then followed close behind Lai'en as they ran toward the blast zone.

Song Zhi watched them leave one after another, her eyes feeling a little dry. She hadn't even had time to tell them to stay safe.

"Honey, we should go."

Wilk took her hand and ran quickly in the opposite direction.