“Roan, this is the official notice for your deployment to the Military District. It’s already stamped. Sign at the bottom once you’ve read it.”

Bruno pulled a document marked with a red five-pointed star from his drawer.

Roan stood up and took it respectfully, but he didn't bother reading the details. “Uncle, what does it say?”

“The Military District is giving you three days to settle your siblings. After that, you report here for closed-door training. No leaving, no seeing family. If there’s a problem, report to the organization.”

Hearing this, Roan grabbed a pen immediately, leaned over the desk, and signed.

The moment he finished, Elena snatched the document.

“Wait, how long is the training?” Elena scanned the pages quickly, but couldn't find a duration.

“I don’t know. It depends on what the organization needs. If you want it over fast, pray the leaders of the two countries meet sooner.” Bruno laughed mysteriously as he took the file back from Elena. “Why the rush to finish? Others would kill for this. Double pay during training, free room and board. Most importantly, he gets a chance to meet the national leaders.”

“National leaders…” Roan froze, muttering to himself.

Bruno slapped Roan’s shoulder. “Kid, you hit the jackpot! Everyone in the Military District envies you. Do a good job. After this mission, I bet you’ll be promoted. Who wouldn't promote a kid who’s met the top brass? We’re talking about the national leaders.”

Roan was still dazed, scratching his head. “Thanks for the chance, Uncle. But why would they promote me? I don't know how to do anything.”

“Nobody is born knowing everything. You learn. And this isn't from me—your dad earned this for you. Word is, intelligence shows your father is actually a confidant of the President across the river.”

Bruno spoke with pride, seemingly indifferent to the fact that Antonio belonged to the enemy camp.

Usually, when Elena mentioned Roan's parents, his face would go pale. But this time, his eyes lit up with excitement he couldn't hide.

“Oh… but I still have to thank you, Uncle.”

He said thanks, but just stood there like a wooden post.

Elena noticed Bruno didn't move either. He stared at Roan’s face until he realized Elena was watching him. He coughed awkwardly. “You know, you look exactly like your father. The difference is, your dad would demand things from me like it was his right. You don't. You always feel like you owe me some massive favor.”

“Uncle, I…” Roan looked down, mumbling.

Elena saw his embarrassment. Roan couldn't deny Bruno's insight.

“So where did Mateo go?” Elena couldn't help asking.

Bruno answered softly, “I actually didn't know he’d run off. I checked just now. His hometown is Tangshu Village near Port Sol. Go look for him there. If you can’t find him, call me.”

Elena: “……”

Talking about Mateo, Bruno’s expression turned stern again. He pointed at the map on the wall, his voice commanding:

“At the southeast exit of the city, there are several large trucks heading straight to Port Sol every day. Just wait for one there. Once you reach Port Sol, find the 8655 Garrison. I’ll arrange for someone to take you into Tangshu Village.”

He pulled some documents from his drawer and waved them in front of them.

“Do not enter the town on your own. There’s been a wave of human trafficking and smuggling near Port Sol. The military has arrested a group of people following internal orders from the Central Government. Don’t give anyone a chance to throw mud on you. You won't be able to wash it off.”

“Also, going into the village alone is dangerous. Gangs have influence on both sides of the river. You can't protect yourselves.”

Slap…

Bruno tossed the classified documents back into the drawer with a bit of violence and shut it fast. He walked to the door, opened it, and continued giving orders to Roan: “Go to the finance office now and collect a subsidy to settle your siblings. Report back in three days with your personal items.”

“Okay,” Roan whispered.

“Wait,” Bruno added. “Go find Leo. It might have been Leo who beat the guy and chased him off.”

As he spoke, Bruno held the door open, clearly signaling them to leave. In his crisp uniform, his posture was straight, but the grey hair at his temples and the dark circles under his eyes betrayed his exhaustion.

Elena found herself growing more curious about Bruno. Walking down the road, she whispered to Roan.

“Your Uncle Bruno… is he married with no kids?”

“No kids,” Roan answered simply.

When he realized Elena was still staring, he understood it wasn't a casual question. “Their marriage is strange. No wedding. I’ve never seen them walk side-by-side. They’re like… strangers. They always keep a distance when they walk together.”

“Oh!” Elena fell into thought.

After collecting the subsidy, they left the camp and, without a word, both started jogging. The mental hospital was far from the military zone. Luckily, Elena had been running every day lately; even after three or four kilometers, she wasn't breathing too hard.

Halfway there, Roan stopped first to catch his breath.

“Why are you running?”

“You ran, so I ran.”

“You ran first!”

“Uh… fine. I saw you were happy, so I ran…”

“Hehe…” Roan scratched his head, smiling sheepishly.

They walked into the mental hospital just in time to hear a loud clang. Leo, sitting in his wheelchair, was agitated for some reason and had swiped his meal bowl off the table.

The young nurse pouted and looked up, seeing the two enter. She nudged Leo.

Like Bruno, Leo’s face softened instantly when he saw Roan. He stood up with a smile. “Are you two about to get married?”

“Us? Married? You’re the ones getting married!” Elena pointed at the nurse, hitting back.

The nurse, seeing herself teased, lowered her head to sweep the floor. Leo pointed at her. “I haven't even divorced yet, don't you know? Besides, how could I marry a girl your age?”

“Huh?” Elena quickly changed the subject. “Uncle Bruno said you beat up Mateo and chased him off.”

“I did hit him. Whether he ran or not, I don’t know.”

Roan sighed. “Uncle, you ruined my business.”

“Just find him again. At worst, you guys take over his business and keep going. I heard a Special Economic Zone is about to be set up here. You can do business however you want then.”

“Who told you that?” Elena asked, then immediately regretted it.

Who else? His family.

Sure enough, Leo didn't answer. He stood up slowly and started shoulder-carrying his wheelchair back to his room.

“If you hit the guy, won't we get beaten if we go to Tangshu Village?” Elena grumbled.

As Leo entered his room, he said over his shoulder: “Just go. I bet Bruno has already notified the camp over there. Someone will definitely accompany you into the village. Why do you come here without asking the important stuff first?”

Elena’s eyes lit up. She only said she was afraid of getting hit because she wanted Leo to owe her a favor. If Bruno had already arranged everything, what was there to fear? But she hadn't expected that no matter what Bruno did, Leo could guess it.

Those three… Leo, Bruno, and Roan’s father. They must have a deep, deep connection. How deep?

Since that's what she was thinking, Elena didn't hide it. She pouted. “How are you guys so close? One minute you’re fighting, the next you’re perfectly in sync.”

Hearing this, Leo suddenly whipped around, his face cold. “If he were a woman, I’d have married him.”

“Pfft…” The little nurse covered her mouth, stifling a laugh.

But even though it was a joke, Elena saw that Leo was deadly serious. It was as if he’d seen through marriage. He didn't care about a marriage that was effectively over, but he cared about a friendship that could never be lost… His face held a desolation that had seen all the joys and sorrows of the world.

Looking at Leo, Elena couldn't laugh anymore.

After leaving the hospital, they caught a truck at the spot Bruno mentioned. Two and a half hours later, they arrived at Port Sol.

The driver had to unload in another village and dropped them near the port.

Port Sol actually had docks on both sides of the Sangreza River. But the West Bank dock had been destroyed in the war. Since there was no “capitalist” trade on the West Bank, the current "Port Sol" was just a stretch of crushed concrete ruins. Weeds and shrubs poking through the cracks were trying to hide the miles of rubble.

But standing on the highest point of the ruins, Elena saw the other side of Port Sol—a completely different, bustling scene.

The government on the other side had long since repaired the docks. Dozens of small boats were either docked or moving in and out with fishermen and cargo. Porters were everywhere, carrying goods to the higher riverbank where a noisy Riverside Market thrived.

Elena’s memory went back to her life before rebirth. Because the two sides had reconciled, she had been to that market. On the right side of the entrance was a breakfast shop, where a limping teenager was polite to everyone.

“Elena!”

Roan saw Elena staring blankly and called out.

“Yeah?”

“We need to find the camp and get into Tangshu Village. Finish up and head back quickly, or we’ll have to stay with a villager tonight.”

Elena nodded.

She didn't know where Tangshu Village was, but she knew where the camp was. However, since Roan was leading, she pretended to know nothing and just followed him. Even when Roan took a wrong turn, Elena didn't correct him.

When they reached the camp gates, Roan looked embarrassed. “Hehe, I took you in a circle…”

“Hey, if you hadn't said anything, who would’ve known?” Elena chirped, giving him a graceful way to save face.

Roan didn't respond. He walked straight to the guard post and said something to the soldier.

A moment later, the sound of rhythmic marching came from inside the camp. As the sound neared the gate, Elena saw a squad leader leading eight soldiers in a neat jog toward Roan.

“Attention!”

Once the soldiers were lined up, the squad leader scanned the two with a smile. “Are you Comrade Roan and Comrade Elena?”

“Yes, yes, I am… we are…” Roan replied quickly.

“The Brigade Chief of Staff ordered my squad to escort you into Tangshu Village. We are ready to move at any time. When do you want to start?”

Elena knew her status wasn't right for entering a military camp, so she jumped in. “Let’s go now. We need to return to base after we’re done.”

Seeing Elena take charge, Roan nodded quickly.

“Good!” The squad leader nodded and turned to his squad. “Execute the mission!”

Elena’s heart tightened. An "execution of mission"?

She just wanted to talk to Mateo about her illegal jam business, and now Bruno had upgraded it to a military operation. If word got out, the futures of Bruno, Roan, and herself were all finished.

While the soldiers were dispersing, Elena leaned in and whispered to Roan: “Hey, when we see Mateo, not a single word about the jam business.”

“I understand,” Roan nodded. “But I don't know how we should explain why we’re seeing him.”

“Just say we need him to explain the local terrain. I’m writing a report for the Planning Bureau, remember?”

Roan gave Elena a thumb's up.

As they talked, they heard the roar of a diesel engine. A military truck drove out and stopped in front of them.

“Comrades, get in!” the squad leader shouted from the passenger seat.

“Thank you!” Elena yelled back.

“What?” The squad leader couldn't hear over the engine. “Comrade Elena, say that again?”

“I said, THANK YOU!” Elena shouted louder.

The driver, a cool-looking soldier, suddenly grinned. “Thank us for what? This area is full of starving people trying to cross over lately. Fights break out at night. The Chief of Staff said Comrade Roan has taken on a major national task. Protecting him is our duty.”

2:30 PM, East Bank.

Fabian didn't find Enzo at the usual comic book stall, so he had no choice but to head to the Riverside Market to find Barrett.

Barrett was helping the landlady clear tables. Seeing Fabian, he came limping out so fast he nearly tripped over a pebble.

“What’s wrong?” Fabian didn't understand the panic.

“My brother is missing! He went to find you and disappeared.”

“What? Find me?” Fabian became alert. He had just been warned to move, and Enzo immediately went looking for him? Was he bought off? He decided he absolutely couldn't tell Barrett his new address. “Is he just in the village? Maybe out hunting? How could he be missing?”

“He didn't go back to the village!” Barrett blurted out.

“To my rental? I moved out.”

“No! He went…” Barrett stopped, biting his lip, afraid to look at Fabian.

“You mean…” Fabian’s breath became heavy with anger.

Barrett seemed terrified of Fabian’s expression. He nodded fearfully. “Yes. He went to the rich lady’s place to find you.”

Fabian clenched his fists, but he wouldn't hit his friend’s little brother. His face was contorted with rage. “How did he know I was with her? You guys were tracking me? Aren't you afraid her people will kill you?”

“Don't be mad, Brother Fabian,” Barrett pleaded. “We were just curious what kind of rich lady has such a fancy car, so we followed to see. Later, military people came to the stall looking for you. My brother felt something was wrong and decided to go notify you at her place.”

Fabian was even angrier. His face turned from green to red.

Barrett’s words were full of holes, yet he acted like it was for Fabian's own good.

But then he realized Barrett had indirectly notified him that his father was being watched by the military. He calmed down.

“Why didn't he go to the village to tell me? Why go to her?”

“He said someone in the village told him you moved. If he didn't find the rich lady, where else could he look for you?”

Fabian felt slightly relieved. At least these two didn't know where he and his parents were living now.

“How did Enzo go missing? Tell me slowly.”

“He went to see that… madam, and never came back. Brother Fabian, please go find her. The guards won't let me in. I’m afraid something happened to him.”

Though he hated the idea of seeing Vivienne again, Fabian could only nod.

West Bank.

When the military truck reached the entrance of Tangshu Village, a villager saw it and immediately started running before the truck even stopped.

Screech!

Amidst the sound of the sudden braking, soldiers jumped down from the truck. The squad leader chambered a round and shouted at the top of his lungs:

“Don't run! Don't make us shoot!”

An old man screamed in terror.“Don't kill him! Please, don't kill him!”

Elena rushed forward. “Hey, don't hurt anyone! We’re just here to find someone!”

“Anyone acting as a lookout is a smuggler!” The squad leader looked ferocious, ready to fire.

Luckily, the young man saw the gun barrel, stopped, and put his hands behind his head.

“I… I wasn't keeping watch. I’m just hungry…” The youth squatted, stuttering.

“Bull!” A soldier rushed over and kicked the youth’s leg. The boy hit the ground on his knees with a thud.

“You think I don't know you were tipping them off? Resisting orders in a Military District? Do you know what happens to the family of a smuggler?”

The youth looked up at four or five guns pointed at his head. He was too terrified to speak.

Elena and Roan followed the squad leader to the boy. The leader said coldly:

“Talk. Why did Mateo tell you to be a lookout? Tell the truth, or we take you back tonight and sentence you as a smuggler.”

“I…” The youth was clearly shaking.

“Not talking? Tie him to the truck!”

The moment the order was given, the youth blurted it out: “Mateo kidnapped someone who crossed over from the other side. Someone named… Enzo. He told me to give a signal if I saw a military vehicle.”