Chapter 1138

“Hey! Old Lin! It’s Little Hu! We’re back! Over!”

“Heh heh, Old Xu, I can guarantee you, once this message goes through, the base over there is gonna blow up!” Putting down the hand-held radio, Hu Xiaodong said to Xu Renjie beside him with a playful tone.

Old Xu listened, then shook his head with a wry smile. “Sigh, we’ve made everyone worry.”

Just as Hu Xiaodong had expected, the moment his voice came out, Old Lin and Shen Lian, who were lying in ambush in the grass, were both stunned.

Not just them—Old Zhao, who was inside the village arranging for everyone to hide, stood there dumbfounded with the hand-held radio in his hand.

Right after that, almost at the same time, everyone who heard the transmission over the radio reacted together.

Lin Junfu was so excited he could barely speak as he pressed the talk button to reply and confirm: “Hu, Hu, Hu, Little Hu, what, what did you say? Say, say it again? You, you guys are back?”

“Heh heh, how about it, Old Xu? Didn’t I call it?” As if reporting his achievement, Hu Xiaodong raised the radio in his hand. His mood right now was great, and the shock of the past half month was finally being vented out with the base so close in front of them.

He was using this slightly childish joking tone to let go of the pressure in his heart.

Old Xu smiled again. “Hurry up and reply to Old Lin. Don’t keep him worrying.”

“Alrighty! Heh heh!”

Happily pressing the radio button, Hu Xiaodong cleared his throat, then raised his voice, carefully enunciating each word: “Old Lin, you were right, we’re back! Repeat, we’re back!”

“Back! They’re back!” Getting the confirmed answer, Hu Xiaodong was excited like a kid, turning his head over and over to Shen Lian beside him, repeating the words nonstop.

Shen Lian was just as thrilled, but he still held himself in check and reminded him: “Hurry and ask Brother Hu—did Old Xu and Lei make it out?”

“Oh! Right, right!” Only caring about being happy, Old Lin finally remembered the important bit. He opened his mouth to ask: “Hey! Little Hu, how’d the mission go? Did you get Old Xu and Lei out?”

“Heh heh, Old Xu, you take this one.” Hu Xiaodong lifted his hand and passed the radio to Xu Renjie, hinting for him to answer.

Old Xu didn’t refuse. He could feel Old Lin’s concern.

At this moment, having him answer the question was without doubt the most appropriate.

He let out a breath, adjusted his mood, then pressed the button and replied: “Old Lin, it’s Old Xu. The rescue mission went smoothly. Lei and I are both fine. Tell everyone, don’t worry!”

After a brief silence, Old Lin swung his arms in the air several times: “Good! Good! Good!”

Without any extra words, the repeated “good” coming out of his mouth already perfectly expressed his excitement.

“Old Xu, I won’t say more for now. I’m heading back right away to report this good news to everyone. See you at the base later. Over!”

There was no need for Lin Junfu to report—at this moment the base itself already had the vibe of a holiday celebration.

By the time the convoy rolled into sight, everyone was already waiting at the village entrance, lined up to welcome them.

The vehicles stopped, the doors opened, and Tang Xiaoquan and the rest of the rescue team members got out one after another like triumphant warriors.

Right after that, the welcoming crowd surged forward.

But the first one to pounce wasn’t the Survivors whose mouths were hanging open with excitement—it was little Coalball, now grown to half-knee height.

Wang Qiang had been gone for a full half month this time. He’d been away before, but for Coalball, this time was really too long, to the point the little guy had once thought his master didn’t want him anymore.

Thankfully, during this time Lianlian and Wei Yang had stayed by his side, or else Coalball would have ended up depressed for sure.

Now that his master was back, Coalball’s excitement was beyond words.

If even a golden retriever was like that, there was no need to mention the Survivors behind him.

“Lei, you alright?” Shen Lian rushed up in one big stride and gave Lei Tong a solid bear hug.

This was a habit they’d formed in the unit—this simple, rough way of greeting showed a man’s true colors.

Compared to Lei and Shen’s straightforwardness, Wei Yang, being a woman, came across much gentler.

She picked out the position of the man she loved in the crowd, but didn’t go up to fuss over him.

Because she knew that right now, what a man needed more was to talk to his brothers.

From this alone you could tell how generous and understanding Wei Yang was, gentle and perceptive.

Only, how could a girl know that the man she cared about at this moment also had his eyes fixed on her.

Even though he was surrounded by a bunch of brothers, Tang Xiaoquan’s thoughts had completely flown over to Wei Yang’s side.

“Ah yo, Quan, you’re the hero this time! If it weren’t for your plan, how could it have gone so smoothly!”

“Heh heh, Wen, you’re giving me too much credit. I just came up with a rough direction. Getting the rescue done smoothly was all thanks to everyone working together. Just me alone, no way.”

“Modest! Emma, look at that, modest again, you see? Quan, a guy like you—sharp brain, and still this modest… damn, what, are the rest of us supposed to live for?”

Still the same clown as always, still the same playful tone—and it was exactly this joking around from Wen Quanxin that made the atmosphere even more joyful.

Wu Chao patted Wen Quanxin’s shoulder from the side. “Since you’ve already said that much, you punk still don’t have any self-awareness?”

For no reason, Wen Quanxin turned his head with a puzzled look at Wu Chao. “What, what are you getting at?”

“What am I getting at? You really dumb or pretending? With that IQ of yours… you think Xiaotang is like you, with no one to love him? You seriously have fun standing here blocking them like a third wheel? If Little Wei gets mad later and docks your rations, don’t blame me for not warning you.”

“Emma! Damn! My bad! Why didn’t you say so earlier!” Pretending to surrender, Wen Quanxin theatrically glanced around, and once he spotted Wei Yang’s figure in the distance, he immediately raised his hand and shouted: “Little Wei, sorry! I’m messing up your reunion time. I’ll let him go to you right now!”

Once he finished, Wen Quanxin shifted his gaze to Tang Xiaoquan, whose cheeks were already flushed red, then cupped his hands in mock respect. “Quan, sorry, it’s all my fault for not thinking it through. So, later when you go over, have a proper talk with Wei Yang, and please don’t dock my rations! You know I’m still growing—if I miss a meal…”

“Missing one meal won’t kill you!” Grabbing Wen Quanxin by the back of his collar, Wu Chao started walking him away, scolding him as he went: “You’re just asking for a beating. Didn’t you see the young couple have things to say? And you’re still over there yapping away! Move it! Hurry up! Don’t sit here being a lightbulb.”

“Hey! Easy with the yanking, I…”

With Wen Quanxin forcibly dragged off, Tang Xiaoquan suddenly felt his ears go quiet.

He exhaled, looked toward the slim figure in the distance, and a warm rush went through his heart.

Right then, without the slightest hesitation, Tang Xiaoquan strode forward, heading as fast as he could toward the woman he held in his heart.