The rain lasted for half an hour, then stopped.
It came quickly and left quickly.
Li Yu propped up the rooftop terrace, shook off the rainwater, and smoked a cigarette.
There were still some raindrops in the air, but the moon was visible in the sky; the moon was out, so it shouldn't rain tonight.
He slowly exhaled a puff of smoke, which was scattered by the raindrops, creating a white mist.
The wind also stopped.
Some trees on the mountain had their branches blown into disarray, and some were directly snapped in half.
The trees were twisted and bent, as if telling others how heavy the recent downpour had been.
After finishing a cigarette, Li Yu suddenly felt a bit hungry, so he quietly went into the car, took out two packs of instant noodles, paused for a moment, then fumbled in the darkness for a sausage.
He took out the aluminum box for eating and added some hot water to the kettle.
He tiptoed onto the terrace.
He once remembered a movie with an actor who looked very similar to him, and that man was exceptionally good at making instant noodles.
Recalling this, he tore open the instant noodles and placed them in the aluminum box.
He poured in hot water, just enough to cover them, and then put on the lid.
The moment the noodles were submerged, Li Yu looked at his wrist and started timing.
60.
59
58
57
3
2
1
Li Yu stared at the time, his movements swift, and quickly drained the water from the instant noodles.
He added the seasoning packets, stirred rapidly and thoroughly; the aroma of the instant noodles, which had just been steeped, mixed with the fragrance of the seasonings, and the combination grew more aromatic with each stir.
After stirring a few times, he picked up the hot water kettle again and poured in an appropriate amount of hot water.
Then he waited another 30 seconds.
He opened the lid.
In the cold night air, the steam from the instant noodles rose, and their aroma wafted directly to Li Yu's nose.
This strong smell of food, this special yet familiar scent, redeemed his soul in the deep night.
Li Yu swallowed.
Slurp~
A feeling of satisfaction surged to his head.
That familiar taste stimulated his taste buds, making Li Yu quicken his eating speed.
Slurp~ Slurp~ Slurp~
Li Yu ate several mouthfuls consecutively, each one large, chewing and swallowing as he went.
It was too delicious!
The noodles in the bowl were quickly devoured by Li Yu.
He then drank the soup in one gulp and let out a loud burp.
Comfortable.
Li Yu lit another cigarette and smoked contentedly.
The seat on the terrace had already been wiped clean, with no watermarks remaining.
Li Yu checked the time; it was 10:30 PM.
If it didn't rain until tomorrow morning, the ground would likely be much drier.
In that case, returning to the base wouldn't be a major problem.
As he thought, he felt a bit tired.
He would be on duty until one o'clock, after which Li Hang would take over.
During Li Yu's shift, nothing happened.
Having just rained, the air was a bit stuffy.
However, being on high ground with occasional breezes, it wasn't too stuffy.
After Li Hang took over, Li Yu went down to rest.
Many things had happened today, and Li Yu felt somewhat tired.
He fell into a light sleep within a minute of lying on the bed.
The night passed.
At 6 AM, Li Yu opened his eyes punctually.
After a quick wash, he got out of the car and found that many people were already awake.
The first thing Li Yu did upon waking was to check the dryness of the concrete ground.
Because they would be going downhill, constant braking would be necessary.
If there was accumulated water on the ground, the risk of skidding would be extremely high.
Firearms were certainly important, but the people at the base were even more so!
His uncle and the others were already moving the firearms, first bringing the guns and ammunition from the ground up.
Many boxes were already piled on the ground.
Li Yu simply had Li Tie move the car to free up more space, which would make it more convenient for either loading the boxes onto the car or other tasks.
This time, they had prepared many small tools, such as trolleys and small mechanical carts, all of which would save them a lot of effort.
Li Tie backed up the car, then drove the large truck to the base of a small hill about ten meters away, opening the cargo door so it was level with the height of the slope.
This way, they wouldn't have to lift boxes one by one; they could just push the small trolleys directly inside.
Everyone started to get busy.
The morning light was just breaking.
The mountain they were on was the highest in the surrounding area.
As they were in the midst of moving, after several boxes were moved, they straightened their backs, wiped away sweat, and saw the reddish sun slowly rising in the sky.
The surrounding sky was also dyed red, a huge red sun slowly ascending.
Symbolizing a new beginning and infinite hope, everyone felt very happy looking at it.
Because they were at the top of the mountain, and the temperature had recently dropped, there was still a chill in the air despite the sun being out.
However, as everyone had been continuously moving, they didn't feel cold.
With everyone's concerted effort, they finally managed to fill three large trucks to the brim by less than 8 o'clock.
Everyone was drenched in sweat.
Song Min had also cooked some porridge, and after everyone had a few bowls, they prepared to set off back to the base.
His uncle, Li Tie, Li Gang, Da Pao, Tianlong, and Ding Jiu, five people, got into the vehicles.
They had driven out with three heavy-duty trucks this trip, and after filling the trucks, they also loaded a lot onto the armored vehicle.
These three vehicles alone barely carried less than a quarter of the firearms and ammunition.
Driving such multi-ton heavy-duty trucks required considerable skill.
Li Tie and the others were all skilled drivers and had served in the military, possessing strong adaptability, so having them transport the goods back would be more reassuring.
His uncle sat in the first armored vehicle, holding a submachine gun, in the passenger seat.
Someone would certainly need to escort them along the way, and this armored vehicle could provide protection.
In case someone attacked halfway, they wouldn't be left without any means of resistance.
Four vehicles, five people: four retired soldiers and one former armed police captain.
"Xiao Yu, we'll head off first.
You all be careful here.
We'll probably be back tomorrow at noon," his uncle said.
Li Yu waved his hand and said, "You too, be careful on your way back.
Drive slowly, especially on that mountainside.
Although it's been cleared, that area still requires caution."
They bid farewell one by one.
Due to time constraints, his uncle and the others set off immediately for the base.
The heavy-duty trucks, laden with firearms and ammunition, made the concrete road creak a bit.
But at least it could withstand the weight.
The group of four vehicles proceeded at an extremely slow pace.
Twenty minutes later, his uncle's voice came over the walkie-talkie: "Xiao Yu, we've safely reached the foot of the mountain.
Don't worry, we're leaving now."
Li Yu and the others finally let out a sigh of relief and quickly said, "That's good."
This descent down the mountain, which would only take a person about 30 minutes to climb, took them only about half that time by car, showing how cautious they were during the descent.
