Chapter 9: Guns N' Roses

  After completing his mission, Yang Wenfeng only needed to return safely to the Marine Corps that was waiting for him. Under the guidance of satellite navigation electronic maps, he stopped under a mountain and the electronic map showed that there were still several kilometers left before reaching the rendezvous point, and he would arrive after crossing the next mountain.

  Yang Wenhong was about to leave after a short rest when suddenly, a faint sound pierced the quiet night air. He instinctively covered his head with both hands and ducked down as a cold light flashed over his head and lodged itself in a nearby tree trunk - it was a dagger! A flurry of attacks followed, catching Yang Wenhong off guard. When his opponent paused for a moment, he launched a counterattack. Just as he had subdued his opponent, the military knife in his hand almost stabbed forward... Suddenly, he was distracted by a whiff of perfume and his opponent took advantage of his momentary lapse to break free. Yang Wenhong received several punches to the chest and back before he touched his nose and smiled wryly: "So that's it! The Ducci perfume I smelled in my daze earlier..."

  "Good skills! You're indeed the second agent!" A woman's voice was carried by the wind blowing from the coast.

  "Hú Lì Róng?"

  "It's true." As soon as the words fell, Hu Lirong walked out of the forest where she was hiding, "The second radar has been discovered by you?"

  "Yes."

  "Hu Lirong let out a cold laugh: 'Tonight, you definitely won't be leaving my hands alive to return to the mainland...'"

  "Why is Miss Hu being forced again and again?"

  "As long as it's prey I've set my eyes on, I'll never let it go!"

  "Can it be that Miss Hu has nothing but slaughter in her heart? No feelings of kinship with her fellow human beings?"

  "How," Hu Lirong sneered, "is there still affection between us?"

  "Hasn't it happened?" Yang Wenfeng muttered in a low voice. Hu Lirong's face turned red, fortunately under the cover of the dark night no one could see. "Miss Hu's ancestral home is on the mainland?"

  "Yangzhou." Hu Lirong blurted out.

  "Look, since we are all children of China, we naturally have a fraternal bond thicker than water."

  "You're really good at winning people's hearts and united front work, but this trick won't work on me. Since my great-grandfather followed the national father (Sun Yat-sen) to overthrow the Qing dynasty, my grandfather and uncle served under Chiang Kai-shek's command, fighting bravely against the Japanese invaders on the front lines; My father led the troops to defend Kinmen Island, killing over a thousand enemies (Note: Referring to the Battle of Kinmen). After graduating from the National Defense Department of Political Science at National Taiwan University, I entered the Intelligence Bureau. My family has always been loyal to our country without wavering. How could I let you off, an enemy who threatens my country's survival?"

  "What a magnificent and grandiose speech!" Yang Wenfeng scolded, "The current political situation is that the signboard of the Republic of China is already shaky and will soon be replaced by something called 'Guo' or 'Formosa'. The spirit of Sun Yat-sen's legacy of great unity has been eroded away by separatist elements, and what's left of the Republic of China is just an empty shell sucked dry. I don't quite understand why Miss Hu is still stuck in her fantasy of serving the country? Is she willing to die for the separatists?"

  "This old-fashioned red reactionary propaganda can't shake my faith at all!" Hu Lirong's face turned red, "I don't care about politics, I just want to be a good soldier. As a soldier, one should die for the country, this is the glory of being a soldier!"

  "Die for the country? I think it's die for a molecule!" Yang Wenfeng loudly retorted, "Since the new leader took office on the island, he has abused the power given by the people, not seeking the welfare of the people, spending large sums of money on buying weapons and his wife's luxury jewelry. In recent years, the economy has been sluggish, with a large number of unemployed people, yet they spent huge sums of money building this base without considering the welfare of the people. The first-hand intelligence obtained by the base is not only reported to the Ministry of National Defense but also shared with the Intelligence Bureau. I agree that we should die for the country, we should work together for the compatriots on both sides of the strait, but it's absolutely not about helping a foreign country steal the interests of our compatriots!"

  Hu Lirong remained silent, but Yang Wenfeng's words were not unreasonable. Since the new leader of Taiwan took office, they have completely disregarded the people's livelihood and only thought about personal and party interests. The first family is corrupt, the economy is in shambles, and the military is controlled by the leader's distorted ideology. Evaluating officers is not based on individual ability, but rather whether you have an external province or pan-blue background. In the base, Jamison was arrogant and often harassed female soldiers. Last month, he molested a female soldier, who had no way to complain and ended up committing suicide out of shame. When she reported the incident to the Ministry of National Defense, she was rebuked by higher-ups and told to keep silent. She could never forget that scene: when the parents of the female soldier received the news of their daughter's death in a car accident, they were devastated. At that time, Hu Lirong wondered: as the officer responsible for security at the base, whose interests was she protecting - those of her compatriots or those of foreign forces?

  "As a senior intelligence officer, you are well aware of the current situation across the Taiwan Strait..." Yang Wenfeng continued to say, "The mainland's economy is developing continuously and its military strength is growing day by day. To refuse unification with force is undoubtedly courting destruction! If one were to rely on that, it would be an unrealistic fantasy, a country that only values its own interests. If it were to intervene militarily in the cross-strait conflict, it would have to consider going against the mainland's military might. If this would harm its own interests, it would definitely abandon us. But the mainland is different, if Taiwan and the mainland unify, if we face external threats, our compatriots will unite as one, and the mainland will spare no cost to protect the safety of 23 million compatriots! Since the Opium War, China has suffered the shame of being invaded by eight countries, the humiliation of the Sino-Japanese War, and the loss of large tracts of land in Siberia, Hong Kong, Macau, and Outer Mongolia. During World War II, Japan invaded, killing tens of millions of Chinese people, with over ten million civilians slaughtered by the Japanese army! At that time, China was on the verge of collapse. Since its founding, China has achieved unprecedented high-speed economic development, and people's living standards have continued to improve, earning the world's praise as a miracle. However, there is still unspoken pain, a country that is not unified cannot be considered truly powerful. I hope Miss Hu will prioritize the great cause of national unity and not do things that go against national unity!"

  Huli Rong remained silent for a long time before saying: "From your standpoint, you may think you are on the side of justice, but as a soldier, one must maintain the honor of soldiers. You have won me over, so you can leave; if you lose, you will have to leave your life behind!"

  "My fellow countrymen, I don't want to be an enemy of Miss Hu."

  "A soldier will never retreat. Tonight, it's either you die or I perish!" As she spoke, Hu Lirong pulled out two glow sticks, one thrown at Yang Wenfeng's feet and the other at her own. "I'll flip a coin, and whoever draws their gun first when the coin lands will live. Whoever is slower will die here!"

  "Miss Hu, don't move! By your feet..." Before Yang Wenfeng could finish speaking, Hu Lirong had already tossed a coin upwards. As the coin reached its peak and fell back down, Hu Lirong swiftly drew her gun and pulled the trigger, firing a fatal shot that hit Yang Wenfeng, who hadn't even had time to draw his own gun!

  Hu Lirong didn't feel the joy of victory, she stared at Yang Wenfeng and asked in a hoarse voice: "What are you playing cool?! Why didn't you pull out your gun?" At her feet was a coiled cobra, its head pinned to the ground by a dagger, which was the same one she had used to sneak up on him earlier, but now he had used it to save her life.

  Yang Wenhong covered his right arm, which had been hit by a bullet, and said, "I would rather visit this island as a guest, chat with Miss Hu, and talk about the feelings of compatriots. I am unwilling to engage in fratricide."

  Huli Rong's head felt hot and her eyes became somewhat dazed.

  "When I was young, homesickness was a small stamp, I was on this side and my mother was on the other. As I grew up, homesickness became a narrow boat ticket, I was on this side and my bride was on the other. It turns out that homesickness is a low grave, I am outside and my mother is inside. And now, homesickness is a shallow strait, I am on this side and the mainland is on the other."

  After reciting the poem, Hu Lirong smiled and said, "Before, I always felt that Mr. Yu Guangzhong's 'Homesickness' was too pretentious and artificial. Now I finally understand the meaning of this poem. Some things can only be understood and appreciated after experiencing them."

  "Mr. Yu Guangzhong's poem is well-known to every household in mainland China, because for half a century, many compatriots on both sides of the strait have been living in pain due to separation or inability to move freely between family members. If it weren't for some people stirring up divisions, we and the peace-loving people on both sides could completely put aside our prejudices, open our hearts, sit down together like one big happy family.

  Yang Wenfeng paused for a moment before continuing, "Once the second radar is discovered, it's a fact, Miss Hu would be better off not speaking out, otherwise she might be made a scapegoat for this incident. This is my personal advice, please consider it carefully before making a decision."

  "Halt! I...I won't let you go!" Hu Lirong raised her gun to warn Yang Wenfeng as soon as he turned around.

  "It's time for me to leave..." Yang Wenfeng stopped in his tracks, "If Miss Hu wants to keep me, just pull the trigger. This is still yours..." He said, continuing to walk forward. Hu Lirong took a look and suddenly her cheeks flushed red, "So it was him!" The thing Yang Wenfeng threw over was the Flying Eagle necklace she had taken from the interrogation room, which he had snatched away from her when she ambushed him earlier. Her gun was still trained on his receding back, but the muzzle was trembling slightly...

  "Don't think that just because you saved me from the venomous snake, I'll be grateful to you. You and I will always be irreconcilable enemies! I won't let you go so easily." Hu Lirong said this with her mouth, but the gun in her hand trembled even more violently. As she watched Yang Wenfeng's figure disappear into the darkness of night, the tears that had been gathering in her eyes could no longer bear their own weight, and two streams of tears flowed down her cheeks against her will.

  Author's emotional reminder: Thank you to friends who have always supported me. Those who like this work must think that the male lead of "Spy Shadow" is Yang Wenfeng? Moreover, I have been using tigers to metaphorize Yang Wenfeng, which may deepen your impression. However, I believe that the male lead of my "Spy Shadow" should be another man metaphorized as a dragon. Who is this dragon man? How will his first meeting with Yang Wenfeng unfold into a wonderful play? Please look forward to Chapter 10 "Dragon Roar Tiger's Cry"!!!