Officer Blue made several trips back and forth to get all the equipment to the Buick. He could have asked Bronze to help him, but in case someone saw Bronze coming in and out of here. In case of trouble, Officer Blue didn't want people to associate the bronzer with himself and a large collection of guns disappearing in the arsenal.

"Oh my God, bronze, looks like you're going to start a war. What is it? Bow and arrow? ”

"If that doesn't work with Renata and her gang, I'm going to pee on them."

Officer Blue burst out laughing.

"That's right, don't be nervous." Bronze said.

They closed their suitcases and got into the car.

Gong Yu waited in the back seat. Her eyes are still red because of the conversation she had with Bronze outside Officer Blue's house. It was clear that she was trying to cheer up and wanted to be a part of the group. "What were you guys laughing at?"

"A bad joke." Bronze said it again.

Gong Yu shook his head and smiled softly. "Sounds like a child's set."

"Why did you get so many kettles?" Officer Blue asked, "One for each of us, but what about the nine?" ”

"Actually, we're going to fill all 12 with plant fertilizer and fuel oil."

"What the hell are you doing?"

"Make a bomb that's too good to be true." Bronze looked at the watch and started the car. "We'd better get started. It was almost half past four, and it was getting dark. ”

Bronze bought something a few more times at a nearby store. An hour later, he drove down the mountain road and onto the road, but this time, he took the northbound lane, in the opposite direction to Xining.

"Why are we going out of town now?" Gong Yu leaned forward uneasily. "I told you I wouldn't let you leave me in a secluded inn. I don't want to sit idly by. ”

"That's not why we got out of town. Have you ever heard the saying, 'There is no law down in Xining'? ”

Gong Yu was inexplicable when he said this headless sentence. "I seem to be ...... It's in a story, or in a legend about the Southwest. ”

After 20 minutes, he turned left onto the road and soon arrived at the town of Maple Grove. Most of the buildings there are wood-walled flat-roofed structures, in contrast to the mud-walled houses of Santa Fe. He turned to the left again, past the lake where he had fished for crucian carp in the first summer since his arrival in Santa Fe, and by a temple.

The car drove on a curve that became steeper and steeper, and it could hardly be called a road. During the period of the Republic of China, although this side showed a strange deformed prosperity, the infrastructure was still far inferior to that of the mainland. On the side of the road are rows of tall pine trees. The sun had already set beneath the towering cliffs to the west, and the rocky landscape was in shadow.

"We are heading north towards the wasteland," said the bronze, "and on the right is the Yongding River." In some places, the river is only about ten meters wide. You won't be able to see it all the time, because there are trees and rocks, but you can certainly hear it. When the riverbed narrows, the flow rate increases. ”

"There's hardly anyone on the road." Gong Yu said, "Why are we here? ”

"It's a place to fish. In the woods behind, you probably saw a few dilapidated earthen houses. When the weather cooled, most of the houses were unoccupied. "Bronze finger pointing ahead."

The car passed a sign, and the bronze drove it off the road. He drove into a gap in the fir bushes, rumbled across a narrow wooden bridge over the river, and followed a dirt road to a clearing in front of a small gray log cabin. The roof of the wooden house is rammed earth, and grass grows on it. The small building was built on a gloomy ridge slightly higher than the clearing, surrounded by dense trees and shrubs, facing the fork of the country dirt road; On the slope in front of the house, steps made of logs lead to the faded front door.

"This is where you'll be when you're away from home." Gong Yu asked.

"In the first six months since I arrived in Santa Fe, I've been renovating this place." "The key is in a locked box on the front door," Bronze said. ”

Gong Yu got out of the car, supported himself with his crutches, and shivered. "I'm pretty warm in the city, but here, the sun must be cold when it goes down."

"And because of the river, it's going to be wet," said Bronz, "so I bought thick clothes for everyone to keep warm." Before we get started, it's best to put it on. ”

"Got clothes? We're not going to be out there for long, are we? ”

"Maybe all night."

Gong Yu seemed taken aback.

"There's a lot to do." Bronze opens Buick's trunk. "Put on these cotton gloves and help us unload our weapons. Make sure you don't leave fingerprints on anything, including bullets. Do you know how to make a shotgun? ”

"Yes."

"You're going to have to tell me someday how you learned it. You've got a shoulder injury, and you can't stand the recoil. Loading bullets with a push-pull bolt would make it inconvenient for you, so I bought a double-barreled shotgun. The twin barrels are wide and flat, allowing the gun to be mounted on a single log and never rolled off. You can lie behind a log and aim without having to raise a gun. You can hit twice at a time. It is also not difficult to pull the bolt and load the bullet. ”

"What kind of logs are you going to use?" Gong Yu asked with interest, which surprised him.

"I don't know. Officer Blue and I were going to walk around and see the terrain. Estimate for yourself what Renata and her friends will do when they get here tonight, how they'll get closer, what kind of cover will be best for them, and then use your brains to figure out a position where you'll get the upper hand. It will be dark in an hour, and by that time, when we have all the equipment installed, we will start the exercise. ”

It's time to go, it's disheartening. As it approached 9 o'clock, the night was getting darker. Bronze said to Officer Lan, "The last train of the evening will soon land in Xining, and we can't wait any longer." Do you think you can do the rest of the preparation yourself? ”

The cool breeze of the night cooled Officer Blue's breathing, and the vapor coming out of his mouth was clearly visible. "How long will it take you?"

"Wait for us at about midnight."

"I'll be ready. You'd better not forget about this. Officer Lan handed him the carrying bag that had previously contained the 1 million fiat currency, which now contained the old newspaper they had found in the cabin. The money was in a duffel bag at Officer Blue's feet.

"Yes," said Bronze, "if Renata thinks I don't have any money, the plan is useless." ”

"It's the same if I'm not next to you." Gong Yu said.

"That's right." "If Renata saw that we weren't together, she would have wondered how we had separated." She'll start to suspect that I'm letting you hide in a place where there's no danger and luring her into a trap. ”

"Come to think of it," said Gong Yu, "I always thought that you decided to bring me with you because you were happy to have me by your side." That's what I'm thinking when I get here. ”

This sentence made Bronze feel as if he had been pricked by a needle. Was her joke a good intention, or—he didn't know what to say, so he helped her sit in the front seat and pushed it back a little so that she had more room for her injured leg, and he put her crutches in the back. Finally, when he sat down next to her and closed the car door, he remembered what to say. "If only we could get through this...... If only we could get to know each other......"

"I think we've gotten to know each other."

"But who do I know? Are you Ms. Gong or Mrs. Ann? ”

"Haven't you ever used a pseudonym?"

Bronze didn't know how to answer again. He activated the Buick and nodded nervously at Officer Blue. The car made a 180-degree turn in the clearing, and the light of the headlights shone through the dense pine forest. He drove down the path, crossed the bridge, and onto the uninhabited road. They hit the road.

They returned to the highway, passing Santa Fe and heading for Xining, but before that, none of them spoke.

"Ask me." Gong Yu said.

"......?"

"Whatever it is, all the things." Her voice was excited.

"That's a lot of the scope of this order."

"Damn, give it a try. When we got to the station, I wanted to know where we were with each other. ”

Bronze picked up speed and tried his best to keep the speed within 50 km/h.

"A relationship doesn't exist on its own," Ms. Gong said, "and you have to work hard to maintain it." ”

"Okay." Bronze hesitated, staring intently at the dark rammed-earth road, feeling as if he was in a tunnel. "You once told me something about your childhood. You say your parents are arguing so hard that you're afraid your father will break into your bedroom and kill you while you're asleep. You say you set the pillows as if you were lying under the sheets, and then slept under the bed so that he would hit the pillows and not catch you...... Is that story true? ”

"Yes. Do you suspect that I made up a story that makes you think you should protect me? ”

Bronze did not answer.

Gong Yu became more and more worried. She frowned. "Do you think so—people want to take advantage of you?"

"That's what I used to think — before I came to Santa Fe."

"And now you're stuck in the same habits."

"Suspicion kept me alive. In fact, if I had kept my old habits, if I hadn't let my guard down......" he didn't like the conclusion of his reasoning, and stopped before he could finish speaking.

"You're not going to fall in love with me. Is that what you're trying to say? ”

"I didn't say that. I don't know what I'm trying to say. If I hadn't fallen in love with you, Renata would have gone after me. It's not going to change. I ...... "all sorts of confusing thoughts tormented bronze." "But I do fall in love with you, and if I could go back and do it all over again, if I could change the past......"

"How?"

"I'm going to do everything the same way again."

Gong Yu exhaled, and his voice was clearly audible. "You believe me."

"Everything comes down to trust."

"And sincerity." Gong Yu said.

Bronze's hand on the steering wheel hurts. "Deep sincerity."

Bronze worriedly parked the Buick at the place with a few lights next to the station, and walked into the station with Gong Yu. They came to the lobby, near the luggage box office, he handed the car keys to the rental car clerk, told him the mileage and the remaining amount of fuel in the car, paid the cash, folded the receipt and put it in his pocket.

"Do you want to catch a late train? It's going to be the middle of the night," the clerk asked.

"Yes. We want to make the holiday as long as possible. ”

"Welcome back to the land of the nation."

"We're definitely coming."

Bronze took Gong Yu to a place where the people on the counter couldn't see them, and then joined the crowd from the platform. He and Gong Yu tried their best to pretend that they had just gotten off the train and followed the other passengers out of the station.

"Now it begins." Bronze whispered.

The street lamps outside the station glowed an eerie yellow. While Bronze was certain that no one in Renata's gang would risk the security guards' attention wandering around the door, he wasn't sure if there would be a surveillance team of theirs guarding his jeep.

The security in the parking lot is not as tight as at the station, with only two station attendants. Occasionally, a patrol car would pass by, but those people would see the patrol car coming first, and they would pretend to be loading something into a car, and as soon as the patrol car left, they would come back and continue to watch.

However, even if there was a surveillance team in the parking lot, they would not necessarily hijack Bronze and Gong Yu in such a public place. There is only one exit from the station. Nearby travelers will see someone hijacked and report it to the security guards, who will call the patrol to block the way out of the station.

No, there's a good chance that the hijacking attempt will go wrong, and the surveillance team just wants to wait for no one else to get their chance. During this time, they would report to Renata that they saw Bronze with a bag that seemed to contain the 1 million. Renata would have been tricked into thinking that Bronze didn't suspect she was here. After all, if he thought he was in immediate danger, he wouldn't have carried that big bag with him, would he? He'll hide the money.

The jeep stops at the top of the steps on the left. Bronze opened the lock on the car, helped Gong Yu sit in the front seat, threw the bag and her crutches behind, quickly got into the car, locked the door, and inserted the key into the igniter.

He hesitated.

"What are you waiting for?" Gong Yu asked.

Bronze stared at his right hand, which was about to turn the key, and beads of sweat broke out on his forehead. "I don't think Renata had a bomb on the car, now it's time for us to see if I'm mistaken."

"Hey, even if you're wrong, we'll never know." Gong Yu said, "To hell with it." We were talking about sincerity. Come on, turn the key. ”

In fact, Bronze smiled slightly as he did it. He waited for the bomb to blow the car to pieces, only to hear the roar of the motor. "I was right!" He reversed the car out of the parking area and sped past the other passengers within the limits of the security permit. Each of those people could be his enemy.

Half a minute later, he was already driving to the exit of the parking garage.

He turned a corner and headed for the top of the Western Hotel. The three-storey building is lit up from almost every window. His heart beat violently. "Right now, the middle room was in a hurry. The pointer on their introducer monitor told them the car was moving. He wanted to speed up, but when he saw a patrol car in front of him, he resisted the urge.

"I was so nervous that my knees couldn't help but tremble." Gong Yu said.

"Concentrate on controlling your fears."

"I can't do it."

"You have to do it."

Ahead, the police car turned a corner.

Bronze opens the small door of the locker between the two front seats. When they went to the mainland, Officer Lan put his gun in the car, and he took it out from there. "They're out of the room now and running into the hotel's parking lot."

"How can you not be afraid?"

"I can't."

"But you just said—"

"It's about controlling fear, not eliminating it. Fear is a survival mechanism. It gives you strength and keeps you on your toes. It can save your life, but only if you can control it. If it controls you, it will kill you. ”

Gong Yu looked at him carefully. "Obviously I still have a lot to know about you."

"Me too. It's as if everything that happened between us before the attack on my house last Friday was our honeymoon, and now the marriage has begun. Bronze sped onto the road, "They now have enough time to run to the hotel's parking lot." They got into the car. ”

"Honeymoon? Marriage? …… Is what you're just talking about a proposal? ”

“…… Is that a bad idea? ”

"I always let you down. I will never be the perfect woman you risked your life for her. ”

"Then we are equal, and I am by no means the perfect man."

"You're a lot like the hero I told you about. When I was a little girl, I used to dream of him. ”

"Heroes are fools. Heroes will always give their lives. "The bronze sped up, and the car flew away at a speed of 55 kilometers per hour." Renata and her friends are now heading here. The introker's monitor would tell them which way I was going. I had to stay ahead and not let them walk side by side with me and crash me under the road in a place where no one was around. ”

"Do you care about chatting?"

"Now?"

"Will it distract you? If not, a chat would make me less afraid. ”

"In that case, let's talk."

"What's the worst mistake you've ever made?"

"What did you say?"

"You've been chasing me all summer and showing me your good side. What's your worst side? ”

"You tell me the worst of yourself." Bronze squinted at the dazzling headlights in the rearview mirror to see if there were any other lights behind him.

"I'll ask first."

"Are you serious?"

"Very seriously."

The speed limit became 65 km/h, Bronze reluctantly spoke.

He told her that his father, an officer in the army during the Beiyang period, had lived in military bases in Jiangsu, Zhejiang, eastern Guangdong, and southwest China, and had moved frequently. "Growing up, I learned not to be attached to anyone or anywhere." He told her that his father was a man who did not show affection, and in fact, he was embarrassed to show any emotion, whether it was sadness or joy. "I've learned to hide what I'm feeling." He told her that after he joined the army — a natural choice for the son of an officer — the special operations training he received gave him more control over his feelings.

"I had an instructor who liked me and talked to me during breaks. We often talk about philosophical issues, many of which are about how to survive in inhuman conditions and not become barbaric. For example, how to react to a murder or how to cope with seeing a friend killed. He showed me a passage from a book about the brain and feelings, which I never forget. ”

Bronze had been staring nervously at the headlights in the rearview mirror. I didn't see any lights. But he was always fast, and he didn't want to be stopped by a sudden car.

"What did he show you?" Gong Yu asked.

"'When we make big decisions, fate inevitably befalls us. We all have feelings, and feelings themselves don't hurt us. But if our feelings are not controlled, they can be detrimental to us. Training controls our thoughts, and our thoughts control our feelings. ’”

"It sounds like he's trying to put a lot of cushioning into your feelings so that you barely feel any emotion."

"It's a filter that aims to understand feelings in a specific way, so that feelings are always in my favor. For example—"Bronze felt a pang of misery. "Two of my friends were killed on Saturday night."

"Is it to help you find me?" Gong Yu seemed to be sad.

"I feel sorry for them. This sorrow always overwhelms me, but I say to myself that I have no time, and that I must postpone my sorrow until I can mourn them in a proper way. If I hadn't focused on surviving then, I wouldn't have been able to mourn them in the future. I still haven't found the time to pay my respects to them. ”

Gong Yu repeated a sentence from the introduction he had told her. "'Our thoughts control our feelings.' ”

"That's how I used to live." Bronze looked in the rearview mirror again. A pair of headlights are getting closer and closer at an alarming rate. He rolled down the window next to the driver's seat, drove to the right shoulder, held the steering wheel with his left hand, and grabbed Officer Blue's pistol with his right hand to prepare. If the car came up from his left and tried to knock him over on this deserted interstate, he would shoot.

The car's headlights couldn't be brighter now, and the intense reflections in the bronze mirrors were dazzling. He suddenly slowed down so that the driver of the car would rush past him before the driver of the car had a chance to hit the brakes. But the car didn't just rush over; It continued to rush into the distance, and the silhouette was a truck going back and forth to the mainland. The taillights disappear into the darkness.

。