Chapter 100: The Anonymous Letter

After hanging up the phone, Brother Long asked Da Min, who was still rummaging through the room, "Did you find anything?"

"What about your end?" Zhang Xingmin retorted.

"Nothing! Xiaofeng hasn't returned home," Brother Long replied with a hint of dejection.

"Look at this!" Da Min said, tossing something toward Brother Long.

Brother Long hurriedly tried to catch it with both hands, but ended up catching it with his face instead. A pair of worn underwear landed squarely on his face, and he instinctively took a breath.

"Throw it more carefully next time! These have been worn!" Brother Long complained, catching his breath before adding, "They haven't been washed in days; they really stink! Young people sure have a lot of heat in them."

"There are clothes drying on the balcony; they shouldn't have been worn for long. Take a closer look!" Zhang Xingmin reminded him.

"What’s there to see in Xiaofeng’s dirty underwear?" Brother Long grumbled as he set them down, but then he suddenly spotted bloodstains on the fabric. Startled, he asked, "Why is there blood on these? What on earth did Xiaofeng get up to?"

Da Min snatched them from Brother Long’s hands, spread the underwear out on the bed, and then laid out a tank top as well. A dried streak of blood ran diagonally across the middle of the vest.

"It looks like Xiaofeng was injured," Zhang Xingmin concluded.

Gazing at the large patch of blood, Brother Long’s face clouded with worry. What had happened that night? Why couldn't he remember anything? He and Lin Xiaofeng were separated by only one room; how could he not have heard a single sound?

Seeing Brother Long blaming himself, Da Min spoke in a slightly comforting tone: "It might not be a very serious injury, though. Let’s check the medical kit..."

Before Zhang Xingmin could finish, Brother Long was already searching the wardrobe for the medical kit. As expected, his memory hadn't failed him; Xiaofeng kept the rarely used kit on the top shelf of the wardrobe. Seeing that the latch wasn't properly fastened, it was clear it had been accessed.

"Your deduction was right; Xiaofeng was indeed injured and treated it himself. Here are torn bandages and adhesive tape," Brother Long said to Zhang Xingmin, who stood behind him. Suddenly, he discovered something in the kit and added, "There’s a digital voice recorder here, too? Why would this be here?"

"Let's listen to what's on it."

Brother Long turned on the recorder, and Lin Xiaofeng’s voice filled the room: "It is four in the morning. Someone broke into my room... I sustained a small injury... but they seemed to encounter something that frightened them and fled in a hurry... I went to the next room to call Brother Long, but he seemed to be under the influence of some sedative; I couldn't wake him at all... Now, there is an anonymous letter in my room, and its contents are very important... There is no time left; I must go first... I have left the letter in a place only you two can find. Come as soon as you see it."

"A place only we can find? It seems Xiaofeng was afraid of others discovering the letter! Under what circumstances could we ensure it wouldn't be discovered by anyone else?" After hearing the recording, Brother Long felt impatient. That Lin Xiaofeng was being cryptic again.

Zhang Xingmin was also pondering how Lin Xiaofeng could securely leave information for them without it being discovered by others. He couldn't guess it either. Hearing Brother Long’s question, Zhang Xingmin blurted out, "Destroy it after reading!"

"If the letter is destroyed, how will we know what it says? Are you sure you aren't joking?" Brother Long felt like he might cough up blood.

"No, there is a way to preserve the letter!" Zhang Xingmin looked at Brother Long with certainty.

Brother Long finally realized what he meant and pulled Zhang Xingmin back to his own quarters.

Brother Long’s room was even messier than Lin Xiaofeng’s. Aside from the lack of foul odors, it was filled with everything else. Zhang Xingmin stood by the door, not daring to take a step, as there was nowhere to stand.

Brother Long rummaged through boxes and cabinets for a long time before finally producing a small reading device, which he threw to Zhang Xingmin. He then took a necklace from around his neck and inserted the pendant into the reader.

The data was read successfully. A new, untitled file appeared on the virtual screen. Opening it revealed a letter—the anonymous one Lin Xiaofeng had mentioned. It read: "I know you have been looking for me..."

The letter was unsigned, but every line revealed that the writer was someone they knew well. It mentioned the exploits of the "Falcon Brothers" over the past two years, described as if the writer had been a witness to it all. It also noted that they had attracted the attention of "the Organization," and that this raid was merely a small lesson for the Falcons.

However, the end of the letter took a sharp turn, revealing a mysterious address—a small island in the South Pacific. It claimed that what they were looking for was there, and instructed them to tell no one, to go alone, and that they were waiting there for them.

After reading the letter, Brother Long and Da Min looked completely stunned. How could little brother Xiaofeng fall for such an obvious trap? The South Pacific was the edge of the world; what kind of island could even be there? And to follow the other party’s arrangements, leaving without telling a soul!

Despite knowing it was a trap, Brother Long and Da Min still decided to go and reunite with Lin Xiaofeng. They believed that since they were a team, they couldn't let Xiaofeng face the danger alone. As the saying goes, "Brothers fight tigers together," and even if the road ahead led to a den of dragons and a nest of tigers, they didn't care.

However, before setting off, they had to go to one more place: Shazhou City. They had very important people there. It had been over a year since they last saw them, and they missed them dearly—though they weren't sure if the little ones would even recognize them.

Their plane landed at Shazhou International Airport. This time, they could see obvious changes. As a key town in the west, the reconstruction and expansion work in Shazhou had been rapid. It was roughly more prosperous than it had been before the war, carrying the distinct air of a great metropolis.

Driving from downtown Shazhou toward the distant Dahuang Mountain Base, Brother Long and Da Min felt restless. Although less than a year had passed, everything had changed. Looking at the land that had borne their suffering, the place that had swallowed countless lives, they were filled with profound emotions.

Hearing that Da Min and Brother Long were coming, Ping'an, A-Hao, and A-Yong were waiting at the gate early on.

Brother Long and Da Min spotted the three of them from afar. Ping'an, having returned to a normal life, was much sturdier, and the beard on his face had grown back, hiding the effeminate look he once had. A-Hao and A-Yong hadn't changed much, though their relationship seemed even closer.

The children, of course, didn't recognize them. Although they had learned to call them "Daddy," the little ones had only seen them on video calls before. Now that these men had "stepped out" of the computer, the kids were frightened and could only hide behind Uncle Ping'an, Uncle A-Hao, and Uncle A-Yong.

After Ping'an coaxed them for a long while, the children finally called out "Daddy" in timid, milky voices.