Particularly when Tong Tong saw the rank on the soldier’s shoulders, she was a bit surprised. A colonel, and capable of driving such a Humvee—definitely a serving colonel, not a civilian one without real power. A serving colonel acting as a driver? Dr. Xiao must have quite the influence.
Of course, if Tong Tong had a deeper understanding of the Huaxia military system, she would be even more astonished. Even the commander of the Yanjing Military Region wouldn’t waste talent like this. Only a few big shots in the Military Commission and so retired elders have such privileges.
This colonel was naturally Qi Shan, the aide beside Guo Liang. Guo Liang sent Qi Shan to pick up Xiao Lin. The first reason was to avoid sending ordinary soldiers, which would be too troubleso once they entered the Yanjing Military Region. With Qi Shan leading, this wouldn’t be a problem. The second reason was out of respect for Xiao Lin, especially since he knew why Xiao Lin needed to use a military aircraft. Sending Qi Shan was only fitting. If Guo Liang had both arms, Qi Shan wouldn’t even have been needed.
"W-we, where are we going?" Tong Tong instinctively asked this question.
"General, who is this?" Hearing Tong Tong’s voice, Qi Shan noticed her presence for the first ti. She was a pure and pretty young girl. As for her age, Qi Shan estimated he was five or six years older than she was. Yet, in Qi Shan’s eyes, Tong Tong’s current fragile appearance made her look like a little girl; he montarily disregarded her true age.
Tong Tong’s heart skipped a beat. General? Did she hear wrong? The colonel was calling Dr. Xiao ’General’? This soldier seed older than Xiao Lin. Xiao Lin was in his early twenties, while Qi Shan looked at least in his thirties from his appearance.
"This is Tong Tong, accompanying to Jingliang Province to investigate the pandemic!" Xiao Lin answered simply.
"Identity?" After hesitating for a mont, Qi Shan asked. The place they were going wasn’t accessible to ordinary people, with extrely high security levels—common folk couldn’t enter.
Xiao Lin wasn’t angry, knowing it was Qi Shan’s duty. He said, "Forr carrier of a mutated virus, sophomore at Yan University!"
"Understood!" Qi Shan said no more. After starting the car, he made a call to inform the receiving party about the additional person, ensuring they were prepared and wouldn’t have to go through cumberso check procedures. The reason Qi Shan was sent was to avoid Xiao Lin wasting too much ti on check procedures.
The shock in Tong Tong’s heart was beyond description. In her eyes, Xiao Lin was just a highly skilled doctor. But now it seed he had an even more incredible identity.
Throughout the journey, Tong Tong was well-behaved and didn’t inquire further with Xiao Lin. Until the car gradually entered a mountain road, Tong Tong suddenly said from the back seat, "Dr. Xiao, if necessary, I can blindfold myself!"
Xiao Lin was startled, then said with a mix of amusent and frustration, "What are you thinking? It’s not like we’re kidnapping you. You’ve been watching too many TV dramas?"
"Well..." Tong Tong felt a bit embarrassed.
"Ordinary people can’t enter even if they’re blindfolded because the location isn’t important; what’s inside is!" Xiao Lin explained to Tong Tong. The renowned Yanjing Military Region Air Force Base isn’t a big secret location-wise. But if you try to approach within five kiloters of the base, you’ll definitely receive a warning.
"Then... do I need to be blindfolded later when we go inside?" Tong Tong asked again upon hearing this.
"No need, because you won’t have ti to look at those facilities, nor can you take photos!" Qi Shan answered directly.
"Alright, don’t overthink it!" Xiao Lin said lightly.
Tong Tong didn’t ask further, though her thoughts were already soaring to the sky.
On the way, Tong Tong indeed didn’t look at the surrounding scenery. The car soon stopped at a big gate. From the front window, she could see several ard soldiers guarding the entrance. The gate was labeled "Military Zone" in large letters, but there was no ntion of a specific na. A soldier signaled for Qi Shan to stop the car.
Qi Shan rolled down the window, handing over his credentials. The soldier checked them, saluted Qi Shan, then looked at Xiao Lin and Tong Tong in turn before stepping away from the vehicle, signaling the other soldiers to let them pass, without saying a word during the entire process.
Though Tong Tong was in the car, she felt an overwhelming sense of gravity in this place, as if it was so heavy it could almost suffocate a person. Her little heart pounded, and she didn’t dare glance askew.
Continuing inside, Tong Tong glimpsed fighter jets one after another from the car window and suddenly exclaid, "Wow, is that the seventh-generation fighter jet recently circulating online?" At the end of her yell, she couldn’t help but scream, recognizing that the jet she saw appeared nearly identical to the one rumored online. According to rumors, the seventh-gen fighter jet represented a watershed in combat aircraft; with trendous capabilities, capable of circling the Earth in less than five hours and traveling several tis the speed of sound.
Rembering the earlier conversation between Qi Shan and Xiao Lin, Tong Tong mumbled to herself, "Uh... I was just asking casually, you don’t have to answer!"
Qi Shan didn’t mind, smiling as he remarked, "These matters are beyond my reach; perhaps the Military Doctor can help!"
Xiao Lin snorted, saying, "Just focus on driving carefully!" Xiao Lin was naturally aware of the research on seventh-gen fighter jets; it wasn’t re hearsay but truly existed. In about three months, it would enter the test flight phase, and in two to five years, it would be completely ready for service. However, such secrets were indeed beyond the reach of Qi Shan and Tong Tong.
Tong Tong, looking at those real fighter planes right before her eyes, felt extrely excited yet refrained from screaming afterward. Being able to see so many fighter jets at once, so even in the research phase, was not an opportunity everyone had.
After passing through three checkpoints, the car drove onto a tarmac. Ahead, a dark-green helicopter was quietly parked on the side. Beside the helicopter stood about a dozen soldiers. Among them, the one positioned at the center was particularly tall, nearly two ters, his straight uniform making him appear even more imposing.
When Qi Shan saw this soldier, he showed an even more astonished expression on his face, turning to Xiao Lin and saying, "General, you indeed have significant influence!" (To be continued. If you like this story, feel free to visit Qidian (qidian) to vote for recomndations and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation.)
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