Bright Sword: Conquer the monk at the beginning and take down Zhou Weiguo

Keep some evidence that "there is hope."

Not for anything else, just so that he could remember the look the girl left before she turned around for the last time.

It’s not a farewell, but a trust.

"Xiao Hu," Qin Cang said softly, "You asked me why I didn't tell you the truth. It's because I haven't found enough evidence. I don't want you to believe anything by mistake, nor do I want your hopes to be dashed."

"But now, you have to remember."

"Remember that she is alive, and remember why you should become stronger."

Later, Qin Cang was promoted to captain, commanding a team forged in blood and fire. They triumphed over superior numbers in numerous battles, rising to prominence. But he never truly forgot Liu San; it was like a nail in his heart, forever etched in his mind. He tried to uncover the truth of what happened that night, but the records had been destroyed, the witnesses had vanished, and everything seemed deliberately covered up.

Until recently, Qin Cang received an anonymous letter. It was unsigned, with only a few words: "Do you want to know the truth? Meet at our old place." At the end of the letter was a small stick figure—the code they had used when they made a bet, known only to them.

So, Qin Cang arrived. He walked for three days and three nights, passing through old battlefields, broken bridges, and abandoned bunkers, finally arriving at the forest. The night was as dark as ink, and he waited, his heart pounding. And when he saw the figure slowly emerging from the shadows of the trees, his hands trembled uncontrollably.

The man was wearing an old military uniform, had a stubbled face, a deep gaze, and was leaning on a cane. It was Liu San.

"You're not dead." Qin Cang's voice was low, almost gritting his teeth.

"I didn't die." Liu San nodded calmly, "But I almost died three times."

"Why did you betray us?" Qin Cang turned the blade, and the cold light was intimidating.

"I didn't betray them." Liu San looked him straight in the eye without dodging. "I infiltrated the enemy back then as part of an undercover operation arranged by the organization. I didn't leak the secrets of that ambush; the enemy had already set it up. They knew we were coming, but I didn't have time to pass on the information."

"You said you didn't betray us? Then why have you been hiding from us all these years?" Qin Cang asked, with the knife raised in his hand.

"Because I couldn't prove myself." Liu San raised his head, his eyes full of vicissitudes. "After that operation, I was captured. After I escaped by faking my death, the organization also gave up on me. They were afraid that I would be exposed and implicate more people. I couldn't go back, so I could only hide in the dark until you came to me."

Qin Cang's blade paused in mid-air, his breathing heavy as countless images flashed through his mind: the roars of his brothers as they fell, the laughter during their nighttime conversations in the tent, and the hatred he felt as he, alone in the snow, chewed over and over the word betrayal. He didn't know whether to believe him, but he wanted to hear him out.

"Then why are you coming to me now?" he asked in a low voice.

"I'll tell you the truth, and also tell you—you thought you won the battle at Liujiagou, but it was actually a trap set by me." A strange smile played on Liu San's lips. "You thought you miraculously broke through the enemy lines that night, didn't you? I planted the explosives ahead of time, and it was I who secretly directed those mountain people to help you evacuate."

Qin Cang was shocked. He had always thought it was fate's mercy, but he never imagined that Liu San was behind it.

"You can kill me." Liu San took a step closer, "but you'd better listen to me first. Because who you think is your enemy now may not be your enemy at all. And who you think is your comrade may have already surrendered."

"What do you mean?" Qin Cang frowned.

"Someone in your unit is making deals with the enemy. They're hiding weapons in grain trucks and exchanging explosives for intelligence. You think you're a clean commander, but you've been used." Liu San's eyes were blazing. "I can help you find out, but you have to trust me."

Qin Cang was silent for a long time, finally putting away his knife. He was not an impulsive person. In his battle-hardened heart, trust and judgment had long surpassed emotions. He stared at Liu San for a long time, then said coldly, "I can trust you once. But if you lie to me again, I will personally send you to death."

Liu San nodded and said in a low voice: "I am not afraid of death, I am only afraid of dying in vain."

The boy was only in his early twenties, and there was always an untamed light in his eyes. He was so much like me when I was young: just as tough, just as unwilling to admit defeat, and just as easily crushed by the truth.

Qin Cang hesitated for a moment, but still walked over and patted Xiaohu's shoulder gently.

"Wake up and come with me."

Xiao Hu opened his sleepy eyes, blinked a few times, and saw the person in front of him clearly: "Brother Qin, where are you going so early in the morning?"

"Look at a person, a person you may not want to believe but have to believe."

Xiao Hu was stunned for a moment, then sat up and asked, "Is it the enemy?"

"No, it's the enemy we once thought it was."

Xiao Hu didn't ask any more questions. He stood up, shouldered his gun, and followed without saying a word. He knew Qin Cang wouldn't say such things lightly. It was either a matter of life and death, or something that could overturn their cognition.

The two men stepped into the forest, their steps as light as cats. The sunlight hadn't yet penetrated the branches and leaves, and dewdrops rolled down the veins, spilling onto his clothes, icy and biting. Qin Cang, walking in front, was unfazed by the chill. Every word Liu San had spoken last night echoed in his mind, each one like a sharp knife, slicing at the faith he had held firmly for so many years.

He didn't completely trust Liu San. Even if he was truly a sleeper agent for the organization, the years of no news and no explanation for his disappearance still gnawed at Qin Cang's heart. But what unnerved him even more was Liu San's words: "You've been used."

He always prided himself on being a calm and cautious commander, weighing the pros and cons of every decision and meticulously planning every battle. But Liu San's words were like a stone dropped into the middle of a lake, stirring up ripples in his heart.

"Brother Qin..." Xiaohu's voice suddenly interrupted his thoughts.

Qin Cang stopped and turned around: "Hmm?"

"Do you believe that man?"

After a few seconds of silence, Qin Cang whispered, "Believe or not, it's not based on emotion, it's based on evidence. His words... so many things make sense."

Xiao Hu frowned and hesitated before speaking: "But if that's really what he said, then who have we been following all these years? Who have we risked our lives for?"

Qin Cang didn't answer. He knew Xiao Hu was asking a question none of them wanted to address. If what Liu San said was true, then hidden behind it was an abyss more terrifying than the enemy.

The two walked in silence for a long time until they passed through a dense forest and came to a hidden valley. This place was not even marked on the map, but Qin Cang remembered that it was once an abandoned outpost, the last mission base before Liu San disappeared.