Under the moonlight

The city was devastated in the first round of explosions, with its infrastructure largely destroyed. Huang Meng struggled to adjust to the darkness, dragging her tired legs, and groped her way to sit down against a wall.

As she gradually regained consciousness, her body began to tremble uncontrollably. She kept rubbing her aching muscles, trying to relieve the tension. She wanted to close her eyes and let her taut nerves rest for a moment, but the incessant, pitiful cries around her constantly reminded her of her current predicament.

The cries, like surging waves, grew louder and louder, gradually engulfing her. She covered her ears in anguish, trying to close her eyes, but the prolonged tension prevented her muscles from fully relaxing. She could only bury her head in her lap, clutching her head with both hands, staring wide-eyed as tears streamed down her face. She realized that closing her eyes to rest was an action humans only take when they are most relaxed and safe.

Huang Meng was brought back to her senses by her own sobs. She had been standing with her arms crossed, but somehow Xu Ao had pulled her into his arms. Her tears slid down her cheeks silently, soaking a small patch of his shirt without her noticing. When she came to her senses, she found Xu Ao holding her and gently patting her back, while his other hand was on her head, gently rubbing it as if he were petting a cat.

Huang Meng snapped out of her reverie and was suddenly amused by her own thoughts. She lowered her head, rubbed her sore eyes, and slowly took two steps back. She placed her hands on his chest and looked up at his chin, where some bluish stubble had sprouted.

Upon noticing the movement in his arms, Xu Ao stopped what he was doing, looked down at Huang Meng's tear-streaked eyes, gently wiped them away with his fingers, cupped her face in his hands, and gently stroked her cheeks with his thumbs. He leaned slightly closer to her ear and whispered, "Little girl, don't be afraid. Now you have me, you don't have to be afraid of anything."

These words rang softly in her ears. His breath, as he spoke, was like a feather gently tickling her heart, making her feel itchy inside and in her ears. She shrank her neck slightly and rubbed her ears uncomfortably. Xu Ao then noticed the unusual blush on her face. He smiled as he looked at her shy expression with her head down.

The men nearby, used to such comforts, couldn't stand it any longer and sat huddled together on the ground. It was lunchtime, and the food the mercenaries were carrying, while not as enticingly fragrant as the delicacies of Country C, still looked delicious. No one noticed Huang Meng and Xu Ao's tender moment; they closed their eyes, frowned, and huddled together, occasionally uttering a curse.

The mercenaries stood beside them, eating with great interest and occasionally making sounds of praise. The men looked at the mercenaries not far away with smiles on their faces, but they were hurling the most vulgar insults at each other. Huang Meng and Xu Ao also found a flat rock to sit down and looked up at the sun overhead. It was hot but not scorching. This was the most charming thing about S Country. As long as it was daylight, there was endless sunshine, and you could enjoy the gentlest and most comfortable breeze while standing under the sun.

Huang Meng squinted at the shimmering silver light on the distant sea. At this moment, she felt very calm. She closed her eyes and listened to the occasional sound of the waves crashing against the shore. Seagulls flying over the sea and sky in the distance cried out. Everything was so harmonious and comfortable, as if all the misfortunes were just a dream. After waking up, life would continue as usual.

Xu Ao turned his head and looked at the sunlight shining on the girl's face beside him. Her cheeks were slightly flushed, and her closed eyes seemed restless. Her eyelids twitched from time to time, causing her thick eyelashes to sway like a small fan. Xu Ao leaned closer to her and asked, "What are you thinking about? Are you hungry?"

"I wasn't thinking about anything. I'm okay, not very hungry."

"Gurgle~" Just as she finished speaking, her stomach made an inappropriate sound. Xu Ao smiled and pursed his lips. Huang Meng was so embarrassed that she didn't know what to say. She could only cough and pretend to be calm to cover up her embarrassment.

"Okay, I'll remember that. From now on, if the little girl says she's not hungry, then it's time to eat." Xu Ao finished speaking and turned his head away from her. If he looked at her any longer, the girl would probably be embarrassed to death.

Xu Ao sighed and said, "I thought we could finish this in one morning, but it has disrupted our plans. I don't know what the situation is for our colleagues who are behind us."

Huang Meng looked down at her toes, thought for a moment, and said, "It should be fine. We've been here since then and no one has come in or out of that house. Apart from the food delivery, we haven't heard any news from them. No news is good news. We also said that we would wait for your signal. Whether it succeeds or not, we would act only after receiving the signal. They should still be waiting."

Xu Ao nodded, agreeing with her opinion. The group fell silent for a moment. The men on the ground slumped together, half-lying down and dozing off. Xu Ao looked at them and chuckled, shaking her head helplessly.

“They are considered wealthy, and they have probably never suffered like this or been treated like this before,” Huang Meng said to Xu Ao after glancing at them.

"No matter who they are, as long as they are citizens of Country C, they have the responsibility and obligation to act in accordance with the embassy's arrangements," Xu Ao said coldly. Huang Meng looked at the indifference in his eyes and knew that his sense of national responsibility was far greater than theirs.

“It’s not hard to tell from what they just said that someone already knew about this bombing, and it was some wealthy people. Do you think there might be some kind of conspiracy?” Huang Meng tilted her head and looked at Xu Ao.

"There's definitely a conspiracy involved. Since ancient times, power struggles have been inseparable, and politics and business have been intertwined. However, these are not things we can worry about or interfere with now, after all, this is political turmoil within their own country. Look, it's been several days since the explosion, have any other cities protested or condemned it? After all, the policies of the new government have received support from many people, although they are a minority. But if this minority has strong power, then the majority of ordinary people will not benefit."

"You mean this civil unrest was actually orchestrated by those wealthy people in their country's new political faction? Just to achieve their own goals?" Huang Meng said incredulously.

"Yes, very likely. They already have substantial financial resources and trade channels. If they want to earn more and open up more markets, it would be much easier for them to get the country to agree to export trade."

After all, the main mining rights are still in the hands of the current government. Their aim is to provide more people with their own source of income, allowing them to have small workshops producing and selling jewelry.

"If those big players want to earn more, they must hold onto the mining rights so they can hire locals to work for them. They claim it's to create jobs and boost the economy, but they're really just trying to exploit their cheap labor."

"Do they still consider themselves citizens of one country? Why are they so eager to destroy each other?" Huang Meng said, frowning.

“Not all countries are as united and friendly as we are. There are too many countries, especially small ones like ours, that have been established for a short time and lack a deep historical and cultural foundation. Their people’s hearts are easily disturbed, and political turmoil can easily occur.” Xu Ao turned his head and looked at Huang Meng, who was frowning. He reached out and gently pinched her cheek and said, “These are not things we can worry about. Don’t take them to heart. But you, were you thinking about something again that made you cry like that?”

Huang Meng turned to look at him. His eyes were very beautiful; even with glasses, they couldn't hide his clear, bright eyes. Huang Meng sighed and said slowly, "You just said that you didn't want me to worry about their country's affairs, but from the time of the explosion until I got to the embassy, ​​I spent that part of the journey with them and the people of this city."

"I watched helplessly as they were torn apart, their families destroyed, and their lives ruined. The woman who was standing beside me just a second ago, helping me up from the chaos of the explosion, was now crushed to pieces by flying debris. I could still feel the warmth of her hand on my arm. By the time I came to my senses, her head had rolled to the side, her eyes wide open, staring at me, her body crushed," Huang Meng said, turning to Xu Ao with a calm expression. "She was really crushed. I could see her internal organs and bones. Blood splattered on my shoes and trouser legs. I wanted to help her, but I didn't know how. I felt heartbroken and sorrowful for her, but I couldn't control my physical reaction and vomited." Huang Meng took a deep breath, watching seagulls soaring and swooping happily over the distant sea.

Xu Ao reached out and grasped her hand tightly. Huang Meng felt the increasing pressure of his grip on her hand. She turned to look at him, forcing a smile.

"Later, I met many people, including elderly people, young girls, and lovely children. We ran together on the road to escape, supporting each other. At that time, there was no distinction between close and distant relatives. We were all a group of pitiful people forced to the brink of death by fireworks and bombs." Huang Meng lowered her head, gently rubbed the tip of her nose with her hand, sniffed, and turned to look at Xu Ao. He tilted his head and looked at her quietly, his eyes deep and unfathomable.