Lao Bai hoped the command center would make some grand gestures. Compared to other teams taking the sci-fi route, his side’s realistic approach wasn’t cool enough. Endless meetings, endless documents to sign – the mountain of paperwork day and night made Lao Bai feel like he was doing HR work in the Provincial Party Committee Organization Department. It was completely clerical work! This didn’t match his style – when had Bai Zhen ever been content sitting at a desk typing – except when arguing with people online as a keyboard warrior.

Overall, what the command center was doing now wasn’t what Bai Zhen had imagined, nor was it like Hollywood sci-fi blockbusters. Without earth-shattering grand gestures, could this be called saving the world?

Lao Zhao said not to rush, the grand gestures would come.

Speak of the devil – before Lao Zhao could finish speaking, the phone in his pocket rang. He took one glance at the caller ID and his expression changed.

“What’s wrong?” Bai Zhen and Wang Ning asked.

Zhao Bowen didn’t answer, just waved his hand and hurried out with small steps to take the call.

Lao Bai and Lao Wang exchanged glances and went to eavesdrop.

“Hello? It’s me… What’s the word?” Lao Zhao lowered his voice, “Give me a definite answer – can Miss Qiu be available?”

The next day.

Bai Yang was roused awake early in the morning – by his mother. Not only did she not take his side, but she also helped the outsiders, which pained Bai Yang deeply.

“Put on your thermal underwear!”

Bai Yang wrapped himself up tightly and went out shivering. Being called to wake up at 6:20 in the morning was simply inhumane torture. Every minute in bed on winter mornings was as precious as gold. Being able to stay even one more minute was immensely satisfying for Bai Yang. To stay in bed longer, he used every trick, engaging in a battle of wits with his mother – Rule One: don’t move until she moves. He knew his mother would enter his room after three warnings, so when she called the first time to get up, Bai Yang would drawl out “Coming!” and continue sleeping.

Three minutes later his mother would call a second time, and he’d reply “Coming!” again and keep sleeping.

Another three minutes later she’d call a third time. At this point Bai Yang would sit up, just as his mother pushed open the door to check, seeing him getting up and ending the wake-up calls.

After sitting up, Bai Yang would spread his sweater flat on the blanket, pretending to get dressed while falling back asleep.

Getting dressed could buy another five minutes of sleep. As the saying goes, an inch of time is an inch of gold, but gold cannot buy time. At current prices gold was 340 yuan per gram – Bai Yang had gained five minutes, equivalent to five minutes of gold, worth at least 3,400 yuan.

That’s how you save money.

Winter mornings in Nanjing were very cold. Before going out, Bai Yang checked today’s weather: sunny turning cloudy, with a low of only 4 degrees Celsius.

Under his mother’s intense pressure, he was dressed like a Michelin Man. Downstairs he saw Lianqiao standing by the lawn wearing only a thin sweater and jeans, hands in pockets, softly humming a tune.

Bai Yang thought she must have a great constitution to handle the cold so well.

The girl saw Bai Yang come down and checked the time on her phone – 6:30 AM.

“Pretty punctual.”

Lianqiao nodded.

They headed out along Musu Garden Street northward, turned onto Zhongshan Gate Street, and jogged toward Purple Mountain. There were few pedestrians at this hour and the road was clear. Lianqiao planned that five kilometers would be doable within half an hour. In the military, completing five kilometers with no load in 23 minutes was considered passing. Lianqiao could usually do it within 20 minutes. She thought allowing half an hour gave plenty of margin, but she had still overestimated her companion’s ability.

Soon Bai Yang couldn’t keep up with Lianqiao’s pace and speed. The girl’s black short hair bounced rhythmically, her steps steady with no sign of fatigue. He thought this sister had really good stamina, running two or three kilometers without getting winded.

Bai Yang breathed heavily – it felt like having mint in his throat. The cold air entered his lungs and came out carrying body heat, condensing into mist in the air. Lianqiao ran faster than him. Bai Yang could see her short hair bouncing with each step and her slightly reddened ears, white wisps of mist swirling and dispersing in the air with each breath.

What started as a seemingly nice morning exercise became terrifying when Lianqiao started calling cadence.

“Ya-two-one! Ya-two-one! One-two-three-four!”

“One-two-three-four!”

Her calls pierced through clouds.

Bai Yang only wished he had gotten up even earlier. The occasional passersby all gave them strange, puzzled looks. If they had run into the rush hour crowds of people heading to work and school, wouldn’t that be utterly mortifying? The shame would reach Xuanwu Lake.

But Lianqiao held her head high, eyes forward, calling cadence with perfect rhythm and full voice.

“Wait… wait for me…”

Bai Yang was completely out of breath.

Lianqiao stopped by the roadside and turned to wait for him.

“Why are you so weak?” The girl shook her head. “Bai Yang, I have to say, I’m deeply worried about the physical fitness of China’s young people and deeply worried about the future of our country. When the youth are strong, the nation is strong – how can you build a modern socialist power with this level of fitness?”

“You’re a professional!” Bai Yang supported himself on his knees, panting heavily, his chest burning. “How… how can I possibly compare to you? Sister, consider us high school seniors who sit in classrooms all day – how athletic can we be? How can we compare to someone like you who treats a five-kilometer cross-country run like a daily routine?”

Lianqiao bent down and gently patted Bai Yang’s back.

“Shall we take a break then?”

They had run to the Xiamafang Historic Site Park, about two or three kilometers. It took fifteen minutes, and Bai Yang was completely exhausted. The two stood resting by the roadside.

“You’re too weak,” Lianqiao said. “As someone who’s supposed to save the world, you’re not professional enough.”

“You’re not much better – when you were undercover as a waitress at the restaurant before, we spotted you right away,” Bai Yang likewise questioned Lianqiao’s professional quality. “What kind of plainclothes officer gets recognized at first glance?”

“What undercover? What plain clothes?” Lianqiao frowned. “Who was undercover? Who’s plainclothes? Let me tell you, among everyone around you, I’m the only one who doesn’t need to be undercover or in disguise. Have you ever seen a counselor who needs to be in disguise?”

“Then why were you working as a waitress?”

“Who told you I was a waitress?” Lianqiao countered. “I just saw the restaurant owner was too busy and kindly helped out – that’s called learning from Lei Feng.”

She argued righteously.

“Also, I’m warning you, don’t do anything strange – you’re under key surveillance now.” Lianqiao poked Bai Yang’s forehead with her fair finger. “At this very moment, at least two sniper rifles are aimed at your forehead. Can you see the laser sight dots on your face?”

Bai Yang was startled and instinctively raised his hands to cover his forehead, feeling around.

“Really?”

“No.”

Lianqiao turned away with a humph.

She stood on the curb with her arms crossed, a tall streetlight behind her. Bai Yang tilted his head to look at this short-haired young woman standing in Nanjing’s morning mist, on tiptoe, her figure tall and sturdy yet graceful. She looked around curiously – probably her first time in Nanjing too. This was a new and unfamiliar city to her. She wasn’t from Nanjing; “Ah want chili oil ah” was the only Nanjing dialect she had learned.

“What a nice place,” she said. “It would be such a shame if it got destroyed.”

“Then let’s work hard,” Bai Yang said.

“Come on, let’s turn back and run home – 2.5 kilometers there, 2.5 kilometers back, making it exactly 5 kilometers,” Lianqiao gave Bai Yang’s back a firm push. “Do you know how to sing marching songs?”

“Marching songs?”

“Didn’t you sing marching songs during high school military training?” Lianqiao asked while running.

“Yes, yes, I know ‘Unity is Strength’, ‘Green Flower in the Army’ and ‘Strong Army Battle Song’.”

“No, we’re not singing those!” Lianqiao said. “Come on, follow my lead – ready—”

She then hummed an intro that sounded rather classical and traditional to Bai Yang, with what must have been gongs, drums, cymbals, and suona as the original instruments – not like some passionate march. Finally, Lianqiao opened her mouth and started singing at full volume:

[A traditional song about horses, swords, and traveling through mountains, sung in a powerful voice that carried through the morning air]

Her voice was melodious and penetrating, cutting through the winter morning sunlight, the tall roadside phoenix trees, and the eardrums of nearby people – no weaker than Tu Honggang, at least that’s what Bai Yang thought.

Lianqiao raised her pitch:

[Another verse of the traditional song about journeying and contemplating good and evil]

Well well, it was from “Emperor Kangxi’s Undercover Travel” – she turned out to be a fan of classic songs.