217: All good things must come to an end.

Leaving the headquarters, Feng Tiankui took a deep breath and walked towards the medical department to find Lu Fan, who was smoking.

At this moment, his face was filled with guilt and the weariness of age.

He walked up to Lu Fan and actually gave a deep bow: "Brother Lu... I... I've let you down, I've let the brothers of the Security Team down."

"And even more so, I've let down those boys from my 122nd Division who died..."

His voice was hoarse and choked with emotion: "It's all my fault. I'm reflecting on my mistakes and asking for your punishment!"

The dead were gone, and the anger in Lu Fan's heart had mostly dissipated, replaced by a sense of helplessness and heaviness.

He helped Feng Tiankui up: "Division Commander Feng, it's in the past. In war, people die, but the lesson must be remembered."

Feng Tiankui nodded heavily, a flash of determination in his eyes: "Brother, I know the Security Team is leaving. I have an unpresumptuous request."

He looked at the young soldiers in the distance, some sitting, some lying down, most of them wounded.

"These Sichuan boys of mine... if they follow me... I'm afraid their future is uncertain."

"You love your soldiers like your own children and have extraordinary means. If they follow you, perhaps they can survive and truly fight the Japanese invaders."

"I want... all the boys in the division under the age of 22 to go with you."

"It will also... leave some seeds for our 122nd Division and the Sichuan Army."

Lu Fan was silent for a moment, looking at those eyes that were mostly youthful but had already experienced the fires of war, and nodded.

"Alright. I promise you. I will do my best to keep them safe."

Feng Tiankui gripped Lu Fan's hand tightly, his eyes brimming with tears: "Thank you! Thank you!"

He paused, then added: "All good things must come to an end. You... take care of yourself too."

"Division Commander Feng, you as well." Lu Fan said solemnly, "Remember, only by preserving yourself first can you kill the enemy more effectively."

Late at night, an expanded team quietly left the Nanxiang station.

Besides the original Security Team Members, there were over a hundred young Sichuan Army soldiers and dozens of Central Army soldiers.

What Feng Tiankui could think of, the shrewd Zhang Zhizhong had naturally already arranged as well.

The team marched in silence, eventually disappearing in the direction of the Shanghai urban area, entering a secret stronghold Lu Fan had prepared long ago.

Inside the Liuhe Dyeing Factory on the edge of a district in Shanghai, the machinery had long been cleared out, providing enough space to accommodate this team of several hundred people.

The wounded were quickly settled into the cleared areas to receive further medical treatment.

Lu Fan immediately called a meeting.

Besides old members like Ah Fu, Bai Jinbiao, and Li Zhenshan,

there were also representatives of the newly joined Sichuan Army soldiers: Zheng Chong, as well as Zhou Wen from the 87th Division.

Lu Fan's gaze swept across everyone as he once again seriously emphasized the iron rules of the Security Team: absolute obedience to orders and a strict ban on private actions.

"Here, there is no distinction between the Sichuan Army, Central Army, or Northeast Army; there is only the Security Team. All actions follow the Commander's orders, understood?"

"Understood!" everyone responded in unison.

Subsequently, Lu Fan appointed Feng Hanqing to be fully responsible for all matters during the recuperation period.

This included logistics, security, and the integration of new and old members.

He also left the experienced Bai Jinbiao as the temporary head instructor.

Responsible for basic training and instilling discipline in the new members.

After making the arrangements, Lu Fan took Ah Fu and Li Zhenshan, whom he was most worried about, and drove back to the villa on Xiafei Road.

Inside the villa, the lights were warm.

Tang Jifeng was accompanying Zheng Yaoxian, whose face was still pale but whose spirits were clearly much better, in conversation.

Seeing Lu Fan enter, Zheng Yaoxian solemnly cupped his fists toward Lu Fan: "Boss Lu, I will always remember your life-saving grace!"

His gaze was sincere and sharp; he had clearly already learned what had happened.

Lu Fan waved his hand: "Station Manager Zheng, you're too polite. It was just a small effort."

Zheng Yaoxian took a key from his pocket and handed it to Lu Fan: "Mr. Lu, a small token of my appreciation. Please do not refuse."

"There's a warehouse near the pier containing some confiscated cigarettes and alcohol. Right now, they're considered hard currency and might be useful to you."

Just as Lu Fan was about to decline, Tang Jifeng immediately smoothed things over with a smile: "Oh, Brother Lu, just take it!"

"Old Zheng is being sincere. If you don't take it, he'll feel bad instead."

"These things are in high demand now. They're convenient for bribing officials or trading for medicine and food."

Seeing this, Lu Fan stopped being overly modest and accepted with a word of thanks.

Tang Jifeng keenly noticed the deep exhaustion hidden between Lu Fan's brows.

He took the opportunity to steer the conversation toward the battlefield: "Brother Fan, seeing how tired you are, with the fighting outside being so chaotic these past few days, you guys must have..."

Lu Fan sighed and briefly recounted the experiences of the past few days.

How they launched a surprise attack on Luodian and nearly annihilated the Japanese Army Thirteenth Division;

how they crossed the river and maintained high-speed mobility in the Baoshan area to tear through the defensive lines;

how they used drones to harass the Japanese Army vessels;

and finally, how they forcibly fought their way in under the pincer attack of three divisions to rescue Feng Tiankui and the remnants of the 87th and 88th Divisions.

His tone was flat, as if he were talking about an ordinary matter.

But the content was like crashing waves, violently impacting the perceptions of Tang Jifeng and Zheng Yaoxian.

"Anni... Annihilated the entire Thirteenth Division?"

"In enemy-occupied territory... going in and out three times?"

"And even attacked the Japanese fleet?"

"Pulled people out from the encirclement of three Japanese divisions?"

Even as an experienced agent who had seen many storms, Zheng Yaoxian

was now shocked beyond measure, his mouth slightly agape, unable to close it for a long time.

He knew all too well what the combat power of a Japanese first-class division meant; it was absolutely like a war machine!

Yet any of the achievements Lu Fan mentioned so casually would be enough to shock the entire country if taken individually.

They could even change the situation of the war zone!

The way he looked at Lu Fan had completely changed, filled with unbelievable shock and a trace of imperceptible awe.

Tang Jifeng also sucked in a cold breath, his fat face full of astonishment, even forgetting to roll the walnuts in his hand.

Lu Fan gave a bitter smile and changed the subject, mentioning the trouble Feng Tiankui was currently facing.

"The Jinling authorities want to hold him accountable for moving troops without authorization while the ceasefire order was in effect. Old Fourth, Old Sixth, what do you think?"

Upon hearing this, Tang Jifeng immediately snapped out of his shock and regained his character as a shrewd politician.

He chuckled: "Brother Fan, rest easy! Regarding Division Commander Feng's matter, in my opinion, it's nothing at all!"

"Oh?" Lu Fan looked at him.

"First," Tang Jifeng analyzed, "right now the war is at a critical stage, and Feng Tiankui has a reputation; he's a hero."

"The authorities in Jinling will never destroy their own Great Wall by making an example of him just to stabilize military morale."

"What's more, he actually saved the 87th and 88th Divisions, which are the Generalissimo's direct subordinates!"

"Would those two division Commanders and Commander Zhang Zhizhong not acknowledge this favor? Would they not protect him?"

"Second, there are many factions in Jinling, and the Generalissimo has to maintain a balance."

"Making a big deal out of severely punishing a general who just performed the merit of saving direct subordinates and has an illustrious record would easily give others a handle against him."

"The Generalissimo is shrewd; he won't do something so stupid."

Zheng Yaoxian also nodded slowly and added: "Mr. Lu, rest assured. On the Juntong side, I will keep an eye on relevant news."

"If necessary, I will mediate from within. Division Commander Feng's matter should not be a major problem."

Hearing these two give positive judgments from different perspectives, Lu Fan was completely relieved and began to arrange other matters.

When the east showed the first light of dawn and a new day began, Lu Fan crushed a gem and quietly returned.