“Beep!” Another honk.

The jeep pulled up again.

“……” Putting away his foolish idea of racing the car, Henry Clark moved aside once more, all the way to the edge of the road, and pushed himself a couple of steps further.

But the result was the same—the jeep honked again, relentlessly sped up, drifted over a speed bump, and cut in diagonally, blocking him right at the curb.

The window rolled down.

James Lane was alone, sitting in the driver’s seat, turning his head to smile at Henry Clark. It was that kind of smug, mischievous grin, the kind you wear after a prank, thinking you’re clever…

If he wasn’t afraid of dying, Henry Clark really wanted to punch him right in the face.

“Surprised?” James Lane asked with a smile. Today he was dressed like an ordinary cadre, looking the part, so it wasn’t strange that Henry Clark hadn’t recognized him earlier.

“You… have you been watching me? Afraid I’ll say something I shouldn’t…”

Come to think of it, if he’s been following me since this morning… then when I was hiding and running around in the woods earlier… I was way too careless!

Henry Clark felt guilty and flustered, but managed to keep his composure and said, “Don’t worry, I know how serious this is. I won’t say a word.”

After speaking, he cautiously looked around.

Looking ahead—no one nearby.

Looking back… “Damn.”

Kevin West had stopped less than a hundred meters away, parked his bike sideways and was squinting over here. “Don’t come over, idiot,” Henry Clark shouted anxiously and helplessly in his heart.

At this moment, in Henry Clark’s eyes, James Lane was basically like a grim reaper who could drag someone to hell at any time.

“I wasn’t exactly watching you,” James Lane glanced back toward the county town and said, “It’s just that this county is so small, I happened to follow you for a bit.”

As he spoke, in Henry Clark’s line of sight, Kevin West was pedaling his bike fast, rushing over.

Of course, he was also in James Lane’s line of sight.

“He’s my classmate. I haven’t told him anything,” Henry Clark quickly turned back to explain to James Lane.

James Lane chuckled and nodded.

“Screech—” “What’s going on?” Jack West arrived, braked hard, the rear wheel lifted and then landed sideways. He looked anxious but still wore a smile, pointed at the bike wheel and said, “I don’t see anything wrong with this…”

In his mind, Henry Clark’s family didn’t know any cadres, and the jeep’s repeated actions were clearly provocative.

James Lane looked him over carefully, deliberately put on a stern face and said, “Just a personal matter, nothing to do with you.”

“Oh,” guessing it couldn’t be anything good, Kevin West smiled and continued, “It does concern me. What’s going on? Tell me, I’ll take care of it.”

You’ll take care of it? Take care of your grandpa or your grandma! Take care, take care, take care! Henry Clark cursed in his heart.

Jack West’s streetwise habits were developed at school. These days, students liked to form gangs, and as a poor kid from the countryside, Henry Clark didn’t want to get involved, but trouble was hard to avoid. Kevin West, probably because he had a rich and well-connected dad, was the type who loved causing trouble and wasn’t afraid of anything, especially fond of taking the blame for others.

More than once, when Henry Clark or a few other classmates hadn’t even started a fight, as soon as he came to help… a fight would break out.

And in reality, he wasn’t even as good at fighting as Henry Clark.

“You’ll take care of it? I doubt you can handle this,” James Lane narrowed his eyes, maybe testing him, and continued, “Do you know what your classmate is about to do?”

Kevin West answered matter-of-factly, “Join the army, go to the border.”

James Lane smiled and nodded.

Sensing the moment, Henry Clark quickly added, “Don’t get involved, really. About me joining the army, it was Uncle… Uncle Lao who helped me out.”

He felt extremely aggrieved saying this, but there was no other way.

“Ah… so it was a misunderstanding?! …Snap.”

Kevin West immediately stood at attention and gave a military salute.

“Hello, Chief.”

Then he suddenly leaned in with a fawning smile, “Chief, which unit are you from? What a coincidence, I’m about to join the army too. So, Chief, don’t you think that to defend the country, we should go where we’re needed most, like the border, right?”

James Lane listened, smiling, and slowly shifted his gaze to Henry Clark’s face with a meaningful look.

“Get lost! You think joining the army is a joke?!” Henry Clark quickly turned and scolded.

Only then did James Lane speak, “That’s right, you don’t get to choose where you’re sent.”

“…Oh.” Kevin West replied, disappointed, and didn’t dare say more in front of the chief.

Henry Clark finally managed to breathe a little easier.

“All right, since it’s on the way, I’ll give you a ride and we can chat. Hang your bike on the back of my car,” James Lane said to Henry Clark, then turned to Kevin West, “See you, comrade. When you get to the army, remember to do your best.”

“Yes, Chief, don’t worry.”

Before leaving, Kevin West gave another goofy salute to the “Chief.”

……

The jeep bumped along the gravel road.

Inside the car.

“So, were you nervous just now?” James Lane grinned slyly and asked, “Afraid your buddy would get dragged into trouble?”