Wushan City, near the capital, is one of the earliest coastal cities to open up to the outside world. The standard of living for its people is improving day by day, and cars from Hainan have begun to appear sporadically on the streets. Although just recently, the head of the Hainan administrative region was demoted due to a decision that led to a flood of smuggled cars into the mainland, this sensational Hainan smuggling case has done nothing to dampen the enthusiasm of the Republic’s citizens for owning private cars.

“Running a small stall beats being a county official; when the loudspeaker blares, no one wants to be a provincial governor.” Capital is awakening, and a wave of entrepreneurship is gradually rising among the people, with the noise and frenzy surging forward like a breached dam.

The tree wishes for calm but the wind will not cease; people’s hearts are restless, and the passion unleashed after years of repression is unimaginable.

Guangning County, under the jurisdiction of the Wushan region, is no different. Guangning, also known as Shicheng, is nestled between mountains and the sea, with convenient transportation, guarding the key pass out of the capital. It has always been a strategic military location. Mingshi Mountain once inspired Cao Cao’s immortal writings. After the reform and opening up, Wushan was designated as a coastal city open to the outside world, and its subordinate Guangning County experienced rapid economic development. A sand-skiing resort was built on the golden coastline, turning it into a popular spot for leisure and summer retreats.

Willows droop gracefully along both sides of the county town’s streets. Privately run restaurants, appliance repair shops, and barbershops are scattered along the main road in front of the department store. Compared to other inland areas in the north, Guangning’s commercial development is much more advanced.

Strolling along the tree-lined avenue, Eric Carter wandered through this small county town, looking at the familiar yet unfamiliar plants and the rows of shops, his heart filled with emotion.

After a car accident, he had somehow arrived in 1984, more than twenty years in the past, at the prime of his youth.

The 1980s—a decade to love and to hate, a decade that brought him both glory and endless humiliation...

He loved the simplicity and innocence of this era, but also hated the humiliation he had suffered during these years. Would he have to relive that thorn that had once been deeply embedded in his heart?

“Political commissar, would you like some water?”

Eric Carter smiled and shook his head, glancing at Scott.

The current Scott had followed him into civilian life and was now an investigator in the criminal investigation team of Guangning County Bureau, while he himself was the deputy political commissar of the county bureau and head of the public security division.

Scott was actually the grandson of an old orderly from his family. They had served in the same company on the battlefield, partly so Scott could look after him. But on the battlefield, it was actually he who saved Scott's life. After he left the military, Scott also volunteered to transfer and followed him to Guangning.

Scott's feelings for him were a mix of the traditional loyal servant mentality passed down from his grandfather and the life-and-death bond forged in blood and fire. In short, in front of him, Scott was both an orderly and a guardian.

Sometimes he would joke that Scott was a “little feudal relic,” but Scott always did things his own way, never caring what he said.

At this moment, looking at the green military canteen Scott handed over, Eric Carter felt a surge of inexplicable sadness. In his previous life, even when the Lu family collapsed and he was at his lowest, Scott still did everything he could to help him, only to be implicated, imprisoned, and even lose his life.

Truly, time reveals a person’s heart, and adversity reveals true feelings.

“I’m not thirsty,” Eric Carter said with a smile, rubbing Scott’s crew cut. Right now, Scott really did seem like his little brother.

Scott probably had no idea what he was thinking and just grinned foolishly as usual.

Eric Carter strolled slowly, pondering the past, present, and future.

In fact, right now, he was at his lowest point, but Scott always trusted him, following his lead step by step.

He always believed that he could overcome any difficulty and defeat any opponent, just like on the southern border battlefield—invincible and unstoppable!

What Scott didn’t know was that the political and professional arenas were even more treacherous than the battlefield. On the battlefield, enemies are visible; in the workplace, enemies are often impossible to guard against.

Nowadays, cadres are expected to be “younger, more educated, more professional, and more revolutionary”—the new “four modernizations” for officials. His revolutionary loyalty was beyond question, and he was young, but his junior high education was a fatal flaw.

What the army had given him, besides iron-blooded passion, was a rough and simple work style. After a year of settling in, the halo of heroism had faded, and he gradually became out of place. Moreover, being so young and already holding a position that many veteran officers could only dream of, it was inevitable that many people resented him and spoke ill of him behind his back.

In his previous life, a few months later, he would be squeezed out of the police force, resign in anger, and go into business, losing both his grandfather’s affection and his family’s protection. Although his business did well, as the Lu family was ruthlessly purged from the Republic’s political scene, he, growing ever more distant from the family, was also implicated—imprisoned twice, and his company confiscated.

But no matter what difficulties he faced, Scott always stayed by his side. When he went into business, Scott followed; when he was imprisoned, Scott ran around on his behalf. In the end, Scott too lost his freedom and died by suicide at home under mysterious circumstances.

Scenes from the past flashed through his mind.

“Scott, from now on, we’ll only win battles, never lose!” Eric Carter said softly, as if speaking to Scott, and also to himself.