Chapter 42: The System grabbed its foot and gave it a shake.

The man he had pinned down finally regained his senses and attempted to evade, but Jiang Jing was already upon him.

"Squad Leader Jiang, it was the Regimental Commander who ordered me to secretly protect the little girl you adopted!"

Jiang Jing kept a vigilant gaze on the man, his grip not loosening in the slightest.

Wang Lianjun, who had finally snapped out of his shock down below, ran quickly to the base of the tree. "Xia Ming?"

Jiang Jing’s expression softened slightly. He looked down at Wang Lianjun, raising an eyebrow in a silent inquiry about who this man was.

"He’s from the Special Operations Team!" Wang Lianjun hurriedly explained. "I saw him when I went with the Regimental Commander! The Commander mentioned on the phone that a comrade would be coming to visit; he must be the one!"

Only then did Jiang Jing let go. "My apologies."

Xia Ming rubbed his neck and shook his head slightly, secretly startled. How had Jiang Jing’s agility suddenly become so impressive? If he had possessed such skills when he first entered the military, he would have been recruited by the Special Operations Team long ago, rather than staying in a regular company.

"The Commander said that since you are officially home on leave to recover from an injury, it might be inconvenient for you to act if something happens. Wang Lianjun won't be here for long, so he sent me to provide secret protection."

Jiang—who had sustained a "brain injury" and had spent the last two hours doing manual labor—felt a pang of guilt as he jumped down from the tree. "I'll be troubling you from now on."

Xia Ming remained hidden in the tree for a moment. Before concealing himself completely, he added, "This morning, I saw Jiang Xiaxia holding something, but the moment Wang Lianjun entered, she hid it. I don’t know what it was, so I’ll have to trouble Comrade Jiang to look into it."

Jiang Jing’s eyes flickered almost imperceptibly, and he gave a slight nod to show he understood. Turning to Wang Lianjun, he sniffed the air, held out his hand, and said bluntly, "The meat bun, hand it over."

Wang Lianjun clutched his chest and took a few steps back. "This is for Xiaxia! That little girl calls me 'Uncle,' after all!"

Jiang Jing scoffed. "You’re that fond of the little girl? Why didn't you offer to adopt her earlier? It's too late now! She’s part of our family."

Wang Lianjun retorted, "If it weren't for your mother, that girl would likely have been taken back by the Regimental Commander! Who knows whose family she would have ended up with then? Don't forget, both the Division Commander’s wife and the Regimental Commander’s wife have been wanting a little girl."

Adoptions were not uncommon in the military, but most were boys. A little girl this sweet and capable was a first. Their wives, both veterans of the battlefield, were not the type of ordinary military spouses who only cared for delicate, fragile little girls. If the background check on this child proved clean and she ended up in their military region, she would likely be pampered to the skies. Not to mention the two ladies, even he—seeing how well-behaved the girl was and how cleanly and efficiently she moved—couldn't help but feel fond of her. Besides, the little girl was always thinking about finding him a wife!

Because of that thoughtfulness, she called him "Uncle," and he made sure that whenever he had any rare treats, he saved them for her.

Jiang Jing scoffed, completely unconcerned. With his mother around, where could the little girl possibly go?

However—

Jiang Jing had matters on his mind and did not linger outside with Wang Lianjun. Once he had learned what he needed, he turned to bring him back.

Upon entering the courtyard, he saw the little girl folding a newspaper and tucking it into her pocket, while she casually handed a dictionary to Jiang Zhiming, who stood emotionless behind her.

Jiang Jing narrowed his eyes, a sharp glint flashing through them. Seeming to have made up his mind, he lunged forward in