Chapter 757: Chapter 656: Interrogation

After dropping off the items, Xiao Yu hurried back to ask Xiao Man if she needed anything. He offered to be her guide if she wanted to go out. Xiao Man smiled, telling him she had been to the provincial city a few times before and wouldn’t get lost. She assured him he could go about his business and that he didn’t need to bring her lunch, as she probably wouldn’t be back in time and would just eat at a restaurant.

After Xiao Yu left, Xiao Man closed the door, went into the bedroom to draw the curtains, and then entered the Treasure Pearl Space. She jumped right into Little Spring Lake and had some fun swimming and diving by herself for a while. Afterward, she got out, changed her clothes, tidied up the space, and checked on the growth of the various Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures. She read for a bit in the study of the small building on the peak. When she got thirsty, she lit the small red clay stove to brew some tea. By the time she had finished a pot of tea and read a dozen or so pages, she stepped out of the space to find it was only a little past ten o’clock.

Xiao Man sighed in resignation. She never really noticed it when she was on her own, but whenever she was with Gu Shaojun, time seemed to crawl by if he wasn’t by her side. ’What kind of phenomenon is this?’

’It’s impossible to kill time like this. I might as well go for a walk downtown.’

She changed out of her loose, comfortable loungewear. Since the sun wasn’t out and the temperature was a little low, she chose an orange turtleneck sweater with jeans and leather ankle boots. She threw on a double-breasted, plaid wool overcoat, locked the door, and left with her hands in her pockets, not even bothering with a purse.

As she came down from the fourth floor, the entire building was perfectly silent. ’Everyone must have gone to work.’ Good thing she was going out, too; otherwise, she’d likely be the only living person in the building. And while she wasn’t timid, the thought still made her a bit uncomfortable.

Xiao Man had stayed in a military barracks for a few days before and experienced its strict discipline. She had also visited the military compound where Mr. Gu lived; it was orderly and quiet, but you were still guaranteed to see people and cars coming and going when you stepped outside. But this place where Gu Shaojun lived, perhaps because it was so close to the administrative offices, could only be described as dead silent. You couldn’t hear any voices, see a single soul, or even hear the sound of a car.

Xiao Man followed the straight concrete road toward the exit. She was stopped at the iron gate manned by a sentry. This guard wasn’t the one on duty yesterday; he looked at her with a stern expression, asking for her name and where she was coming from. Xiao Man answered truthfully. The guard quickly pulled a logbook from a desk drawer, checked yesterday’s entry, and asked her a few more questions. After jotting down a couple of lines, he nodded for her to pass.

After walking another few dozen meters, she gradually began to see cars passing on other roads. Soon, more people appeared, some in uniform and some in civilian clothes. The closer she got to the main gate, the livelier it became, filled with the sounds of relaxed conversation and laughter. Even the soldiers guarding the main gate didn’t look as stern as the one at the inner gate. Xiao Man suddenly remembered that Xiao Yu had only registered her at that inner iron gate last night. They had driven straight through the main gate without registering. ’What if someone stops me and starts asking a ton of questions?’

’Am I supposed to give them Gu Shaojun’s name and make him come get me from the gate? That’s so embarrassing. Besides, it would be wrong to disturb his meeting.’

Just as she was debating whether she should just head back, she heard a woman’s voice from behind her. "You, the young lady up front in the plaid coat! Stop right there!"

The voice was quite pleasant, and her Mandarin was perfectly articulated and nice to listen to. Xiao Man paused for a second and glanced around, but she didn’t stop walking. ’Even if I’m the only one here wearing a plaid coat, that tone is far too commanding. I’m not a soldier, so why should I listen to her?’

"Hey, I’m talking to you! Stop looking around! I said, stop!" the woman’s voice grew louder as she continued to bark orders.

Xiao Man kept walking forward, her leisurely pace completely unaffected. ’Why should I stop on her command? If she wants to talk to me, she can hurry up and catch me.’

She was almost out the main gate, and the sentry standing ramrod-straight didn’t stop her. Xiao Man was surprised for a moment, but then she understood. ’This is the main gate. They usually only check people coming in, not going out. They’d definitely stop an unfamiliar face trying to enter, but who cares who’s leaving.’

But the woman’s voice behind her was relentless. "Sentry, stop her!" she yelled.

The guard glanced behind Xiao Man and, as ordered, raised a hand to block her path. His expression instantly turned cold and stern. "Please wait a moment!"

The CLACK-CLACK-CLACK of high heels on the pavement drew closer at an unhurried pace. ’This woman sure has some nerve,’ Xiao Man thought. ’She’s been staring at me and yelling for me to stop this whole time, but she won’t even speed up her own pace.’

When the woman finally came to stand before her, Xiao Man looked her over. She was quite tall, in a uniform that was perfectly tailored to her figure. Her face was lightly powdered, her eyebrows and eyes exquisitely defined. She looked to be in her thirties or forties, but her figure and appearance were well-maintained, giving her a graceful, lingering charm. She must have been even more stunning in her youth. ’To be able to wear makeup in the army,’ Xiao Man thought, ’she must be from the Song and Dance Troupe. No doubt about it.’

The woman sized up Xiao Man in return. Her tone was anything but friendly, yet her face held a smile. Xiao Man couldn’t figure out how she did it. ’Does she just have a naturally smiling face? That’s way too deceptive.’

The woman began to loudly berate the guard. "A single glance tells you this girl isn’t from the military district—her face is completely unfamiliar! What is wrong with you people? You let her in just like that, and then you don’t even stop to question her on the way out? Your vigilance is appalling! Do you think this is a park people can just wander into at will? What if an enemy agent managed to sneak in?"

The guard snapped to attention and replied, "Yes, ma’am! It was my oversight. I will correct it in the future. Please rest assured, Wei Group Leader!"

’So she’s a group leader,’ Xiao Man thought, giving Wei Group Leader another look. ’That explains the arrogance.’

Wei Group Leader pulled Xiao Man to the side and tilted her chin up haughtily. "Who are you?" she demanded. "Dressed like that... it certainly shows off your figure. You look pretty good. So, go on. Why did you sneak in here? What’s your objective?"

Xiao Man: "..."

She looked down at her own clothes. ’There’s nothing outrageous about this outfit. It’s perfectly normal. What kind of "objective" could I have dressed like this?’ Listening to the woman’s comments about her "figure" and "looks," Xiao Man was stunned. ’Don’t tell me she thinks I’m... This is unbelievable! To make such wild, baseless assumptions about someone she’s never met before! She’s a disgrace to her uniform!’

Xiao Man shot the woman a cold glare. ’So what if she’s a group leader? With that kind of attitude and a complete lack of manners, she wasn’t worth wasting breath on.’

She simply looked at the guard, waiting for him to ask his questions so she could explain. ’If he lets me go, I’ll be on my way. If not, I’ll have someone come get me. It’s not like I’m an enemy agent.’

Wei Group Leader was clearly displeased. "Hey, you! I’m asking you a question. Why don’t you answer? Are you mute?"

Xiao Man grew even more annoyed. Her face hardened. "I’m not mute. You’re the one who lacks basic courtesy, and I don’t have to answer your questions."

In the Song and Dance Troupe, Wei Group Leader’s word was law. All the female soldiers under her vied for her favor. She never imagined that this delicate girl, who looked so easy to intimidate, would not only show her zero respect but would actually dare to talk back. Arching a thin eyebrow, a flash of anger lit her eyes. "You must answer. This is a military base!"

"I know this is a military base, but you don’t have that authority!"

Xiao Man shot her an equally cold look and pointed to the guard. "He has the authority to question me, and I will answer him truthfully!"

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