Cannon Fodder in an Era Drama — I Survive with Acting-Chapter 156: A Matter of Life and Death

"My sister and I have depended on each other since we were children. She’s the closest person I have in this world. She’s pregnant, and I’m more worried about her safety than anyone. If I really had any ill intent, would I dare stand here and plead with you?"

She looked pitiful and helpless.

"Well... what you’re saying... seems to make sense... but..."

The soldiers glanced at each other, their faces etched with hesitation.

One of them subconsciously touched the brim of his cap, not daring to look directly into her tear-filled eyes.

"But orders are orders. Captain Cheng said no one is allowed near the explosion site, let alone inside..."

His voice trailed off, his confidence clearly wavering. He had obviously been swayed by her words.

Song Chenglu cut him off before he could finish. "No buts! A life is on the line, we can’t afford any delays!"

"We don’t know if my sister is alive or dead right now. Are you blocking me because you want me to just stand by and watch something happen to her? She’s pregnant! That’s two lives!"

"Now move! I have to go check on her!"

With that, she made a move to get past the two of them and head toward the explosion site.

The two soldiers’ hearts had already softened hearing her pitiful cries, and upon further thought, they realized what she said wasn’t unreasonable.

One of them sighed quietly, his hand unconsciously moving away from the stock of his rifle.

"She’s right... It really isn’t proper for male soldiers to be getting close to a pregnant woman. If something were to happen, we’d have a hard time explaining ourselves..."

Song Chenglu secretly glanced at their expressions and rejoiced internally. ’It worked.’

The time was ripe. All she needed to do was add a little more fuel to the fire, and they would surely give in.

"Well... go on, but be quick about it. And don’t wander off."

One of the soldiers finally relented.

"The site isn’t safe yet. The smoke hasn’t cleared, and there might be debris on the ground, so be extremely careful."

He hesitated for a moment, then added, "Five minutes, max. You have to be back, or we’ll really be in trouble."

"Don’t worry!"

She nodded immediately, forcing a smile onto her face.

"I’ll come right back after I check on my sister. I won’t cause any trouble!"

"You’re such good people! I’ll never forget this favor!"

"But..." The other soldier was still hesitant. "Captain Cheng’s orders..."

"He gave a direct order. Anyone who lets someone in will be court-martialed..."

As he spoke, he looked to his partner, as if seeking support.

Song Chenglu’s eyes darted, and an idea immediately came to her.

"Oh, come on, you guys are so inflexible!"

"Think about it, what could I even do if I went over there? Sprout wings and fly away? Besides, if I really wanted to run, I would have done it long ago. Why would I still be here wasting my breath on you?"

She added in a slightly coquettish tone, "If I really intended to escape, I would have slipped away through the woods earlier. Why would I be standing here begging you?"

"Well..." The two looked at each other, still undecided.

"But... it’s a huge responsibility. If something happens..."

Before he could finish, Song Chenglu interrupted him again.

Seeing that the time was right, Song Chenglu quickly fanned the flames.

She took a deep breath, lowered her voice as if discussing a grave matter, and spoke slowly.

"How about this? If you’re still worried, let me punch you. We’ll just say I forced my way past you. That way, you’ll have something to tell Captain Cheng. How about it?"

The two soldiers were stunned, their faces blank with confusion.

"What? You want to hit us?"

One of them stared wide-eyed, as if he’d just heard the most absurd thing in the world.

The other stammered, "Are... are you serious?"

"Yes!"

Song Chenglu nodded emphatically, her expression so serious it didn’t look like she was faking.

"Just a light tap will do, just for show. This way, I get to see my sister, and you won’t have disobeyed your orders. It’s perfect!"

She grinned.

’This... is actually a good idea?’

"That... that doesn’t seem appropriate, does it?"

"Oh, what’s not appropriate about it!"

Song Chenglu waved her hand dismissively, her movement crisp and decisive.

"Just think of it as doing me a favor! Besides, I’m this worried about my sister—have some pity on a younger sister like me! I’m sincerely trying to find a solution for you guys, you know!"

"Fine... alright... but go easy on us, okay?"

The other soldier finally gave in.

Song Chenglu was ecstatic. It was as if her plan had succeeded, and she almost burst out laughing on the spot.

"Thank you, you two! You guys are the best! You’re lifesavers! So... are you ready?"

The two gritted their teeth and closed their eyes.

"Do it..."

Song Chenglu raised her hand and theatrically tapped each of them on the back of the neck.

"OOF!"

The two of them immediately tilted their heads in an exaggerated fashion, squeezed their eyes shut, and fell straight to the ground.

Song Chenglu looked down at them and simply couldn’t hold back her laughter.

She quickly covered her mouth, afraid that if they heard her, they would scramble up in a fit of anger and embarrassment to chase her.

She didn’t dare linger. While they were still on the ground, she took off in a flash.

"Soldier, excuse me, where was it that Fei Village Chief went missing?"

As she was running hurriedly down the path, she suddenly saw a soldier in uniform.

"Over there, at the site of the explosion."

Song Chenglu immediately thanked him and sprinted toward the blast site.

’I have to find Fei Jin before anyone else does!’

’I absolutely cannot let anything happen to him!’

Meanwhile, Song Qingya was squatting on the ground, her gaze sweeping inch by inch over the surrounding rubble and scorched earth.

Suddenly, she spotted something small on the ground.

"This is..."

Her heart tightened.

She immediately reached out and carefully picked the object up.

’Something really happened to him here!’

The color instantly drained from Song Qingya’s face.

She desperately searched for another clue, anything that could prove he was still alive.

Cheng Peng had been following beside her the whole time, his eyes never leaving her.

He noticed her strange behavior when she suddenly stopped moving.

"Ma’am, what is it?"

he asked in a low voice, afraid of upsetting her.

Song Qingya didn’t speak, simply opening her palm slowly and holding out the scrap of cloth.

"This cloth... it looks a lot like the handkerchief Fei Jin always uses!"

Cheng Peng took it and looked, his brow immediately furrowing.

The scrap of cloth wasn’t large. Its edges were slightly charred, and it was caked with dirt.

His expression changed as well. His heart sank, and his throat tightened.

"Ma’am, don’t panic," he said, forcing himself to remain calm.

"Maybe the village chief just dropped it by accident? It doesn’t necessarily mean... that something happened to him."

Song Qingya slowly shook her head. "No. Ajin is never careless with his things, especially not his handkerchief..."

"Unless—" she lowered her voice, "he ran into trouble!"

"No!"

Cheng Peng’s fist clenched violently, a vein throbbing on his temple. "I have to find him! I’m going right now!"

But Song Qingya didn’t respond immediately.

She knew she had to stay calm. Only by remaining calm could she grasp that faint chance of survival amid the chaos.

"Cheng Peng, look," she said suddenly in a low voice. "This is where the handkerchief was dropped."

"These footprints are jumbled and point in different directions, but if you look closely, you can see a few distinct tracks leading to the left."

"The steps are hurried and the stride is long, as if someone left in a rush."

Hearing this, Cheng Peng immediately squatted down to carefully examine the depth and direction of the footprints.

"The footprints are a mess, alright. They’ve been trampled all over, but... there’s no blood."