Cannon Fodder in an Era Drama — I Survive with Acting-Chapter 160: Good Intentions Backfire

"I want them to keep a close watch on someone. Starting now, twenty-four hours a day. They can’t let up, not for a second."

"Listen closely," she said, enunciating each word. "The moment she makes any move, even if it’s just stepping out of her room, report to me immediately. There can be no delays."

Song Qingya stood on a hillside, gazing at the evening glow as it slowly faded from the horizon.

Her heart sank with it, bit by bit.

"Qingya, it’s almost dark, and the wind’s picking up. Why don’t we head back to camp and rest for now? We can come back first thing tomorrow morning, right at dawn. We might find a clue then."

Cheng Peng rubbed his red, frozen hands, his voice laced with worry.

In truth, he wasn’t the least bit confident.

These mountains rolled on and on, covered in thick vegetation. Trying to find someone here was like looking for a needle in a haystack.

Besides, once it got dark, wild beasts would come out, and the mountain paths would become slick. A single misstep could send you tumbling off a cliff. It was too dangerous.

"Alright, let’s head back for now."

Song Qingya finally spoke.

But she had already made up her mind.

’When it’s late and quiet tonight, I’ll come back here by myself.’

When Cheng Peng saw how readily she agreed, he felt a wave of relief, as if a great weight had been lifted from his chest.

He didn’t dare press her further. He quickly packed up their things and led her toward the camp at the foot of the mountain.

"Ms. Song, there’s a letter for you!"

They had just reached the entrance to the camp when a soldier pulled out a letter and handed it to her.

"Thank you,"

Song Qingya said softly.

She looked down at the envelope. There was no sender’s name, and the handwriting was sloppy.

Cheng Peng, curious, also leaned over. His eyes fell on the letter, and after scanning just a few lines, his face instantly turned deathly pale.

"This... how is this possible... Song Chenglu was captured by Wang Kang’s men?!"

"Qingya, you... you can’t believe this letter! Couldn’t it be a trap? A trick to lure you somewhere? This is too sudden, too much of a coincidence..."

"We’ll know if it’s real or fake once we ask."

But Song Qingya was unexpectedly calm. She folded the letter and tucked it away. "Where’s the person who delivered this? Where are they now?"

The soldier quickly replied, "They already left, in a hurry. Just said to deliver the letter and that we weren’t allowed to ask any questions. They didn’t leave a name."

Song Qingya nodded, her expression unchanged.

She didn’t ask any more questions and turned to face Cheng Peng.

"Comrade Cheng Peng, go get the two men who were in charge of watching Song Chenglu today. I want to question them myself."

Cheng Peng immediately acknowledged the order and ran off.

A short while later, the two soldiers were brought back.

They stood with their heads bowed, their faces pale.

"Speak!"

Song Qingya’s voice turned sharp and cold. "What exactly happened today? Song Chenglu was perfectly fine here in the camp. How did she end up in the hands of Wang Kang and his people? Weren’t you supposed to be watching her?"

At her words, the two men’s legs nearly gave out.

"I... we... we really don’t know..."

Standing to the side, Cheng Peng’s expression darkened. "What did you say? You don’t know? She disappeared right under your noses, and you’re telling me you don’t know?!"

"You don’t know? I think you know perfectly well! Don’t forget, this is a camp, not a public market! Discipline is iron-clad here! You think this is some street corner where you can hawk vegetables, coming and going as you please? When you screw up, nobody’s going to cover for you. You’ll be dealt with according to military law!"

"Vice Village Chief Cheng, we’re not lying. Song Chenglu... she was just... We didn’t mean to hide it. We just thought that since it already happened, telling you would be useless and might just make things more complicated... But now we see that we were wrong..."

"Spit it out. What exactly happened? Stop beating around the bush!"

Song Qingya’s gaze was calm and sharp.

Swept by her gaze, the two men no longer dared to hide anything and spilled everything in one breath.

"Ms. Song, we know we were wrong! But Song Chenglu was truly trying to help you. All she wanted was to help you. She had good intentions, but it all went wrong..."

After listening to their explanation, Song Qingya fell silent.

’How are Fei Jin’s subordinates all such muddle-headed fools?’

Cheng Peng also felt embarrassed. This wasn’t just his subordinates neglecting their duty; it was a reflection of his own lax discipline.

His face hardened, and his voice became as cold and hard as iron as he harshly reprimanded them:

"Enough with the excuses! Abandoning your post and withholding information are already serious offenses! And you dared to cover for someone? That just makes your crime even worse!"

"Now, report to the logistics department immediately. You’ll be assigned the filthiest, most exhausting jobs! Cleaning toilets, scrubbing out the slop buckets. You won’t stop for a single day until I give the order!"

The two men stood frozen, dumbfounded.

They had never imagined the punishment would be this severe.

It wasn’t solitary confinement or writing a self-criticism report. They were being sent directly to do the most despised manual labor, which meant they would never be able to hold their heads high in front of their comrades again.

Cheng Peng had them taken away immediately.

Only after they were long gone did Cheng Peng turn to Song Qingya with a bitter smile.

"Qingya, I’m sorry you had to see that. Things are chaotic in the camp, with new recruits and veterans all mixed together, all with different attitudes. I just took over and started sorting things out, but I haven’t had a chance to fully clean house yet. That’s why a mess like this happened... I’m truly sorry."

Song Qingya didn’t actually blame the two soldiers.

She understood that in a camp governed by iron-clad rules, it was rare and precious to find that people hadn’t lost their sense of compassion.

What was truly giving her a headache was this whole drama with Song Chenglu.

’She’s such a troublemaker. Not a single moment of peace.’

Cheng Peng couldn’t read her thoughts. He assumed she didn’t care about the girl and saw it as none of her business, so he didn’t dare ask more, only tentatively probing:

"So... what about Song Chenglu? Do you think... should we..."

Song Qingya was still thinking.

’Song Chenglu is a bit foolish, impulsive, and acts rashly without thinking whenever she gets an idea in her head.’

’But she is my sister, after all. We share the same blood and grew up together.’

’If Mom found out about this, she’d be heartbroken. She’s already in poor health; a shock like this would probably make her fall ill.’

She sighed softly and finally spoke, her tone calm but leaving no room for argument:

"Tomorrow. You’ll arrange for people to continue the search for Fei Jin."

"I’ll go with you to meet the people holding her and gauge their attitude. If they’re willing to be lenient, I can vouch for her. If they’re determined to be strict... then I’ll need to be prepared."

When Cheng Peng heard her agree to intervene, his eyes immediately lit up.

This wasn’t just about saving Song Chenglu; it was a crucial step to stabilize morale and prevent the situation from escalating.

"Great, I’ll arrange it right away."

Night fell, and the camp was silent.

The patrol shifts had already changed several times.

Song Qingya changed into a tight-fitting black outfit for ease of movement.

The moment she was out of the camp gate, she quickened her pace, moving swiftly under the cover of night.

She hurried toward the area where Fei Jin might be hiding.

Meanwhile, in a dilapidated housing area on the outskirts of the city, Fei Jin was carefully bandaging a wound on his arm under the cool moonlight.

Just as he was about to push the door open and go inside, he suddenly sensed something whistling down from above his head.

Where he had been standing just a moment before, a bowl-sized crater had been blasted into the ground. Bricks and stone shattered, and fragments rolled across the floor.

Fei Jin’s heart clenched, and his pulse suddenly quickened.

If he hadn’t dodged so quickly, he would have been a goner by now.

Immediately after, the extremely faint sound of footsteps came from outside.