On the day Chen Yang returned to the East Sea, a Z-9 multi-purpose helicopter gently landed on the tarmac in a mountainous region of Western Sichuan. The whirlwind raised by the rotor blades swept across the grass field, causing a rustling sound.
Cheng Pan climbed down the opened hatch, carrying a grey code box in his hands. Two officers who had been waiting for a long time walked up to him.
"Are you Colonel Cheng?"
"I am."
"Hello, Colonel Cheng. The commander instructed us to meet you here. He's already waiting for you at the base."
"Alright, let's get going then."
Cheng Pan nodded, then followed the two officers to a vehicle parked on the roadway beyond the tarmac.
After he got into the back seat of the car, the first thing Cheng Pan did was to put the grey code box at his feet, keeping his right hand on the box at all times to ensure it never left his side. Only then did he look out the window.
