"I understand. Take this money, it'll be easier for you to buy things when you go out."
Cuilan frowned and said, "No need. Where did you get the money? Didn't I tell you to give it to Sienna? You haven't handed in your wages."
Rowan didn't know how to answer her. After all, his wife was focused on taking care of him and gave the money to him.
"I did hand it in. But Sienna just left it at home so it's easier for me to use when needed."
Since he said he gave it, Cuilan didn't say anything else. After all, it was between the two of them.
Two days passed quickly. Liwen got on the train to return. This time, the trip was much easier. Although he still had lots of bags, it was a sleeper train, so he could finally rest.
After seeing him off, Cuilan asked, "Still no news from Sienna?"
"No. But she should be back soon. Don't worry, Mom."
Cuilan didn't say anything. Rowan only said not to worry, but he was actually nervous every day.
As for Sienna, who was on their minds, she was currently facing trouble.
"Captain Sienna, what do we do now?"
Sienna glanced at him. "What else? Save him."
She never expected that just when the mission was almost done, someone from their side got caught. Especially the way it happened—completely unexpected.
Bianchi was also annoyed. He just went out to pee and someone ambushed him. What a shame—it was going to be a permanent stain on his record.
Sienna quickly thought of a plan. The enemies were careful and had surrounded the hostage. She didn't dare act too fast, worried they might panic and do something reckless.
After watching for a while, she noticed the group started to relax a little. They were chatting, probably discussing something.
They were getting anxious because Sienna's group hadn't acted yet.
"You guys better figure something out soon. We can't keep stalling like this. We came to get revenge, but we're the ones who are stuck now."
"We're working on it. We've got a hostage. They won't act rashly."
"You really think that hostage is useful? It's been so long, and still no one came to rescue him. Can he really help us get what we want?"
"Relax. As long as we keep watch over him, we'll be fine. Soldiers from Huaguo value lives. Even if he's not their comrade, they still won't take risks."
That gave Sienna a chance. "You, go hide over there. When I signal, give me cover."
She slowly moved closer to them. Just as she got near, one of the kidnappers spotted her.
He shouted, "Someone's coming! Catch her!" The others quickly reacted and rushed toward her.
Her fellow soldiers started shooting to cover her. Sienna didn't stop to think. She knew time was short and she had to save Bianchi fast.
She sped up and rushed to him. Before anyone could stop her, she cut the rope.
Then she ignored Bianchi completely and focused on the fight. Her moves were fast and sharp, surprising the kidnappers.
Since the hostage was already freed, she felt that if he still died, it wasn't her responsibility.
Once she got close to the enemies, her teammates didn't dare shoot anymore, afraid of hitting her by accident.
In just a moment, Sienna killed them all. Bianchi hadn't even processed what happened when it was over. The rest of the team rushed over.
When they saw the scene, everyone shivered. Each enemy was killed with one hit—either a cut to the neck or a strike to the temple.
Their eyes were full of awe. Steve and Brandon had always known Sienna was skilled, but they didn't expect her to be this ruthless.
Bian Chi, who was standing nearby, saw that everyone was looking at Sienna. He spoke up, "Aren't you all going to ask how I'm doing? I was the one who got kidnapped."
Sienna turned around and looked at him. "How can you even say that out loud? Aren't you supposed to be an elite soldier from the Northern Military Region? Where was your alertness?"
"If they didn't plan to use you as a hostage, you'd already be a corpse."
Hearing her words, Bian Chi lowered his head. He knew he had let his guard down. The mission took longer than expected, but everything went too smoothly.
"Reporting, it was my fault. I accept the punishment."
Sienna said, "That's your military district's problem. It has nothing to do with me. The mission is over. Everyone can go back now."
After saying that, Sienna walked away. She had to hurry back. She had already been out too long. Next time, she wouldn't lead a team again so she wouldn't have to worry about others.
Steve stepped forward and said, "Old Bian, let's go. If we don't leave now, we won't even see Team Leader Sienna's shadow. You also need to get your wound treated."
"Oh, right."
Military base
Knock knock knock
When she heard the knocking, Cuilan quickly went to open the door. Seeing the woman at the door, she asked, "Who are you?"
The gentle woman spoke, "Hello, Auntie. I'm Leader Lu's wife. My name is Jing."
Cuilan quickly invited her in. "Come in, come in."
Jing carried some vegetables into the house and said, "Sorry for bothering you, Auntie."
"There's no need to say that. You're being too polite."
Cuilan heard her soft and gentle tone, and she even lowered her own voice while speaking.
Jing said, "Auntie, my husband is Captain Rowan's superior. If there's anything you're not familiar with, feel free to come to me. I'm usually home."
"Alright then, I won't be polite with you." After chatting a bit, Jing left.
Rowan also received news that Sienna had completed her mission and was on her way back.
"Thank you, Commander, for the update. If there's nothing else, I'll head home now."
"Go ahead."
Once home, he immediately told his mother the good news. "Mom, Sienna should be back in a day or two."
"Really?"
"Really. The commander just told me."
Cuilan went to the back room, looked at what was left in the house, and started planning what to buy the next day for a nice meal.
Missions are definitely tough. She might've lost weight. When she gets back, Cuilan wants to make sure she eats well.
Rowan watched his mother mutter to herself while searching the kitchen after hearing the news. He didn't say anything. Their relationship was very harmonious, which was rare.
Many of his comrades often complained that their wives and mothers-in-law argued, or that their mothers didn't like their daughters-in-law and made things difficult. But that kind of thing never happened in his home.