CHAPTER 172: CHAPTER 170: NOTICING THE ABNORMALITY

After a deep sleep due to exhaustion, Qin Lan woke up because of the pain in her shoulder wound.

"A Lan, you’re awake? Are you hungry? There’s porridge here. I borrowed a thermos on purpose, so it’s still warm," Chen Xin immediately expressed his concern upon seeing Qin Lan open her eyes.

Qin Lan glanced at Chen Xin, seeming to want to get up, but with one hand in a sling, it was really inconvenient. Besides, moving clearly tugged at the wound, making Qin Lan’s face show a pained expression.

"Don’t move, don’t move! If you want to get up, I’ll help you!" Seeing this, Chen Xin quickly and carefully held her down, then raised the bed so Qin Lan could sit leaning back on it.

Chen Xin served a bowl of still-warm porridge and sat by the bedside. He scooped a spoonful, gently blew on it, and brought it to Qin Lan’s mouth, "Eat something. I asked the doctor; they said you haven’t eaten since you were brought in yesterday. You must be starving."

Looking at the hot porridge brought to her, Qin Lan indeed felt a bit hungry after what Chen Xin said, so she opened her mouth and let Chen Xin feed her the hot porridge.

However, as soon as the porridge entered her mouth, Qin Lan tasted something different and asked Chen Xin, "Did you cook this, Xin? You’re the only one who likes to add salt even to plain rice porridge."

"It’s all about flavor!" Seeing that Qin Lan still had the energy to discuss the taste of porridge with him, Chen Xin laughed and scooped another spoon of porridge to feed her.

As she ate the porridge Chen Xin fed her, Qin Lan couldn’t help but curiously ask, "Xin, where did you get the rice to make porridge? It’s hard to buy rice now, isn’t it?"

"Did you forget about the dry rice I grew in the greenhouse? It’s already been harvested; this is the rice I grew myself." Chen Xin explained to Qin Lan, seemingly happy to see she wasn’t brooding anymore, and continued the topic, "After husking, it wasn’t thoroughly polished, just roughly processed. It can be considered germ rice. A Lan, you’re injured now, so you need to eat something nutritious."

Hearing Chen Xin say this, Qin Lan’s expression darkened immediately. She glanced at her shoulder, and her mind returned to the comrades who had previously sacrificed themselves.

However, after a good sleep, Qin Lan’s spirits had improved significantly. She was no longer lost in blame and regret as before. Although she still felt heavy-hearted, she had recovered from the previous shock and breakdown.

But the lingering resentment in her heart over the matter wasn’t so easy to eliminate.

Naturally, Chen Xin noticed this. While continuing to feed her porridge, he asked the question that lingered in his mind while she was sleeping, "A Lan, you told me earlier that the criminals triggered the explosives on themselves, causing such heavy casualties, but that doesn’t make sense!"

"Doesn’t make sense? How so?" Qin Lan looked at Chen Xin, frowning immediately, not understanding what he meant.

"You said criminals took over the shelter, which I believe. In such apocalyptic times, there are always people who impulsively want to cause trouble, thinking the state and military can’t control them, allowing them to start their ventures. But these are merely insignificant schemers or socially awkward dreamers. Where do they get the charisma and execution to convince someone to conduct a suicide attack with explosives?" Chen Xin had previously failed to understand this point and thus asked Qin Lan his doubts.

Suicide attacks are not rare; during World War II, Japan’s Kamikaze tactics and Kikusui operations, the battlefield warriors aware of imminent death yet undeterred, religious extremists radicalized for acts of terror...

These actions involved self-sacrifice, but were all backed by strong ideological pillars. Rightly or wrongly, only individuals with the strongest resolve could launch such attacks, using their lives to inflict damage on enemies and opponents.

However, a strong resolve requires ideological guidance. Without systematic, almost brainwashing-level training, it’s difficult to establish adequately firm beliefs.

Where could these criminals get such firm thoughts and resolve?

Knowing they would certainly die, with no remains left behind, they still resolutely chose to attack, detonating the explosives strapped to their bodies — so resolute that even Qin Lan, a sniper, couldn’t react in time. Imagine their determination when carrying out this act.

They are neither soldiers indoctrinated with militaristic values and samurai spirit nor religious fanatics turned lunatics. Merely criminals from a third-tier city in Flame Country, whose usual tendency would be clinging to life. Where did this recklessness come from?

"This..." Being questioned by Chen Xin, Qin Lan also realized something was off. The criminals occupying the shelter behaved too abnormally.

Besides the criminal who detonated the explosives, those who later emerged from the shelter intending a counter-attack were also decisive and well-trained, even demonstrating skilled firearm seizure and counterattack actions. If not for the barrage of machine gun fire, they might have inflicted further damage.

These actions are not something ordinary rogue criminals could manage; only those who are well-trained and mentally conditioned could achieve this.

"Are you saying they’re terrorists?" Qin Lan looked at Chen Xin, understanding his implication but was equally puzzled, "But this is the central region of Flame Country, not the war-torn Middle East or South America! where would terrorists come from?"

"I don’t know; this should be something for your police to investigate, isn’t it? But you must admit, all this is exceedingly abnormal," Chen Xin laughed, continuing to feed Qin Lan porridge.

He realized Qin Lan’s attention had been diverted from remorse and self-blame to the abnormality in the situation, thereby achieving his intended effect.

"Since you noticed this point, Xin, didn’t you tell anyone else?" Under Chen Xin’s guidance, Qin Lan’s professional skills began to emerge, "Having realized the problem, I should quickly report to the captain!"

Saying this, Qin Lan was about to get up and report to Uncle Ding about the matter.

Chen Xin quickly held her down, stopping her impulsive action, "Leave this matter, A Lan. If I could notice the problem, I also think Uncle Ding can’t miss it. Besides, you’re injured and need to heal first. Even if messages need to be passed, I can help convey them."

"Then, Xin, quickly make a call to the captain! The hospital has a line connecting to the SWAT team!" Upon hearing Chen Xin, Qin Lan hurriedly urged him.

Just as Chen Xin comforted Qin Lan and prepared to make the call, Ding Ning’s voice suddenly came from the door, "What’s the urgent need to call my dad?"