The moment the two soldiers appeared, the outer section went quiet in a way that set off every warning bell in Zhenlan's head.
They were not Commander Li's men. That much had been obvious before either of them opened their mouths. One held his rifle too high for a casual question, while the other kept looking at Fang Lihua, Qin Fen, Gao Shun, and Luo Qing like he had been sent to collect people rather than ask what was happening.
The recruits noticed it too.
Fang Lihua's shoulders went tight, Gao Shun's expression hardened, and the man with the pipe stepped back just enough to warn the others without looking like he was retreating.
The first soldier said civilians from this section were not permitted to leave without work authorization, and that was all it took for Lingyun to smile and for Chenghai's shoulders to drop.
