Guo Laosan sharply ordered the team to stop advancing, stating that the slope ahead was structurally unstable and a secondary collapse was highly likely, urging everyone to retreat quickly. As soon as the group withdrew to a relatively safe area, a loud crash was heard. The thick snow above collapsed again, carrying broken ice as it poured down and hitting directly where the Old Village Chief was standing. In the blink of an eye, most of the Old Village Chief’s body was buried, leaving only above his chest exposed. Everyone’s heart tightened, but no one dared to rush forward recklessly. Guo Laosan immediately ordered everyone to follow his footprints, but Wei Geming objected right away, insisting on rescuing the Old Village Chief first. The accompanying villagers, with tears in their eyes, said this was the collective decision of Guojia Village; if any accident happened along the way, no one should delay the journey for rescue. Only then did everyone from the nursery learn that Guo Laosan and the Old Village Chief were biological father and son. At the Old Village Chief’s request, Guo Laosan took over as the commander-in-chief with tears in his eyes, shouldering the heavy responsibility of leading everyone across the snow-capped mountain. In the end, Guo Laosan fulfilled his mission and ensured the team safely reached the foot of the mountain. Wei Geming and the others stood at attention, saluting solemnly to the towering snow-capped mountain as a farewell. The Old Village Chief, already turned into an ice sculpture in the wind and snow, stood quietly like an immortal monument. Winter gave way to spring. The nursery workers were playing with the children on the lawn. However, Wen Renqiu suddenly became alert and spotted enemy scouts lurking not far away, completely exposing the team’s whereabouts and putting them at risk of being pursued by an entire enemy battalion. With the situation critical, Wei Geming immediately gathered everyone to arrange a blocking operation. Xiang Liming, citing his 15 years of Party membership, resolutely volunteered for the battle. Shi Dashan also stepped forward, falsely claiming he was an old Party member, and insisted on fighting side by side with Xiang Liming. Relying on temporarily built simple fortifications, the two engaged in an extremely fierce battle with enemy forces several times their size using only their machine guns, rifles, and hand grenades, buying enough time for the nursery to evacuate.