The White Olive Tree

Chapter 46

The sun in the Dongguo always rises exceptionally early, brightening the sky by four or five in the morning.

Song Ran's room was yet to be fitted with curtains, so the break of dawn woke her as the light pierced through the window.

Pei Xiaonan, her neighbor, hadn't returned all night, likely still in the hospital for treatment.

Song Ran had arranged to meet Jose at 7:30 in the morning, leaving her some time to herself. She nibbled on a piece of bread while sitting at the desk, writing in her journal, and then backed up various documents to her cloud storage. By the time she finished, it was 7:20.

After some thought, she logged into social media and posted a message: "Back in Ale City."

She didn't have the inclination to check the immediate flood of comments, but she searched for Li Zan's account. It was empty, having been created just to follow her updates. Now, she was his ex-girlfriend, and the account was probably unused.

While she was pondering, she heard the sound of a car driving in downstairs. Song Ran gathered her thoughts, grabbed her already packed bag, and quickly went downstairs.

As expected, it was Jose. He had gotten out of his car and stood upright in front of it.

Seeing Song Ran, he greeted her with a broad smile and a ceremonious bow, holding his shoulder, "Song, it's an honor to meet you. You are an idol for every journalist."

Having spent a lot of time with Saxin, Song Ran was accustomed to their enthusiastic and exaggerated manner of speaking, but she still blushed, modestly replying, "I am the lucky one."

"Luck is the favor of the heavens," Jose said, "But the heavens only favor those who are excellent and kind."

Thinking that any further modesty might only lead to more praise, Song Ran simply smiled and accepted the compliment.

Jose, a special correspondent for Dongguo's Foreign Ministry, was around thirty-five years old. He was tall and had distinct facial features with high cheekbones and deep-set eyes, a typical appearance for someone from Dongguo. Matured beyond his years without the need for a beard, he appeared much more mature than Saxin.

He was to take Song Ran to the operational command center for the defense battle of Ale City, along with other invited journalists, to share information about the war. Currently, military forces from nearby cities were being redeployed to Ale City, indicating that a significant battle was imminent. The deployment and safety of war correspondents were also subjects of a unified plan.

Jose asked, "You didn't go to the conflict zone yesterday, did you?"

"No," she replied, feeling it unsafe to go alone.

"There's still some time before we gather. Would you like to go take a look around?"

"Sure."

Jose turned at an intersection, taking a road leading north. It wasn't long before the distant sounds of gunfire and explosions could be heard.

Glancing at her watch, Song Ran remarked with a sigh, "It's not even eight o'clock yet. Does nobody need sleep here?"

Jose laughed heartily, "You get used to it. In our country now, where can you find a piece of land that allows for peaceful sleep?"

Looking out the window, Song Ran noticed many children rummaging through the rubble along the way. Her curiosity piqued until they passed a building's ruins, atop which were two emaciated children clad in tattered clothes.

A boy, about five or six years old, climbed atop the debris; behind him followed a girl, no more than four, barely clothed, moving slowly over the stones on all fours. The boy dug through the bricks, searching until he found a crumb of bread, which he immediately handed to his sister. The little girl stuffed it into her mouth, the tiny piece disappearing instantly, and then looked up at her brother, expectantly.