Chapter 101: The Unqualified
November 17th, Sunday, overcast.
In the capital, Xifeng.
The early winter foliage covers the mountains, picturesque and splendid, with magnificent peaks.
Since ancient times, this place has been known as the right arm of the divine capital, guarding many feudal dynasties that established their capitals here. It has now been developed into Xifeng National Forest Park, with its surroundings transformed into a highly sought-after high-end real estate area.
The High-Level Military Medical Rehabilitation Center of the Dark Arrow Central Supervisory Zone is located deep within the most picturesque area of Xifeng National Forest Park.
In a secluded corner of the rehabilitation center, in a small independent courtyard, the emaciated Meng Huai still wears military uniform and sits in a wheelchair, gazing into the distance at the mountains, slightly lost in thought.
Behind the wheelchair stands Han Jie Li, always smiling and maintaining a one-meter distance.
Throughout the courtyard, armed soldiers of the Dark Arrow troop can be seen everywhere. As Meng Huai’s wheelchair moves slowly, he receives friendly glances from each Dark Arrow soldier he passes.
The Dark Arrow’s most secretive technical blood invasion can eliminate the possibility of an immune collapse during the blood invasion process with 100% certainty. However, for those invaded by blood, it is not a pleasant experience.
Before the blood invasion index stabilizes, various side effects accompany it, including bone pain or nerve pain, and even disorders of motor nerves.
Aside from his legs still being uncooperative and unable to move independently, Meng Huai feels that his physical condition is improving day by day.
Every day, he receives injections of the blood invasion agent at fixed times, and it seems that his body has begun to undergo many incomprehensible changes at a microscopic level. All his ailments have vanished, as if they had never existed.
He even looks forward to the final outcome coming sooner, wondering what kind of monster he will ultimately become.
“Meng Huai, do you know why the Central Headquarters turns a blind eye to the frontline combat team members, allowing them to be dealt with on-site after they undergo blood invasion? Many reasons are still superficial. The real reason is that they belong to those who have not passed the critical psychological assessment, even though they all have precious rare blood types…”
“Meng Huai, you should remember that during the training center, there would be a psychological test every month, with different questions each month. This is not only to select those who can join various action teams but also to further filter out warriors with strong thoughts and wills, absolutely loyal to the nation and normal human society.”
“Only those who pass the complete psychological and physical fitness evaluations can become reserve members of the Dark Arrow Blood Dragon Team. Those with the best comprehensive qualities, after long-term observation, will be selected into special confidential action groups…”
“In fact, we have long understood that the most effective weapon against vampires is, in fact, the vampires themselves, not ordinary people. It’s not just us; the EU, North America, and other countries also have similar Blood Dragon Teams. However, this secret, considered a top-level among top-level secrets for normal human society, will never be decrypted…”
Meng Huai’s mind repeatedly played back the first batch of information he received after waking up the day before yesterday. Although this information was unexpectedly earth-shattering, he found himself accepting it quickly, even feeling quite rational about it.
Of course.
Hehe, it turns out that most members of the frontline action teams in various supervisory zones, including Xia Yan and Gu Yao, are unqualified individuals who did not pass the critical psychological assessment.
The unqualified individuals face risks after blood invasion without any redemptive value, as they find it difficult to withstand the physical and mental changes that come after becoming blood tribes and cannot maintain their original stance, even falling into depravity. The compensation offered to these unqualified individuals is the identity of a martyr after sacrifice.
Even the so-called qualified individuals must still undergo the brutal elimination and tempering of frontline experience before they can finally take on their true responsibilities at a suitable time.
Meng Huai smiled lightly, but his heart was as cold as ice, with his fingers slightly trembling.
“Meng Ge, thinking of something good?”
Han Jie Li smiled as he walked over to Meng Huai’s side, following his gaze toward the distance, his expression very relaxed: “In a few days, as long as the blood invasion index doesn’t have any issues, your mobility will gradually recover. Once you can get up, we’ll go hunting in the mountains!”
Meng Huai retracted his gaze from afar, looking at Han Jie Li, his tone calm: “I was just thinking, it turns out you are also part of the special confidential action group… I underestimated your Han family; you’ve already arranged everything for me.”
“Yeah, someone like you needs a scarecrow. I was just lucky to join the Dark Arrow less than a year ago, and I get to team up with you, Meng Ge.”
Han Jie Li plopped down on the withered grass, pulling out a piece of dried grass and chewing it: “I didn’t expect I could pass the scarecrow’s full psychological test; I felt like I was just filling in randomly. But, I have a common blood type and don’t qualify for the Blood Dragon Team; it’s really embarrassing…”
Watching that overly youthful face, Meng Huai seemed to recall the bizarre psychological test questions he had taken at the time.
“How many people are in the Blood Dragon Team now?”
Looking at a standing member of the Dark Arrow in the distance, Meng Huai suddenly asked, “So in the future, I will be one of the Blood Dragon Team? A secret unit made entirely of… blood tribes?”
Han Jie Li paused for a moment, shaking his head slightly: “Sorry, Meng Ge, my rank doesn’t allow me to answer your question, and right now, you belong to the special confidential action group, not the Blood Dragon Team. The two have a connection but are not in the same department.”
“So that means my mission is more special than theirs… At least until I complete the final blood invasion, I’m not qualified to know.”
Meng Huai looked at his colorless palm, his lips twitching slightly, his expression neither sad nor joyful: “Then can you tell me what kind of blood tribe I will become?”
“You are a Fujiwara… You are Aunt Meng Xiang’s son; she is a Apennine blood tribe. So, your best blood invasion type should theoretically be the Apennine blood tribe, as the pedigree genes would be purer, and the higher the donor’s realm for the blood invasion agent, the better.”
Han Jie Li lowered his head slightly, not daring to look directly at Meng Huai’s face for the first time, his tone somewhat bitter: “The Apennine blood tribe is the most difficult bloodline to grow, with very few individuals above the baron level globally, and they are the hardest to capture. Currently, domestically, there is only one mid-level Apennine blood tribe baron donor available, which is Aunt Meng Xiang’s remains left behind.”
“You and Aunt Meng Xiang are direct blood relatives, with a very high matching affinity. Theoretically, if luck is on your side, there’s a high probability you can directly become a blood tribe attendant; becoming a knight is not impossible; otherwise, it would take more time to grow… Although our mission times are usually calculated in decades.”
Upon hearing this, Meng Huai’s pupils suddenly constricted, staring intently at Han Jie Li’s lowered head, his lips twitching slightly.
“So, the ones buried in the cemetery… are they all fake?”
After a long time, Meng Huai finally murmured a question.
“Most of it is true; we only take what we need… I’m sorry, Meng Ge, this is war. We have done our best to adhere to ethics and humanitarian principles. Or rather, that was the inheritance Aunt Meng Xiang left for you.”
Han Jie Li raised his head, smiling weakly, but no longer avoided Meng Huai’s gaze, his eyes exceptionally resolute.
After a few minutes, Meng Huai nodded gently, noncommittal, but his face was already streaked with tears.
Han Jie Li did not speak further; he had chewed the dried grass into bits.
“Meng Huai, it’s time for your blood invasion agent injection.”
A middle-aged nurse approached, squatting down, and gently patted the youth who was lost in thought in the wheelchair, her tone gentle.
Han Jie Li quickly got up and moved behind Meng Huai, grasping the wheelchair handles.
“Meng Huai? Are you feeling unwell?”
Seeing that Meng Huai did not respond, the middle-aged nurse exchanged a worried glance with Han Jie Li and then nervously asked, “If you have any discomfort physically or sensorily, you must tell us immediately!”
“No, I’m fine. Let’s start!”
Meng Huai smiled slightly, his attitude very friendly.
The middle-aged nurse breathed a sigh of relief, and Han Jie Li turned the wheelchair around, pushing it towards a small building deep in the courtyard.
At dusk, Zhao Peng and Huang Gu hurried back to the Golden River Club.
Both Zhao Peng and Huang Gu looked a bit fatigued, not even having time to change out of their delivery rider outfits. Evidently, after a week of verifying intelligence, they had entered a state of all-day dedication.
In the luxurious box on the second floor, all the Hyacinth Knights were gathered except for Xiao Ling. Wan Yue wore a purple-black embroidered cheongsam with a white fur coat, continuing her lazy demeanor, leaning on a small table by the window sipping a drink.
“The three Black Dragon Society bases listed by the Wang family are located in District P, District X, and District S, all in urban villages with dense housing, complicated terrain, and many people around.”
Huang Gu spread out three fairly exquisite hand-painted maps from his pocket, laying them on the floor, his expression somewhat grim: “The intelligence is still rough; we can’t be exactly sure if they belong to the Black Dragon Society, but it’s clear that their manpower and strength are much stronger than typical small groups of black blood tribes.”
“The group in District S is the hardest to deal with. Whether it’s day or night, there are no patterns to their comings and goings, and the number of people changes a lot. Sometimes there are no knights at all, sometimes there are two or three… I think this point has too many variables, and I suggest we abandon it.”
“The point in District X is a large building materials warehouse, where there are many black blood tribes, about fifteen people, including three knights, one high-level and two low-level, with the rest mostly being attendants.
“As it’s located on the fringe of the urban village building materials wholesale market, there are multiple entrances and exits for transportation. I estimate that we would need at least double their numbers to surround it! The advantage is that it’s suitable for a nighttime raid.”
At this point, Huang Gu hesitated, raising his head to look at the others in the room: “However, these people are very alert and it’s impossible to enter the warehouse. I suspect there’s an underground blood food breeding center there… I managed to get the original engineering plan of the building materials market, and there is indeed a considerable-sized basement, but what’s happening inside is a mystery.”
As he finished, the Hyacinth Knights involuntarily turned their gazes to Wan Yue, who was by the window.
“Old Jin’s intelligence is still so problematic… Carry on.”
Wan Yue put down her glass, lit a cigarette, and her expression remained unchanged.
“I’ll take the situation in District P; the problem is more troublesome.”
Zhao Peng walked to Huang Gu’s side, kneeling on one leg, pointing to the third hand-painted map: “Huang Gu and I observed continuously for forty-eight hours. There are four people in total here: two knights, one high and one mid-level, and two attendants, all living in a budget inn within the urban village in District P.”
“These four people hardly go out during the day, and at night they all enter a nearby bathing center, where there’s an underground casino; I suspect that’s where they are running operations.”
“That’s very troublesome… The area is filled with tightly packed residences, and all four are crammed into one place. I’ve sneaked into the bathing center at night, and the underground casino is full of people, and it’s extremely crowded. I suspect there might be an escape route hidden there…”
As Zhao Peng spoke, Huang Gu quickly added a comment.
“Yes, so my opinion is to abandon the one in District P as well.”
Zhao Peng’s meaning was clear: to concentrate the Hyacinth Knights’ strength and focus on storming the black blood tribe warehouse in District X.
Glimpsing at the three maps on the ground, Wan Yue smiled slightly: “The nature of black blood tribes ensures that most of them are impoverished. Besides engaging in some lowly business, they really cannot come up with any quick money-making opportunities…”
“The bathing center and underground casino are rare cash flows, which are quite lively and easily attract attention; it’s no wonder the Wang family doesn’t handle this themselves…”
Saying that, Wan Yue stretched, directing her gaze toward the silent Jiang Yan. A few seconds later, she stood up, discarding her cigarette: “Zhao Peng, Huang Gu, Zheng Shaolin, Jiang Yan, you four need to hold a separate meeting soon to finalize the action plan. Don’t expect me to always come up with ideas… You three big men need to step up.”
“The Wang family provided three intelligence points, picking the soft persimmon to squeeze makes sense, but we cannot be overly reliant on the Wang family as our stronghold moving forward. This ‘protection fee’ shouldn’t make us look too bad… It’s one thing not to swallow it whole, but at least let’s pick two out of three.”
As soon as this remark was made, aside from Liang Tai in the corner sneering, the faces of the three men Zhao Peng and others turned slightly red.
“If we don’t resolve this within a day, it’s equivalent to exposing our intentions… Wan Jie, if I choose the points in District X and District P, will the Wang family provide some assistance before the operation?”
Suddenly, Jiang Yan, who had not spoken, interjected.
“As long as you can come up with a plan and not put any people at risk, they would be glad to provide assistance…”
With that, Wan Yue left the box, leaving the seven Hyacinth Knights inside exchanging glances.
“Xiao Yan, it’s impossible to handle two points simultaneously; we don’t have enough manpower to split!”
After Wan Yue left, Zheng Shaolin was the first to step up to the map, his expression grave: “Xiao Ling is looking after the young ones at the Hyacinth Villa, and Brother Liang must stay at the club. We actually only have six knights we can deploy. Combining both points in District P and District X, there are five knights in total, including at least two high levels. Splitting forces is unrealistic!”
Zhao Peng stared at the three maps, nodding in support of Zheng Shaolin’s opinion.
“Can the six Hyacinth Knights, along with thirty attendants, take down the warehouse in District X at night?”
Jiang Yan frowned tightly but still stubbornly pointed at the second map: “The building materials wholesale warehouse is very suitable for a night siege. The opponents have three knights and seven or eight attendants, with blood servants being negligible. If we switch to the Dark Arrow troops, it would only take one assault team and one support team to sort it out without losses.”
Jiang Yan’s tone was very calm, and the usually transparent Jiang Yao fervently nodded in agreement.
For her, any opinion from Jiang Yan must be supported! After all, her sister had previously been the squad leader of the Dark Arrow Assault Team and a former candidate for the captain of the Xuan Jia Battalion!
“Concentrating all forces could take down the one in District X, but we absolutely cannot afford to divide troops for the one in District P. Moreover, that spot is within an urban village, with the budget inn and bathing center surrounded by people. If we are not careful, we could easily injure a large number of ordinary people.”
Zheng Shaolin still shook his head, holding a skeptical attitude towards Jiang Yan’s idea of resolving two black blood tribe points simultaneously, as he knew the capabilities of Hyacinth too well.
“We don’t need to act simultaneously; for the one in District P… I can go with Xiao Yao during the day. At night, we’ll meet up with you in District X, creating a time difference to defeat them one by one.”
Jiang Yan said, habitually playing with a strand of her hair as she flashed her eyes with enthusiasm.
“Wait… Sis, during daylight? In the budget inn? Just the two of us going?”
Now even Jiang Yao was stunned, and the faces of Zhao Peng and the other knights were similarly filled with disbelief; Jiang Yan’s daytime assault plan was not only uniquely unconventional but also counterintuitive.
“The bathing center and underground casino at night definitely won’t present any opportunities, so we have to opt for the budget inn during the day. Moreover, the fewer people who go, the better… I’ll contact Miss Su to create some distractions in advance at the budget inn; let’s set the operation time for three days from now.”
“And for the weapons, I’ll need Uncle Liang to help me prepare some.”
Jiang Yan rolled up the third map, appearing very composed as she planned to think it over a bit more.