Chapter 157 – Decoding
February 4th, the eleventh day of the first lunar month, Tuesday, the beginning of spring.
The chill of spring lingers, but the harsh winter has faded, and a new cycle of years has quietly arrived.
The weather is clear, and in the front yard of a private villa on Longquan Mountain, the green grass is fragrant, with sparse colors of nature peeking out, adorning the green expanse.
Jiang Yan and Jiang Yao are still as usual, performing basic blood-boost exercises on their yoga mats, though if observed closely, there are slight differences from Wan Yue’s method.
Wan Yue sits by a stone table, leisurely sipping tea, reading a page of paper in her hand, smiling occasionally while glancing at the two girls diligently exercising on the lawn.
What the Jiang sisters are currently practicing is a modified foundational curriculum of the Siberian lineage, infused with Wan Yue’s personal insights, representing the content most likely to help the two girls get started.
It seems that the excitement from two nights ago has boosted Jiang Yao’s enthusiasm significantly in recent days, reducing her complaints during workouts, and even prompting her to ask many questions proactively, which is rare.
In her hand, she holds a handwritten plan by Jiang Yan regarding their future studies. The neat handwriting indicates that Jiang Yan has put considerable thought into it, fully considering the individual characteristics of both sisters.
As the seemingly Siberian clan, once the Jiang sisters master blood explosion, combined with the traits of their statistical anomalies, they will essentially stand at the top of the blood clan food chain.
What remains is merely how to choose a second secret card to further elevate their characteristics and advantages, thereby giving their opponents a surprise.
“Jiang Yan’s second curriculum chose the count’s ability of the Rhine blood clan, Blood Blade. Not bad, it continues to enhance her tactical flexibility, with lower threshold requirements for blood explosion stability.”
“Jiang Yao’s second curriculum opted for the count’s ability of the Altai blood clan, Thousand Hands. Hehe, it’s tailor-made for this girl. It fully exploits her melee assault advantages, providing an unexpected secret card, more suited for quick battles … Once deployed, the visual effect is also very cool, fitting her show-off personality.”
After reviewing the sisters’ study plans, Wan Yue nodded frequently, as these were likely decisions made by Jiang Yan personally; Jiang Yao, with her tendency to avoid deep thinking, would hardly consider such details.
As for the third curriculum, Wan Yue dared not even imagine it yet. She feared it might increase physical instability risks; if an unmanageable situation arose, it would all be for nothing. Therefore, she must be cautious and observe the Jiang sisters’ multi-lineage growth stability step by step.
Unbeknownst to her, Wan Yue had propped her elbow on the stone table with one hand, supporting her chin, and gazed at the two young girls on the yoga mats as though she were watching her own daughters, her bright eyes sparkling with laughter.
“We’re getting closer to the truth now. So, which of you two is the real queen? Although Jiang Yao has the highest odds …”
The intensity of the sisters’ blood explosion was holding up well, and their breath’s stability and rhythm were resembling something worthwhile. Wan Yue barely suppressed the hidden unease that had emerged after seeing the Wang family’s ancestor.
Suddenly, her phone on the table rang. She picked it up; it was an call from Old Jin.
“… Have you finished discussing? Alright, let’s find some time to talk the day after tomorrow …”
The call was brief, or rather, Wan Yue and Old Jin had developed a habit of not discussing significant matters over the phone. This was a good practice that allowed them to enjoy the convenience of modern life while maintaining a high level of vigilance and consciousness.
With a clear form taking shape, the thought that Zhuang Jianfei was in charge of the crucial intelligence collection and action planning made Wan Yue feel slightly odd.
“Alright, let’s call it a morning. Conserve some blood energy; this afternoon, we will formally begin the advanced practice of the Siberian lineage.”
Wan Yue brushed aside some discordant thoughts and stood up, clapping her hands together to get the attention of the Jiang sisters.
…
“Sister, why do I have this feeling of a full-body blockage after these two days of exercise … So annoying!”
Jiang Yao got off the yoga mat and started feeling her body, uncomfortable all over, eventually pressing her hand on her chest area, her brows knitting tightly.
“Hmm? You too?” Jiang Yan was taken aback, looking down at her own body. “I feel a bit of that too.”
“Sister, is it that we’re hitting a plateau again?”
Jiang Yao gulped down from a bottle of mineral water, the feedback from her body making her a bit irritable.
“Not quite; we had this feeling before, but after a while, we started pushing up again. It feels like the body is … is…”
Jiang Yan wasn’t sure how to describe it, but she was certain that it was not due to a growth plateau, or else they wouldn’t have become the statistical anomalies everyone was talking about.
“Is it a version update?” Jiang Yao’s eyes lit up, her right fist crashing into her left palm. “Yes, exactly this feeling!”
“You’ve summed it up better than I did; it does imply a comprehensive update of the body.”
Glancing at Wan Yue waiting in the distance, Jiang Yan patted Jiang Yao’s back with a smile: “So, we should be glad our bodies are once again blocked … Let’s go wash up and change clothes.”
“Sister, there’s something I want to discuss …”
As the two sisters walked toward the villa, wiping the sweat from their brows, Jiang Yao tugged at her fitted yoga suit, her face slightly flushed.
“What’s going on with you again?” Jiang Yan noticed her odd expression, knitting her brows. “Just to be clear, during closed training, there’s no way I’m giving you your phone back!”
“Oh, it’s not that!”
Jiang Yao’s face turned even redder as she leaned closer to her sister’s ear: “I feel like two of my underwear are a bit too small lately. Maybe you could buy me a few new ones …”
“Ugh … Jiaye is right; you’re always focused on growing your chest and not using your brain!”
Jiang Yan was startled, glancing down at her own chest, her ears heating up a bit. “You should just buy your own. I can’t always help you. You have to try on underwear to see if it fits, not just throw out sizes like when buying clothes or shoes.”
“Didn’t you just buy a complete set for Hao Huai … You’re getting worse for me!”
Jiang Yao muttered, her face full of strong dissatisfaction. “Then I’ll find Zhong Jing and let him take advantage of me, just to make you mad!”
“You just keep talking; don’t let me actually get pissed one day …”
Jiang Yan’s expression darkened as she shot a glare at Jiang Yao and quickly headed toward the bathing area, not intending to argue with her about this matter.
“Hmph, I just want to annoy you; come at me if you have the guts!”
The sound of the bathroom door locking echoed, Jiang Yao grinned, stuck out her tongue, and looked miffed.
…
The first intelligence communication meeting after the Lunar New Year took place today. Apart from Zhen Guangquan and all personnel from the Intelligence Department, Commander Wang Hongjun was also present as usual.
Currently, the local armed conflicts in northern Myanmar have caused a serious humanitarian crisis. Relevant departments have strengthened border security management and expressed concerns over the situation to the conflicting parties in northern Myanmar. Our spokesperson stated that we will provide humanitarian assistance to the best of our ability to help the people on the Myanmar side get through the difficult times …
Currently, the parties involved in the northern Myanmar conflict have been invited to negotiate in City K of Province Y. Our stance has been consistent; we hope all parties will resolve disputes with a pragmatic attitude and protect civilian safety …
The large screen displayed news from CCTV, showing disheveled people from northern Myanmar and the chaotic villages and towns, reflecting the turmoil happening in that area.
With the news turned off, everyone’s attention returned to the meeting itself.
Overseas intelligence collection is still ongoing, but it is certain that local blood clan forces have undergone significant changes, with the Black Dragon Society’s control in the area having essentially collapsed, leading to on-surface chaotic conflicts.
“There is evidence that the Luo family from Province Y and the Alliance of the Hidden are involved, and there are even signs of support from the Wang family. The Luo family has clearly taken control around the Old Street.”
The Border Defense relevant data shows that in the past half month, the infiltration of the Black Blood Clan and the Wandering Blood Clan in northern Myanmar has significantly decreased, greatly reducing our border security pressure. The Luo family has returned to northern Myanmar after decades and successfully suppressed local Black Blood Clan activities, which is actually a significant benefit for us.
In front of the screen, Zhen Guangquan spoke about several high-definition satellite maps, his face displaying a smile that was echoed by Wang Hongjun at the chair, who nodded frequently.
“Well, this year’s first quarter in the Southwest linked battles ought to be less pressured. With half a month left for preparation, the chief of staff will oversee the next round of battle readiness activities. Let’s conclude today’s routine meeting here. Dismissed.”
Wang Hongjun grabbed his hat and was about to stand up.
“Commander Wang, please wait!” Zhen Guangquan quickly raised his hand, smiling as he pointed to the briefcase in his hand. “There’s some intelligence work that needs your confirmation and guidance.”
Wang Hongjun was surprised and looked at the intelligence department personnel who hadn’t stood up yet, slowly sitting back down, puzzled: “Isn’t Vice Commander Han usually in charge of intelligence work?”
“Vice Commander Han flew to the capital the day before yesterday to attend the annual meeting at headquarters, presumably discussing the expansion of all action teams to support the mid-range team formation.” Zhen Guangquan smiled as he opened his briefcase and pulled out a USB drive, plugging it into the desk’s port. “So, we need your oversight on our intelligence work.”
With a click, the image on the large screen switched to a satellite map surrounding City C, where a particular small red box marked an area just south of City C.
“This is the information center of the Intelligence Department, where signs of the Black Blood Clan’s activity were detected in multiple locations around City C. Subsequent follow-up investigations captured some interesting footage …”
As time went by and Zhen Guangquan explained, Wang Hongjun’s expression became increasingly serious, and his hat unwittingly returned to the desktop.
“Hmm, this intelligence is worth a deep dive!”
Wang Hongjun stroked his chin, staring intently at the large screen, nodding constantly. “Chief of Staff, if needed, you can send some colleagues from the Intelligence Department to investigate the situation on the ground, but be careful not to alert the snakes!”
We need to continue intensifying aerial drone surveillance, improving the comparison and identification of intelligence images. Also, if there aren’t enough personnel, we can redeploy teams from several stationed squads!
Chief of Staff, the Intelligence Department’s work has been commendable; the new year has started off great. If this is indeed a core stronghold of the Black Dragon Society, we must seize the opportunity and turn the situation around! Last year, everyone was pretty suffocated …
Wang Hongjun’s words resonated with all the Western Surveillance District officers in the meeting room, especially Zhen Guangquan, who was clenching his fists, his face slightly flushed.
In the capital, the Dark Arrow Headquarters.
Unlike various local surveillance districts, the first headquarters work meeting after the Lunar New Year had already lasted for two days.
As dusk approached, many topics were still unresolved, and the various meeting rooms were still crowded. Especially for the highly confidential special operations group, the summary of last year’s work and arrangements for this year required multiple rounds of discussion.
Members like Han Jieli, who had just joined the Dark Arrow for only a year, didn’t qualify to participate in any of the topics, leaving them with a relatively leisurely time. Now, he was sitting alone in a small meeting room, flipping through certain confidential documents that only straw men were allowed to access.
This opportunity for internal decryption of strategic task matters was finally obtained through repeated negotiations with several senior surveillance department officials by Wu Zhongxian and Han Guowei, and it was limited to straw men.
Four file bags lay before him; three were clearly old items from years ago, the earliest three strategic tasks. The other one was extremely new; without even opening it, he knew its content.
However, Han Jieli’s gaze fixed on the new file bag he was aware of, his expression somewhat conflicted. He had a premonition that his third uncle and Chief of Staff Wu Zhongxian may have made a very risky move this time.
The first three seeds had long since lost contact, so even if their strategic task contents were decrypted, their real identities wouldn’t be exposed.
However, Meng Bo, as the fourth seed, still had several individuals familiar with him. If the content of the fourth strategic task were decrypted, it would almost be akin to exposing cards face up.
Strategic tasks, seeds, straw men can be said to be a trinity, inseparable; if any one item goes awry, the other two will be implicated. Though more than anyone else, he wanted to know what his great-grandmother was thinking back then.
Just as Han Jieli remained dazed and hesitated to open the three old file bags, the conference room door opened, and Han Guowei walked in, looking slightly weary.
As the apparent vice commander of the Western Surveillance District and deputy head of the special operations group, Han Guowei had attended countless headquarters meetings these days, so this was the first time Han Jieli had seen his third uncle in three days.
“What’s the matter? Not interested in the early strategic tasks, or have you already finished looking at them?”
Han Guowei grabbed his nephew’s bottle of mineral water, took a sip, then removed his military cap, tiredly leaning back in his chair.
“Third uncle, I heard that Uncle Guoping opposed the decryption of strategic task matters earlier?” Han Jieli pointed at the four file bags in front of him, smiling somewhat strained. “They believe it violates the rules set by great-grandmother back then.”
Han Guowei smiled, unconcerned: “Your fifth uncle was the closest to your great-grandmother back then; he unconditionally believes every word she said … But Little Jieli, do you know why there are confidential files for strategic tasks but no seeds?”
As if he thought of something.
After a dozen seconds, Han Jieli raised his head and hesitantly said, “Is it because great-grandmother thought the identity of the seeds was more confidential than the content of the strategic tasks? The dual-system policy is about people, and protecting them is also about people.”
“Wait, that seems not right … If the task content is extremely sensitive, once leaked, the risk of task failure would sharply rise, and it might also expose the identity of the seeds.”
Han Guowei crossed his arms in front of his chest, nodding slightly, then shaking his head gently: “Your analysis is correct, but also not correct.”
Han Jieli was taken aback, feeling confused.
Han Guowei patted one of the file bags, smiling even more mysteriously: “Since strategic tasks have confidential files, it means that, no matter how high the confidentiality level is, it can ultimately be reviewed. She had actually set a precaution beforehand; otherwise, given her nature, if she wanted absolute secrecy, these files wouldn’t exist at all!”
“She had long anticipated that such a day would come where some seeds might lose contact, and some might sacrifice. But tasks still need to be completed; if Zhang San sacrifices, then Li Si will take over; if Li Si defects, then Wang Wu will fill in … I only figured this out recently after hearing about Hong Se Huo Jian’s sacrifice.”
“So, in her heart, while the identity of the seeds is certainly confidential, at times it can be worth little; the completion of strategic tasks is what she cares about the most! This is the reason strategic task contents still have confidential archives.”
As Han Guowei spoke, his expression gradually shifted from relaxed to one of mild self-deprecation: “Wu Zhongxian once correctly said, to know oneself and one’s enemies. But now, even knowing ourselves is a blind spot; how then can we talk about knowing the enemies?”
“You analyzed very well before; that the three seed predecessors decisively severed their contacts with the straw men indicates that the content of the strategic tasks likely got exposed, and there’s a high probability of an insider at headquarters. Since we’ve confirmed an insider exists, at the very least, we shouldn’t know less than the insider, right?”
“We must analyze the content and progress of strategic tasks to backtrack the insider’s action strategies and thereby locate the insider’s position!”
After hearing Han Guowei’s remarks, Han Jieli finally understood why he was so eager to grasp the contents of the previous three strategic tasks.
Han Jieli’s gaze fell once again on the three vintage file bags, contemplating quietly before lowering his voice: “Uh, third uncle, have those predecessors completed their tasks?”
“I reviewed these three documents yesterday, as well as the corresponding progress information in the secure room … Well, strictly speaking, the completion wasn’t high; there were some unexpected discrepancies, but the final results met expectations.”
“The erroneous intel from the Wang family should have come from one of them, which inadvertently allowed us to intercept the critical step of the Ancestor Plan in Hua Country, leading to the issuance of guidance opinions for the fourth strategic task.”
“This was the greatest inspiration you previously provided us; keep up the good work!”
With that, Han Guowei pushed one of the file bags a bit closer to Han Jieli, speaking earnestly: “Little Jieli, take a good look; perhaps the clues to the insider are inside. But don’t rush; keep your mind clear.”
“Also, the day after tomorrow is your aunt’s death anniversary; the burial site is at the Xifeng Martyrs Cemetery. In the past, it was your second uncle who personally went to pay respects, but he hasn’t been well lately, and I have several meetings that I can’t escape from. You’ll have to go on our behalf.”
Once Han Guowei left, Han Jieli finally picked up one file bag, took a deep breath, and gently untied the string sealing it.
