Chapter 245: Humans and Ghosts
May 8th, Friday.
The major operation being prepared in the southern inspection district has become the main focus of the overall commander of the dark arrows. Not only is the content extremely complex, but the level of confidentiality has also significantly increased.
Even though everyone is extremely busy, the quarterly scarecrow meeting set at the beginning of the year still took place under the host of Chief of Staff Wu Zhongxian. However, most of the participants were preoccupied with their own matters and could only participate through an online video conference.
Han Jieqian sat in a secure conference room at the Western Inspection District command post, facing his laptop screen. Aside from the host Wu Zhongxian, three other scarecrows appeared in a picture-in-picture format, all with solemn expressions.
“Everyone is very busy with work, so let’s not waste time and report on the current task progress of the seeds.”
It seemed that there were more meetings waiting to be attended, and Wu Zhongxian obviously did not want to waste any time on opening remarks.
However, with three seeds—two dead and one missing—the regular meeting had essentially become a formality, leading everyone’s interest to be concentrated solely on Han Jieqian.
In the recent months, the Fearless Warriors have been very active, almost contacting the Strategic Task Support Center once or twice every month to request a large amount of intelligence data.
Wu Zhongxian was naturally pleased with the state of the Fearless Warriors and personally inquired about it at the Strategic Task Support Center almost every half month to learn about their latest developments.
“The last communication was a week ago when the Fearless Warriors requested a set of random psychological testing questions, the purpose of which is unknown. So far, the Fearless Warriors have retrieved multiple case materials related to Xia Yan and Gu Yao, some of which even involve the lineage archives of dark arrow members from past historical periods.”
Currently, the Fearless Warriors’ biggest operational achievement was their cross-border tactical support application in mid-March, which intelligence later revealed had annihilated a large number of the Black Blood Tribe in northern Myanmar, significantly alleviating the security pressure at the southwestern border, allowing the Western Inspection District to allocate more resources to support other areas.
Han Jieqian read through the content in his folder mechanically, his expression calm.
“Yes, their state is very good! Although fighting the Black Blood Tribe is not their main job, their ability to have a decisive impact at a crucial moment is worth as much as several operational teams!”
After listening to Han Jieqian’s report, Wu Zhongxian nodded repeatedly, while another participant, Ye Zhijun, was also taking notes in the picture-in-picture.
“Little Han, where do you think the Fearless Warriors are right now? Can they respond to your contact requests?”
Ye Zhijun paused his notes and casually asked.
“Let me guess…”
Han Jieqian was taken aback, unsure of how to answer the question, or even if he should respond.
Lao Ye, the organizational discipline of the scarecrows should not be forgotten. Although the work model has changed from the past, the basic principles cannot be broken.
Korean Wei, who had been silent, spoke up for Han Jieqian.
Wu Zhongxian also had a serious expression: “Well, Lao Han is right. We can rely on the records from the Strategic Task Support Center to monitor the progress of the seeds in real-time, but even I am not allowed to interfere with their movements.”
Ye Zhijun sighed and smiled helplessly: “Ah, I know the principles of strategic tasks… but now, both Lao Han and I feel a bit blind in deploying intelligence work in the south without Wang Jia’s involvement. If only we could have the Fearless Warriors gather some intel…”
“Lao Ye, I know you’ve been feeling anxious lately. Let’s discuss your concerns later. Korean Wei, today’s strategic task meeting is over. You can log off first. The rest of us will continue with the next agenda.”
Wu Zhongxian glanced at his watch and immediately concluded the meeting, swiftly transitioning into another meeting that also required Han Jieqian’s presence.
After nearly an hour, the online meeting finally concluded. Han Jieqian closed his laptop, leaned back in his chair, and closed his eyes, appearing somewhat fatigued.
Clearly, he had not yet recovered from the information bombardment he had just experienced from Wu Zhongxian, Korean Wei, and Ye Zhijun.
After a while, Han Jieqian sighed bitterly, opened his eyes, and shook his head repeatedly, muttering to himself: “Chief of Staff Wu and Director Ye are both focused on the movements of Wang Jia, while my concern is whether the external blood tribe forces will make a direct appearance, especially the Engel family and the Fujiwara family…”
But now, there’s no activity from Wang Jia, am I supposed to solve what problems? And how should I respond when the time comes… This job is really difficult.
Thinking back to his second secret meeting with the mysterious woman from Wang Jia, Han Jieqian felt a headache.
Since their last meeting, aside from confirming the doubts Chinese Korean Wei had about Wang Jia, Han Jieqian had received a top-secret intel that would shock him for a lifetime—Wang Jia had planted a mole within the Blood Dragon Unit!
According to the other party’s hints, this secret was likely to be known by the enemy following Wang Jia’s old uncle’s escape, rendering confidentiality unnecessary. Those shocking and absurd words once made Han Jieqian doubt that the mysterious woman was really from Wang Jia.
Korean Wei’s upcoming major operation had seemingly become an open card in the eyes of both sides, its focus evidently on the Blood Dragon Unit.
Wu Zhongxian and Korean Wei hoped for the Blood Dragon Unit to take action and turn the situation around, while, on the other side, the plan was to completely dispose of the strongest force of the dark arrows, ensuring Wang Jia lost their negotiating trump card.
This was a game of cat and mouse revolving around the ancestral plan, where roles could potentially reverse at any moment.
For this hard-to-verify information, Han Jieqian has chosen to keep it confidential for now, adhering to Korean Wei’s previous words—that he now had the right to filter any information transmitted by Wang Jia and decide what should and shouldn’t be shared, even fabricating narratives.
After taking several deep breaths, and noticing the time was nearing noon, Han Jieqian decided to go to the cafeteria for a casual meal.
……
The cafeteria of the Western Prison District Command was crowded, bustling yet orderly.
Han Jieqian sat alone in a corner of the cafeteria, savoring his food, his mind still pondering a series of logical questions.
“Deputy Han, would you like to join me for a meal?”
A somewhat familiar voice sounded in his ear, and Han Jieqian looked up to find Tu Wei Jun.
Now acting commander of the Embroidered Uniform Brigade, he stood with a faint smile, holding a tray filled with food, right across from Han Jieqian’s table.
The Blood Dragon Unit, yes, the Tu Wei Jun in front of him was the instructor, as well as one of the first members of the Blood Dragon Unit…
A thought crossed Han Jieqian’s mind, and he quickly nodded, moving his tray aside.
“In a few days, the Embroidered Uniform Brigade will set off for the southwestern mobilization, and the Xuanzhong Brigade will also withdraw their elite forces. I told you before, we all really follow Commander Han’s command… Deputy Han, I’ve noticed you seem to have been marginalized, even during such major operations, the Intelligence Bureau can leave you so idle?”
Tu Wei Jun was eating heartily, not raising his head, simply speaking casually in a low voice.
“Captain Tu, are you hinting at something?”
Han Jieqian frowned, slowly putting down his chopsticks. Even now, he was not quite sure about Tu Wei Jun’s stance, but it seemed the other party knew many secrets regarding him.
“Deputy Han, can I trust you?”
Tu Wei Jun swallowed a large mouthful of food and suddenly looked up with a serious expression.
Han Jieqian thought for a few seconds, put down his chopsticks, smiled, and spoke softly: “You’ve been selected by the higher-ups to represent the Blood Dragon Unit in battle, haven’t you?”
Tu Wei Jun hesitated for a moment, glanced around, and spoke in a very low voice: “I have a bad feeling… perhaps, the movements of the Blood Dragon Unit are known to the enemy.”
Han Jieqian quickly grabbed a napkin to wipe his mouth: “Eat quickly, let’s talk somewhere else!”
A glint of determination flashed in Tu Wei Jun’s eyes, as if he had finally made a decision, and he nodded vigorously, eagerly wolfing down his food.
……
At 2 PM, at Longshan Apartment, in Wan Yue’s private villa, Zhong Jing arrived alone.
After a lengthy conclusion, the first thing He Jianmei did upon returning to Huaguo was to secretly contact Wan Yue, with Zhong Jing relaying the intelligence.
“…Master, that’s how it is. Fujiwara Kyuuzan has agreed to the Engel family’s terms for action, but the specific plan and timing have yet to be determined. It is said that Kyuuzan will likely be accompanied by a person named Tanaka Harutaka, who is the elder brother of He Jianmei.”
Zhong Jing sat on the sofa, staring intently at Wan Yue, who was buried in some documents behind the desk.
“Hmm, not unexpected. Fujiwara Kyuuzan has considerable personal ambitions, and the Engel family must be offering very substantial incentives… To dig that hole properly, even Tanaka Harutaka agreed.”
“By the way, did He Jianmei receive the secret email I sent last time?”
Wan Yue laid down the psychological testing sheets of the Hyacinth Riders that had been reviewed for two days and lit a cigarette with a smile.
Zhong Jing quickly nodded: “He Jianmei is trying to find a way; this nanogel wrapping technology, as a whole, isn’t highly confidential. She intends to acquire it under the pretense of patent exchange with the EVN Group.
Speaking of which, “Master, can I ask if Wang Jia needs this? Is it related to the queen?”
“You have a clever mind; you know that acquiring this won’t be of much use to me. Wang Jia intends to use it to package special drugs for dealing with the Ancestor, just like the Trojan Horse.”
Wan Yue exhaled a puff of smoke, nodding: “As long as there are no issues with He Jianmei’s side, that’s good, but on timing, it should be no later than the end of this month.”
“What do you want to know? I know, Xiao Jing, only the queen could approach the Ancestor. Regardless of how you feel now, you must accept this only path.”
“Just as I initially thought, once even Wang Jia loses their bargaining chip, the Engel family should initiate the queen’s return plan.”
“However, Wang Jia’s ancestor updated the original scheme, which was to infiltrate the queen through dark arrows, once they learned about your circumstance.”
Upon hearing this, Zhong Jing pondered briefly, his expression somewhat complicated: “I know, so, in any case, you’ll arrange for Xiao Jing to become pregnant… and then use my line to bring the Trojan Horse in.”
Wan Yue paused for a moment, staring at Zhong Jing for a whole ten seconds before nodding: “Xiao Jing, you are very clever… You should know that whether it’s Jiang Yao or Jiang Ying, they will undergo the strictest inspection by the Engel family for anything they carry.”
“However, with a mix of truth and falsehood, I and Wang Jia’s ancestor will do our best to arrange all the details and guarantee safety.”
After listening to Wan Yue’s explanation, Zhong Jing bowed his head and resumed smoking quietly.
In the study, silence fell for a moment.
“I didn’t expect you to be such a pure-hearted young man; well… don’t worry, Jiang Yao is currently in the safest state. As long as the Engel family knows she is pregnant, they would never harbor any malicious intent toward her.”
There has already been a conclusion from Wang Jia; it’s most likely that both Jiang Ying and Jiang Yao are the queen, so the one truly executing the counterattack plan will be Jiang Ying. Like you, she won’t let Jiang Yao fall into danger.
Seeing his rarely introspective disciple fall into such a state of confusion and melancholy, Wan Yue could only find a way to comfort him.
“Then, what can I do now? Just wait for you to destroy the Engel family’s layout in Huaguo?”
Zhong Jing took a final drag on his cigarette, seemingly having come to a realization, and immediately stood up: “I’ll go back and discuss with Xiao Yao; she’s not going to work at Axiantai anymore—she’s going to recuperate at the Hyacinth Manor!”
“Haha, don’t slack off either; here’s what you do, consult with He Jianmei on how to take advantage of the opportunity of Fujiwara Myozan’s emergence to eliminate him… There are more people who want this old fool’s life than just He Jianmei.”
Wan Yue extinguished her smoke, casually throwing in a remark.
Before Zhong Jing could respond, Wan Yue’s expression changed slightly, and a mysterious smile appeared on her face.
“Haha, speak of the devil, and he shall appear…”
As she spoke, Wan Yue slightly closed her eyes, seemingly sensing two familiar pheromones outside the villa.
Who… is my elder brother arriving?
Zhong Jing stood tall at the floor-to-ceiling window, slightly lifting a corner of the curtain, his face filled with astonishment.
“Haha, there’s no better time than now; why not have you brothers meet today?”
Wan Yue blinked her beautiful eyes, her mischievous smile irrepressible.
……
In the villa’s parking area, Jiang Ying pulled the handbrake and was about to open the driver’s door when she felt Meng Huai’s hand resting on her right arm.
“Let’s talk first.”
Meng Huai’s mouth twitched slightly, and he took a deep breath.
Jiang Ying turned around, quietly looking at him, feeling uncomfortable.
In the past day, or maybe after the psychological test the day before yesterday, among all the Veiled Knights, the one whose emotions changed the most was Meng Huai.
Jiang Ying had seen the indifferent and rigid Meng Huai, the dull and boring Meng Huai, and the stubborn and headstrong Meng Huai, but she had never seen the lost and disheartened Meng Huai.
“Are you referring to the psychological test from the day before yesterday?”
Jiang Ying adjusted her posture, taking a while before slowly uttering a sentence.
Those were psychological tests specifically for the dark arrows, used to filter out special talents, as the vast majority of dark arrow members are actually unqualified. Thus, whenever they suffer blood invasion, they are usually pursued and dealt with…
As for the qualified ones, it’s likely that Wan Jie and you could guess the general idea.
A self-mockingly cold smile.
“Why tell me this… I don’t want to hear it… you’ve been like a lost soul since yesterday, yet still insisted on seeing Wan Jie.”
Jiang Ying also didn’t know how to comfort him, or even comfort herself; she just felt that this seemingly childish psychological test actually concealed such immense secrets and was incredibly cruel.
“Ah, the dark arrows rely on these psychological tests to dictate life and death, haha…”
Jiang Ying gave a bitter smile and closed her eyes.
She thought of those comrades in the Western Inspection District who had unfortunately suffered blood invasion during battles over the past few years, and she thought of the desperate nights she and Jiang Yao endured, and her heart suddenly ached fiercely.
“Do you want to know my previous psychological test results?”
Meng Huai opened his eyes and suddenly muttered.
“I don’t want to hear it!”
Jiang Ying’s voice suddenly rose, wiping her eyes before forcefully pushing open the car door and running away without looking back.
Looking at Jiang Ying’s retreating figure, Meng Huai felt a tangled mess in his heart.
The study still had a hint of the acrid smell of secondhand smoke, with Wan Yue sitting on the sofa beside the desk, smiling at the tall Meng Huai at the door.
“For the past few months, I’ve been wondering when you would take the initiative to chat with me. As a result, it took a psychological test to bring you here.”
Wan Yue pointed to the single sofa opposite and smiled as she sipped her coffee.
“Wan Jie, do you know what these psychological tests mean? You’re actually testing me…”
Meng Huai took several big strides directly in front of Wan Yue, staring into her enchanting and beautiful face with a cold voice.
“I said before, I used to be a dark arrow too, but it was a long time ago when there weren’t these complex psychological tests… no wonder I became the leader of the Hyacinth; it turns out it’s in my nature to be contrary.”
Wan Yue glanced at Meng Huai’s serious face, speaking plainly, finding him both absurdly funny and pitiable.
Meng Huai was momentarily stunned, his gaze shifting toward the desk where a pile of psychological testing papers from the Hyacinth Riders lay, including one completed by Wan Yue herself.
“I was initially curious why you suffered blood invasion, and I tolerated all your actions in the Hyacinth Brigade.”
“However, I ultimately want you to re-evaluate yourself. Or, I want to understand what thoughts the dark arrows use to measure a person and endow them with different destinies.”
After saying this, Wan Yue stepped toward the desk and picked up a test paper: “If the dark arrows had a standard, people like Zheng Bo and Zheng Shaolin wouldn’t have been chased for a full two years. Or is it that the psychological tests are completely different before and after blood invasion, with entirely different results and meanings?”
Such pointed questioning made Meng Huai recall the numerous psychological tests he had been required to undertake during his technical blood invasion, leaving him filled with confusion.
“The dark arrows have a gate; humans can enter, but ghosts cannot. To prevent ghosts from entering, they’ve set up a gate stop… They only think that once a person goes in, they remain human, still thinking from the human perspective.”
But have they ever considered whether a ghost entering could also become a human? Have they thought whether someone who was human before entering will still be human after?
Wan Yue lit a cigarette and slowly circled around Meng Huai in the study.
“Meng Huai, you have yet to recognize your new identity, or rather, you are unwilling to confront this matter. This in itself already denies your past self.”
“Including your running over here today with worries, it proves that your inner world has shaken; the results of the psychological test have merely allowed your subconscious to acknowledge this.”
Meng Huai’s face gradually paled, as if struck by lightning, feeling dizzy.
“Ordinary people can ultimately only comprehend the world of ordinary people, while within the gates, the world of blood tribes is truly something they cannot grasp. Even Han Jia, who believes they’ve been dealing with blood tribes for hundreds of years, feels the same.”
Xiao Ai, Xiao Dong, Zheng Shaolin, Liang Qin, Jiang Ying, Jiang Yao… so many people in the Hyacinth, you’ve seen, do you think they resemble humans more, or more like ghosts?
Wan Yue, with a mysterious cold smile, struck with every word: “Meng Huai, ordinary people only have a lifespan of less than a hundred years; the life perspective and worldview represented by this brief life cannot predict the hearts of those who become blood tribes. In fact, time is the best tool to test a person’s character.”
Speechless.
Yes, a psychological testing module used for forty years culminated in such an ironic outcome; those comrades who were disposed of by his own hands perhaps were wrong from the start…
Meng Huai clenched his fists tightly, his whole body slightly trembling, a torrent of anger, fear, terror, helplessness, and sorrow surged in his heart, nearly causing him to feel like he couldn’t live.
“I previously told you, regardless of the beliefs or purposes you had before, once you become a blood tribe, the first thing to do is to completely set them aside—even forget them. First, live fully as a great blood tribe, immerse yourself in the good and bad experiences, see the virtues and vices of the blood tribe world clearly, and then decide how to proceed.”
I spent twenty full years setting aside everything, navigating the nuances, only to determine how I should become a person again. Otherwise, you would end up as you are now, not quite a human, nor a ghost; neither world could accommodate you.
“Haha, do you think my experience is luxurious? Most dark arrow leaders and captains probably won’t live beyond twenty years, right… sigh, the measuring stick that dark arrows use to weigh a person’s heart is still too short. Otherwise, why would there even be traitors within the dark arrows?”
After saying this, Wan Yue returned to the sofa, continuing to furiously puff on her cigar.
“Traitors within the dark arrows… so from the very beginning, Wan Jie knew all about me?”
Meng Huai took a deep breath, shut his eyes, and once he voiced what was pent up inside, he felt a sense of relief.
“Haha, you have quite an imagination… don’t think that just because you are currently doing things that seem correct, you can continue this way without error; it won’t be long before you make mistakes, and it’s not just a small psychological test that will throw you into chaos.”
Wan Yue pointed toward the study door, her face breaking into a strange smile once more: “Let’s go to the living room and meet a real person. Then we can consider how to eliminate the true ghosts in this world!”
Meng Huai paused, slowly turning to gaze at the corridor outside the door.
In the living room stood a young man in a suit, facing the floor-to-ceiling window, looking out at the scenery.
Footsteps were heard descending the stairs behind, and Qing Jing slowly turned around while pulling out a cigarette.
Meng Huai’s footsteps halted, and Zhong Jing’s cigarette stopped just a few centimeters from his mouth.
“Elder brother…”
Zhong Jing smiled, dropping the cigarette, and rushed toward Meng Huai, his pace growing faster as the distance closed.
“Hey, elder brother, you’re looking more handsome every day!”
With arms wide open, he fiercely hugged Meng Huai, one hand firmly patting his back, and Zhong Jing laughed joyfully.
Meng Huai smiled as well, holding Zhong Jing’s shoulders, feeling the tangled emotion in his heart dissipate temporarily…
……
At the entrance of the second-floor hallway, Wan Yue leaned out a bit, watching the scene of the brothers reuniting below, throwing a smile at the silent Jiang Ying beside her.
“You’re not much better than Meng Huai; you must have felt surprised by this psychological test too, right?”
Wan Yue winked, smiling cheekily.
“Wan Jie, have many people sacrificed uselessly in these years for the dark arrows due to blood invasion…”
Jiang Ying bit her lip, her face similarly pale, expression full of anguish.
Wan Yue turned back, her voice exceptionally gentle: “Silly girl, whether it’s the dark arrows or us, to fight against this wicked world, a price must be paid.
“The psychological testing model prototype from the secret agencies in Europe and America is fundamentally based on their worldview and cultural foundations. However, in Huaguo, there is already a set of our own philosophy and principles for life. Otherwise, why do the Western blood tribes always feel that our blood tribes in Huaguo are incompatible with them?”
“Moreover, the world of blood tribes inherently has a seemingly cruel yet understandable ethical loop… Using external viewpoints to fathom the thoughts of blood tribes is inherently quite difficult; the world everyone sees is fundamentally different…”
As she spoke, Wan Yue drew Jiang Ying closer, affectionately stroking her hair: “However, we need not fear how great the cost of mistakes will be, as long as we find the correct answer.”
Jiang Ying hesitated for a few seconds before gently asking: “Wan Jie, if Meng Huai is an undercover for the dark arrows, what exactly is his mission?”
After glancing back at the two brothers in the living room chatting softly, Wan Yue smiled mysteriously: “Let me think, it should be that the Han family gave him a presumptuous truth… Haha, do you genuinely not understand, or are you pretending not to get it?”
As she finished speaking, Wan Yue embraced Jiang Ying, whispering softly in her ear: “Go on, get along well with Meng Huai; he is the key for us to play a life-and-death game against the enemy this time…”
