Chapter 257: Nation and Family
On May 26, it is advisable to set nets and seal holes; do not take any other actions.
In H City, G Province, by the Red Water River.
At this time, G Province had entered the rainy season. Just past midnight, a dense rain enveloped the earth.
In the pitch-black rainy night, a winding expressway crossed mountains and rivers, with occasional small cars traveling with high beams, darting like frightened little animals.
In a forest somewhere, Wan Yue wore a rain forest digital camouflage combat uniform, hiding under a rock wall, silently smoking a cigarette.
A slight sound of footsteps emerged from the dense forest on one side, bringing with it a faint aura of chaos.
Wan Yue did not turn around; she simply stared blankly at the expressway in the distance below the mountain, wearing a strange smile.
“I came out in the name of reconnaissance; it’s too sensitive now, and I cannot leave them for too long to avoid suspicion from Liang Er.”
Zhuang Jianfei walked over to Wan Yue, glanced at her outfit, smiled, and took out his own cigarette case. Chu Dali had already sold Liang Er to An Jian, and it didn’t matter whether the Wang family made a move or not.
Wan Yue slowly turned around and quietly stared at Zhuang Jianfei, dressed in outdoor sportswear, without saying a word.
The Blood Dragon team had been sabotaged by the Wang family, becoming a freak. Someday, it would also need to be cleaned out by An Jian internally. Thus, it’s not that I’m cruel; this time, Chu Dali’s actions are better than having An Jian turn on each other later, right? Once this round is done, Chu Dali will go dormant. When Count Engel breaks through the drug, his matters will fall into my hands…
After Zhuang Jianfei quietly finished speaking, he lit a cigarette and turned his gaze towards the southwest direction.
“Uh-huh, I know all this… Pengfei, An Jian established the Blood Dragon team to infiltrate the Blood Clan world, and the Wang family’s burying of nails in the Blood Dragon team is just as bad.”
“In fact, these are all tricks of the Wang family to bait certain individuals. Erwin thinks he has been planning for a long time, but the Wang family has been systematically calculating their moves as well, right? The end of the last world war was a new chapter in the global landscape, but for the Blood Clan in Huaguo, it was merely halftime.”
Wan Yue stepped back two paces, sat down on a rock, appearing somewhat distracted.
Zhuang Jianfei was taken aback, and then his expression began to darken.
“Wan Yue, you have been in too much contact with the Wang family; you’ve already been influenced by them!”
Zhuang Jianfei said fiercely, his eyes filled with bloodshot rage.
“Don’t forget, the Wang family, like the Engel family, are mere parasites of the world; their national sentiment is just a tool for adhering to the world! The queen is currently in their hands; I don’t believe they aren’t coveting the progenitor plan even a little!”
The relationship between the two had become increasingly antagonistic over the years, seemingly having lost the once-shared emotional themes.
Outside the rocky wall, the rain poured down, like a tattered curtain swaying, riddled with holes.
In fact, from the beginning, An Jian and the Wang family had been two sides of the same coin. They say my mother was the creator of An Jian, but the truth would be hard for many to accept… Pengfei, if I told you I carry the Wang family’s blood, would you believe it?”
Wan Yue stood up, slowly walked to Zhuang Jianfei, stared into his eyes, her smile widening, her lips moving as she spoke in a tone only the two of them could hear.
“You said that Leader Rui… the Han family is also part of the Wang family!?”
Zhuang Jianfei’s pupils constricted, and then the hand holding the cigarette began to tremble, even his usually elegant and handsome face began to twitch.
“Haha, are you telling me that it was actually I and Sun Heshan who were played? Everything we do has long been calculated by the Wang family?”
Zhuang Jianfei flicked away the cigarette butt, laughing exaggeratedly, even shedding tears from laughter, breaking into a violent cough.
Seeing his former comrade slipping toward a near-mad state, Wan Yue couldn’t help but tilt her head slightly.
“What I’m saying is just to tell you that our strategic task is not about exterminating the Blood Clan or overthrowing the progenitor plan, but rather exploring the truth and the future.”
“In the past, we couldn’t do it because we didn’t understand, but in the future, we will be unable to do so because ordinary people and the Blood Clan actually have the potential to build a world together. I dare say if someone proposes to completely exterminate the Blood Clan in the future, the first one to oppose it will be An Jian.”
Wan Yue still wore a smile, but her words were coldly sharp, piercing Zhuang Jianfei’s eardrums like spikes.
The Wang family must have already found a solution to the progenitor plan problem. Pengfei, sometimes I wonder if it’s because I naturally carry the Blood Clan’s genes that my thoughts changed unconsciously after becoming a Blood Clan member. Yet you and Shan Ge remain steadfast in your original intentions…
Wan Yue self-mockingly shook her head, walked to the cliff’s edge, and extended her hand, playing with the curtain of rain outside.
“What significance is there for you to say this to me now??? Should I feel like both I and Guo Heshan are small fries?”
Zhuang Jianfei closed his eyes, his voice trembling slightly.
“There is meaning because this is the truth pieced together by the countless lives of the Blood Clan over the years. I basically know who An Jian’s mole is, and this game within a game will all come to an end.”
“Pengfei, you and Shan Ge’s mission has actually been completed; it’s time to rest and live well…”
After speaking, Wan Yue walked behind Zhuang Jianfei and placed her hand on his shoulder.
“No… there’s still unfinished business; Liang Er and Ruan Shunhong are going to attack An Jian’s stationed troops to cover for Chu Dali. Although they have abandoned it, they have the Frankenstein drug in their hands. If I’m not present, they will cause significant casualties for An Jian.”
“Wan Yue, since you already have a response, then after the victory, remember to set up a monument for Guo Heshan, even if it’s an unmarked one… As for me, just forget it.”
Zhuang Jianfei wiped his face, walked out from under the rocky wall, plunged into the downpour, stumbling forward.
Wan Yue wanted very much to chase after him and grab Zhuang Jianfei, but her outstretched hand only lingered in the rain for a second before slowly retracting.
In Wan Yue’s eyes, Zhuang Jianfei had resorted to various unscrupulous means over the years to extract informants from An Jian’s high command, sacrificing countless lives of both Blood Clan members and ordinary people, but he had never truly turned his blade towards An Jian’s comrades.
“Is it that those who become seeds all end up at this point…”
The familiar aura of chaos gradually disappeared. Looking at the pitch-black forest, Wan Yue revealed a lonely expression.
…
…
The night rain did not only fall within Huaguo; it also covered the entire southwest and its borders.
In the territory of Qin, in a valley of the Jia Mountain range just a few kilometers from the border, Han Jie Li was wearing a military raincoat, hidden behind a large rock, making a phone call.
Half an hour remained before the call service of the Guard Army; only the captain and instructor of the Blood Dragon team, along with Han Jie Li, could use the special satellite communication frequency to keep in touch with the forward command.
“Director Ye, the Wang family has sent word; they have discovered the movements of Ruan Shunhong and Liang Er, planning to take the initiative to strike within three days, with the specific time to be notified two hours before the action…”
This time, the Wang family is led by Uncle Qi, including the Zhou family. They have already arrived in H City and hope we can cooperate to seal off the relevant areas and avoid collateral damage.
Han Jie Li leaned against the rock wall, subtly gesturing to a shadow squatting not far away.
“Hehe, the Wang family is so secretive, and they actually waited until now. They are eager to make a move, and An Jian can cooperate with them… I will pass this intelligence to Commander Han. The specific combat plan must remain confidential from the Wang family, and any situation must be reported to me immediately.”
At the other end, Ye Zhijun spoke calmly, as if he had already anticipated it.
With the communication cut off, Han Jie Li stared at the satellite phone in his hand, somewhat lost in thought.
A minute later, the shadow in the distance slowly approached, and a spot of light appeared, revealing a special tablet computer handed to Han Jie Li.
“Chief of Staff Han, I just received a highly confidential task requiring me to scout whether there are Wang family members lurking in Gaobian, which should be sent by Director Ye.”
Tu Weijun’s expression seemed somewhat unnatural, as if he had confirmed something, and he sat beside Han Jie Li with a sigh of relief, directly pulling off the hood of the military raincoat, exposing his entire face to the rain.
“Although I know the superiors have countermeasures, do they really plan to use the essence of the Blood Dragon team as bait to be consumed? After all, many comrades are innocent…”
Tu Weijun closed his eyes and muttered to himself.
“Battling the Black Blood Clan is still better than an internal purge, right? Old Tu, do you trust your comrades? I mean everyone here.”
Han Jie Li did not move, as if he were talking to the air.
“I was among the second batch to join the Blood Dragon team, and I’m familiar with everyone here; all are extraordinary men!”
Tu Weijun wiped the rain from his face, straightened his body, as if he had made a certain resolution. “Is it right to say that since we’re all in a situation of fighting to the death, and we know who the real enemy is, then some things are better said openly! Let everyone understand before death.”
Han Jie Li called out to Tu Weijun directly, shaking his head repeatedly: “Now in a combat state, if you poke a hole in certain matters, it’s equivalent to shaking the morale of the troops.”
“In fact, it shouldn’t be so tragic; you only need to consider whether they dare to go on after today. After all, they are all the Blood Clan of our Huaguo…”
Tu Weijun was taken aback, lost in thought. At that moment, a certain mysterious Blood Clan woman, with whom he had had several secret contacts over the years, suddenly appeared in his mind.
“Could it be that the one who gave me the multi-system cultivation method for the Blood Clan was also from the Wang family? If the Wang family secretly supports An Jian’s establishment, then why do they have to secretly sabotage the Blood Dragon team?”
The more Tu Weijun thought, the more he felt a sense of confusion about its meaning.
Han Jie Li extended his hand, pressing it on Tu Weijun’s shoulder: “The previous tacit understanding was merely a contest of mutual vigilance… perhaps the Wang family is conducting some kind of social experiment? What could be more suitable than the Blood Dragon team?”
“All these years, we’ve been guarding against collusion between domestic Blood Clans and foreign ones, while the Wang family is also worried that An Jian has something going on?”
Mulling over Han Jie Li’s words, Tu Weijun quietly stood up, took a deep breath, and strode away into the distance.
…
As one of Huaguo’s geostrategic security core areas, the war between North America and Vietnam more than fifty years ago led Huaguo to invest considerable effort in aiding the northern neighboring country, Laos, and supporting the northern brother regime of Vietnam.
In the northern mountainous region of Laos, there exists a secretly constructed logistical transportation route from that time.
Once upon a time, hundreds of billions worth of military and civilian supplies, earned through the suffering of the people, relentlessly crossed this hazardous environment of the mountains, and were continuously sent to the front lines of the Indochina Peninsula.
Half a century later, the once small aid path to Vietnam has already been submerged by the relentless return of the rainforest, leaving behind shocking rotten signs warning of landmines that can be seen everywhere.
For many years, this frontier region has long become a forbidden zone where ordinary people cannot survive, but it is one of the most active underground smuggling routes in the Southeast Asian Blood Clan world.
Deep in the valley, a large natural cave initially opened by Huaguo and Vietnam engineers as a logistics base and soldier hideout has undergone multiple human interventions, making the internal passages complex, resembling a super maze hidden beneath the mountain.
As time has passed, the once winding path leading to the cave has become hard to trace, but many details before abandonment remain intact within.
The main force of the Blood Dragon team, having been dispatched south, is now completely hidden here, including captain Li Hongjun and instructor Tu Weijun, totaling sixty-two people, over half of the current officially organized members of the Blood Dragon team.
Among these sixty-two individuals, in terms of rank, aside from the four barons who have made a full deployment, there are also twenty-eight knights and thirty attendants.
With the technical equipment level and tactics of the Blood Dragon team, such a large-scale main force deployment is comparable to that of a count.
In the deepest part of the cave, within a spacious pit, the captain of the Blood Dragon team, Li Hongjun, was holding a tactical flashlight while working on a map, surrounded by a scattering of fully armed soldiers from the Blood Dragon team.
Li Hongjun was not only the captain but also the highest-ranking Arthur upper-tier baron in the Blood Dragon team. Although he still bore injuries from a hard clash with the Black Blood Clan of Vietnam a few days ago, he voluntarily took on the task of leading this operation.
Before joining the Blood Dragon team, Li Hongjun was a lieutenant squad leader in the regular army. He was the second batch to join after Tu Weijun, and his rare blood type and exceptional qualifications allowed him to become the strongest combat force of the Blood Dragon team in less than four years.
In the eyes of the top leaders at An Jian headquarters, Li Hongjun was a typical soldier with solid political beliefs and high military skills.
“Captain, communication with the forward command has been completed. They request that we now enter a concealed state and await further orders. Routine roll call will now commence.”
As soon as Tu Weijun finished speaking, Han Jie Li pulled down the power switch of the battery on the cave wall. One light after another lit up, instantly illuminating the dim pit as if it were daylight. At the same time, a roster also appeared in Tu Weijun’s hand.
“All personnel assemble! Instructor will conduct roll call!”
After a glance at Han Jie Li, Li Hongjun nodded and turned to give the order.
Footsteps sounded; the soldiers of the Blood Dragon team adjusting themselves from all directions lined up neatly in two rows along the sides of the cave wall.
“Wu Tong.”
“Present!”
“Liu Weimin.”
“Present!”
Tu Weijun held the roster, looking around. Each time he called out a name, a Blood Dragon team soldier took a small step out of line, standing tall.
As Tu Weijun read out familiar names, his gaze did not actually look at the roster in his hands but occasionally shot glances at Li Hongjun.
Han Jie Li, standing at the cave entrance, appeared like an outsider, wearing a strangely amused expression.
Li Hongjun sensed that Tu Weijun was somewhat unusual today, but he couldn’t pinpoint what was strange. As for the intelligence officer Han, he felt even more shrouded in mystery.
After about ten minutes, Tu Weijun and Li Hongjun arrived in another passage while Han Jie Li seemed to have disappeared somewhere.
“Old Tu, does the combat plan from Commander Han still need to be kept secret from me?”
Li Hongjun looked at Tu Weijun, increasingly feeling something off. Although Tu Weijun was the most valuable Apennine Baron in the Blood Dragon team and had high management authority, he was still the military supervisor.
Holding the roster, Tu Weijun didn’t respond directly to this question; instead, he hesitated for several seconds before uttering a strange name: “Captain, do you know a person named Wang Nian?”
Li Hongjun didn’t answer, but his pupils suddenly constricted.
“And Wang Qiguang… Wang Lie… Zhang Shunqing…”
Tu Weijun didn’t even look at Li Hongjun, just talking to himself, continuously rattling off names for more than ten seconds.
“Wait a moment, Old Tu!”
Finally, Li Hongjun spoke up, his face pale and eyes reflecting a complex array of emotions.
Tu Weijun turned his head, quietly watching his long-time partner of forty years. A few seconds later, he gently placed the roster into Li Hongjun’s hands: “Last one, Chen Jiaquan.”
Li Hongjun’s body shuddered, staring in shock at the usually stern yet amiable instructor, whose gaze was now cold to the extreme.
The cave fell silent, leaving only their heavy breaths and the subtle clash of chaotic auras.
“Hehe, it’s been more than forty years, and I thought I had long forgotten the name Chen Jiaquan… Instructor, how did you know?”
Li Hongjun took a deep breath, slowly standing up: “Old Tu, I do come from the Wang family, but I was also a Huaguo soldier. More than forty years ago, I understood clearly who I should be!”
Before Tu Weijun, Li Hongjun gradually removed his weapons, tossing them aside, the tension and fury on his face dissipating as if shedding a heavy burden.
“I also never expected that you, Li Hongjun, the captain of the Blood Dragon team, would be someone from the Wang family…”
Tu Weijun looked toward the cave exit with a sigh: “Among these more than ten people, two are barons, and the rest are all knights at the very least. Luckily, they still seem like Huaguo soldiers.”
Li Hongjun stepped back a few paces, sat down again, and lowered his head, his voice downcast: “We used to be all ordinary people from the Wang family’s collateral branches. In modern terms, we all carry the Blood Clan’s genes. From the moment we became aware, we either voluntarily or involuntarily awaited our family’s arrangements…”
“But over the past forty years, we have been the same as our comrades, raising the same national flag, singing the same national anthem, writing the same characters, studying the same books… It’s just that we have a few more shackles.”
As he spoke, Li Hongjun sarcastically laughed, resting his head against the cave wall: “One day, an adult who existed only in my parents’ whispers appeared, telling me whether I wanted to be someone different from the Wang family, free from their restraints, and I immediately agreed…”
In just a few minutes, Li Hongjun spoke about the past of a lonely boy confined under the wings of a traditional Blood Clan family in Huaguo.
… Until just now, we were all convinced that our choices were immensely correct.
Believing in our power to defend our home and country had nothing to do with being part of the Wang family! I believe those dozen brothers feel the same way.
Moreover, up to now, the Wang family no longer has any contact with us, as if we had all been exiled… Do you believe what I say?
Li Hongjun glanced at Tu Weijun across from him, suddenly smiling, as if he had just recounted an inconsequential little story.
Tu Weijun had been listening, slightly bowing his head, obscuring his expression.
“Tu Weijun, you genuinely don’t listen to advice; hey… why do you insist on making things difficult for yourself now… Back in the day, Captain Li, I respected your stance concerning the nation and family. If what just unfolded were another scene, we would await the detonation of explosives hidden at the cave entrance, buried together without the enemy’s interference.”
At this moment, Han Jie Li, who had been pretending to be an outsider, not knowing when he had approached, also walked over with a hint of self-mockery, having also activated a triggering device within his jacket, dropping it to the ground.
Han Jie Li forced a smile and sat next to Tu Weijun, pointing to his face: “Hey, it turns out we are actually relatives… the Han family might even be closer related to you, Captain Li, than to the Wang family!”
“Chief Staff Han, what do you mean…”
Han Jie Li’s revelation left Tu Weijun baffled, and Li Hongjun was even more confused.
“Captain Li, Old Tu, since my last name is Han, you should know who is behind me… The Blood Dragon team has already been betrayed, and according to Commander Han’s operational plan, everyone here will be slaughtered within twenty-four hours.”
“However, An Jian and the Wang family have suffered losses from moles over the past year, and now I’ve formed a secret operational partnership with the Wang family. This operation will place the Blood Dragon team at the brink of destruction, but it must make all opponents realize what will happen if they stir trouble in Huaguo!”
“Captain Li, Old Tu, since what occurred just now was like overturning the table, let’s be frank: this time, everyone follows my lead, and all responsibility falls on me! As for the dozen or so of you, should you wish to leave the Blood Dragon team afterwards, no one will stop you; I will report you all as casualties.”
As he spoke, a fervor and viciousness appeared in Han Jie Li’s eyes, akin to a super gambler ready to reveal his final trump card.
Li Hongjun slowly stood up, watching both Tu Weijun and Han Jie Li, his fists gradually tightening: “You and the Wang family are deceiving the headquarters and Commander Han!? Tu Weijun, do you intend to strip me of my command?”
Han Jie Li pulled up his raincoat, not even glancing at Li Hongjun: “This is unrelated to Tu Weijun; it’s my personal action… What better plan do I have? If I reveal even a fraction of the real situation to the headquarters, the enemy will catch on… Hehe, as long as there are still Wang family members in the Blood Dragon team, many will hesitate.”
After saying this, Han Jie Li intentionally pointed toward the cave exit in the distance.
“Old Li, Chief Staff Han is deceiving the enemy; since the enemy wishes to annihilate the Blood Dragon team here, let’s use their own tactics against them!
Tu Weijun immediately rose to grab Li Hongjun’s arm and then directed an apologetic expression at Han Jie Li: “Chief Staff Han, considering the situation, you indeed should share the real combat plan with us.”
“Alright, now we start; within twenty-four hours, we will cut off all communication with the forward command, and then…”
Han Jie Li took out a map, starting to plan, while Tu Weijun and Li Hongjun listened intently.
… The nearest Xuanjia brigade is willing to cooperate with us; they will secretly move to the northern part of the valley before the battle commences, blocking the enemy’s escape route, and the main forces of the Wang family will launch an assault from both sides of the valley. As for the southern side of the valley… heh, there will be surprises waiting for them.
A few minutes later, after explaining the operational plan, Han Jie Li surveyed the dimly lit passage, smiling: “Now, you two need to mobilize everyone to reinforce this area… A one-and-a-half-ton thermobaric bomb detonating outside is no joke…”
Tu Weijun was taken aback, bitterly smiling and pointing at Han Jie Li: “Chief Staff Han, if something goes wrong, no amount of bullets will bring us back.”
“Hmph, just think of yourself as already dead… In a little while, we’ll dispatch sentries; Old Tu, as an Apennine Baron, it’s up to you to handle the vigilance; everyone else, fully reinforce the interior of the cave. Haha, at worst, we all perish together!”
Li Hongjun had completely calmed down, clapped his hands, checking his tactical wristwatch with an unreadable expression.
