Chapter 116: Strategic Mission
December 7th, Saturday, morning.
In the Xishan Forest Park of the capital city, a certain secret military base.
In a medical observation room located on the underground level, Meng Huai lay quietly on the bed, bare-chested, with countless monitoring wires attached to his exposed skin.
Outside the thick glass wall stood several men and women in white lab coats, along with two soldiers, one elderly and one young.
“Sir, Comrade Meng Huai’s blood invasion index has completely stabilized, and the risk probability for final blood invasion is nearly zero. According to the original plan, next Monday, I will accompany him back to his original unit to execute the final detachment mission.”
At this moment, Han Jieqian looked very serious as he held the documents in his hands and reported in a low voice.
“It’s going very smoothly; Comrade Meng Huai hasn’t disappointed us! By the way, once the final blood invasion is completed, what level can he reach?”
Han Guowei took the documents handed to him by Han Jieqian, slowly flipping through a few pages, nodding in satisfaction, but he still emphasized the issue he cared about most.
A military doctor quickly opened the folder in his hands: “Oh, regarding this, through our sampling and testing of Comrade Meng Huai’s bone marrow stem cells and primary cardiomyocytes, the probability of him directly becoming a first-tier attendant after complete blood invasion is over eighty percent, while the probability of becoming a first-tier attendant is around fifty percent, which is the best result we have encountered in years.”
“Comrade Meng Huai has a recessive expression of the Apennine bloodline at the genetic level. His mother, Meng Xiang, as a same lineage donor, belongs to a rare blood type, so the blood invasion agent is almost a perfect fit for his body. You could say he’s a rare talent that comes along only once in decades.”
The military doctor’s somewhat excited words resonated among the medical staff, and each person felt a rush of emotions.
“As for the final blood invasion agent type, I see that you chose the Almaty bloodline viscount donor; is that alright?”
Han Guowei nodded and turned his head towards the on-site technical supervisor: “Can you guarantee that there will be no lineage mixing reactions? What if it turns into a hybrid bloodline?”
Han Guowei naturally trusted the professionals at the technical center, but for an exceptional seed like Meng Huai, he always hoped that everything would go flawlessly.
Hybrid bloodlines refer to an extremely rare phenotype of double lineage dominant gene inheritance when children are born from different bloodline ancestries, usually with a probability of less than five percent.
In simple terms, under normal circumstances, the combination of Lineage A and Lineage B will only express Lineage A or Lineage B as dominant, with the other as recessive. A hybrid means that the surface lineage appears to be one but shows mixed reactions that lead to partial dominant mutations of the other lineage.
Hybrid bloodlines grow at an astonishing speed, but their upper limit is eternally capped at the knight level, remaining forever out of reach of barons.
To minimize the likelihood of this happening, it is common for authorized bloodline families from Europe and America to choose partners from the same ancestral lineage when marrying off direct descendants or simply choose ordinary people, ensuring pure lineage.
Moreover, hybrid bloodline knights seem to also experience a “breakout” effect at the genetic level, leading to a higher probability of falling into decadence due to growth anxiety compared to other bloodlines.
Hearing Han Guowei raise such a tricky question, the supervisor quickly handed over a folder, pointing at a table within: “The previous technical blood invasion steps all used Comrade Meng Huai’s mother’s blood invasion agent, establishing a solid foundation, and the blood invasion stability is very high…”
“We have conducted a series of tests, and the probability of a mixed reaction is extremely low, which is why we ultimately chose the blood invasion agent from the mid-tier viscount of the Almaty bloodline for Comrade Meng Huai’s final blood invasion operation.”
In fact, using the Apennine bloodline’s agent for the final blood invasion would be better, as it could avoid hybrids completely. However, we believe that raising the level post blood invasion is more important than increasing the success rate. Additionally, the growth speed of the Apennine bloodline is too slow, which is not beneficial for Comrade Meng Huai’s future tasks.
Saying this, the supervisor sighed somewhat regretfully: “He Qianmi, was only a mid-tier baron during her lifetime, and she is the highest-level Apennine bloodline we can find in the country. In Europe and America, samples of the Apennine bloodline above viscount are also extremely rare, and they are basically unwilling to share with us.”
After listening to the explanation, though a bit regrettable, Han Guowei had to acknowledge this optimal solution.
Nodding, Han Guowei shifted his gaze back from the supervisor and turned to seriously look at Han Jieqian: “How is he learning the related internal and external bloodline materials? I remember there were materials from the Blood Dragon Academy; how is he doing with them? I remember there were materials from the Blood Dragon Academy…”
“The team has specific learning materials, covering from blood servants to knight levels, all provided to him!”
“We gave them to him four days ago. Brother Meng, oh no, Baron Meng, reads and recites diligently every day. However, I feel this might not hold much significance since he hasn’t actually become a bloodline yet; without personal experience, these written materials probably won’t be useful.”
Han Jieqian quickly lowered his voice, glancing stealthily towards the depths of the corridor where a fully armed Shadow Guard was stationed. “Should we let the Blood Dragon Brigade members personally explain to him for a day or two?”
Han Guowei almost immediately shook his head without thinking, his tone very strict: “Baron Meng belongs to a special confidential operation group, which is completely separate from the Blood Dragon Brigade. His personal information is something even the commander of the Blood Dragon Brigade lacks the qualifications to access! We’ll have to see how well he comprehends it!”
“Once he leaves here, aside from you and me, no one will know his true identity; not even your second uncle can have access!” Upon hearing this, Han Jieqian quickly closed his mouth, the image of an old man surfacing in his mind.
Suddenly, a colonel officer hurriedly approached from the end of the corridor, a briefcase in hand, his expression serious.
“Let’s leave it at that for now; everyone, please excuse us.”
Han Guowei only glanced and then said to the surrounding medical staff, who cleared out within seconds.
“Report, sir; we have received some intelligence sharing materials from the EU regarding the last quarter. The Intelligence Bureau found some strange information within, but they can’t verify it.”
The middle-aged officer opened his briefcase and took out a photo along with accompanying documents.
“This is a photograph of the mutilated corpse of a Chinese-affiliated mid-tier baron bloodline discovered by the secret forces of the Netherlands during a raid on a black bloodline stronghold. After autopsy analysis, it has been confirmed to be an Almaty baron, yet the true identity is in question. According to the relevant protocol, the EU is required to notify us and seek our assistance in verifying the identity of this person.”
“During the autopsy, we unexpectedly found a tattoo pattern on the wrist of the corpse. Director Ye means for you to take a look at these materials and see if there are any points of concern.”
Han Guowei immediately took the photo and documents, and upon glancing at them, his heart raced.
That was a secret symbol that had been dormant for decades, a form of identity recognition for the first-generation seeds of the special confidential operation group from a time when scientific technology was not yet developed.
The so-called tattoo pattern, in fact, consisted of three oracle bone characters: 赤, 火, and 矢.
Han Guowei felt his hand tremble slightly as he held the photo; he recognized this oracle bone character tattoo combination. Or rather, it had been etched in his mind since he joined the confidential operation group, tormenting him for twenty years.
Chi Huo Yi, translated into its real codename, was known as the Red Rocket, one of the three seeds that undertook a strategic mission for the special confidential operation group sixty years ago.
The unfortunate thing was that the Red Rocket had completely gone missing twenty years ago, its whereabouts unknown, making it one of Han Guowei’s most profound memories of failure.
Because Han Guowei was the third-generation scarecrow of the Red Rocket. The first generation was his grandmother, the second generation his father Han Zhongliang. His grandmother passed away in the 1970s, leaving the true identity of the Red Rocket eternally a mystery.
“If our database does not have relevant identity tracking and recognition information, relying solely on this appearance that resembles a Chinese could not prove it came from our country. I’m also unsure of the situation; please reply to the EU as per the usual protocol, Director Ye.”
Han Guowei struggled to suppress his rapid heartbeat, casually returning the documents and photo, his tone flat. The colonel officer was momentarily taken aback and could only salute and leave.
Standing beside Han Guowei, Han Jieqian noticed some subtle changes in Han Guowei but merely smiled and turned away, remaining silent.
“Comrade Han Jieqian!”
After taking a few deep breaths, Han Guowei glanced once more at Baron Meng inside the glass wall, suddenly turning around and fixing his gaze on his nephew.
“Yes, sir!”
Han Jieqian stood at attention reflexively, a confused expression on his face, as he rarely saw his third uncle treating him with such seriousness.
“You are about to become a scarecrow; tonight, come with me to meet the old leader… um, that is, your second great uncle, Han Zhongliang.”
After finishing his words, Han Guowei turned and strode away, leaving Han Jieqian in a daze.
…
In recent years, many commercial entertainment venues around have begun making a push for their operations or preparing in advance, with a lively atmosphere brewing in anticipation of several upcoming festive seasons, and even the Golden River Club is no exception.
At noon, in a staff lounge, Zhao Peng was still fast asleep, but those surrounding him wore tense expressions.
The external hormone inhibitors had suppressed the majority of Zhao Peng’s pheromone release, and his breath fluctuations were extremely weak. However, several medical monitoring devices indicated that Zhao Peng’s condition was not good, and it could be said to be somewhat dangerous.
The failure rate of baron promotions has no reasonable reference value. Though the possibility of death is not high, once the promotion fails, it is really like trying to draw water with a basket.
Not only does it lead to a significant loss of strength and requires more time to rebuild, but the worst-case scenario could even damage the foundation, leaving no second chance.
Moreover, the promotion difficulty of the Siberian baron is already among the bottom third in the eight major bloodline ancestries, second only to the Iberian and Apennine bloodlines. After all the hardships to enter the promotion hibernation, if failure occurs, the cost is almost unbearable.
It should be a blood fusion reaction; otherwise, I should draw some blood for testing…
Little Dong, the chief surgeon of the Hyacinth group, finally broke the silence and expressed her opinion. As soon as her words came out, aside from Wan Yue, Jiang Yao, and Xiao Ai’s faces all changed simultaneously.
“Isn’t it the rare blood of the Siberian viscount from Africa? It has absolutely no time and spatial correlation with Brother Peng.”
Xiao Ai tightly grasped Zhao Peng’s cold hand, shaking her head furiously, not believing this conclusion: “Could it be a rejection reaction like what happened to Xiao Yao last time?”
Xiao Ai’s words left Little Dong in confusion. Because the numerous monitoring results indicated that Zhao Peng’s current condition was likely a blood fusion, and Zhao Peng did not suffer from primary blood dependency syndrome or similar issues.
Perhaps only Wan Yue and Jiang Yao understood clearly; Zhao Peng indeed showed signs of blood fusion, but this was absolutely not something that could be admitted.
Because days ago, Zhao Peng had donated blood to Jiang Yao. Though it had been nearly months, theoretically, some special blood fusion memory factors in Jiang Yao’s body should have all but faded, and the probability of fusion occurring was supposed to be extremely low. However, after hundreds of milliliters of that strange blood from Peng Dao inputted into Jiang Yao, any unexpected reaction was not surprising at all.
“Little Dong, take my blood and input it, then inject Zhao Peng with a blood replenishing agent.”
Wan Yue dropped her cigarette, rolled up her sleeves, and the room was momentarily stunned. As soon as the words fell, Wan Yue activated boiling blood, achieving a very precise low-boiling state, without causing any disturbance in broad daylight.
Wan Yue’s pheromone aura once again filled the room; though devoid of any hostility and already familiar, Xiao Ai and Little Dong still shivered slightly, their faces somewhat pale.
At this close distance, the oppressive force of a half-viscount’s deterrence was still somewhat hard to endure for the two.
Only Jiang Yao calmly stood up quickly, retrieving the blood-drawing equipment from the preparation area by the head of the bed.
In the hall, Jiang Yao and Uncle Liang continued taking turns guarding. Perhaps once Zhao Peng’s promotion hibernation finally stabilizes, this tense atmosphere might gradually dissipate. However, Liang Tai clearly attached great importance to Zhao Peng’s situation these past days, as this could very well mean the end of his future failures.
This was both a curse and desire at the genetic level for bloodlines, as well as a hope of humanity under the atmosphere of the Hyacinth family.
Only two days until the opening; we have to set up something, it’s not appropriate if we don’t, right? The excuse for suspension and renovation has to be carried out, after all.
Suddenly, the club’s door was pushed open, and Zhong Jing appeared at the entrance, holding a mysterious metal box in his left hand and a large paper bag in his right.
“Hey, what are you doing here?”
Jiang Yao sniffed the air lightly, catching a whiff of something delicious, and immediately ran over with a grin, “Let me see if it’s something tasty!”
“Sure, premium sewage oil, all your favorites.”
As the large paper bag opened, Zhong Jing took out item after item: burgers, fried chicken, egg tarts, fries, and cola—whatever junk food you could think of.
Brother Zhao is in promotion hibernation; you didn’t know, did you? Hehe, the new Siberian baron!
With fries stuffed in her mouth and a burger in her left hand, while licking the ketchup off her fingers, Jiang Yao mumbled, her words becoming indistinct.
Zhao Ge is finally starting his promotion? You just told me today? Zhong Jing was taken aback, glancing at the dazed Jiang Yao.
The mysterious smile on Liang Tai’s face also lit up as he looked at Jiang Yao, who was devouring the food vigorously, clearly pleased.
You all just started chatting, Wan Yu and the others are waiting. Hehe, you all carry on, I’ll go take a look.
Liang Tai perhaps knew some of the rumors about Zhong Jing getting close to Jiang Yao, picked up a silenced submachine gun from the table, and knowingly stood up to leave, giving Zhong Jing and Jiang Yao a moment of solitude.
You didn’t tell me this good news? I texted you last night, but you didn’t reply.
Zhong Jing nonchalantly grabbed a fry and put it in her mouth, her eyes wandering over Jiang Yao’s face, “You didn’t stay here these past two days, did you?”
What can I do? My sister has only lasted for two or three hours these days. Brother Zhao’s situation over there has been quite troublesome.
Jiang Yao looked at her buddy, eating cheerily, but her flickering gaze showed some anxiety, as if she had guessed the reason behind Zhao Peng’s current condition.
I was going to say, today I have good news for your sister…
Zhong Jing sat to the side, fiddling with a cigarette box in her hand, her words tinged with a smile but her expression somewhat strange.
Good news? You can’t tell from your face; are you planning to tease us again?
Jiang Yao was taken aback, tilting her head to look at Zhong Jing with a suddenly enlightened expression, as if she had unraveled the other’s old trick.
What I mean is, my brother… this morning received news from his unit’s leader that he is out of danger, and his health has improved quite a bit. He will return to City C next week and transition to civilian life. Do you think we should tell Jiang Yan?
Zhong Jing didn’t pay attention to Jiang Yao’s changing expression, instead lighting up a cigarette, starting to reflect, “Isn’t the world just so strange? Everyone thought he was doomed this time, even my dad was picking out a grave for him, yet he surprised everyone…”
Three stages… three stages of deterioration, and he was saved?
The oversized cup of cola in her hand fell to the ground, the wine-red liquid and white foam poured out in an avalanche, even splattering her skirt. Jiang Yao’s mouth dropped open, her face filled with disbelief.
…
In the capital city.
Night fell, and a military-registered off-road vehicle slowly arrived in front of an ancient-style siheyuan.
In the afternoon, Han Guowei and Han Jieqian were both dressed in neat military uniforms. A middle-aged woman in military attire had already been waiting at the gate of the siheyuan.
Mom, what are you doing here?
Upon recognizing the middle-aged woman, Han Jieqian felt quite embarrassed.
It’s my turn to take care of your second great uncle; why can’t I be here?
Saying that, Han Kui turned her gaze to Han Guowei, smiling, “Third brother, your second uncle knew you were coming and has had an extra drink tonight.”
“Well, today marks the real day that Han Jieqian is on duty; according to family rules, he should meet the elder.”
Han Guowei smiled, turned, and patted Han Jieqian’s shoulder: “Let’s go, we don’t want to waste time.”
“Third brother, thank you for letting Xiao Jie join the special confidential operation group; he doesn’t have to go to the front lines…”
As Qiujia and the others were about to step into the siheyuan, Han Kui quietly said something from behind.
Han Guowei paused, slightly turning his waist, and merely nodded lightly.
…
In the back garden, under the moonlight, in a pavilion covered by ancient vines, leaned a frail old man with white hair, draped in a thick military coat.
The pavilion’s lighting was bright and gentle, and the old man, with reading glasses, held a book, carefully turning its pages.
He was the retired lieutenant general, once the second-in-command of the Shadow Arrow Headquarters, now an eighty-eight-year-old elder, Han Zhongliang.
Dad…
An elderly and a young soldier appeared outside the pavilion. The frail old man set down the book and removed his glasses, revealing a kind smile: “You’ve all come; good… you must be Han Jieqian from the fourth branch, hmm, you look like your mother, delicate, but you need to work on your physique.”
Han Zhongliang made a hand gesture, prompting Han Jieqian to step forward, allowing the elderly man to lightly wave his shoulders and arms.
Dad, Han Jieqian will officially take on the scarecrow task tomorrow; today he’s here to let you know.
Han Guowei took off his military cap, sitting on a stone bench in the pavilion, smiling as he watched the harmonious scene of the grandfather and grandson before him.
Just keep your own measure in mind; I’ve already retired, so don’t tell me anything. This is a matter of confidentiality. I hope that Xiao Jie can accomplish great things. Don’t be too sad about the sacrifices he might make; if he receives first-class merit, that’ll bring honor to our family.
Han Zhongliang shook his head, his face, marked by age spots, held a seriousness that was rarely seen, mixed with a hint of melancholy.
“Dad, actually, today there’s something else I need you to know…”
Han Guowei took a deep breath, lowering his voice to a whisper: “The Red Rocket has been found.”
With a thud, the book slipped from the old man’s hands, the military coat cascading down as his frail body trembled slightly.
“But it has been confirmed dead; the location of the remains is in the Netherlands.”
Han Guowei held his military cap tightly, bowing his head, his tone grave: “We still cannot determine whether the Red Rocket defected or continued in a mission status during these twenty years of disappearance.”
“The Red Rocket… Haha, your grandmother knew who he was; even the codename was given by her… The other two were the Red Magician and the Red Diamond.”
A glint of moisture appeared in the corners of Han Zhongliang’s eyes, his voice growing hoarse: “Your grandmother shouldered the tasks of three seeds alone, later handing the Red Rocket over to me, but I only knew one codename.”
“To prevent unexpected events, your grandmother separated the scarecrows when she retired… Now, the Red Rocket nominally belongs to you, the Red Magician was entrusted to Director Ye of the Intelligence Bureau, and the Red Diamond to your cousin Han Guoping. It is a pity that all three seeds have gone missing, and this transfer ultimately has become untraceable…”
As he spoke, Han Zhongliang’s expression grew more regretful, to the point that his words became nearly inaudible.
“Dad, actually, months ago, we received a lot of intelligence related to the severed lineage of the progenitor plan…”
Han Guowei pondered for a moment, signaling to Han Jieqian, who quickly understood and retreated far away to avoid such confidential discussion.
“Should I refer this to you for consideration? Actually, don’t say anymore; I’ve retired; people can get muddled when they age; I might just let the secret escape…”
“Any progress on your work, especially anything related to strategic tasks, it’s best if I’m not informed about it anymore; remember, confidentiality discipline!”
The old man’s expression grew very grim as he directly gestured to stop his son from speaking.
“But Dad, what exactly are the three strategic tasks, and who are the corresponding seeds? Is there no record in the confidential operation group anymore?”
“Since the second generation of scarecrows, the dual-blind system between scarecrows and seeds has been implemented. Is it still reasonable? What if a seed defects, and false information is passed along? Isn’t there a need for collective discussion on this?”
Han Guowei’s tone was somewhat agitated, his series of questions sharper than the last. This rare emotional outburst from a fifty-something major general was unusual.
“Shut up. This is a rule set by your grandparents’ generation and the original headquarters leaders. Even the codename for the seeds was prepared in advance by your grandmother and was randomly drawn from it.”
“What’s called a strategic task is a mission that could take decades or even hundreds of years to accomplish, aimed at ensuring the strategic stability of our country in the future. Missions can fail, but they must never be exposed! I believe the Red Rocket would never betray this cause!”
Han Zhongliang slammed down on the armrest of his chair, his eyes shining with fervor, his expression resolute.
Han Guowei said no more, rising to his feet, putting on his military cap, and formally saluting his father, then stepped back.
…
Outside the siheyuan, in the military vehicle, Han Jieqian looked suspiciously at the silent major general seated in the passenger side, his mouth moved several times but didn’t dare to speak.
“Comrade Han Jieqian, I now announce the content of the fourth strategic task from the Headquarters’ Special Confidential Operation Group.”
Minutes later, Han Guowei’s eyes opened, his expression remarkably calm.
“Yes, sir!”
Just as Han Jieqian was about to salute reflexively, he realized he was in the driver’s seat; besides keeping his chest out, it was difficult for his body to move in any other angle.
“The seed codename is, Fearless Warrior. The strategic task codename is, Demon Hunt. There is no deadline for the task…”
As Han Guowei explained the details of the task one by one, Han Jieqian’s expression grew increasingly grave; this information could only be remembered and passed down verbally, with no written records allowed.
