Chapter 242: A Child Can Be Taught
Just past eleven o’clock at night, in a military compound, the command headquarters of the Western Monitoring Zone, temporary guesthouse.
Han Jiali sat at his desk, striving to recall every detail of his recent trip to the Wang family, writing furiously to record every word said by the Wang family members and every person he saw.
Although nearly everyone had their faces obscured, it did not hinder Han Jiali from noting down their heights and builds.
This was an extremely taxing task, and occasional lapses in memory would leave him uneasy. Consequently, Han Jiali spent the entire day almost trapped in his room, only leaving to grab a bite, and occasionally standing at the window to zone out for relaxation.
Once again standing by the window, the headquarters building was clearly visible.
The calendar was about to turn to May 3rd, yet at this moment, every floor was brightly lit, with shadows flitting about.
It seemed that Han Guowei’s battle plan had mobilized nearly all monitoring zones, working overtime for the rare high-level target of the “Dark Arrow” operation over the past decades.
Now, Han Jiali felt oddly marginalized, as if he were only finding ways to keep himself busy.
Since returning to City C the day before yesterday, Han Jiali had received a rare three-day vacation. This treatment was extremely unusual in “Dark Arrow.” Typically, one would not get more than three consecutive days off in a year, even during the Spring Festival, apart from regular weekend rotations.
Perhaps this was not just Wang Hongjun’s favoritism towards him during his recovery from the fracture, but more likely due to some directives from headquarters.
Now, he was nominally responsible for the intelligence liaison between “Dark Arrow” and the Wang family, bearing great responsibility. However, in reality, to prevent personal errors, he had been deprived of the chance to participate in major operations—a situation that seemed to align with the thoughts of an insider.
Maybe this was Han Guowei’s deliberate attempt to create a state of independent action free from interference, a way of playing along with the game.
“Ha, isn’t it a rare chance to relax?”
Han Jiali chuckled self-deprecatingly, not truly meaning it, and returned to his desk.
A new mental knot was recalled and then noted down in his notebook; it was a subtle detail directly related to Meng Huai.
Checking the time, it was already past midnight, and Han Jiali hurriedly took out his phone, pulling up Han Xiao’s contact number. “Hello, Third Sister, aren’t you asleep yet?”
“You’re messing with my thoughts again. It’s the middle of the night, and I’m still analyzing the case of Feng Jiulong’s death. I have to rush back to Hong Kong tomorrow, and I have tons of material to handle!”
Han Xiao sounded quite disgruntled on the phone.
“Hey, Third Sister, just a few minutes of your time. Do you remember last year… uh, right, on September 1st, the day we went to the W District Children’s Welfare Institute to create a personnel evasion plan? There was a girl who posed for a picture with the elder Jiang Chunhua.”
Han Jiali carefully chose his words, cautiously guiding Han Xiao on the other end of the line.
“Yeah, I remember. That was Meng Huai’s girlfriend… we took the picture with her phone because we didn’t add each other on social media, so I had to ask her to send me one via MMS. You have a good memory.”
Han Xiao sounded a bit puzzled.
“Third Sister, you didn’t delete that text, did you? Hurry and check, send me the photo!”
Han Jiali was holding his left hand tightly with his right, opening his laptop, logging into his internal work account, and pulling up the saved document directory.
“Hold on, let me check on another phone. I remember I didn’t organize it intentionally… um, it’s still there. I’ll forward it to you right away. By the way, why do you need this?”
After rummaging around, Han Xiao voiced her confusion again.
“Third Sister, do you remember the 1,010,000 Qiaoli incident and that girl who was with Meng Ge…”
“Stop right there, you don’t need to pretend to be considerate of my feelings or beat around the bush, just say it—the girl was Meng Huai’s girlfriend!”
Okay, Meng Huai’s girlfriend… her name is Jiang Yan… We now all know that during the military hospital’s screening of survivors, Zhen Guangquan tampered with the screening information, and some people’s test samples went missing.
Han Jiali quickly voiced some of his earlier doubts.
The screening of Xia Yan? What’s wrong, that girl was perfectly normal, and she’s a girl—not a boy… No wait, are you suggesting that she’s on the list Zhen Guangquan manipulated?
Xiao Ge, what do you mean? I can see it’s a deliberate misdirection; are you fishing for information now?
Han Xiao was becoming increasingly impatient over the phone.
No, I just think this person seems somewhat special concerning Meng Ge’s parents; I want to verify.
Han Jiali’s tone grew increasingly somber. “Also, Second Sister, didn’t you participate in Third Uncle’s combat operation? Why are you still digging into the case of Hongtu?”
Don’t mention it; Director Ye wants me to follow this case to the end… Xiao Ge, I’ve heard some rumors. Did you offend some leaders at headquarters?
Han Jiali was stunned for a moment, and after a long pause, he chuckled bitterly and said, “I can’t explain it to you. If worse comes to worst, ask Third Uncle; he knows… send me the picture, I need it urgently.”
Perhaps sensing that Han Jiali wasn’t merely stirring up trouble, especially due to his last remark, Han Xiao finally took him seriously.
The call between the siblings lasted a few minutes. After Han Jiali hung up, he shook his head slightly, “Heh, just like last time, my sister and I have been sidelined from significant matters. Now they really treat me like an emotionless sounding board.”
After a brief grumble, Han Jiali opened a specific photo on his computer screen.
The photo was a half-length shot of each survivor taken during the screening after the 1,010,000 Qiaoli incident at the Army General Hospital. He had previously sent this information to Meng Huai.
He then opened his phone and accessed the MMS forwarded by Han Xiao, transferring the photo to his computer.
Hmm, it’s the same person, Jiang Yan, registered in J District of City C, a farmer turning non-agricultural, and her registered work unit… shit, another piece of omitted content! Zhen Guangquan is quite meticulous in his work…
Wait a minute, why do these two photos of this person look somewhat different?
As Han Jiali recited Jiang Yan’s surface information, he opened professional image processing software, preparing to import both photos, but at the moment he clicked the button, Han Jiali suddenly froze.
At a glance, it was the same person, but upon closer inspection, he noticed subtle differences in Jiang Yan’s appearance across the two photos. For example, the Jiang Yan from the 1,010,000 Qiaoli incident appeared even more attractive than when at the welfare institute.
This phenomenon was something Han Jiali had witnessed himself during Meng Huai’s blood invasion—every significant realm advancement for bloodlines was a step toward a perfect evolution of both internal and external appearance, manifesting as subtle changes.
It’s the same person, meaning Jiang Yan is of the bloodline and has experienced a realm increase within two months…
Han Jiali smiled faintly, not getting too caught up in the issue, or rather, it was no longer worth making a fuss over.
Minutes later, using the known height data of Han Xiao, Han Jiali quickly calculated the height of the girl standing on the other side of Elder Jiang Chunhua.
Both photos were enlarged, and he carefully added a disguise forming a veil over the girl’s face.
Seconds passed, and Han Jiali finally realized something, and his brow slowly furrowed.
Absolutely, the woman who handed me the box was her. Not only is Jiang Yan of the bloodline, but she is also a person close to the Wang family…
She had been in contact with Meng Ge for a long time. Was Meng Ge’s true identity leaked early on? How did Meng Ge infiltrate the Wang family while previously active in the Southwest, only to reunite with Jiang Yan? Was this a coincidence, or was it orchestrated by the Wang family?
Jiang Yan’s blood sample went missing during the military hospital’s examination, which was definitely not a coincidence, because Zhen
Guangquan actually knew Jiang Yan was of the bloodline and used means to cover it up…
Flipping through the military hospital’s screening files, Han Jiali checked Jiang Yan’s fingerprint retention records, shaking his head in lament.
Due to emergency testing, the fingerprints on the small wooden box were erased by the Wang family while he was unconscious, making further comparisons impossible. Thus, relying solely on his subjective judgment based on her eyes was still not very precise.
Staring intently at the photo of Jiang Yan on the computer screen, Han Jiali stroked his chin, lost in thought.
Suddenly, a flash crossed Han Jiali’s mind; he hurriedly opened another document directory containing video materials from last year’s 907 Army General Hospital operation that had previously been packaged for Meng Ge.
After nearly an hour of reviewing, Han Jiali slowly straightened his back, his expression one of shock.
Good heavens, it’s still her! No wonder Meng Ge was so secretive about gathering this information; he had been paying attention to Jiang Yan because she appeared in two scenes related to Xia Yan… but why didn’t Meng Ge mention this to me at all?
Zhen Guangquan is not in league with the Wang family. If he knew Jiang Yan was a Wang family member, why would he purposely cover up Jiang Yan’s identity? Isn’t it better to use Dark Arrow to eliminate her instead…
Could it be that Jiang Yan is another insider planted in the Wang family by an opposing force? Otherwise, it doesn’t make sense…
Han Jiali stood up from the computer and paced around the room.
He had a peculiar conjecture: this girl named Jiang Yan being close to the upper echelons of the Wang family, as well as being valued by Zhen Guangquan from another camp, even actively assisting in cover-ups, meant her identity must be exceptionally special.
Therefore, the only conclusion to draw was that, for both the Wang family and Zhen Guangquan’s efforts, there existed a peculiar consensus—that the Dark Arrow must not learn of it!
Although effective information remained fragmented, Han Jiali felt he seemed to have grasped a remarkable secret.
Suddenly, the secure phone in his pocket vibrated.
Third Uncle, it’s me…
Han Jiali checked the door while lowering his voice, “Has the preliminary plan come out on your end… what? Ten battalions!?”
Han Jiali was startled; he didn’t expect his Third Uncle to plan to deploy ten battalions. Just the front-line combat personnel would exceed two thousand!
Perhaps this didn’t even include other auxiliary combat units; otherwise, there would be at least four to five thousand people involved.
According to intelligence, Liang Laosi had already converged with the Black Dragon, and some of the minor black bloodlines from two G provinces were being integrated by the Black Dragon, gathering near the border of Qin country, aiming to wipe out the Lu family in western G province, along with the remnants of the Liang family…
Considering the opponent’s perspective, we must prepare for so many. Even if it’s ten battalions divided across the operational area, it’s not excessive… I also plan to select at least fifty elite troops from the Blood Dragon Battalion to adopt a strategy of encircling three formations while leaving one vacant to force the enemy to flee and intercept them midway…
On the phone, Han Guowei almost recited a long list of details in one breath, as if he were reading from a script, without any hesitation or contemplation.
Uh, Third Uncle, Chief, you really shared the battle plan and troop arrangements with me…
Han Jiali held the secure phone, hesitating.
Heh, believe it or not, just get some intelligence from the Wang family as soon as possible so I can adjust the operation plan accordingly. Don’t dawdle; we won’t have much time to prepare.
The secure call ended, and Han Jiali was still a bit dazed—Han Guowei was more alert than he was.
The Lu family in western G province used to be a vassal of the Liang family, a very ordinary baron family, which had a decent rapport with Feng Jiulong, but this time they have become bait to lure the Dark Arrow to act?
Rubbing his chin, Han Jiali thought for a moment, took out his phone, and sent a simple contact text message to someone saved as “Wang Sheng.”
…
…
In the afternoon, a rugged-looking off-road vehicle parked by the side of a certain street, and Lan Yue, dressed as a urban office lady, stepped out.
Adjusting her sunglasses on the bridge of her nose, she spotted another off-road vehicle with military plates at a distance, and a mysterious smile appeared on her lips.
The classical teahouse before her was her private property acquired during her first visit to City C. But like the Golden River Club, she had always been a hands-off manager, leaving it to a professional manager to oversee, making only minimal profit operations once or twice a year, mainly beside Zhong Xiandai.
“Just observe from below and notify me of any situations.”
Lan Yue gave a slight nod to Zheng Shaolin beside her before walking into the teahouse.
In a very small tea room, Han Jiali, dressed in military uniform, had been sitting for nearly an hour. If it weren’t for the tea and pastries supporting him, he might have already been out looking for food instead of waiting for someone who was late.
A light footstep echoed down the corridor outside the door and then entered another small tea room, only a wall away from Han Jiali, continuing in total silence.
Han Jiali lifted his teacup, intending to take another sip when suddenly he heard a strange scraping sound from the wooden wall not far from him.
Turning around, the young officer was astonished to find that the wooden wall behind him had actually shifted aside to reveal a bamboo-curtain partition, merging the originally separate small tea rooms into one larger space.
A tall and attractive urban beauty sat on the other side of the bamboo curtain, within arm’s reach. Although she was not wearing a veil, Han Jiali still found it hard to discern her appearance.
“Sorry, I was stuck in traffic and am half an hour late. Not bad, young man, you have quite the patience… So, today you’re dressed so formally because you’re here to confront me?”
Lan Yue picked up the teacup, taking a delicate sip, her beautiful eyes smiling as she regarded the young officer behind the bamboo curtain.
“You are the person from that day… I thought they would send someone else to meet me.”
Hearing the slightly familiar voice, Han Jiali paused for a moment, feeling reassured—having a significant figure from the Wang family present indicated that his earlier assumptions were correct.
Indeed, the Wang family was waiting for his attitude, and Third Uncle’s analysis of the Wang family was probably accurate!
As Han Jiali pondered, he reached for his briefcase, retrieving a USB drive and sliding it under the bamboo curtain: “Senior, here’s the psychological testing questionnaire for Dark Arrow you wanted, randomly generated with standard conclusions.”
“Is this all?”
Lan Yue put down the teacup, quietly watching the person opposite her, catching a glimpse of the item being passed and feeling slightly disappointed.
Han Jiali shook his head, seriously stating, “I should be the one asking: what information do you hope to gain from me, Senior? What must I do to prompt the Wang family to secretly intervene, working with Dark Arrow to seize this win?”
The young officer straightened his back, staring intently at the bamboo curtain, clearly prepared for all kinds of challenges.
“A child can be taught… is this something you thought of yourself, or did someone tell you?”
Lan Yue’s lips curled upwards, intrigued as she observed the youthful, overly mature face through the small gap: don’t you fear this could just be a misunderstanding? This time, Dark Arrow is looking for us, not the other way around.
Han Jiali shook his head, “Grandma Zeng always taught the Han family to be self-reliant and not overly dependent on the Wang family. She must have worried that the Han family would become a tool for the Wang family.”
“However, since Grandma Zeng could work together ambiguously with Grandpa Zeng and support the early establishment of Dark Arrow, it indicates that the Wang family has been contemplating how to counter the next external threat for over a century.”
“In the past, our country was too weak. On both the surface and in secret, everyone was struggling to survive. Now that the Wang family has chosen Dark Arrow and turned to rely on a brand-new China, they didn’t intend to remain passive.”
Saying this, Han Jiali took a deep breath, removed his military cap and set it aside, slightly bowing his head, “Senior, Dark Arrow has no way out, the Han family has no way out, Third Uncle has no way out, and I have no way out… This time I’m representing myself to collaborate with the Wang family.”
The smile on Lan Yue’s face grew wider, nodding frequently, “So all these words are what Han Guowei taught you? He should be the most promising among Han Zhi-liang’s children. He didn’t misjudge this time; the Han family has produced another meticulous child like you…”
“If I’m not mistaken, the insider is very likely in the Han family, Han Guowei, and you. It’s time to take a gamble… The Han family has been fighting against bloodlines for hundreds of years. They understand the hidden aspects of this world and are also the most easily tempted group of people.”
Lan Yue’s words struck Han Jiali, and he moved his lips several times before eventually lowering his head in bitterness.
He had heard this statement before; it was a warning left for the Han family’s descendants by Grandma Zeng before she passed—because more than a hundred years ago, the Han family fell due to an insider.
“Xiao Ge, can I call you that? Keep an eye on your Third Uncle’s combat plan and tell him, you can deceive him, but he absolutely cannot deceive you. There’s no second chance!”
“Our opponents are creating a false impression of systematically eliminating other bloodline forces in the east and west G provinces, in reality, luring the main forces of Dark Arrow southward, especially the Blood Dragon Battalion. If we can annihilate the elite of the Blood Dragon Battalion, Dark Arrow will be completely helpless against them.”
Speaking, Lan Yue lowered her voice a lot, whispering some words that only the two could barely hear.
Han Jiali focused completely, fearing to miss a single word. He began to clench his hands tightly, even his pupils slightly constricted by the end.
“…I understand!”
In that short span of less than two minutes, Han Jiali felt as if he had run a marathon, his heart rate exceeding 150, and his back almost soaked with sweat.
Now that he had made up his mind to fight alone, he must be prepared. However, that doesn’t mean you should truly go entirely solo; find someone who can sincerely share your burdens!
Lan Yue’s voice turned icy, suggesting that this statement wasn’t just directed at Han Jiali but included herself as well.
Immediately, Lan Yue retrieved a book from the side, gently pushing it across the wooden floor until it slid in front of Han Jiali from under the bamboo curtain: “Leave a safe contact method, so you won’t need to contact Wang Sheng anymore. For anything, just come to me directly.”
“The Song of Youth… such an old work.”
Picking up the book and glancing at the cover, Han Jiali suddenly remembered the encrypted contact method with Meng Heng.
“That should do it. Do you have anything else to ask me?”
Lan Yue swallowed the last sip of her tea, revealing a relieved expression.
Han Jiali had been waiting for this opportunity, gazing blankly at the vague outline of the woman behind the bamboo curtain, almost biting his words as he said, “Senior, are Xia Yan and Gu Yao in the hands of the Wang family?”
Lan Yue laughed, her voice loud enough to pull Han Jiali’s already-restrained emotions taut once more.
The silence lasted for a good ten seconds before Lan Yue exhaled, saying something noncommittal, “They… they are the key to our victory in this secret war. As long as we don’t let the enemy acquire them, our chances of winning increase by at least half…”
“And afterward, what if the enemy is no more?”
Han Jiali pondered for a moment, seemingly unsatisfied with this answer.
“And afterward? Heh, afterward are matters of the vast stars and oceans, to resolve the future issues between ordinary people and bloodlines… What? Do you still consider them a threat?”
Lan Yue stood up, turning her back to the bamboo curtain, her words devoid of any emotional fluctuation, “Han Jiali, the Ancestor Plan is a tool for ambitious people attempting to control the dual-world, but tools themselves lack good or evil. Over the past half-century, even ordinary people have sampled the sweetness of bloodlines…”
“Bloodlines and ordinary people are merely two sides of humanity. The truth of the Ancestor Plan is also the two facets of human nature… For two hundred years, it has consumed far too many lives, showing us only its wicked exterior.”
“Perhaps, it will take another two hundred years for us to see its truly kind and untainted heart; this is the charm of time and the truth of time.”
Lan Yue’s voice gradually faded, while Han Jiali remained frozen in place, unable to detach from the profound shock within him for a long time.
