Chapter 38 Weakness
As the dark arrow western inspection area, which covers the largest area, has the most complex terrain and the longest border, it manages a total of nine action teams.
Each action team has its own independent military airport, as well as associated team bases. In addition to the core assault squadron, there are several combat support units, including support squadrons, logistics squadrons, intelligence squadrons, and support squadrons, all structured at the regiment level, independently carrying out blood clan strike missions in certain regions.
Unlike the other seven teams, which only have numbers, the Xuanjia and Xiuyi teams are both among the most elite heritage teams within China’s dark arrow forces.
Heritage teams represent China’s two thousand years of history resisting the blood clan, rich with historical depth and memories of suffering. Their predecessors were secret organizations specifically for hunting blood clans established during various historical dynasties, and with the changes in dynasties, they have maintained an uninterrupted legacy to this day.
The vicissitudes of history have led many feudal dynasty’s secret organizations for hunting blood clans to be lost to the passage of time, or even to be completely annihilated, ending their legacies.
The Xuanjia team traces its lineage back to the Tang Dynasty. The Xiuyi team has its roots in the Han Dynasty. The Jinyi team descends from the Ming Dynasty. The Bingjing team traces back to the Northern Song Dynasty. The Jisu team has its origins in the Southern Song Dynasty. The Houqi team comes from the Sui Dynasty. The Chazhan team has its lineage from the Three Kingdoms period of Wu.
Today, the dark arrow forces of China, having taken up the baton of history, consist only of the aforementioned seven heritage teams, of which two belong to the western inspection area, highlighting the significance of the western inspection area.
…
August 9, Friday.
In a logistics courtyard at the command center of the dark arrow western inspection area, a collective meeting regarding the follow-up tasks of operation X497.4.30 is currently underway.
All the team leaders from the western inspection area’s action teams are present, and the meeting is being presided over by the newly appointed Chief of Staff, Zhen Guangquan.
Zhen Guangquan, 48 years old, holds the rank of Colonel and is one of the legends of the western inspection area and the entire dark arrow forces, being the only person to have held the position of team leader in a frontline action team for a decade. What is even more incredible is that he is just of ordinary blood type!
In the years of brutal covert operations, team leaders who have served more than five years are considered quite lucky. The tradition of leading from the front makes the casualty rate for leaders like team leaders and squad leaders extremely high.
Someone like Zhen Guangquan, with his years of experience, can be considered a living legend.
“According to the headquarters’ final instructions regarding the results of operation X497.4.30, the leadership of the western inspection area has decided to form the 430 working group, led by Deputy Commander Han, with me as Deputy Leader.”
“The pursuit assignments for Xia Yan and Gu Yao have now been raised to Level B, categorized as a national priority mission, with no deadline! The execution of the mission will also be under our western inspection area’s jurisdiction. This is the trust placed in us by the headquarters.”
Except for Meng Huai and Han Xiao, the other seven ordinary team leaders all showed expressions of doubt.
After all, with the frontline application of anti-blood invasion immunity agents, cases of blood invasions fleeing have become rare. Even when one or two cases occasionally occur, it’s not particularly surprising, but never has there been such a large-scale mobilization, even raising alarms at headquarters.
Zhen Guangquan’s face was serious as he scanned the faces of the dozen young male and female officers in the conference room. Each word he spoke was solemn enough to make most of the officers, unaware of the inside story, take it seriously.
“The relevant task information will also be reported to the other four inspection areas. Once intelligence is confirmed, we can take joint action. To strengthen operational capabilities, the headquarters’ intelligence bureau has also dispatched an investigator to participate in the 430 working group’s work.”
As his words settled, a young lieutenant officer in the front row stood up, turned back to salute everyone present, and surprisingly winked at a specific location.
“Little brat…”
Seeing who had stood up, Han Xiao in the back row was taken aback and couldn’t help but roll her eyes.
Han Jielu, from the Han family’s fifth branch, is the only son of his aunt Han Ran, and due to being registered under his mother’s surname in the family tree, he is Han Xiao’s cousin, and he is only 21 years old this year.
“Now, the executing unit for the 430 working group is the Xiuyi team. I’ll hand it over to Team Leader Han Xiao to explain.”
After speaking, Zhen Guangquan’s gaze lingered on Meng Huai’s face for a few seconds, showing an expression of reassurance.
He is the old leader of the Xuanjia team, and Meng Huai, sitting opposite him, can be considered his direct junior. In the heritage team, where historical honor is highly valued, such senior-junior relationships are very profound.
The incident that occurred on Meng Huai’s watch, which embarrassed the entire western inspection area, naturally made Zhen Guangquan consider some positions to avoid suspicion. What should have been a “family matter” eventually fell to the Xiuyi team.
A bright figure strode through several rows of seats and reached the podium, where Zhen Guangquan vacated his position.
The room darkened, and a huge electronic screen lit up behind the main stage.
“In early May, after the first stage of the search operation in City D concluded, I compiled the relevant intelligence and preliminarily determined that Xia Yan and Gu Yao were still very likely to be in Province S.”
Just as she began, Han Xiao unexpectedly threw out a conclusion, causing everyone present to be taken aback, and Meng Huai furrowed his brow tightly.
Regardless of the expressions of others, Han Xiao exuded confidence as she continued to address the electronic screen: “After repeated confirmations, there are no images of Xia Yan and Gu Yao captured on the surveillance of any Grade Four or higher highways out of the province.”
“Team Han, this doesn’t mean the two can’t cross the blockade on foot!”
An ordinary team leader raised his hand.
“Blood servants in the early stage of blood invasion, even if they don’t die from immunity collapse, will quickly exhibit blood thirst reactions, making it impossible for them to perform high-intensity concealment outdoors. City D is surrounded by mountainous areas, and even elite members of the dark arrow forces with sufficient supplies would need over seven days for a mountainous traversal on foot.”
“On May 2nd, during the early morning hours in the township health center blood bank in the northern suburbs of City D, a blood theft incident occurred. Based on the amount of stolen blood, it is difficult for Xia Yan and Gu Yao to have conducted outdoor activities for more than a week.”
Han Xiao flipped to a page of the investigative report, displaying a satellite map: “Qiao Tou Town is located to the west of the X497.4.30 operation coordinates, from which it can be seen that the movement trajectory of Xia Yan and Gu Yao is not directed out of the province. Within a week, let alone leaving Province S, even departing City D is a significant issue.”
“Xiao Han, what if it’s an identity disguise?” Zhen Guangquan stroked his chin, deep in thought. “In theory, they don’t necessarily have to escape using conventional transportation; something like a large truck could also provide concealment…”
“The considerations of Chief of Staff Zhen are certainly valid and led both me and my colleagues in the intelligence department into a conundrum.”
It seemed Han Xiao had anticipated such questioning, so she flipped to the next page.
“Just as I was about to give up on judging that the two were still in Province S, the central big data monitoring system of the headquarters received a very interesting piece of information. On May 6th, Xia Yan’s personal bank account was logged in at multiple ATMs in Hong Kong, withdrawing the entire cash balance, totaling over a million.”
The screen showed a stranger in a mask captured by an ATM camera, and Han Xiao specifically circled the man’s face in red.
“This person was wearing a mask, making facial recognition impossible. Through contact with Hong Kong and on-site evidence collection, it was found that all fingerprint information on the ATM’s keys had been wiped clean.”
Under the illumination of the electronic screen, Han Xiao’s beautiful face radiated a confident smile: “This crucial information indicates that, at the latest by the third day after the blood invasion, Xia Yan and Gu Yao obtained financial support from the local blood clan forces.”
“With sufficient funds, Xia Yan and Gu Yao’s willingness to hide in Province S would significantly increase. As for the probability, I personally estimate it’s around ninety percent. After all, a rare blood type new blood servant is a treasure; those who can shelter them won’t be mad beasts like the black blood clan.”
“Team Han, even if they have started to gain survival resources through the blood clan forces, whether they are still in Province S is still too subjective.”
In the dim conference room, Meng Huai, who had been silent, finally spoke up.
“Yes, it’s relatively subjective, so next, I will mention some even more subjective clues to supplement the remaining ten percent probability.”
Han Xiao unfazed, flipped to another page: “For more than two months, I have visited Xia Yan’s old units and some people in the Xuanjia team who have spent considerable time with Xia Yan. They all reported that Xia Yan has been regularly remitting funds to the retired head of the W District welfare home, Mr. Jiang Chunhua.”
“This is the data I retrieved from the banking system. Since Xia Yan enlisted until last year, there has been a continuous remittance action once a year for four years, all taking place in July and August. According to the W District welfare home’s records, Xia Yan was adopted by Jiang Chunhua on August 25, 1996, and since then, he has regarded this day as his birthday.”
“Just the day before yesterday afternoon, another anonymous remittance from Hong Kong arrived in Jiang Chunhua’s personal account. If this is still Xia Yan’s action, it would be the fifth time!”
“Additionally, for the past five years, Xia Yan has also visited Jiang Chunhua three times, all within this time frame, which is a very interesting personal subconscious habit.”
The ten or more male and female officers in the audience displayed expressions of both interest and confusion. In particular, Han Jielu had been hurriedly taking notes on a small notepad while occasionally glancing up and smiling at Han Xiao for a few seconds.
“In the personal data of Xia Yan in the dark arrow, Jiang Chunhua is listed as the family contact, and the W District welfare home is the contact address. I believe Xia Yan places great importance on family ties. After suffering a blood invasion and adopting a low profile, his sense of isolation would drive him to develop stronger emotional bonds and a desire to contact Mr. Jiang Chunhua.”
“The news of Xia Yan and Gu Yao’s sacrifice was only officially announced on the day of August 1st and was limited to City C. Although there was local television coverage, it was not disseminated through online media, and then the anonymous remittance occurred. Could this really be a coincidence?”
The electronic screen turned off, the lights in the conference room were turned back on, and Han Xiao, wearing a mysterious smile, made a shocking statement: “So I have a bolder subjective judgment: Xia Yan and Gu Yao are currently in City C!”
“All subjective emotional judgments, but Team Han articulated them brilliantly.”
Before others could refute, Han Jielu clapped lightly twice in her seat as a sign of respect, and several leaders from ordinary teams echoed with laughter.
“What can we do? Women tend to be somewhat emotional.”
Han Xiao shot him an annoyed glance and then turned to Zhen Guangquan: “Chief, I would like to conduct an experiment to validate my subjective guess.”
Zhen Guangquan was taken aback, gradually nodding: “Experiment… whatever bold ideas you have, just put them forward. The opponent is a Level B mission target; as long as we can complete the mission, it would be worth doing even ten times!”
Han Xiao took a deep breath, her expression becoming particularly serious: “I want to create some incident involving Mr. Jiang Chunhua, but I assure you it will only appear serious on the surface and won’t endanger his life. The relevant news must be published externally and can only be seen locally in City C; this requires strict information control cooperation from relevant departments!”
“Faking it is not an option? After all, the old man is already seventy-five years old… I saw yesterday’s news; Jiang Chunhua has nearly donated all his money to the welfare home. For a citizen who has made such significant contributions to the country and society, we should protect him, not to mention anything else…”
Chief of Staff Zhen displayed a difficult expression; the nature and sensitivity of such matters made it hard for him to make a decision.
“It must be real, and the more real, the better! Because this is just the first step of the plan!” Han Xiao decisively shook her head.
Whispers began to circulate, and many believed the experiment was a bit reckless.
“I support Team Han’s idea!”
In the audience, Meng Huai suddenly stood up, his voice firm, and the room fell silent.
Han Jielu, who had remained silent, was also taken aback, turning her head back and forth to look at Han Xiao and Meng Huai several times.
…
After the meeting, Han Xiao hurriedly caught up to Zhen Guangquan, who had just descended the podium moments ago, the young major who had been confidently directing proceedings now appeared somewhat girlish.
“Thank you for your support, Chief!”
Looking at the beautiful female officer by his side, Zhen Guangquan also revealed a slight smile: “Your family, the Hans, always have such meticulous courage and imaginative thinking. If I hadn’t insisted on keeping you in the western inspection area to avoid Deputy Commander Han’s suspicion, you’d have probably been assigned to another inspection area, and we would have lost a great talent.”
While speaking, he spotted Meng Huai walking by with focused strides and grasped the tall young man by the arm: “Xiao Meng, don’t carry any psychological burdens. This time, you and Han Xiao need to cooperate well; even if it fails, it’s okay.”
“Chief, may I ask a question? Is the action targeting Xia Yan and Gu Yao intended for annihilation or capturing alive?”
Facing his current direct superior and former senior leader, Meng Huai maintained his composure, his gaze sharp.
Zhen Guangquan hesitated briefly, lowering his voice: “According to the opinion of the headquarters, try to capture. If it proves too difficult…”
“I understand!”
Meng Huai, not waiting for Zhen Guangquan to finish, saluted and departed briskly.
This abruptly ended exchange left Zhen Guangquan and Han Xiao in a daze.
…
…
With an hour remaining until the end of the workday, the guests in the Golden River Club had all left.
The closing work was still proceeding slowly, and Jiang Yao had retreated to a corner, absorbed in her mobile game.
“Xiao Yao, you’ve been playing a bit too much lately. Are you developing a gaming addiction?”
Jiang Yan, already changed into her clothes, walked over to Jiang Yao, looking increasingly helpless.
“There’s not much going on, right? They can sit around daydreaming, chatting, or playing billiards; my playing games doesn’t affect anyone else. When guests arrive, I serve drinks and attend to them, so I’m not slacking off here.”
Jiang Yao pouted in dissatisfaction, seemingly uncomfortable with Jiang Yan’s constant scrutiny over the past two days.
Forget it; she didn’t have other life habits that were bad. At her age, playing games might be considered normal. Jiang Yan stopped insisting and directly sat down.
“My phone’s out of battery; I’ll charge it for a while and go change my clothes!”
Plugging her phone into the charger, Jiang Yao hummed a little tune as she walked briskly toward the staff passage.
Watching the phone on the sofa, Jiang Yan suddenly had some thoughts spring to mind. Hesitatingly, she reached for it, then pulled back, going back and forth several times without summoning the courage.
“Forget it, maybe I’m overthinking this…”
Jiang Yan shook her head in self-deprecation, attempting to rid her mind of the strange thoughts.
Ding-dong! A convenient message notification flashed on Gu Yao’s phone screen, it was a chat message from a social media app.
The nickname of the message sender was clearly visible: Outlaw. Content: My phone is about to die, heading home to use the computer!
Zhong Jing’s contact information was also known to Jiang Yan, with the nickname Outlaw.
This time, without hesitation, she directly grabbed Jiang Yao’s phone, easily inputting the other’s birthday to unlock it, and then opened the social media app and clicked on Outlaw’s avatar, casually scrolling through dozens of lines of chat messages.
When she saw certain content, a surge of inexplicable anger shot to her head, and her face twisted with anger.
In the distance, Jiang Yao had already changed her clothes and was walking over, leaving Jiang Yan to suppress her emotions and act as if nothing had happened.
