Chapter 90: Mysterious Justice
November 1st, Friday, 8 AM. “What? The death toll has exceeded ninety already!? I understand, I’ll report to headquarters after the first phase of intelligence is compiled and verified!” … The intelligence department must control public opinion; there can be no leaks!
In the Dark Arrow West Monitoring District, in the command office building, Commander Wang Hongjun hung up the phone angrily, pacing back and forth in the room: “This group of lunatics from the Black Blood Clan actually launched a large-scale attack on ordinary people in the city center—something that hasn’t happened in over twenty years!”
Since being woken up at one in the morning, he had been inundated with bad news. Wang Hongjun’s face was full of fatigue, his eyes bloodshot, while the deputy commander Han Guowei sat on the sofa with a frown.
Wang Hongjun tossed his military cap aside, sat down on the office sofa, picked up his teacup, and then slammed it back down on the table, his face pale. He looked several times at his silent secretary Zhang but couldn’t utter a single word.
“Old Wang, drink some water to calm down, and wait for the results of the first phase of the investigation,” Han Guowei urged, rising to walk over to Wang Hongjun, giving a tense look to the secretary. “Chief of Staff Zhen is at the Army General Hospital handling personnel screening. Wait for him to return, then notify the department heads to hold a collective meeting this afternoon!”
“Understood!” The secretary saluted and hurried out of the office.
Seeing his old partner remaining relatively calm, Wang Hongjun took a deep breath to adjust his emotions. A few seconds later, he picked up a document from the coffee table, his expression pained: “Look at this; it’s infuriating. A dozen members of the Black Blood Clan clustered together to harm people. Have they collectively gone mad or are they provoking us?”
“The Wanqiaoli Commercial Center was infiltrated with hallucinogenic narcotics via the central air conditioning system, causing more than three hundred people trapped inside to lose consciousness, and ultimately setting off a gas explosion—the upper floors are nearly burned to ashes.”
“Just now, the number of those critically injured and dead is still increasing, with confirmation that fifteen individuals were infected with blood!”
“Those who survived are gradually being transferred to the special isolation area of the Army General Hospital for follow-up screening. The site has been locked down; no mouse will escape. I don’t believe that all the members of the Black Blood Clan are dead or have fled!”
Wang Hongjun downed half a cup of tea to moisten his dry lips. Although he was more composed, his expression was still grim.
“Old Wang, these matters must be dealt with one by one. But what I’m more curious about is who exterminated the Black Blood Clan in the Wanqiaoli Commercial Center before the Xuanjia team arrived. Is that person among the survivors, or did they withdraw long ago?”
Han Guowei picked up the latest casualty report. The rows of records were indeed heartbreaking, but what concerned him was not the numbers themselves. His brow furrowed as he tapped his fingers on the coffee table, several possibilities swirling in his mind.
“Probably those old tortoises; just a cat bumping into a dead rat. Hmph, aside from us, who else would truly care about the Black Blood Clan’s affairs… Historically, the Black Blood Clan has persisted and intensified, frequently banned but never curtailed. A small portion of that can be traced back to these old tortoises. If not for the need for national strategic stability, I would have long been at odds with them!”
Wang Hongjun slammed the teacup down, a twisted coldness in his expression.
“Let’s not rush; let’s wait for further intelligence analysis results.” Han Guowei shook his head helplessly, personally pouring water into Wang Hongjun’s teacup. “Let your anger subside first; we can meet this afternoon to discuss further.”
“Xuanjia team Acting Captain, Tao Qiao’er is here to report!” A crisp voice came from outside the door.
Glancing at the door, Han Guowei stood straight.
10 AM, Army General Hospital, special isolation area.
Aside from dozens of injured patients still in critical care, over a hundred male and female citizens who were unharmed in the early morning incident were transported here, undergoing strict physical examinations.
In the corridor, the civilians, restrained in their movements, wore hospital gowns, whispering among themselves about the events from ten hours ago, piecing together their fragmented memories. Occasionally, a few patients dressed as nurses would join in, mumbling about things like “gas leak in the nightclub’s kitchen,” “carbon monoxide poisoning,” and “fire,” continuously solidifying everyone’s perceptions.
In a single patient room, Jiang Yan was undergoing a medical examination in a hospital gown.
“Strange, you’ve never had your fingerprints taken before? You didn’t register during the last population census?”
The nurse, disguised as an intel department recruit, lowered the fingerprint collection device and looked at the beautiful black-haired girl with some suspicion.
“I’m not sure; I lived in the countryside before… I only came to the city to work this year.”
Jiang Yan lowered her head in embarrassment, brushing away her messy hair to cover her expression.
“You inhaled quite a bit of toxic substances during this fire; we must check thoroughly. I’ll first draw some blood, then you hold this test rod in your mouth for thirty seconds before removing it, and afterward, go to the restroom for a urine sample; I’ll come back to collect it later.”
Seeing certain items on the cabinet next to her, Jiang Yan realized this time the Dark Arrow was truly serious.
A few minutes later, exhausted, Jiang Yan lay back down on the bed, letting out a helpless sigh as she slowly closed her eyes.
“Once the examination results are out, I can go home.”
At some point, Meng Huai, with bloodshot eyes, sat beside the dazed Jiang Yan.
“Oh… I thought they were looking for the arsonist. They asked me a lot of questions back and forth.”
Looking at Meng Huai’s waxy face, which appeared somewhat haggard, Jiang Yan showed a hint of sorrow in her eyes: “I heard many people were injured… Fortunately, you’re okay.”
“Most were carbon monoxide poisoning; a few were affected by the fire, but the rescue was relatively timely.”
Meng Huai avoided Jiang Yan’s gaze; he was indeed not good at lying, and the details he provided were mostly the same as what was outside.
“By the way, what about my clothes and phone? Can you have Xiao Yao bring me a new set?”
Jiang Yan glanced at the wall clock, still feeling a bit nervous.
The internal and external hormonal inhibitors injected after midnight had another half-day’s effect. If the discharge couldn’t happen tomorrow and there was a second round of checks, she would likely expose herself.
“The clothes got badly stained; I threw them away. I’m sorry.”
Meng Huai unexpectedly blushed at this moment, but Jiang Yan instantly understood that expression.
They must want to collect samples of the bloodstains on my skirt; it seems the severity of this matter is even greater than I imagined… Jiang Yan glanced at the police who occasionally passed by in the corridor, beginning to worry about whether she could escape smoothly, especially since the people from Wind Iris probably still didn’t know where she was.
“Your phone wasn’t found at the scene; it should have been burned in the fire. I’ve already sent someone to the Golden River Club to notify your sister to bring you new clothes.”
Meng Huai twisted open a bottle of mineral water and handed it to Jiang Yan. “By the way, do you remember the appearance and build of the person who saved you?”
This had been Meng Huai’s lingering question since the second half of the night.
Who exactly shot down all the Black Blood Clan at Wanqiaoli Plaza?
Jiang Yan shook her head gently, a hint of embarrassment on her face: “I was quite dazed at that time and don’t recall. If it weren’t for you, I probably wouldn’t have made it out.”
The two chatted idly in the patient room, gradually attracting the attention of some people outside, especially a couple of nurses dressed as Dark Arrow soldiers who gathered together to chatter.
“Hey, the sun’s come out from the west; after being seriously ill, Meng is actually dating? Seems like they ran into the Black Blood Clan during a movie last night.”
“Isn’t Major Han Xiaoxiao from the Embroidered Uniform Squad pursuing him? But he ended up looking for someone else, giving no face to the Han family…”
“Yeah, I heard it wasn’t like that. Meng is in stage three; the Han family has changed their mind…”
The fragmented gossip spread, mixing truth and falsehood, and even some police or doctor-disguised Dark Arrow soldiers showed embarrassed and curious expressions.
Minutes later, Meng Huai left the patient room, and certain people in the corridor quickly closed their mouths and resumed their bustling facade, the idle chatter abruptly vanishing.
Looking around the orderly hospital corridor, Meng Huai turned and strode away.
Suddenly, a sharp pain shot up from his liver and stomach, quickly following the nerves to his waist and back. Meng Huai’s already pale face dripped with beads of sweat, and his entire body involuntarily curled up, trembling, and he stumbled against the wall of the corridor.
“Meng!”
Two female nurses noticed something was wrong and hurried over, supporting Meng Huai from both sides.
“I’m fine, just need to sit for a moment and grab a few painkillers…”
Meng Huai gritted his teeth, pushing away his subordinates’ hands and refusing any help, stubbornly clinging to the wall as he slowly made his way to the nearby bench, surrounded by silent members of the Xuanjia team.
In a patient room not far away, a gap had mysteriously opened, and Jiang Yan stood behind the door, biting her lip and quietly watching Meng Huai’s unsteady and weakened figure.
In a room of the Army General Hospital’s special isolation area, a mysterious person faced away from the door, looking at personnel screening information on a laptop. This had been accessed through special hacker permissions to connect to the hospital’s server.
The mysterious person’s gaze lingered on a girl named Jiang Yan’s profile, his brow occasionally furrowing, sometimes perplexed, and then relaxing, ultimately transforming into a barely noticeable surprise.
“She is Jiang Yan, from the Wind Iris team… Summer Yan has a connection with her?”
Seconds later, the mysterious person modified certain screening results that seemed slightly excessive through hacker permissions; otherwise, Jiang Yan would be marked as a suspicious person, and according to Dark Arrow’s regulations, she would be isolated for forty-eight hours and undergo a second round of checks.
After checking to confirm that no details were missed in the information modifications, the mysterious person nodded, a strange smile appearing at the corners of his mouth, and he dragged Jiang Yan directly into the normal data.
Having completed these minor tasks, the mysterious person erased all related operation records, packed away the laptop, and exited quietly.
Another ten minutes later, Jiang Yan’s final examination report was out—all normal. She was notified that she could wait for her family to take her home. Meanwhile, Meng Huai was again lying in a special ward of the Army General Hospital.
In the corridor, Zhen Guangquan had a sullen expression as he hastily walked toward the makeshift command center, feeling even worse after his earlier meeting with the medical department.
Not only was the death toll still rising, but Meng Huai’s condition also worsened again, truly a misfortune piling on top of another; there wasn’t a single piece of good news.
Chief of Staff Zhen, Deputy Commander Han, has notified that there will be a meeting at the command center at 3 PM.
A doctor-disguised intelligence officer approached, bringing the latest instructions.
“Yes, understood… Additionally, let the special isolation area expedite personnel screening.”
…
At 3 PM, in the conference room of the Dark Arrow West Monitoring District Command, an emergency collective meeting was underway.
“…As of noon, the number of victims in the 1101 case that occurred earlier has risen to 101, with nine severely burned patients currently being rescued, but the hospital has already issued critical condition notices. Twelve out of the fifteen infected with blood have died from organ failure due to immune system collapse, while the other three have undergone routine procedures…”
The first phase of intelligence gathering on-site has been completed; please refer to the screen where I will only display the most valuable content.
Zhen Guangquan clicked on the large screen in the conference room, revealing a heavily scorched handgun and a dagger.
These were the weapons found at the scene of the fire on the sixth floor, and they are standard equipment of our Dark Arrow forces. Although seriously burned, the factory imprint information is still intact, and after comparing it with the database, it belongs to Captain Summer Yan of the Xuan Shen team’s assault squad!
Once this was said, Han Xiaoxiao, who had remained silent in the corner, almost jumped up in shock.
Some areas of the scene showed obvious signs of a struggle, including bullet casings, and the bloodstains on the injured civilians were also identified as belonging to the Black Blood Clan. It can be determined that at the time, another mysterious blood clan member, whose strength was at least at the attendant level, fought with these Black Blood Clan members.
Current evidence indicates that a total of twelve Black Blood Clan members were all killed by the mysterious person, and two others who had been infected with blood were also dealt with.
I personally deduce that the Black Blood Clan present at the scene was likely killed by Summer Yan, saving multiple ordinary civilians from the Black Blood Clan’s attack.
Unfortunately, these can only count as speculation; there is no surveillance video to prove it, nor are there any eyewitnesses, as the power systems and the monitoring room were deliberately destroyed, causing the entire monitoring system of the Wanqiaoli Commercial Plaza to go offline.
After Zhen Guangquan finished speaking, a look of regret crossed his face as he sat down, and his conclusion sparked whispers throughout the conference room.
A subtle change swept across Han Xiaoxiao’s face as emotions of anxiety, shock, anger, and guilt flickered through her.
Summer Yan appeared at the scene and engaged the Black Blood Clan; this conclusion both relieved and unnerved Han Xiaoxiao.
“Sigh…”
Seated at the main position, Han Guowei suddenly sighed deeply, shaking his head slightly, displaying an unmistakable sorrow that left uncertain whether he regretted the hundred ordinary civilians who perished or lamented a former officer of the Dark Arrow, now marked as a B-level task target.
“It should be coincidence… But in just half a year, he became an attendant; his growth is astounding—could it be the weight of a rare blood type?”
Commander Wang Hongjun pondered for a moment before inevitably drawing a conclusion, muttering words only he could hear.
In the corner, an intel officer placed on assignment by the Central Command, Han Jielifa, suddenly raised his hand: “Sir, I think we should conduct a thorough background investigation on all the victims.”
“You suspect that this attack by the Black Blood Clan had a purpose? Rather than being a mere provocation?” Zhen Guangquan was taken aback, perplexed by the direction of thought from this young officer dispatched from headquarters.
“The infusion of narcotic hallucinogens into the air conditioning system and the power supply lines cut off in the mall all indicate meticulous planning with a strong intent, rather than simply madmen rampaging.”
The evidence shows that most of the Black Blood Clan concentrated in the sixth-floor nightclub and did not exhibit any behavior of fleeing afterwards. It seems more like a desperate action taken by someone willing to go to extreme lengths for a goal, which contradicts the Black Blood Clan’s usual style.”
Han Jielifa stood up, pointing at the image on the big screen, speaking with conviction.
“I agree with Officer Han’s opinion; let’s investigate the identities of all the deceased in the nightclub!”
Once again, Han Xiaoxiao stood up, likely having grasped Han Jielifa’s intent.
Han Guowei stroked his chin, suddenly finding his nephew’s focus quite interesting. He was about to delve into this topic when his phone vibrated in his pocket.
Looking down at the message on his phone, Han Guowei’s pupils slightly contracted, but a second later, his expression quickly returned to normal.
“Chief of Staff Zhen, please consolidate all the first phase investigation results and report them to the headquarters’ intelligence bureau, requesting assistance with the investigation. Officer Han’s suggestion just now—coordinate with the comrades in the intelligence department on how to develop it; I believe it could be a breakthrough.”
“Old Wang, I have something to attend to, so I’ll leave first… Han Jielifa, come with me!”
Han Guowei exchanged a look with Wang Hongjun, then stood up and exited the conference room. The latter was slightly startled but could only nod.
From a distance, Han Jielifa noticed this scene, his expression flickering slightly as if he had thought of something.
…
In the secure communications room, only Han Guowei and his nephew Han Jielifa remained.
“… Do we really have to hold on for another six months?”
Han Guowei’s expression was serious, and his tone was stern: “Immediately send someone from the medical support department at headquarters to City C… Yes, I need a clearer diagnosis; no vagueness! If anything goes wrong, be ready for disciplinary action!”
After nearly ten minutes, the call ended. Han Guowei let out a deep sigh as he returned to his chair, beads of sweat forming on his forehead.
“Third Uncle, how about I go visit Meng Ge and get a firsthand understanding of the situation?”
Han Jielifa cautiously approached Han Guowei from behind, lowering his voice: “Should we notify his family?”
“This child is unfortunate… We should stabilize his family first; it’s not yet the final moment… At headquarters, someone has suggested awarding him a first-class merit ahead of time—isn’t that tempting fate?”
Han Guowei closed his eyes, his expression stoic, but his words were bitter: “He has one week to consider joining the special covert operation group; I wonder whether this sudden return of his illness will affect his mood and judgment… If necessary, he should be sent to the capital’s headquarters for treatment.”
“Jielifa, during this period, you should reduce contact with Meng Huai and let him have some peace. Especially your sister Han Xiaoxiao—don’t let her know about Meng Huai’s condition worsening; keep an eye on her… Sigh, I’ve already noticed; she genuinely likes Meng Huai.”
With that, Han Guowei grabbed his military cap and left the secure communications room.
Han Jielifa sat down, shaking his head with a bitter smile.
