With a thunderous crash, the escort vehicle plowed straight ahead, violently flipping over the car blocking its path.
Shielded by the martial artist's field inside, the official car emerged completely unscathed and broke through successfully.
Yet the martial artist did not relax in the slightest. For someone to dare strike here in the heart of the capital meant their background was anything but simple.
Fortunately, it would take two or three minutes at most to reach the Administration Council. He refused to believe their pursuers would—
Just as the thought crossed his mind, he suddenly caught sight of two figures rushing toward them as fast as lightning. Judging by their speed, they were unquestionably at the same tier as him!
The martial artist's pupils contracted. How dared they?!
He was a martial artist assigned to the Ministry of National Security. If his principal was in danger, he was permitted to fight.
Yet, as before, this was Zhongjing. Strictly speaking, he did not dare act with absolute impunity.
The Administration Council was not far off, and martial artists from both the Longevity View and the Cave Mystery View were stationed there. If they detected any commotion, they could arrive in an instant, and when they did, they might not bother distinguishing friend from foe.
Still, there was no alternative now. The enemy clearly cared nothing for the non-aggression protocols and was staking their lives on this. Gritting his teeth, he condensed the field around him to its absolute limit while swallowing a medicinal pill designed for explosive power.
The next instant, the fields collided, letting out crisp, cracking sounds.
The entire front of the car crumpled and deformed, accompanied by a harsh screech of twisted metal as every window shattered at once.
Facing two opponents at once was indeed an uphill battle. Droplets of blood seeped from the martial artist's pores, but relying on the sudden surge of strength, he managed to withstand the brunt of it.
After jolting violently a few times, the car regained its balance and continued hurtling forward.
He Shugang also sensed that something was amiss. Here in Zhongjing, how could anyone act with such utter recklessness?
The martial artist glanced back. Seeing the two figures pause for a fraction of a second before charging once more—looking in far better condition than he was—he shoved the door open. "Minister, I'll hold them off! Just keep driving!"
With that, he leaped out.
He Shugang's expression was grim. He did not know if more ambushes awaited ahead, but this was the right call; otherwise, they would never get away.
A resounding crash echoed from behind as another shockwave hit, tossing the vehicle even more violently.
With cold fury in his eyes, He Shugang prayed his guard could buy enough time. The closer they got to the Administration Council, the safer they would be. Whoever had dared attack him, he would make them pay dearly afterward.
Yet neither of them realized that everything they were experiencing was merely a scene constructed within their own consciousness.
In reality, the moment the vehicle had turned the corner, everyone inside had frozen in a daze. An invisible force had lifted the car right off the pavement, its tires spinning harmlessly in midair.
Another vehicle pulled up alongside, and two expressionless men stepped out. Walking forward, they opened the doors, hauled He Shugang out, transferred him into their own car, and sped away.
Behind them, everyone left in the vehicle—including the martial artist—remained deeply immersed in the illusion of their own minds. The car settled back onto the pavement, turning smoothly to head back toward the Ministry of National Security.
During those brief few moments, all surveillance and information fields in the area had paused for an imperceptible instant. No one in Zhongjing had noticed anything out of the ordinary.
He Shugang's body gave a slight shudder as he suddenly snapped awake from the illusion.
He glanced to his left and right, realizing he was no longer in his original car, yet his expression hardly shifted.
"Where are you taking me?" he asked coldly. "This is Zhongjing, and I am the Minister of National Security. My vital signs are linked directly to the security operations center, and my field data is monitored by the state around the clock. The moment that data stream cuts off, the security forces will deploy immediately."
"Minister He, there's no need to test the waters," one of the men replied, turning toward him with a faint, mocking smile. "Since we dared make a move, how could we not have taken all of that into account?"
He Shugang said, "Someone ordered you to do this? Even if someone above told you to, you have no authority to kidnap or detain me. No one can protect you from the fallout."
His voice dropped to a chilling edge. "You will pay for everything you've done today."
"Of course."
The man smiled faintly. "Kidnapping a senior state official without trial is a second-degree felony under national law. Every one of us will face a minimum sentence of thirty years."
He let out a soft chuckle. "Personally, I think it's well worth it. What do you think, Minister He?"
He Shugang's heart sank. Those few words made it clear that their plan was ironclad, and the fact that they spoke so openly meant they were certain he would never walk free from this.
What alarmed him even more was whether today's assembly had also been arranged by them. If so, it meant even factions within the Administration Council were cooperating.
Who could it be?
He did not dare dwell too deeply on it, and thinking about it now was meaningless anyway.
Yet one thing was certain: they were government personnel. They hadn't killed him on the spot not just out of deference to his status, but because they intended to bring him down through formal procedures.
To achieve that, they needed sufficient evidence to topple him. By locking him down first, were they preparing to make a move within the ministry while he was absent?
Someone inside had to be coordinating with them.
Almost instantly, a name flashed in his mind:
Ren Xinshan!
And who stood behind Ren Xinshan was already abundantly obvious!
His breathing grew ragged despite himself. The sudden, crushing weight of the situation threatened to shatter his composure.
Within the field space, Chen Chuan had already received real-time updates from Kaiyang and knew He Shugang was secured.
He promptly contacted Ren Xinshan. "Vice Minister Ren, you can proceed on your end."
Ren Xinshan gave a short affirmation. Looking ahead, he saw a motorcade driving in from the outside—it was He Shugang's convoy.
Although the real He Shugang was no longer present, in the eyes of everyone watching, he remained seated securely inside the car. All vital signs and field signatures registered as completely normal. Next, he would return to his office and issue a notice convening an internal meeting.
Twenty minutes later, key officials from various departments who had received the meeting notice gathered in the main conference room.
Ren Xinshan watched the arrivals from just outside the hall.
Most of He Shugang's faction was present, and they had certainly participated in those past dealings.
He turned to the armed personnel stationed in advance. "Begin the arrests."
"Understood!"
The armed operatives surged into the room. Acting under the vice minister's direct authorization, they placed everyone under provisional custody before immediately separating them for interrogation.
While they could not resort to torture, they possessed countless interrogation methods capable of extracting any secret.
In barely an hour, the evidence was assembled.
Ren Xinshan looked over the dossier. It contained not only material corroborating the evidence he had gathered previously, but also many matters he had never even heard of. It was truly horrifying.
And he knew this was by no means the full picture—there had to be even more that only He Shugang himself knew.
He promptly compiled the materials and transmitted them to Chen Chuan.
Upon receiving the file, Chen Chuan glanced through it and immediately instructed Kaiyang to forward the dossier to the Administration Council, along with a formal demand for He Shugang's immediate suspension pending investigation.
Removing a minister-level official normally required strict adherence to government protocol, which could not be bypassed under ordinary circumstances.
Fortunately, these were extraordinary times. The Supreme Combat Command's wartime status had not yet been lifted, meaning the matter could be processed under wartime regulations.
Inside the Administration Council, many senior officials who had attended the earlier session had not yet left due to pending affairs when an urgent notification summoned them back for an immediate assembly.
Surprised, the officials returned to the main assembly hall, while several department heads who had just departed were forced to rush back.
Vice Prime Minister Qiao Dingguo stood at the head of the chamber. Once everyone was assembled, he addressed the room: "Colleagues, we are convening an extraordinary session.
"Advisor Chen of the Supreme Security Advisory Group has just forwarded an official dispatch requesting a thorough investigation into a series of grave violations of state law committed by Minister of National Security He Shugang."
He held up a thick dossier.
"This body of evidence details numerous actions taken by He Shugang over his tenure as minister. Among the most egregious offenses is that he met privately with the Covert Operations Directorate and Strategic Affairs Department of the Linakes Federation, selling out our national interests. It is utterly appalling!"
He slammed the dossier onto the podium with a loud smack. The assembled officials maintained solemn expressions, but shock surged violently through their minds.
Every piece of news was staggering. To begin with, the advisory group rarely intervened directly in administrative governance, and they almost never targeted sitting principal officials, as doing so could disrupt normal executive operations—the last thing the advisors wanted to see.
Yet upon second thought, given that Advisor Chen had previously served in the Ministry of National Security, could this be a personal feud?
A clash over political philosophies was one thing, but if it was personal vengeance…
Many couldn't help pitying He Shugang. Earning the enmity of an advisor rarely ended well.
Just then, the detailed evidence against He Shugang was transmitted directly to everyone's boundary credentials.
A cursory glance was enough to send chills down their spines. If just a few of the charges listed were proven true, it would be more than enough to lock him away in Gongming Crossing for the rest of his life.
Qiao Dingguo declared in a heavy voice, "We are in wartime. Anyone who poses a threat to national security, regardless of rank or status, will be held strictly accountable. We will not tolerate traitors in our midst!"
The hall remained completely silent. Under normal procedures, bringing He Shugang down so abruptly would have been impossible, but invoking wartime regulations made it barely justifiable.
Even so, many harbored a deep unease. Such a drastic measure was bound to trigger severe aftershocks, and what was more…
At that very moment, the heavy double doors of the assembly hall swung open from the outside. The room froze. Looking over, they saw a silver-haired elder with immaculate grooming and a straight, commanding posture stepping inside.
A chill ran through the assembly. Every official stood up at once, bowing their heads respectfully.
"Prime Minister!"
Chapter 1488