Han Kuang stood up, stepped into the house, and picked up the telephone receiver. He had barely brought it to his ear when a familiar voice came through the line: "Old Han, keeping something this huge from me—that's not very sporting of you!"
Recognizing the voice of his superior, Chief of Staff Bai, Han Kuang felt a stir in his chest. Guessing roughly why the man was calling, he said, "Old Bai, what are you talking about? Did you hear something over there?"
"Oh, don't play dumb with me! Headquarters received word the moment that nephew of yours arrived, and they've even dispatched a squad to help Center City's forces maintain security."
Chief of Staff Bai said in a feigned tone of grievance, "Old Han, look at you, keeping things so tightly wrapped! Not even giving a heads-up beforehand, springing a surprise like this? That's hardly fair, is it?"
Han Kuang quickly apologized. "I was careless in my consideration and caused trouble for the superiors. It was my fault."
Chief of Staff Bai chuckled. "That nephew of yours—he's something else! The moment he set foot in Shannan Dao, half of Center City was stirred up. Now, I'm heading over to make an appearance on behalf of headquarters. Old Han, come along too. Don't worry about saving face. At home, you're an elder, but out in the world, business is business."
Han Kuang immediately snapped to attention and said loudly, "Yes, sir! Orders understood!"
"All right, don't be so stiff," Chief of Staff Bai laughed, adding half-jokingly, "When the time comes, you'll have to introduce me properly, won't you?"
"Certainly, certainly."
"Alright, my car will be at your place in five minutes. Get ready, Old Han. Hanging up now."
Han Kuang hung up the telephone, a complex swirl of emotions rising within him. Steadying his mind, he turned back toward his two daughters. "Your cousin Chen Chuan has arrived. You two, call your mother and your elder brother to tell them to come back. I'm going out to welcome him first."
Han Xiaohuan asked, "Dad, will Big Brother even agree to come back?"
Han Kuang took the jacket handed to him by Ling Ma, put it on, buttoned it up, put on his military cap, and straightened it. "Tell him that if he doesn't come back now, he never needs to come back again." With that, he picked up his briefcase and strode out the door.
As soon as he left, Han Xiaohuan quietly asked Nian Qian, "Cousin, the one you were talking about earlier is Cousin Chen Chuan, right? Cousin Chen seems really amazing. I've never seen Dad act like that."
Nian Qian said, "Your Cousin Chen Chuan is more than just amazing. Honestly, in my view, throughout the entire Great Shun, there are hardly any who can match him at his age." As he spoke, an unmistakable pride colored his tone.
Hearing this, the two Han sisters' eyes sparkled with wonder and anticipation. Han Xiaojing piped up excitedly, "Then Cousin Chen Chuan is coming to our house in a bit, isn't he? Sis, let's go make the calls!"
"Okay. I'll go upstairs to call Big Brother. Xiaojing, you call Mom."
"Got it, Sis."
The two sisters split up to make their calls. Han Xiaojing had an easier time of it; Yu Jie was out shopping in Center City with Yu Wan and Nian Fuli, accompanied by an orderly, so she only needed to reach the intermediary and contact them via boundary credential.
Han Xiaohuan had a harder time, because her elder brother had no fixed living quarters, and nobody knew where he was at the moment. She had no choice but to try contacting his acquaintances one by one.
Walking outside, Han Kuang turned over in his mind how he ought to interact with this nephew. If he remembered correctly, the last time they met had been ages ago—sixteen or seventeen years, perhaps? But back then, the nephew was only a toddler of a few years old, leaving barely any impression in his memory.
By then, he reached the intersection and saw that the headquarters vehicle was already parked there. Chief of Staff Bai stood alongside a somewhat younger, handsome officer.
He recognized this man: the second son of the Fan family, the son-in-law of Deputy Commander Liu, and one of the staff department's rising young talents.
Seeing him approach, Chief of Staff Bai pointed at him with a laugh. "Old Han, oh, Old Han! You never mentioned him before. Tucking this nephew away like a secret and not letting anyone know, eh?"
Han Kuang said, "To tell you the truth, this nephew of mine lives in Jibei Dao. It's not easy to travel back and forth under normal circumstances, and unless something came up, I didn't want to disturb their family. It really has been a very long time since we last saw each other."
"Alright, alright, I was only joking. I'm not blaming you, Old Han. Come on, get in." Chief of Staff Bai then turned to the handsome officer beside him. "Xiao Fan, you take the front. Old Han and I will sit in the back."
Staff Officer Fan offered a slight smile, saluted the two of them, and stepped forward to open the rear doors for them.
As Han Kuang sat down and watched the young man close the door for him, a strange, indescribable thrill of satisfaction washed over him for reasons he couldn't quite name.
The vehicle started smoothly and rolled toward the main thoroughfare. Han Kuang quickly noticed that the entire route was under high security. Checkpoints appeared at regular intervals, and patrol cars cruised past from time to time. He couldn't help remarking, "This is..."
Chief of Staff Bai said, "Arranged by Center City. The Security Defense Department deployed personnel too. It's not just for show; they're worried someone might cause trouble. The resistance organizations have been acting up lately, and if someone takes advantage of this to stir up trouble, Shannan Dao losing face is minor compared to the risk of angering that nephew of yours. Martial artists all have quite a temper, after all."
Han Kuang nodded in understanding. The resistance organizations in the city had been rampant lately. If someone made trouble and clashed with a visiting martial artist, things would get completely out of hand—it might even draw intervention at the national level. No wonder the higher-ups took it so seriously and mounted such an imposing display.
Meanwhile, in a residence near Center City's main commercial district, Han Cheng was pacing back and forth in his pajamas, speaking to someone across his boundary credential.
"Hey, what's going on with you guys? We agreed that the shipment would be moved into the city before noon today. Why haven't you left yet?"
He was quite irritated. Every connection along the line had already been smoothed over, and the identities of the transport personnel had all been arranged. All that remained was getting the goods into the city, yet now they were pulling this stunt. A voice came through the boundary credential: "Mr. Han, our apologies. It's not that we don't want to haul the goods, but today's situation is unusual."
"What situation?"
The line fell silent for a moment. "Did you just wake up, sir? Take a look outside."
Han Cheng was somewhat surprised. He walked over to the window, drew back the curtain, and looked out. Beneath the kaleidoscopic glow of neon lights, city patrol cars were speeding past one after another, and armed airships were cruising across the sky above.
He froze for a moment.
The voice on the boundary credential said, "Mr. Han, the boys picked up word that some big shot might be arriving today. All the checkpoints are under full martial lockdown. We contacted our checkpoint supervisor on the inside, and he said the Security Department temporarily dispatched personnel to take over, and supposedly an Investigation Supervisor from the Disposal Bureau even showed up, blocking right at the sentry post. So it's not that we aren't trying our best today, sir—it's simply impossible to pull off."
Han Cheng stared outside, pondering for a moment. "The lockdown is only in one direction. I arranged legitimate passes for you. Try bypassing it through another checkpoint to get into the city."
The person on the other end said, "Mr. Han, we thought of that. But you know as well as anyone that a few of the boys have records. Even with the identities you arranged, the risk of entering the city right now is just too high. Still, if you insist, Mr. Han, we can give it a shot."
Han Cheng hesitated. But just then, a flurry of panicked noises and voices suddenly came over the boundary credential. He immediately asked, "Old Feng, what's going on?"
A tense voice answered, "Mr. Han, an inspection team has surrounded us. Should we..."
Startled, Han Cheng immediately instructed, "Do not resist, whatever you do! Do whatever they tell you to do, and I'll find a way to handle the rest!"
Ending the call, he cursed under his breath and immediately began reaching out to his contacts in an attempt to sort things out. Yet for some reason, the people who were normally on close terms with him either avoided him or outright declared themselves powerless. Only one person offered a word of advice:
"Brother Han, your timing today couldn't be worse. Orders came down from the Security Defense Department, the Disposal Bureau, and the military—all major thoroughfares inside and outside Center City are under strict lockdown, and all under-the-table activities are forbidden. For this matter, unless you can get through to the Chief Administrator, Director Li, or Commander Zhao, who might be able to open a crack for you, I'd advise you to keep your head down today."
After thanking him, Han Cheng cursed inwardly again. He had poured massive capital into this venture in stages. If it failed now, losing that money was one thing, but worse still, his company's reputation would take a catastrophic plunge.
He pounded his head in frustration. As he wracked his brain for a solution, the telephone on the desk suddenly rang. Frowning, he picked it up. "Hello, who is it?"
"Big Brother, it's me."
"Oh, Xiaohuan." With his mind full of worries, Han Cheng was somewhat impatient. "What is it now? Did Mom tell you to call me back again? Tell her I've got urgent business to attend to."
"No, Big Brother. Dad said that you must come back today, or else you don't ever need to come back again. Big Brother, Dad is serious this time."
Hearing that, Han Cheng felt a twinge of dread. He sighed. "Fine, fine. I'll make a trip back right now."
"Big Brother, hurry up, okay?"
Putting down the receiver, Han Cheng felt a sudden stir of curiosity. Did the old man know something? Could it be...?
He moved swiftly to change into trousers, grabbed a coat, and rushed out the door.
The headquarters car drove all the way toward the mooring tower located in the industrial zone. When they arrived, they saw a massive airship floating high above the tower.
Chief of Staff Bai said, "A dispatch airship from the National Martial Arts Council." All three men gazed at the colossal hull, each sensing the profound weight of power it exuded.
Once the car came to a steady halt before the tower, the three of them stepped out together. Below, numerous armed vehicles were parked, and over a hundred implanted armed personnel from the Center City Security Defense Department had secured the entire surrounding area.
Chief of Staff Bai said, "Director Li came the moment he received word. Let's head over."
As the three walked up beneath the mooring tower, Han Kuang looked up and saw a tall, straight-backed young man emerging from the airship.
Faint light seemed to gleam in the young man's eyes. Though dressed in casual clothes, when his gaze casually drifted downward, it caused Han Kuang's breath to hitch involuntarily. And not just him—both Chief of Staff Bai and Staff Officer Fan halted in their tracks as well.
In comparison, Director Li, who walked out alongside the young man, was easily overlooked.
The two chatted as they descended the mooring tower, walking all the way up to Han Kuang and his companions. Seeing the young man look over at him, Han Kuang couldn't help feeling nervous. Then he saw the young man smile at him and say, "Eldest Uncle, Happy New Year."
Chapter 860