Outside the underpass, seeing that the other two vehicles had both exploded and that the guard units were already rushing over from every direction, the occupants of the final military vehicle had no choice but to abandon their mission.

They had just retreated less than a kilometer in their agreed-upon direction when a loud crash suddenly echoed from the front of the vehicle. It felt as if a heavy object had dropped straight out of the sky, slamming into the hood and leaving a massive dent—yet nothing was visible to the naked eye.

“What happened?!”

“I don’t know!”

The vehicle shook violently. Just as the driver managed to stabilize it, a tall, slender silhouette materialized right in front of the windshield, standing upright on the hood and facing them directly.

A person had actually appeared atop a vehicle flying at high speeds—it nearly scared the daylights out of the two inside.

Under the cover of night, only a faint outline could be seen. The co-driver attempted to lower the window to fire a shot at the figure in front, only to find that the window wouldn’t open no matter what he pressed.

In the next moment, the warm baritone of the vehicle’s onboard AI chimed softly.

【Hello, distinguished passengers! This is Shuttle No. 250250 bound for the Abyss. This vehicle will retract its undercarriage after a three-second countdown. Please enjoy the exhilarating experience of freefall to your heart’s content. Thank you for riding with us, and farewell.】

The two men inside froze, their scalps going completely numb. Hearing the clicking noises coming from the undercarriage, they couldn’t help but scream in absolute terror.

The driver frantically slowed down and lowered their altitude. Hearing the countdown end while the undercarriage remained intact, he couldn’t help but let out a sigh of relief. Yet in the very next second, he realized that they had been completely surrounded by guard units.

The driver whipped his head toward the front of the car—aside from the giant dent, there was nothing there.

W-Was it haunted?!

Jiang Hao was in the middle of doing homework in his assigned room when his terminal suddenly vibrated. Seeing that it was Li Xiao, he hurriedly picked up: “Eldest Brother? …What? My brother is injured?! …I’ll be right there!”

Hanging up the call, he rushed out the door in a frenzy.

Palace Medical Wing.

Ignoring the gunshot wound on his leg, Yi Anhe sat in a wheelchair after a quick, simple dressing and waited outside the operating room.

The Beta major worried about him and tried earnestly to persuade him from the side: “The doctor said the surgery will take about three hours. You are quite severely injured yourself, wouldn’t it be better to get treated first?”

“No need.” Yi Anhe stared fixedly at the door of the operating room, not daring to blink, terrified that if he did, he would find out this was all just a dream.

The Beta major tried persuading him a few more times. Seeing that it was useless, he could only fetch a portable medical treatment lamp, set it up over him, and sit quietly by his side to keep watch.

Yi Anhe issued a low command: “Handle Old Yu’s funeral arrangements with the specs of a martyr, and transfer an extra ten million to his family directly from my personal account.”

The Beta major wiped his face, choking up as he acknowledged: “Yes, I will arrange it right away.”

Hasty footsteps echoed in their ears. The Beta major thought it was the Second Prince, Li Xiao, but when he raised his head, he realized it wasn’t. It was an Alpha youth—if he remembered correctly, he was one of the Second Prince’s companions.

Panting, Jiang Hao glanced at the tightly shut operating room doors, then looked toward the Beta major: “I heard my brother was injured. Is he in this operating room?!”

Hearing the words “my brother,” Yi Anhe snapped out of his daze and stared blankly at Jiang Hao, his voice raspy and low: “What is your brother’s name?”

“Jiang Chi!”

Jiang Hao said anxiously, “His name is Jiang Chi!”

Grit his teeth, Yi Anhe suppressed the emotions surging within him and asked softly, “And what about you?”

Thinking this middle-aged Omega officer was verifying his relation to the injured party, Jiang Hao answered truthfully: “My name is Jiang Hao. The Second Prince notified me to come here!”

“Jiang Hao… Jiang Hao…”

Yi Anhe muttered the name twice under his breath, lowering his head and covering his face as his eyes welled with tears.

Seeing Yi Anhe like this, Jiang Hao’s heart skipped a beat. Thinking something terrible had happened to his brother Jiang Chi, he was utterly stunned: “My brother, he…”

By the time Li Xiao and Song Jin rushed over after confirming the assassins’ identities with the guard unit, they saw Jiang Hao crying right in front of the operating room, Yi Anhe wiping the corners of his eyes, and the Beta major crying as well.

“What’s going on here?” The heavy atmosphere made Song Jin frown.

Jiang Hao looked over with tear-filled eyes, choking back a sob: “My brother isn’t going to make it.”

Song Jin: “…”

Song Jin shot a glance at Li Xiao, his gaze filled with silent accusation.

How on earth did you notify the family members?

“…” Li Xiao scratched his hair, explaining with a hint of embarrassment, “Jiang Chi was just mentally stimulated. He shouldn’t die.”

Jiang Hao, tears still hanging on his face: “…?”

Jiang Hao looked at Li Xiao, then looked back at Yi Anhe, entirely bewildered.

Then why is this officer uncle crying?

A moment later, after listening to the Beta major’s explanation, Jiang Hao calmed down a bit.

Not injured, just stimulated. At most, he’ll turn into an idiot.

Well, that’s fine then. Brother wasn’t all that smart to begin with anyway.

Yi Anhe quickly composed himself and asked Li Xiao, “Where did you meet Xiao Chi? Does he seem to have an issue with his memories?”

Sitting on a bench, Li Xiao briefly explained the main points of Jiang Chi’s ordeal—having his memories wiped and being dumped at the border: “His memories have been wiped too many times, so he can’t handle overly intense stimulation. Taking that into consideration, I didn’t let him meet you directly. I didn’t expect you to run into each other by accident after all.”

Listening to this made Yi Anhe feel waves of coldness wash over him. He gripped the armrests of his wheelchair tightly just to conceal the trembling in his fingertips.

To repeatedly wipe a person’s memory, dump them at the border, and imprint a psychological suggestion so they could never return—this was far more vicious and inhumane than simply killing him!

Yi Anhe restrained himself as he shot a glance toward Jiang Hao on the other side, asking in a low voice, “So he is also…”

Li Xiao nodded: “He should be, though we can run an identification test first.”

Yi Anhe shook his head: “I wouldn’t even mistake my own child.”

Not long after, Yi Yongning also rushed over upon hearing the news.

“Why aren’t you lying down if you’re injured?!”

Yi Anhe’s face was heavy: “Xiao Chi is inside.”

Yi Yongning’s heart thudded: “Xiao Chi? W-Which Xiao Chi?”

Yi Anhe: “I only have one Xiao Chi.”

Yi Yongning stared with wide eyes, completely unable to grasp the situation.

Jiang Hao shot them a strange look.

How did Brother suddenly become this Omega uncle’s son?

“How many people were attacked tonight?” Li Xiao asked Yi Yongning.

Speaking of this matter, Yi Yongning’s expression turned thoroughly grim.

Upon receiving Li Xiao’s order, he had notified everyone to heighten their vigilance, avoid using their usual vehicles, wear suppression rings, and take several Beta subordinates along whenever going out.

So far, he had heard that eight officials were injured. Fortunately, thanks to the timely warning, none of the injuries were severe.

After listening, Li Xiao spoke in a low voice, “If I’m not mistaken, Meng Jian will break out of prison tonight.”

Yi Yongning: “I’ve already posted people to keep an eye on the Investigation Bureau. I guarantee not even an ant will crawl out.”

Li Xiao shook his head: “My point is, let him run.”

Yi Yongning understood his intention: “Isn’t that too risky?”

Li Xiao: “He can’t sway much of anything.”

Yi Yongning: “But he is the spiritual leader of the Meng faction. With him around, the interior of the Meng faction will be even more united.”

Li Xiao: “Influence has always been a double-edged sword. Killing him is as easy as lifting a finger, but it’s meaningless. Letting him continue down the wrong path will accelerate the collapse of the Meng faction far more effectively.”

Yi Yongning took another look at Li Xiao, feeling somewhat surprised.

“Then what about Meng Shan?”

“Keep him locked up,” Li Xiao said offhandedly. “If we used Meng Shan to make Meng Jian fall in line, yet Meng Jian still raised troops anyway, wouldn’t that highlight his lack of humanity even more?”

Yi Yongning: “…”

RUTHLESS. You really are ruthless.

He understood Li Xiao’s logic, but all of this was built on the premise that they could win.

And Li Xiao gave him a distinct feeling of absolute victory.

In truth, the Meng family had operated for over a century; their foundation was exceptionally solid. Once war broke out, it would be a fight to the death. If they weren’t careful in their response, they might pay an extraordinarily heavy price.

Could an eighteen-year-old youth really remain this calm in the face of war?

The surgery, originally expected to take three hours, concluded in two and a half hours.

The moment the operating room doors swung open, Yi Anhe immediately steered his wheelchair forward to meet them.

“How is he?”

Jiang Hao hurriedly followed, eagerly awaiting the doctor’s response.

Doctor: “Who here is the family member?”

Jiang Hao: “Me.”

Yi Anhe: “Me.”

Both spoke in unison. Jiang Hao looked at Yi Anhe in confusion and asked awkwardly, “Which family member are you?”

Yi Anhe: “I am his father.”

After saying this, Yi Anhe tightened his hands resting on his lap, feeling a bit tense.

When his eldest son met with disaster, he was already in his twenties, but the younger one was only a few years old back then—he had long forgotten who his father was.

What if he didn’t want to acknowledge him?

Jiang Hao’s expression shifted from confusion to shock, then to subtlety, and finally to resignation as he muttered under his breath, “When on earth did Big Brother go and acknowledge another godfather…”

Yi Anhe: “…”

Li Xiao / Song Jin: “…”

This time, we really can’t blame Old Jiang.

Doctor: “It’s no big issue. The patient has a strong will to live, though he is far too stubborn. He was highly vigilant against mental soothing and very uncooperative, but his condition has stabilized now.”

Listening to this, Song Jin and Li Xiao thought to themselves: Of course he’s stubborn.

If Jiang Chi had been even slightly less resilient, after undergoing memory wipes so many times, there wouldn’t be anything left of him by now.

He had to use every ounce of his strength just to retain the things he wanted to protect.

Jiang Hao asked hurriedly, “Then is he awake? Can I see him?”

Doctor: “We still need to observe him for an hour. Even after he wakes up, visits shouldn’t be too long.”

Jiang Hao acknowledged: “Thank you.”

Once Jiang Chi was wheeled into the ward, the group moved to wait in the small lounge outside the room. Through the observation window on one side, they could see Jiang Chi’s current condition.

Jiang Hao was practically pressed against the glass, watching without even blinking.

It had been a long time since he last saw his brother; he seemed to have grown a bit thinner.

Jiang Hao turned his head inadvertently, seeing that Yi Anhe was also leaning against the glass, watching with utter seriousness. He hesitated before asking, “Are you a military officer?”

Yi Anhe feigned composure as he answered, “I am from the Intelligence Bureau.”

After saying that, he heard Jiang Hao marvel in a low voice, “The standard of the godfather he acknowledged this time is really high.”

Yi Anhe: “…”

No, just how many godfathers has Xiao Chi acknowledged?!

It must be because he couldn’t survive in a harsh environment like the border without relying on godfathers, right?

The more Yi Anhe thought about it, the angrier he became, wishing he could go chop Meng Jian to pieces right then and there.

In the small lounge, Yi Yongning watched the “heartwarming” scene between father and son over there, feeling a pang of sorrow in his heart.

Back then, when both of Jiang Chi’s brothers met with disaster at the same time, the sky practically collapsed on the Jiang family. His younger brother Anhe blamed him for assigning such a dangerous mission to Jiang Chi. He could only bow his head and accept it, unable to refute a single word.

Over the years, aside from work, they rarely interacted in private, and their bond grew increasingly distant. He often wanted to make amends, yet he knew that nothing could ever make up for the pain of losing one’s children.

His terminal vibrated. Yi Yongning swiped it open to take a look, his expression turning stern.

“Your Highness, as you expected, Meng Jian has fled.”

Looking at the direction of public opinion on the network, Li Xiao said to him, “Issue a wanted notice.”

Yi Yongning acknowledged: “Understood.”

Flipping through the surveillance footage sent back by 07, Song Jin forwarded a copy directly to Yi Yongning: “By the way, clean up this batch of bugs too.”

Yi Yongning clicked open the video, his eyes widening slightly.

“This is the internal surveillance footage from the Investigation Bureau?”

In the surveillance footage, it clearly captured which people in the Investigation Bureau had served Meng Jian fine food and drink, and then politely seen him off.

With this video in hand, they could go straight to making arrests.

Song Jin nodded as if it were no big deal.

Yi Yongning looked at Song Jin, then looked at the indifferent Li Xiao, a wave of shock and suspicion rising in his heart.

Song Jin was an inhabitant of the Shengya Empire after all. For him to actually have channels to pull internal surveillance from the Investigation Bureau—this hidden hazard was simply too massive.

Seeming to understand Yi Yongning’s concerns, Li Xiao casually reassured him, “Don’t worry. Song Jin doesn’t even hold the royal mainframes in his eyes. Checking a small Investigation Bureau is a piece of cake for him; he won’t be discovered.”

Yi Yongning: “…?!”

How on earth is that supposed to reassure me?!

Song Jin: “…”

This guy really can be quite wicked sometimes.

Over on the other side, Yi Anhe received reports from a few subordinates and maneuvered his wheelchair over to Li Xiao’s side.

“There are changes in the troop deployments of the Nanming constellation and Suyang constellation.”

As he spoke, he shot a glance at Song Jin.

Li Xiao: “Song Jin is one of us.”

Yi Anhe said no more. He opened a 2D map, rapidly altering the dense markings on it while explaining.

Song Jin looked at the updated deployment situation: “Knowing each other inside out makes fighting a whole lot easier.”

Li Xiao: “The Meng family likewise has channels to understand our deployments.”

Yi Anhe nodded. “The Meng family holds too many pawns in their hand; there’s no way to clean them all out in a short period. Some are hidden too deeply and haven’t shown their faces to this day.”

Song Jin chuckled softly: “Meaning both sides are playing with open hands? Then it just comes down to whose methods are superior and who gets screwed over first.”

Li Xiao: “That’s the idea.”

“My brother is awake!” Jiang Hao called out softly.

The several people in the meeting looked toward the ward simultaneously.

Inside the ward, Jiang Chi woke up groggily. His head felt like a loose collection of parts assembled together—it didn’t feel like his own, completely numb and incapable of thinking about anything.

“Brother.”

A figure appeared in his blurry field of vision. Jiang Chi squinted for quite a while before recognizing it was Jiang Hao.

“Hao Hao…”

Only after speaking did he realize his voice was extremely raspy and lacking strength.

Jiang Hao grasped the hand Jiang Chi reached out: “Eldest Brother said you were mentally stimulated, but you’re fine now.”

The moment Jiang Chi heard the words “mentally stimulated,” something suddenly flashed rapidly past his eyes. He grabbed his head abruptly and sat up: “Quickly, go call the Second Prince—”

“I’m here.”

Jiang Chi turned his head to look. Li Xiao and his husband were leaning against the low cabinet at the foot of the bed with their arms crossed, looking at him in neat unison.

“…”

They really do look like a married couple.

Li Xiao pressed, “Did you remember something?”

Snapping back to his senses, Jiang Chi’s gaze turned sharp: “I know where the items are.”

Song Jin smiled brightly: “Looks like strong stimulation really is useful after all.”

Li Xiao: “Once your body recovers, we will depart immediately. I’ll accompany you.”

Jiang Hao was puzzled: “What items are we looking for? Can I come along too?”

Just as Li Xiao opened his mouth to speak, his terminal suddenly vibrated. It was a message sent by Yan Qing.

Yan Qing: 【The Military Academy is in chaos.】