Chapter Nineteen: The Response from the High Command

The headquarters of the Capital Special Operations was nestled in the western suburbs of the city, within the Yulong Mountain, where an ancient and elegant courtyard stood. It was said to have been the residence of a Qing dynasty prince. Pavilions and towers were scattered gracefully throughout, rockeries and streams reflected each other, converging into a pond where lotus leaves floated and fish darted about in play...

At this moment, many soldiers in uniform hurried through the courtyard, the atmosphere solemn and dignified. The only sounds were the measured steps of those passing by. Sentries stood guard everywhere, and in the shadows, hidden watchmen lurked as well. Anyone wishing to enter from outside had to pass through multiple layers of security and verify their identity before being allowed access.

Just then, a military jeep arrived at the gate. Out stepped a middle-aged man in the uniform of a major general, perhaps in his early forties, tall and broad-shouldered, his face sharply defined and his eyes occasionally flashing a subdued, icy light. This was Zhen Dongshan, the leader of the Dragon Unit of China, a practitioner of ancient martial arts with the power of a lower-tier Heavenly Stage master. That very morning, he had received a call from Long Yanyu. After hearing her account of the mission, he had hurried to headquarters, passed through strict security, and arrived before an elevator. Taking out a special card, he swiped it, and the doors opened.

Zhen Dongshan entered and descended ten stories underground. Soon, he reached his destination. Emerging from the corridor, he found himself in an expansive hall of several thousand cubic meters. Technicians bustled with their tasks, warriors sparred on the training grounds, and advanced equipment filled the room. The air rang with the cracks of gunfire and the shouts from the combat arena.

Yet all of this seemed unrelated to Zhen Dongshan. He strode directly to the innermost office and knocked lightly. A deep, aged voice called from within, “Come in.”

Upon receiving permission, Zhen Dongshan entered, saluted respectfully, and said, “Commander, there’s news from the four Dragon Unit members sent to Shanghai on the mission. Long Yanyu called this morning to report that they only managed to secure part of the core data. Due to faulty intelligence, they encountered sixteen Iga ninja—fifteen mid-level and one upper-level. They were pursued all the way to an abandoned factory on the outskirts of Shanghai. While under siege, Qin Feng and Du Haitao sacrificed themselves to cover Long Yanyu’s retreat, and Wang Guozheng barely survived.”

“What? Faulty intelligence cost us three elite members? What is the intelligence department doing? What’s their current situation?” The speaker was Long Juetian, the general in charge of national security and head of Special Operations, a grandmaster of ancient martial arts at the peak of the Heavenly Stage, one of China’s Five Supreme Masters. Despite being over seventy, his youthful features and white hair showed little sign of age; only his voice betrayed his years. He had fought in the War of Resistance, the Korean War, and the counter-Vietnamese campaign, enduring hundreds of battles. As one of the last founding generals of the nation, he was a pillar of stability, and now, upon hearing of the losses caused by inaccurate intelligence, his anger flared.

Seeing Long Juetian’s fury, Zhen Dongshan shivered involuntarily but pressed on, “Commander, then a mysterious young master appeared. He’s under twenty, yet immensely powerful—capable of forging his inner energy into a sword, killing fifteen mid-level ninja in an instant. The force of his sword qi was terrifying, blasting craters into the concrete. He even fought the shikigami summoned by the upper-level ninja in hand-to-hand combat, overwhelming the crow-tengu, and finally summoned lightning to reduce it to ashes. I suspect he may be a legendary Divine Stage master.”

“Not only that, his medical skills are miraculous. Qin Feng and Du Haitao were dead, but he somehow revived them and even elevated their strength from the peak of the Human Stage to the middle tier of the Earth Stage. Wang Guozheng advanced to the peak of the Earth Stage and, with some consolidation, could reach the Innate level within a year—Heavenly Stage. That’s my report.” Zhen Dongshan’s eyes blazed with excitement.

“A Divine Stage master? If such a talent cannot serve the nation, it would be a terrible waste. Dongshan, dispatch a team to receive all four at once, and investigate this mysterious master’s background as quickly as possible.” Long Juetian, ever decisive, issued his orders, his eyes cold and sharp.

Over an hour later, Zhen Dongshan returned to the Commander’s office. All information on Liu Fan was now laid bare before Long Juetian: from when he was weaned, when he wet the bed, to his current university—every detail meticulously listed. Had Liu Fan seen this, he would surely have wished to leap into a river from embarrassment, a testament to the formidable power of China’s intelligence services.

“Liu Fan, eighteen, orphan, raised by an old country doctor in Liu Family Village at the foot of Yu Huang Mountain, Hangzhou. Nothing particularly remarkable about him, overall quite ordinary. However, he disappeared for over a month this July, and his whereabouts during that time are unknown. On August 28 he started at Fudan University. He once saved a mother and daughter injured in a car accident.” As Long Juetian read Liu Fan’s file, he weighed how best to recruit Liu Fan into service for the country.

He turned to Zhen Dongshan and asked, “According to these records, Liu Fan is kind-hearted and has a patriotic spirit. Might we persuade him to join the Dragon Unit with reason and emotion?”

“Commander, I think that’s unlikely. According to Xiaoyu’s report, Liu Fan loves freedom and dislikes being bound by rules. Masters of his caliber tend to be very proud. Unless we appeal to him with family ties, I don’t see any other way.” Zhen Dongshan had considered Long Juetian’s suggestion, but found it unrealistic.

“Commander, I do have an idea, but I’m not sure you’d approve.” Suddenly struck by inspiration, Zhen Dongshan hesitated, unsure if he should voice his plan for fear of being scolded.

“Speak! If it benefits the nation, I, Long Juetian, would risk my life to achieve it.” For this old general, nothing outweighed the interests of his country; his words were resolute.

“A honey trap. Since ancient times, heroes have stumbled at the hands of beautiful women. Xiaoyu is your granddaughter, and she’s stunning—so…” Roused by Long Juetian’s commanding tone, Zhen Dongshan revealed his “brilliant” plan, but faltered at the end as he caught his superior’s peculiar gaze.

Long Juetian was momentarily stunned at the suggestion. The thought of his granddaughter—known as the Fiery Witch—gave him a headache. Spoiled since childhood, she constantly caused trouble in the capital, tormenting the offspring of high officials, who dared not retaliate due to her background, only fueling her wild temper.

“Hmm. It’s not a bad idea to find someone who can keep that girl in line. Very well, let’s do it. I’ll report to the Chairman myself. You get started on the arrangements.” Stroking his chin thoughtfully, Long Juetian made his decision. Thus, Liu Fan and Long Yanyu were paired together by a twist of fate.

Zhen Dongshan then set off to carry out his “talent recruitment” plan.

Meanwhile, our Immortal Liu remained blissfully unaware that his entire history had been thoroughly investigated. He was still fast asleep in his dormitory—having returned at three in the morning. Fortunately, Chen Gang and the others were drunk and didn’t notice his late arrival. He’d collapsed onto his bed, still dressed, and now dreamed sweet dreams, smiling with drool at the corner of his mouth.

At dawn, a ray of golden sunlight shone through the window onto Liu Fan’s face. As he opened his eyes, he was startled by a strange sight: during his dream, Chen Gang and his two friends, seeing him grinning so lewdly in his sleep, had gathered to study him. As Liu Fan awoke, the three stared at him with teasing, ambiguous expressions.

“Third Bro, was that a good dream? What were you thinking about? Tell your brothers.”

“Yeah, Third, you even smiled in your sleep—look, you drooled.”

“And you came back so late last night. Did you, you know, with that girl?”

“We’re all brothers here, we just want to learn from your experience.”

“Heh heh… Out with it, or don’t blame us for using some rough methods.”

...

As soon as Liu Fan opened his eyes, he heard his three roommates chattering away. When they mentioned drooling, his hand reflexively wiped his mouth, yet he still didn’t understand what was going on. “You’ve said so much, but I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“Oh, still denying it? Brothers, time to interrogate!” With that, the three pounced, pressing the still-bewildered Liu Fan onto the bed, pinning him under a heap like a human pyramid.

“Come on, did you go to a hotel with Ning Qi last night?”

“Did you use protection, and how many times did you…?”

Only now did Liu Fan grasp what was happening, so he raised his hands in surrender. “Alright, alright, I’ll talk! Just get off me, I can’t breathe. I only walked Ning Qi back to her dorm—then I came straight home.”

“Really? So why’d you come back so late, then?” Zhang Yi, self-proclaimed love guru, interjected, waggling his eyebrows.

“Honestly, I got locked out because it was so late, so I just found somewhere to sleep for a few hours and came back at dawn. You were all still passed out drunk.” Liu Fan felt a little guilty; he’d only just started seeing Ning Qi—did that count as having “something going on”?

“Third, you’re not being honest. You sound so nervous, saying you slept outside for a few hours. Just admit it!” Chen Gang teased in a strange voice.

“Fine, you win. I’ll make an announcement.” Liu Fan, seeing he couldn’t bluff it out, declared solemnly, “Brothers, let me officially announce: I’m in love.”

“Uh, that’s it? Nothing else?” The room fell silent, and the three looked at Liu Fan with odd expressions.

“Yeah, that’s it. Aren’t you happy for me?” Liu Fan noticed their lack of enthusiasm and felt puzzled, looking at them with innocent eyes.

“Pfft—ha ha…” The three burst out laughing at Liu Fan’s bewildered expression, unable to hold it in. Seeing their laughter, Liu Fan realized he’d been played, but he didn’t mind. Instead, he felt it only strengthened their bond, and he joined in the laughter and playful roughhousing.