"Dad, Mom, Aunt, Uncle..." Minglang cried out silently in his heart, his nails digging deep into his palms.

"If... if what happened back then really was that beast Huang Weiguo's doing... I, Minglang, will risk my life to make him and the demons behind him pay for their crimes in blood! I will give Zhaozhao true justice!"

Outside the window, the night was as dark as ink, so thick it seemed impossible to see through. The lights of the military compound flickered in the distance, much like the hidden truths and impending storms lurking deep within people's hearts.

...

The duty room of the military hospital. Under the dim light, only Gong Zhu was there.

She took a deep breath and picked up the old-fashioned black telephone with a rotary dial.

Her fingers were a little cold from nervousness as she dialed the number to the military region's switchboard.

"Switchboard operator, this is Gong Zhu, the on-duty doctor at the military hospital. There's an emergency. We need... we need to open a secure line to XX District in Beijing, highest priority. Connection number... XX-XXX."

Gong Zhu read out the extremely special contact number that Ming Lang had given her, trying to keep her voice as steady as possible.

This number sounds like it belongs to someone from an ordinary family.

There was a few seconds of silence on the other end of the phone, clearly as they were verifying permissions and levels. Gong Zhu's heart leaped into her throat.

In this day and age, such a confidential route directly connecting to the capital is subject to extremely strict approval processes.

"The line is being transferred, please wait." The operator's voice finally came through, carrying a serious, businesslike tone.

Gong Zhu breathed a sigh of relief, but her heart was pounding even harder. She covered the microphone, ran quickly to the ward door, and whispered into the room, "Minglang! It's connected! Come quick!"

Almost simultaneously, the ward door was pulled open. Minglang had already struggled out of bed. Although his steps were still a little unsteady, his eyes were sharp as an eagle's, and his face showed no trace of illness, only a resolute determination that was like burning one's bridges!

Gong Zhu quickly supported his arm, and the two walked briskly toward the duty room.

The telephone receiver was shoved into Minglang's hand. The cold plastic touch momentarily cleared his feverish mind.

He took a deep breath, and speaking into the microphone with all his might, suppressing his turbulent emotions, he clearly and distinctly enunciated each word:

“Grandpa…it’s me, Minglang. I’m at the Northern Military Region Hospital…I just woke up. I found Zhaozhao…she…she’s still alive.”

Just uttering the name "Zhaozhao" made his clear voice choke up, but he forced it back down. "She...is in bad shape...covered in injuries...can't even speak properly...like a...wooden person..."

There was complete silence on the other end of the phone.

But Minglang could imagine the shock of that old man, who had spent his life on the battlefield and held a high position, when he heard "Zhaozhao is still alive," and the thunderous rage that erupted when he heard "very bad," "full of injuries," and "wooden man"!

"Who did this?" On the other end of the phone, an old, authoritative voice, yet filled with uncontrollable trembling and rage, finally erupted like a suppressed volcano!

Even across the distant radio waves, the oppressive and murderous aura in that voice was enough to make Gong Zhu, who was standing next to him, tremble with fear!

“Huang Weiguo!” Minglang gritted his teeth, spitting out this name etched with deep hatred. “He and his wife, Li Hongmei! They… are spies! They’ve been arrested by the Northern Military Region’s National Security Bureau!”

The Huang Weiguo incident is being investigated in order to apprehend the person behind it, and the matter has not yet been publicized. Therefore, people other than the direct leaders who are not directly involved are unaware of this matter.

"A spy?!" The voice on the other end of the phone suddenly rose, filled with disbelief and chilling killing intent!

"Yes, Grandpa!" Minglang gripped the microphone tightly, as if grasping his last hope and the sharp blade of revenge. With all his might, he asked the ultimate question that had been weighing heavily on his heart:

"Grandpa! Huang Weiguo is a spy! He's been lying low for so many years! Back then... back then, my aunt and uncle... that 'accident'... was it really an accident? Was it really... that they died... to save that beast Huang Weiguo?"

"boom--!"

On the other end of the phone, it sounded as if something had been smashed to pieces! Then, there was a deathly silence!

That silence was more terrifying than any roar, as if it contained a storm capable of destroying the world!

Gong Zhu stood to the side, her palms sweating nervously. Looking at Minglang's tense profile and bloodshot eyes, and listening to the suffocating silence on the other end of the phone, she could almost feel the turbulent waves and raging fury churning in the heart of that old man thousands of miles away!

What felt like an eternity later, the aged yet authoritative voice rang out again from the other end of the phone.

This time, all emotion was forcibly suppressed in his voice, leaving only a chilling, bone-deep calm, like that of millennia-old ice. Every word seemed to be squeezed out from between his teeth.

"clear."

"You, you better live! Heal your wounds!"

"Take good care of Zhaozhao!"

"This matter..."

"I'll investigate this myself!"

"I want to see who has the audacity to touch my Ming family's daughter and son-in-law! Who dares to... defile my Ming family's granddaughter like this!"

"Blood debt..."

"They must pay with their blood!"

The last four words, carrying the fierce and ruthless spirit of war, were like a blood-stained sword, piercing through the radio waves and striking Minglang and Gongzhu's ears!

It also pierced through the thick fog that had been shrouding the truth of Mingzhao's parents' deaths for more than a decade!

The call was disconnected, and only a busy tone remained on the receiver.

Minglang held the cold receiver tightly, not putting it down for a long time. His straight back finally relaxed slightly, and a hot tear silently slid down his resolute cheek and fell onto the cold cement floor.

Gong Zhu watched his retreating figure, her heart churning with turmoil.

She knew that a bloody case that had been dormant for more than a decade was about to be completely exposed because of Mingzhao's experience and Huang Weiguo's exposure!

A silent yet deadly storm of revenge, originating from the highest levels of the capital, has begun! And at the heart of this storm is none other than Mingzhao, who is still innocently licking his sugar candy, completely unaware of the impending turmoil.

The night outside the window was as thick as ink, as if foreshadowing an impending bloody storm.