"There's been some movement from Country R, so the plan might need to be brought forward," Lin Zhengguo's voice came through, tinged with seriousness.
Han Feng leaned on the kitchen island with one hand. "What do you need me to do?" Without any pleasantries, he cut straight to the point.
There was a brief silence on the other end of the phone, as if someone was weighing some unspoken factors. "Come to the base first; there are some things I need you to check on."
"We'll be there in an hour."
After hanging up the phone, Han Feng turned and went back to the restaurant. Liu Mengran ate the fried eggs Han Feng had made, her face still flushed from last night's excitement. Su Wanwan was still teasing Liu Mengran from the side.
"I have to go out for a bit." Han Feng picked up a napkin and wiped his mouth. "Mengran, don't go to the company today, get some rest."
Liu Mengran looked up, wanting to retort, but was stopped by Han Feng's gaze. There was a certain power in the depths of those eyes that she couldn't refuse; at that moment, she only felt Han Feng's concern for her.
"I'll let Qin Chuan know." Han Feng had already dialed the number. "Qin Chuan, Liu Mengran isn't feeling well today and is resting at home. If there's anything at the company, you can handle it."
Qin Chuan had barely uttered the word "Huh?" when Han Feng hung up the phone.
"Wanwan, you stay home with Mengran." Han Feng picked up his car keys, his gaze lingering on Su Wanwan's face for a second longer. Su Wanwan realized Han Feng genuinely had something to attend to, so she didn't ask any questions, simply nodding, her eyes drifting towards the window: "Be careful."
Forty minutes later, Han Feng's Bugatti Veyron entered the underground passage of the Longyuan Base. After passing through three biometric security checks, he stood in front of Lin Zhengguo's office and straightened his collar. Since completing the marrow cleansing through cultivating the Star Meridian Diagram, he could see changes in his aura when he looked in the mirror while washing up in the morning. There was a faint starlight flowing under his skin, and his every move carried an indescribable rhythm.
The door slid open automatically. Lin Zhengguo stood with his back to the doorway in front of the panoramic floor-to-ceiling window; even his back view exuded an oppressive aura, like a towering mountain.
"Here they come." The old man didn't turn around.
Han Feng walked to the desk and stood still. Lin Zhengguo slowly turned around, his sharp gaze sweeping over Han Feng like an X-ray, finally settling on his face. The two stared at each other for three seconds, and Lin Zhengguo's brows furrowed slightly.
"It's been a few days, and you give me... a slightly different feeling."
Han Feng's heart skipped a beat. Lin Zhengguo, as the number one figure in China, had witnessed countless extraordinary people and events; it wasn't surprising that he could see the change in Han Feng at a glance. "Perhaps he's encountered some kind of extraordinary event," Han Feng replied half-jokingly.
Lin Zhengguo's pupils suddenly contracted. "You've already been to the Liu family?"
This question came abruptly. Han Feng kept his facial muscles relaxed and simply nodded with a smile.
Silence fell between them. Finally, Lin Zhengguo looked away first and pressed a hidden button on the desktop. A holographic projection table rose in the center of the office, and a 3D map of the capital of R country instantly unfolded, with three red dots flashing in different areas.
"The advance team found that the gene labs are all located thirty meters underground," Lin Zhengguo said, pointing to three points of light on the holographic screen. "They are arranged in a triangle, forming mutually pointing angles."
Han Feng approached the projection, the 3D image rotating and magnifying in his eyes. The three laboratories were strategically located beneath a government building, a commercial center, and a hospital—all in densely populated civilian areas. "A coordinated defense system?"
"It's even more troublesome than that." Lin Zhengguo pulled up another set of data. "They share a quantum communication network. If any one of them is attacked, the other two will receive an alarm within 0.003 seconds, immediately initiating a self-destruct sequence and transferring core data."
Han Feng braced his hands on the edge of the projection table, his mind racing. "What if we split into three teams and act simultaneously? I think Longyuan should be able to do that."
"Normally it's fine." Lin Zhengguo turned off the projector, plunging the office into darkness. "But now, the reclusive families of Country R have intervened."
These words were like a bucket of ice water poured over Han Feng's back. He straightened up: "Hidden families are not allowed to interfere in the secular world, didn't you tell me that?"
"That was true before, but now only China remains like that." Lin Zhengguo drew back the curtains, letting in sunlight again. "In R country, every conglomerate has a family behind it. Even the R country's gangs are supported by these family forces; the apparent leaders are just puppets, and it's these family forces that are truly controlling things behind the scenes."
Han Feng recalled what Lin Zhengguo had told him: that foreign countries, led by M country, did indeed regard supernatural power as a strategic resource, but he hadn't expected R country to be so blatant.
"What's the worst-case scenario?" Han Feng asked.
Lin Zhengguo took a top-secret file from the drawer. The words on the cover made Han Feng's temple throb. "According to intelligence, they are developing a genetic weapon targeting the DNA sequences of a specific race. If successful, it could silently wipe out an entire ethnic group."
Han Feng took the file; the edges of the pages were slightly creased. "Do I need to infiltrate beforehand?"
"No." Lin Zhengguo shook his head. "We need an entry point they would never think of." He looked at Han Feng meaningfully.
"You mean under the guise of a business trip? Just in time for their new energy summit? Wasn't that the timing of our infiltration plan before?"
Lin Zhengguo shook his head: "This time, we'll be entering R country directly for commercial activities. Long Yuan will only be an accompanying person before the operation begins."
"Still under the name of Maple Leaf Investments?"
“No way.” Lin Zhengguo rejected the idea without even thinking. “Don’t forget, Mu Xiaoxiao is still in R country, and she should be monitoring the movements of your Maple Leaf Investment through some special means, so this method is not feasible.”
Han Feng suddenly realized that if Feng Hua Investment entered the R country market, Mu Xiaoxiao would notice immediately. Based on Han Feng's few encounters with the gene warriors, even if Mu Xiaoxiao had a pig brain, she could guess their purpose in going to R country.
"So what are your plans?" Han Feng asked.
"This time, we will participate in the summit under the guise of a visit to China. In addition, I will arrange for China's state-owned assets to be the main participants. You choose the candidates, and I will arrange their identities. However, this operation is special, so there cannot be too many people. A maximum of three people," Lin Zhengguo said solemnly.
Han Feng also realized the seriousness of the problem and asked, "Do you know which families are behind these three gene laboratories?"
“The Makino family, the Ikegami family, the Miyamoto family,” Lin Zhengguo replied.
Han Feng pondered for a moment and said, "Okay, when exactly do we depart? I already have someone in mind."
"They'll be departing as early as next week, before the summit begins. Who are your candidates?"
"I am Liu Xiaoran," Han Feng paused, "and then there's Su Wanwan."
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