The air seemed to freeze instantly. Su Wanwan gasped, and Liu Xiaoran's muscles tensed to their limit. Han Feng's eyes turned completely cold; had his identity been exposed?
"Miss Ikegami." Han Feng's voice was eerily calm. "What brings you here so late at night?"
A slight rustling sound of fabric came from the other end of the phone, as if someone was adjusting the receiver. When Aya Ikegami spoke again, her tone carried an eerie ease: "First of all, I want to thank you."
"Thank you?" Han Feng frowned and exchanged a questioning look with Liu Xiaoran.
"Internal strife broke out in three families. Makino Tenki became a cripple, the Miyamoto family was severely weakened, and the fate of the family head, Miyamoto Kenichi, is unknown. My father..." Her voice suddenly lowered, "...he also paid the price for his and the elders' choices."
Aya Ikegami's reaction was completely unexpected—despite the upheaval in her family, she showed no anger, but instead seemed relieved.
"Ms. Ikegami," Han Feng carefully chose his words, "I think you called for more than just this."
There was a few seconds of silence on the other end of the phone, followed by a soft chuckle: "Of course not." Her voice suddenly seemed distant, "Someone wants to talk to you."
After a burst of static, another female voice rang out. This voice made Han Feng's blood freeze instantly—
"Han Feng, long time no see."
Mu Xiaoxiao.
A murderous glint flashed in Han Feng's eyes, and the phone case creaked under the strain. The person who had kidnapped Liu Mengran in Qishi and repeatedly opposed him was now communicating with him via radio waves.
"You're in R country." Han Feng's voice was low and almost hoarse. "The person I saw on the street that day was indeed you."
"Oh dear, you saw me?" Mu Xiaoxiao's tone was light, as if she were talking about the weather. "What a coincidence. I just came to R country to see my old classmate from M country." She paused deliberately, "Knowing she's having a hard time, I wanted to rescue her from her terrible life, but I didn't expect you to make the first move."
Han Feng's temples throbbed. The "old classmate" Mu Xiaoxiao mentioned was clearly Ikegami Aya. How could these two seemingly unrelated people be classmates? And why such a coincidence?
"It's quite a coincidence." Han Feng suppressed his anger. "Everywhere I go, I see you."
Mu Xiaoxiao's laughter was like a viper's hiss: "It's fate, isn't it? By the way, I prepared a little gift for you..." Her voice suddenly became ethereal, "Don't worry, you'll see it when you get back. You might thank me profusely when you open it."
These words were like a bucket of ice water poured over Han Feng's head. He jumped to his feet, the chair scraping loudly on the floor: "Explain yourself! What did you do?!"
There was only a busy tone on the other end of the phone. Han Feng immediately dialed back, but only heard a mechanical female voice informing him that the other party's phone was switched off.
"Mengran..." Han Feng's face turned deathly pale instantly. He frantically pulled out his personal phone and almost slammed it down to press the speed dial button.
Su Wanwan and Liu Xiaoran had already taken action. Su Wanwan rushed to the computer, her ten fingers flying across the keyboard; Liu Xiaoran quickly checked the status of all the weapons and dialed the emergency liaison office of Longyuan in Kyoto.
The moment the call connected, Han Feng practically yelled, "Mengran! Are you home?"
"Han Feng?" Liu Mengran's voice was filled with confusion. "What's wrong? I was just about to go to sleep..."
"Is anything unusual today? Have any strangers approached the villa?" Han Feng interrupted her, speaking at a rapid pace like a machine gun.
"Something unusual?" Liu Mengran seemed startled by his tone. "Nothing special... Oh, there was a package this afternoon, but I was busy dealing with company documents and haven't had time to open it yet..."
Han Feng's blood nearly froze. He yelled into the microphone, "Don't touch that package! Go back to your bedroom and lock the door right now! Where's the package?"
"It's...it's on the coffee table in the living room..." Liu Mengran's voice began to tremble. "Han Feng, what happened?"
"Listen to me," Han Feng forced himself to calm down, "Now slowly walk back to the bedroom, lock the door, and don't turn on the lights. I'll send someone over right away."
Su Wanwan had already pulled up all the surveillance footage around the Huafu villa, and at the same time gave Han Feng a "safe" gesture. The footage showed that there were no suspicious people around the villa.
Han Feng continued into the phone, "Mengran, don't be afraid, my people are on their way. Stay in the bedroom and don't come out under any circumstances, understand?"
"I understand." Liu Mengran's voice became more composed. "You... be careful."
"Mengran, don't hang up." Han Feng's voice was taut like a fully drawn bowstring. "Just keep talking like this."
Liu Mengran's soft breathing came through the receiver, becoming the only metronome that could steady his heartbeat. Han Feng gave Liu Xiaoran a sharp look, and the latter immediately understood and dialed Lin Zhengguo's private line.
The moment the call connected, Han Feng snatched the phone, not even waiting for Lin Zhengguo to speak: "Sir, send the Night Owl Squad to my villa immediately! There's a package from Mu Xiaoxiao on the coffee table in the living room; it might contain dangerous items!"
The sound of a chair overturning came from the other end of the phone, and Lin Zhengguo's tone instantly turned serious: "Mu Xiaoxiao? What happened to her... I understand, I'll arrange it right away."
Han Feng's eyes never left the surveillance footage that Su Wanwan had shown him. On the screen, every angle of the Huafu villa was clearly visible; the mansion was eerily quiet in the night.
"Night Owl Team will arrive within twenty minutes." Lin Zhengguo's voice rang out again. "Have you completed your mission?"
"It's done." Han Feng's gaze swept over the equipment bag in the room, which contained core data obtained from the three family laboratories. "Please arrange for a military plane to pick us up and take us back, the sooner the better."
There were no unnecessary questions, no cumbersome procedures. Lin Zhengguo simply replied with an "okay," and the call ended. This was the privilege of Longyuan's highest-level action team; in times of crisis, all procedures gave way to efficiency.
Su Wanwan's fingers danced across the keyboard as she activated the villa's smart security system: "All sensors are functioning normally, no signs of intrusion... The package was delivered at 3:17 PM by a 'Express' deliveryman in a uniform."
"Investigate that deliveryman." Han Feng's voice sounded like it was being squeezed out from between his teeth.
"It's already being investigated... wait a minute." Su Wanwan suddenly widened her eyes. "This package is considered normal by Speedata Express."
"Han Feng..." Liu Mengran's voice came softly from the phone, "I'm fine, the villa's security system is very comprehensive..."
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