Su Wanwan proudly raised her chin, but Lin Zhengguo's next sentence choked her: "Then has she acted without authorization again? Last time in Jiang City—"
"Commander!" Su Wanwan's face flushed red. "That happened so long ago!"
A few soft laughs filled the living room, even making the usually serious Chen Feng smile. Lin Zhengguo shook his head, his eyes filled with the loving kindness of an elder: "Alright, it's good to see you're all alright. What's the plan next?"
Han Feng's expression turned serious again: "According to Wanwan's surveillance intelligence, the royal family and other families have begun to operate covertly." He pulled up several encrypted files and shared them on the screen. "The Matsui family, in particular, has suddenly strengthened its ties with the military."
Lin Zhengguo narrowed his eyes: "That old fox, Matsui Ryuichi... he probably guessed the truth."
"So we plan to stay for another two days." Han Feng pointed to several red dots on the map. "These are locations where Mu Xiaoxiao is suspected to have been; we need to confirm them further."
"Okay." Lin Zhengguo pondered for a moment, "But remember, once you discover Mu Xiaoxiao's whereabouts, report immediately and do not act rashly." He added meaningfully, "That woman is more dangerous than you think."
Before ending the call, Lin Zhengguo suddenly asked, "By the way, what's the Miyamoto family up to?"
Han Feng and Liu Mengran exchanged a glance: "It's unusually quiet for now. We're going to..." He paused deliberately, "...use the pretext of a graduation assessment to probe their situation."
Lin Zhengguo was taken aback at first, then chuckled: "Good lad, you've learned to speak in riddles." He waved his hand, "Be careful, keep in touch."
As soon as the projector went out, Su Wanwan jumped in front of Han Feng: "What graduation exam? What were you two plotting behind my back?"
Liu Mengran chuckled to herself, while Han Feng looked completely innocent: "It means exactly what it says. Didn't someone say they wanted to graduate early?"
"Come on!" Su Wanwan put her hands on her hips, "What you were doing in the room just now—"
Chen Feng suddenly coughed and said, "I'm going to check the perimeter security." He then quickly left, his back view clearly indicating that he didn't want to get involved.
Han Feng took the opportunity to ruffle Su Wanwan's hair: "Don't worry, you'll have your chance to shine." He turned to Liu Mengran, "Special training starts tonight, remember to wear your sportswear."
Liu Mengran's eyes lit up, and she nodded emphatically. Su Wanwan looked at this one and then at that one, suddenly realizing: "Oh—you guys are going to have secret training without me!"
"No, that's not true! Alright, get some rest, we have to go tomorrow," Han Feng said firmly.
Su Wanwan had no choice but to return to her room.
The safe house was so quiet at midnight that the faint hum of electronic devices could be heard. Han Feng silently pushed open Liu Mengran's door and found her already dressed—a black tracksuit, tactical gloves, and her hair neatly tied in a ponytail.
"Ready?" Han Feng asked in a low voice.
Liu Mengran nodded, her eyes shining brightly in the moonlight. She tiptoed after Han Feng, and the two of them passed through the corridor like shadows. When they passed Su Wanwan's room, Han Feng deliberately made a shushing gesture—a sliver of light was still shining through the crack in the door, indicating that the girl was not asleep yet.
Han Feng easily cracked the electronic lock on the back door of the safe house using a special card. A night breeze blew in, carrying the fresh scent of grass and trees. Liu Mengran took a deep breath; this was her first time participating in a real operation, and her palms were already slightly sweaty.
"Stay close to me," Han Feng whispered in her ear, his warm breath brushing against her earlobe. "We'll go to the Miyamoto family's outpost two kilometers away first. There are only three guards there, a good place to practice."
Liu Mengran had just taken a step when Han Feng suddenly froze in place. He turned around abruptly, his gaze sweeping across the bushes behind him like a sharp blade.
"What's wrong?" Liu Mengran moved closer to him warily.
Han Feng sighed and said helplessly to the dark bushes, "Come out, I can feel you following us."
The leaves rustled as a petite figure reluctantly emerged. Su Wanwan was wearing cartoon pajamas with a hastily thrown-on jacket over them, and a few leaves still clung to her face.
"You even noticed that..." she muttered, like a kitten that had done something wrong.
Han Feng gently patted her head: "Why did you sneak up on me?"
"I saw you and Sister Mengran leave the safe house..." Su Wanwan rubbed her head, which didn't hurt, her big eyes glistening with tears in the moonlight. "I was just worried!" She suddenly grabbed Han Feng's arm and shook it. "Tell me quickly, where are you going?"
Liu Mengran couldn't help but laugh out loud. Han Feng facepalmed and could only offer a brief explanation of the special training plan. Sure enough, Su Wanwan jumped up immediately upon hearing this: "I want to go too! I promise I won't cause trouble!"
"No, it's too dangerous," Han Feng refused decisively.
"So it's not dangerous for you to bring Sister Mengran along?" Su Wanwan immediately retorted, "Besides, my cultivation level is the same as Sister Mengran's. This is discriminatory treatment!"
Han Feng stared at Su Wanwan for a few seconds, then suddenly reached out and pinched her cheeks, pulling them apart: "If you dare to act on your own, I'll throw you into the river to feed the fish, understand?"
"Mmm! Mmm! Mmm!" Su Wanwan nodded frantically, excitedly flashing a V-sign after breaking free from the clutches, "I promise to obey orders!"
And so, the three-person team set off into the mountains under the moonlight. Han Feng led the way, Liu Mengran followed in the middle, and Su Wanwan brought up the rear—this was to ensure that if they were attacked, Han Feng, with the fastest reaction time, could engage the enemy, Liu Mengran would be protected, and Su Wanwan could quickly find cover.
"Remember, tonight's mission is just observation and simple disruption," Han Feng whispered as they walked, "See that red roof? That's the Miyamoto family's outer outpost, responsible for monitoring this mountainous area."
Liu Mengran imitated Han Feng, keeping her body low to the ground and using the bushes for cover as she moved forward. To her surprise, she discovered that with each seemingly casual step, Han Feng was able to precisely avoid the dead branches and fallen leaves that would make a sound.
"Place your heel down, then slowly lower the ball of your foot." Han Feng turned back to demonstrate, "Like this..."
Su Wanwan suddenly squeezed between the two: "That kind of stealth technique is too basic! I have a better idea—" She pulled out her phone and waved it, "Give me three minutes, and I can make their surveillance system loop the first ten minutes of footage!"
Han Feng and Liu Mengran simultaneously held down her restless hand.
"No electronic interference tonight," Han Feng said seriously. "The main focus is to familiarize you with a real combat environment."
Su Wanwan pouted, but still obediently put away her phone. The three continued to sneak up, and soon approached a distance where they could see the details of the outpost clearly—a small wooden building with armed guards patrolling on the second floor, and the blue light of a television shining through the windows on the first floor.
"Now I'll teach you how to identify security weaknesses." Han Feng pointed to the west side of the sentry post, "The bushes there extend all the way to the base of the wall, creating a blind spot. Also, the corner camera on the second floor has a 15-second interval..."
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