"If that's the case, doesn't that mean the power in those countries is all in the hands of these families?" Han Feng asked in surprise.
"You could say that," Lin Zhengguo nodded.
"And what about our China?"
“China is fundamentally different from other countries. We also have many reclusive families in China, but most of them do not have much desire for worldly power.”
Han Feng frowned slightly, pondering Lin Zhengguo's words. Lin Zhengguo seemed to see what Han Feng was puzzled about, and then explained, "Our hidden families in China have a rule that no family member may enter the secular world. Unless the country is in crisis, these families will not easily show themselves."
Han Feng opened his mouth: "What does this mean?"
Lin Zhengguo continued, "To put it this way, what do you think of Longyuan's overall strength?"
If it weren't for his freakish skill level, Han Feng believed that Long Yuan would be considered one of the top combat forces in China.
"Very strong," Han Feng said.
Lin Zhengguo's next words completely overturned Han Feng's understanding.
"To put it simply, Longyuan's overall strength may not be as great as any of the hidden families in China," Lin Zhengguo said, making a startling statement.
"What?" Han Feng asked, his face full of surprise.
"You heard right, the hidden families do indeed have that much strength."
"Then why didn't they intervene when they encountered gene warriors?" Han Feng asked.
"Because they can't interfere with the rules of the secular world. This is also related to why China has always banned gene research. The gene warriors we know are actually just failed products of those families overseas training assassins," Lin Zhengguo said calmly.
"What? Gene warriors are just their failed experiments?"
“Yes, it’s because you’re just a failed product of a family that you can only be considered a product of the secular world, so the hidden families can’t take action against you.” Lin Zhengguo sighed and continued, “When I first met you, I also suspected that you might be a member of some hidden family, but after investigation, I found that you do not belong to any hidden family, which is why I recruited you to Longyuan.”
Han Feng was stunned. He found the information hard to process. If even the knights he had encountered a few days ago were failures, just how powerful were these hermit families?
Han Feng swallowed hard and asked, "What kind of monsters are those reclusive families?"
Lin Zhengguo explained, "It is said that they do not practice fighting techniques like ordinary people. What they practice is called ancient martial arts, so they are also called ancient martial arts families."
"An ancient martial arts family..." Han Feng thought to himself.
At this point, Lin Zhengguo continued, "These families are very secretive, including their ancient martial arts, which they never share with outsiders. Even the country has very little information about them, only some scattered records."
"So how do we find such a prestigious family? Or rather, how do we find out about their existence?" Han Feng asked.
"You remember Liu Xiaoran, right?" Lin Zhengguo asked Han Feng directly.
"What's wrong with Mengran's brother?"
"The Liu family was once one of the reclusive families!"
Upon hearing this news, Han Feng stood frozen in place.
"Otherwise, why do you think Liu Xiaoran is in the Northern Military Region? And why does Liu Mengran grow up in Jiang City and only return to her family for university?"
"Aren't reclusive families supposed to be forbidden from appearing in the secular world?" Han Feng asked, puzzled.
“I’m not entirely clear on the specifics, but I do know that the Liu family underwent a major upheaval more than a decade ago. For some reason, the Liu family was removed from the list of reclusive families, but they are still a considerable family in the capital.” Lin Zhengguo patiently explained to Han Feng, “That’s why Liu Xiaoran joined the army. And why would a member of a capital family be assigned to the northern border if he joined the army? It’s actually because of the family’s protection.”
Han Feng was speechless for a moment, not knowing what to say.
"If you want to know more, you can ask Liu Xiaoran, but of course, don't say I told you." Lin Zhengguo then stood up, walked to the door, turned around and said to Han Feng, "By the way, you did a great job on this rescue mission, so I won't promote you. Promoting you too quickly would make me a target of gossip. But there's an encrypted database in Longyuan. I'll arrange for you to get authorization there. You can go and take a look; maybe you'll find what you're looking for." After saying that, Lin Zhengguo left the ward without looking back, leaving Han Feng alone and bewildered.
"An encrypted database? Could it be that the system's cracked version didn't cover these? Why can't I find any information about the reclusive families?" Han Feng pondered. Since the system's upgrade a few days ago, it hasn't responded to any of his calls.
Han Feng stared out the window, slightly lost in thought. The amount of information he had received from Lin Zhengguo today was so vast that his mind was still in a mess. For some reason, he felt like he was trapped in a huge vortex. First, there was Mu Xiaoxiao's mysterious whereabouts, which always caused him different situations, and then she would disappear without a trace afterward. All these abnormalities made Han Feng feel incredulous.
Furthermore, Lin Zhengguo's revelation of the hidden families left Han Feng feeling utterly powerless. After much thought, a question came to him: Could it be that Lin Zhengguo told him all this because the hidden families' power was too immense, and China lacked a force to rival them? Considering what Lin Zhengguo said about how families controlled power in overseas countries, was Lin Zhengguo perhaps worried and wanted to bring himself into the open, becoming a force capable of counterbalancing these families?
Han Feng felt increasingly confused as he thought about it. Just then, Su Wanwan pushed the door open and came in. Seeing Han Feng's furrowed brows, she stepped forward and asked, "What did Old Man Lin say to you? Why do you look so worried?"
When Han Feng saw that the person who came was Su Wanwan, he shook his head and simply put these thoughts out of his mind. Since things had come to this, he would deal with whatever came his way.
He then joked, "Old Lin said that seeing you causing such a ruckus at the base every day, he wants me to recover quickly and bring you home." He then looked at Su Wanwan with a wicked smile.
Upon hearing the words "bring home," Su Wanwan felt a jolt in her heart for some reason, but she also realized that Han Feng was teasing her. She cursed, "You can't expect anything good to come out of a dog's mouth. I think your injury is too mild. I'll make sure you can't utter a word." In an instant, Su Wanwan reverted to her mischievous self.
Seeing that Su Wanwan had returned to normal, Han Feng smiled and said to her, "I can walk normally now. Help me get discharged, and let's go home."
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