“General Mo, can you tell us about your father’s current condition? Is he out of danger?”

“General Reinis accused you of having close ties with the Lugo armed forces on TV. Do you have any response to this, General Mo?”

“General Mo, we heard that you visited the assailant who attacked your father at the 17th camp yesterday. What did you talk about?”

…

The journalists bombarded Mo Xin with questions, thrusting their microphones and recorders towards him as if they wanted to hit him in the face with them.

Mo Xin lowered the brim of his military cap. His dark eyes remained calm as water. With just a glance, he made several reporters closest to him retract their overly intrusive hands.

The crowded scene fell silent in an instant.

Mo Xin finally spoke, “Today’s press conference is just to respond to several unfounded rumors and to warn those with ulterior motives not to try to incite public opinion and fabricate accusations. Beware of the consequences.”

“General Mo, are you referring to General Reinis? What accusations are you talking about?”

“Since you deny those rumors, can you be specific about your relationship with Liang Qiuchi? As far as I know, there is indeed a photo of you and Liang Qiuchi in the yearbook of the San Lorenzo Military Academy.”

“The disappearance of Godwin Reinis…”

A series of questions were thrown out again, and Mo Xin patiently listened, but his attention was focused elsewhere.

He faintly heard the sound of ambulance sirens approaching, and Vincent also started the car, driving towards the group of reporters with Mo Qi. Only then did Mo Xin speak again.

“I did attend the same school as Liang Qiuchi, but not in the same year. What does that prove? As for General Reinis suspecting me of colluding with the Lugo side, he should present stronger evidence instead of talking nonsense based solely on a photo.”

At this point, Mo Qi had already opened the door and got out of the car, walking over to Mo Xin with Vincent.

His appearance once again caused a stir.

“Everyone,” Mo Qi raised his hands slightly, gesturing for quiet, “this is just a ridiculous farce created by Reinis. There’s nothing to respond to. Anyone with a bit of judgment can see it. Today’s press conference ends here. General Mo and I have other matters to attend to.”

But the reporters hadn’t heard the information they wanted, so naturally they weren’t willing to give up.

“Minister Mo, did you come to the hospital to visit your father? Is there any news about Governor Mo Zhenghong?”

“I heard, General Mo, that you visited the assailant yesterday. Is that true?”

…

The scene became chaotic, and all the security forces had to show their shields, trying to push the crowded media group beyond the security line.

So when the ambulance entered the hospital’s emergency passage, no one stopped to check, and no one paid attention.

Mo Qi and Mo Xin exchanged a glance, Mo Qi nodded, and then he left first, striding towards the inpatient building alone.

Vincent stood by Mo Xin’s side, whispering a few words in his ear with his hand covering his mouth. Mo Xin nodded slightly and looked back at the relentless questioning.

He raised a finger to his lips, and the media quieted down again, their microphones all pointed towards him.

“Let me say one thing.”

He paused, as if organizing his thoughts, yet also teasing everyone, playing coy.

Counting time silently in his mind, he estimated that Liang Qiuchi and the others had successfully entered the elevator to the top floor of the hospital building. He then raised his chin slightly, and his imposing, icy gaze slowly swept over the numerous media in front of him.

“The assassin who attempted to kill my father is inexplicably missing after being detained last night. General Reinis should have received the news by now. I wonder what he makes of it.”

As soon as these words were spoken, a commotion erupted.

It took a couple of seconds for everyone to understand what Mo Xin meant by “inexplicably missing,” but they didn’t quite grasp the intention behind his latter sentence.

The assassin suspected of attempting to assassinate a political opponent had apparently escaped, so what did it have to do with Reinis?

When the sharp-witted reporters understood the implications behind his words, the scene became chaotic, as if hit by a heavy bombshell. Everyone had countless questions they wanted to dig deeper into, but Mo Xin refused to entertain any more questions.

At this moment, several special police cars whizzed in, and more than a dozen fully armed patrol officers got off the cars, quickly assembling and moving towards the hospital entrance.

Vincent snapped his fingers at the gate, and the hospital’s electric gates gradually closed, blocking the police officers attempting to rush through.

The reporters stood on both sides, watching the two opposing forces confronting each other with confusion — what was happening? Internal conflict?

Explosive!

A man pushed through the police ranks and approached, standing on the other side of the electric gate opposite Mo Xin. “General Mo, what are you doing?”

The cameras immediately focused on the man’s profile. Journalists who had reported on current affairs for years recognized him as General Reinis’s most trusted aide and also his eldest son — Will Reinis.

But after just two seconds of recording, all devices were forcefully shut down by nearby police officers, and all reporters were rudely pushed back beyond the police cars.

Once the scene was cleared, Will Reinis stepped forward again, smiling at Mo Xin. “Carrying out official duties, General Mo, please cooperate. Otherwise, being hounded by those pesky journalists will make it embarrassing for everyone and hard to get off the hook.”

Mo Xin calmly retorted, “What official duties?”

“Hunting down suspects.” Will, nearing forty and long accustomed to his position of power, exuded a palpable pressure when he stared at someone, as if all their schemes were laid bare before him.

But Mo Xin remained unmoved.

“This hospital has been under my full control since last night,” Mo Xin’s tone was indifferent, “If you wish to carry out official duties, please wait a moment.”

“Oh? Why am I not aware of this?” Will Reinis asked, “Is there an authorization from higher-ups?”

Vincent interjected sternly, “General Mo is the highest-ranking official in counter-terrorism work. It should be you who presents the search warrant, right?”

“Counter-terrorism?” Will raised an eyebrow.

“Because we suspect that the attempted assassination of Governor Mo Zhenghong was an organized and planned terrorist attack, this place has been designated as a special security facility, with an S-level security rating,” Mo Xin said sternly to Will Reinis. “If you want to enter, please follow the proper procedures and get approval from the Security Bureau through me.”

As soon as he finished speaking, the roar of helicopter engines sounded, bringing a strong gust of wind.

Will Reinis looked up, his expression slightly darkening. “What are you doing?”

The helicopter flew overhead, its engines drowning out Will’s questioning. Under everyone’s gaze, the medical helicopter changed course and flew south.

“What have you done?” Will Reinis asked coldly again.

As the helicopter flew away, Mo Xin softly said, “Carrying out official duties, keep it confidential.”

Vincent reminded from the side, “General, it’s about time.”

Mo Xin nodded, his gaze coldly passing over Will Reinis, then turning to the two guards stationed nearby, “Without authorization, no one is allowed to pass.”

“Yes, General!” The two soldiers saluted solemnly, stepping out with a formidable presence.

Mo Xin turned and walked towards the hospital building, ignoring the two shouts from Will Reinis.

Just as Will Reinis was considering whether to forcibly break in with his men, three squads of soldiers armed with rifles rushed out of the hospital building, about forty to fifty of them.

When these soldiers encountered Mo Xin on the way, they lined up neatly and saluted, as if being reviewed by a superior officer, paying attention to Mo Xin as he walked past without stopping.

Outside the hospital gate, all the eyes glued to Mo Xin’s back were soon blocked by the soldiers marching in unison.

These were real active-duty soldiers who had seen combat. Just in terms of momentum, they surpassed the police officers outside by far. Moreover, they were all fully armed at the moment, holding weapons and lined up in a single file behind the electric gate, presenting an intimidating sight.

Even Will Reinis, who was accustomed to grand scenes from following his father around all year, couldn’t help but take two steps back, creating a safe distance.

As Mo Xin stepped into the hospital elevator, the second medical helicopter on the rooftop took off with a roar.         

Mo Qi, along with their father and the doctors and nurses responsible for emergency treatment on the way, set off for Danga in the southern part of the federation.

Vincent stood behind and to the side of Mo Xin, checking his wristwatch, “General, we’ll take off on time in three minutes.”

Mo Xin replied with a low “Hmm.” The tension that had been building since last night temporarily eased as he and Vincent boarded the third helicopter.

He glanced down slightly towards the direction of the hospital gate, remained silent for a moment, then spoke, “Let’s go, back home.”