Chapter 103.2

Wen Nuan stayed up, playing with Lele until it was time to turn off the lights. Lele was still very energetic and kept talking to her.

Finally, after much effort, Wen Nuan got Lele to fall asleep, but she herself had no desire to sleep. Her thoughts were with Gu Qinghan, and she kept her ears tuned, listening for any sounds outside.

However, everything was calm and peaceful.

Tossing and turning for half the night, Wen Nuan slowly drifted into sleep. She woke up once in the middle of the night, but Gu Qinghan had still not returned.

Her worry deepened.

Beneath the calm, there was always an undercurrent.

That night, the moon was covered by dark clouds, and every little sound made people uneasy.

In the small underground meeting room, General Xu and Political Commissar Li had serious expressions. They both turned to Gu Qinghan and Liu Minghua, a comrade from the Aviation Research Institute, and asked, “Are you sure those people’s target is the senior leadership?”

After receiving Gu Qinghan’s report, General Xu and Political Commissar Li were both furious and then worried for several days.

It turned out that enemy spies had infiltrated their ranks, and it seemed they had been inside for some time. No wonder Gu Qinghan hadn’t reported the discovery to them immediately.

After all, with a problem inside, everyone was a suspect.

Fortunately, it had been Gu Qinghan who discovered this. If it had been someone else, they would have been rushing to the kindergarten to catch the spies and claim credit.

That would have likely led to startling the enemy, because this time, the enemy was not acting alone but in a well-organized and premeditated manner!

No one had expected that these people were using even young children, just a few years old, to transmit information. Given such a unique situation, they had no choice but to proceed with caution.

However, hastily shutting down kindergartens and primary schools would only attract the enemy’s attention, so the decision had been delayed for several days.

Tomorrow was the weekend, a perfect time to take action.

Gu Qinghan nodded, saying, “The National Day holiday is approaching, and senior leadership will be coming to review the military parade. This is a very good opportunity. Besides the senior leaders, there will also be experts from the research institute, as the new fighter jet will soon be developed. I fear the enemy will resort to drastic suicidal actions.”

Suicidal actions meant self-destruction; those involved might not even intend to survive.

Therefore, this matter could not be delayed any longer. Gu Qinghan had no choice but to secretly bring Liu Minghua over and have him cooperate in a performance.

Even General Xu, with years of military experience, trembled slightly when he heard Gu Qinghan’s words.

He pressed his lips together and looked at Liu Minghua. He said, “Comrade Liu, this task may cause you some inconvenience, but don’t worry, we will make sure you are not in danger. At that time, you must remain as calm as possible.”

Liu Minghua would only need to cooperate in several secret meetings and quietly leave behind some “new fighter jet data.” The enemy should not pose an immediate threat to his life.

If it weren’t for the difficulty of the task, the enemy would probably want to kidnap Liu Minghua.

Liu Minghua nodded. “General Xu, although I’m not a soldier, I’ve received training. Don’t worry, I’ll protect myself.”

Liu Minghua had been “invited” to the military base suddenly, but he had been staying every day in a heavily guarded guesthouse, feeling quite confused.

Now, after hearing the seriousness of the situation, he understood more.

However, for some reason, upon learning that Gu Qinghan was in charge of the operation, he felt reassured and had an inexplicable trust in him.

Furthermore, General Xu had just given him a wooden gun, so even in an emergency, he could protect himself right away.

Hearing Liu Minghua’s words, General Xu was relieved and then turned to Gu Qinghan. He asked, “Comrade Gu, the situation is serious. Are you confident you can capture them?”

Gu Qinghan nodded, then glanced at his wristwatch and said in a deep voice, “In about an hour and a half, it will be the time for the patrol shift change. I estimate the enemy will act at this time, so I need to prepare.”

Liu Minghua looked at Gu Qinghan and said, “Comrade Gu, stay safe.”

Gu Qinghan nodded, replying, “You too. If necessary, use the wooden gun to protect yourself.”

Liu Minghua nodded. “Got it. I understand.”

When General Xu saw that they had finished speaking, he saluted Gu Qinghan. “Please make sure to stay safe.”

Gu Qinghan nodded and returned the salute. “Yes, sir.”

After speaking, Gu Qinghan headed towards the exit of the tunnel and walked toward the Colonel’s office.

General Xu also had someone send Liu Minghua back to the guesthouse.

Once everyone had left, General Xu swore angrily, “Damn it, using children to deliver messages, they’re even worse than scum!”

After so many years of struggle, this was the first time they had encountered such a special situation.

In the past, enemy agents had mostly blended in with the crowd, disguising themselves as men or women, hiding their identities, but it was rare for them to involve children.

This time, they had to be extra cautious. It was possible they were dealing with a few desperate, insane individuals.

When Political Commissar Li saw how angry General Xu was, he tried to calm him down, saying, “Otherwise, would you blame Comrade Gu for not notifying you immediately? You can’t be careful enough when facing such inhuman beasts.”

No one had expected that when Gu Qinghan discovered the enemy agents, he acted alone, even secretly investigating General Xu to ensure there were no suspicions before reporting it.

However, upon reflection, General Xu realized that Gu Qinghan’s actions were correct. When internal issues arose, everyone was a suspect, whether they were a Colonel or a general. Everyone had to be thoroughly investigated.

In this case, Gu Qinghan had done nothing wrong.

General Xu waved his hand and let out a bitter laugh. “The younger generation is pushing the older one aside. I have to admit, young people today think things through more carefully.”

He also thought highly of Gu Qinghan. If it weren’t for his rapid promotion, moving up to a regimental position at such a young age, he might have had even more accomplishments over the past two years—completing various tasks, becoming a test pilot, and already being ready for further advancement.

This time, no matter who tried to obstruct him, as long as Gu Qinghan exposed the enemy agents, General Xu would do whatever it took to help him secure a full regiment position.

Political Commissar Li sighed, “Looks like we’ve got a lot of work ahead of us.”

General Xu snorted, “Compared to safety, these are small matters. I just hope Comrade Gu’s judgment is correct.”

He would not be able to sleep soundly until the enemy agents were captured.

Meanwhile, Gu Qinghan entered the Colonel’s office through the tunnel exit and, blending into the night, hid in a dark corner of the office.

It was the middle of the night. Apart from the soft rustling of tree leaves in the breeze, only his breathing could be heard.

To conceal himself, Gu Qinghan had changed into his night training uniform, replaced his Flight Team leather shoes with silent cloth shoes, and left his wristwatch with the Colonel and his team for safekeeping.

After all, anyone who could infiltrate the military base must be part of a large, well-organized group and highly trained. In the silent night, only by moving quietly could he ensure that his movements remained undetected.

His years of training, along with his excellent vision, gave Gu Qinghan a clear understanding of the surroundings.

He stood motionless in the corner, holding his breath, silently counting the time.

An hour passed in complete silence, and then footsteps, different from the ones before, echoed in the courtyard. It seemed the patrol had shifted. This was the most vulnerable time, when people were most likely to let their guard down.

The target would appear soon.

In the few days that followed, Gu Qinghan had secretly investigated both the kindergarten and the family compound, and finally, he had some leads.

Something that had happened today in the family compound had made him even more certain about the target.

Now, all that was left was to wait for the first “turtle” to show up.

But he still couldn’t predict whether the enemy would first try to pressure Liu Minghua into handing over the data or if they would come straight to the Colonel’s office to steal valuable documents.

He just hoped the enemy would come this way, where he could be sure of capturing them.

Time passed by, second by second. Besides his own breathing, Gu Qinghan didn’t hear any unusual sounds, and he began to feel uneasy.

He was afraid he had miscalculated, that the enemy might have gone to find Liu Minghua instead.

Liu Minghua, an expert who spent his days studying data, wouldn’t stand a chance against those highly trained individuals.

Another half-hour passed in Gu Qinghan’s contemplation.

General Xu’s office was on the top floor of the administrative building, a three-story structure. It wouldn’t be impossible for someone to break in.

Suddenly, a few muffled footsteps came from the roof. Gu Qinghan listened carefully to the unusual sound, then slowly smiled to himself.

They were here!

It seemed the enemy was someone who didn’t take the usual route, far more cunning than he had anticipated.

Instead of coming through the front door or from the tree near the window, they planned to enter through the narrow chimney?

Moreover, it seemed they were testing the situation, not taking immediate action. If it were an ordinary patrol soldier, they would have shouted by now, asking who it was.

It appeared Liu Minghua was temporarily safe. Gu Qinghan had considered bringing him here secretly for a long time, but if the enemy was after the documents in the hands of the experts, this was the only way to go about it. Thankfully, Liu Minghua had understood; if it had been anyone else, it would have been impossible to take such a risk.

After the first sound had passed, Gu Qinghan waited another five minutes before he heard the second noise.

It was indeed coming from the chimney.

The chimney wasn’t small, but it wasn’t large either. How had the enemy managed to get inside?

Just as Gu Qinghan was pondering, he heard a faint thud-thud sound coming from the chimney. In just a few seconds, a figure appeared by the fireplace.

The speed was so fast that it made Gu Qinghan frown.

In the darkness, a small, thin figure silently flipped over and quickly darted to the side of General Xu’s desk.

The movements were swift and fluid.

General Xu’s office, apart from a few locked cabinets, had only a desk. The cabinets were all locked, but the furniture was old and worn, making it easy to pry open.

Gu Qinghan remained motionless, watching as the figure moved a stool in front of the cabinet. Then, without a sound, they unlocked the cabinet and began rummaging through the contents inside.

However, it seemed the cabinet did not contain what the intruder was looking for. Soon, they shifted their attention to the desk and, in just a few seconds, opened the drawer lock.

The actions were so smooth and skilled that it didn’t seem like it was their first time.

Next, the figure pulled out a tiny flashlight and shone it on the documents. The weak light illuminated the pages as the intruder tried to read the words on them.

Gu Qinghan calculated the distance, still holding his breath, waiting for the best moment to strike.

A few minutes later, the figure finally found what they were looking for. They stuffed the item into their chest and moved toward the window.

It seemed the moment was almost right.

As soon as the intruder’s hand touched the window, Gu Qinghan’s figure flickered, and he suddenly darted out from the shadowy corner.

In the dim office, the small figure reacted quickly. Upon hearing the noise, they immediately attempted to slip away and escape through the window.

However, no matter how fast the intruder was, they couldn’t match Gu Qinghan’s speed and training.

At the critical moment, Gu Qinghan delivered a spinning kick, extending his long leg to send the intruder crashing into a nearby pillar with a dull thud, followed by a sharp, youthful cry of pain.

But the intruder did not give up easily. Before Gu Qinghan could strike again, they attempted to flee, only to be met with another horizontal kick that made them cry out even louder: “Ahh—!”

Gu Qinghan turned on the office light. The sudden bright light caused a momentary discomfort, but Gu Qinghan squinted his eyes and finally saw the face of the intruder.

It was a boy just over ten years old.

Under the bright light, Gu Qinghan didn’t even blink as he stared at the boy curled up on the ground. The boy’s thin face was stained with blood, and his eyes, filled with hatred and resentment, were fixed on Gu Qinghan.

Just then, a team of well-trained soldiers, holding rifles, pushed the door open and filled the office, making it feel like a can of sardines. The leader of the group was General Xu.

Gu Qinghan opened the window that the boy had tried to open earlier and asked, “Is there another one on the roof? Did you catch them?”

Behind General Xu, one of the guards pushed another boy, about the same age as the first, into the room. The two boys looked exactly alike.

General Xu kicked the new boy’s calf, sending him crashing to the ground, cursing under his breath, “Damn it, they actually sent two little brats here. Scum!”

Gu Qinghan coldly remarked, “Don’t be fooled by their appearance. They might not be children.”

Upon hearing this, General Xu immediately frowned and looked at the pair of twins. “What the hell is going on?”

As he spoke, the two captured boys suddenly chuckled, and their faces wore a sinister, unbefitting smile for their age.

In unison, they said, “You’re the one who’s the ‘hell’ thing.”

The two of them, now knowing they had been caught red-handed, no longer wore the confused, innocent expressions of youth. Instead, they gave off a chilling, fierce look, scanning the soldiers surrounding them in identical movements.

They had the same faces, the same expressions, and even their movements were identical. They looked like lifeless puppets.

“You people are nothing,” they said in the same tone, voice, and speed, “You let us sneak into the army so easily and live here without any problem for months. What kind of joke are you?”

Though their words were spoken in perfect unison, the voices now sounded feminine, causing even Colonel to furrow his brow in surprise.

“Damn, what the hell is this?” Li Zhengwei, standing beside General Xu, flashed a surprised look in his eyes, seemingly in disbelief.

Their disdainful tone was unsettling, and everyone in the room gritted their teeth in anger.

However, Gu Qinghan showed no shock. He wasn’t interested in hearing their nonsense. He stepped forward, knocked the boy’s jaw, and a white pill fell from the boy’s mouth.

Gu Qinghan turned to the people behind him and said, “What are you standing there for? Pack everything into a bag and tie them up.”

“These people have been injected with hormones. They’re not actually children. They won’t grow up, they’ll have soft bones and their voices will change. That’s why they can crawl into such a narrow chimney.”

Gu Qinghan furrowed his brow. “Moreover, these specially trained enemy agents usually don’t live long. If the mission fails, they’ll take matters into their own hands and end it cleanly.” The pills they had spit out earlier were the best proof of that.

Such special agents must have been cultivated by a large and powerful organization, and judging by their childlike appearance, they must have completed many tasks. It seemed there was more valuable information to be found from them.

After all, who would expect a child to be a threat?

People naturally feel a sense of protection and trust toward children, thinking they are weak and won’t lie.

These people had exploited that very weakness, sending children to gather intelligence. As they had said, because they were children, people let their guard down and allowed them to infiltrate the army without suspicion.

It seemed that the crash from last time wasn’t a coincidence either.

This time, he could uproot these people once and for all.

Those people likely wanted the data and information about the new type of fighter jet. After all, weapons are one of the best ways a country can demonstrate its strength.

But just thinking about how the aviation experts had spent years working on those results, only for these people to steal them, was a devastating blow.

The two boys, now unable to speak or move, looked at Gu Qinghan. The contempt in their eyes turned to fear.

General Xu looked at Gu Qinghan with approval and said to those around him, “Take them to the interrogation room. Captain Gu and I will have a good talk with them.”

Besides these two, there were probably accomplices, maybe even more children!

Just the thought of it was heart-wrenching.

And what had happened to the other two children?

That was also a problem.

Gu Qinghan looked at the two boys and then said, “Bring Lin Guoqiang and his mother here, let’s see what good things he’s done!” These two boys had been brought over from Lin Aunty’s hometown. Let’s see what she has to say now.