Chapter 67 Shenwei City – Activate the Artist

Shenwei City.

Deep inside the heavily fortified military base that stood at the northernmost end of the country, General Yang leaned back on his plush leather chair.

He let out a heavy sigh as he ran a hand through his short-cropped hair.

His eyes were fixed on the dimly-lit room, which was decorated with a few military accolades mounted on the walls.

The room’s silence was only broken by the soft whirring sound of the air conditioning unit.

Suddenly, his personal phone rang and snapped him back to the present moment.

Yang Jun groaned and stood up. He picked up his phone and answered the call in a gruff voice.

“Okay, I got it. You carry out your instructions as normal. I will deal with this one,” he barked before hanging up.

He was already guessing what was going to happen next, so he moved his gaze to a picture of a young girl on his desk.

Yang Jun’s forehead creased as the image of the girl cleared up in his mind. He knew he had to act fast.

He stood up to pace around his office, wondering how to find her.

Then, he remembered he had a military informant he could call.

He hurriedly dialed the number and waited for his contact to answer.

The door creaked open, and a man in a military uniform stepped inside.

He gave a sharp salute and straightened his posture. “Analyst Shi Jian reporting for duty, sir!” he exclaimed.

Yang Jun gave a nod of acknowledgement and turned his desk towards him.

As he leaned forward, his eyes narrowed, with an intense stare directed at Shi Jian. “Do you know this girl?” he asked, pointing to the picture on his desk.

Shi Jian’s eyes fixed on the picture as he contemplated the girl’s identity. “I can locate her, sir! Give me five minutes, and I’ll back with all necessary information,” he promptly responded.

Yang Jun gave a nod of approval.

After a few minutes…

Shi Jian briskly walked into the room with a file in his hands.

His breathing was labored, indicating that he had rushed to get there as quickly as he could.

Yang Jun didn’t waste any time with pleasantries and barked, “Give me a brief!”

“Okay, sir!” Shi Jian responded, his voice slightly trembling with excitement. “The woman’s name is ‘Leng Yan’. She is only twenty-three years old but is already a skilled cultivator. Currently, she is serving as the deputy Bureau chief in Qingyun city, located in the central region.” Shi Jian paused and looked awkwardly at Yang Jun.

There was something off about her joining the PSB when she was clearly overqualified for the job.

It made him suspicious.

Yang Jun’s eyes gleamed with curiosity, and he commanded, “Go on.” Shi Jian nodded and continued reading from his report.

“The official record says her father’s name is Xu Wen, but there is no record of such a person ever existing. I tried to dig through the server, but the information was top-secret even with your privileges.”

“… Her mother’s name is ‘Leng Mei.’ According to official records, she is the chairman of Powergen Corporation, and we have no way of accessing any information about her.”

“There is one more person, Leng Xuezhong, currently serving as the deputy director-general in the central region’s Public Security Bureau.”

“Other than these individuals, there are many servants residing and working under Leng Mei. She has long stepped away from the executive chair, and our internal information suggests that one of her servants is running Powergen Corporation’s affairs. In my opinion, the woman named ‘Leng Yan’ is too suspicious, and her background seems to be anything but simple,” Shi Jian concluded with admiration.

Yang Jun rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “To think that even a general would be unable to access information about her family…This woman’s family definitely isn’t simple…”

Yang Jun brows furrowed, his mind reeling as the case before him grew more complicated than he had initially anticipated.

Although Leng Xuezhong posed no issue, as a general, Yang Jun held a higher position in the hierarchy.

A general in military possessed authority inbetween somewhere Vice Minister of the Public Security and Director General of PSB.

Thus, handling a deputy director general of the PSB was no trouble for him.

But, the true obstacle loomed in Leng Mei. Her profile, despite his clearance, remained inaccessible.

Any direct attack on her would send up a red flag and alert his superior, the Chief General of the army.

This predicament sent shivers through his spine.

In the military, there were several ranks: General, Lieutenant General, Major General, Brigadier General, Colonel, Lieutenant Colonel, Major, Captain, Lieutenant, and Second Lieutenant.

Ordinarily, the highest rank attained was that of general, and each individual at this rank held control over a specific region in a manner similar to a Director General in the Public Security Bureau.

In Hanland country, the regions were divided into the Northern, Southern, Eastern, Western, and Central regions.

Yang Jun bore the mantle of general of the Northern region and held the commanding position there, but there existed an entity above him that he dared not provoke.

Even striking him, a cruel and savage act almost inconceivable between two humans, was out of the question.

This man was the Chief General of Army and wielded such immense power that an ordinance had been created solely for him, laying out a separate hierarchy within the military.

He had become a mythic figure entrenched in the memory of all who knew of him.

In fact, one general had attempted to challenge his authority once before, and his efforts had led to his own murder—committed in his own office, no less.

Yet, no one dared to seek retribution against the Chief General.

And so, no general would cause suspicion to arise for fear of the Chief General’s wrath.

This tumultuous thought process left Yang Jun feeling unnerved about his involvement, an anxiety which now simmered just below the surface.

“Did something happen, General?” asked Shi Jian with a concerned look on his face as he noticed the distress etched on Yang Jun’s face.

Yang Jun waved his hand, dismissing Shi Jian for now.

Once Shi Jian had left, Yang Jun’s face twisted into an expression of pure disgust and anger.

For too long, he had been using Qingyun city as a base to smuggle innocent children for his gruesome experiments.

But now, the people involved in these despicable acts had been caught and were being held under the watchful eye of Leng Yan.

If Yang Jun’s involvement in these heinous crimes were to be discovered, he knew that it would bring about catastrophic consequences.

He would be at the mercy of that ‘terrifying figure’ above him, and no one would be able to save him.

With no other option left, Yang Jun knew that he had to take the risk and eliminate Leng Yan as soon as possible.

He would also have to find a way to free Tang Bo and others from jail at the same time.

Yang Jun made his decision. He would completely cut off his ties with Qingyun city and search for an alternative source for his materials.

That city was no longer safe for his evil schemes.

For a moment, Yang Jun ruminated on his previous assumption that Qingyun city was the perfect place to conduct his immoral experiments.

But now, it was clear that it was too dangerous, and he needed to find a new location before he was exposed.

Without wasting any time, he dialed Leng Xuezhong’s number and anxiously waited for him to pick up.

As soon as the call connected, he asked with him to release Tang Bo and the others, his voice filled with urgency and concern.

Putting on a facade of sincerity, he made an excuse and assured Leng Xuezhong that the real culprit had been caught.

He could feel his heart pounding in his chest as he tried to convince the general that there would be no similar accidents in the future.

Leng Xuezhong was no fool.

He knew something was up, but the problem was already solved.

He didn’t want to offend someone as powerful as Yang Jun. He could practically smell the deceit in the air, but he didn’t see any upside to challenging him.

Despite his reservations, Leng Xuezhong decided to let Tang Bo and the others go.

He could see right through Yang Jun’s schemes, but as long as there was no cause for alarm in the central region, he didn’t care.

The involvement of Leng Yan was also a factor that played a role in his decision.

He didn’t want his beloved niece to get mixed up in the military’s problems and suffer the consequences for something that’s not her fault.

Yang Jun couldn’t help but feel a rush of excitement flow through his body as he ended the call with a pleased smile on his face.

The General was a sly fox; there was no way he would leave any evidence that could be traced back to him.

As he sat back in his chair, he couldn’t help but feel a sense of satisfaction wash over him as he realized that his name was clear from any involvement.

He had only called Leng Xuezhong as a way to ensure that if any accidents arose in the future, his name would be safe from any suspicions.

Even if Leng Yan ended up dead, there would be no solid reason to catch him since Tang Bo and others were freed from captivity.

And while he knew clearing Leng Yan could raise some suspicions, he had planned it all out so precisely that it would appear as if he was never involved.

As he thought about the grandness of his plan, he couldn’t help but feel a sense of fear wash over him.

If anyone found out what he was up to, his fate could be worse than death.

The mere thought of it was enough to make his blood turn cold, causing an eerie chill to run down his spine.

But he wasn’t going to let that happen. Not when he was so close to achieving everything he had worked so hard for.

To ensure that his plan wasn’t exposed before its time, he was willing to take the risk.

With a sense of determination, he reached for his phone and opened his messaging app. He quickly typed in the details of Leng Yan and sent them to an unknown number.

[Activate The Artist -Make sure it appears as an accident]

With that message sent, Yang Jun couldn’t help but feel a sense of excitement flow through him.

He was getting closer and closer to his ultimate goal, and nothing could stop him now.

……. 𝚘𝑣𝐥xt.𝗇𝓔t

Leng Yan furrowed her brow in concentration, poring over the documents with intense focus.

She was determined to find any shred of evidence that could connect the child traffickers to their original buyer.

Ring… Ring…

Suddenly, her phone rang, jolting her out of her work. Irritation flared within her as she picked it up, and her face twisted into a troubled expression at what she heard.

“But why?!” she exclaimed in a frustrated tone.

“We have proof against them, why should I free them?” She practically shouted, her voice ringing out through the quiet office.

The person on the other end of the line remained calm in their response. “It is for your own good,” they said firmly.

“I won’t take no for an answer…” And with a final beep, the call disconnected.

Leng Yan slammed the phone down, her frustration boiling over into anger.

She stood up from her seat, pacing back and forth as she yelled in exasperation.

She couldn’t believe that she was being asked to free criminals with concrete evidence against them!

As she paced, she couldn’t help but remember Zhang Wei’s words, and her anger only grew.

He had warned her that Tang Bo and the others wouldn’t stay locked up forever, but she had refused to believe him.

Now, it seemed he had been right all along.

Leng Yan sighed deeply, rubbing her temple as she tried to calm down.

The situation felt hopelessly frustrating, and she wasn’t sure how she was going to resolve it.