Nominal: Hou Liangping blocking the door? He was slapped away!

Lu Yike closed the last page of the file.

"We'll take care of it for her."

Qi Tongwei pressed the send button.

The terminal displays a receipt.

The northern route has been received.

The last remaining piece of information from the Han-Dong battlefield is now included in this volume.

Qi Tongwei closed the terminal and turned to look at Zhou Qin.

"From now on, you will be under the protection of the provincial department. Your statement, the source of the original documents, and Zhou Lan's last testimonies will all be classified as top secret."

Zhou Qin nodded and then looked at Lu Yike.

"Officer Lu, you're injured like this, can you still do the job?"

Lu Yike put the bottom part into the evidence bag and sealed it neatly.

"able."

Qi Tongwei looked down at her.

"Your only responsibility now is to go to the hospital."

"The case is not closed yet."

"Someone has taken the case."

"Who will answer?"

Qi Tongwei picked up her service pistol that had fallen to the ground, removed the magazine to inspect the weapon, and then put it back next to her.

"Heavy."

Northern base.

The light shone on the armored tabletop.

Shen Zhong stood in front of the top-secret evidence table, his military uniform buttoned up to the top, a cigarette dangling from his hand.

Zhou Weiguo checked the materials sent back from Handong three times, his voice lowered.

"Sir, the original approval document, Qin Kewen's personal signature, personal seal, and microfilm are all complete."

Shen Zhong carefully placed the core page with sealing wax, the black leather folder catalog, the fund pool data, the Q2 chip, Sha Ruijin's confession, and Zhou Qin's files into the top-secret case.

The mechanical lock closed one lock at a time.

Zhou Weiguo tightened the holster.

"In the Handong area, the land has been thoroughly cleared."

Shen Zhong put the cigarettes back into the metal box and looked up towards the runway.

"Notify the special operations company to board the special plane. It's time to head to the core headquarters to settle accounts."

Northern Airport.

The runway lights were all on, the white light stretching to the horizon, and the combat transport plane lay prone under the lights, its belly as thick as a piece of iron.

Shen Zhong was dressed in a general's uniform, buttoned up to the top, with his epaulets covering the lights. He carried a silver explosion-proof box in one hand and held an unlit cigarette between his other.

The outer shell of the box gleamed coldly, and the three mechanical locks were firmly fastened. Inside were the core pages sealed with sealing wax, the financial records, film reels, and a page personally signed by Qin Kewen.

Zhou Weiguo carried a portable terminal bag on his back, his holster was fastened at his waist, and he walked with a bit of a swagger.

"Sir, this box is more valuable than my life."

Shen Zhong glanced at him.

"Just knowing is enough."

"Then I'll request to sit next to the box. If it gets bumped or scratched, I can apologize to it."

Shen Zhong put the cigarettes back into the tin box.

"Enough talk, let's board."

One hundred Dragon Fang special forces soldiers followed in formation, gun muzzles lowered, magazines fully loaded, their boots clattering over the gangway, the sound layer upon layer.

The captain stood by the cabin door, his flight jacket collar fastened, his hand pressed against his helmet, his face expressionless.

"Sir, the flight path has been opened, and combat readiness is the highest priority."

Shen Zhong handed the explosion-proof box to Zhou Weiguo, and the two special forces soldiers immediately locked and secured it.

"After takeoff, we will not change course, will not land at local airports, and will not accept verbal instructions from local authorities."

The captain put on his helmet.

"clear."

The hatch closed.

The transport plane taxied onto the runway, the roar of its engines pressing down on our chests. The entire plane sped off, skimming the light strips, its nose lifting up, leaving the northern base behind in the darkness.

Zhou Weiguo sat next to the evidence box, his fingers resting on the zipper of the terminal bag, while his mouth was still busy.

"Sir, if Xishan were sensible, he should stay home and wait for us while we go to Beijing."

Shen Zhong leaned back in his seat, his gaze fixed on the view outside the porthole.

"If they were more mature, the case wouldn't have come this far."

The core of Xishan.

The backyard lights were still on.

The chief secretary stood at the door of the inner room, his black Zhongshan suit collar buttoned straight, holding a copy of the latest report in his hand.

"Old Qin, the transport plane on the northern route has taken off. The evidence box is on board. The Xu family is preparing for the Central Military Commission meeting."

Inside the rattan chair, Qin Lao had a thin blanket draped over his knees, and Buddhist prayer beads were slowly turning in his palm.

The head secretary lowered his head.

"According to the rules, it's too late to stop them."

The prayer beads paused for a moment.

No one spoke again inside the room.

The chief secretary glanced at Old Master Qin, then quickly looked down again.

"Extraordinary measures are needed, requiring the removal of the backdoors in the underlying maintenance of the Gyeonggi Air Defense Identification Zone."

Old Qin closed his eyes and spoke very softly.

"Don't let it fall into the hands of the Xu family."

When the chief secretary left the inner room, his steps were half a fraction faster than when he came in.

In the underground server room, several rows of screens lit up simultaneously. The maintenance interface of the Gyeonggi Air Defense Identification Zone was forcibly taken over, and a series of permission verifications changed from red to green.

The operator's hands hovered over the keyboard.

"The target has passed over the Yellow River."

The head secretary stared at the dots of light on the screen.

"Directional electromagnetic interference, power maxed out."

"The transport plane had military identification codes on it."

"I'm telling you to do it."

The keyboard was pressed.

An invisible electromagnetic wall presses down on the high-altitude air routes from the edge of the capital region.

Above the Yellow River.

Just as the transport plane passed through the clouds, the cabin overhead lights suddenly flickered three times.

Drop drop drop.

The alarms sounded one after another, and the instrument panel was completely blacked out, as if someone had covered it with a black cloth.

The captain's voice came from the cockpit, tense and close to his headset.

"Sir, the navigation system is completely down! We've fallen into an electronic black hole!"

The fuselage began to sway, and the left wing dipped down. Several special forces soldiers grabbed the handrails at the same time.

Zhou Weiguo's smug expression disappeared. He pulled the portable terminal out of his bag and slammed the cable into the aircraft base.

Give me the underlying bus.

The passenger in the front seat turned around.

"Access is locked; the flight control system doesn't recognize external connections."

Zhou Weiguo grinned.

Whether it recognizes me or not depends on how I coax it.

His fingers flew across the keyboard, and rows of military-grade codes appeared on the terminal screen as the anti-interference self-healing module was forcibly attached to the flight control base.

"Sir, the other side is using dirty tactics; their interference zone has blocked navigation, communications, and IFF (Identification Friend or Foe) systems."

Shen Zhong stood up, his military boots landing firmly on the deck, his body as steady as if nailed in.

"Can you crack the control tower channel?"

"I'll give it a try."

Zhou Weiguo bit the cable end and connected the spare gain device. The terminal casing was burning hot, so he used his sleeve to cushion it and continued tapping.

On the screen, the noise curve was pushed down a little, then pushed back up by the interference wave.

"The power output on the other side is too high, it's like blocking the door with cement."

Shen Zhong walked to the back of the cockpit and looked at the blacked-out instrument panel.

"Then smash the window."

The captain gripped the control stick, his forehead covered in sweat.

"Sir, the navigation system can hold out for another eight minutes. Any further and we'll be on the outskirts of the capital region."

"Fly on the original course."

"Without navigation, even a slight deviation could lead to a civilian flight."

Shen Zhong glanced down at his watch.

"I'll give you my eyes."

He took out a paper route map from his breast pocket, his fingers pressing on three points: the Yellow River, the Taihang Mountains, and the edge of the capital region. His tone was so calm that it sent chills down one's spine.

"Maintain altitude, correct yaw twice, and don't reduce speed."

The captain glanced at him for half a second, then immediately pulled the lever.

"receive."

Zhou Weiguo suddenly cursed.

"They're here."

Outside the porthole, the clouds were torn apart.

Two high-speed interceptors approached from the sides, their bellies clean and without live ammunition pylons, yet their maneuvers were incredibly cunning, like two fish skimming the surface of the water.

The aircraft on the left first lowered itself, then cut across to the front of the transport plane, using its wake to push the nose down.

The one on the right was right next to the outer edge of the wing, very close to the plane, and the gray serial number on its fuselage was darkened by the clouds.

A cold, mechanical voice cut in from the public emergency channel.

"Unknown aircraft, you have deviated from your flight path. Immediately follow us and make an emergency landing at the nearest local airport!"

The captain's face darkened.

"Sir, they're not carrying live ammunition, but their wakes are so powerful. If we descend another two thousand meters, we'll be led around by them."

Zhou Weiguo looked up.

"As soon as the evidence box lands at the local airport, it has to be checked for identity, a handover document has to be signed, an investigation has to be conducted, and approvals have to be obtained. If it drags on until dark, they're considered fast."

Shen Zhong glanced at the interceptor on his flank, suppressing the murderous intent in his eyes.

"That's exactly what they want."