The Dragon City Rises, the Tan faction headquarters.

After hearing An Zecheng's reply, Zhang Xunchen couldn't help but ask Tan Hengqiang, "Commander-in-chief, what do you think of this matter?"

Tan Hengqiang picked up his teacup, took a sip, and thought for a moment before saying, "The situation is so tense; the support from the Hua region should be arriving soon. Let's not worry about them for now. Lao An wants to stabilize his position, so he won't do anything to stab us in the back."

Zhang Xunchen nodded slowly after hearing this.

Tan Hengqiang put down his cup and added, "At the same time, notify our front-line troops and tell them to be on their guard. Although we're still in negotiations with the First Zone, the more amicable these people are in talks, the faster they sharpen their knives under the table."

"Understood," Zhang Xunchen agreed.

After saying this, Tan Hengqiang fell silent again.

At this moment, a core general next to him spoke up, "Commander-in-chief, I think it's a good thing. The arrival of the Hua region is beneficial to us; it's like adding weight to our bargaining chips."

Tan Hengqiang glanced at him faintly and waved his hand, saying, "The current situation is still unclear. Let's take it one step at a time."

At this time, these senior military officers of the Tan faction still held some hope for a peaceful resolution with the First Zone.

The others began to discuss it in low voices, while Tan Hengqiang silently drank his tea, saying nothing more.

...

Afternoon, November 3rd, First Zone, Washington, D.C., inside a secret base.

The beds in the barracks had been cleared, and the bedding rolls had been collected. Compared to before, it seemed very desolate.

There were also fewer people patrolling the entrance.

"Woooo—"

Just then, a loud assembly call sounded.

Soon, Yuan Biao, wearing camouflage fatigues, led forty or fifty people and strode into the hall in front of the barracks.

These people were all burly, well-trained, and fully armed, ready to leave.

A few minutes later, everyone had assembled in the hall. Yuan Biao counted the number of people, put his hands behind his back, and instructed, "Get in the vehicles immediately and leave Washington, D.C., in groups according to the planned schedule."

The crowd replied in unison, "Yes, sir!"

The voices were unified and very loud. Yuan Biao nodded in satisfaction, waved to the crowd, and they immediately split into several small teams and left the barracks.

After finishing the arrangements, Yuan Biao turned around, strode through the camp area, and came to a separate office next to it, directly pushing open the door.

Lu Zhen, wearing a suit, was sitting inside, waving to him, "Sit down."

Yuan Biao nodded and sat in the chair opposite him.

Lu Zhen, smoking a cigarette, said to him, "I've already arranged the reception personnel over there. After you get there, I'll tell you who to contact..."

Halfway through his sentence, Yuan Biao waved his hand to interrupt, "Did you talk to her about it?"

Hearing this, Lu Zhen couldn't help but pause, but immediately reacted and nodded, "Don't worry, I'll definitely let you take her away. I'll talk to her."

Yuan Biao stared at Lu Zhen and said bluntly, "Since I took this job from you, I'll definitely finish it for you unless I die."

Lu Zhen nodded, "It's not the first time we've worked together; I trust you."

Yuan Biao sat there, lowered his head, and said, "Actually, I don't know why... If I can come back alive, I want to take her away. Heh, damn, I'm bewitched."

After a long silence, Yuan Biao stood up and said, "I'm leaving."

Lu Zhen also stood up and said very solemnly, "I'm counting on you for everything."

Yuan Biao nodded and quickly left the office.

...

After Yuan Biao and the others set off, Lu Zhen didn't stay at the base for long. Instead, he drove to the high-end club.

He contacted Xiao Yan and arranged to meet in a private room. The two sat on the sofa, facing each other, with a coffee table in between.

The intimacy between them was gone, replaced by an unspeakable awkwardness. The entire private room exuded a stiff atmosphere.

After a long silence, Lu Zhen told Xiao Yan about Yuan Biao.

After hearing this, Xiao Yan's heart was incredibly calm. She just looked at Lu Zhen indifferently and asked, "Lu Zhen, don't you think you're ridiculous? In my eyes, you're just a paranoid madman now. Even if you have no feelings for me, what right do you have to plan my life? And why should I listen to you?!"

Lu Zhen's expression was also calm. He reached out and took out a card from his pocket, gently pushing it in front of Xiao Yan, "Since we can't talk about feelings, let's talk about money."

Xiao Yan was stunned for a moment, looking at the card.

Lu Zhen paused and continued, "You can't do this kind of work forever. Although you have a certain share here, you only get a fixed dividend every year. A person like me isn't qualified to talk about feelings, but Yuan Biao is different from me; he's trading his life for a chance to be with you. The money in here is enough for you to live well. The password is your birthday. I won't force you; think about it."

After speaking, Lu Zhen didn't say anything more. He stood up and walked out of the private room.

Xiao Yan stared at the card for a long time, feeling despair in her heart. She couldn't help but angrily scold, "Lu Zhen, you're just a bastard!"

Lu Zhen paused slightly, but still didn't say anything, only opened the door and left the private room.

At this moment, he only felt a little uncomfortable, but he didn't have any burden.

For a paranoid young politician like Lu Zhen, although he had some feelings for Xiao Yan, it was too insignificant compared to his future and ambition.

Not to mention a lover, even if it were his wife, he would not hesitate to cut ties and protect himself at a critical moment.

In the room, Xiao Yan thought for a long time, and finally picked up the card and turned to leave the private room.

...

Six o'clock in the evening, Dragon City, General Directorate of National Security.

Qiu Ge, wearing casual clothes, strode into Guo Zhengdao's office, pushed the door open, and said to him, "Lao Guo, we're ready on our end."

Guo Zhengdao, who was busy handling official business, looked up and asked, "Can we fish him out?"

Qiu Ge nodded, "Yes. I asked for a favor from the garrison, saying that I'd treat him to dinner tonight. He agreed and arranged to meet in an hour."

Guo Zhengdao immediately nodded, stood up, picked up the pistol on the table, and stuffed it into the holster at his waist, "Let's go, we're going to arrest him."

...

At the same time, First Zone, Qingyi Bureau.

Kang Dinghuang sat in the conference room, looking at the sand table and character relationship diagram he had made. He no longer felt the tension and torment he had felt before, but instead felt a little relaxed. He had done everything he could do, and the rest was to do his best and leave the rest to fate.

...

Dragon City, General Directorate of National Security.

Gu Bai Shun stood in front of the office window, drinking coffee, watching Guo Zhengdao and Qiu Ge leave outside the window, and murmured, "What's coming, will come."

...

Hua region, a special ward in Yanbei.

Just as the sky was getting light, Su Tianyu got out of bed, turned to An Qiqi, who was watching over him, and said, "Help me go out for a walk."

An Qiqi said with some worry, "Don't, you should just sit in the room for a while."

Su Tianyu looked at her and said softly, "I'm a little excited, and a little nervous..."