Chapter 749: Let Bygones Be Bygones, But Be Forever Loyal to the Country
It was the first time for Tang Guosheng and Tang Min to hear Tang Xiu personally admit the fact that he had a woman already. Even the outside knew that his woman was Mu Wanying, he never admitted it personally. At this moment, the father and daughter exchanged looks and finally accepted Kang Xia thoroughly.
Also, she was a cultivator!
Her status as a cultivator showed that she was indeed Tang Xiu's most effective assistant. At this moment, the both of them realized that it was no wonder Tang Xiu could transfer his authority over the Magnificent Tang Corporation's management to Kang Xia.
"Little Kang, you will be the future daughter-in-law of my Tang Family."
Tang Guosheng turned his head to look at Kang Xia. After saying those words, he directly turned his sight to Tang Xiu and took the cigarette Tang Xiu put down on the tea table.
The daughter-in-law of the Tang Family?
A huge wave surged up inside Kang Xia's heart at this moment, and her tender body could not help but tremble a few times. Intense ecstasy along with joy made her feel more satisfied than ever. She cared a lot about Tang Xiu, and naturally, cared about getting approval from the Tang Family's elders. She imagined about it sometimes, but did not expect her dream to come true.
External variables were sometimes needed to deepen one's affection, and those who wanted to love and be loved would truly care. What Tang Xiu just said really made her satisfied, deepening her feelings for him.
Tang Guosheng lit up the cigarette and took two deep puffs. Then, he slowly said, "The issue is very troublesome this time. It can be said to be big trouble. It will not only cause losses in the entirety of China but also inflict heavy losses to the Tang Family if it's not handled well."
"Please don't keep me guessing, Grandpa. Just go straight to the point," said Tang Xiu.
"Do you know about Mist Source Island?" Asked Tang Guosheng.
"Never heard of it," Tang Xiu shook his head. "Do we have such an island in China?"
"Prior to this, I thought it was a good thing that the country tried to conceal the existence of this island. But I didn't expect for this situation to occur. As a matter of fact, Mist Source Island suddenly appeared about 20 to 30 years ago outside the sea territory of Taiwan—about 800 nautical miles from it. The moment this island appeared, the country immediately dispatched a large number of troops, geologists, and biologists there. Do you know what situation we found on this island of the same size of Taiwan?
"It's completely composed of high mountains, which are filled with virgin primeval forests. There were many savage beasts there at first, along with a lot of precious mineral treasures. Even medicinal herbs also grew there. After some highly respected old Chinese practitioners ventured there, they confirmed that some of the herbs were thousands of years of age. I myself personally went there. And on the summit of the mountain in the center of the island has a palace. It's very ancient, but none was able to climb up to the mountaintop and venture into it until now.
"After the country set up development of the island in secret, the Mist Source Island has been completely under our country's control and a lot of elite soldiers are stationed there, along with the families of some soldiers and researchers for some time in the past. And now, the entire Mist Source Island is inhabited by hundreds of thousands of people."
Having said that, Tang Guosheng stopped and took another cigarette.
Tang Xiu was shocked, "How is it possible for Mist Source Island to still be kept tightly confidential in this era? Without mentioning other reasons, the power of the media alone is enough to expose the situation there, right?"
"It's because of the exposure of the existence of Mist Source Island that many countries are staring," sighed Tang Guosheng. "Many countries attempted to take possession of the island several years ago. But our country has already troops stationed there, while it's also still in our sea territory, hence the failure of their attempts. Taiwan also wanted to set foot there, but they were suppressed and eventually could only choose to be silent."
"If so, then what exactly is this crisis?" Asked Tang Xiu.
While suppressing his anger, Tang Guosheng replied, "Those foreign countries have always coveted Mist Source Island and even tried every means available to send people there, but there no major issues occurred since the coastline is always guarded very strictly. In recent years, however, some of those countries have been supporting forces to carry out an intense infiltration into the island. What's more, several people of these foreign forces are now really infiltrating through the flaws in the barricade, and the number is not small.
"Just six days ago, a resident of Mist Source Island suddenly fell into a coma. After getting examined by medical personnel there, they found that it was caused by a virus and the infected had contacted many people everywhere before. Hence, the contagion of the virus unceasingly spread out at an extremely terrifying speed. In just day four, 80% of the inhabitants of Mist Source Island were infected. Even the garrison there got infected today. All of them amount up to hundreds of thousands of people! Though the country sent the best virus experts there in the last few days, they were still helpless with the situation. Finally, yesterday the senior Divine Doctor Gui Jianchou from Beijing also went there."
"From where did this virus come from?" Asked Tang Xiu with a frown.
"From one of the most dangerous organizations in the world, the Stygian Club," said Tang Guosheng in a deep voice. "Some people from the Stygian Club infiltrated the island and injected the virus into the first carrier. Some foreign black markets overseas are selling the antivirus, called as strengthening liquid or something. Those who have been injected with this strengthening liquid in advance won't be infected by the virus again. Therefore, thousands of people from the Stygian Club and some other forces have landed on Mist Source Island in the last seven days. The stationed troops have had several fierce clashes with those people and we suffered quite a few losses as a result. There are some individuals among those people who are very powerful."
Tang Xiu slammed his fist on the table and angrily said, "That damn Stygian Club again. Its existence is nothing but a scourge!"
"You know about the Stygian Club?" Asked Tang Guosheng with fixed attention.
A cold glint flashed in Tang Xiu's eyes as he said, "I dealt with people from the Stygian Club in some incidents, and they suffered a loss against me every time. Grandpa, you want me to go to Mist Source Island?"
"I did have such a plan. But the current situation over there is very dangerous," Tang Guosheng nodded. "There's a virus threat on the one hand, while various forces from abroad are also staring their greedy eyes as well. I'm also worried ab…"
"You can cast away those worries, Grandpa," Tang Xiu interrupted his words and said with solemnity. "This virus is nothing but a trivial thing, it won't harm me whatsoever. As for those foreign forces, they will never be able to pose any threats to me unless they use a nuke."
Tang Guosheng nodded in response without speaking. Then, he bitterly said, "There are some people of our family on Mist Source Island, a battalion of martial artists in the military training camp I ordered your Second Grandpa to secretly set up on the island. Contact the people under the country's First Leader when you get there, and then quietly go to the Tang Manor Martial School to find Tang Han."
"Who is this Tang Han?" Asked Tang Xiu.
"She's your First Uncle's daughter," answered Tang Guosheng.
Tang Xiu was taken aback and asked, "First Uncle has a daughter? How come I don't know about her?"
Tang Guosheng forced a smile and said, "In order to have a station on Mist Source Island, we announced to the public that your First Uncle's daughter died at the age of four, but she was in fact sent to Mist Source Island in secret. After having gone through various trainings since her childhood, she then successfully took over the Tang Manor Martial School by the time she turned eighteen. It's been 11 years since. That child… she returned to Beijing every two years in secret. She is 29 years old now, but she has only returned 12 times. Our family… owes her way too much."
The revelation aroused deep respect in Tang Xiu's heart toward this cousin he had never meet. He nodded and said, "I understand, Grandpa."
Tang Min took two things from the bag she carried—a small green book with the words Peace and Safe. The other one was a black badge with only a blood drop engraving on it.
"Xiu'er, this green book is the proof of identity of the State Security Department that was done for you, while this badge is the sign of our Tang Family's secret force. Take this to your sister and she will naturally believe you," said Tang Min in a low voice.
Tang Xiu nodded in response. After hesitating for a moment, he asked, "Grandpa, there's someone else who wants me to go to Mist Source Island other than you, right? Who is he?"
Tang Guosheng and Tang Min exchanged looks, as the former immediately let out a bitter smile and said, "Really. I can't hide anything from you. He's the one at the top."
"Which one?"
"The highest one."
Tang Xiu squinted his eyes and asked, "Is there any benefits?"
"Just a sentence: Let bygones be bygones, forever loyal to the country," said Tang Guosheng.
Tang Xiu was taken aback. He subconsciously took a cigarette and lit it. After taking a few deep puffs, he grinned and said, "This Senior chose to compromise and gave me the plenary country power to act! If my guess is correct, this small green book won't be taken back either, right?"
"Indeed." Tang Guosheng knew that his grandson was smart and immediately nodded and smiled.
"Alright," Tang Xiu stood up. "That being the case, then I'll take the job. When do I leave?"
"ASAP," said Tang Guosheng. "The garrison base in Shanghai has prepared a military chopper. You can take off at any time."
Tang Xiu then looked at Kang Xia and said, "I won't be able to accompany you in today's matter. Also, never disclose my whereabouts to anyone."
There was deep worry and concern on Kang Xia's face when she got up. Yet, she still nodded and exhorted, "Please do pay attention to your safety."
"I know," replied Tang Xiu.
Tang Guosheng and Tang Min did not rush to leave. They looked at Tang Xiu's back as he quickly left the house, sighing at the same time.
****
Shanghai Garrison Base.
Hu Zhenfeng, who was clad in his army uniform, had been waiting for a long time. He was the Chief of Staff of the Mist Source Island Garrison with a senior colonel rank. Prior to this, he was just on leave and returned to Beijing on vacation, but the major incident that happened on Mist Source Island made him receive an order to escort Tang Guosheng to Shanghai and to stand by at the Shanghai Garrison Base.
To stand by and wait for someone.
He did not know who he was waiting for, and neither could he figure out what kind of identity this person had, to even make him, who was a Chief of Staff with a Senior Colonel rank, to wait.
Honk! Honk!
Four black SUVs came from a distance and parked near the apron of military helicopters, as a big man in a black suit opened the car's door. Hu Zhenfeng's eyes then fell on the rear door of the third car. He knew that someone who could enter straight from the outside was definitely a top brass.
Chapter 750: Ridiculous, Nonsensical Bragging
Going to Mist Source Island this time, Tang Xiu did not bring a lot of men. In addition to Mo Awu, who usually followed him, there were only ten other guards. Despite knowing that there were many unknown enemies there, he was confident that he could completely destroy them.
Nonetheless, he still made some phone calls on the way to the Garrison Base. Aside from the class-in-charge teacher, Han Qingwu, asking for a leave, he also spoke to Xue Yu and Li Laoshan, who had been busy recently, saying that he would find the time to drink with him later. He wanted to invite Li Laoshan for a meal, but he was in a hurry to leave Shanghai, hence called the man ahead of time.
When Tang Xiu got off the car, he saw the tall and straight posture of Hu Zhenfeng, who was donned in his military uniform, as he then headed straight toward the man. Following that, he took out the green book and directly spoke, "I'm Tang Xiu. We need to immediately rush to Mist Source Island. This is the document."
Hu Zhenfeng took the green book and looked at it a few times, saying, "I've received orders from my superior to use this military helicopter to send us to Nanxia Province. We'll then have to board a ship to Mist Source Island. We'll be arriving there before evening if the trip goes smoothly."
"We can't fly straight there?" Tang Xiu frowned.
"No flights can travel to and from Mist Source Island according to the Military Aircraft Agreement," Hu Zhenfeng shook his head. "The Air Defense Division has an intercontinental armed system in Mist Source Island. Once a plane is closing about 50 kilometers with 400 meters of altitude, it will be identified as an enemy and shot down."
"The military helicopters are not an exception either? Isn't there also a fighter plane there?" Asked Tang Xiu.
"No. Thing is, there's something unsuited there," Hu Zhenfeng shook his head.
"What is this something, exactly?" Asked Tang Xiu.
"It's a strange magnetic field that shrouds an area of dozens of kilometers in the vicinity of Mist Source Island. Any unit with a measuring device will malfunction if it enters the area. Furthermore, there's a thick, heavy fog around Mist Source Island. We found that the island only had its fog dissipated for two hours every day ever since we discovered the island. Hence, we can only enter and exit Mist Source Island during those two hours."
Is it a formation array?
Tang Xiu thought for a few seconds. Then, he nodded and said, "Forget it, then. Let's go now! Anyways, can this chopper take these many people?"
"With the two pilots in the cockpit, only ten people can board the cabin. I did not know how many men you'd be taking with you, so I only asked the Military Region to prepare this helicopter. I can apply to add one more now, though," said Hu Zhenfeng.
"Then I'll have to trouble you," Tang Xiu nodded.
Two minutes later, two military SUVs roared and stopped nearby as seven soldiers clad in camo uniform jumped off the car. They put down the camo bag they brought, saluted Hu Zhenfeng and said, "Phantom Combat Squad's Captain Yu Shuqing reporting to Senior Officer, Sir!"
After returning the ceremony, Hu Zhenfeng smiled and said, "After receiving the order from the top brasses, I knew I'd see you again, old comrades! Your Phantom Special Combat Squad has made admirable distinguished services to the country over the years, and even the Senior Officer hasn't run out of praises for you all!"
"It's our duty to serve for the country, Sir," said Yu Shuqing with a smile.
Hu Zhenfeng nodded and his eyes swept the other six members of Phantom Special Combat Squad. He then nodded with satisfaction and said with a smile, "I'm completely relieved to have your special operations team come with me to Mist Source island. Shuqing, let me introduce you to Tang Xiu, who is in charge of the incidents on Mist Source Island. All members of Phantom Special Combat Squad are now to take command from him."
Yu Shuqing frowned, but still saluted to Tang Xiu, "Phantom Special Combat Squad's Captain Yu Shuqing reporting to the leader, Sir!"
There was a bit of angry looks in the eyes of the other six members of the special operation teams behind him. They could tell that Mo Awu and the rest were very extraordinary when they arrived. More so that they could smell a faint bloody scent from their bodies that gave off quite a sense of threat even to them. But Tang Xiu was too young. The squad had always acted alone, and now that they were suddenly assigned to be under the command of an unknown young man... this greatly dissatisfied them.
Tang Xiu indifferently nodded and said, "I don't need any other helpers actually. But since you already accepted orders, it'd be rude if I were to decline and sent you back. When we get on Mist Source Island, I'll talk to the Military Supervisor there to make you stay in the base."
A cold glint suffused in Yu Shuqing's eyes as he said coldly, "You're crazy!"
Tang Xiu shook his head and straightly ignored him. He went toward Hu Zhenfeng and led Mo Awu, Jin Shi, and the rest to board the military helicopter, leaving only two experts of the Everlasting Feast Hall behind.
"Boss, I have once dealt with someone from this Phantom Special Combat Squad," Xue Sha spoke to Tang Xiu in a low voice after they sat down in the cabin.
Tang Xiu's brows were raised as he asked, "When was that?"
"When I found Mouse," said Xue Sha. "A member of this Phantom Special Combat Squad tracked us down and was intercepted by me. He did not see my appearance, though, so they didn't recognize me."
Tang Xiu understood in a flash as he smiled and said, "It seems like they are the ones who fought with those people from the SOE company in Shanghai. If not for our special identity, this Phantom special force is probably regarded as very powerful to ordinary people."
"If I were to face them I could decimate this entire squad," Xue Sha sneered.
"Don't give me that bullshit, will you?" Tang Xiu snappily derided him. "They are just ordinary people. What identity do you have? Do you feel great comparing yourself with them?"
Ugh… Xue Sha let out a hollow laugh and bowed his head, no longer speaking.
Under the military helicopter, Mo Xiaonan, a member of Phantom Special Combat Squad squinted at the two men, Shui Gui and Ye Shisan, and immediately asked, "Senior Officer, what exactly do they do?"
"Don't ask what you shouldn't ask. I myself am not clear." Hu Zhenfeng shook his head.
"You don't know them either?" Asked Mo Xiaonan. "Doesn't that mean that we'll be taking orders from that brat surnamed Tang? Is this a joke or something?"
"This is an order!" rebuked Hu Zhenfeng in a deep voice.
Ye Shisan shot a cold stare at Mo Xiaonan and chillingly spoke, "If you dare to say anything more about our Boss with that insulting face of yours, I will kill you here and now even if you're a soldier!"
Boss?
Mo Xiaonan sneered, "I was thinking he's some kind of some big top brass or something, it turns out that he's just a Boss, huh? What did the heck happen to our superiors' heads? To think that they ordered us to obey the orders of a businessman? Besides… just his braggart bodyguards are a truly damn funny comedy!"
There was also an unsightly expression on Yu Shuqing's face. But he thought that there should be a lot more than that because he felt that it was impossible for a pure businessman to be qualified to come here and also obtain the rights command them. He glared at Mo Xiaonan and scolded him in a deep voice, "Shut up!"
Mo Xiaonan hummed coldly and glared provocatively at the Ye Shisan and Shui Guo, no longer speaking.
Twenty minutes later, another military helicopter was ready. Soon after Hu Zhenfeng and the rest boarded it, it quickly disappeared into the clouds. After more than two hours, two military helicopters had already arrived at the Nanxia Province Garrison Base, while the base itself had sent six military jeeps to send them to the military port.
"LIBERTY" passenger liner.
After boarding this medium-sized liner, Hu Zhenfeng spoke to the people on the liner and then sailed directly to Mist Source Island. They must bypass Taiwan in order to go to Mist Source Island from Nanxia Province, so the voyage took a lot of time. Only after it was dusk did the liner finally enter a misty sea zone.
"Interesting."
While standing on the bow deck, Tang Xiu folded his arms and looked around. He could clearly sense that there was a special energy drifting from the side, and it should the energy contained inside the fog. The volatility of this energy, however, had an active and stable regular pattern which was not formed by a natural formation but artificially created by an array technique.
"Tang Xiu, pay attention to your safety later. This sea area is not peaceful." Hu Zhenfeng walked out of the cabin with a faint smile on his face, as he spoke to Tang Xiu after standing side by side.
Tang Xiu turned his head and asked, "Care to elaborate?"
"There are savage beasts in this sea area. Do you know what a savage beast is? It's the kind of wild beast that possess a simple, intelligent mind, but its attack power is many times stronger than wild animals, especially in this foggy area which has black sharks living in. Fortunately, our ship is made of steel. If a wooden boat were to pass through this area, those black sharks would definitely be able to break the boat's deck in one bite."
"Why has no one ever tried to hunt these black sharks?"
"It's not like we have never hunted them. These black sharks are huge in numbers and they also belong to social groups. Every time they appear in groups, there will be at least hundreds of them. The army garrisoned here has been dispatching soldiers to clean them up many times already, but they always feel that they cannot kill nor destroy them whatsoever."
Tang Xiu nodded and said lightly, "I'll send some people to help clean them up when the crisis on Mist Source Island is solved. I'm afraid we will no longer able to block the news about this island again after this incident, nonetheless. Civilians from the outside will inevitably come here, so it's necessary to remove this crisis."
Hu Zhenfeng's mouth twitched, and there was contempt in his eyes when he looked at Tang Xiu. He had seen many capable people and many braggarts, but none of them was so arrogant. Even the army was unable to eradicate these black sharks, and yet, Tang Xiu, who had never seen them, actually dared to brag such a ridiculous bull here. He really couldn't think through why the higher-ups would send such a fellow to solve the crisis on Mist Source Island.
As the liner sailed forward, it quickly passed through the foggy area and entered a clear field of vision, as a looming distant island was then seen in their range of sight. When the liner anchored on the island, Hu Zhenfeng personally took a batch of masks.
"I don't need it," Tang Xiu lightly shook his head.
"Don't talk nonsense, Tang Xiu!" Hu Zhenfeng angrily said. "The virus epidemic spreading on Mist Source Island is very serious. If it wasn't for this gas mask provided on board this ship, I would have taken them to my comrades to wear. Just hurry up and put this on. We're going to get off the ship!"
Tang Xiu did not take it, walking to the edge of the deck before his figure then sprinted forward in an instant. After dashing for six-plus meters, he leaped over in one jump and directly landed on the shore road, while Mo Awu and the others followed suit and also jumped ashore.