Chapter Thirty-Eight: The Rescue Plan

Anxious waiting filled the air.

Half an hour later, a military jeep without license plates drove into Chen Duo’s small courtyard.

Before Ye Yan could rise, Chen Duo had already rushed ahead to open the door. Seeing this, Ye Yan was momentarily stunned.

This girl really had changed.

She now understood what it meant to be anxious.

Ye Yan was finally experiencing what it felt like to be an old father. As he mused, Chen Duo had already opened the gate, and a middle-aged man with a close-cropped haircut, dressed smartly in a suit, walked in at a measured pace.

After stepping inside, the man first glanced at Chen Duo, who had opened the door, then at Ye Yan behind her, before speaking slowly, “Allow me to introduce myself. I am a member of the Board of Directors of Connect-All. My name is Huang Boran.”

“Huang Boran? A board member?”

Ye Yan hadn’t expected that this bespectacled, slightly stooped, and aged-looking gentleman before him would be a member of the board.

Truly, appearances can be deceiving.

But Ye Yan wasn’t interested in such details. What concerned him was Liao Zhong’s current situation.

How could he have vanished so suddenly?

And without any sign at all.

“You must be Ye Yan?” Without much pleasantry, Huang Boran scrutinized Ye Yan from head to toe, then extended his hand.

“Director Huang, nice to meet you,” Ye Yan replied politely.

“You’ve already heard some of the situation on the phone, so I won’t waste time with small talk. Right now... Can I trust you?”

“Of course,” Ye Yan answered with conviction.

At this, Huang Boran exhaled deeply, his tense expression easing slightly.

“Don’t mind an old man’s caution; this matter is significant, involving a regional director. We must be extremely careful.”

“If I seem overly cautious, I beg your understanding.”

Huang Boran’s words were tactful, and Ye Yan felt no discomfort or resentment.

“If you sit in your position, you must do your duty. You have to consider the company’s interests—I can understand that.”

Huang Boran was being careful, and Ye Yan was no child; he understood these basics and could empathize.

After all, both sides had their own positions to consider.

Huang Boran nodded seriously, then looked at Ye Yan and Chen Duo with equal gravity. “Let’s talk about Liao Zhong. He disappeared yesterday while executing a mission on Chen Duo’s behalf. We’ve been unable to reach him, and the entire team that went with him has also lost contact.”

“The entire team is missing.”

Using as few words as possible, Huang Boran recounted the process of Liao Zhong’s disappearance.

Hearing this, Ye Yan felt uneasy. He knew Liao Zhong’s strength—not the absolute best, but still a skilled hand.

Yet even so, he’d been taken down during a mission, and with a whole team under his command.

This mission was beginning to seem very suspicious.

Ye Yan asked, “Director Huang, can you tell me more about the specifics of the mission?”

Huang Boran didn’t hesitate. “Of course. It wasn’t a confidential operation—just an arrest mission targeting Full-Nature in a small mountain village in Southern Border.”

“Full-Nature?” Ye Yan’s brow furrowed even tighter.

To wipe out Liao Zhong plus an entire team of Connect-All’s skilled operatives, either the enemy had overwhelming numbers, relying on sheer force, or there was a hidden powerhouse formidable enough that Liao Zhong couldn’t overcome them.

But with so little information, Ye Yan couldn’t make a judgment yet.

All he could do was patiently press on. “How many targets were there? And... does the company have any intelligence we can refer to?”

“Numbers...” Huang Boran thought for a moment. “According to current intel, there were three Full-Nature members: two newcomers calling themselves Full-Nature, and one veteran, a biker gang member named Cao Jialiang.”

Huang Boran didn’t hold back, sharing all the intelligence he had. But as he finished, his expression changed noticeably, as if hesitating.

“But...”

“But what?” Ye Yan pressed urgently. He had a feeling that what Huang Boran was about to say might be the key to unraveling the mystery behind Old Liao’s disappearance.

“In addition, before all contact was lost, the staff member on our communications line received one last message from someone in the team.”

“What message?”

“Tujio.”

“Tujio?” Ye Yan was puzzled.

He didn’t understand what this mix of letters and syllables meant—was it some kind of internal code?

But as soon as the thought arose, in the next moment, he seemed to realize something, and his expression turned grave.

“You’ve figured it out, haven’t you?” Huang Boran interlaced his fingers, his face severe.

Though it was just one word and two letters, in the Full-Nature organization, there weren’t many skilled members with the surname Tu. And among those, only one could have caused Old Liao to fail.

The answer was becoming clear.

“Yes...” Ye Yan nodded.

Huang Boran continued, “That’s one reason I came here in person. I hope you can help at this critical moment.”

“If it’s you and Chen Duo together, you just might be able to rescue Old Liao from Tu Junfang’s hands. At the very least, the chances are good.”

“No problem.” Ye Yan agreed without hesitation.

Liao Zhong’s failure, in the end, was partly Ye Yan’s responsibility. If Old Liao hadn’t gone to complete the mission in Chen Duo’s place, none of this would have happened.

So, both emotionally and logically, Ye Yan couldn’t just stand by.

He had to help.

Perhaps seeing Ye Yan fall silent, Huang Boran thought he was feeling burdened and offered some comfort, “Don’t feel pressured. Just do your best for Liao Zhong. Success or failure won’t affect you.”

Ye Yan shook his head with a smile. “Director Huang, you’re overthinking it. I have a share of responsibility in Uncle Liao’s situation, so I must help.”

With Ye Yan’s promise, the stone in Huang Boran’s heart settled.

The Night Watchman’s reputation was formidable—even the Three-Corpse Demon would find it hard to gain the upper hand.

With Chen Duo as well, the two together would be more than the sum of their parts.

With them involved, the chances of rescuing Old Liao increased greatly.

“Good, then I’ll arrange for some personnel to go with you on the rescue mission,” Huang Boran said, standing up as soon as the plan was settled.

“Wait—”

Seeing this, Ye Yan hurried to stop him.

“Director Huang, against someone like Tu Junfang, sheer numbers are meaningless. Extra people may only become a burden. There’s no need.”

“So, just send me the target’s location. I’ll go alone.”

“As long as Uncle Liao is still alive, I promise to bring him back to you.”

Hearing this, Huang Boran was momentarily taken aback. Then he realized—the opponent this time wasn’t an ordinary Full-Nature member, but the Three-Corpse Demon.

Huang Boran forced a bitter smile. “I didn’t consider that. I leave it in your hands, then.”

With just a few words, the rescue plan was set. But off to the side, Chen Duo would not have it.

“I’m going too. I want to help save Uncle Liao...”