9:00 PM.
In the first-floor hall of Golden River Club, guests were still leisurely enjoying themselves in golden dreams, but deep in the employee area, in a certain employee break room, the atmosphere was somewhat tense.
"This is a report from the scene. A major fire broke out at W District Children's Welfare Institute about an hour ago. According to police disclosure, negotiations with the armed robbers broke down earlier, and police subsequently launched an assault, killing one robber who resisted stubbornly on the spot. The other robber set fire in the administrative building.
"The fire started in the first-floor library and has now spread to the third floor and the staff cafeteria on one side. On-site firefighters are working hard to control further spread of the flames..."
On the TV screen, local evening news was broadcasting live from a terrible fire scene. Jiang Yan's expression grew increasingly pained, the hem of her skirt gripped tightly in her hands nearly torn apart.
The familiar gate, familiar old trees, familiar dormitory building, and familiar small playground—these were all home in Jiang Yan's heart, now shrouded in undulating, swaying fierce flames and smoke.
Those countless firefighters carrying equipment and wearing orange clothing, holding water guns and desperately suppressing the fire, seemed unable to prevent this home from falling apart.
After several more minutes, the scene switched from the chaotic, surging fire site back to the TV station's broadcast truck outside the welfare institute.
"Latest report: Police have successfully captured the other armed robber, and all trapped people are safe. However, several elderly and weak welfare institute staff were trapped and injured during the fire due to mobility issues. They have been urgently transferred to the Second Branch of Army General Hospital. Police stated they will make maximum efforts to treat the injured... This station will continue to follow and report on subsequent developments."
Several close-up switching shots briefly flashed on the TV screen, and Jiang Yan's pupils contracted again.
She saw a figure dressed similarly to old Jiang Chunhua, covered with a white cloth, body restrained and secured on a stretcher, heading toward a SWAT vehicle. Inside the open SWAT vehicle, a section of a black box-like object was clearly visible.
That was a special sealed container specifically used for containing and transporting Blood Clan members, including those who had suffered blood infection. The treatment destination mentioned by the on-site host made Jiang Yan's heart sink halfway.
The Second Branch of Army General Hospital was ostensibly the best hospital in the country for treating burns, but within the Shadow Arrow Western Surveillance District, it was the only medical unit performing blood infection containment emergency surgery.
After blood infection, if one didn't die from the initial blood infection immune response, a very special rescue plan could be used for blood infection reversal. Similar to leukemia bone marrow transplantation, it involved deactivating bone marrow throughout the body, then through costly whole-body blood replacement and special immune drug enhancement, followed by bone marrow transplantation.
The entire rescue process was complex, extremely costly, and had only a golden window of less than twenty-four hours.
But even so, the final probability of reversing blood infection would not exceed twenty percent. Even the short-term whole-body bone marrow deactivation was difficult for blood infection victims to endure without going into shock and dying from the excruciating pain.
Even if one ultimately survived the surgery and successfully reversed blood infection, the patient would basically be plagued by lifelong illness, becoming a medicine-dependent wreck that was neither human nor ghost. More severely, they would be in a vegetative state with only a symbolic survival.
The vast majority of frontline Shadow Arrow Force combat members, once blood infected and able to survive the initial blood infection immune response, would rather flee or commit suicide than accept such cruel emergency surgery, especially since time often simply didn't allow it.
Immediate disposal of blood-infected Shadow Arrow Force members was the only choice before this emergency technique appeared. After it emerged, it remained the optimal and most humane choice.
As for other options, they belonged to topics that were deeply taboo within Shadow Arrow, with any discussion forbidden, because certain attempts had already proven to be failures.
Therefore, for the Shadow Arrow Force, rather than placing hope in post-blood infection emergency surgery, it was better to find ways to improve the probability of resisting blood infection.
No matter how expensive anti-blood infection immune medication was, no matter what side effects it had, it was still more practical and humane than this kind of cruel post-blood infection surgery.
In Jiang Yan's view, given old Jiang Chunhua's social influence, Shadow Arrow's medical department would probably spend the cost to gamble once. But the success rate could only be left to fate. Perhaps relevant news drafts and obituaries were already being prepared.
"That's the old director. I have to go save her! I can't let them perform surgery!"
Several minutes later, Jiang Yan slowly stood up, showing a serious expression to Zhao Peng and Wan Yue in the room.
"Are you an idiot?"
Wan Yue lit a cigarette with a snap. Though her tone was casual, sarcasm was clearly evident: "Isn't this obviously staged for you to see? The old woman is over seventy. The probability of surviving blood infection might not even be five percent. Do you believe that scene just now was real?
"Half real, half fake. You can't see the face, just clothes and build, and you're so certain it's the original person?"
"Including burning down a welfare institute with decades of history and countless money invested, all to stage a show for me?"
Jiang Yan's face grew paler as she looked at the images on the TV screen, shaking her head vigorously, seemingly desperately denying Wan Yue's view.
"Burning down a welfare institute to dispose of or even capture alive a monster like you—no matter how you calculate it, it's profitable!
"Alright, I won't provoke you anymore. Stop watching, calm down, and tell us what connections you might have had with the welfare institute after your blood infection that Shadow Arrow could investigate."
Wan Yue directly turned off the noisy TV to prevent Jiang Yan's emotions from continuing to spiral, and signaled Zhao Peng to mark all time points on a whiteboard.
After several minutes of Jiang Yan's description, Wan Yue's expression became increasingly subtle, the smile at the corners of her mouth never fading.
"So familiar. Zhao Peng, do you remember how Little Chen died ten years ago?"
"Although it wasn't as elaborate as this, it was essentially the same—exploiting people's psychological weaknesses... You must never underestimate Shadow Arrow's determination to eliminate major targets!"
Wan Yue blinked her beautiful large eyes, pointing at the whiteboard with her delicate finger: "Before this, W District Children's Welfare Institute was unknown, but afterward it appeared on TV media several times. Too much is as bad as too little.
"Also, your personal situation should have been analyzed thoroughly by Shadow Arrow's intelligence department long ago. Your relationship with old Jiang Chunhua, your feelings for the welfare institute, your worldview—these are your fatal weaknesses.
"The first remittance actually exposed you. The second remittance was obviously to verify your existence again, and then less than three weeks later, this kind of incident that the whole world practically knows about occurs. Tell me, if it's not targeting you, who is it targeting? They're reading your heart—it's an open conspiracy, taking willing bait."
Wan Yue's series of analyses left Jiang Yan ashen-faced.
"No one understands the past Shadow Arrow better than I do, or perhaps no one understands the current Shadow Arrow better than you do. Am I right, Jiang Yan?"
Finally, Wan Yue laughed out loud, threw away her cigarette butt and walked out. Zhao Peng hesitated for a moment, then followed.
To capture me, they have to go this far? That's Grandma Jiang's life's work, that's my home... What about the oath to protect the people and national interests? What does that count for? Impossible, how could Shadow Arrow do these things!
At the latest by tomorrow evening, Grandma Jiang's blood infection reversal surgery will begin... I didn't see wrong, that was Grandma Jiang, yes, I didn't see wrong, that was real...
Jiang Yan slowly sat back in her chair, her expression cycling between bewilderment, anger, fear, and doubt.
Probably because her face was already full of various expressions, Little Ling on duty tactfully withdrew.
Jiang Yao slept very comfortably, a sweet smile constantly playing at the corners of her mouth, as if deeply immersed in beautiful dreams from which she couldn't extricate herself.
A few minutes later, Jiang Yan entered Jiang Yao's hibernation room.
"Xiao Yao, I might be stupid again, because I'm unwilling to accept it. Xia Yan is very pitiful—he's pleading with me, he's cursing me..."
After speaking, Jiang Yan covered her face with both hands.
Past 2:00 AM, Golden River Club was silent. Most areas had grown dim, with only somewhere on the second floor still lit.
Wan Yue sat quietly in a luxurious private room, leaning against the large glass window, holding red wine, admiring the city's nightscape outside. In a snow-white gauze gown, with black hair and red lips, graceful and elegant.
In a corner of the room lay two dirty and torn black combat uniforms.
The door opened, and Zhao Peng's familiar steady and rhythmic footsteps could be heard.
"Sister Wan, regarding the Wang Family, Lord Jin seems unaware of the D City incident, of Jiang Yan and Jiang Yao, or else he's keeping very tight-lipped.
"Jiang Yao's advancement hibernation state is very good. This breakthrough will probably reach mid-tier Knight directly."
Zhao Peng spoke while walking to Wan Yue's side, his face showing surprise and confusion: "Jiang Yan is the same. During this period of continuously taking big and small golden pills, the growth effect has been very obvious. At this current rate, she'll probably advance to Knight within a month at the fastest..."
"Regarding the Wang Family, let's leave it at that. Getting them to tell the truth is difficult... Zhao Peng, I think that guy Erwin has already set his sights on them. Not just the Engel Family, but Shadow Arrow too. This kind of large-scale planning hasn't been seen for many years..."
Wan Yue sighed softly, turning her head toward the room, her gaze falling on a certain area of the floor: "By the way, before I went to D City a few days ago, I arranged for you to secretly investigate the welfare institute. Any leads? If I don't ask proactively, you don't speak proactively, is that it?"
Zhao Peng was slightly stunned. Following Wan Yue's gaze, he also saw the two black uniforms spread on the floor not far away.
In that instant, Zhao Peng's face showed a rare subtle embarrassment, his tone somewhat unnatural: "Mm, now we can basically confirm that Jiang Yan and Jiang Yao are the Xia Yan and Gu Yao promoted by W District Children's Welfare Institute, and Jiang Yan was also doing volunteer work at the welfare institute, having had several contacts with Meng Huai..."
Wan Yue lit a cigarette, speaking leisurely after more than ten seconds: "Xia Yan, Jiang Yan... Gu Yao, Jiang Yao... Zhao Peng, must I believe they're actually the same person?"
"That big meat ball from the Tang Family... should have come from hell, grotesquely twisting human life... Don't you find it somewhat absurd? Shadow Arrow has female soldiers, but those two Shadow Arrow combat uniforms simply can't be worn by women... Zhao Peng, regarding this matter, absolutely no one else besides you and me can know, not even Zhong Jing."
Turning around, Wan Yue's eyes flashed with unclear light—surprise, confusion, absurdity, and slight self-mockery.
Suddenly, she felt that perhaps she had seen through certain false aspects of Jiang Yan and Jiang Yao very early on.
"I don't have any particular thoughts... Didn't Sister Wan say that blood infection is already this world's greatest cruelty and absurdity? Hyacinth won't hold anyone's pre-blood infection past against them."
Zhao Peng lowered his head slightly, showing no expression change, his tone returning to steady: "Xiao Yan and Xiao Yao are both very pure people who can help Sister Wan with worries in the future. Sister Wan's ideals might need them to realize it... If Xiao Yan insists on going this time, I can accompany her!"
After speaking, Zhao Peng straightened his body with a solemn expression.
Wan Yue smiled and shook her head, then turned to look at the nightscape outside the window again.
"Hehe, for Hyacinth's future to depend on two monsters rather than Blood Clan... However, they're already Hyacinth's people. If Jiang Yan's obsession isn't eliminated, it will become a mental demon later. If she and Jiang Yao become Black Blood Clan, the world will truly be in chaos.
"The Engel Family, the Hidden Alliance, Shadow Arrow—they've all begun to notice them, and Shadow Arrow has even begun elaborate planning.
"What we can investigate, they'll eventually be able to investigate too. Sometimes, I don't know if my luck is particularly good or particularly bad..."
Wan Yue's whispered murmurs drifted in the empty room, leaving Zhao Peng speechless.