Chapter 55: Old Long Awakens

Chapter 55: Old Long Awakens

When Hou Yu saw Han Yue running away at that time, he didn't expect him to go straight to Long Jiwei.

He expected Han Yue to hesitate, to weigh the significance of his actions, considering his age and experience in top-secret military projects. Surely, Han Yue was aware of the consequences of trespassing in a restricted area.

Yet, to Hou Yu's surprise, Han Yue had indeed shown up with a few subordinates, armed with guns and driving vehicles, to straightforwardly make their way over.

Once Long Jiwei falls into slumber, Old Long also loses consciousness and mobility. They are both transported to a research laboratory under the jurisdiction of Bureau Nine. At this time, the lab becomes an absolute restricted zone, highly classified and perilous. It safeguards Bureau Nine's most powerful asset while also preventing any accidental arousal of Old Long, which could result in the instantaneous release of shockwaves equivalent to thousands of tons of TNT in his enraged state. For those unfamiliar with the gravity of such danger, imagine Old Long's rampage as detonating thousands of tons of TNT in Tiananmen Square. The consequences, both in terms of destruction and political implications, would be exceedingly severe.

Thus, while the laboratory was still under construction, whenever Long Jiwei entered hibernation, he and Old Long would be treated as highly dangerous explosives and carefully transported to the Qinghai Gobi Base. Two years ago, when Long Jiwei was forcefully awakened, a violent electromagnetic explosion erupted at the Qinghai Gobi Base, disrupting communication signals across most of Qinghai Province. The official explanation was that solar flares caused by sunspot activity led to abnormal electromagnetic signals for hundreds of thousands of users. Fortunately, it happened in the desert; one could only imagine the severe international repercussions and political consequences if it had occurred in Beijing.

Unofficially, there was a rule regarding Long Jiwei: when he deemed the situation uncontrollable, he could force Old Long into hibernation with him. However, to awaken him, it had to be for a significant mission that required his direct involvement, and authorization from a select few top leaders was needed with their joint signatures before anyone could, under strict security measures, rouse him.

Han Yue's involvement in several military projects had a direct connection to creatures like Old Long. Despite the strained relationship between the Han family and Long Jiwei, Han Yue had interacted with the latter more than most and was familiar with the steps necessary to awaken him.

Exploiting his privileges from the military projects, Han Yue forged a fake permit – one that was actually outdated from last year but undetectable to all except a few at his level. With this expired document, he brazenly entered the lab affiliated with Department Nine – "brazenly" being an understatement, as he encountered little resistance along the way. Many staff members assumed he was on another secret mission, completely unaware of the high-stakes gamble Han Yue was taking.

In retrospect, Han Yue found it unbelievable that he had mustered such courage. The research laboratory was located in a secluded building on the outskirts of the city. Once inside, anyone had the authority to inspect his permit. If someone discovered its forgery, regardless of their rank, even a mere guard, they were authorized to shoot Han Yue on the spot.

But at that moment, he was no longer afraid. His only thought was to lift Long Jiwei off the bed.

In fact, Han Yue's luck wasn't particularly good that day. He'd made his way unobstructed into the heart of the research facility and, just before entering Long Jiwei's "bedroom," he happened to bump into Old Yu, who was there for an inspection.

Old Yu, the Deputy Minister, was Long Jiwei's immediate superior.

Though he was a frustrated superior, unable to prevent Long Jiwei from engaging in lawless activities, occasionally cleaning up the messes Long Jiwei left behind, or even being chased around by the old dragon himself; his position still mattered. If Long Jiwei needed to be woken, Old Yu was the one who had to sign the official paperwork!

In truth, when Old Yu first saw Han Yue approaching, he sensed something amiss. However, Han Yue's expression was too composed, his actions too calm, that Old Yu didn't react immediately. Instead, he greeted him casually, "Hey, Little Han, on a mission?"

Han Yue nodded, striding past without a word.

Suddenly, Old Yu found it odd. Watching Han Yue pass by, he instinctively reached out, "Did you bring your authorization? Why do I...?"

Before he could finish, Han Yue spun around, clamping down on Old Yu's shoulder. At the same time, one hand delved into the opening of his coat, as if holding something, pressing it against Old Yu's chest.

Old Yu felt himself forcibly twisted around. From the outside, it looked like they were standing with their arms around each other, but only he could feel the hard object beneath Han Yue's coat pressing against his sternum – a gun!

Startled, Old Yu was about to cry out when Han Yue hissed in a low voice, "Keep quiet!"

Old Yu was utterly stunned as he was involuntarily pulled to the door. Han Yue gave a signal, and one of his loyal subordinates immediately pushed the door open. Thus, Old Yu was coerced step by step into the room with Han Yue.

Long Jiwei lay on the hospital bed, connected to more than ten tubes and hooked up to numerous sophisticated machines. In his most compact form, Old Long was as thin as two fingers, coiled asleep inside a transparent container next to Long Jiwei's bed.

As soon as the two entered, all the subordinates retreated to the room's exterior and closed the door behind them.

Old Yu abruptly freed himself and exclaimed, "Are you insane?! What do you want?!"

Han Yue drew his gun and pointed it at Old Yu, saying coldly, "I need Director Long to do something for me. Now, I'm going to wake him up. If you keep quiet, I promise you won't lose a single hair. But if you dare to call for help, I'll shoot you without hesitation! Do you believe me?"

Old Yu's voice trembled, "What do you want? Huh? What do you want Long Jiwei to do? Do you know that this is a matter of life and death?"

"No one will know what happened today if you don't say anything, neither will I, nor will he," Han Yue lifted the gun barrel abruptly, causing Old Yu to instinctively hold his breath. Han Yue continued, "But rest assured, the task I'm asking him to do doesn't violate any confidentiality regulations, and it won't implicate you. If things go wrong, you can just claim that you were coerced by me. All blame will fall on me."

Old Yu cursed fiercely, "Bullshit! I'm being coerced by you anyway!"

Han Yue smiled, put away his gun, and began searching for what he needed around the room while speaking, "Don't be nervous, relax. Actually, my lover is ill. Do you know what illness? Late-stage stomach cancer. It has already metastasized."

Old Yu could hardly believe his ears – in fact, if Han Yue had said he wanted to cut off Long Jiwei's head to sell to the Japanese or kidnap Old Long to sell to the U.S. Department of Defense, Old Yu might have found it easier to accept. He would rather believe that Han Yue had been bribed by Americans to betray the country with Old Long than to think Han Yue risked his life to come here just to wake Long Jiwei up to treat his lover.

It was as if a gang of armed robbers had burst into a bank vault, pointing their guns at the tellers and saying, "Don't panic, I don't need much money, just give me a few cents!"

Han Yue, being in this line of work, quickly found what he needed around the room – several silver briefcases, each marked with different numbers. He placed these briefcases around Long Jiwei and Old Long, all open and facing inward. Then, using tweezers, he took out a few withered, leaf-like objects from the petri dish and stuffed them all into Old Long's transparent, glass-like "nest."

Watching his skilled preparation of the solvent, Old Yu's scalp tingled in horror. "You can't be serious! You're really going to wake him up?! Do you know we'll be roasted instantly if Old Long goes berserk? Damn it, I really want to kill you right now, kill you!"

Han Yue filled a syringe with the solvent without turning back. "Who asked for your bad luck to cross paths with me today?"

Ignoring Old Yu's frantic hopping, he aimed the syringe at Long Jiwei's artery and pierced it in one swift motion. Immediately, he injected every last drop of the solvent into Long Jiwei's bloodstream.

In an instant, Long Jiwei's body twitched slightly.

As he opened his eyes, Old Long inside the glass dish suddenly lifted his head, like a snake disturbed from hibernation, bending his entire body into an upside-down U shape. In that split second, an invisible high-speed shockwave radiated from his body, shattering the glass cover with a loud snap. Old Yu, who was closest to him, felt as if he'd been struck by a punch from afar, staggering backward. Blood then gushed from his nostrils and ears.

Han Yue had experienced this before at the Qinghai base. He winced and closed his eyes momentarily, feeling a warm liquid rush to the top of his head, followed by a buzzing in his ears, rendering him almost deaf. He knew that blood was flowing backward into his brain, and for those with weaker constitutions, a cerebral hemorrhage could occur right then.

The pain lasted for more than half a minute. Han Yue heard nothing, and his vision grew blurry. Through the haze, he vaguely saw Long Jiwei sit up on the bed, lazily waving at Old Long and seemingly scolding him in Miao. Old Long leaped joyfully from the glass dish, growing to the thickness of a bowl mid-air before landing on Long Jiwei's body and affectionately nuzzling his face.

By the time this creature jumped, the few "withered leaves" that Han Yue had placed on the glass dish had completely shriveled, as if their life force had been instantly drained. They crumbled into dust at the slightest touch.

The commotion was impossible to hide from those outside. The door slammed open as numerous staff members entered, treating the situation like an enemy invasion. Seeing Han Yue and Old Yu in the room, they froze, uncertain if Long Jiwei's unexpected awakening was due to an order from above or some unforeseen incident. These staff were armed, creating an intense standoff.

Long Jiwei pulled the squirming Old Long off his face and lazily tossed him aside. "It's fine. I just woke up for a meal."

Old Long landed on the bed for a second before swiftly wrapping himself around Long Jiwei's waist, as if unwilling to be apart for even a moment.

The lab staff found the situation perplexing. They glanced uncertainly between Han Yue and Old Yu. "So... you two..."

Han Yue remained silent, standing with a stoic expression. Old Yu caught his eye and cleared his throat. "I'll... I'll report this situation to higher-ups."

Long Jiwei nonchalantly waved them off. "All of you, out. Remember to prepare me a bowl of braised pork noodle soup with extra spice."

In this place, Long Jiwei's word carried the most weight. The staff hesitated but ultimately retreated as instructed.

"When did this happen? Is there a mission?" With only the three of them left, Long Jiwei finally turned to Old Yu and asked.

Old Yu thought, No way am I getting dragged into this mess! So he turned his head, crossed his arms, and pretended not to hear.

"No mission, nothing," Han Yue gently placed the syringe on the glass dish and looked up at Long Jiwei. He whispered, "I came in here without permission to wake you up."

Long Jiwei seemed slightly surprised but his expression quickly changed, as if finding the situation amusing. "Oh? Do you have anything you want to say to me, or perhaps something you need from me?"

Han Yue took a deep breath and gritted his teeth. "My partner is sick, in the late stages of stomach cancer. You once controlled the spread of brain cancer cells in Old Long's case. I believe you should be able to handle stomach cancer too. If you can cure him, do with me as you please." He pointed towards the door. "I obtained some documents today, including receipts and evidence of the Hou family's connections. Aren't you always collecting such information? If you want me to bring them in now, just say the word."

After hearing Han Yue out, Long Jiwei remained silent for several seconds. Then, he suddenly looked up at Old Yu. "How long have I been asleep?"

Old Yu was taken aback for a moment before quickly responding, "Two years, one month, and eight days."

"Two years, one month, and eight days," Long Jiwei repeated softly, then chuckled. "Look, Han Yue, so much time has passed. How would I know if your partner is still the same person from two years ago?"

Han Yue was momentarily stunned by this unexpected turn of conversation.

"If your partner is still the one you were willing to crash off the road to protect on the Panlong Highway two years ago, then there's no need for further explanation. I can understand," Long Jiwei paused, then shifted the topic. "But if you've already replaced your partner and are now willing to risk your life to break into the Ninth Bureau's lab for her, then I have nothing to say. You, Second Young Master Han, are naturally a romantic hero. I have no desire to go mad alongside a romantic hero, so kindly find somewhere else to cool down."

Before Long Jiwei spoke, Han Yue had appeared calm, though his palms were already sweaty with anxiety. Long Jiwei's words were like a shot of adrenaline, instantly jolting Han Yue back to reality. His voice trembled as he spoke, "He… his surname is Chu. You should know, right? It's the same person from two years ago. You know him, don't you?"

Long Jiwei looked at Han Yue strangely, his gaze similar to how Hou Yu had looked at him – as if he was meeting Han Yue for the first time today.

After a long moment, he took a deep breath, exhaled slowly and completely, then said softly, "I did manage to control the late-stage brain cancer of 'that person,' but it was a fortunate outcome. I'm not sure if I could succeed again… You see, with such matters, one small mistake could not only fail to eliminate the cancer cells but also literally cook the person's organs on the spot."

Han Yue was so nervous that his entire body was on the verge of freezing, yet he was unaware of his nails digging deep into the flesh of his palms.

"Although I've repaid my debt, if it's about that incident on the winding mountain road two years ago, I could give it a slight attempt," Long Jiwei casually remarked as he flicked Old Long away from attempting to nuzzle his face again. "But the chances of success are limited... fifty-fifty, perhaps."