Chapter 151: Chapter 151: Going to Beijing City
For the next several days, talk of the He Family was incessant.
It was because the "businesses" they were running—both those known and those in the shadows—were so utterly heinous that, by comparison, the affair between the family patriarch and He Yunzhen seemed trivial.
The He Family had initially believed that with their backing from Hong Kong and the Myanmar North region, any move the authorities made against them would be all bark and no bite. They thought they just had to weather the storm and things would return to normal.
They never expected that, like a row of toppling dominoes, all their well-hidden weak points would be exposed in a concentrated burst, uprooting them with an unstoppable force.
As the cleanup began, the He Family finally realized they had been targets for a very long time. An uninterrupted string of successes had numbed their senses, making them believe they had truly become local tyrants who could blot out the sky with one hand.
The authorities had only been lacking a trigger, an opportunity to breach them from within.
Once the authorities struck, there was no chance for a comeback. After all, every single one of their deeds had crossed the line.
Afterward, although Captain Tan didn’t publicize Chi Wan’s role in the affair in order to protect her, he still applied for a reward for her from the bureau.
After all, she had obtained much of the key evidence by putting herself in harm’s way.
To this day, no one understood how Chi Wan, a seemingly ordinary young woman, had managed to escape from that den of wolves completely unscathed, let alone with crucial testimony and clues.
After she gave her final statement, Captain Tan escorted Chi Wan out of the police station and remarked with a sigh, "He Lingfeng’s biggest regret right now is probably messing with you."
Chi Wan smiled. "With how arrogantly he behaved, he would have been exposed sooner or later, even without me."
’But exposing him sooner meant fewer people would suffer at his hands.’
Captain Tan nodded. Then, as if remembering something, he added a word of caution. "Still, Wanwan, the He Family has murky ties to certain powers in Hong Kong. Even though we’re in the cleanup phase, you need to be careful. If you notice anything unusual, remember not to go anywhere alone."
After all, so-called "prestigious families" like them always have their own channels. Even as their empire crumbles, they’ll fight tooth and nail to send out a few "seeds of hope for the future."
And the He Family, with their existing network in Hong Kong, likely wouldn’t take this lying down.
Captain Tan was worried the remnants of the He Family would hide out in Hong Kong, lying in wait to seek revenge.
Chi Wan, however, wasn’t overly concerned. In her opinion, the He Family had suffered such devastating losses that their priority should be evading the final reckoning, not plotting revenge. And even if they were plotting revenge, she wasn’t particularly worried.
Because with the grave threat of the He Family eliminated, she could finally, without reservation, contact the experts at the Chinese Academy of Sciences and submit the items in her possession for evaluation.
Thus, the day after saying goodbye to Captain Tan, she boarded a plane to Beijing City with Professor Zhang and Zhou Huaijin.
Zhou Huaijin, of course, had learned many of the details from his own father. While Chi Wan’s name was not explicitly mentioned publicly for her protection, her contributions were still a significant part of the internal summary report.
Thanks to Mr. Zhou Sr., Chi Wan’s name was no stranger to the Zhou family. Mr. Zhou also knew his son was on good terms with Chi Wan, so he mentioned casually, "That little junior of yours is really something else. I actually benefited a bit from her success this time."
After all, a major case like this, one that gets the attention of the higher-ups, represents a tangible achievement. While the case could have been solved without Chi Wan, the result certainly wouldn’t have been so clean.
Naturally, Mr. Zhou had a very favorable impression of Chi Wan.
Hearing this, Zhou Huaijin could only manage a wry smile. ’My gut feeling was right after all. How could Wanwan be so daring! And how could she... not tell me a single thing?’
But on the other hand, hearing his father praise Chi Wan, he couldn’t help but feel a surge of pride. Even though he knew it had nothing to do with him, it was still a joy to see the person he liked shining so brightly.
With such conflicting emotions, Zhou Huaijin no longer knew how he should act around Chi Wan.
This was especially true when he heard from his father that Zhou Huai’an’s earlier trip to Hong Kong had been part of the coordinated plan, using business dealings to divert attention on that end.
At times, Zhou Huaijin felt lost. ’Was it a mistake to dedicate myself to research? Why can’t I be of any help at a critical moment like this?’
And so, on the plane to Beijing City, Zhou Huaijin, for once, didn’t strike up a conversation with Chi Wan. Instead, he sat in silence, trying to process his emotions and find an answer.
Chi Wan could tell something was off with Zhou Huaijin, but it was true that she had kept him in the dark, and she had no intention of making excuses.
’It wasn’t that I don’t trust Zhou Huaijin; it’s just that there are some things he really shouldn’t be involved in.’
To Chi Wan, Zhou Huaijin’s stage—and his battlefield—was the laboratory.
Every time Professor Zhang mentioned his star pupil, the proud glint in his eyes clearly conveyed just how much pride he took in Zhou Huaijin.
A person like him deserved to focus on his area of expertise and shine, free from distractions.
Professor Zhang, unaware of the complex thoughts running through their minds, simply felt that the two of them were a bit quiet today.
But he was getting on in years, and the turbulence of the flight tired him easily, so he didn’t press the issue.
They arrived in Beijing City in this somewhat awkward atmosphere.
To their surprise, the person meeting them at the airport was a tall, handsome young man. Dressed in a uniform and holding a sign, he cut a conspicuous figure in the crowd.
Seeing Chi Wan’s party, he took the initiative to walk over and introduce himself. "Professor Zhang, hello. My name is Han Ming. I’ve been sent to pick you up."
Han Ming’s eyes quickly swept over Chi Wan and Zhou Huaijin. The glance was brief, but Chi Wan could feel the weight of his assessment.
Professor Zhang smiled. "Thank you for making the trip."
Before the trip, he had already submitted a report on the series of "miracles" Chi Wan had shown him, and it had been given the highest priority.
Even though the devices—and indeed, the existence of another world—had not yet been made public, the higher-ups had still dispatched dedicated security personnel to ensure their safety.
This was especially true for Chi Wan, the most critical "intermediary."
It was, therefore, perfectly normal for Han Ming to be curious about Chi Wan.
As for Chi Wan, she looked at Han Ming’s by-the-book demeanor and guessed he was military. His bearing made it obvious.
Zhou Huaijin, who was only there as an insider and Professor Zhang’s designated successor, wasn’t particularly concerned with who was sent to meet them.
Once they were in the car, Han Ming gave them a more formal introduction.
When he mentioned he was a special agent for State Security, holding the rank of Major, both Zhou Huaijin and Chi Wan were taken aback.
After all, Han Ming looked incredibly young—twenty-five at most—yet he was already a major.
