167: Chapter 167 The Outrageous Strategic Department

Early next morning, Jianghai City High-Speed Railway Station.

The usually bustling station square was now eerily quiet.

Soldiers with live ammunition had set up three layers of security cordons.

Countless travelers were blocked on the perimeter, stretching their necks, their eyes filled with awe and curiosity.

A train, painted entirely black with a menacing, steel-beast-like livery, was quietly docked at the special platform.

On the side of the train, that golden military emblem shimmered in the morning light.

"Is that... the military special train 'Rejuvenation'? Can it only be mobilized for major figures at the Major General level or above?"

"Shh, keep it down. Didn't you see who's clearing the way in front? That's Jianghai Lord Li Zhen."

"My god, who is that young man? Jianghai Lord Li is actually opening the door for him personally?"

Under the gaze of countless envious, jealous, and curious eyes, Lin Fan held Lin Xiaoya's hand and walked through the cordon with a calm expression.

He had long been immune to such scenes of being the center of attention.

Lin Xiaoya, however, although she had awakened an S-Rank Talent, was still a young girl after all.

Being stared at by so many eyes, she subconsciously shrank behind Lin Fan.

"Don't be afraid."

Lin Fan squeezed his sister's palm, a mischievous smile curling at the corner of his mouth.

"In the future in the Capital, there will be plenty of scenes like this. You have to learn to get used to the feeling of being watched."

Boarding the train, the doors slowly closed, cutting off the noise from the outside.

The luxury inside the special carriage made Lin Xiaoya's eyes widen instantly.

This wasn't a carriage; it was practically a mobile five-star presidential suite.

Expensive Persian carpets, leather sofas, and even a small bar and floor-to-ceiling panoramic windows.

"Wow, Brother, this chair even massages!"

Lin Xiaoya was like a curious baby, touching and looking at everything, poking the crystal chandelier one moment and rolling on the leather sofa the next.

Lin Fan smiled dotingly, tossed his luggage aside, and sank into the wide massage chair.

"Comfortable..."

He let out a long breath, took out the encrypted electronic file given by General Ye Canglan from his pocket, and opened the detailed information about the "New Martial Arts Special Strategy Department".

Although he had been mentally prepared, when he saw the content on it, the corner of his eye couldn't help but twitch a few times.

[Department Name: New Martial Arts Special Strategy Department (Top Secret)]

[Minister: Lin Fan (Acting)]

[Deputy Minister: Vacant]

[Action Team: Vacant]

[Logistics Team: Vacant]

[Finance Team: Vacant]

[Station Cleaning: Vacant]

...

Lin Fan's finger swiped on the screen for a long time.

Apart from the two words "Lin Fan", everything else was "Pending" or "None".

"Good grief."

Lin Fan was so angry he laughed, throwing the tablet onto the table.

"Is the old man General Ye Canglan really planning to let me start from scratch? He won't even assign me a cleaning lady?"

"Is this the so-called Major General treatment? It's more like being a lone commander!"

Although he was complaining, Lin Fan knew in his heart.

This department had immense power.

General Ye Canglan not interfering in personnel matters actually gave him the greatest degree of freedom.

This meant that the future personnel arrangements for this department were entirely up to him.

The train sped along, the scenery outside the window retreating like flowing light.

As they got closer to the Capital, the scenery outside the window began to change.

In the originally blue sky, huge military patrol airships began to appear frequently.

On the ground, anti-aircraft towers and psionic defense works, each a hundred meters high, rose from the ground, emitting heart-palpitating spiritual power fluctuations.

"Brother, look at that, what a huge airship!"

Lin Xiaoya pointed at a silver giant ship outside the window and shouted excitedly.

Lin Fan glanced at it, his eyes slightly narrowing.

"That's a Zhenyue-class aerial fortress. It seems the situation in the Capital is even tenser than I imagined."

He stood up, walked to his sister's side, and pointed at the defense line in the distance:

"Xiaoya, when we arrive in the Capital, it's not like in Jianghai."

"The waters in the Capital are deep and there are many dragons; if you throw a brick, you could hit three department-level cadres."

"You need to be low-key at school. Don't easily expose your S-Rank Talent. If someone bullies you..."

Lin Fan paused, a cold glint flashing in his eyes, "Write it down in your little notebook first, come back and tell Brother, and I'll turn them into a blind box."

Lin Xiaoya nodded, half-understanding, and then smiled slyly:

"Brother, you're not keeping a low profile yourself, yet you tell me to?"

"Ahem..." Lin Fan's old face flushed.

"I'm different. I'm here to straighten out the workplace. If I keep a low profile, how will I make money?"

Just then, Lin Fan's communicator vibrated.

It was a message from Su Qingxue.

[Lin Fan, I'm sorry. There's an emergency at home and I can't get away, so I can't go to the station to see you off. I'll treat you to a meal when I get to the Capital for university.]

Between the lines, there was a deep sense of exhaustion.

Lin Fan frowned.

With Su Qingxue's personality, if she hadn't encountered huge trouble, she would never have spoken like this.

"Su Family... it seems they've encountered difficulties."

Lin Fan tapped his fingers on the table, thoughtful.

"Forget it, put it on the tab first."

Lin Fan put away the communicator, thinking to himself, "Su Qingxue is my supreme VIP client. Whoever dares to touch my cash cow is cutting off my financial path."

"Attention passengers, the train is about to arrive at the final station, Capital West Station."

The broadcast sounded.

The train slowed down slowly and drove into a magnificent station like a giant beast.

As soon as they left the carriage, a rich, almost tangible spiritual energy rushed towards them.

"Hoo~"

Lin Xiaoya took a deep breath, her little face turning red instantly.

"Brother, the air here is so sweet. I feel like the spiritual power in my body is running freely!"

Lin Fan also felt that slight difference.

"Is this the Capital's Spiritual Gathering Array?"

He activated the Eye of True Sight and saw countless pale golden light spots drifting in the air.

The concentration of spiritual energy here was at least ten times that of Jianghai City!

Living in such an environment, even ordinary people who don't cultivate would have better physical fitness than people from other places.

"No wonder people in the Capital have a sense of superiority; this is indeed a blessed land."

Lin Fan sighed, then took out the red certificate from his pocket and flashed it at the military passage at the exit.

"Greetings, Chief!"

The soldier on duty saw the steel seal on the certificate, immediately stood at attention and saluted, his eyes full of shock.

Such a young Chief?

"Arrange a car for me."

Lin Fan put away the certificate, his tone casual.

"Go to the southern suburbs, here is the address."

Ten minutes later.

An off-road vehicle with military plates sped out of the station and merged into the bustling traffic of the Capital.

Night fell, and the lights came on.

The night view of the Capital was even more brilliant than Jianghai, with skyscrapers standing tall, huge holographic projection advertisements flickering in the air, and countless flying cars shuttling through the aerial tracks, like a cyberpunk future Jianghai.

Lin Xiaoya lay on the car window, looking at the prosperous scene outside, her eyes reflecting colorful lights, full of longing.

"Brother, is our department in these buildings?"

"Should... be, I guess."

Lin Fan looked at the route shown on the navigation, but a faint ominous premonition rose in his heart.

The car drove all the way south.

At first, it was a bustling downtown area, but as time went on, the surrounding buildings became increasingly sparse, and the streetlights became increasingly dim.

Finally, the off-road vehicle actually drove onto a dirt road overgrown with weeds.

"Ahem, Chief, are you sure it's here?"

The driver was a young soldier, now looking at the desolate scene around him, feeling a bit creeped out.

"Ahead is the abandoned old industrial zone. I heard it's haunted over there..."

"That's what the navigation shows."

Lin Fan looked at the red dot flashing constantly on his phone screen, his mouth twitching.

"Destination reached."

The cold mechanical voice of the navigation sounded.

The car stopped in front of a rusty, dilapidated large iron gate.

Through the light of the car headlights, one could see a crooked wooden board hanging on the iron gate, with a few large characters written in paint, which were already blurred due to wind and sun, but " ... Warehouse" could vaguely be recognized.

And behind the iron gate was a yard with weeds taller than a person, and a few dilapidated red brick factory buildings stood in the darkness, like a group of dying old men.

"..."

The longing on Lin Xiaoya's face froze.

The driver didn't dare to speak either.

Lin Fan pushed the door and got out of the car, standing in front of the broken iron gate, and took a deep breath.

"This... this..."

Lin Fan couldn't believe it and pushed the iron gate hard.

Clang!

The already rickety iron gate collapsed with a bang, kicking up a cloud of dust.

Flutter~

A group of black bats were startled, screaming as they flew out of the warehouse, sweeping over Lin Fan's head.

Several wild cats were frightened and rushed out of the grass, making a shrill cry.

By the moonlight, Lin Fan saw the scene inside.

The warehouse was piled with thick dust, everywhere were abandoned mechanical parts, rusty gears, and even a few worn-out tires thrown in the corner.

Where was this any kind of strategy department?

This was clearly a garbage dump that had been abandoned for at least ten years!

"Good one, General Ye Canglan!"

Lin Fan was so angry he laughed, the veins on his forehead throbbing.

"This is the territory you gave me? This is the policy support you mentioned?"

"Making me come to this godforsaken place to start a business, doesn't your conscience hurt?"

Lin Xiaoya next to him carefully pulled Lin Fan's sleeve.

"Brother... should we just go back to school to live? It seems... not really livable here."

"Live, why wouldn't we live here!"

Lin Fan suddenly calmed down.

He narrowed his eyes, and a brilliant light burst out from his golden pupils.

[Eye of True Sight, activate]

Hum!

The world in front of him changed instantly.

The originally dilapidated warehouse, the garbage on the ground, the desolate weeds, gradually blurred in his vision.

Replacing them were golden streams of light, crisscrossing and surging like blood vessels.

And at the convergence point of these light streams, which was directly below this broken warehouse, a dazzling, sun-like golden energy mass was quietly dormant deep in the earth.

That energy was so vast that it was even more terrifying than any spiritual energy node he had seen in Jianghai!

"This is..."

Lin Fan's pupils contracted sharply, and then the anger at the corner of his mouth instantly dissipated, replaced by an uncontrollable ecstasy.

"Earth vein node?"

"And it's the main earth vein node of the Capital's southern suburbs!"

Lin Fan gasped.

In Feng Shui and array studies, this kind of place is called a Dragon Cave.

If a spiritual gathering array is set up here, the effect will be at least ten times that of the outside world!

It can even nourish top-tier spiritual herbs and mineral veins!

That old fox General Ye Canglan, seemingly giving him a garbage dump, was actually giving him an undeveloped gold mine!

"Hehe, still has a conscience..."

Lin Fan looked at the ruins in front of him, and his eyes changed.

"Good place, truly a good place."

Lin Fan rubbed his hands, the golden light in his eyes flickering.

"Xiaoya, we're not leaving."