162: Chapter 162 Reporting to Jiang Zhan, Almost Getting Pressured to Get Married

"Yossi."

Li Li ran the codename through his mind.

There was the sound of pages turning from Captain Qiu Xiaofeng's end.

"Only these two characters? No other information?"

"Fake identity, temporary number, overseas link. We caught the level above, but the trail cut off after that."

Captain Qiu Xiaofeng paused.

"Have you heard of this codename?"

Li Li didn't answer immediately.

They were still wrapping things up at the plaza.

Firefighters were carrying hoses back onto the truck, and the motorcyclists were leaning against the roadside, rehydrating.

Zhang Xue was sitting on an overturned helmet, dozing with her eyes closed.

Shen Jue was sprawled on the ground with his phone covering his face, having completely abandoned any sense of dignity.

No one paid attention to his phone call.

Li Li glanced over at Jiang Rumu.

She was helping Lu Cheng carry Xiao Qian into the business van.

Xiao Chai was curled up in the corner with its paws resting on Xiao Qian, sleeping sprawled out.

The Leopard Cat was coiled beside Xiao Qian's head, also motionless.

Li Li switched the phone to his other hand.

"I don't recognize it."

There was a moment of silence from Captain Qiu Xiaofeng's side.

Li Li added.

"Thanks for the heads-up. I'm hanging up."

The call disconnected.

He tucked his phone back into his pocket.

Yossi.

This codename shouldn't have appeared again.

That time on the island, Delia's final detonation was aimed at Yossi.

At least from the situation at the time, Yossi should have been eliminated or disappeared completely; otherwise, it wouldn't have been worth it for Delia to blow herself up.

But now, the overseas chain of command behind the Pengcheng wildfire had left this codename behind again.

Either someone was using the name.

Or Yossi had never died.

The second possibility was even more troublesome.

Li Li walked toward Jiang Rumu.

Lu Cheng had just shoved the last backpack into the trunk and turned to see Li Li.

She didn't ask if Li Li was going to the hotel.

At times like this, not running her mouth was her greatest improvement.

Li Li walked up to Jiang Rumu.

"I'll take you back to the hotel."

Jiang Rumu glanced at him and didn't refuse.

"Let's go."

No one spoke in the car.

Everyone smelled of smoke and had ash on their clothes.

Li Li sat in the passenger seat with his hands on his knees; the edge of the gauze on the heel of his palm was seeping blood, but he ignored it.

The driver drove very steadily.

By the time they arrived at the hotel, the horizon was already turning white.

In the elevator, Lu Cheng was too sleepy to stand straight, pulling Xiao Qian along as she walked.

The Leopard Cat had jumped off Xiao Qian at some point and was stepping on Lu Cheng's feet, shuffling along with her step by step.

Li Li reminded her.

"The cat is stepping on your foot."

Lu Cheng looked down.

"Oh, okay."

She continued walking forward.

And the Leopard Cat continued to step on her.

Li Li didn't remind her again.

When a person is this exhausted, their feet don't really belong to them anymore.

The elevator door opened.

The group walked to the door of the room, and Li Li stopped.

"Lu Cheng, you go in first."

Lu Cheng was holding the room key card and paused.

She looked at Li Li, then at Jiang Rumu.

Then she blushed.

She stood on her tiptoes and leaned in next to Jiang Rumu.

But she had one problem.

She could write PR copy that cut to the bone, but she could never whisper when speaking face-to-face.

"Sister, make sure to take precautions."

The hallway was silent for two seconds.

Li Li didn't move.

Jiang Rumu didn't move either.

Lu Cheng swiped the card and entered the room, and the door closed.

Li Li stood there, looking at that door.

"That sentence of hers had quite a lot of information."

The tips of Jiang Rumu's ears turned red.

"She's delirious from exhaustion."

"She's not much better when she's sober."

"..."

Jiang Rumu swiped open her own room door.

"Come in and talk."

The room wasn't messy; it was quite tidy. There was an unopened bottle of mineral water on the chair, and some dusty footprints they had made on the carpet.

The two dogs and the cat were all left with Lu Cheng.

Only the two of them were left in the room.

Li Li didn't sit down.

"Will your father answer the phone at this hour?"

Jiang Rumu was stunned for a moment.

She picked up her phone and checked the time.

5:13 AM.

"He might. He gets up early."

"Then please help me contact your uncle."

She didn't press Li Li on why he wanted to contact her father.

Li Li knew her father was a Lieutenant General.

Looking for her father at this time wouldn't be for idle chat.

The call was dialed.

It rang twice.

It connected.

"Mumu, what's wrong?"

General Jiang Zhan's voice was very clear, not at all like someone who had just woken up.

Jiang Rumu handed the phone to Li Li.

"Dad, Li Li has something to talk to you about."

Li Li took the phone.

"General Jiang, I—"

There was a pause on the other end of the line.

Then, General Jiang Zhan's voice deepened and sounded a bit distorted.

"You are with Mumu at this hour."

Li Li paused.

Jiang Rumu also paused.

The next second, General Jiang Zhan spoke directly, seemingly with a hint of inexplicable excitement.

"Am I going to be a grandfather?"

His voice wasn't quiet.

Jiang Rumu was standing nearby and heard it clearly.

She froze in place, her face turning red all the way to her ears.

Li Li held the phone a bit further away.

"No, General Jiang—"

"It doesn't matter if I'm going to be a grandfather."

General Jiang Zhan didn't give him a chance to explain at all and just kept talking on his own.

"Go get the marriage certificate tomorrow; the wedding can be held later. You can't leave Mumu without a name or status. Matters concerning a girl's future cannot be delayed."

Li Li: "..."

He held his breath.

No.

This conversation couldn't keep going down this path.

If it continued, it would lead to bride prices, marriage homes, and whose last name the child would take.

Li Li spoke again.

"General Jiang, there is a high-level espionage incident in Pengcheng, and I have intelligence to report."

The other end of the line went quiet.

Three seconds later, General Jiang Zhan changed his tone.

"Speak."

Li Li didn't waste any words.

He started from the arson suspect.

Changing clothes on the mountain, the smell of gasoline, deleted phone records, the arrest of the superior, the fake overseas identity, and finally the codename left behind.

When he said the last two characters, Jiang Rumu was standing nearby, her hand resting on the back of a chair.

"Yossi."

The room went quiet.

Li Li continued.

"According to the public security feedback, the trail cuts off overseas. The other party used a fake identity and a temporary number, leaving only this codename."

General Jiang Zhan didn't interrupt.

Li Li made his point more precise.

"But this is not the first time I've heard this codename."

A very faint sound of paper turning came from the other end of the line.

General Jiang Zhan asked.

"Ala Country?"

"Yes."

Li Li paused for half a second.

"How much do you know about that time in Ala Country?"

"The military high command has been briefed, and I know about your actions. You did well."

General Jiang Zhan's voice had completely shifted into a professional tone.

"You suspect Yossi is not dead?"

"I cannot be certain."

Li Li didn't speak with absolute certainty.

"Delia was confirmed dead at the time, but we in the car downstairs didn't know if Yossi had appeared. Given his rank at the time, if he could command across borders, disappearing completely would fit his modus operandi better than death."

Jiang Rumu's hands hung down, the phone screen still lit.

She heard the name but didn't interject.

But Li Li could feel that she was completely tensed up.

That part about Ala Country was more than just news.

That was the place where she was held hostage, with a gun pressed against her, forced to stand on the edge of life and death.

General Jiang Zhan was silent for a moment.

"I will pass this lead up the chain of command."

He paused.

"Since you are in Pengcheng, watch your surroundings over the next few days. If there is any anomaly, contact me directly, and I will coordinate."

"Okay."

"Anything else?"

Li Li thought for a moment.

"Not for now."

The other end of the line was quiet for a while longer.

General Jiang Zhan returned to his normal tone.

"It's late; let Mumu rest."

"Okay."

General Jiang Zhan added.

"You should also go back to the Fire Department to rest."

The call ended.

Li Li returned the phone to Jiang Rumu.

Jiang Rumu took it but didn't lock the screen immediately.

"Yossi."

She lowered her voice.

"Is he still alive?"

Li Li fished out the last piece of gauze from the first aid kit and pressed it against the heel of his palm.

"Not sure."

He lifted his hand slightly.

"But this codename is still around."

Jiang Rumu stood for a while, then turned to get a bandage from the cabinet.

After she returned, she grabbed Li Li's hand directly.

Li Li was about to pull it back.

"I'll do it myself."

"Shut up."

Jiang Rumu pressed the gauze back down, tore open the bandage, and applied it.

Her movements were quick.

And accurate.

Li Li didn't move again.

She didn't let go until she finished applying it.

The two were very close.

Jiang Rumu looked down at his hand.

"If Yossi really didn't die..."

"Let your father's side confirm it first."

Li Li interrupted her.

"For everything else, wait for news."

Jiang Rumu nodded.

She didn't ask anymore.

Li Li withdrew his hand and turned to walk toward the door.

After taking two steps, Jiang Rumu called him back.

"Li Li."

He stopped.

Jiang Rumu stood where she was, the flush on her face not yet fully faded.

"Don't take what my dad said just now to heart."

She paused.

"He just... doesn't have a filter."

Li Li turned around.

"The part about being a grandfather?"

Jiang Rumu didn't respond.

But not responding basically meant admitting it.

Li Li put his hand on the doorknob.

"Just because he doesn't have a filter doesn't mean I don't."

The door opened.

Li Li walked out.

The door closed behind him.

Jiang Rumu stood in the room, looking down at the hand she had just used to apply the bandage for him.

She hadn't intended to think too much about it.

Really.

But she realized that when she heard the words "get the marriage certificate first," her first reaction wasn't to refute it.

It was to freeze.

That was a bit troublesome.