335: Chapter 334 The Secrets of Operation Hongmen

Before long, three HQ sedans slowly approached and came to a steady stop in front of Elder Ye.

The passenger door opened first. Just as the secretary rounded the back to open the rear door, it was pushed open from the inside.

"Elder Ye! It's been a long time. I couldn't let you wait for me out here in the wind!" A hearty voice came from inside the car; the voice arrived before the person was even seen.

The leader stepped out of the car and took the initiative to shake Elder Ye's hand, the warmth of his palm conveying a sense of closeness.

Elder Ye smiled and patted the back of his hand, his eyes filled with gratification. "You're still so polite! Calling me 'Elder Ye' sounds distant. You can just call me 'Old Ye'."

"Oh, that won't do!" The leader continued with a smile, "In terms of experience and seniority, I should call you 'Uncle'. The rules mustn't be discarded."

"Fine, fine, as you wish!" Elder Ye waved his hand helplessly and led him toward the building, inviting him as they walked. "You haven't had dinner yet, have you? We've got some stew at home, why don't you try some?"

"Sure, then I'll have to trouble you, Elder Ye."

"It's no trouble." As the two walked side-by-side, Elder Ye sighed as if deeply moved. "In the past, the children were all around, and this building was lively. Now that they're grown, every one of them is busy with their own affairs. I hardly see them a few times a year. It's quite lonely."

"I remember your little grandson was always by your side," the leader asked. "What? Is he busy now too?"

"Hah, that brat!" When Elder Ye mentioned his grandson, his tone held a bit of helplessness, but even more indulgence. "A while ago, he insisted on going to Modu, saying he was working on some project with friends and wanted to start his own business. He didn't say exactly what he was doing, so I didn't ask."

"Ziming has been smart since he was a child. He'll definitely do well in business!" the leader praised.

"Leader, don't praise him anymore. I know exactly how much that grandson of mine is worth. I don't expect him to achieve anything great; as long as he has something proper to do and doesn't spend his days idling and causing trouble, I'll be satisfied."

"Hahaha, Elder Ye, you're overthinking it. As the saying goes, 'Dragons beget Dragons, Phoenixes beget Phoenixes, and the children of mice know how to dig holes.' Ziming was raised by you since he was small. With your education, I don't think the boy can turn out poorly!"

"I hope so. The children are grown and have their own ideas. I'm at this age now; who knows when I'll close my eyes for the last time. Children have their own fortunes; let them toss and turn as they please, as long as they don't lose their way."

"Rest assured, Elder Ye. Ziming hasn't been the type to cause trouble since he was little. Besides, Qingcheng is in Modu right now. With his sister keeping an eye on him, what is there to worry about?"

"True." Mentioning the granddaughter he was so proud of, Elder Ye nodded with satisfaction, and the concern in his heart faded a little.

While talking, the two arrived in the living room. After taking their seats, a servant briskly served two cups of hot tea, the aroma curling upwards.

Elder Ye gestured with his hand. "Leader, I remember you're an expert in tea tasting. Try this tea I grew myself. How does it compare to the special supply in your office?"

The leader picked up the teacup, sniffed it, and then took a small sip. His eyes lit up. "Mmm! Mellow on the tongue with a long-lasting sweet aftertaste. Good tea! It's much better than what I have!"

"Hahaha, I'm glad you like it!" Elder Ye stroked his beard and smiled. "When you leave later, remember to take two bags with you. The children were afraid I'd be bored, so they moved a few tea saplings from out of town. I just tinker with them when I'm free. They aren't worth much, so take them without worry—it's not a violation of protocol."

"Elder Ye, you're joking. Then I shall accept your kindness!" The leader laughed. "However, if those other old fellows find out this tea was grown by your own hands, they'll be coming over every day to sponge off your tea!"

"Hahaha, let them come. I don't have much else, but I have plenty of tea. If they want to drink it, they can come and get it anytime! There's plenty!"

A simple joke made the atmosphere in the living room even more relaxed.

As the laughter faded, Elder Ye put down his teacup and looked at the leader, bringing the conversation to the main point. "The leader didn't come today just to drink tea with this old man, right? Whatever it is, just speak plainly."

Upon hearing this, the leader also withdrew his smile and gave a look to the secretary beside him.

The secretary understood immediately and led the servants out of the living room, closing the door behind them. In the large living room, only the two of them remained.

"Elder Ye, what I'm about to say might overturn your understanding of things." The leader's tone turned somber, his eyes filled with gravity. "But I guarantee that every word I say is true, without a single lie."

Elder Ye's heart skipped a beat. He sat up straight, both hands gripping his cane. "Go on."

"It started a year ago." The leader picked up his teacup and took a sip, but it couldn't suppress the bitterness in his voice. "At that time, our Dragon Country's 'Deep Sea' nuclear submarine was conducting routine ocean training in the Southern Hemisphere. Suddenly—" He paused, as if recalling that shocking report, "the onboard sonar detected abnormal vibrations coming from the seabed, followed by an underwater earthquake with a magnitude of 4.2."

"Seabed earthquakes happen from time to time; at first, we just thought it was normal crustal activity. However, what we didn't expect was that within seventy-two hours after the earthquake, Gangs that had been dormant for decades worldwide—like the 'Snake Hall' of Southeast Asia, the 'Black Cross' of Europe, and 'Hongmen'—all sent top experts to the epicenter."

Listening to the leader's narrative, Elder Ye's brow furrowed tighter and tighter. He tapped the head of his cane lightly on the floor twice. "How could a 4.2 magnitude seabed earthquake attract the attention of these Gangs?"

"We also realized something was wrong and immediately dispatched the 'Sea Shark Squad' from the Navy's Special Warfare Brigade to investigate." The leader's voice suddenly dropped, carrying an unmistakable grief. "But the result... the entire ten-man squad... no one survived. Not even their bodies could be recovered from the Deep Sea."

"What?!" Elder Ye suddenly looked up, his clouded eyes filled with shock. His cane hit the floor with a thud. "The Sea Shark Squad is our Dragon Country's top underwater special operations force. How could..."

The leader didn't answer directly. He pulled a palm-sized folding tablet from his inner pocket. His fingertips trembled as they swiped across the screen. Once it lit up, he handed it to Elder Ye. "This is the last real-time footage transmitted back by the Sea Shark Squad."

Elder Ye took the tablet and clicked the play button.

The moment the screen lit up, deep blue seawater immediately filled his vision.

Ten special warfare members in black Deep Sea diving suits, carrying cylindrical oxygen tanks, flipped out of the deployment bay of the 'Breaker' frigate. Like ten agile sharks, they used underwater propulsion units to dive rapidly toward the Deep Sea epicenter.

Fine volcanic rock debris floated in the seawater. Murky currents occasionally swept past the lens, and even the distant bioluminescence appeared exceptionally eerie.

"All units attention: depth 120 meters, water temperature 14.2°C, everything normal." The captain's steady voice came through the sound of water, accompanied by the crackle of electrical static.

Suddenly, the camera jerked. The urgent voice of the reconnaissance member rang out: "Captain! At 30 degrees ahead, approximately 100 meters away, there's an unknown bioluminescence! The brightness is continuously increasing!"

"Received! Everyone close in, maintain combat formation!" Just as the captain's command fell, the ten blue lights of the propulsion units turned simultaneously, swimming rapidly toward the light source.

But just as they were 50 meters from the target, a silver flash of cold light suddenly slashed out from the murky seawater—it was a short blade forged from Deep Sea Cold Iron. The blade even created subtle vacuum ripples as it sliced through the water!

*Puchi!*

With a muffled sound, the outermost member didn't even have time to react before the oxygen tank of his diving suit was split open by the blade. High-pressure gas exploded instantly, forming a cloud of white bubbles.

The member's body was thrown dozens of meters by the blast like a kite with a broken string. Blood seeping from the helmet slowly diffused in the seawater, quickly dispersed by the murky current, leaving only a cold corpse sinking toward the Deep Sea.

"Enemy attack! Enemy attack!" The captain's roar erupted instantly. "Eagle, take two men and seize the target! The rest of you, form a firing net with me! Free fire!"

The sound of underwater assault rifles immediately rang out in the Deep Sea. The moment the bullets broke through the water, they formed strings of fine bubbles, but the resistance of the seawater caused the trajectories to deviate severely.

However, the enemy's figure remained hidden within the murky volcanic debris; only flashes of cold light could be seen continuously attacking.

Another member's thigh was slashed by a cold light. The ruptured diving suit caused seawater to flood in. He struggled to close the valve, but his helmet was pierced by a second flash of cold light.

[part:gemini-3.1-flash-lite]

Just then, the team member codenamed "Flying Eagle" used his agile movements to circle directly beneath the light source—it was a three-legged cauldron half-embedded in the seabed rock!

The bronze cauldron emitted a faint blue glow, and a relief of a five-clawed golden dragon was coiled around its rim. The dragon scales were engraved with dense, ancient runes, each of which radiated weak energy fluctuations in the seawater, as if the surrounding water were being drawn toward the cauldron, forming a strange vortex.

"Found it! It's a bronze artifact!" Flying Eagle grabbed the cauldron. It felt cold to the touch, yet it faintly exuded a scorching energy. "Captain, target acquired, requesting extraction!"

"Copy that! All units, cover Flying Eagle's retreat!" Just as the captain was about to give the order, a black shadow suddenly darted out from behind the volcanic rock—it was a man wearing a black tight-fitting wetsuit, his face covered by a breathing mask that obscured half his face, revealing only a pair of eyes glowing with bloodthirsty red light.

The short blade in his hand swung out again; this time, the target was the cauldron in Flying Eagle's arms!

"Watch out!" The captain lunged forward, using his body to shield Flying Eagle, but the short blade pierced directly through his wetsuit and bulletproof vest. The blade emerged from his back, and blood instantly stained the surrounding seawater red.

Every time the black shadow struck, a cold light flashed, and the special operations team members fell one by one as blood spread through the water.

Flying Eagle clutched the cauldron and turned to run, but the black shadow's speed was astonishing. He wove through the water like a ghost, dodging all bullets while his short blade continuously reaped the lives of the team members.

The third, the fourth... team members fell one after another. Blood wove a web of despair in the Deep Sea, and the underwater communicators were filled only with intermittent screams and gunfire.

Flying Eagle swam with all his might toward the frigate. The three-legged cauldron in his arms grew hotter and hotter, and the light from the runes on its body grew brighter, as if responding to something.

But the black shadow caught up. The short blade whistled through the water, slashing directly at Flying Eagle's heart. Flying Eagle spun around, using the cauldron to block the attack. With a sharp "clang," only a shallow scratch was left on the bronze cauldron!

However, this brief obstruction allowed the black shadow to find an opening.

He twisted his wrist, changing the direction of the short blade, and sliced through Flying Eagle's oxygen line. Immediately after, another strike precisely slashed Flying Eagle's helmet. Seawater rushed in instantly. Flying Eagle's body began to convulse violently, but he still held onto the cauldron tightly, refusing to let go.

The black shadow snatched the cauldron, his cold eyes sweeping over Flying Eagle. The short blade fell again—Flying Eagle's head was severed by the cold light, tumbling a few times in the water before sinking into the pitch-black Deep Sea along with his body.

The video equipment, having lost its support, began to tumble in the seawater, and the lens inadvertently swept across the black shadow's face.

It was the face of a middle-aged man, his eyes as sharp as a hawk's, exuding a chilling murderous intent.

Even through the screen, Old Ye could feel the aura of an ancient Martial Artist rushing toward him, as if he were about to burst out of the screen the next second.

The recording ended abruptly there.

Old Ye placed the tablet on the coffee table. His knuckles were still trembling slightly, and his chest heaved much more noticeably than before. He calmed himself down a little before asking the question in his heart: "What exactly is that cauldron? Why would those Gangs risk their lives to snatch it? And that black shadow—his strength is simply terrifying! Looking at the entire Dragon Country, those who can go head-to-head with him can be counted on one's fingers! Who on earth is he?"

The leader took the tablet and tucked it back into his inner pocket, rubbing his fingertips over the edge of the pocket. His tone was heavy, as if filled with lead: "We haven't fully investigated the specific function of the cauldron. But just looking at the crazed behavior of those Gangs, we know this thing is definitely not simple. We found experts on ancient texts from the museum and stayed up countless nights before we could barely identify two of the unworn runes on the cauldron—"

He paused, his Adam's apple bobbing, and enunciated two words: "'Longevity'."

"Longevity?!" Old Ye's eyebrows shot up. His cloudy eyes were filled with disbelief. He shook his head with a bitter smile and tapped his cane on the floor: "Leader, you don't actually think there is a method for longevity in this world, do you? If there really were such a method in this world, wouldn't the emperors of all dynasties have found it long ago?"

"Hard to say." The leader shrugged, pinching the space between his eyebrows. "Maybe it's a coincidence, maybe it's true. But one thing is certain—the temptation of that cauldron to Martial Artists is great enough to make them bet their lives on it."

"Then who was it that finally took the cauldron? Any leads?" Old Ye leaned forward. There was already some speculation in his eyes, but his tone remained tense.

"We investigated for three months, reviewed surveillance from over twenty ports around the world, and finally locked onto the target." The leader's voice dropped even lower. "Hongmen, Lei Poshan."

"It's him?" Old Ye's gaze sank instantly, and his cane thudded against the floor. "But by age, Lei Poshan is five years older than you, and the man in the video looks only forty or fifty..."

"Old Ye, have you forgotten?" The leader sighed, his tone carrying a hint of complexity. "Lei Poshan is a once-in-a-century Genius of Cultivate."

"Back then, in the Dragon Country martial arts circle, only Si Zhengxiong of the Southwest Si Family and Patriarch Chen Kui of the Taiji Chen Family could trade a few blows with him. If not for that incident twenty years ago, he wouldn't have left for overseas in a fit of anger, nor would he have joined Hongmen. The Lifespan of a Martial Artist is already longer than that of an ordinary person; his cultivation is unfathomable, so it's not strange that he looks young."

"Past troubles, better not to mention them." Old Ye waved his hand, his eyes refocusing on the leader, his tone carrying a bit more understanding. "Speak, what do you want me to do today, Leader?"

"I do have a request." The leader straightened up, his tone softening. "To investigate the secret of the cauldron and to avenge the soldiers of the Sea Shark Squad, the organization established the Special Operations Department, which is affiliated with the Security Bureau. The person in charge of this Special Operations Department is Qingcheng. She has only been transferred to the Modu Branch for ten days, and she has already taken down Hongmen's 'Four-Person Group' in the Dragon Country, which is a beautiful start."

"Good! Good girl!" Hearing about his granddaughter's achievement, the heaviness on Old Ye's face dissipated by more than half, and the corners of his mouth couldn't help but turn up. "She is worthy of being of my Ye family! She didn't disgrace her grandfather!"

"That is natural. It is all because you taught her well, Old Ye, and cultivated such an excellent pillar for the country."

The leader smiled and agreed, but his tone suddenly changed. "However, the reason I came to see you this time is because there is a tricky matter—after Qingcheng captured Zhang Yu, she managed to extract some fragmented words from him, and she vaguely guessed that this operation was not just a simple crackdown on crime. She seems to have developed suspicions."

"It's just that, out of consideration for her own safety, it is not convenient for the organization to explain too much to her directly; this is also to protect her. After all, the more one knows, the greater the danger. Therefore, I would like to ask you to talk to her privately, tell her not to delve into the purpose of the operation, just focus on investigating the case, and cooperate with the organization to achieve its goals."

Old Ye understood instantly—the organization wanted Qingcheng to continue to charge forward, but did not want her to know about the existence of the cauldron.

Old Ye pondered for a moment, then nodded and replied: "I understand. Rest assured, leave this to me. I know this child Qingcheng; she has her own judgment and knows what should be asked and what should not."

"With your words, I can rest easy." The leader breathed a sigh of relief, picked up his teacup and took a sip. "As for the ultimate goal of the operation, I can also give you a bottom line. The organization has discussed it and has two plans, the principle is: negotiate if possible; if not, then completely annihilate Hongmen."

"Understood." Old Ye was clear in his heart. After all, unknown things are the most daunting.

Having said that, Old Ye looked up at the wall clock; the hour hand was already pointing at seven in the evening. He smiled and changed the subject: "It's getting late—come, try my home-cooked stew, and keep me company for a drink while you're at it."

"Good! I must have a good meal at your place today!" The leader stood up with a smile, and the heavy atmosphere in the living room finally dissipated a little.