405: Chapter 404 Si Zhengxiong steps in to block the Southwest Military Region's inquiry!

At the entrance of the Southwest Military Region's command center, Shen Jianan and her two companions had just gotten out of their car when they ran into Qin Yi and the members of the Si Family, who were being escorted out by several uniformed leaders.

The one leading them was the Commander-in-Chief of the Southwest Military Region. At that moment, he was holding Si Zhengxiong's hand, exchanging polite pleasantries with a courteous expression.

"Old Master, I'm sorry to have troubled you to come here personally." The Commander-in-Chief kept a very humble posture, explaining in a tone full of respect, "Bringing Mr. Qin and Young Miss Si Yao here had no other meaning; it was just to clarify exactly what happened in Zhuilong Valley. After all, with one dead and seven injured on the Armed Police Force's side, we have to provide an explanation to the capital and the families. So, I hope you can be understanding."

Si Zhengxiong had no smile on his face, and his voice was deep and muffled: "I understand. You are just doing your duty. I am also from the military, so I naturally understand this principle. It's just that my Si Family also made a huge sacrifice this time. Six young, vibrant lives are gone just like that, and another is currently severely injured, lying in the hospital with his life hanging in the balance. How can I not be heartbroken?!"

"Yes, yes, we didn't expect such a thing to happen either. If not for your Si Family's help this time, our Southwest Military Region wouldn't have been able to find Zhao Lintai and capture Bai Ruoxue so quickly! In fact, the casualties might have been even more severe!" The Commander-in-Chief followed Si Zhengxiong's lead.

At this point, Si Zhengxiong extended a finger, looked at the Commander-in-Chief, and said in a heavy voice: "I have only one request: that woman named Bai Ruoxue must not be treated leniently!"

At the mention of 'Bai Ruoxue', the Commander-in-Chief's face also grew cold, and a sharp look flashed in his eyes: "Rest assured, Old Master! That woman caused one death and seven injuries in our Armed Police Force. Even without you saying anything, we will definitely punish her severely! Once the investigation is clear, we will inform you immediately."

"Good," Si Zhengxiong said, turning his gaze to Si Hongjun and instructing, "Hongjun, later you will represent our Si Family to offer condolences to the soldiers and families of those who died or were injured in this operation. If they have any difficulties, do your best to support them!"

"Yes, Old Master, I understand!" Si Hongjun responded in a deep voice.

"I thank the Old Master on behalf of the soldiers!" The Commander-in-Chief shook his hand again. "For the heroes of the Si Family who sacrificed themselves or were seriously injured, I will definitely report their deeds to request merits. Their glory will not be lacking!"

"The military and the people are one; it's only right. Being able to do what we can for the soldiers is also an honor for our Si Family." As Si Zhengxiong spoke, he cupped his hands toward the Commander-in-Chief. "It's getting late, so we won't disturb your work any further. Please stay here; we'll head back first." After saying that, Si Zhengxiong led the group toward the helicopter landing area.

When passing by Shen Jianan and the other two, Si Zhengxiong only gave a solemn nod without saying much—Shen Jianan's identity had already been clarified. The Security Bureau actually dared to deceive him, which meant the Security Bureau didn't fully trust his Si Family. Since that was the case, he didn't need to appear too warm! Besides, his mind was currently full of the comatose Si Hongbin in the hospital, so he had no heart for pleasantries with these three.

"Qin Yi!"

Just as Qin Yi was walking past the three of them, Shen Jianan suddenly spoke up to call him.

"Hmm?"

Qin Yi paused and looked at Shen Jianan. At this moment, Si Yao, who was beside him, hurriedly whispered in his ear, "Qin Yi, Brother Bin is still waiting for us, don't delay too long." After saying that, Si Yao quickly followed Si Zhengxiong, who was walking ahead.

Qin Yi looked at Shen Jianan and said bluntly, "Jianan, Zhao Lintai and Bai Ruoxue are both being held by the military region. If you want to take them, you'll have to talk to the Southwest Military Region."

"I know." Shen Jianan's cheeks flushed slightly as she met Qin Yi's gaze and asked in a low voice, "I wanted to ask... are you okay? You... you aren't injured, right?"

Qin Yi was about to speak when his peripheral vision caught Ye Ziming nearby—the look in that guy's eyes was clearly distant, not as enthusiastic as before. He immediately understood; most likely, Shen Jianan's little feelings for him had been noticed by Ye Ziming.

It would be one thing if other women had feelings for him, but Shen Jianan was the person his brother liked; there absolutely couldn't be any misunderstanding.

Qin Yi immediately reined in the warmth in his tone and said plainly, "I'm fine. If there's nothing else, I have to go."

"Wait!" Seeing that Qin Yi was about to leave after barely two sentences, Shen Jianan immediately lost her composure and subconsciously took a small step forward.

Qin Yi instinctively backed away—worried that the previous incident where Ye Qingcheng 'kabedon-ed' and forcibly kissed him would happen again—and looked at Shen Jianan with confusion, asking, "Is there something else?"

"Yes." Shen Jianan nodded. "Sister Qingcheng tried calling you but couldn't get through. She has something to talk to you about and wants you to call her back."

"Oh, okay." Qin Yi pulled out his phone, which was smashed beyond recognition, from his pocket and explained, "My phone was damaged in Zhuilong Valley. I'll call her back once I get a new one. Ziming, help me explain it to your sister later."

"Oh, oh, okay." Being suddenly cued by Qin Yi, Ye Ziming's expression was a bit unnatural, and he nodded quickly.

"Uh, also," Shen Jianan added, "your girlfriend Xu Qian also called me. However, your whereabouts were unknown at the time, so I didn't dare to answer. Give her a call back when you have time; don't let your family worry."

"Okay, thanks! If there's nothing else, I'll be going. Brother Bin's situation isn't great, so I need to go check on him." After saying that, Qin Yi approached Ye Ziming and whispered in his ear at a volume only the two of them could hear, "Ziming, don't misunderstand; there's nothing between me and Shen Jianan." After finishing, he didn't forget to pat him on the shoulder, added a "good luck," and turned to walk toward the helicopter.

Subsequently, the rotors began to spin. Qin Yi, Si Yao, Si Zhengxiong, and Si Hongjun sat in the helicopter. Due to limited space, Si Wenruo and Si Hongxiao could only take the military region's official car, heading together toward the Military General Hospital.

...

Watching the direction where the helicopter disappeared, Shen Jianan stood rooted to the spot, feeling a sense of emptiness in her heart—Qin Yi's lukewarm attitude was like a bucket of cold water being poured over her, making her hands and feet feel instinctively stiff.

At this time, Yan Yan had already stepped forward to the Commander-in-Chief and gave a salute: "Greetings, Chief. I am Yan Yan from the Southwest Branch of the Security Bureau. This is my identification." As he spoke, he pulled his ID from his pocket and handed it respectfully to the Commander-in-Chief.

The Commander-in-Chief took the ID, glanced at it, and handed it back. Without any extra pleasantries, he said directly, "I know why you're here. However, I'm sorry, Bai Ruoxue cannot be handed over to you for the time being. If you have any objections, you can have Xu Anguo contact me personally! Additionally, in an hour, Zhao Lintai will be escorted back to the capital by a special plane. If you need, you can arrange for one person to follow. Alright, any other questions?"

Yan Yan's throat moved, but the words he wanted to say were all stuck in his throat, so he could only shake his head.

"This is Staff Officer Xu," the Commander-in-Chief said, pointing to the person beside him. "If you need to send someone to the capital, talk to Staff Officer Xu to make arrangements. If there's nothing else, I have work to do. Suit yourselves." After saying that, the Commander-in-Chief turned and left without looking back.

Seeing Yan Yan still standing there in a daze, Staff Officer Xu hurried forward to smooth things over: "Sorry about that. Our Commander-in-Chief has a direct personality and a bit of a temper, so please be understanding. How about this: you've all worked hard, so go to the conference room to rest for a bit first."

"Then thank you, Staff Officer Xu," Yan Yan thanked him, then called out to Shen Jianan and Ye Ziming, "Let's go. We'll report the situation to Chief Ye first and see what she arranges."

Shen Jianan was still immersed in Qin Yi's attitude and hadn't heard the conversation just now at all. Suppressing the bitterness in her heart, she nodded numbly and followed.

Ye Ziming looked at her lonely back and thought of Qin Yi's words just now; the frustration in his heart dissipated by more than half. It turned out Qin Yi really didn't have those feelings for Jianan, and it was all Jianan's one-sided wish. It seemed he had overthought things before. In that case, didn't he still have a chance?

Thus, he quickly caught up with the two of them, walked to Shen Jianan's side, and his tone returned to its usual cheerfulness.

...

Inside the helicopter cabin, Qin Yi looked at Si Hongjun: "Uncle Si, could I trouble you to borrow your phone? Mine was damaged in the valley, and I need to call my family to let them know I'm safe, so they don't worry."

"Sure, here." Si Hongjun didn't ask questions and directly pulled his phone from his pocket and handed it over.

Qin Yi took it and dialed Xu Qian's number. He thought that at this hour, Xu Qian should have been asleep, but to his surprise, the phone was picked up after only two rings.

"Hello?"

As soon as the call connected, Xu Qian's slightly nervous voice came through immediately; she had clearly been waiting by the phone, not daring to fall asleep.

"Qianqian, it's me." Qin Yi responded quickly, his voice softening.

Hearing it was Qin Yi's voice, Xu Qian's tense emotions instantly collapsed, and her tearful complaints poured out: "Young Master Qin! Where on earth have you been all day? I was worried sick! I couldn't get through to your phone, you didn't reply to WeChat, and I called Officer Shen, but she didn't answer either..."

Because she was so worried about Qin Yi's safety, Xu Qian's pitch unconsciously rose. Beside him, Si Hongjun, Si Yao, and Si Zhengxiong all heard it clearly. However, the three of them were very tactful, either turning to look out the window or looking down to adjust their cuffs; not one of them looked toward Qin Yi.

Qin Yi cleared his throat and hurriedly explained, "Sorry, Qianqian, my phone broke, and there was no signal in the mountains, so I couldn't contact you in time. I'm using Si Yao's father's phone to call you right now. I'll tell you more tomorrow after I get a new phone."

"Your phone broke? Are you okay? Did something happen with the Security Bureau?" Xu Qian's voice immediately tightened—before Qin Yi came to the Southwest, she already knew this trip would be dangerous. Now that Qin Yi said his phone was broken, Xu Qian instinctively associated it with the Security Bureau and Hongmen.

"I'm fine, don't panic. Some things did happen here that can't be explained in a sentence or two. I'll tell you when I get back to Shanghai. Don't worry."

"Mhm. As long as you're okay." Xu Qian breathed a silent sigh of relief. Although Qin Yi didn't specify what had happened, she had already guessed it was related to the Security Bureau or Hongmen. Otherwise, why wouldn't Shen Jianan answer the phone? However, since Qin Yi said he would explain when he returned to Shanghai, Xu Qian didn't press further and instead urged, "Then you must be careful in the Southwest."

"Okay, I know. It's late, you should get some rest. Once things here are handled, I'll head back to Shanghai. It'll be soon."

"Mhm, then you should also rest early, don't overwork yourself, and you must stay safe!"

After the call ended, Qin Yi handed the phone back to Si Hongjun. Si Hongjun took it and said with a smile, "I can see your girlfriend really cares about you. It's almost two in the morning, and she's still waiting for your call. I really hope my Yao'er can meet someone who knows how to cherish people like Mr. Qin in the future."

"Dad, what are you saying!" Si Yao immediately glared at him, her cheeks unconsciously heating up. She quickly turned her head away to avoid her reaction being noticed.

At this moment, Si Zhengxiong, who had been silent, suddenly spoke up, his gaze falling on Qin Yi and Si Yao: "Just now at the Southwest Military Region, there wasn't time to ask in detail. After you entered Zhuilong Valley, what exactly did you encounter? Can you tell me in detail? And that Lightning Tribulation on the mountain peak, what was that about?"

Qin Yi and Si Yao glanced at each other. Qin Yi nodded slightly, signaling for Si Yao to speak. Si Yao understood and turned to Si Zhengxiong: "Grandpa, the truth is like this..."

Si Yao then began to speak, starting from when she and Qin Yi stepped into Zhuilong Valley, recounting their encounters in the valley bit by bit.

However, just as she was talking about the two of them being hunted by Bai Ruoxue and hiding in the cave on the mountain peak, the fuselage suddenly vibrated slightly; they had already landed on the helipad of the Military General Hospital.

"Old Master, we've arrived at the Military General Hospital," Si Hongjun interrupted. "Let's go check on Hongbin's situation first."

"Good!" Si Zhengxiong responded immediately, but at the same time, he had a faint suspicion in his heart regarding Bai Ruoxue's Cultivation Technique of 'turning thought into ice and condensing water into blades'.

The cabin door opened, and Si Hongjun and Qin Yi jumped down first, then turned to help Si Zhengxiong. Si Yao didn't delay and followed closely out of the cabin.