408: Chapter 407 Zhao Lintai learns of his grandfather's serious illness; Zhao Yichun and his wife arrive in the capital.

At three o'clock in the morning, an armed helicopter took off from a Southwest military airport and headed toward the capital.

Inside the cabin, besides the pilot, there were two soldiers with upright postures and cold expressions responsible for escorting Zhao Lintai. Shen Jianan sat opposite him, staring at him with cold eyes.

Since waking up, Zhao Lintai had been like a Raging Beast, constantly shouting: "Let me go immediately! I am Zhao Lintai, a member of the Zhao Family of the Capital. Zhao Weiguo is my grandfather; he has performed great service for the Dragon Kingdom, and our family is the descendant of heroes! You dare to arrest me? Aren't you afraid of being held accountable later?!" However, the accompanying soldiers acted as if they hadn't heard a word, not even bothering to give him a glance, letting him bark incessantly like a mad dog.

Perhaps tired from shouting, Zhao Lintai panted heavily, his chest heaving violently. His gaze suddenly shifted to Shen Jianan, and a sneer appeared on his face: "Shen Nan? Ye Ziming's girlfriend? Heh, I should have guessed it. You're with the Security Bureau, aren't you? Did Ye Qingcheng send you to the Southwest?" As he spoke, he looked Shen Jianan up and down, his eyes full of disdain.

In his heart, so what if she was from the Security Bureau? He had the Zhao Family behind him. As long as his grandfather was around, the Security Bureau wouldn't dare do anything to him!

Shen Jianan didn't answer, just staring coldly at Zhao Lintai. At this moment, in her eyes, Zhao Lintai was like a buffoon; no matter how much he jumped around or bared his fangs and claws, he could not escape his predestined end.

Seeing her not responding, the fire of anger in Zhao Lintai's heart grew even stronger, and he began to shout frantically again: "I didn't expect your Security Bureau to be so powerful that you could even mobilize the Southwest Military Region. But let me tell you, don't get too ahead of yourselves! Although my Zhao Family isn't as powerful as the Ye Family now, we've shed blood and performed great service for the Dragon Kingdom! Don't you dare touch a single hair on my head!"

"Heh," Shen Jianan let out a cold laugh, a laugh filled with mockery, as if she had heard the most absurd joke in the world. "It seems you still don't know what has happened in the capital. Fine, you don't have much time left anyway, so go ahead and fantasize a little longer."

Hearing this, Zhao Lintai immediately became nervous. The arrogance on his face vanished instantly, replaced by a trace of panic: "You—what do you mean? What happened in the capital? Aren't you taking me to Magic City?"

Could it be that these people were taking him back to the capital? Did his grandfather already know about the things he had done?

Shen Jianan looked coldly at Zhao Lintai: "Do you think the Southwest Military Region sent so many troops into the mountains to find you because of our Security Bureau?"

"Is it... not?" Zhao Lintai asked instinctively, his voice no longer carrying the confidence from before, as the sense of unease in his heart grew stronger.

Shen Jianan shook her head and said word by word: "Of course not. Something happened to your grandfather."

"What did you say? My grandfather—what happened to my grandfather?" Upon hearing this, Zhao Lintai felt as if he had been struck by lightning, and he froze completely.

His grandfather was his backer and the source of his confidence to act recklessly outside. If something happened to his grandfather, he would be truly finished. Not just him, but the Zhao Family would be truly finished.

"Just before you entered the mountains, Elder Zhao Weiguo suffered a sudden myocardial infarction. In his state of unconsciousness, the Elder's only obsession was to see you, his 'good grandson'! That's why the higher-ups ordered the Southwest Military Region to deploy so many troops into the mountains to find you."

At this point, Shen Jianan paused, her expression hardening as she shouted angrily: "But who would have thought that you, an unfilial descendant, would actually collude with people from Hongmen to plot an attack on Qin Yi and Si Yao, resulting in one death and seven injuries in the Southwest Military Region's Armed Police Force, and six deaths and one injury in the Si Family! Do you think if Elder Zhao Weiguo knew about this 'achievement,' what would he think? How would he view you, his 'good' grandson?!"

"How... how could this happen! How is my grandfather now?! What is Dr. Wang even doing?!" Zhao Lintai completely lost his composure, his voice carrying a sob as he roared frantically.

Shen Jianan looked at Zhao Lintai, who was slumped in his chair, without a hint of pity in her eyes, and scolded: "Enough. As far as I know, Elder Zhao Weiguo has already undergone surgery. However, he is still in the ICU. Whether he can wake up depends on his own will."

At this point, she changed her tone and continued to persuade him, "As for you, now that your grandfather is lying in a hospital ward with his life hanging in the balance, do you think Elder Zhao can still bail you out? Think about it carefully. I might as well tell you that our Security Bureau has had our eyes on you for a long time; we know everything you've done. If you can cooperate with us and truthfully confess everything you know, including your collusion with Hongmen and their criminal plans, you might still have a chance for leniency. Otherwise, what awaits you is only the harshest punishment of the law. You will pay a heavy price for your actions, and by then, it will be too late for regrets!"

Shen Jianan's words were like a sledgehammer striking Zhao Lintai's heart, plunging him into deep despair and struggle—Zhao Lintai knew very well that even if his grandfather were willing to step in, he couldn't guarantee his safety for the things he had done, let alone now that his grandfather was in the hospital, his life or death unknown.

Zhao Lintai's face instantly turned as pale as paper, devoid of any color, as if all his strength had been drained. He opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but found his throat so dry that he couldn't make a sound.

...

Time quickly reached six o'clock in the morning.

On the tarmac of Beijing International Airport, an international flight had just come to a stop.

The cabin door opened, and the Zhao Yichun couple walked down quickly carrying simple luggage. Their faces bore the exhaustion of a long flight and even more so, a hidden, lingering anxiety.

At this time, a man dressed in a formal suit approached them, his posture straight: "Comrade Zhao Yichun, it's been a long journey! I am Xiao Wang from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, sent by the organization to pick up you and your wife."

After the Zhao Yichun couple shook hands with him respectively, Zhao Yichun couldn't help but follow up with a question: "Thank you for the organization's care. I wonder how my father is doing now?"

Xiao Wang took the initiative to open the car door for the two and said: "Please get in the car first, I'll tell you on the way."

As they sat in the car and the official vehicle slowly drove away from the airport, Xiao Wang then said: "Elder Zhao suffered a sudden myocardial infarction yesterday morning. Fortunately, his guard was with him at the time and sent him to the hospital for emergency treatment. The Elder is still in the ICU and has not yet regained consciousness."

"Myocardial infarction?" Zhao Yichun's brow furrowed into a knot, and his voice rose slightly, "Doesn't the Elder always have Dr. Wang by his side to take care of him and perform regular check-ups? How could something happen so suddenly!"

"I'm actually not quite sure what the specific cause is. The Elder's guard has been waiting at the hospital since yesterday. Once we arrive at the hospital, you can ask him," Xiao Wang explained.

At this time, his wife beside him gently patted the back of his hand and advised in a low voice: "Old Zhao, Dad is old now; it's inevitable for his body to have some issues. We aren't by his side all year round, and it's all thanks to Xiao Liu's care. Don't take your anger out on him when we get to the hospital."

Zhao Yichun took a deep breath and suppressed his anger: "I know, I'm just anxious. By the way, where is that brat Lintai? His grandfather is sick and hospitalized, and I didn't even see that kid give us a call!"

"Perhaps we were on the plane and our son couldn't get through. I'll give him a call now to ask about the situation," Zhao Yichun's wife said as she took her phone out of her bag and dialed her son's number.

However, Zhao Lintai's phone was consistently turned off.

"What's going on? Why isn't our son's phone on? Could it be that he's also waiting at the hospital and his phone ran out of battery?" She frowned and looked at Zhao Yichun.

Zhao Yichun looked at Xiao Wang in the passenger seat and inquired: "Xiao Wang, do you know where my rascal of a son, Zhao Lintai, is?"

Xiao Wang shook his head: "I'm not too sure about that either. You'd better ask the guard when you get to the hospital."

"That brat is becoming more and more outrageous!" Zhao Yichun punched his knee, his heart full of irritation.