You went on a blind date and presented an A-level wanted criminal as a meeting gift?

The thunderous cheers from the square seemed to be blocked by an invisible wall.

Su Qingge hung up the phone, her pretty face, which had just been flushed with joy at surviving the ordeal, was now solemn.

She walked quickly to Lin Chen, her eyes filled with complex emotions.

"What's wrong?"

Lin Chen gently pushed away Ye Qingcheng and Su Ke'er, who were still clinging to him. Looking at Su Qingge's expression, he knew something was wrong.

Moreover, it's a big deal.

Without wasting words, Su Qingge lowered her voice and repeated the contents of the phone call as quickly as possible.

"Top-secret blueprints for a submarine have been stolen."

"A high-ranking mole has emerged within the military industrial institute."

"The Bureau of Investigation and Statistics investigated for three days but found nothing."

"My grandfather...he hopes you can help."

Ye Qingcheng and Su Ke'er, who were just immersed in ambiguity and tenderness, also heard these words, and the smiles on their faces instantly froze.

Although they didn't fully understand what the "submarine blueprints" represented, the words "top secret," "traitor," and "Secret Service" were enough to make them feel the suffocating atmosphere that was coming their way.

This is no longer a simple criminal case.

This is a shocking case that could shake the very foundations of the nation!

The lazy smile on Lin Chen's face slowly faded.

He looked into the anxiety and pleading in Su Qingge's eyes and took her slightly cold, soft hand in his own.

The warm touch traveled along her fingertips, calming Su Qingge's wildly beating heart a little.

"Let's go."

Lin Chen's tone was calm, as if he were simply saying, "Let's go have dinner."

But beneath this calm lies a power that gives Su Qingge immense peace of mind.

……

Dark as ink.

A Mengshi jeep with special military license plates tore through the bustling night scene of Jiangcheng and sped off towards the suburbs.

The dazzling neon lights outside the car window were left far behind.

The atmosphere inside the car was terrifyingly oppressive.

Su Qingge pursed her lips tightly, gripped the seatbelt tightly with both hands, and stepped the car to 180 km/h.

Lin Chen sat in the passenger seat, closing his eyes to rest, his breathing steady.

He appeared to be resting, but in reality, his brain was working at lightning speed, integrating and analyzing the fragmented information that Su Qingge had just revealed.

Three hours later.

The jeep left the highway and turned onto a tree-lined road without any streetlights.

At the end of the road is a five-meter-high gray wall with a high-voltage power grid strung on top.

Armed guards were stationed every three steps and sentries every five steps.

Bright searchlights swept across every inch of the surrounding land without leaving any blind spots.

A chilling and murderous aura rose into the sky.

This is the core military compound of the Eastern Theater Command.

The jeep stopped before the first checkpoint.

Even though they recognized Su Qingge's military license plate, the guards still meticulously carried out the procedures.

From license plate scanning and facial recognition to iris verification and fingerprint comparison, a full five incredibly stringent security checks were required before finally allowing passage.

It was already late at night when Lin Chen and Su Qingge stepped into this core area.

The Su family's house is a detached two-story building. It is simple in appearance, but exudes a sense of dignity that has stood the test of time.

The study light was still on.

The two pushed open the door and entered, and a strong smell of tobacco and suppressed anger hit them.

The air was almost frozen.

An elderly man in a Zhongshan suit, with gray hair but a sprightly demeanor, stood with his back to them by the window.

He didn't turn around; his imposing, mountain-like back alone was enough to make anyone with a weak will flinch.

Su Dingguo.

A founding veteran, who spent his life on the battlefield.

Even though he had long since retired, the murderous aura he exuded, born from mountains of corpses and seas of blood, could still make even ghosts and gods retreat.

"grandfather."

Su Qingge's voice trembled slightly, almost imperceptibly.

Su Dingguo slowly turned around.

His wrinkled face was now terrifyingly gloomy.

His eyes, honed on the battlefield, were fixed intently on Lin Chen.

There were no formalities, no small talk.

"The core drive blueprints for 'Deep Sea Ghost,' our latest generation of miniature unmanned underwater vehicle, were stolen three days ago at the military research institute's test site."

Su Dingguo's voice was hoarse, and every word seemed to be squeezed out from between his teeth.

"Those incompetent bastards in the Bureau of Investigation and Statistics turned the entire testing ground upside down, interrogated hundreds of people, and couldn't find a single clue!"

"Three days! A full three days!"

"The blueprints have most likely already been sent to the other side of the ocean!"

boom!

Su Dingguo slammed his hand on the rosewood desk next to him.

The thick solid wood tabletop let out a mournful groan as he slammed it, leaving a clear crack.

"This is the lifeblood of national defense! It's the culmination of over a decade of hard work by countless researchers!"

The old general's chest heaved violently, and his eyes were bloodshot.

That heart-wrenching anger almost set the entire study ablaze.

Su Qingge had never seen her grandfather so distraught. She nervously gripped Lin Chen's clothes, her palms sweating profusely.

The military is riddled with factions, and its internal workings are incredibly complex.

If Lin Chen, an external police consultant, were to rashly intervene, he could easily be torn to pieces by those unseen whirlpools.

A deathly silence fell over the study.

a long time.

Su Dingguo's eyes, burning with anger, locked onto Lin Chen once again.

All the rage and anger subsided at this moment, transforming into an extremely solemn entrustment.

"Lin Chen".

"I don't care what methods you use, whether it's interrogation, fabricated confessions, or even if you have to tear that mole apart piece by piece!"

"I only care about the results!"

"I, Su Dingguo, guarantee this with my head and the decades of good reputation of the Su family!"

"As long as you dig out this worm hiding in our hearts, no matter what methods you use or who you offend, I guarantee you'll be fine!"

The old general's voice was resolute and firm.

This was no longer a request, but a death order that risked everything.

Su Qingge's heart jumped into her throat. She could feel the muscles under Lin Chen's clothes tense up in that instant.

Lin Chen turned his hand over and enveloped Su Qingge's cold little hand in his palm.

Warm, dry, and full of energy.

He met Su Dingguo's almost murderous gaze, but a wild and unruly smile slowly curved his lips.

"General, there's no need to stake your life on it."

"Anyone who dares to touch the nation's interests, no matter who they are."

Lin Chen's eyes suddenly turned deep and dark, revealing a chilling aura that made Su Dingguo's heart tremble.

Even if the Heavenly King himself comes, I'll still skin him alive.

These words were extremely arrogant.

But he was also extremely confident.

Su Qingge felt the warmth from his palm and looked at the man's profile, which was full of disdain and arrogance. Her heart was instantly filled with a burning emotion.

Su Dingguo was taken aback at first, and then his crimson tiger eyes burst forth with an extreme admiration and fervor.

"good!"

"What a brilliant move to skin him alive!"

The old general shook off his previous dejection, slapped his thigh, and let out a burst of loud, energetic laughter.

"happy!"

"Kid, I love your arrogance!"

"Just tell me, what do you need? Manpower, equipment, permissions! Name whatever you can give me!"

Lin Chen released Su Qingge's hand and took a step forward.

His gaze calmly swept over the file on the desk that was classified as "top secret".

"I don't need people, and I don't need equipment."

Lin Chen's voice echoed clearly in the quiet study.

"Now, immediately, right away."

"Take me to the scene of the crime."