What do you mean by saying that the corpses I sew are all ominous creatures?

Since I had already made up my mind to follow Lu Yan's orders while I was in the car, I was willing to be a pure knife.

Then I naturally won't cause any more trouble or interfere with her strategy.

Following Lu Yan's instructions allows them to focus on causing trouble for the guardian of the cauldron without having to think too much.

Just do it.

With this in mind, I looked at Lu Yan and asked:

"In that case, what is our mission?"

"Director Lu, please give the orders. Li Qing and I guarantee we'll execute them precisely where you point them, without hesitation."

After I finished speaking, I stared at Lu Yan, waiting for her to give me the specific combat instructions.

With just a word from her, Li Qing and I can transform into two sharp knives, piercing straight into the enemy's heart.

However, in response to my straightforward request to join the fight, Lu Yan did something that surprised both of us.

She sighed softly, loosened her hands which had been clasped on the table, spread them out towards us, and a rare look of helplessness appeared on her face as she said softly:

"We don't know yet."

"Clam?"

Upon hearing this answer, Li Qing, who was sitting next to me, widened her eyes and exclaimed in surprise.

He reached up and scratched his already somewhat messy hair, looking at Lu Yan with an incredulous expression, and said:

"No, Director Lu, isn't that a bit unfair of you?"

So, you were all so serious just now, explaining to us for ages the conspiracy of the guardians of the cauldrons, and then you threw out such top-secret information about the Nine Cauldrons that could pierce the heavens.

You've built up both Lao Chen's and my emotions to this point, and all you say is "I don't know"?

Are you kidding us?

Lu Yan was not angry at Li Qing's complaints.

She merely turned her head slightly, gave Li Qing a disapproving look, and explained with a hint of helplessness in her voice:

"I really don't know."

She extended a finger and tapped the table lightly, her expression turning serious again.

This level of operation is far beyond the scope of the Jiangcheng branch's ability to make independent decisions.

In this grand scheme, the Jiangcheng branch can only obediently act as an executor.

At this point, Lu Yan smiled.

"Do you really think that I, a branch bureau chief, have such great influence and authority that I can control the overall situation at this level?"

The overall commander of this operation is a high-ranking official from the Beijing branch of the General Bureau.

Hearing this, I nodded to myself.

Indeed, given that it concerns the guardian of the cauldron and something as vital as the Nine Cauldrons that affects the fate of the nation, the General Administration will definitely take direct command.

As the head of the local branch, Lu Yan only needed to follow the instructions given from above and execute them step by step.

"Surely the higher-ups must have given you some background information, or issued some preliminary instructions, right?"

Li Qing put away his joking thoughts, leaned forward, and pressed for an answer.

"have."

Lu Yan nodded, her gaze becoming profound.

"My initial instructions to the higher-ups were just four words: 'Use their plan against them.'"

"Play along?"

I silently pondered these four words in my heart.

Lu Yan looked at us and explained the General Administration's plan in a clear and organized manner:

"According to the accurate intelligence provided by the General Bureau's intelligence network, the Qi family, driven to a dead end, will launch a series of operations in Jiangcheng tomorrow."

They will use all their trump cards and underhanded tactics to create chaos throughout the city in order to attract and distract our police force.

Meanwhile, their men would seize the opportunity to steal the two keys stored in the branch office warehouse.

At this point, Lu Yan paused, her tone becoming somewhat subtle.

"And the instructions I received from the General Administration were that I didn't need to set up any elaborate traps in advance."

All I need to do is pretend to be completely unaware of their plans, and when they create chaos tomorrow, I will normally deploy manpower to maintain stability.

Then, just let them take those two keys without any trouble.

"Let them steal it?!"

Li Qing couldn't help but chime in.

"That's crucial to the Nine Provinces Cauldrons, are we just going to give it away for nothing?"

I turned to look at Li Qing and said in a calm tone:

"Li Qing, think about it carefully. Since it's a counter-strategy, how could the General Administration possibly do something that loses money?"

I turned to look at Lu Yan and voiced my speculation.

"The headquarters is doing this to use those two real keys as bait, to reel in bigger fish over the long term, right?"

Lu Yan looked at me and nodded:

That's right.

By guarding the key, we are always in a state of passive defense.

Only when they think they've succeeded will they reveal their true colors.

Lu Yan sighed softly and then continued.

"As for their next instructions after they get the key, such as where to close the net, I haven't been notified by the headquarters yet."

The specific deployment plan won't be fully disseminated until the very last moment; this is to prevent intelligence leaks.

At this point, Lu Yan glanced at me and Li Qing, her tone becoming somewhat apologetic, yet still revealing a businesslike seriousness:

"So, I'll have to report your joining in halfway through tonight to my superiors via an encrypted line later."

After all, two extra-crew combatants at the Dan Realm level are a force to be reckoned with on the General Administration's chessboard, and must be included in its overall planning.

"But don't worry."

Lu Yan looked at us, a hint of a smile in her eyes, and reassured us.

"The higher-ups will certainly not waste two such useful high-level combatants like you two."

Don't worry, there will be a lot of work for you tomorrow, just don't complain about being tired.

After hearing Lu Yan's explanation, I understood the situation completely.

Faced with such a grand and meticulously planned system of state apparatus, individual bravery must indeed be subordinated to the overall coordination.

Since the General Administration is playing a very big game, what Li Qing and I need to do now is to quietly act as two pawns that can cross the river at any time, waiting for the orders of the player.

This perfectly aligns with my purpose for coming here.

I nodded, my expression calm, and replied:

"I see.

Since that's the case, Li Qing and I won't cause you any trouble here tonight.

We'll go back to Tingyuxuan and wait for orders. If there's anything you need us to do, just let us know by phone.

We guarantee to be available whenever needed.

Li Qing also stood up, stretched, and grinned:

"Alright, then I'll go back and conserve my energy."

I've been meditating for the better part of a month; my body is practically rusting.

I absolutely have to stretch my muscles tomorrow.

Seeing that we were about to leave, Lu Yan also stood up, walked around the desk, and came to us.

Her expression became more serious than ever before. Her gaze swept across both of our faces, and she solemnly gave us a word of advice:

"Chen Yang, Li Qing, this matter is of great importance."

Currently, regarding all the plans for tomorrow and the intelligence about Jiuzhou Ding, only the three of us in the entire Jiangcheng branch know the details.

You must remember to keep this strictly confidential and not reveal a single word to anyone.