Hades, the Urban Legend

Chapter 710: Chapter 713: Say It Again

The words sent a chill down the spines of the departing An family relatives, causing some to collapse to the ground.

"The military is here?! We're doomed! The higher-ups must have had enough and are going to take out the An family!" someone immediately reacted.

"That damn old fool! He ran off, leaving us to bear the brunt!"

They obviously didn't know that An Xin had almost been taken by the Defense Ministry before she came back. Their naive belief that An Xin handing over the shares would solve everything was mere wishful thinking when the government was determined.

As the relatives chattered in panic, the outer gates swung open, and two rows of heavily armed soldiers stormed in, forming lines on either side, indicating that a high-ranking officer was about to enter.

The cold glint of steel filled the large courtyard, and the oppressive atmosphere made the servants flee in fear, not daring to look back.

Yang Chen's expression was hard to read. Huinan Defense Zone? He could roughly guess who had arrived. Although it wasn't a big deal, it still irritated him.

An Xin, having been exposed to Guo Xuehua and somewhat aware of Yang Chen's background, immediately understood the situation upon seeing Yang Chen's discomfort. She shrank back against him anxiously, torn between not wanting to offend the guest and not wanting to upset her lover.

In a moment, a tall, impressive man in a crisp dark green military uniform, flanked by two guards, walked steadily to the gate.

Yang Pojun's face was unreadable, as if shrouded in a dark cloud, leaving people uncertain when the storm would break.

Raising his head slightly, Yang Pojun's eyes met Yang Chen's at the door. Neither spoke, but the depth of their gaze conveyed more than mere displeasure.

In fact, this task of apprehending the An family didn't require someone of Yang Pojun's rank, as the An family was just a merchant family, no matter how wealthy.

However, what infuriated the Defense Ministry was that the team sent to capture An Xin had been effortlessly defeated by a mysterious man, suffering serious injuries.

Upon investigation, the Defense Ministry quickly identified Yang Chen through surveillance footage and field reports. Further analysis of information from the National Security Bureau revealed Yang Chen's identity as the recently reclaimed eldest grandson of the Yang family, along with a warning to avoid direct confrontation and seek a diplomatic solution to prevent unnecessary complications.

No one in the Defense Ministry wanted to risk this capture mission, fearing it might offend the Yang family and fail the task.

Ultimately, the high command urgently decided to request Yang Pojun, who was conveniently in Zhonghai, to personally handle the situation. Being of the same family and father-son relationship, Yang Pojun had a duty both publicly and privately.

As to the nature of the relationship between Yang Pojun and Yang Chen, that was not their concern.

Capturing An Xin or An Zaihuan would not significantly alter the standoff between the two nations, as the matter wouldn't be publicly disclosed. However, if the capture attempt failed due to Yang Chen's interference, the military high command would lose face for implicitly conceding to the U.S.

With this pressure, Yang Pojun took the mission without much hesitation and quickly brought his troops.

"Take everyone here, young and old, without exception!" Yang Pojun ordered firmly.

The soldiers responded with a resounding acknowledgment and swiftly moved to surround and capture the An family's servants and relatives.

The previously arrogant relatives were now terrified, crying and begging as the soldiers advanced, a stark contrast to their earlier coercion of An Xin.

When two soldiers approached Yang Chen and An Xin, they were repelled by an invisible force before they could get within a meter, flinging them backward and landing near Yang Pojun's feet.

Yang Pojun frowned deeply, "I am here on official duty to apprehend traitors of the An family. I'm not here to settle personal grievances. Don't go too far!"

Yang Chen, holding An Xin's waist to calm her, said slowly, "I have no personal grievances with you. I just want to say that the person who committed the crime is An Zaihuan, not the others. As for capturing the An family, I don't care. But An Xin is my woman. You can't touch a hair on her head."

Yang Pojun snorted, "It's ridiculous to see a man with a family clinging to another woman in the middle of the night, saying such shameless things!"

"Ridiculous or not, say what you want. I'm not some high-ranking official on TV. I'm shameless, I'm a scoundrel. What can you do about it? I only know that I will protect my woman and not let her suffer. As for my family matters, it's not for others to judge. At least my wife still lives under the same roof with me, unlike some people whose wife doesn't even want to see them. That's much more successful." Yang Chen sneered mockingly.

These words puzzled the others, but An Xin, nestled against Yang Chen, understood most of it.

An Xin felt that these words were too likely to provoke conflict. She anxiously looked between Yang Chen and Yang Pojun, feeling touched by Yang Chen's protection yet guilty for causing trouble.

Yang Pojun's face darkened further, "Don't test my patience. I am performing my duty for the nation. If you insist on opposing me, you will only harm yourself!"

"Let's see who gets hurt," Yang Chen replied with a meaningful smile, pulling out his phone and dialing a number.

Yang Pojun frowned, unable to understand what Yang Chen was planning, but Yang Chen's complete disregard for him always left him furious. Despite his irritation, Yang Pojun knew that conventional weapons were ineffective against Yang Chen. Moreover, with the evident favoritism of Yang Gongming towards Yang Chen, he dared not challenge his father's authority. As a result, he stayed in the Huinan Defense Zone as much as possible to avoid the frustration of returning home.

In truth, he didn't know how to resolve the deadlock between them. Sometimes Yang Pojun wished his younger son, Yang Lie, had such abilities. Why did it have to be this eldest son who shouldn't have existed? Yang Chen's presence shattered Yang Pojun's dreams of entering the Politburo Standing Committee and possibly even bypassing him to become the next head of the Yang family.

He was resentful. After decades of striving, the power he was about to obtain was snatched away by a child he had abandoned under duress. It angered him that neither his wife nor his father understood him. Wasn't he also family? Why did his wife leave him for the sake of this child?

These complex emotions of anger and resentment made it impossible for Yang Pojun to accept this extraordinarily capable young man as his son.

While Yang Pojun was feeling helpless, Yang Chen's call was connected.

"Morin, connect me to Yanxia's Defense Ministry. I need to talk to them," Yang Chen instructed Sea Eagle's Morin.

Morin seemed taken aback but didn't question it. Connecting to the Defense Ministry wasn't difficult, as it was just a phone call, not a security breach.

"Yes, Your Excellency, please hold."

Less than a minute after hanging up, Yang Chen's phone rang again, indicating that the Defense Ministry had called back after Morin's notification.

Yang Pojun was visibly surprised that Yang Chen had contacted the Defense Ministry, deepening his confusion about Yang Chen's intentions. The entire courtyard fell silent.

"I am General Lu of the Defense Ministry. Did you contact us?" a deep male voice came from the other end.

Yang Chen didn't waste words, "I want to make a deal with you."

"A deal?" General Lu sounded puzzled.

"That's right. You're eager to capture the An family members to find out where An Zaihuan is and perhaps use hostages to lure him out. But I'm telling you, it's useless. Since An Zaihuan fled alone, he won't care about his relatives. Moreover, the An family members here know nothing about his dealings or his whereabouts," Yang Chen explained.

General Lu pondered for a moment, "Go on."

"You want to save face and show the Americans that Yanxia's Defense Ministry isn't foolish, but continuing like this is a waste of time. Instead, let me help you capture An Zaihuan. In return, you leave the innocent An family members alone. How about it?" Yang Chen proposed.

General Lu, having reviewed some of Yang Chen's background, knew he wouldn't make empty promises. Though it sounded unbelievable, he said, "I am glad you are willing to serve the nation, worthy of being Marshal Yang Ye's descendant. If you can capture the traitor An Zaihuan, the An family can indeed avoid suspicion."

"I think you misunderstand. I don't have such a lofty sense of patriotism," Yang Chen chuckled. "I grew up in various regions and countries; nations and ethnicities mean little to me. I'm doing this because An Zaihuan's actions embarrassed me, the one who gave him everything. And more importantly, his daughter is my woman. He made my beloved sad, so he won't have it easy."

General Lu, unsure how to react, remained silent for a moment before saying, "Regardless, if you are willing to help, I will trust you. But you need to give a time frame. We can't wait forever."

"By dawn," Yang Chen replied decisively.

General Lu sounded doubtful, "Say that again?"

"I said, by dawn, I will deliver An Zaihuan to Zhonghai and hand him over to the troops. If that's all, I'm hanging up," Yang Chen said impatiently.

General Lu, momentarily stunned, hesitated, thinking it might be a trick. Dawn was only about three hours away; An Zaihuan had been fleeing for nearly ten hours and could have reached Australia by plane. But Yang Chen had no reason to deceive him. After all, it was only a few hours, so General Lu decided to gamble, "Alright, I agree. Let Commander Yang oversee this. If An Zaihuan is captured and returned, all will be well."

To read the manga version, please click the YouTube link https://youtu.be/GnU613H6xm8