A line of three black sedans turned off the highway and drove along the winding cement road toward the quiet and peaceful mountain villa nestled halfway up the mountain.
The bare trees did not obstruct the view; three cars could be seen approaching from the courtyard.
Xu Zhengyang and Li Bingjie stood outside the courtyard gate, holding their child and looking down, smiles on their faces. Only Xu Xiaotian, who had just been beaten by his father, was clinging to his mother's neck, leaning on her shoulder with a wronged look on his face, pouting as he thought about how he would tell his grandparents when they came.
Li Chengzong and his group also stood by the roadside outside the door, gazing into the distance.
The car slowly pulled up to the courtyard gate, and Xu Zhengyang and Li Bingjie moved aside with their child in their arms. The car then drove into the yard. The rear window of the middle car was already open, and Jiang Lan waved and cheerfully called out her grandson's name.
Everyone followed them into the courtyard.
The car that went to Shuanghe Village to pick up Xu Neng and Yuan Suqin had not yet returned.
The guards opened the car door, and Li Ruiyu, tall and broad-shouldered, dressed in military uniform with stars on his shoulders and exuding an air of authority, stepped out. Accompanied by Xu Zhengyang, he smiled slightly and walked into the house. Jiang Lan got out of the car from the other side, hurriedly took her nephew into her arms, and affectionately called him as they walked into the villa. Li Chengzong invited the guards to rest in his own house. Naturally, several guards did not go, but remained in the yard or outside the gate to keep watch.
It wasn't even 11 a.m. yet.
After the nanny, Xiao Zhou, brewed the tea and placed it on the coffee table in the living room, she went to the kitchen to get busy.
Only their family remained in the living room.
Li Ruiyu finally abandoned his ever-present image of a stern general, his face softening into a kind and gentle expression. He called out to Xu Xiaotian, who was leaning against Jiang Lan and muttering complaints about his father, "Xiaotian, come here, let Grandpa give you a hug..."
Speaking of Li Ruiyu, because he has such a grandson, he would occasionally boast about it with pride when chatting with his high-ranking friends in Beijing. "Whose child can run around like that at six months old, climb trees and walls, and speak fluently? Whose child, at that age, can flip over a double sofa with both hands when being naughty?"
Even the highest-ranking official is still a human being, with a tender side that includes family ties.
Upon seeing his unique grandson, Li Ruiyu felt a warm glow in his heart, and he longed to hold him in his arms and kiss him a few times. However, he couldn't completely let go of his long-established official airs, so he only managed to be kind and gentle, which was already quite good.
Xu Xiaotian turned his head and looked at Li Ruiyu curiously for a while, then ran to his grandfather and opened his arms to let his grandfather hug him, as if he were a complete stranger.
Li Ruiyu was naturally delighted and quickly picked up his nephew and lifted him up a couple of times before letting the little guy stand on his lap, facing him and teasing him: "Call me Grandpa, come on, call me Grandpa."
"Grandpa..." the little guy called out in his childish voice.
"Hey hey!" Li Ruiyu was overjoyed.
Unexpectedly, the little guy had something on his mind. He had already set his sights on the glittering golden general's star hanging on his grandfather's shoulder. So, with lightning speed, he reached out and yanked the two stars off.
Li Ruiyu was stunned for a moment; the little guy was really quick.
"Xiaotian!" Xu Zhengyang and Li Bingjie exclaimed almost simultaneously.
Xu Xiaotian reacted quickly, immediately realizing he had caused trouble again. He hurriedly grabbed his grandfather's clothes with one hand, stood on tiptoe, and tried to put the two stars back in their original positions, pleading pitifully in his childish voice, "Grandpa, Grandpa, I'll put them back for you, please don't be angry, Daddy's going to hit Xiaotian..."
"Ha ha!"
Li Ruiyu, who had been preoccupied with his thoughts, burst into laughter.
Xu Zhengyang and his wife were amused and exasperated. What could they do to the child? He was just like that by nature. Even if they got angry, were they going to carry him down a well? Sigh…
After a brief chat, Li Ruiyu put down his nephew and gestured for him to go find his grandmother. Then he said to Xu Zhengyang, "Zhengyang, come sit in your study."
"Okay." Xu Zhengyang nodded, stood up, and gestured for Li Ruiyu to go upstairs.
Xu Xiaotian watched his father and the kind-looking grandfather go upstairs, so he also took off running down the stairs. Luckily, Li Bingjie was quick-witted and pulled him down.
Just then, a car horn sounded outside, and Yuan Suqin and Xu Neng returned.
The little guy's attention was then diverted, and he happily ran outside.
...
In the study.
Xu Zhengyang and Li Ruiyu sat on separate single sofas, with a teapot and brewed tea on a small round table between them. There was also an ashtray.
Smoke swirled and water vapor rose in wisps.
"It's rare for you to have some free time to come out, why don't you stay for a few more days?" Xu Zhengyang said politely with a smile.
"No, your mother will stay here for a while. I have to go back to Beijing tomorrow." Li Ruiyu smiled, took a puff of his cigarette, and said, "There's an old saying that grandparents love their grandchildren more. It's true. I didn't realize I was old before, but now that I have Xiaotian, I realize I really am getting old... You guys have a lot of free time, so you should come to Beijing to stay for a while more often in the future."
Xu Zhengyang smiled and nodded: "Mm."
He knew his father-in-law was always busy and rarely had a moment of peace. His coming here today couldn't be because Jiang Lan missed her nephew or because he missed him so much that he'd traveled such a long distance. He must have something to tell him, and… something very important. Otherwise, a simple phone call would have sufficed.
However, Xu Zhengyang didn't ask any questions and just chatted idly along with his father-in-law.
After some casual conversation, Li Ruiyu finally got down to business, saying, "For the past six months, the country's counter-terrorism work has been very successful, which is naturally thanks to your help and that of your men. It is thanks to your help that our country's terrorist organizations have been completely wiped out."
"The task is arduous and the road ahead is long." Xu Zhengyang smiled and sighed, "Our country is clean, but what about foreign countries? The passenger plane that Rouyue was on this time was hijacked, sigh."
"Hmm." Li Ruiyu nodded. Then he suddenly asked, "Zhengyang, have you considered going abroad to fight terrorist organizations?"
Xu Zhengyang shook his head and said, "I don't have any plans in that regard for the time being. Right and wrong cannot be judged by a few points. As the saying goes, treating the symptoms does not solve the root cause... If you ask me, many terrorists and organizations are forced into this situation."
Li Ruiyu coughed twice. These kinds of things were best left unsaid in private; saying them publicly would invite universal condemnation. However, Li Ruiyu also knew that Xu Zhengyang's analysis was correct. Who would be so foolish as to plot terrorist attacks to harm others? After all, people with such twisted and abnormal minds as Guliya were extremely rare in this world.
"Dad, just say what you want to say." Xu Zhengyang stubbed out his cigarette in the ashtray, picked up his teacup, took a sip of tea, and said slowly.
“Yes, that’s how it is.” Li Ruiyu considered for a moment before saying, “In Beijing, considering that Xu Rouyue was on the passenger plane hijacked by terrorists last time, and that you participated in the rescue operation... combined with the fact that your people have been carrying out a large-scale crackdown on terrorists across the country, they suspect that you might go abroad to fight terrorist organizations, so... so they all feel it is necessary to remind you, well, this is very dangerous.”
Xu Zhengyang laughed and said, "Not to mention that I don't have such a plan at the moment, even if I were to do it, what danger could there be?"
“Zhengyang, haven’t you thought about this?” Li Ruiyu frowned slightly, looking quite worried as he said, “Last time you traveled thousands of kilometers to Rubaya, passing through five countries along the way. Including Rubaya, that means six countries discovered your presence. And fighter jets followed and chased you all the way…”
"I know about this." Xu Zhengyang's expression remained calm.
"What if their fighter jets or ground-based air defense weapons opened fire at that time..." Li Ruiyu's expression grew increasingly worried.
Xu Zhengyang slowly sipped his tea, considered for a moment, and said, "It's alright."
Xu Zhengyang spoke these words without much confidence, and in truth, he was still filled with lingering fear afterward. The fighter jets were much faster than him, not to mention those high-speed missiles. If he had been hit by those advanced weapons, the violent explosion would have obliterated not only his physical body but also his consciousness.
Of course, this is only one possibility.
Xu Zhengyang wouldn't blindly risk testing the limits of a deity's spiritual power, wondering if it could withstand the attack of a missile or bomb. Moreover, no matter how strong his physical body was now, it absolutely couldn't withstand such a powerful explosion.
The reason why Xu Zhengyang said "no problem" to Li Ruiyu was twofold. First, he couldn't possibly tell anyone about something that could cause him irreparable damage. Second, Xu Zhengyang was also somewhat confident. He wasn't sure he could withstand a missile attack, but at high speeds, a god's maneuverability was far superior to any machine, so dodging should be possible, right?
The premise is that there is no large-scale attack like a rainstorm.
Li Ruiyu did not doubt Xu Zhengyang's words, but said with some difficulty and hesitation, "The higher-ups mean that, for your safety, it is necessary to conduct some special research on the degree, possibility, and probability of harm to you from advanced weapons. I would like to ask what you think."
"Hmm?" Xu Zhengyang narrowed his eyes, a cold glint flashing within them.
"I didn't mean anything by it, Zhengyang, don't misunderstand..." Li Ruiyu quickly explained with a wry smile.
If Xu Zhengyang didn't misunderstand, such a statement would truly seem like a fantasy. Did they think Xu Zhengyang was a fool?
Li Ruiyu was fully aware of this, but from any perspective, he personally felt it was necessary to address the issue. If he had to find a simpler, more direct reason to convince everyone, then… it was purely out of curiosity. Which is more powerful: advanced weaponry or a deity? Is it possible for advanced weaponry to harm or even destroy a deity?
Xu Zhengyang's eyes were narrowed, the corners of his mouth were slightly upturned, and his expression was as cold as ice. A sharp aura that could be clearly felt burst out from him and filled the entire room.
“Zhengyang, in fact, other countries have already suspected you.” Li Ruiyu quickly continued, “Your identity secret has likely attracted their attention. Even if the identity of the deity cannot be leaked, they will still guess… After all, there is no reasonable explanation for some of the things you have done over the years.”
In truth, Xu Zhengyang had only just heard about the research into the relative strengths and weaknesses of himself and advanced weaponry, and naturally began to suspect the motives of some people. That's why he was furious, and this anger wasn't entirely directed at his father-in-law, Li Ruiyu.
Because he knew very well that although his father-in-law, Li Ruiyu, held a high position and had a lot of influence at the top, he was not someone who could actually make decisions.
Xu Zhengyang opened his narrowed eyes, a cold glint flashing across them, and with a smile that hadn't completely faded, he said with a hint of amusement, "So... Dad, what do you think? Hmm?"
"This is just to get your opinion. Of course, we won't make a decision without your consent," Li Ruiyu explained, slightly relieved but still somewhat worried.
"Oh." Xu Zhengyang nodded.
A chilling silence fell over the study.
Xu Zhengyang placed his right hand on the sofa armrest, his fingers slightly bent, his middle finger gently tapping on the armrest. His eyes narrowed again as he pondered.
Li Ruiyu lit another cigarette, took a deep drag, and suppressed the worry and unease in his heart.
“My opinion is that we don’t need to study it anymore.” Xu Zhengyang suddenly spoke up, saying in a calm and cold tone, “Those things like missiles, bombs, and shells, whether the powerful explosions could hurt me, that’s possible… But when you go back, tell them that the gods will not confront the power of these explosions head-on, but will simply deflect them.”
"Don't think that the gods are avoiding this attack, but rather that the destructive power generated by that attack is being transferred to other locations or people."
...
Strictly speaking, this is Xu Zhengyang bragging and exaggerating.
However, it's not entirely without reason.
Imagine if a missile, when attacking Xu Zhengyang, didn't hit him; it would definitely have hit somewhere else.
What kind of furious counterattack would Xu Zhengyang launch if he were attacked in a way that could absolutely endanger the gods?
Therefore, the word "transfer" is not entirely wrong.
Li Ruiyu certainly hadn't considered these issues; he was stunned by Xu Zhengyang's words.
Yes, no one would consider that. The true extent of a deity's powerful and unpredictable abilities is beyond anyone's comprehension. Li Ruiyu, following Xu Zhengyang's assessment, had misunderstood. He believed that the transfer of attack power Xu Zhengyang mentioned referred to the transfer back to the attacker.
Give them a taste of their own medicine, and make them harm themselves instead of others.
It's hard to imagine the astonishing and terrifying scenario of expensive weapons destroying themselves after launching an attack.
Moreover, if deities could truly control the targets of such advanced weapons…
Li Ruiyu dared not think any further.
Gods are truly beings that should not be touched with malice.
Volume Six, Chapter 345: Come on, guide me with missiles!
It was rare for Li Ruiyu to find time out of his busy schedule to visit relatives in Fuhe City. Xu Zhengyang and his family naturally gave him a warm welcome.
The original plan was to stay overnight before returning to the capital, but Li Ruiyu had important business to attend to, so after having lunch and some drinks, he decided to return to the capital immediately after taking a nap.
Apart from Xu Zhengyang and Li Ruiyu, the father-in-law and son-in-law, who understood what was going on, no one else knew or would ask.
However, during their lunch break, Li Bingjie and Xu Zhengyang discussed their idea of going to Beijing to stay for a while.
Xu Zhengyang thought about it and agreed. Indeed, Li Bingjie hadn't been back to Beijing since returning from a trip before the Mid-Autumn Festival last year, when she'd stopped in for a couple of days. Now that the child was so grown up, it was time to go back and visit, and also to catch up with relatives and friends.
In addition, Xu Zhengyang himself also needs to stay in the capital for a while.
So after the family ate dinner early, Xu Zhengyang and his wife, carrying their child, went to Beijing with Li Ruiyu and Jiang Lan.
Zhu Jun and Qingling drove a white Audi A4, carrying Li Bingjie and her son, as well as Jiang Lan; while Xu Zhengyang rode in a black Mercedes with Li Ruiyu.
They didn't talk much along the way; the father-in-law and son-in-law were mostly lost in thought.
Li Ruiyu was considering how his rank and the highest-ranking leaders would react if he relayed Xu Zhengyang's message to Beijing. Furthermore… what about the investigations targeting Xu Zhengyang abroad? If it were merely a matter of domestic security agencies trying to stop it, engaging in covert power struggles, it would be manageable. But if Xu Zhengyang were to intervene, the consequences could be far more severe.
At that time, how should we properly explain the situation to other countries in order to avoid violent conflicts?
Li Ruiyu wanted to advise Xu Zhengyang to calm down, but he worried that doing so now might just add fuel to the fire. Previously, the country's high-ranking officials were even considering committing serious offenses and crossing the line with the gods; now, if he suggested that Xu Zhengyang refrain from interfering with foreign forces, what if Xu Zhengyang, in a fit of anger, believed that they and foreign powers were preparing to unite against him, the god?