Chapter 106: General Xu Dezheng

P.S.: The baby is miserable, but the baby won't talk about it!

The atmosphere in the room instantly froze.

A military inspection delegation—this alone was no simple matter. While there had been previous visits from Central and Military Commission officials, those were individual affairs, at most a formality. A military inspection delegation, however, implied a confirmatory assessment, which was far more rigorous and formal than previous individual visits.

"What does the higher-up mean by this?" Zhu Lan pondered for a moment, still unable to grasp the significance of this military inspection delegation.

Xiao He gave a helpless, bitter smile. "It's a good thing. I don't know the specifics either, but there is one thing: the leader of this delegation will be General Xu himself!"

"General Xu?"

Zhu Lan was puzzled at first, but then, struck by a realization, he stood up in shock.

"General Xu Dezheng?"

Xiao He nodded. "Is there any other General with the surname Xu in our country?"

Zhu Lan was completely stunned.

Who was Xu Dezheng? He was one of the two great Generals of China. In this era of peace, a Lieutenant General was already the pinnacle of existence, and a full General was even rarer. Looking across the entire world, discounting the ranks of minor nations, there were likely only a dozen or so true Generals, concentrated primarily in China, the United States, Russia, and NATO.

China had only two such Generals. Both were battle-hardened veterans who had climbed from the grassroots level step by step.

Xu Dezheng was also known as the "Navy Marshal," overseeing both the land and sea forces, and serving as a Vice Chairman of the Central Military Commission.

The other General, Zhang Moren, was a figure of legend. He was called a legend because while the outside world knew of his existence, no photograph or personal detail had ever been disclosed. Foreign intelligence experts had once analyzed China's two great Generals and concluded that this mysterious Zhang Moren was likely China's "Nuclear General."

In the event of nuclear war, most nuclear-armed nations had several contingency plans. Second-stage and third-stage nuclear counterattacks were of the utmost importance, and these counterstrike forces were not scattered nuclear assets, but concentrated ones. The person who commanded these forces was not the President, but a General. This General, known as the "Nuclear General," held the power to destroy the world. Information on such a person was exceedingly scarce; even within the nation's own military, most were unaware of who he was.

Of the two great Generals, Zhang Moren went without saying. But Xu Dezheng could be considered the only supreme military commander in the public eye.

Now that Zhu Lan heard General Xu was coming, he was so shocked he stood up directly from the sofa.

Xiao He had long anticipated Zhu Lan's reaction. When he received the call from his superior earlier and heard the news, he had been just as shocked. General Xu did not just go around visiting places; he rarely even visited other countries. And now, he was coming to visit Fantasy Technology? It was simply impossible, yet it was happening.

"Since that's the case, I'll be going. You should prepare yourself, Zhu Lan. The inspection delegation arrives in three days!" Seeing that Zhu Lan was still in a state of shock, Xiao He shook his head helplessly and said this.

Zhu Lan nodded numbly.

Seeing this, Xiao He didn't know what to say, turned around, and left.

Zhu Lan didn't notice when Xiao He left. He sat on the sofa, deep in thought.

"Did my strategy succeed?"

"No, that can't be right. They shouldn't be sending someone of his stature."

"No, General Xu's purpose is likely not that simple."

"Could it be?"

Zhu Lan continuously parsed through various reasons for why General Xu would come. He had only ever met Lieutenant General Luo Guoqiang, and he had seen many Major Generals, like Li Hongjin and Qin Jun. Among military personnel, he wouldn't dare say he knew a tenth of the top brass, but General Xu was entirely different.

Judging by China's circumstances, General Xu coming in person was likely not a decision made by the higher-ups, but a decision made by General Xu himself.

Three days passed in a flash. Zhu Lan did not leave the premises once during those three days, instead arranging for Yu Dongming to raise security to Level One alert. To ensure safety, Zhu Lan specifically had Qin Shi bring the people from District 30 back, wearing combat suits as the first line of security. Xiao He said nothing about this.

It wasn't just security within Fantasy Technology. Yesterday, a company of troops had been secretly deployed from the South China Sea Military Region. Military snipers had begun occupying the rooftops of the buildings surrounding Fantasy Technology, and others had already entered the northern forest with military dogs. Starting from the second day, armed helicopters began flying over Fantasy Technology from time to time.

People in the city felt nothing, but the internal security forces of Fantasy Technology had been raised to the maximum level. Even if it wasn't explicitly stated, the employees within Fantasy Technology could feel it. Some wanted to ask questions, but they were warned to mind their own business, stay at their posts, and not wander around for the next few days.

At the main entrance of Fantasy Technology, Zhu Lan, Lan Tianxin, Song Tingxian, Yu Dongming, Xiao He, and Tian Jun stood waiting, flanked by a dozen security guards in sci-fi gear, lined up in two rows.

"They're here!" Yu Dongming said, looking into the distance.

Everyone’s eyes were drawn toward the horizon. In the distance, a motorcade was approaching.

*Hum, hum, hum...*

Before the motorcade arrived, a Z-10 attack helicopter flew overhead first.

Once the motorcade arrived, a dozen bodyguards in suits quickly exited the vehicles and stood on either side of the convoy, scanning the surroundings vigilantly. If one looked closely, they would notice slight bulges at their waists, presumably weapons. Behind them, a number of fully armed soldiers emerged from military trucks and quickly fanned out to secure the perimeter.

Only after all security measures were in place did one of the bodyguards receive a signal from the others and walk up to open a car door.

First to emerge was Luo Guoqiang, followed by Li Hongjin. From the surrounding vehicles, several other Generals stepped out one after another.

Looking out, seven or eight Generals stood there, which shocked Zhu Lan to his core. It wasn't just Zhu Lan who was shocked; the others were no better off. While it was called a military inspection delegation, a scale of seven or eight Generals was far too large.

At this moment, an old man stepped out of the car.

Zhu Lan’s eyes brightened, and he quickly led the way to greet them.

"General Xu, welcome to Fantasy Technology for your inspection!"

Xu Dezheng was sixty-seven years old this year, but his body was extremely robust. He didn't look like an old man in his sixties at all, but rather like a man in his forties.

"Zhu Lan, I've heard quite a few things. Sorry to trouble you today!"

"No, no, General Xu, what are you saying!"

General Xu said nothing more, and at this point, the other Generals gathered around.

"Gentlemen, you've traveled a long way, thank you for your hard work. Please, come inside!"

"Enough, skip the pleasantries. We need to head to Sanya for an inspection later, so just take us around for a walk!" Luo Guoqiang said to Zhu Lan.

Zhu Lan was stunned for a moment, then realized: this group wasn't just inspecting him—the important part was likely inspecting the South China Sea Military Region, right?

"No problem. General Xu, what would you like to see?"

Li Hongjin stepped forward. "Zhu Lan, take us to see your virtual technology and quantum communication!"

This inspection was somewhat impulsive, and Zhu Lan hadn't received many instructions. While Xiao He was the person in charge here, he didn't know much about the nature of this inspection either. With only Li Hongjin from the South China Sea Military Region present, Zhu Lan couldn't find out anything by making calls. Luo Guoqiang had gone to Beijing for a meeting and was returning with this delegation; Zhu Lan didn't know exactly what they were inspecting, so he had no choice but to make the best arrangements he could.

Zhu Lan was taken aback.

"What? Young friend? Is there a difficulty?"

Zhu Lan shook his head. "No, please, everyone!"

Yu Dongming had already arranged for several electric shuttle carts to be brought over. Once everyone was on board, Zhu Lan led them deep into the heart of Fantasy Technology. They passed the office area, the biological research center, and the warehouses, heading straight toward the interior.

"Zhu Lan, it seems we've gone past it, haven't we?" Li Hongjin asked curiously. He remembered the virtual research being in Building No. 6.

Zhu Lan did not answer Li Hongjin.

"Gentlemen, what you are about to see is the pinnacle of Fantasy Technology's achievements!" The vehicle drove past Zhu Lan's small building and stopped in front of the mountainside.

"Zhu Lan, what exactly are you up to?" Li Hongjin was getting a bit impatient.

"General Li, don't worry, you will see it immediately."

General Xu looked at Zhu Lan with interest. The other Generals remained silent, as their orders were to observe more and speak less.

Zhu Lan tapped the watch on his wrist. "Red Queen, open Channel 4!"

Li Hongjin was still puzzled when, suddenly, a mechanical *clack* echoed. Everyone followed the sound forward. They saw the mountainside slowly split open, revealing a massive tunnel.

"This..." Li Hongjin was stunned. He turned to look at Xiao He, who was also wearing a look of complete confusion.

The tunnel was behind Zhu Lan's small building, shaded by a dozen old trees that were fifty or sixty years old. The dense canopy completely hid it, and the only small path leading there had revealed nothing.

"Young friend, quite an impressive setup!" General Xu naturally noticed Li Hongjin's expression. Who was Li Hongjin? As the intelligence director here, even he didn't know about this, so it seemed Zhu Lan had indeed hidden quite a lot.

"General Xu, you flatter me. This is Fantasy Technology's secret research center. Only a handful of people in the company know about it. Furthermore, there are things inside that cannot be revealed. If it weren't for you visiting in person today, I certainly wouldn't have opened this up for anyone else!"

Xu Dezheng became interested. "Oh? Then I shall wait and see!"

"I guarantee I won't let you down, General Xu!"

Zhu Lan nodded to Yu Dongming, the carts drove into the tunnel, and the others followed. The tunnel was very long; it took over ten minutes for them to reach the end. Zhu Lan didn't speak while they were in the tunnel, but Li Hongjin frowned. While others might not see it, how could he miss it? This tunnel was essentially a gauntlet hiding immense lethal force. Although it was well-concealed, Li Hongjin had seen similar layouts at several bases. He didn't believe for a second that Zhu Lan hadn't arranged something inside; he had already experienced Zhu Lan's nature!