Half an hour later, Hei Shi drove over, and Luo Zheng silently slipped down the Bodhi Tree and got into the car, indicating to Hei Shi to drive back. He sat in his seat deep in thought. Seeing Luo Zheng's unpleasant expression, everyone knew sothing was wrong and didn't ask too many questions, urging Hei Shi to speed up. Before long, they arrived inside the Embassy and returned to He Guozhu's office.
He Guozhu had been waiting. Seeing everyone return so quickly, he knew sothing was up and enthusiastically poured water for everyone. He looked toward Luo Zheng but wasn't sure whether he should ask and decided to remain silent. Others also looked at the silent Luo Zheng, full of curiosity, but since Luo Zheng said nothing, everyone chose to wait.
After a while, Luo Zheng suddenly relaxed his brow and said in a deep voice, "The palace guards are stricter than imagined. I've carefully calculated, and there is no opportunity to strike. More importantly, we don't know where the target is. We can't launch a rash attack. Mu Tou, Hei Shi, is there a way to find out the target's location?"
"Are you talking about the State Preceptor?" He Guozhu asked in surprise, looking at Luo Zheng. After seeing Luo Zheng nod, he continued, "Two days ago, we received orders to investigate the State Preceptor's hidden location, but unfortunately, there are no results yet. Since the State Preceptor arrived at the palace, all news inside has been sealed off. Anyone who inquires is imdiately taken for investigation. Our progress has slowed sowhat."
"It's not your fault, I'll think more about it," Luo Zheng said helplessly.
"I'll try tomorrow," Hei Shi volunteered. Seeing everyone's curious looks, he explained, "I'll go have dinner with classmates and try to gather so intelligence in passing."
"Alright," He Guozhu thought for a mont and agreed. Seeing Luo Zheng and others look puzzled, he explained, "Hei Shi works in another city and has a public identity. Coming to the capital to have dinner with classmates is reasonable and won't arouse suspicion. But be discreet when talking and don't reveal yourself."
"Understood," Hei Shi agreed readily.
Luo Zheng thought it over and decided it was worth a try. As a spy, he trusted Hei Shi knew how to coax information but was still uneasy, suggesting, "Should I arrange soone to protect you secretly, just in case?"
"No need, that would actually be counterproductive. I'll invite a few more classmates to dinner tomorrow for greater cover. Besides, whether we can coax soone from inside the palace is uncertain. More people an more chances of exposure. You don't speak the local language and could easily raise suspicion, so let's skip that," Hei Shi politely refused.
"Alright, just be careful," Luo Zheng agreed.
"Is there anything you need to do?" He Guozhu picked up the conversation and asked.
"I'll think about it tonight and let you know tomorrow," Luo Zheng replied casually.
"Alright, I've arranged accommodation, follow ," He Guozhu agreed. Everyone retrieved their backpacks hidden underground and followed He Guozhu to the rear of the office building, entering the guest quarters. He Guozhu did not go inside, handing keycards to Luo Zheng—a total of six, one room per person—while saying, "It's an internal guest house, not open to the public. Tomorrow morning at seven, I'll co to have breakfast with everyone. Is that alright?"
"Sure, thank you," Luo Zheng agreed.
He Guozhu exchanged a couple of polite words and left. Everyone took their keycards and went to rest in their respective rooms. It was already deep into the night, and everyone was exhausted. Luo Zheng washed up but couldn't fall asleep as he lay in bed; the palace guards were heavily fortified, with no visible flaws potentially arranged by Jackson—what should he do?
Thinking of Jackson, an unwarranted anger surged within Luo Zheng. Last ti, during the High Peak summit protection of the Chairman, a Zhongnanhai bodyguard was killed with a headshot, and another staff mber was bitten by a venomous snake. All these were attributed to Jackson, causing Luo Zheng to angrily curse, "Co, let's square off this ti and see who's tougher."
Gradually, Luo Zheng cald down; a bold plan surfaced in his mind. After thoroughly simulating it in his head, he found its feasibility very high and beca too excited to sleep. He picked up the phone intending to dial Lan Xue's room line but decided against it, thinking it might disturb her rest.
Luo Zheng went to the window, gazing at the bright moonlight and swaying tree shadows outside, his heart gradually settling. He approached his computer, turned it on, and brought up the map near the palace for continued observation, calculating the plan's viability and flaws. Gradually, a clearer plan took shape in his mind.
With an action plan formulated, Luo Zheng's heart fully cald, a wave of drowsiness overwheld him, and he fell asleep quickly. Waking up the next morning to a knock at the door, it was Lan Xue's voice asking if he had awakened yet; He Guozhu had already co by to call them for breakfast. Glancing at his watch, Luo Zheng found it was exactly seven o'clock, causing him to smile wryly—it was the first ti he had slept so deeply, not waking even at seven.
"Co in," Luo Zheng responded, quickly getting up to wash up.
Lan Xue pushed the door open and entered, seeing Luo Zheng's sunken eyes and bloodshot eyes, clearly not having slept well. She couldn't help but say with concern, "Why don't you sleep a little more, I'll bring you so breakfast. Don't push yourself too hard; the mission is important, but so is your health. If your body breaks down, everything is lost."
"No worries, I thought of a plan last night, got a bit excited, and slept a little late," Luo Zheng replied casually with a smile, quickly putting on his coat and shoes, urging Lan Xue to step out together.
Everyone gathered in the guest house lobby where He Guozhu was waiting on the sofa. They all headed to the kitchen, and after breakfast, sat in He Guozhu's office, where He Guozhu looked seriously at Luo Zheng and said, "All our people are in place, ready to join the operation at any ti."
"Great, I thought of a plan last night; it's a bit crazy, and we do need your assistance. However, the retreat plan is still incomplete, and I need to think it over carefully and hear your opinion. You're familiar with the place. If the mission is completed, how do we retreat?" Luo Zheng asked seriously.
"Will it be exposed?" He Guozhu saw Luo Zheng didn't ntion the specific plan and didn't ask further, cautiously inquiring.
"How do we retreat if we're exposed? How if we're not?" Luo Zheng questioned.
"If we're not exposed, it's simple. We retreat back to the Embassy and leave via diplomatic channels, which is relatively safest. Therefore, your plan should ensure we avoid exposure. If exposed, retreat becos troubleso. To the north is a park, about a half-hour drive, dense with trees. We must rush into the forest ahead of ti and arrange vehicles on the mountain road beforehand to et us. When acting, it's best to wear masks to avoid face exposure, reducing retreat difficulty," He Guozhu quickly explained.
"Half an hour is too long. Are there underground garages or similar structures within a two-kiloter radius around the palace?" Luo Zheng, having studied the map last night and knowing about the park, imdiately rejected the idea; half-an-hour is enough to get surrounded, which is unacceptable, looking at He Guozhu expectantly.
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