Chapter Sixty-Seven: Secrets

“Pfft~~ Chen Hao’s Grand Strategy…” Fan Yirou burst out laughing. “What a bizarre name… But it actually sounds rather interesting!”

Meanwhile, as the two women chatted upstairs, Chen Hao had been downstairs packing his luggage, completely unaware of their conversation. If he had overheard, he would have been both excited and astonished: excited because Fan Yirou truly liked him and intended to be with him, and astonished because Gu Mengyan, whom he always regarded as a younger sister, had also harbored deep feelings for him for so many years. Moreover, the two women were about to wage a battle for his affection, with him as the battleground.

After finishing packing, Chen Hao headed out toward the lobby. Not only did he miss the upstairs conversation, but he also had no idea that someone was leaning against the door of his room across the hall.

Chen Hao’s floor was the highest in the hotel, so as he took the elevator down, other guests from lower floors joined him. Normally, these strangers would interact with indifference, but halfway down, the elevator stopped, and some unexpected people entered, surprising Chen Hao.

Though they didn’t know Chen Hao, he recognized them immediately. All the new arrivals wore identical uniforms with a distinctive emblem on their chests, clearly belonging to the same company or organization.

As it happened, this company was a long-standing partner of Chen Hao’s family enterprise, regularly contracted to handle security for the Chen family business. Chen Hao had even met their boss several times, so he considered himself a half-acquaintance. Seeing their staff, Chen Hao was about to greet them.

But just as he was about to step forward, their conversation caught his attention.

One of them glanced at Chen Hao upon entering, saw that he looked like an ordinary traveler, and began talking to his companions in words that sounded nonsensical to outsiders: “Did Alpha run into trouble?”

Another nodded. “It’s a tough one! Broken legs!”

“How many?”

“They’re all done for!”

“All done for?!”

“Not just Alpha’s team, the other batches of eggs are broken too.”

“…” The first man looked back at Chen Hao, who pretended not to notice, then continued, “What’s Normandy’s background?”

His companion shook his head. “Let’s talk when we get there.”

After this, they fell silent, but their bodies, which had been relaxed, now tensed up instinctively. Chen Hao, trained in martial arts, could tell at a glance that they were now in a state of heightened alert.

What intrigued Chen Hao even more was their conversation. He understood every word, not because it was gibberish, but because he was familiar with the jargon. Since he knew the security company boss, he had learned plenty of their internal terminology—essentially coded language.

Most security firms use such jargon during operations to prevent sensitive information from leaking to adversaries. Only insiders or those in the field would know what these words really meant, and Chen Hao was one of those rare outsiders who did.

He decoded their conversation perfectly: “Alpha” referred to the A team or the lead squad; “trouble” meant encountering difficulties; “tough one” indicated big problems; “broken legs” signified heavy losses; “all done for” meant total defeat; and “other batches of eggs broken” meant other teams had met the same fate.

Chen Hao translated it word for word and was surprised by the implications. The security firm was highly capable—one of the industry’s top names, trusted to protect his family’s business. What kind of operation could cause total annihilation of a whole squad? And apparently, other security companies involved had suffered the same fate. What were they doing?

Unfortunately, their conversation ended before they revealed any details about the mission or its location, leaving Chen Hao in the dark. But since they were now in Kestal, and judging by their last remarks, it seemed these men were being sent as reinforcements or for a rescue operation, which at least indicated the mission was nearby.

But why Kestal? Although Chen Hao had never been here before, two of the most important people in his life were deeply connected to this place: his father, who once came to Kestal for business, and Gu Mengyan. It was during that trip that his father met Gu Mengyan, who lost her parents in a sudden disaster and was adopted by Chen Hao’s father.

Chen Hao’s father once said that Gu Mengyan lost her parents due to an unforeseen event and disaster. Many researchers who came to Kestal at that time died on the spot—her parents among them. Chen Ding’an never divulged more, out of consideration for Gu Mengyan.

From what his father implied, Gu Mengyan actually knew what happened, but being so young and traumatized by her parents’ death, her mind’s self-protection mechanism locked away those memories, so she’s never been able to recall what happened.

If Chen Ding’an had told Chen Hao the full story, and Chen Hao accidentally revealed it to Gu Mengyan, it could trigger her painful memories and cause severe psychological harm. Chen Hao understood this and never pressed his father for details.

That’s why, when Gu Mengyan suggested they travel to Kestal, Chen Hao felt uneasy.

Now, hearing the security team’s conversation in the elevator, his unease deepened. Although there was no concrete evidence linking the two, he couldn’t help but worry and became more alert. Fortunately, the three of them were here as tourists—not for business like his father had been—so hopefully nothing would go wrong. At least, that’s what Chen Hao hoped.

The elevator soon reached the ground floor. The security staff left quickly, and Chen Hao walked alone to the reception desk.

“Hello! I’m the guest staying on the top floor today. My name is Chen Hao!” he greeted the receptionist naturally.

“Welcome, Mr. Chen. Are you and your two lady companions satisfied with your room? Is there anything I can assist you with?”

Even without introducing himself, Chen Hao would have been recognized. Staff at such a high-end hotel are extremely professional, and the top-floor suite is the most luxurious and expensive. Moreover, the three of them, refined and attractive—a handsome man and two beautiful women—were bound to leave an impression.

Chen Hao nodded and smiled. “The room is excellent; I’m very satisfied. No offense, but honestly, I never expected to find such a luxurious hotel in Kestal—it’s far beyond my expectations.”

“We are honored that you’re pleased with our hotel!” the receptionist replied courteously. “Is there anything I can help you with?”

“Well, since this is my first time in Kestal, I’m not very familiar with the area. As you can see, my friends and I are tourists. Could you tell me what local sights or attractions are worth visiting?”

The receptionist smiled politely. “I see. I wish I could help, but honestly, even I don’t know of any particularly interesting places in Kestal. As you know, Kestal is at the nation’s far southwest, surrounded mostly by mountains and rivers.

The city isn’t very developed—some might say it’s quite backward. There aren’t any unique local customs or cuisine. The only thing I can recommend is the big forest.”

Chen Hao found her reply amusing—it was the first time a hotel staff had described their locale so candidly. In other places, even if there’s little to see, staff would find creative ways to promote the area. Yet today, this young woman admitted there was nothing to do!

“Haha! You’re quite an interesting person. If you don’t mind me asking, since there’s not much to do here, why build such an upscale hotel?”

The receptionist patiently explained, “Actually, the hotel was not originally intended for domestic tourists. As you know, most travelers—except those wealthy like yourself—usually stay in budget hotels.

Our hotel was built to accommodate foreign guests and researchers from various companies. Even before our hotel existed, many foreigners and research staff would come to Kestal. So our main clientele has always been those groups.

I don’t mean to belittle domestic tourists or overcharge foreigners—just stating the facts.”

Her professional explanation didn’t make Chen Hao uncomfortable, but piqued his interest even more. So there had always been many researchers and foreigners coming here—surely Kestal must harbor some special secrets…