The next half of the day passed peacefully, with nothing out of the ordinary.
Shen Lang rested at the villa for the afternoon and drove to pick up Yu Xiao and Yu Fei home in the evening.
The next morning at eight o'clock, while Wang Yuyan was still sound asleep, Shen Lang had already driven Yu Xiao and Yu Fei to school.
After leaving the school, Shen Lang drove to the Military Guard Department, finally appearing at its entrance at nine in the morning.
The guards on duty were the same two from last time. Upon seeing Shen Lang, they immediately called Gu Qinghan.
Two minutes later, Gu Qinghan emerged, wearing a bulletproof helmet, body armor, a 92-style pistol at her waist, and holding a 95-style rifle with both hands. She exuded an imposing aura, her gaze sharp and filled with lethal intent.
"Little brother, you're here?"
The moment she saw Shen Lang, the icy expression on Gu Qinghan's face instantly melted into a radiant smile as she exclaimed excitedly.
"Sister—"
Looking at Gu Qinghan, Shen Lang's face also broke into a smile as he replied.
"You've come at the perfect time. We're selecting equipment. Come with me to the armory and pick out a set for yourself."
Gu Qinghan disengaged the safety on her rifle, slung it over her shoulder, and linked her arm with Shen Lang's, saying, "We've received intelligence from the Information Department that Tang Jiutian is highly likely to attempt a jailbreak. We must be fully equipped and leave no room for error."
"Alright—"
Hearing Gu Qinghan's words, Shen Lang did not refuse. He nodded and followed her into the Military Guard Department.
Five minutes later, after a series of registrations and verifications, Shen Lang and Gu Qinghan found themselves in the armory of the Military Guard Department.
Here, there were not only bulletproof helmets and vests but also a dazzling array of rifles and handguns that left one's eyes swimming.
At this moment, forty to fifty people were already selecting their gear.
Each of them exuded an oppressive aura, clearly indicating they were no ordinary individuals.
Upon seeing Gu Qinghan arrive with Shen Lang, a stranger, everyone abruptly stopped what they were doing and stared intently at Shen Lang.
"Director Gu, who is he, and why did you bring him here?"
A man, standing at 1.8 meters tall with a long scar across his left eye and a ferocious expression, approached Gu Qinghan and demanded, "Don't you know this is a restricted area of the Military Guard Department? How can you bring a stranger here?"
"Team Leader Qin, I am well aware of the Military Guard Department's regulations. I would not deliberately break them."
Facing the man's accusation, Gu Qinghan's smile vanished. She pointed at Shen Lang and introduced him, "This is my younger brother, Shen Lang. He will be participating in this escort and security operation with us. I'm here to help him select his equipment. Is there a problem with that?"
After speaking, Gu Qinghan pointed at the man and introduced him to Shen Lang, "Little brother, this is Qin Long, the leader of the Special Operations Team and the deputy leader for this mission. Make his acquaintance."
"What?"
Upon hearing Gu Qinghan's words, not only Qin Long but also the other members looked at Gu Qinghan with disbelief.
No one had expected Gu Qinghan to bring a stranger into the restricted area of the Military Guard Department, let alone state that he would be participating in the mission.
"Gu Qinghan, do you know what you're saying?"
Qin Long's face was filled with displeasure. He said, "This mission is of utmost importance, and all participating members are elite experts from the Military Guard Department. You say you want to bring a stranger to participate in the mission, what is this all about?"
"Gu Qinghan, although you are the person in charge of this operation, I absolutely do not agree with this reckless behavior."
He then looked at the others and asked, "Do you all agree?"
"We disagree."
The other military guards responded with a stern shout.
These guards were all members of the Special Operations Team, not the Criminal Investigation Department, so they had not witnessed Shen Lang's prowess.
In their minds, they all considered Shen Lang to be a person with connections, and naturally, they did not welcome him.
After all, this mission was critical and extremely dangerous. Bringing along someone with no skills who might require special attention in case of any unforeseen circumstances.
Life and death could be decided in an instant. No one wanted to be held back by someone with connections, leading to the mission's failure or even their complete annihilation.
"See? Gu Qinghan, not only do I disagree, but the other team members also disagree. So, you can tell this kid to go back where he came from."
Seeing the other members speaking in unison, a hint of smugness flashed across Qin Long's face.
He was a seasoned leader of the Special Operations Team, yet this mission's primary responsibility fell to Gu Qinghan, which already displeased him.
He had never imagined that Gu Qinghan would even consider bringing someone with connections into the mission; this filled him with extreme dissatisfaction.
Now that he had embarrassed Gu Qinghan publicly, Qin Long felt much better.
The anger of the masses was difficult to resist. Qin Long believed Gu Qinghan to be a smart person and knew how to make a choice.
If Gu Qinghan were to send Shen Lang, the man with connections, away, he would, in effect, have gained an advantage over her. Then, during the mission, Gu Qinghan would not be able to dictate terms.
Qin Long knew Gu Qinghan and deeply admired her, respecting her from the bottom of his heart.
However, for a long time, Qin Long had held a certain belief.
Women were fine in criminal investigation, but for life-or-death combat missions, how could a woman possibly participate? And even making her the primary person in charge of the operation—wasn't that a joke?
It was precisely for this reason that his Special Operations Team had never recruited women, and the military guards participating in today's mission were all men.
Yet, in the face of everyone's outrage, Gu Qinghan's expression showed no sign of wavering.
She looked at the indignant Qin Long and the other mission members and said calmly, "Shen Lang's participation in this operation is not my unilateral decision, nor was it a last-minute decision. I submitted the application yesterday, and Old Song has already approved it."
"If any of you have objections, you can call Old Song directly. However, I hope we don't waste too much time."
"What?"
As soon as Gu Qinghan spoke, Qin Long and the other mission members were once again stunned, their pupils widening.
They had initially assumed this was Gu Qinghan acting on her own initiative. They never expected that Gu Qinghan had already submitted an application, and that Old Song had actually approved it.
Old Song was the director of the Military Guard Department, a man of integrity who could not be swayed by anyone. How could he agree to such a matter?
"Gu Qinghan, you're lying. I don't believe you."
Qin Long stared at Gu Qinghan and shouted, "I don't believe Old Song would agree to such a ridiculous thing. You are lying."
"If you don't believe me, you can call him directly now to verify."
Gu Qinghan casually raised her hand and said.
"Hmph—"
Qin Long snorted coldly at her words, then took out his phone and dialed a number.
However, when Qin Long angrily explained the situation to the person on the other end, he only received a brief response: "Yes, it was I who approved Shen Lang's participation in this operation. You can keep your objections, but you must execute it unconditionally."