First Battlefield Commander! - Chapter 203
Chapter 203: Discovery
Lian Sheng pulled off Cornell's jacket and draped it over herself. Then she split up with him to take separate routes.
They weren't far from the rental house. Upon receiving the message, Harry immediately started sprinting. Zhao Zhuoluo, worried they might be short-handed, also rushed out.
Lian Sheng jogged toward the street corner.
Before long, several black-clad men appeared ahead. After carefully looking at her, they were surprised to find she wasn't their target. Momentarily stunned, they turned to leave—just as Harry charged at them from behind.
As a sports student, Zhao Zhuoluo couldn't display too much combat skill, but he could still deliver powerful impacts.
Harry, with his rich combat experience, had no trouble handling one-on-one fights.
Zhao Zhuoluo blocked the right path while Harry swiftly grabbed one man and pinned him to the ground with lightning speed.
The other two black-clad men immediately became wary.
Seeing them reach for their waists, Lian Sheng immediately shouted, "Why are you following me? Who sent you?"
Their location near the street corner had already attracted attention from passersby due to the commotion. As exchange students from District 14 with unclear backgrounds, they couldn't be casually harmed.
Since they hadn't found their target, there was no need to expose themselves. Mistaken by the other party's misunderstanding, the men didn't want to escalate the situation and withdrew their hands.
"No! You've got the wrong people!" one black-clad man said. "We were just passing by!"
Harry growled, "Why were you following my boss? Speak up!"
"Who followed her? Can't we walk on this street?" the black-clad man retorted.
Harry: "I'll report you for... for... for indecent assault!"
Zhao Zhuoluo corrected, "...Indecent assault."
Harry: "Indecent assault!"
Black-clad man: "...I didn't even touch her."
"Just now, a group of people tried to attack me. Luckily, Cornell reacted quickly and chased them off. And now you show up?" Lian Sheng said sternly. "I think this is a diversion tactic—pretty sneaky! We're calling the police! We must call the police!"
Zhao Zhuoluo had already dialed the police.
Hearing this, the black-clad men showed no sign of panic. "It's really a misunderstanding. Let him go first, and we won't run."
Harry snorted but released the man.
Within five minutes, patrolling officers arrived. After a verbal inquiry, they asked Lian Sheng to sign a statement.
Lian Sheng frowned. "District 14 would never be like this! Gelen is supposed to be a powerful nation—how can its port be so chaotic?"
The officer said, "We can escort you back."
"No need," Lian Sheng said angrily. "Just deal with your security issues first. This is really too much!"
The group turned and ran back to the rental house, grumbling along the way.
By the time they returned, Cornell had already arrived.
Lian Sheng tossed the jacket onto a nearby table. Zhou Shirui couldn't wait to ask, "What happened? Is everything okay?"
Lian Sheng went to close the curtains before walking back. "At first, it was just some idle troublemakers. But the ones later... probably weren't friendly."
Lu Mingyuan: "You mean Gelen officials? Have they already discovered our identities?"
Lian Sheng said, "Not necessarily."
Ji Ban asked, "Then what do they want? Acting so openly and making such a big scene."
Lian Sheng sat on the sofa, opened a bottle of water for herself, and said, "Do you know what factor currently fills Gelen the most—even affecting its overall social stability?"
Zhao Zhuoluo said, "Anti-war sentiment."
"Right." Lian Sheng snapped her fingers. "Then do you know who Cornell is?"
Harry shouted from the side, "Cornell is Cornell!"
Lian Sheng motioned for him to calm down. "Cornell is someone who, because he resembles Edwin, has been oppressed in the Alliance. Edwin is their national idol, with most people being his fervent fans. Seeing someone like him suffering so much injustice in the Alliance—with the Alliance keeping him under surveillance, refusing to grant him freedom—how would the public react?"
The group fell into a heavy silence.
Harry said anxiously, "We can't let them take Cornell away!"
"I know, of course not." Lian Sheng crossed her legs. "Otherwise, coming here would be like delivering prey straight to their mouths."
"If the other party is from the Gelen government or military, with just the few of us, we might not be able to hide."
"Brother Dao said the port is a special place. Since he let Cornell come with us, he must be confident they wouldn't dare act openly." Lian Sheng said, "Given the intense internal debates in Gelen right now, the port won't be controlled by just one faction. They can probably guess what the other side wants to do, mutually restraining and sabotaging each other. This situation is actually safer for us."
The truth that Cornell was a clone was known only to a handful of people. This was something that couldn't be publicly disclosed.
Cloning was explicitly banned in all nations, with too much social controversy and severe consequences—especially since the target was Edwin. Only insiders in Gelen could have obtained Edwin's genes, exposing the research they'd been conducting in secret.
Whichever side was exposed would face devastating repercussions.
As for the Alliance, having known but not reported it while raising Cornell, their motives would be hard to explain.
Neither the Alliance nor Gelen wanted this to happen.
But clearly, the ones who needed Cornell most were Gelen's pro-war faction—Barite's people.
Lian Sheng looked at Cornell and awkwardly rubbed her hair. Cornell gave her a slight nod.
Lian Sheng knew he was mentally prepared.
"Next time, we'll take precautions. This was too rushed—I didn't expect them to act so quickly." Lian Sheng said, "If it happens again, follow those black-clad men and see who's behind them."
Harry said, "That's too dangerous!"
Using Cornell as bait. Though Cornell was indeed a golden bait.
"So it's best not to do that." Lian Sheng said, "From now on, Cornell, you'll come to class with me. When walking, avoid secluded routes and stay in public view as much as possible. Having many people paying attention to you might not be a bad thing."
Fang Jianchen said, "Oh, the rich kid's going to start attending classes?"
"Of course." Lian Sheng touched her newly cut hair. "I don't need bait to win over the professor."
The eight exchange students officially settled into their routines.
Hundred Meter Flying Dagger only contacted them once, delivering some eavesdropping and tracking devices but giving no further instructions. Perhaps the current situation made it inconvenient to meet, so they had to improvise.
From that day on, they moved together. Cornell, mixed among them, didn't encounter any more danger. After all, acting rashly and leaving evidence for the opposition wouldn't be worth it.
The previous agent still wanted to give them the photos he'd taken to improve relations, even admitting to the earlier farcical behavior. But Lian Sheng refused.
The professor Lian Sheng wanted to get close to no longer regularly taught at the university.
He was busy with official duties and didn't live near the school. He only taught remotely once a week, mostly offline since he never responded to any questions.
The only chance to meet him privately was through the chess club where he served as an advisor.
The club held monthly chess tournaments, and the winner seemed to be invited to his home for a game.
This was a great opportunity—maybe they could discover something.
After that, it was just waiting.
The group made steady progress, adapting well to Gelen without any mishaps.
Each of them was outstanding among their peers—otherwise, the Alliance wouldn't have chosen them. And with university classes being mostly free, as long as they were well-prepared, there wouldn't be any major blunders.
For Ji Ban, attending university properly for the first time was unexpectedly nice.
However, as Hundred Meter Flying Dagger had said, people occasionally approached them for conversation, probing skillfully.
For example, when talking to Lian Sheng, someone might mention a past chess tournament participant to fish for information. They hadn't actually participated, mostly matching details from online research, so no flaws were exposed.
Or they'd bring up the other exchange students, deliberately spreading misinformation to see if she'd correct them.
Lian Sheng skillfully confirmed some parts while denying others, claiming she didn't know.
In the first few days, this happened frequently. Perhaps because they had Cornell and Harry with them and came from District 14, which was friendly with the Alliance, they drew extra attention. But after half a month, it lessened slightly.
One day, Lian Sheng went to pick up Ji Ban from school. He was still in the lab helping with repairs.
Lian Sheng asked, "What are you doing?"
Ji Ban looked up. "He said this is an officially licensed derivative model from District 14, but the engine's broken. He asked if I could fix it."
The student smiled at Lian Sheng.
Ji Ban opened the chassis and said, "This probably isn't the official version, right?"
The boy said, "Huh? No way! This is a limited-edition model—I spent tens of thousands on it! I even had a friend specially get it for me."
"Look at these parts—they're R3 caliber. But District 14 stopped producing R3 parts last year. The label says it was manufactured this January. If it were official, the parts wouldn't match." Ji Ban said, "I don't think it's genuine. Maybe you should check again?"
The boy looked stunned. "Really?"
Ji Ban stood up. "I've already replaced the broken parts. I used lab components—go pay the administrator."
The boy nodded. "Okay, okay. Thanks."
Ji Ban packed his things, and Harry carried them for him. The four returned to the rental house.
Ji Ban said, "It's been weird lately—so many people have been approaching me."
Luckily, they'd done their homework beforehand and reviewed daily.
Lian Sheng nodded to show she understood.
They could clearly feel the entire port tightening security.
Plainclothes officers increased, and random police ID checks became more frequent. The enthusiasm for tracking Cornell also waned, as if something else had captured their attention.
Ji Ban asked, "How's the chess club going? Will you make it in time?"
Lian Sheng said, "I don't know."
It wasn't like they had other options.
Speaking of Go, Gelen people truly weren't good at it.
Their checkers and chess were interesting, but this club loved Go.
Lian Sheng waited a week for their tournament to resume.
Winning at chess also depended on luck. If matched against a tough opponent, a whole club session might yield just one game.
Players were randomly paired. Lian Sheng won seven straight matches, gaining momentum. In her eighth match, she encountered an interesting opponent.
A young man in his twenties, seemingly also an exchange student. He was very serious—and very nervous.
They played for over an hour without a clear winner.
Lian Sheng rested her chin on her hand and suddenly asked, "Do you like playing Go?"
The young man paused, then nodded. "Of course. But your style is strange. It doesn't resemble any popular style now."
Lian Sheng said, "What does it matter if it's strange? As long as I win, right?"
The young man nodded. "Is that so? Are you so sure you'll win?"
"If you're not cheating, I've already won." Lian Sheng pointed at his eyes. "Your focus clearly isn't on the board. When thinking, your gaze is unfocused, lingering on meaningless spots. It means you're not really thinking. Someone who truly loves Go wouldn't do this, right?"
The young man looked up, studying her.
Lian Sheng said, "I'm a well-known player in District 14—are you underestimating me? I hate when people play tricks in front of me. It feels like mockery."
She reached to press the buzzer to call the referee.
"Wait! Don't." The young man stopped her hand, pleading. "I just really want to meet the professor and learn from him. If you'd give me this chance, I..."
Lian Sheng cut in, "I won't. Has no one told you I don't need money? Besides money, what else can you offer me?"
The young man clearly hadn't prepared for this—or never met someone like Lian Sheng. He stammered, "I..."
He tried to persuade her, frowning with difficulty. "I have reasons I must see him. Please give me a chance."
Lian Sheng remained unmoved. "You... what does that have to do with me?"
Young man: "..."
Lian Sheng reached past him again for the buzzer. He urgently said, "Wait! Don't press it—I forfeit!"
Lian Sheng shrugged.
The young man left, thoroughly frustrated.
Lian Sheng checked the tournament log. At this rate, it might take another week to crown a champion.
Luck was unpredictable. Even if she won, she'd just play Go at his house. When would she ever get close to the professor?
This roundabout approach was too slow. If Hundred Meter Flying Dagger didn't give them a hint soon, the opportunity would be gone.
Should they really let Cornell take a risk?
Obviously not. Without backup at the port, they could lose everything. And it'd be too unethical.
After two more days of Go, nothing changed. Life was too leisurely.
Lian Sheng felt they couldn't continue like this and decided to discuss it with the others.
Zhao Zhuoluo and the other three came out of school together.
Fang Jianchen, drenched in sweat and wearing a tank top, gestured excitedly. "We crushed the other department today—total victory! All thanks to my two three-pointers!"
Lian Sheng: "..."
She worried he might get too into character and forget who he really was.
Soon, Zhou Shirui and Lu Mingyuan also returned.
Once inside, they immediately pulled out their optical computers.
Seeing this, the others gathered around.
Lu Mingyuan explained, "Brother Dao gave us some tools earlier and told us to discreetly install surveillance near a few street corners. We didn't need full coverage—just relatively open angles. We did that, then analyzed the daily traffic footage. We noticed several vehicles appearing repeatedly with different plates but similar parking spots and regular timing."
"Senior Lu and I thought they might belong to nearby plainclothes officers, so we planted trackers on them when passing by." Zhou Shirui said, "For half a month, nothing changed. But just now, three of them left simultaneously, heading in the same direction."
Lian Sheng said admiringly, "Breakthrough development still relies on technicians!"
The group applauded enthusiastically.
Lian Sheng asked, "Where are they going?"
Zhou Shirui turned the screen toward her. "From their current route, they're heading north and haven't stopped yet."
Lu Mingyuan: "Judging by their path, they'll likely pass through a busy area."
Lian Sheng pondered. "Any word from Hundred Meter Flying Dagger?"
Zhou Shirui: "No. But he should receive our map updates—maybe he's noticed too."
Lu Mingyuan looked up. "So now... do we check it out?"
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