Was My Father a Heinous Criminal and a Traitor?

What?!

Gao Zisheng's words sent the entire crowd into an uproar.

"Yue Xiaofei's father is a criminal? Is that true?"

The livestream chat filled with skeptical comments.

[A family of heroes produced a disgrace who tarnished its name?]

[If that's true, Yue Xiaofei might not be innocent either.]

[Looks like we need to investigate those allegations that he cheated on the college entrance exam!]

Lei Zhen frowned, thoroughly confused.

Yue Zhangkong was a man of unbending integrity. He often said his little brother was a born soldier—at three years old, the boy would salute before playing with a toy gun!

How could his brother be a criminal?

That went against everything the Yue Family stood for!

Beside him, Lin Tiejun found it hard to believe too.

Every soldier Yue Qinhu had trained was a man of honor.

How could his son be a villain?

Something about this was fishy!

"Xiaofei, what exactly happened?" Lin Tiejun couldn't help asking.

"Old Lin, my father was indeed sent to prison five years ago," Yue Xiaofei answered honestly.

"Hahaha! I knew it!"

Gao Zisheng shouted like a rabid dog.

"He must have committed some terrible crime. Maybe he took bribes—why else would they lock him up for so long? He's disgraced the whole Yue Family, and you're still putting on an act, Yue Xiaofei?"

"But—"

Yue Xiaofei suddenly raised his voice, drowning out Gao Zisheng's racket.

"My father served in the army when he was young too!"

"He said a soldier's blood runs red!"

"He said a soldier's backbone is unbreakable!"

"He said the word 'greed' isn't in a soldier's dictionary!"

"And then, five years ago, he was suddenly imprisoned. Something about it doesn't add up!"

Yue Xiaofei paused, then fixed Gao Zisheng with a piercing stare.

"If I hadn't carried that plaque to the Military Region and knelt there today, would the Gao Family have framed me and thrown me in prison too?"

"Would I have ended up like my father, unable to defend myself or seek justice?!"

His words struck everyone like a hammer.

He was right!

Without Lin Tiejun and Lei Zhen backing him, the Gao Family's men might already have beaten Yue Xiaofei into a cripple.

Who would have listened to his side of the story?

"He's right!"

Lei Zhen nodded. "Things like that happen more often than you'd think!"

Lin Tiejun began to have his doubts as well. "The old regimental commander's son could never be a disgrace. He may really have been framed!"

In fact, Yue Xiaofei had long felt that something was wrong.

After Yue Changlong was imprisoned, all news of him vanished. Yue Xiaofei didn't even know where he was being held; all they had received at the time was a notice from the authorities.

His mother had seemed to know something, but she had passed away last year. The anniversary of her death was only days away...

And his grandfather had dementia, so Yue Xiaofei couldn't ask him either.

Today was Yue Xiaofei's only chance to find answers!

"Old Lin, Uncle Lei!"

Yue Xiaofei's voice was pleading. "Please help me look into it! I want to know how my father is doing... whether he's even still alive."

By the last few words, his eyes were red and his voice had caught in his throat.

The boy who had refused to bow his head even when hundreds of thugs hunted him now showed a glimpse of vulnerability that made everyone's heart ache.

"Kid, I'm seeing this through!"

Lin Tiejun took out his phone, dialed a number, and spoke in a voice that rang like a bell.

"Old Wei, it's Lin Tiejun!"

"Look someone up for me. His name is Yue Changlong, and he went to prison five years ago!"

"Yes! Yue Qinhu's son!"

The other end of the line fell silent for a few seconds.

Then an aged voice came through. "Old Lin? Why are you looking into him?"

"Never mind that! Just find him!"

"Hold on!"

Everyone held their breath. Even Gao Zisheng forgot to shout.

Yue Xiaofei's palms were slick with sweat.

"I found him!"

The voice on the phone returned, tinged with concern.

"Yue Changlong was imprisoned five years ago. He's being held in Yanshan Prison!"

"What?!"

Lin Tiejun's voice shot up.

Lei Zhen's expression changed instantly.

Xiao Zhan drew a sharp breath.

The bystanders and the livestream viewers were all stunned.

[I'm a college student... can someone tell me what Yanshan Prison is? Is it a big deal?]

[Holy shit! It's Black Prison!]

[The most mysterious prison in the Dragon Kingdom. Almost nobody who goes in ever comes out!]

[They say the people locked up there are either powerful figures or demons!]

"Black Prison?"

Yue Xiaofei's heart sank when he heard the name.

"Yes."

Lin Tiejun's face was grave as he explained. "Outsiders call Yanshan Prison the Black Prison!"

"The people held there are either high-ranking officials who betrayed the country or killers with blood on their hands!"

"A life sentence would be getting off lightly there. Most of them are on death row!"

"How could the old regimental commander's son have ended up in a place like that?"

Beside him, Lei Zhen's brow furrowed.

"Something's definitely wrong! Even if he took bribes, he'd get ten years at most. That wouldn't come close to landing him in Black Prison!"

"Haha!"

Gao Zisheng suddenly burst out laughing. "I told you his dad was a criminal! So he's locked up in Black Prison! He must have betrayed the country. Maybe he colluded with the enemy and spied for a foreign power!"

"The Yue Family produced a traitor. What have you got to say now?"

"Shut up!"

Lin Tiejun roared and glared at Gao Zisheng. "Until we know the facts, keep your mouth shut!"

He shouted into the phone again. "Old Wei, what exactly did Yue Changlong do? Why is he in Yanshan Prison?"

The other end remained silent for a long time.

At last, a sigh came through.

"Old Lin, stop digging!"

"Yue Changlong's case is top secret. You don't have the clearance!"

What?!

Lin Tiejun froze!

He might have retired, but he was still a Major General who had fought in wars and earned honors. Yet he couldn't even learn what crime one prisoner had committed?

How was that possible?

"General Lin, let me!"

Lei Zhen suddenly snatched the phone and shouted to the man on the other end:

"I'm Lei Zhen, a two-star general in the Air Force!"

"Yue Changlong is the younger brother of my former captain, Yue Zhangkong!"

"Use my clearance and look it up now! I'll take responsibility if there's any trouble!"

Old Wei gave a bitter laugh on the other end.

"General Lei, it's not that I don't want to help. Even you don't have the clearance to look into it!"

Boom!

His words struck like thunder in everyone's ears!

Even Lei Zhen didn't have the clearance?

What on earth had Yue Changlong done?

"You heard him! If even you don't have clearance, the crime must be enormous!"

Gao Zisheng grew smug again, his arrogance returning.

"He definitely betrayed the country!"

"The Yue Family produced a traitor, and you're still protecting Yue Xiaofei?"

"You're a bunch of senile old fools!"

For a moment, even Lei Zhen and Lin Tiejun were at a loss for words. Neither knew how to argue back.

They believed in the Yue Family's principles!

But what if they were wrong?

What if Yue Changlong really had committed some heinous crime? What would they do then?

As the two of them hesitated, Yue Xiaofei spoke up again. "Old Lin, Uncle Lei, I know a way to prove my father's innocence!"

"What way?"

Lei Zhen and Lin Tiejun turned to him at once.

"This!"

Yue Xiaofei carefully took a yellowed photograph from inside his clothes.

It showed two young soldiers standing together!

"My father, Yue Changlong, is on the left. The man beside him is Zhao Mengsheng!"

"My father said Uncle Zhao was his best friend, a comrade he'd trusted with his life. He told me to go to Uncle Zhao if I ever needed help!"

"Old Lin, Uncle Lei, please help me!"

"Uncle Zhao Mengsheng should still be serving in the military. If we find him, I'm sure he can tell us what happened to my father back then and prove he's innocent!"