Chapter Summaries

Key events

• Hou Liangbing declares that everyone who stood by Yue Xiaofei—including Lin Tiejun and his young granddaughter, Lin Xiaolu—will be arrested. His Elite Guards seize Lin Tiejun and shove Xiaolu to the floor.
• Yue Xiaofei urges Hou to punish him alone and leave the others out of it, but Hou refuses, boasting that he has defeated all of Yue’s protectors and that no one can stop him.
• Elder Xu, until now a quiet observer, rises and challenges Hou’s confidence. He mocks Hou as a “monkey” taking power while the “tiger” is away and calls him a fool.
• Hou threatens Elder Xu and demands his name and position. Elder Xu calmly replies that someone of Hou’s standing is not qualified to investigate him.

Character developments and interactions

• Hou Liangbing grows more openly arrogant and abusive, using his apparent backing to disregard rank, rules, and the safety of others.
• Yue Xiaofei shows concern for his allies, especially when Xiaolu is hurt, and tries to take responsibility himself.
• Elder Xu shifts from unobtrusive bystander to calm challenger, suggesting he has far greater authority than Hou realizes.
• Lin Tiejun and Ouyang Jian recognize Elder Xu’s identity and watch Hou’s threats with pity, anticipating that he has made a serious mistake.
• Lin Xiaolu bravely tries to protect her grandfather but is pushed aside.

Significant themes

• Arrogance and overreach: Hou mistakes power for immunity and targets anyone who opposes him.
• Hidden authority: Elder Xu’s quiet presence contrasts with Hou’s bluster, hinting that true power may lie with someone Hou has dismissed.
• Loyalty and protection: Yue Xiaofei tries to shield his friends, while Lin Xiaolu acts courageously for her grandfather.

Elder Xu challenged Bureau 7 deputy chief Hou Liangbing over his ignorance of the bureau’s founder and condemned his abuse of authority and reliance on the Zhong Family. The chapter ended with Elder Xu declaring that the people—not noble families—were the only ones who mattered.

• Hou Liangbing threatened to investigate Elder Xu, but Elder Xu mocked his rank as a “little position,” making Lin Xiaolu laugh.
• Elder Xu asked Hou Liangbing who founded Bureau 7, and Hou Liangbing realized the founder’s identity was hidden behind the bureau’s highest security clearance.
• Elder Xu recalled that Yue Qinhu had founded Bureau 7 under orders from the highest authority and revealed that Hou Liangbing was trying to arrest Yue Qinhu’s grandson.
• Hou Liangbing demanded Elder Xu’s name and rank, but Elder Xu gave only his surname, Xu.
• Hou Liangbing invoked his father-in-law and the Zhong Family, prompting Elder Xu to denounce great clans and affirm that the people were what mattered.

Key plot points and events

• Hou Liangbing, enraged by Elder Xu’s public rebuke, orders his Bureau 7 guards to arrest him and accuses him of being a spy.
• Ouyang Jian warns Hou that arresting Elder Xu could bring consequences powerful enough to endanger Hou and the Zhong Family, but the guards restrain him.
• Elder Xu calmly accepts arrest, warning Hou that he may eventually beg for his release—and that Hou could end up causing his future father-in-law’s death rather than marrying into the family.
• Hou responds with more threats and orders everyone taken in. Elder Xu, Yue Xiaofei, Lin Tiejun, Ouyang Jian, Chen Mo, and Lin Xiaolu are handcuffed.
• The group is driven away from Modu Naval Port in Bureau 7 vehicles. Hou watches triumphantly, but Elder Xu assures Yue that Hou’s power will soon be checked.

Character developments

• Hou Liangbing becomes increasingly reckless and vindictive, ignoring warnings and using his authority to retaliate.
• Elder Xu remains composed and confident, even under arrest, suggesting he knows Hou’s actions will soon bring consequences.
• Yue Xiaofei feels responsible for the danger facing his allies, but Elder Xu’s reassurance steadies him.
• Lin Tiejun feels guilty that he cannot protect his granddaughter or Yue, while Lin Xiaolu protests being taken away.
• Ouyang Jian recognizes the danger of Hou’s decision but is powerless to stop it.

Significant themes

• Power versus justice: Hou abuses official authority, while Elder Xu insists that wrongdoing cannot permanently pass for truth.
• The people’s strength: Elder Xu invokes “Long live the people” as a principle that outweighs family status and political influence.
• Composure amid oppression: Elder Xu’s calm contrasts with Hou’s rage and gives the others hope.
• Loyalty and responsibility: Yue worries that those who support him are suffering because of him.

Character interactions

• Hou and Elder Xu exchange threats: Hou claims no one can escape Bureau 7, while Elder Xu predicts Hou will regret the arrest.
• Ouyang Jian tries to warn Hou and stop the guards, but is held down.
• Yue apologizes to Elder Xu; Elder Xu rejects the blame and reassures him.
• Lin Tiejun apologizes to Yue and Lin Xiaolu, who is being arrested alongside the others.

Xu Sanjiang told Zhang Beihai that Elder Xu had gone missing with retired general Lin Tiejun, then gave Bureau 7 three hours to find him before he mobilized the North Sea Theater. Zhang Beihai declared the highest-level alert and ordered a nationwide search for Elder Xu and Lin Tiejun.

• At Jade Spring Mountain, Xu Sanjiang delayed Elder Xu’s birthday banquet for three hours while claiming his father had caught a chill.
• Xu Sanjiang told Zhang Beihai that Elder Xu had left with Lin Tiejun to find Yue Qinhu, but Yue Qinhu had not seen him.
• Xu Sanjiang demanded that Zhang Beihai find Elder Xu within three hours or face a blanket search by the North Sea Theater.
• Zhang Beihai activated Bureau 7’s highest-level red alert and ordered all personnel to return and search for Xu Anbang and Lin Tiejun.
• Zhang Beihai ordered Bureau 7 to activate the Sky Eye system and warned that everyone in the bureau would lose their jobs if they failed to find Elder Xu.

Hou Liangbing ignored Bureau Chief Zhang Beihai’s order to help find missing Founding Hero Xu Anbang, choosing instead to pursue his plan to hand Yue Xiaofei over to Eagle Country. He switched off his phone, convinced Zhang’s crisis could clear his path to becoming Bureau Chief.

• Hou Liangbing rode with Bureau 7’s convoy, celebrating the capture of Yue Xiaofei’s powerful backers and imagining the rewards and authority he would gain from Eagle Country.
• Zhang Beihai called Hou Liangbing and urgently told him that Xu Anbang had gone missing in Longdu, ordering him to stop his mission and use every available resource to find him.
• Zhang Beihai said he had pledged to the Xu Family that Xu Anbang would be found within three hours or he would resign as Bureau Chief.
• Hou Liangbing refused to help, claiming that his international-relations mission was more important and would earn him tremendous credit.
• Hou Liangbing hung up and switched off his phone, dismissing Xu Anbang’s disappearance and hoping Zhang Beihai’s failure would create an opening for him to become Bureau Chief.

After Zhang Beihai begged [Man-Rat] to find Xu Anbang, she discovered that Hou Liangbing had arrested him and Yue Xiaofei in Modu. She hid the discovery from Zhang and secretly informed Xu Wanqing that Xu Anbang was in Modu.

• Zhang Beihai asked [Man-Rat] to use her hacking skills to find Xu Anbang.
• [Man-Rat] traced Xu Anbang to Modu Naval Port, where Hou Liangbing had put him and Yue Xiaofei into a car.
• [Man-Rat] shared the satellite image with the [Reverse Scale] squad, whose members were stunned that Hou Liangbing had arrested the man he was supposed to find.
• [Man-Rat] told Zhang Beihai that she could not find Xu Anbang while continuing to recover the data.
• [Man-Rat] broke into a military communications channel and told Xu Wanqing that Xu Anbang was in Modu.

Xu Wanqing learned that her great-grandfather was in danger in Modu, so her family rushed to reach him. Qin Qianshan secured a cleared route, and the Xu family sped off in a gold-plate Red Flag Limousine.

• Xu Wanqing received an untraceable call warning that her great-grandfather was in danger in Modu.
• Xu Wanqing told her family, and military technicians failed to trace the caller.
• Xu Sanjiang urged the family to leave for Modu, while Xu Jingtao warned that travel would take too long.
• Qin Qianshan ordered traffic control across the route and secured green lights all the way.
• The Xu family set off in a gold-plate Red Flag Limousine, whose absolute right of way astonished drivers.

Plot points and events

• Yue Xiaofei, Lin Tiejun, Jin Dapao, Ouyang Jian, and Elder Xu are brought in handcuffs to Bureau 7’s Modu headquarters at Sheshan. Hou Liangbing follows, pleased that events are going according to plan.
• Yue is drawn to a large statue in the courtyard: a muscular warrior with a hollow, glowing red heart.
• The inscription on its base reads, “Our cause may not shine for a moment, but it will endure forever!”
• Hou explains that the statue represents Bureau 7’s spirit and stands at branches throughout the country. Before he can say more, Elder Xu asks whether he knows why the statue was designed that way.

Character developments

• Yue’s attention shifts from his captors to the statue. Its posture and build remind him of his grandfather, Yue Qinhu, stirring a strong personal response.
• Hou is smug and eager to use Bureau 7’s symbols and history to intimidate Yue and the other prisoners.
• Elder Xu remains dignified and composed despite being restrained, and interrupts Hou with a pointed question.

Significant themes

• Endurance and legacy: The inscription celebrates a cause that may not achieve immediate glory but will persist.
• Symbols and belief: The statue embodies Bureau 7’s ideals, while its burning heart suggests fervor and sacrifice.
• Power and intimidation: Hou uses the organization’s history to assert control over the prisoners.

Character interactions

• Hou addresses Yue condescendingly and presents the statue as a demonstration of Bureau 7’s superiority.
• Elder Xu challenges Hou’s speech by asking about the statue’s design, setting up a deeper explanation.

Key plot points and events

• Hou Liangbing, deputy director of Bureau 7, gives a shallow explanation of the bureau’s statue, calling it a symbol of art and patriotic sacrifice.
• Elder Xu corrects him: the figure’s pose was an old intelligence signal meaning, “I’m in position, awaiting orders.”
• He explains that the statue’s hollow, illuminated heart represents an oath to put the country and its people before oneself—and to be ready to sacrifice for them.
• Elder Xu’s passionate speech, ending with “Offer your hearts!”, shakes everyone in the square. He then asks Hou who the statue was modeled after.

Character developments

• Elder Xu reveals deep knowledge of Bureau 7’s history and ideals, and commands the scene despite being in handcuffs. He appears far more significant than Hou had assumed.
• Hou’s arrogance gives way to surprise and uncertainty when he realizes that a prisoner understands the bureau’s creed better than he does.
• The gathered agents and Yue Xiaofei and Jin Dapao are visibly moved by Elder Xu’s conviction.

Significant themes

• Duty and sacrifice: True service means giving oneself for the nation, its people, freedom, and peace.
• Institutional memory: Symbols and traditions carry meanings that can be forgotten by those who inherit them.
• Conviction versus empty slogans: Elder Xu’s lived understanding contrasts with Hou’s conventional, hollow explanation.

Character interactions

• Hou mocks Elder Xu, but Elder Xu ignores the insult and responds with an authoritative lesson.
• Elder Xu’s words silence and inspire the crowd, changing the balance of power between prisoner and official.
• His closing question challenges Hou to confront the statue’s deeper history.

Plot points

• Hou Liangbing insists the statue is symbolic, arguing that Bureau 7 agents’ identities are secret and accusing Elder Xu of ignorance.
• Elder Xu rebukes him for forgetting the people who came before and reveals that the statue’s model was “Old Farmer,” Bureau 7’s first agent.
• The revelation shocks the crowd. Old Farmer is revered as a legendary operative who worked alone with little equipment, gathering vital intelligence in enemy territory.
• Hou challenges the claim, pointing out that Old Farmer’s identity was supposedly unknown and classified. Elder Xu replies that part of the agent’s file was recently declassified.
• Elder Xu prepares to tell the young agents Old Farmer’s story, beginning with the war that founded the nation.
• Yue Xiaofei suspects Old Farmer may be his grandfather: his grandfather was a farmer, refused honors after the Defense of Jiangcheng, and the statue resembles him as a young man.

Character developments and interactions

• Elder Xu remains composed under Hou’s threats and speaks with solemn authority, presenting himself as a guardian of Bureau 7’s history.
• Hou Liangbing shifts from mockery to anger and then reluctant curiosity. Though he tries to discredit Elder Xu, the possibility of hearing the legend prevents him from interrupting.
• Yue Xiaofei moves from listening to private alarm as he connects the legend, his grandfather’s past, and the statue.
• The younger agents and veterans move from disbelief to stunned attention, while Elder Xu’s rebuke exposes a generational divide over the value of Bureau 7’s history.

Significant themes

• Remembering predecessors: Elder Xu argues that present-day agents must honor those who established their ideals.
• Anonymity and sacrifice: Old Farmer represents intelligence operatives whose service shaped the nation but went unrecognized.
• Legend versus evidence: Hou dismisses the story as implausible, while the recent declassification lends Elder Xu’s account credibility.
• Family legacy and identity: Yue’s suspicion suggests that a national legend may be intimately connected to his own family.

Elder Xu recounted how [Old Farmer] infiltrated Modu, built a radio station with Miss Lu, and endured capture and torture without betraying his cause. Yue Xiaofei realized the man might have been his grandfather as Elder Xu revealed [Old Farmer]'s defiant declaration of loyalty to the Dragon Kingdom.

• Elder Xu explained that [Old Farmer] was chosen to infiltrate Modu and restore communications after a traitor destroyed the intelligence network.
• [Old Farmer] adopted the identity of a wealthy overseas Chinese businessman and met Miss Lu, who helped him establish himself in Modu.
• [Old Farmer] and Miss Lu gathered intelligence at high-society receptions and operated a radio room in the Lu family mansion's wine cellar.
• After a traitor exposed the radio station, Japanese troops surrounded the mansion, and [Old Farmer] sent Miss Lu through a secret passage before staying behind.
• The Japanese tortured [Old Farmer], but he refused to reveal information and declared that he was a man of the Dragon Kingdom with the courage to fight.
• Yue Xiaofei connected Elder Xu's account to his grandfather, while Hou Liangbing continued to dismiss it as a fabrication.

Elder Xu recounted how [Old Farmer], after surviving torture, risked his life to transmit vital intelligence that could save the army from a Japanese ambush. The chapter ended with him finishing the transmission and sending a farewell poem as the invaders closed in.

• Elder Xu said Miss Lu used her family's connections and fortune to secure [Old Farmer]'s release from Japanese captivity.
• Elder Xu explained that [Old Farmer] learned a traitor had exposed plans for an imminent offensive and that the intelligence had to be sent within an hour.
• [Old Farmer] used his backup radio in the Lu family mansion's basement after every other clandestine station in Modu had been destroyed.
• When the Japanese invaders began rotating power cuts to locate the radio, Miss Lu urged [Old Farmer] to flee, but he refused to leave before transmitting the full intelligence.
• [Old Farmer] sent the remaining intelligence as the Japanese invaders reached the mansion, then transmitted a farewell poem.

Elder Xu revealed that [Old Farmer] survived a Japanese massacre and crawled out of a mass grave, confirming Yue Xiaofei’s belief that the man was his grandfather. The chapter ended with [Old Farmer] emerging alone from the corpses at dawn.

• Elder Xu honored [Old Farmer] as the match that had kindled the first flame of resistance, while the statue’s heart glowed red.
• Hou Liangbing dismissed Elder Xu’s account as a lie and ordered his men to arrest him.
• Yue Xiaofei stepped in front of Elder Xu and declared that [Old Farmer] was his grandfather, Yue Qinhu, and Miss Lu was his grandmother, Lu Lanxin.
• Elder Xu revealed that the Japanese invaders had taken [Old Farmer] to a mass execution, where he was shot three times and left among more than a hundred bodies.
• Elder Xu recounted that [Old Farmer] crawled out from beneath the corpses at midnight and emerged from the mass grave as the massacre’s sole survivor.

Key plot points and events

• Elder Xu recounts how Old Farmer survived a massacre in which more than a hundred comrades were killed. The experience convinced him that intelligence work—and rooting out traitors—was essential to winning wars.
• Old Farmer proposed and founded Bureau 7, trained its first agents, and led it to major successes.
• Troubled by the fate of undercover operatives whose families never learned of their deaths, he established Bureau 7’s founding welfare pledge: care for the dead, the elderly, and the families left behind.
• Elder Xu explains that the statue represents this promise and the support Bureau 7 offers its agents. The crowd is moved, and nearly everyone salutes the statue.
• Deputy Director Hou Liangbing, furious that his authority has been undermined, calls Elder Xu a liar and orders his arrest. No agents obey.
• Hou challenges Elder Xu to identify Old Farmer. Elder Xu reveals that Old Farmer was Yue Qinhu—the grandfather of Yue Xiaofei, who is standing before them.

Character developments and interactions

• Elder Xu emerges as a compelling storyteller and a defender of Bureau 7’s founding ideals. He remains composed while Hou tries to discredit and intimidate him.
• Yue Xiaofei learns that his grandfather founded Bureau 7, linking his family directly to the organization’s history.
• Hou Liangbing shifts from anger to insecurity as the agents reject his command; he resorts to accusing Elder Xu of treachery and demanding proof.
• The Bureau 7 agents move from hearing a history lesson to feeling personal gratitude and pride. Their collective salute shows their respect for the founder and their disillusionment with Hou.

Significant themes

• Sacrifice and remembrance: Hidden-front heroes deserve recognition, even when secrecy prevents public honors.
• Duty to comrades and their families: Bureau 7’s welfare pledge gives agents security and dignity, enabling them to serve without fear for those they leave behind.
• Intelligence and loyalty: Old Farmer’s trauma teaches him that information and vigilance against betrayal are vital to national defense.
• Leadership and legitimacy: The agents’ response suggests that true authority comes from honoring an organization’s principles, not merely holding a title.

Elder Xu revealed that Yue Qinhu was Bureau 7’s legendary founder, [Old Farmer], leaving Hou Liangbing’s agents horrified after they arrested Yue Xiaofei, the founder’s grandson. When Hou demanded proof, Elder Xu said the evidence was inside Bureau 7 and prepared to show it.

• Elder Xu identified Yue Qinhu as [Old Farmer], shocking Hou Liangbing and the Bureau 7 agents who had arrested Yue Xiaofei.
• Hou Liangbing denied the revelation and ordered the agents to arrest Yue Xiaofei and Elder Xu, but none obeyed.
• [Man-Rat] watched the revelation on camera and alerted the encrypted group chat that Hou had arrested the founder’s grandson.
• Yue Xiaofei condemned Hou for dishonoring his grandfather, Bureau 7, and the fallen heroes represented by the statue.
• Hou demanded evidence of Yue Qinhu’s identity and claimed he would resign if it was proven.
• Elder Xu told Hou that the evidence was inside Bureau 7 and said he would show it to him.

Elder Xu led Hou Liangbing and the Bureau 7 agents to the Modu branch Martyrs' Cemetery, claiming the evidence against Hou was there. At the entrance, the cemetery keeper Old Sun barred Hou from entering.

• Elder Xu pointed to the Martyrs' Cemetery as the location of the evidence, and Hou Liangbing reluctantly agreed to go after Bureau 7 agents showed their suspicion.
• Yue Xiaofei learned that Elder Xu had visited the cemetery over seventy years earlier with his elder brother Subduing Tiger.
• The group reached the cemetery and heard that its keeper, Old Sun, had watched over it for decades.
• Jin Dapao recognized Old Sun's red epaulets, faded green fatigues, and rifle as the bearing of a battle-hardened soldier.
• Hou Liangbing ordered Old Sun to move aside, but Old Sun refused and said they could not enter.

Key plot points and events

• Hou Liangbing, deputy director of Bureau 7, tries to enter the martyrs’ cemetery without cleaning the mud from his shoes.
• Old Sun, the cemetery’s long-serving gatekeeper, refuses him entry, insisting that the fallen deserve respect regardless of a visitor’s rank.
• Enraged, Hou threatens to fire Old Sun and attempts to shove past him. Old Sun strikes him with his rifle, then aims it at his forehead and warns that anyone who desecrates the cemetery will be shot.
• Hou’s aides urge him to back down, explaining that Old Sun is famous for his unwavering devotion to the cemetery. Humiliated, Hou cleans his shoes and lets Elder Xu, Yue Xiaofei, and Jin Dapao enter.
• Old Sun remains composed as Elder Xu’s group passes—until he sees Yue Xiaofei. He becomes tearful, grabs the young man’s arm, and calls him “General Yue,” asking whether the general has truly returned.

Character developments

• Old Sun is revealed as more than a stubborn gatekeeper: despite his age, he is remarkably strong, fast, and fearless. His stern sense of duty gives way to profound emotion when he recognizes Yue Xiaofei.
• Hou Liangbing shifts from arrogant and threatening to frightened and disgraced when Old Sun stands up to him. He ultimately complies with the cemetery’s rule.
• Yue Xiaofei becomes the focus of a mysterious recognition: Old Sun believes he resembles a general who led him into the cemetery more than seventy years earlier.

Significant themes

• Respect for the fallen: The cemetery’s rules apply to everyone, regardless of rank.
• Integrity and courage: Old Sun protects the martyrs’ resting place even at personal risk.
• Power versus principle: Hou’s official authority proves powerless against Old Sun’s moral resolve and armed warning.
• Memory and mystery: Old Sun’s recognition of Yue Xiaofei suggests an unexplained connection across generations.

Character interactions

• Hou tries to dominate Old Sun through rank and threats; Old Sun answers with firm principles and decisive force.
• Hou’s aides restrain him and explain Old Sun’s reputation, helping prevent the confrontation from escalating.
• Elder Xu and his companions proceed past the subdued Hou.
• Old Sun’s encounter with Yue Xiaofei transforms from formal guardianship into an emotional reunion—or apparent recognition—of the long-absent General Yue.

Yue Xiaofei learned that Sun Desheng had served under his grandfather Yue Qinhu, and Sun revealed why he had spent his life guarding the cemetery. He recalled Yue Qinhu’s words about using the fallen to protect the living, leaving the agents stunned by the general’s judgment.

• Sun Desheng mistook Yue Xiaofei for General Yue, then learned he was Yue Qinhu’s grandson.
• Sun Desheng explained that he had once commanded a battalion in the 38th Army.
• Hou Liangbing accused Sun Desheng of being punished for a shameful battlefield offense.
• Sun Desheng recounted using ten fallen comrades’ bodies as cover while he held off Japanese soldiers, killing twenty-eight.
• Sun Desheng said Yue Qinhu had not blamed him and recalled the general declaring that giving one’s body to save a living comrade was his supreme glory.

Sun Desheng explained that guarding the fallen heroes’ graves was an honor entrusted to him by General Yue, not a punishment, and condemned Hou Liangbing for arresting Yue Xiaofei. As Hou Liangbing denied the evidence against him, Elder Xu led everyone deeper into the cemetery, saying the proof was inside.

• Sun Desheng told the Bureau 7 agents that he guarded his fallen brothers’ graves to protect their resting place, fulfilling General Yue’s trust.
• Sun Desheng learned that Hou Liangbing had handcuffed Yue Xiaofei, Elder Xu, Lin Tiejun, and others, and threatened Hou for calling Yue Xiaofei a traitor.
• Yue Xiaofei confronted Hou Liangbing with Sun Desheng as a witness, but Hou argued that Sun could not prove Yue Qinhu was [Old Farmer] and accused him of being bribed.
• Elder Xu agreed that Sun Desheng could not prove Yue Qinhu was [Old Farmer], then said the relevant evidence was inside the cemetery and led the group onward.
• Hou Liangbing followed Elder Xu into the cemetery with his confidants, determined to see what evidence awaited them.

Yue Xiaofei and the Bureau 7 agents visited the Cemetery, where Sun Desheng explained the sacrifice and secrecy surrounding its fallen heroes. Elder Xu opened the hidden Seven Sons United Heart Box by identifying himself as Bureau 7’s second agent, Green Pine, and the truth about Old Farmer’s identity was poised to emerge.

• Sun Desheng explained that covert agents’ real names remained secret even after death to protect their families, then recalled his mother’s pride in her sons’ service to their country.
• Yue Xiaofei and the Bureau 7 agents were moved by Sun Desheng’s story, while Hou Liangbing silently resented what he called sentimental drivel.
• Elder Xu revealed that the wordless monument was called Everlasting Light, and Sun Desheng activated its concealed mechanism.
• The monument shifted to reveal the Seven Sons United Heart Box, which Elder Xu said contained the sealed identity of Bureau 7’s founder, Old Farmer.
• Elder Xu identified himself as Bureau 7’s second agent, codename Green Pine, and the box unlocked.