Chapter Summaries

Elder Xu revealed proof that Yue Qinhu had founded Bureau 7 under the codename Old Farmer, leaving the agents overwhelmed with remorse. As they knelt before the graves and Yue Xiaofei, Elder Xu told them to stand because the fallen heroes had died so they could live.

• Elder Xu showed a photograph of the young Yue Qinhu and a top-secret dossier identifying him as Bureau 7’s founder, Agent No. 1, and Old Farmer.
• The dossier’s seven signatures and codenames convinced the Bureau 7 agents that Yue Xiaofei’s grandfather had been their legendary founder.
• Liu Gang tore off his badge, threw it at Hou Liangbing, and knelt before the graves and Yue Xiaofei in remorse.
• More than ninety percent of the agents removed their badges, cut ties with Hou Liangbing, and knelt beside Liu Gang.
• Elder Xu shouted for the agents to stand and said the fallen heroes lay in their graves so the living could stand.

After the agents honored the fallen heroes and Elder Xu confronted Hou Liangbing with evidence, Hou Liangbing drew his gun and threatened Elder Xu. Sun Desheng swiftly disarmed and subdued him, revealing the gravekeeper’s fearsome combat skills.

• Liu Gang and the kneeling agents stood and saluted the martyrs’ graves.
• A young agent asked whether Elder Xu was Bureau 7’s second agent, [Green Pine], and Elder Xu confronted Hou Liangbing with the evidence.
• Hou Liangbing drew his service pistol and threatened to execute Elder Xu and Yue Xiaofei’s group.
• Sun Desheng snapped Hou Liangbing’s wrist, disarmed him, and struck him down with a series of battlefield techniques.
• Sun Desheng pinned Hou Liangbing’s head beneath his foot and demanded to know who had given him the nerve to threaten General Yue’s comrade.

Elder Xu and Liu Gang’s agents subdued Hou Liangbing after his loyalists surrendered, and Elder Xu ordered Sun Desheng to strip him of his uniform. The scars on Hou Liangbing’s body were revealed to come from his wife, Zhong Xiaoai, and the crowd mocked him as his secret was exposed.

• Hou Liangbing ordered his remaining loyalists to attack Elder Xu, but Liu Gang and the Bureau 7 agents aimed their weapons at them and forced them to surrender.
• Elder Xu condemned Hou Liangbing for framing a patriot’s descendant and turning against his comrades, then ordered Sun Desheng to strip him of his uniform.
• Sun Desheng tore off Hou Liangbing’s uniform and shirt, revealing numerous red scars across his body.
• Elder Xu wondered whether Hou Liangbing had endured torture behind enemy lines, but his surrendered loyalists revealed that Zhong Xiaoai had whipped him at home.
• The crowd laughed at Hou Liangbing, and Elder Xu called him a parasite and a spineless wretch.

At the Cemetery, Yue Xiaofei and the Bureau 7 agents forced Hou Liangbing to kneel and demanded he atone for insulting the martyrs and persecuting innocents. Hou Liangbing threatened them with his father-in-law Zhong Zhenguo, whose call came through just as Elder Xu challenged him to come kneel too.

• Man-Rat shared the Cemetery broadcast with the encrypted group chat, and the members mocked Hou Liangbing over his humiliating scandal.
• Yue Xiaofei demanded that Hou Liangbing kneel and apologize to his grandfather and the fallen heroes, while Sun Desheng and the Bureau 7 agents joined the order.
• Hou Liangbing tried to use Elder Xu’s earlier words against him, but Elder Xu condemned Hou Liangbing and declared that he deserved to kneel.
• Hou Liangbing’s legs gave way, and he dropped to his knees; Yue Xiaofei then ordered him to kowtow ninety-nine times for the fallen heroes and his victims.
• Hou Liangbing threatened Yue Xiaofei by invoking Zhong Zhenguo, but Elder Xu challenged Zhong Zhenguo to come kneel as well.
• Zhong Zhenguo’s name appeared on the ringing phone in Hou Liangbing’s discarded uniform jacket.

Plot points and events

• Hou Liangbing, certain his father-in-law Zhong Zhenguo will rescue him, answers a call. Instead, Zhong’s secretary, Zhou, orders him to find a missing important figure in Modu and dismisses his attempt to explain his predicament.
• Everyone hears the exchange. Hou’s hope collapses, and Yue Xiaofei orders him to kowtow ninety-nine times before Yue Qinhu’s grave. Hou complies, striking his bleeding forehead against the stone until he finishes.
• Hou begs Elder Xu to spare him, promising to resign and restore Yue Qinhu’s reputation. Elder Xu rejects this, condemns Hou’s betrayal and corruption, and orders Bureau 7 to arrest him and investigate his record.
• As the agents move to take Hou into custody, Smith arrives with armed-looking companions and declares Hou his friend, threatening anyone who touches him.

Character developments and interactions

• Hou Liangbing goes from arrogant confidence in his powerful connections to total despair when Zhong’s secretary treats him as an expendable subordinate. Humiliated and physically broken, he submits to Yue’s demand and pleads for mercy.
• Yue Xiaofei remains firm, enforcing the punishment and speaking to the dead as he vows that Bureau 7 will pursue corrupt officials.
• Elder Xu turns Hou’s remorse aside as insufficient, framing his actions as betrayals of loyalty, justice, and filial duty. He takes decisive command of the arrest.
• Bureau 7’s agents, including Liu Gang, accept Elder Xu’s authority and carry out his order. Jin Dapao mocks Hou, while Sun Desheng appears satisfied by the outcome.
• Smith’s sudden intervention interrupts the arrest and sets up a new confrontation.

Significant themes

• Power and false security: Hou’s connection to the Zhong family proves hollow; even its secretary can dismiss him.
• Justice and accountability: Hou’s humiliation does not end with an apology—Elder Xu insists that his conduct must be investigated and punished.
• Loyalty and public duty: Yue’s vow to remove corrupt officials inspires Bureau 7’s agents and connects their work to the people harmed by corruption.

Plot points and events

• The cemetery standoff shifts when Smith, a special commissioner from Eagle Country’s Secret Service, arrives with armed agents. Bureau 7’s officers realize who the real threat is and remove the handcuffs from Jin Dapao, Yue Xiaofei, and the others.
• Hou Liangbing, humiliated and injured, begs Smith to protect him. Smith agrees, using Hou’s connection to justify his presence, though he privately regards Hou as a fool.
• Yue Xiaofei and Elder Xu accuse Hou of betraying his country by bringing foreign agents into the Martyrs’ Cemetery. Hou responds from behind Smith, threatening them with Eagle Country’s backing.
• Smith claims that Hou invited him for a “joint operation” and asserts temporary command of Bureau 7’s Modu branch. He says the mission is to arrest Yue Xiaofei because he is Yue Feng’s younger brother and may be involved in his activities.
• Jin Dapao charges at Smith, but Smith’s agents draw assault rifles and aim them at the group. Smith orders them to seize Yue Xiaofei alive and authorizes them to shoot anyone who interferes.

Character developments and interactions

• Hou Liangbing shifts from defeated prisoner to boastful opportunist once Smith protects him, exposing his dependence on foreign power and his vindictiveness toward Yue Xiaofei and Elder Xu.
• Smith presents himself as a lawful partner while openly asserting authority on Dragon Kingdom soil. His order to use unrestricted force reveals the coercive purpose behind his supposed cooperation.
• Yue Xiaofei boldly condemns Hou and Smith, framing their actions as treason and an attack on national sovereignty.
• Elder Xu supports Yue Xiaofei and declares that Hou’s crimes cannot be excused or concealed.
• Jin Dapao responds with immediate anger and physical defiance, while the Bureau 7 agents’ decision to free their comrades shows them shifting into resistance.

Significant themes

• National sovereignty and foreign interference: Smith’s attempt to command local agents and abduct Yue Xiaofei is depicted as an invasion disguised as cooperation.
• Betrayal and loyalty: Hou’s alliance with Smith contrasts with the others’ defense of their country and its fallen heroes.
• Abuse of power and intimidation: Armed force and political cover are used to silence opposition.
• Sacred duty: The Martyrs’ Cemetery represents a national legacy that the characters believe Hou and Smith have desecrated.

[Man-Rat] alerted Zhang Beihai that Elder Xu was facing armed Eagle Country agents at the Modu branch cemetery, prompting Zhang to call for help. As Smith threatened to kill everyone unless they surrendered Yue Xiaofei, Elder Xu invoked the Dragon Kingdom’s past victory over Eagle Country and vowed to bury the agents in the cemetery.

• [Man-Rat] spotted Smith’s armed agents aiming at Elder Xu and Yue Xiaofei, then urgently contacted Zhang Beihai.
• Zhang Beihai learned that Hou Liangbing had colluded with Smith and called Xu Sanjiang for help.
• Liu Gang and the Bureau 7 agents stood their ground and aimed their weapons at Smith’s men despite being outnumbered.
• Smith identified himself as an Eagle Country special commissioner and demanded that Elder Xu surrender Yue Xiaofei, threatening to kill everyone if they resisted.
• Elder Xu recalled defeating Eagle Country’s forces in Goryeo and declared that he could bury Smith and his agents at the cemetery.

Elder Xu confronted Smith’s contempt for the Dragon Kingdom by recounting its five-thousand-year history and declaring that it would endure after Eagle Country faded. The agents were left inspired by his words as he proclaimed the Dragon Kingdom undying.

• Elder Xu revealed his past fighting in Goryeo, and the Bureau 7 agents grew proud and reverent.
• Smith erupted in anger and boasted of Eagle Country’s military and cultural dominance, insulting the Dragon Kingdom.
• Jin Dapao tried to attack Smith, but Yue Xiaofei held him back.
• Elder Xu compared the Dragon Kingdom’s ancient civilization with those of other historic powers and said Eagle Country was only another newcomer.
• Elder Xu declared that Eagle Country would become dust while the Dragon Kingdom would stand undying.

Elder Xu humiliated Smith at the Martyrs' Cemetery, where Smith ordered his subordinate to identify him within three minutes. After learning that armed Eagle Country agents had surrounded his father, Xu Sanjiang set out to confront them, with Dragon Kingdom's top military leaders gathered nearby.

• Elder Xu challenged Smith's intelligence and dismissed his claims, leaving Smith furious and uncertain of the old man's identity.
• Smith ordered a subordinate to use the Eagle Country Secret Service's highest clearance to investigate Elder Xu within three minutes.
• At Jade Spring Mountain, Xu Sanjiang learned from Zhang Beihai that his father was safe in Modu but surrounded by Smith and over fifty armed agents.
• Xu Sanjiang became enraged when he heard that the agents were pointing guns at his father's head.
• Xu Sanjiang told Zhang Beihai to stay out of it, then left to speak with the three top leaders of the Dragon Kingdom's Military Headquarters.

After Eagle Country Secret Service operatives took Xu Anbang hostage in Modu, the Dragon Kingdom issued a Supreme Military Command ordering a citywide blockade and an immediate rescue. Xu Sihai and Xu Jingtao rushed toward the cemetery as the Dongfeng Carrier group prepared to return and launch an assault.

• Military Headquarters issued a Supreme Military Command declaring Modu a military control zone and ordering forces to rescue Xu Anbang at any cost.
• Generals across the Dragon Kingdom confirmed the hostage report and ordered troops, aircraft, and ships into combat readiness.
• Xu Sihai and Xu Jingtao raced toward the Bureau 7 Martyrs' Cemetery, and Xu Sihai warned that the hostage-taking was part of a planned conspiracy.
• Xu Jingtao ordered the Dongfeng Carrier battle group to return to Modu, arm its weapons, and prepare the Eastern Sword Marines for an airborne assault.

Key plot points and events

• Party secretary Wang Hongtao tries to avoid fallout from the naval-base crisis by declaring himself ill and refusing visitors or official business.
• His secretary, Xiao Zhang, brings him an urgent military alert: Founding Marshal Xu Anbang has been taken hostage by Eagle Country’s Secret Service at Modu’s Bureau 7 Martyrs’ Cemetery.
• Realizing the hostage crisis has put Modu—and himself—under severe scrutiny, Wang panics and orders every available police unit into action, calls for military support, and demands that roads to the cemetery be sealed.
• At the Eastern Frontier Theater command center, Supreme Commander Xiao Tian Ce, known as Azure Dragon, frames Xu’s capture as an attack on the nation’s dignity and sovereignty.
• Xiao orders the entire million-strong theater into First-Level Combat Readiness, directing the army, air force, and navy to mobilize. He closes with a rallying cry: “Soldiers, hear the dragon roar!”

Character developments and interactions

• Wang Hongtao shifts from complacent evasion to frantic action. He fears both for Xu’s life and for the personal consequences of a hostage crisis unfolding in his jurisdiction. Xiao Zhang’s alert jolts him out of his attempt to hide from responsibility.
• Xiao Tian Ce emerges as a commanding, patriotic leader who turns the crisis into a call to defend national honor. His speech unites the assembled officers and soldiers around a shared mission.
• Xiao Zhang acts as the messenger whose urgent intervention exposes the crisis to Wang.
• The soldiers respond to Xiao Tian Ce’s speech with a unified, emphatic refusal to tolerate the insult, reinforcing the commander’s authority and the military’s resolve.

Significant themes

• National sovereignty and dignity: Xu’s capture on Dragon Kingdom soil is portrayed as an affront to the whole nation.
• Duty and accountability: Wang’s attempt to evade responsibility fails, while the military embraces its obligation to protect Xu and the country.
• Patriotism and unity: Xiao’s rhetoric transforms individual anger into collective resolve.
• Escalation and brinkmanship: The crisis rapidly expands from a local hostage incident into a full-scale military emergency.

The Dragon Kingdom mobilized its Eastern Frontier forces after Yue Xiaofei was threatened, while Skull and Bones debated whether to abandon its attempt to capture him. The council’s supreme Overlord rejected withdrawal and ordered the Ninth Fleet to sortie, escalating the confrontation.

• Xiao Tian Ce issued the Supreme Military Command as officers and soldiers vowed to avenge the insult to Yue Xiaofei.
• The Eastern Frontier Theater mobilized tanks, aircraft, and a carrier battle group toward Modu, alarming residents who watched the forces pass.
• The Twelve Thrones Council learned that the Dragon Kingdom had entered first-level combat readiness and discussed withdrawing Smith to protect the Adam Project.
• [Eye of Omniscience] declared Yue Xiaofei the last [Key] to restarting the Adam Project and refused to abandon the capture attempt.
• [Eye of Omniscience] ordered the lawmakers to be reminded who controlled them and commanded the Ninth Fleet to sortie.

Key plot points and events

• A major naval fleet receives a sudden alarm and is ordered to head east toward Modu, though the cause is not revealed.
• At the Martyrs’ Cemetery, more than fifty armed Eagle Country agents keep the Bureau 7 team and Elder Xu at gunpoint. The standoff remains tense, but Elder Xu’s confidence makes clear that he does not feel outmatched.
• Smith’s agent fails to uncover Elder Xu’s identity. Dragon Kingdom’s most sensitive records are protected by an SSS+ classification.
• Elder Xu mocks Smith’s intelligence operation and recalls how Eagle Country’s 1st Marine Division was defeated decades earlier in Goryeo. He says Smith’s arrogance repeats the mistakes of his predecessors.
• Smith is humiliated and can offer no rebuttal. Bureau 7’s agents take heart from Elder Xu’s presence.
• At the chapter’s end, the investigating agent suddenly announces that he has discovered who Elder Xu is, setting up a reveal.

Character developments and interactions

• Elder Xu appears increasingly formidable: calm, contemptuous of Smith, and commanding enough to steady his allies without needing to fight. His historical reference hints at a significant military past.
• Smith shifts from impatience to rage and then speechless humiliation when his team cannot penetrate Dragon Kingdom’s records or answer Elder Xu’s taunts.
• Yue Xiaofei becomes more awed and curious about Elder Xu. Recalling the powerful people Elder Xu has previously influenced, he suspects the old man’s authority goes far beyond that of a retired soldier.
• Jin Dapao and the Bureau 7 agents draw confidence and pride from Elder Xu, despite the armed standoff.
• The chapter’s central interaction is Elder Xu’s psychological confrontation with Smith: rather than backing down, he uses historical memory and Smith’s own failure to undermine his confidence.

Significant themes

• National pride and historical memory: Elder Xu invokes a past victory to challenge Eagle Country’s sense of superiority.
• Power and hidden identity: Elder Xu’s influence is evident, but his classified background remains a mystery.
• Confidence versus competence: Smith’s authority and boasts are undercut by his inability to uncover the truth.
• Leadership under pressure: Elder Xu’s composure strengthens those around him even when they are outnumbered.

A technical agent identified Elder Xu as the legendary Dragon Kingdom commander [Silver Fox], who had defeated Smith's grandfather at the Chosin Reservoir. Elder Xu recalled how Smith's grandfather surrendered and betrayed his own forces, leaving Smith furious and humiliated.

• Smith ordered his agent to reveal what he had discovered about Elder Xu.
• The agent found in Eagle Country's Sealed Archives that Elder Xu was [Silver Fox], a feared Dragon Kingdom army commander.
• The agent revealed that [Silver Fox] had defeated the 1st Marine Division, commanded by Smith's grandfather, General Barton Smith, also known as [Old Hound].
• Smith remembered his grandfather's nightmares, disgrace, and demotion after the war, and realized Elder Xu had been responsible.
• Elder Xu mocked Smith's grandfather, recounting how he wet himself, surrendered, and revealed supply depots and retreat routes.

Elder Xu confronted Smith over his grandfather’s defeat, but Smith drew his gun and threatened to kill him. Hou Liangbing chose to side with Smith for the promise of power, and the chapter ended as an furious voice demanded that he stop.

• Elder Xu denounced Smith’s grandfather as a defeated enemy and declared the Dragon Kingdom’s resolve to defend its homeland.
• Smith drew his Desert Eagle and aimed it at Elder Xu, while Yue Xiaofei shielded the old man and Bureau 7 agents raised their guns.
• Elder Xu gave Hou Liangbing one last chance to arrest Smith, but Hou Liangbing weighed his prospects and chose to stand beside Smith.
• Elder Xu declared Hou Liangbing an enemy of the Dragon Kingdom, and Hou mocked him as Smith prepared to shoot.
• Engines roared outside the cemetery, and an angry voice shouted for Hou Liangbing to stop.

Xu Sihai and two other generals arrived at the cemetery and confronted Hou Liangbing for colluding with foreign enemies and targeting Yue Xiaofei. Xu Sihai revealed his identity as Hou demanded to know who Grandpa Xu really was.

• A car carrying Xu Sihai, Xu Mingzhu, Qin Qianshan, and Xu Wanqing arrived at the cemetery as Hou Liangbing tried to regain control.
• Xu Wanqing and the others rushed to Elder Xu, who accused Hou Liangbing and his allies of conspiring with foreign enemies to take Yue Xiaofei to Eagle Country.
• Xu Sihai and Qin Qianshan condemned Hou Liangbing and warned that he would face a military tribunal.
• Hou Liangbing demanded to know who Xu Sihai and the others were, insisting that Bureau 7 had authority over the investigation.
• Xu Sihai identified himself and declared his loyalty and power to the country.

Hou Liangbing dismissed Xu Sihai as a powerless technical general and challenged him, but Qin Qianshan stepped forward and revealed himself as commander-in-chief of the Longdu Military Region. Hou Liangbing recognized Qin’s authority and realized he had made a grave mistake.

• A subordinate told Hou Liangbing that Xu Sihai was the president of Naval Engineering University and a three-star general.
• Hou Liangbing mocked Xu Sihai as a powerless technical officer and claimed he could not challenge him.
• Qin Qianshan stepped forward and asked what would happen if Hou Liangbing counted him in.
• Hou Liangbing mistook Qin Qianshan for another technical officer and demanded to know which university he represented.
• Qin Qianshan identified himself as Qin Qianshan of Longdu, and Hou Liangbing recognized him as commander-in-chief of the Longdu Military Region and nearly collapsed.

Key plot points and events

• Hou Liangbing discovers that Elder Xu is Qin Qianshan’s father-in-law. Qin arrives, salutes Xu respectfully, and condemns Hou for bringing Eagle Country agents into a cemetery for Dragon Kingdom’s fallen heroes.
• Qin challenges Hou’s excuse that he did not know Xu’s identity, pointing out that Hou’s actions would still be disgraceful if Xu were an ordinary citizen or veteran.
• Smith warns Hou that he has already chosen sides and threatens him against switching allegiance. Fearing punishment and unwilling to lose his position, Hou recommits to the operation.
• Hou insists that Yue Xiaofei must be taken under the officially recorded joint operation, while asking Smith to spare Elder Xu.
• Smith agrees to spare Xu, believing this a generous concession and prioritizing the order to capture Yue alive over his personal vendetta against Xu.
• Qin rejects Smith’s attempt to bargain over Dragon Kingdom citizens’ lives. He declares that the country will not abandon Yue or compromise with foreign enemies, and warns that any fight will be carried through to the end.

Character developments

• Hou Liangbing shifts from panic and regret to desperate defiance. Rather than face the consequences of his betrayal, he gambles that Qin will not confront Eagle Country.
• Qin Qianshan is revealed as Xu’s son-in-law and emerges as a forceful defender of national dignity and ordinary citizens, not merely his family.
• Smith remains calculating: he suppresses his hatred of Xu to prioritize Skull and Bones’ mission to capture Yue.
• Yue Xiaofei relaxes once Qin arrives and understands the source of Elder Xu’s confidence.
• Elder Xu remains composed, while Jin Dapao and the Bureau 7 agents show relief at Qin’s intervention.

Significant themes

• Integrity versus self-interest: Hou’s career-driven fear leads him to persist in betrayal.
• National sovereignty and dignity: Qin rejects foreign interference and any suggestion that Dragon Kingdom citizens’ safety can be negotiated.
• Equal protection: Qin insists that Xu’s worth does not depend on his powerful relatives and refuses to abandon Yue either.
• Courage and resistance: The chapter’s climax frames standing firm—even at great cost—as preferable to submission.

Character interactions

• Qin’s respectful greeting to Xu contrasts sharply with his condemnation of Hou and confrontation with Smith.
• Hou appeals first to Smith to end the armed standoff, then tries to use his relationship with Smith to secure Xu’s safety.
• Smith uses Hou’s earlier choice to intimidate him, then treats sparing Xu as leverage.
• Qin directly rejects both men’s assumptions, turning their attempted bargain into a declaration of resistance.

Qin Qianshan defied Smith and ordered him to surrender, but Smith sent his agents to seize Yue Xiaofei. After Xu Wanqing began a countdown, a tremendous rumbling shook the Heroes' Cemetery, and Elder Xu announced that the Dragon Kingdom's army had arrived.

• Qin Qianshan refused Smith's demands and declared that Smith and his agents must surrender.
• Smith ordered his agents to capture Yue Xiaofei and promised a reward to whoever reached him first.
• Liu Gang and the Bureau 7 agents formed a barrier to protect Yue Xiaofei, while Jin Dapao prepared to fight.
• Xu Wanqing whispered to Elder Xu, then began a countdown at his command.
• A powerful rumbling shook the Heroes' Cemetery and threw the Eagle Country agents into disarray.
• Elder Xu announced that the Dragon Kingdom's army had arrived.

Smith and Hou Liangbing dismissed Qin Qianshan’s claim that reinforcements were coming, but the Eastern Sword special forces and a vast military formation soon surrounded the Martyrs' Cemetery. Jin Dapao recognized elite units from across the Eastern Frontier Theater and wondered whether the entire theater had come to Modu.

• Smith and Hou Liangbing called Qin Qianshan’s claim of an army impossible and accused him of bluffing.
• About a thousand Eastern Sword soldiers emerged around the Martyrs' Cemetery and surrounded Smith, Hou Liangbing, and their men.
• Jin Dapao recognized the Eastern Sword as a special operations battalion tied to the Dongfeng Carrier's Aircraft Carrier Battle Group.
• Smith realized the soldiers were only a vanguard as tanks, helicopters, drones, and fighter jets advanced toward the cemetery.
• Jin Dapao identified elite units from the Eastern Frontier Theater and asked whether the entire theater had arrived.