Chapter 105
On the contrary, Huo Youqiao’s return time was reduced.
It wasn’t due to business trips but because a major explosion occurred in the central city.
The location was in the old city area, not too far from the Huo family villa. When the explosion happened, Ye Zhi heard the noise and even saw the large plumes of smoke rising from the window.
This accident resulted in over thirty deaths and injuries. Initially, everyone thought it was a gas pipeline explosion or some other accidental cause, but investigations later revealed it was a deliberate act of planting timed bombs.
Once the news spread, panic ensued among the people.
Lethal weaponry was strictly controlled on the planet, with ordinary civilians not permitted to carry firearms. Bombs, in particular, were only found in military arsenals and were rarely used. The most frequent users of timed bombs nowadays were the rebels.
For nearly five hundred years, power on the planet had been highly centralized under one government. However, throughout history, there were always some dissatisfied individuals who sought to rebel against the current regime. These people were known as “rebels.” At their peak, they were incredibly powerful, infiltrating various sectors. They even came close to seizing half the planet to establish a new government. Their methods were ruthless, often targeting civilians, which stirred up significant turmoil.
Huo Youqiao had once thwarted their plan to raze the city and even captured their top leader.
After that leader was executed, the “rebels” quieted down for several years without any incidents.
But now, with another explosion, although there wasn’t absolute evidence, the public began to link the incident to the “rebels,” causing widespread fear. People avoided going out, and the streets became deserted.
This situation would greatly impact the economy. Therefore, the government, led by Huo Youqiao, intensified security measures, investigated suspicious individuals, and searched for the perpetrator of the explosion.
Huo Youqiao became too busy to return home.
The Huo family was also worried. If this was indeed the resurgence of the “rebels,” targeting the central city, their main concern was Huo Youqiao’s safety. Madam Huo even wanted to send her guards to protect her eldest son, but Huo Youqiao refused.
“At least don’t let Ranran go to school, right? What if those villains target her?” Madam Huo was very anxious. She had her reasons for saying so. The “rebels” were extremely vicious, claiming to create an ideal nation but actually targeting the elderly, weak, and young. They had harmed countless innocent civilians in the past. If they were indeed seeking revenge against Huo Youqiao, it was very likely they would target Huo Ran first.
Huo Youqiao’s response over the communicator was, “The most important thing now is to stabilize public sentiment. If even my daughter has to hide at home, what will other parents think? The nature of this incident has not been determined yet. If it’s really the ‘rebels,’ we won’t let any civilians be endangered. But until the culprit is caught, we can’t stop everything based on speculation. That would cause losses to the global economy.”
Madam Huo didn’t understand; she was just worried about her family.
Fortunately, the things she worried about didn’t happen. Within seventy-two hours of the accident, the government apprehended the perpetrator who had planted the bomb.
It wasn’t the “rebels”; it was someone seeking revenge against one of the deceased victims. However, through interrogating the perpetrator about the source of the bomb, and through meticulous investigation, the government captured a group of true undercover “rebels” and seized a large quantity of dangerous but not very advanced weapons and explosives.
Once this news came out, the people of the central city breathed a sigh of relief. After nearly ten busy days, Huo Youqiao finally returned home.
His return coincided with the day before Huo Ran’s birthday. The family began cleaning and decorating the venue for her birthday party because this time, Huo Ran would invite her kindergarten friends to celebrate. Ye Zhi was also helping out. Because he was closer to the door, when the doorbell rang, he was the first to open the door.
When he opened it, he saw Huo Youqiao.
The tall man clearly hadn’t rested much during this time. There were faint dark circles under his eyes, and he looked thinner than before. He even had some stubble on his chin, and there were bloodshot eyes.
Ye Zhi felt like he hadn’t seen him in a long, long time.
Perhaps not expecting Ye Zhi to open the door, Huo Youqiao paused for a moment before explaining, “It seems like the password lock has been changed, and I just entered it incorrectly.”
Ye Zhi also snapped out of it and quickly said, “Yes, Mother was worried about safety a while ago, so she had the lock changed. But she should have told you the password…”
Huo Youqiao smiled, “I must have been too busy to remember.” He withdrew his gaze from Ye Zhi’s face and glanced around the house. “How’s everything at home? Is everything okay?”