[Urban] The End of Dawn (Complete) - 4-6

Episode 4:

What opinions could he possibly have? He just did whatever the leader said. Besides, from a security perspective, they hadn't driven here, and staying here meant they were cut off from all outside transportation. Plus, the cell phone signal seemed terrible for some reason. Being here was like being completely isolated from the world. If negotiations failed, even leaving would be a problem. There were lions and tigers roaming the grasslands outside—wild animals, not domesticated ones—they could really eat people. So, after Lü Zhe explained these relationships, the boss immediately decided to change hotels.

"It's not over yet. It's not that easy,"

Su Chen said, lying in bed, not wanting to get up. She was exhausted these past two days. The other party had prepared seven contracts, all in English, with many very difficult legal terms. The tight schedule made translation difficult, and even reading them all was a challenge. She was the main translator; the company's other executives, while also fluent in English, were not as good as her, a formally trained translator. She had put in a tremendous amount of effort these past two days.

"Then why don't you continue staying there?"

"Do you know how much the room rate is there every day?"

"Our company doesn't have the money." "

Even if we had the money, we can't stay there, especially considering the points you mentioned. President Chen also expressed the same opinion. What if they try something sneaky? We'd be trapped there. Would you leave or not?"

"What happened? Are they trying to pull some tricks on us?"

"What do you think?"

"Tell me what happened."

"These people are playing tricks on the contract. They're demanding that we invest in and build a jointly owned processing plant locally. They'll be responsible for the design, construction, and operation, increasing the iron ore grade from 55%-59% to 67%-69%. But the investment for the processing plant is more than 200 times that of similar companies in China. It's outrageous!"

"Are they trying to profit from this processing plant?"

"We initially thought the same, but then it didn't seem right, because they were selling their ore too cheaply. Think about it, they're private business owners, not those spendthrift sons of state-owned enterprises. They could easily sell the ore at a higher price; there's no need for them to go through the trouble of building a high-priced processing plant to make a profit! This is actually a solution that makes everyone uncomfortable."

"What did they say? They didn't explain?"

"Yes, their ore composition sheet showed that the iron ore had a very high titanium content, around 8% to 12%. High titanium content in iron ore can cause boiler explosions during smelting. They explained that the processing plant could reduce the titanium content to meet smelting standards."

“Furthermore, the government restricts the export of primary products, and coupled with high freight costs, they believe that establishing a processing plant is absolutely necessary. After we did the math, even at an exorbitant price, this processing plant would still allow us to make a huge profit. The processed iron ore has an iron content of around 67%-69%, and the FOB cost is less than $30 per ton. This should be the best iron ore we've seen domestically; imported Australian and Brazilian ore isn't as good. So we were quite happy at first.”

“Then what? Didn't you say they were trying to take advantage of us?”

“Yes, the problem lies in the investment method. Our country has foreign exchange controls, right? Although our overseas mine purchases are state-supported investments, Dongxing Mining isn't a state-owned enterprise and doesn't have foreign citizenship, making it difficult to remit our investment abroad. Therefore, we had to find a workaround—trade instead of investment.”

“So you're saying we should open a letter of credit at the bank?”

"Yes, later both parties agreed to use revolving long-term letters of credit. These letters of credit were repeatedly opened but not actually executed. The funds were covered by loans from our joint venture company overseas, and the other party did not invest. Our boss consulted with the local bank president about this loan, and there were no problems."

"Because the contract price was extremely low, less than 60% of the domestic iron ore price, and it was a CIF price, coupled with the extremely tight supply of iron ore, banks were willing to issue letters of credit. They were even hoping you wouldn't redeem the documents. If you delayed even a day, the bank would sell your ore at a high price and make a killing, while also earning your 2% letter of credit fee for free. By doing this, our investment was essentially just the letter of credit fee and guarantee. And with such a good price for iron ore, banks were scrambling to issue letters of credit, so the guarantee would be very low."

"We essentially accomplished something that would normally require an investment of billions with very little money, effectively amplifying our capital tenfold. To be honest, it was indeed very tempting."

"So what exactly happened..."

"Later, our boss felt that things coming too easily was always worrying. The other party demanded that we sign the contract immediately, and our boss hesitated. As a result, Hong Shitai discovered a major problem in the contract: the other party had manipulated the litigation venue."

"We agreed to hold the lawsuit in Singapore, which is a compromise between the two sides and is located in a Chinese community. However, they hid a clause in the contract that if there is any fraud, it must be handled through the local courts. Since we are the investors, we are the ones who put up the money, so we are the ones who can be defrauded. In other words, if there is a dispute, we can only litigate here."

"Here! Isn't that ridiculous? Who knows their laws here?"

Lu Zhe was taken aback. Wasn't this a joke? The other party was like a local tyrant here, with tanks, cannons, and airplanes. It would be asking for trouble to litigate with them here.

"That's right! Our company has hundreds of millions invested in this business. If this kind of fraud occurs, it's very likely letter of credit fraud. This is a serious crime in our country. Although we are also victims, the banks in China have a strong influence, and the final result could be that we become fraudsters. And a case involving tens of thousands of yuan is considered a major case. According to our criminal law, the sentence would be death or life imprisonment. It's like playing with our lives and fortunes. Who can afford to play that game?"

"Damn, these black guys are really cunning."

Lu Zhe really gasped. When he came, he thought they were locals who would be easy to fool, but now he realized he almost got fooled.

"Yes, so when we found out about this, we carefully reviewed the contract again, scrutinizing every single word. We discovered that in later negotiations, they secretly changed the grammar in places where both parties had agreed to amend the contract. Now, no one dared to be careless."

"You mean those texts they asked me to translate those nights?"

"Yes, that was the new contract text. Everyone who spoke English went to help translate it. We found some hidden loopholes, and our whole group studied it all night. Finally, we figured out the trap they set for the litigation location. They were just playing us! No wonder they insisted on setting the court there; it was a preventative measure. They never had good intentions from the start."

"What happened? Stop keeping us in suspense!"

"It's that iron ore! Look, about 60% iron, 8%-12% titanium. In terms of iron content, it's definitely a top-tier rich mine in China. The average iron ore content in our country is only 30%, and with an iron content of over 64%, it can be used directly to make steel."

"Besides iron and titanium, the impurities such as sulfur and phosphorus are only a few parts per thousand. So what else is there? It's oxygen! All the iron and titanium in the ore exist in the form of iron oxide and titanium oxide. In fact, the iron content in 100% iron oxide ore is only 70%-72%, so this ore is basically a mixture of iron oxide and titanium oxide, with virtually no other components. It's an excellent titanium-iron by-product ore!"

A flash of inspiration struck Lü Zhe: "You mean these people's real goal is titanium?"

"Now you understand, right? The processing plant they want to build is actually to separate the titanium oxide from the ore, and the remaining slag is iron. What they want us to build isn't an iron ore processing plant, but actually a titanium separation plant. Otherwise, why would the investment be so huge? 200 times that of our domestic plants, which makes it much easier to understand."

Lu Zhe stared, speechless. He now truly understood the terrifying nature of this business war, even more so than real gunfights—it was a bloodless killing.

"Currently, titanium costs over ten dollars per kilogram internationally, while iron ore, excluding shipping costs, is worth at most ten dollars per ton here—a difference of 1000 times. Even calculating based on 10 tons of raw ore yielding 1 ton of titanium oxide and 9 tons of iron oxide, the value difference is still over 100 times. And now they keep all the separated titanium, treating the remaining iron as garbage, and they still want to share our iron ore profits."

"In other words, we invest all our capital, bear all the operating costs and risks, while they reap over 99% of the profits, and we get less than 1%!"

Su Chen became increasingly agitated, taking a sip of water before continuing.

"Moreover, they concealed the enormous profits from the separated titanium ore. Even if such an agreement was signed, it would certainly be unfair, invalid, or revocable, even if it wasn't fraud. That's where their fraud lies. The letter of credit isn't the biggest concern, because they are people with status, and they wouldn't do something that's a crime internationally. That's why they chose to litigate in their own country!"

"So, after figuring this out, our boss couldn't hold back anymore. He felt these natives were truly despicable, and he realized that staying in that hotel restricted his freedom of movement. Now, things are looking bad. If the negotiations break down and they abandon us, we'll be trapped here. That's why we're thinking of moving to another place overnight."

"I see... I was telling you earlier, Mr. Chen, that we're going to the Chinese consulate tomorrow to see a lawyer. Is that what you're talking about?"

Lu Zhe was already feeling that this trip to Africa might have been a waste. Seeing a lawyer probably wouldn't be of much use. He guessed the company leaders came intending to fool these uncultured locals, but now they'd almost been ripped off instead of getting any benefits. They probably couldn't make the decision now and would likely have to consult with higher-ups at headquarters. Maybe even the legendary Boss Hou would get involved.

"Probably. We told them we wanted to consult a local lawyer before signing the contract, to get their opinion. They couldn't refuse that. Later, Hong Shitai contacted an elderly overseas Chinese man, the Mr. Guo who brought us here. He said the local security was too bad, and it was best not to hire a car from outside; use someone you know if you can."

"We'll have to rely on this old man for transportation from now on,"

Lu Zhe nodded.

"What Grandpa Guo told me in the hotel lobby just now really scared me. He said never take a taxi here. Almost 100% of the taxi drivers here are in cahoots with the underworld. Once they find a suitable target for robbery, they'll use their cell phones to notify their accomplices in a local dialect to ambush you at a pre-arranged location. You won't even know what they're saying, and you'll definitely be robbed when you get there. The driver will get a share too. Damn it! No wonder all the taxis here are Mercedes 320s. How else would they recoup their costs if they didn't resort to shady dealings?"

This time, it was Su Chen's turn to change his expression.

"And look, even the hotel we're staying in has signs in Chinese, which means there are quite a few Chinese people here. And the gangsters here love to rob Chinese people, especially those going directly to the airport. Old Guo said that over 90% of Chinese people who take taxis to the airport get robbed. Damn, it's lawless. It's also because we Chinese love to carry cash, so who else would they rob?"

"Don't the police here do anything? Or should we contact our consulate or something..."

When we stayed in the scenic, luxurious, and comfortable golf hotel, everything was arranged by others, and no one worried about security. But once we got here, the real problems immediately arose. Hearing Lü Zhe describe the situation so seriously, Su Chen felt a chill run down his spine: "What exactly did the old man tell you? What's the situation?"

"What's the situation? Hmph, Old Guo said the security here is actually terrible. On the surface, the streets seem quite orderly when we arrived, but gangs are rampant, and shops are terrified of being robbed. First, there's no death penalty here, guns can be bought and sold freely, and with the remnants of war, basically everyone has a gun. Second, all the gangsters here are former soldiers who have fought in wars; some joined as teenagers, and each one is a survivor, one in a hundred from the battlefield. They kill without blinking an eye, and the police can't handle them at all."

"More importantly, there's no government to stand up for you when you rob Chinese people, and Chinese people don't have guns and don't know how to use them. They have that mentality of 'the powerful can't suppress the local snake,' and they don't dare to cause trouble when they've been wronged on someone else's turf. Most of the time, when they rob black people, they don't have money, so there's nothing to rob; robbing white people would be a major case with international pressure, so they don't dare! And if you kill a Chinese person, the best you can hope for is a diplomatic note from the Chinese embassy."

“Generally, the victims’ families don’t even have the financial resources to pursue murderers and robbers here, so it usually ends up being a flop. Besides, everyone going to the airport is rushing to catch their flight, and to avoid delays, they don’t even bother to file a police report.”

“Moreover, there are mines here. According to natural laws, places with mines are generally incredibly wealthy, attracting many foreign gold diggers carrying large sums of money. Therefore, this is basically a prime location for gang activities. Old Guo said that if our company really does a project here in the future, we must pay close attention to security. Hiring some ordinary bodyguards would just be for show.”

Su Chen’s face turned pale. With such a terrible investment environment, why did they still come here?

“Have you told your superiors about these situations? Are they aware of them?”

“Of course they are. Let’s just take it one step at a time for now. Anyway, let’s be prepared to go back to China at any time.”

As he spoke, Lü Zhe took off his clothes to prepare for a shower, and Su Chen went in first. Lü Zhe had no choice but to wait outside.

Suddenly, his phone rang. He picked it up and saw that it was an unfamiliar number.

"Hello, who is this?"

"Hello, is this Lü Zhe?"

A familiar voice rang in his ears, and Lü Zhe was startled. It was that woman. Hearing her voice, he was initially pleased, but then something felt off. How did she get his number? Could it be from that night...?

Su Chen was taking a shower when he heard Lü Zhe call out, "I'm going out for a bit."

Then the door opened, and when he peeked out, Lü Zhe was already gone.

In a Ford parked on the side of the road outside the hotel, Lü Zhe looked at Feng Wu.

"How did you get my number? What exactly did you mean by calling me out? Those photos... what do you mean by this?"

Lü Zhe was somewhat exasperated. There was a photo on his phone, which he had deleted, sent by the woman next to him. It was a photo of him and her in bed that night. Although he had stopped himself at the last minute, the photo clearly showed a passionate physical relationship between them.

"Nothing, just a little trick because I was afraid you wouldn't come out."

"What exactly do you want?"

"I need your help with a small matter."

"What is it?"

"Are you going to the consulate tomorrow?"

"How did you know?"

Lu Zhe looked at her in surprise. How did she know this? What exactly does this woman do?

Inside the hotel, Su Chen finished showering and came out wondering where Lu Zhe was. She was a little scared to be alone in the room, so she called Lu Zhe. He called back after a while, saying he'd be back soon. Su Chen put down her phone, opened the door, and peeked outside. She saw Hong Shitai outside. She quickly closed the door, her heart pounding.

"What did you say? What exactly do you do?"

In the car outside the hotel, Lu Zhe stared at Feng Wu in shock. What did this woman do? Diplomatic parcel? Money inside? He instinctively felt there was something criminal going on, and he shouldn't get involved.

"Why don't you go yourself?"

"I can't show my face for reasons you don't want you to know."

"I'm not going, find someone else."

He said, trying to leave, but found the car door wouldn't open. At the same time, a woman grabbed his arm; she was incredibly strong, and he couldn't break free.

"Hmph, you don't want your wife to see those photos, do you?"

"So what? She'll listen to my explanation."

"Oh, will she listen to your explanation if your company's leaders see them?"

"What does that have to do with our company's leaders?"

"You're the security chief, who am I? You don't know Hong Kong Swift Company, but I'm sure your upper management does. It's the largest commercial intelligence network in Southeast Asia. To put it bluntly, I'm a commercial spy."

"What?"

Lu Zhe's face changed.

"By the way, your job as security chief is to protect trade secrets and deal with industrial espionage. Now you're involved with industrial espionage. What do you think your superiors will think if they find out? Your trip to Africa didn't go smoothly, did it? You almost got scammed, right?"

"Do you think you can explain this to your headquarters when you get back? They'll definitely hold you accountable. Who do you think is the best scapegoat? What if there aren't enough photos, and hundreds of thousands of dollars mysteriously appear in your bank account after you get back? Do you think anyone will believe you?"

"Your Dongxing is a well-known private enterprise with state-owned backing. This mineral exploration in Africa might not be a purely commercial activity; it might have some government mission that failed. Do you think you can just let it go like this? If this photo is exposed, you'll be the perfect scapegoat."

"You don't want to be imprisoned, do you? Even if you're lucky enough not to go to jail, you'll be branded a whistleblower for life. You'll definitely lose your job, and your mortgage isn't finished yet, is it? And what about your family, your beautiful wife? Do you think you can keep any of that? If you have children in the future, do you want them to fail background checks for some inexplicable reason, not get into a good university, and not find a good job…"

Lu Zhe's expression grew increasingly grim as he listened. This woman had clearly been plotting against him for a long time. None of her threats would actually come true, but if they did, they would be deadly.

"Or you might say you don't care about any of this, but your wife will be traveling with you tomorrow; she's the main translator. You might encounter some trouble on the road, like a police checkpoint or a robbery. The police might find some strange contraband on your wife..."

"Hey! I'm warning you, if you want to talk to me, talk to me. This has nothing to do with my wife!"

"It has nothing to do with your wife."

"What exactly do you do? Are you trying to cause trouble for our company?"

"No, it has nothing to do with your company either, I can guarantee that. I just happen to need someone to pick up a package from the consulate for me. Don't worry, it's not far. I can't show my face myself, that's all."

The consulate? Could this woman be connected to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs or something? Lü Zhe couldn't figure out the mystery.

"You might not be able to deliver on what you're saying."

"Yes, you can take a gamble. But don't forget, I have the ability to know the progress of your company's negotiations, that's not a lie, is it? I also have the ability to know which hotel you're staying in, that's not a lie, is it? I have the power to do these things, and perhaps I can even deliver on what I've promised." "

This is a foreign country, not China. If something happens to you here, it won't be as easy to handle as it is back home. Look at the news, Colombian drug cartel guerrillas kidnapped four Chinese workers, and they still haven't found them. You tell me, the safety of Chinese people abroad is really fragile."

As Feng Wu said this, she lifted a corner of her clothes, and Lü Zhe saw the handle of a pistol.

"If one or two people die here, in this godforsaken place, we can only accept our bad luck, don't you think?"

As soon as she finished speaking, Lü Zhe suddenly reached out to grab the gun, but Feng Wu pushed his arm away, and then the muzzle of the silenced gun was pressed hard against his temple.

"I advise you not to act rashly. Do you know how many people have died at my hands?"

"Okay, okay, calm down, I agree."

Lu Zhe really didn't expect this woman's skills to be so formidable. Although he hadn't practiced his grappling and fighting skills for some time, his foundation was still there. Yet, his opponent was a woman, and he was completely powerless against her. Moreover, looking at her eyes, Lu Zhe felt they were very similar to the eyes of their old company commander. That old company commander had been to the Laoshan front and had actually fought and seen blood; those were the eyes of a true killer.

"I'm just going to pick up a package tomorrow, nothing else?"

"Nothing else."

"What's in the package? It's not a bomb, is it?"

"Hmph, I told you it's money."

"And then, I'll hand it over to you?"

"I'll call you later, just listen to me then."

On the morning of April 12th, in an office building diagonally opposite the Chinese Consulate.

Feng Wu was looking through a miniature telescope. Dongxing's car had just entered the consulate; she wondered how things were going. There were people from their security department at the consulate. She had explained everything clearly to Lü Zhe, and she had also explained how to make the meeting; there shouldn't be any problems. Looking around, she didn't notice anyone else monitoring her.

Hurry, hurry…

Finally, Dongxing's car came out. At the same time, a text message arrived on her phone saying the goods had been delivered. She was relieved. Dongxing's people had come in the car of that overseas Chinese gentleman, Mr. Guo. In fact, Mr. Guo was a patriotic overseas Chinese registered with the Overseas Chinese Affairs Office and had connections with the Ministry of State Security in the area. Feng Wu had initially considered using him, but it seemed that considering his family's assets were all here, it would be very troublesome if something went wrong, so she didn't use him.

However, this operation needed his help; the text message she had just received was from him.

She quickly replied with a text message, then went downstairs and drove straight to a law firm. This was the local mining law firm that the Chinese consulate had recommended to Dongxing Mining. Downstairs

, Su Chen and General Manager Chen went upstairs, where Mr. Guo's car was parked. A Ford rolled over, the door opened, and a package was handed over. Ford pulled over, and Lü Zhe, after getting out of Old Man Guo's car, let out a long sigh and followed him upstairs. Feng Wu opened the package and checked the money; it was correct. She then turned the car around and drove away.

She dialed Mennilik's number, telling him the money was ready, and received a text message.

"This place, the West District? Or a casino?"

Feng Wu understood; losing the money to the casino owner would complete the transaction. She read it again, memorized the content, and then deleted the message. The car then turned around and drove towards the West District. Meanwhile, on the top floor of the building housing the casino she was heading to, Amir, a former smuggler who had fled from the Iraqi border, lay listlessly on his bed, staring at the ceiling…

April 15th, afternoon, East District of Doktumo City.

In a hotel, Su Chen sat in his room, staring blankly at his computer, seemingly unaware of the tears streaming down his face.

Ever since arriving in this cursed country, her heart had never been at peace. Although she didn't show it outwardly, when no one was around, her heart felt like it was being fried in oil, unbearably painful.

The main reason was that disgusting incident that happened with Hong Shitai at the Laico Hotel.

Unexpectedly, this seemingly respectable man was so audacious as to drug her. Although Su Chen was disoriented at the time, her physical reactions were unaffected; this was probably one of those date rape drugs. Some say that if a woman psychologically dislikes a man, she won't be able to reach orgasm with him.

But Su Chen knew her own reactions clearly. In her dazed state, she thought it was her husband, Lü Zhe, on top of her, resulting in two orgasms and him ejaculating inside her. Although she desperately washed herself afterward, she knew the stain on her body was permanent and could never be washed away.

From then on, she almost never spent time alone with Hong Shitai, avoiding him whenever she saw him. She didn't consider calling the police. In this foreign country, still in a war-torn region, who would care about such a thing? It was even less likely in China; the Chinese judicial system was powerful to its own citizens but treated foreigners like dirt. Besides, Hong Shitai was still a trusted figure in the company, representing a foreign partner, a foreign national—what was she to him? It was just a small translation job.

And she didn't want Lü Zhe to know about it. She knew his temper; if he found out, he'd definitely fight Hong Shitai to the death. She was truly afraid something would happen to her husband.

So now, she could only cry secretly when no one was around.

But crying as she was, she was horrified to find that sometimes she couldn't help but think about the day she was with Hong Shitai. She didn't know why. She kept telling herself to just pretend she'd accidentally stepped in dog poop, or swallowed a fly—disgusting as it was, to forget it as soon as possible, to act like it never happened.

But now she found she couldn't forget it. When she was alone, she couldn't help but feel ashamed and hateful, and she couldn't help but cry. Then she couldn't help but recall the details of that day: how that bastard held her in his arms, how he put her on the bed, how he lewdly played with her sensitive private parts, how he spread her legs in a shameful position, how he lewdly played with her labia and clitoris with his mouth and tongue, how he put sexy black stockings on her.

How he stripped off his clothes piece by piece, how he pressed himself against her, how he thrust his hard, hot penis into her body, how he filled her vagina, how she brought him to orgasm after orgasm, how she tightly embraced this lecherous man's neck, how she frantically kissed his disgusting mouth and tongue, how her legs involuntarily clamped around his waist, how she completely surrendered to the pleasure he brought her, and finally how he smeared her vagina with his semen…

Every time Su Chen thought of these things, she felt so ashamed she wanted to jump off a building.

She had actually orgasmed then; it was unforgivable. Was her body really so depraved? She was out of her mind at the time, but afterwards she could recall that Hong Shitai's penis seemed to be larger than her husband Lü Zhe's, but why hadn't she noticed? Was being drugged an acceptable excuse? That orgasm, that pleasure, Hong Shitai's intoxicating sexual techniques—could it be that…

she really hadn't recognized who the man desperately possessing her body was?

Or did she not actually want to recognize, but simply use this as an excuse to give up her mental resistance?

She dared not think too deeply about it; she felt her current state of mind was unforgivable. She needed to forget about it quickly, and get out of this awful place as soon as possible! All of this was caused by this damned business trip. If she hadn't come to Africa, she would be perfectly fine. Fortunately, it was almost over. She knew the deal was most likely off; those Africans were clearly trying to scam her, with no sincerity in doing business. They'd probably be going home in a couple of days.

Once back, she could get rid of Hong Shitai forever. She could get her life back on track, and carry this matter as a secret to her grave. Everything would be alright.

There was a knock at the door. Su Chen snapped out of her daze and went to open it.

As soon as she opened the door a crack, she saw Hong Shitai standing in the doorway with a disgusting smile. Su Chen's heart skipped a beat, her breath caught in her throat, and she instinctively wanted to slam the door shut. But then she suddenly remembered it might be work-related, so she blocked the doorway, suppressing the urge to stab him. Without even looking at him, she coldly asked, "What?"

"Why so cold?"

Hong Shitai still wore his usual smile. She used to find that smile charming, but now Su Chen just wanted to slap him.

"You… what do you want?"

Su Chen felt breathless just talking to him. "Can't I even come to see you?" Hong Shitai's expression was always so shameless. Without a word, Su Chen tried to close the door. But Hong Shitai stuck out his foot, blocking the door from closing. Su Chen was startled. Did he intend to assault her in broad daylight

? Last time she was drugged and raped; this time was different. Terrified, Su Chen's face changed. She desperately tried to close the door, raising her voice. "Are you getting out of here or not? I'll scream for help!" "Is it really necessary? We were just having sex , it's common these days. I think we both had a good time last time, isn't it good that everyone was happy? Anyway, your husband doesn't know, so why are you doing this?" Hong Shitai's eyes were filled with naked lust as he provocatively looked at her. "You...you have no shame!" Su Chen tried to push him away, but Hong Shitai seized the opportunity to grab her hand and kiss it hard. Su Chen pulled her hand back forcefully as if she'd been electrocuted. "What do you want? I really will scream for help!" Su Chen's eyes widened, her face filled with obvious terror. Hong Shitai had shamelessly come to her doorstep, in broad daylight—it was utterly lawless. She couldn't imagine how this beast had maintained his hypocritical facade. Did he really want to take advantage of her again? Did this bastard have developed a taste for her and now want to possess her? Could this bastard be so audacious as to think he could do this now…? She's just a weak woman, and Lü Zhe isn't here… Right, this bastard must have come here while Lü Zhe was away. No one in this hotel knows what Hong Shitai did to her except her. What if someone else saw this? Who knows what they'd think? And if he denies it, she can't prove anything. Or she could just say she seduced him; she'd be the one who loses face… “Call someone? What do you want to tell them? Tell them you slept with me?” “You… shameless.” Seeing that Hong Shitai wasn't afraid at all, Su Chen's courage waned. Without Lü Zhe around, she felt lost and helpless. These were the only two words she could utter at this moment. “I'm shameless? Then what about last time when you wrapped your legs tightly around my waist and teased me with your tongue? What about that?” Su Chen's face flushed red and then paled; she was utterly ashamed. Without another word, she slammed the door shut. This time, Hong Shitai withdrew his foot, but said through the door, "I'll send something to your phone, please check it. After you read it, decide whether you want to come and talk to me about this. I'll be waiting for you in my room, I'm always here." Su Chen leaned against the door, and when there was no more movement at the door, she slowly slid down and sat on the floor, tears streaming down her face again. What was wrong with her? Why was she being entangled with this beast? What should she do? She didn't dare tell her husband, and she didn't dare tell anyone else. Was she just going to let him bully her like this forever? She covered her face, letting the tears flow freely. She had never felt so helpless before.

"Let's end this quickly, let's go back home..."

Hong Shitai walked towards his door, not entirely confident about Su Chen's reaction. This woman seemed playful and promiscuous on the surface, but deep down she possessed a fierce spirit. He wasn't sure if he could completely control Su Chen, but his confidence hadn't diminished. This was his territory, and he believed he would find a way. Every woman has weaknesses, and he believed he would find them.

Perhaps Su Chen was currently praying to return home quickly and never see him again.

But that was impossible. They still had plenty of time to spend together here until he completed what he needed to do. Maybe then, he could take this beautiful woman under his control as a sex slave, enjoying the emperor's pleasures like these tribal chiefs.

This mining project seemed like a bottomless pit, but he knew Dongxing Mining would eventually jump in. He knew this beforehand; the outcome was predetermined.

Therefore, no one could leave this place.

He reached the door, but before he could enter, he heard footsteps coming from the fire escape stairs. A man rushed up, panting and looking panicked. He recognized him immediately—it was the elderly engineer, Engineer He.

"What happened?"

Hong Shitai instinctively felt something serious had occurred. The old man wasn't young, yet he was running in such a hurry, not even taking the elevator.

"Car accident! They were in a car accident!"

In the guest room, Su Chen stared palely at the message on her phone. Hong Shitai had sent it to her. She never imagined this guy could be so despicable. She used to hear about sex scandals and video scandals online, and she thought those women were brainless, falling for such simple and old-fashioned tricks.

But now that it had happened to her, she realized that it was precisely because it was simple and old-fashioned that it worked.

Now that it had happened to her, she was just as helpless.

In the video, she looked incredibly lewd, dressed like a prostitute, wearing black stockings and high heels, her breasts swaying, lying on the bed as Hong Shitai molested her from behind. Moreover, she felt incredibly excited and thirsty, even thrusting her hips back in sync with his movements.

Hong Shitai, holding her arms, ravished her while mocking her as a wanton, thirsty young woman, pretending to be virtuous and loyal on the surface, but cheating on her husband with another man—a truly seductive and wanton slut.

"Hoo hoo...who would have thought you'd become so thirsty for another man's penis..."

The sound effects in the video were excellent, and Su Chen heard it clearly.

What made her want to die even more was that she had actually agreed. She was certain she wasn't thinking clearly at the time, but she had indeed been moaning loudly towards the camera, agreeing to whatever Hong Shitai said. She looked like a wanton, rutting female beast, desperately sucking the semen from the man behind her.

“Oh…oh, I’m a slutty, wanton whore, I love your cock, I love men’s cocks, I love having affairs with all men, fuck me…fuck my cunt raw…”

“Oh…huff…oh…okay, I’m going to cum inside you, I’m going to get you pregnant, pregnant with a bastard, to make your husband wear a big green hat…”

Hong Shitai intensified his movements, Su Chen blushed, feeling ashamed as her genitals heating up. Although she couldn’t remember what she had said, she could still recall the fiery friction and contractions, the depth of penetration, the orgasms that came with each thrust to her deepest point, the beastly masculine aura, the shameful, ecstatic pleasure…

“I love bastards…oh oh…get me pregnant…oh yeah…I want my cuckolded husband to fuck me to death…”

Seeing her disgusting, repulsive image, Su Chen couldn’t believe it was her. How could she have fallen so low? Was it all really the effect of drugs? Could it be that her own nature wasn't present in this...? She began to doubt herself, and the more she doubted, the more lost she became. Finally, she threw her phone against the wall, and it shattered with a crack.

The lewd moans stopped abruptly, but Su Chen felt as if the sound was still lingering in her mind.

What to do? What to do? What to do? If anyone saw this, I might as well not live anymore...

She rushed to find Hong Shitai, running to the door in a few steps. Before she could even open it, she heard banging on the door. Had Hong Shitai returned? She opened the door and saw Engineer He standing there, panting. "Engineer He

, what's wrong?"

"A car accident! Lü Zhe and the others, Lü Zhe and President Chen... they were in a car accident on the road!" In

an instant, Su Chen's mind went blank, and she felt dizzy...

********** ...

The traffic here was unbelievably chaotic. There were no traffic police in sight. Pedestrians, bicycles, motorcycles, cars, cattle, and sheep were all mixed together, each going their own way. The smell was awful; the stench of excrement and stench was overwhelming. A cacophony of incomprehensible shouts and noises filled the air. Tall, thin Black women with large backpacks on their heads, leading children, were a common sight. For Feng Wu, the only word to describe it was chaos.

It was hard to imagine that this place was within the same city as the well-ordered East District. This was a slum, a world of all sorts of thugs and hooligans.

According to Menelik's instructions, the building ahead was where the money was to be paid. All she had to do was go in, give the contact signal, and then wager the million-dollar sum at the gambling table. It sounded that simple.

But in this chaotic place, she dared not be careless. From what she observed, this place was practically unsafe. Just now, she had seen two burly black men swagger past her car, seemingly oblivious to her presence. They were wearing shorts and flip-flops, looking like migrant workers, yet they were carrying old-fashioned American-made carbines on their shoulders.

Although worn, they were genuine weapons, and they also had large machetes tucked into their waistbands, resembling the image of bandits from movies. It would be unimaginable for two people like that to appear on the street anywhere in China, but here, it seemed commonplace, causing no disturbance whatsoever. In

such an extreme place, she felt uneasy without some means of self-defense. Feng Wu still had the pistol tucked into her clothes; she planned to find a way to bring it in, just in case something unexpected happened, she wouldn't be left unarmed.

She saw the location ahead, but finding a place to park was difficult. A beat-up Land Rover SUV was parked crookedly on the side of the road, occupying a good spot for maneuvering. The driver was sitting inside smoking, as if waiting for someone. Feng Wu stopped her car at the intersection, picked up her bag, and entered the casino. Someone on the first floor was watching the entrance to the second floor, clearly having received instructions. They led Feng Wu up without much trouble, and the atmosphere inside was indeed bustling.

The small space was brightly lit and quite nicely decorated, with about two hundred people gathered there—white, black, Asian, men and women—a noisy and chaotic scene filled with people shouting and betting around a dozen or so tables, while others watched television and gambled on horse races. Scantily clad black waitresses moved through the crowd carrying drinks, and some sexy women dressed as prostitutes were laughing and joking with men.

Near the stairs was a bar, opposite which was the chip exchange counter, and two bodyguards with weapons tucked into their waistbands stood by the stairs.

This was a casino, though much simpler than the five-star hotel casinos she had seen in Sinuiju, North Korea, it was a real casino, with everything one would expect.

There were too many people here; the transaction couldn't possibly be happening here. Moreover, Feng Wu discreetly observed the crowd and noticed a few people who didn't seem to be there to gamble. Two of the waitresses seemed a bit odd, and the Asian-looking man didn't appear to be genuinely playing either. These were likely plainclothes security guards; it was unlikely this casino only had those two standing guard. It was normal to deploy a few bodyguards posing as customers to prevent cheaters from causing trouble.

"I need to see Alam,"

Feng Wu said in English to the bodyguard at the top of the stairs.

"Who are you?"

The bodyguard stared at the tall Asian woman before him, scrutinizing her suspiciously, and uttered a few English words in a broken, strange accent.

"Menelik sent me,"

the bodyguard said after a moment. It seemed Menelik's name had some effect; he spoke something on the walkie-talkie upstairs, and soon someone came down, holding a photograph for Feng Wu to compare.

"Take off your glasses."

Feng Wu removed her goggles, and the old black man's face showed a look of surprise, which then turned into a lecherous one.

"Your name."

"Feng Wu."

"Do you have any weapons?"

"No."

Feng Wu cooperated and allowed the old black man to search her, but being prepared, she found nothing. Her gun was in her money bag; getting it back to her without her noticing would be a piece of cake.

"Alam is waiting for you. Come with me."

The old black man gestured towards the upper floor, and Feng Wu followed him up.

The Asian man not far away frowned as he watched this scene. The target was on the fourth floor, but there was only one way up. Judging from the way the woman had gone up, and the fact that she had to be searched, it was clearly a no-go zone. Openly trying to sneak up there wouldn't work, but fortunately, he had anticipated this and had already chosen a route.

But that woman who went up earlier looked very familiar... Where have I seen her before… on the plane? Right, on the plane, that woman was on the same Ethiopian Airlines flight as me, wasn't she? It must be her… What a coincidence!

There was a small ventilation window above the restroom. While it would be difficult for most people to climb out, it was enough for him. He could probably climb up the wall outside the window. This was a last resort; going from the ground floor would be more difficult due to the building's layout, and it would attract attention if he wasn't a local. He had to go from the second floor.

“Prepare for action,”

he said, pretending to scratch his face, using a hidden micro-communicator to notify his colleague.

He walked to a roulette table, pretended to play a few rounds, then went to other tables to join in the fun. He slowly approached the restroom door. Then he secretly sent a signal.

Ten seconds later, a South American-looking guy, seemingly drunk, suddenly groped a black waitress's buttocks as she passed by. The woman screamed, her hand trembled, the tray fell to the ground, and the wine glass shattered. Then the man tried to hug her again, and the woman screamed dramatically, struggling and twisting as if she was about to be raped. This immediately attracted the attention of the surrounding crowd, and the scene became chaotic.

The bodyguards who were in charge of the place came over immediately. They had seen this kind of thing many times and were very experienced in handling it. Usually, the waitresses here were quite promiscuous, and it was common for them to let customers touch them and flaunt their sex appeal. However, this woman and her companion were new and inexperienced in this kind of thing, which is why they made such a commotion.

"Stop!"

The bodyguards came over in simple English and pulled the drunk man away. The waitress took the opportunity to run away, tears still on her face. At this moment, the manager came over, said a few words to the drunk man, but finding that he couldn't communicate, he simply gestured for a bodyguard to take him out, and then told the waitress to go back to the staff lounge to calm down.

The waitress wiped away her tears, nodded, and as she walked back, she didn't forget to look back. Her companion was gone, and a bodyguard was returning to his post at the stairwell.

Upon reaching the changing room, her expression changed. She covered her ear and whispered,

"Did you go up?"

"Everything went smoothly. Wait for my signal."

Just then, the drunk guy was thrown onto the street, landing face-first in the dirt. The bodyguard cursed loudly at him, then turned and went back inside.

Ramos got up. The people around seemed used to this kind of thing; the crowd laughed for a while and then dispersed. He returned to the Land Rover. Cheruna handed him a tissue to wipe the dirt off his face, smiling, "A very beautiful landing. I watched the whole thing, didn't miss a single detail."

"Maybe I'll let you do a landing like that later too."

"Zhou Xu went up?"

"Yes, he went up."

At this moment, outside the second-floor bathroom, the bathroom window had been removed. Zhou Xu was climbing up the wall, his hands gripping the cracks, his speed not fast, but very steady. No one would have thought someone would use this method to get upstairs; he was certain of it. All he had to do was get up there before anyone discovered the bathroom door was locked. He looked left and right and saw a black boy looking up at him. He forced a terrible smile, then reached up and grabbed onto a third-floor windowsill…

On the fourth floor, Amir was in a room, passionately embracing a voluptuous black woman on the bed.

He'd been hiding there for a while, initially living in constant fear, terrified that an assassin would suddenly strike. But so many days had passed, and all was calm. So his anxiety had gradually subsided. Although he still tried to stay indoors, he no longer couldn't sleep at night.

Alam would come over to comfort him from time to time. This friend was really kind; without even asking what trouble he'd gotten himself into, he'd just let him stay, saying he could stay as long as he wanted. Amir knew Alam was a big shot in the area, a bigwig with plenty of men, money, and guns.

He began to harbor a sliver of hope; perhaps those people wouldn't be able to catch up to him. They might be all-powerful in the Middle East, but this was Africa, not their territory. Even if they came, they were like a powerful dragon unable to suppress a local snake.

Once his mind relaxed, he started to think about other things.

How long would he stay here? Months? Years? Would he settle down here permanently?

Would he ever return to the Middle East? Would he never avenge his wife and children? Even if he chose to give up his hatred, would those ruthless killers let him off so easily? He

also

wondered whether he should tell Alam about his situation. If he didn't, Alam had been so kind to him, and he felt bad for keeping the truth from him. What if someone came looking for him later, and Alam didn't know anything about the situation? Would he be at a disadvantage?

That would be too unfair to him. But he hadn't decided whether he would leave in the future. If he did leave, was it necessary to tell him the truth, lest he drag him into this mess? Those who hunted him were ruthless, heartless killers who wouldn't care about silencing another witness.

And what about his wife and children? He tried his best not to think about them, but he knew that if he had enough power, he would personally crush the murderer into mincemeat to quell the hatred in his heart. Was he destined to spend his life carrying the burden of his family's hatred and running away?

Once his mind started racing, all sorts of pressure arose. He'd been quite irritable these past few days, and didn't want to go out. Even watching TV indoors felt pointless; the shelter felt like a prison. He told Alam about it, and Alam's advice was straightforward: he should find a woman to relieve his stress.

So he sent a prostitute up.

The bed shook violently as Amir pressed down on the woman's fleshy body, burying his face in her neck. One hand kneaded her breasts, the other wrapped around her shoulder, his strong body thrusting wildly like a bull.

The woman's dark legs were spread apart, her genitals pressed tightly against the man's lower abdomen, her calves intertwined and rubbing against his with each wild thrust. Her hands clung to his back, emitting satisfied, ecstatic moans. Feeling the man's hard, thick penis repeatedly rubbing against and filling her vagina, repeatedly thrusting against her cervix, feeling his scrotum and testicles slapping against her engorged labia, this brutal ravaging sent waves of pleasure through her body, causing her to involuntarily spasm.

"Oh...oh...oh..."

The woman's excited, intoxicated moans could even be heard outside the door. In the hallway outside, a young black man, carrying an old five- or six-cylinder on his back, leaned against the wall by the door, listening intently with a lewd grin on his face.

He didn't even notice that a small window at the end of the hallway behind him had been slightly opened, one hand gripping the windowsill, the other staring at his back. Then the window was quietly lifted, and the man outside, about to enter, suddenly pulled back. At the other end of the hallway, at the stairwell, a young waitress came up, carrying a bottle and a glass of wine. She looked lost, glancing around, and when she saw him, a relaxed and happy expression appeared on her face as she walked over.

"I've never seen this woman before. She's got a damn good figure." The young man's mind was filled with aroused lust. Seeing a pretty woman come up, his penis immediately became erect. Fortunately, he hadn't forgotten his purpose. He took the gun off his back and held it in his hand, but with the muzzle pointing downwards, more for intimidation than threat.

"Who are you? What are you doing here? Who let you come up?"

"Oh, sorry, I'm lost."

The black waitress was startled, her eyes a little flustered.

"I came up to deliver drinks. I can't find the place."

"You shouldn't have come up."

The young man felt very proud, intentionally showing off in front of the woman.

"Defar sent me up. He said I needed to deliver a bottle of wine to the boss's friend."

Defar was the casino manager on the second floor. The young man naturally knew who he was, and he also knew who the "boss's friend" was—the strange guy who always hid in his room and never went out, and was currently having a great time inside.

"I've never seen you before."

"I... I've only been working here for a couple of days."

"Just started working here... Hmph, are you a prostitute? No one but a prostitute can come up here."

The young man's eyes gleamed with lust, his drool practically dripping from his gaze.

The waitress paused slightly, understanding his meaning, then smiled seductively, deliberately puffing out her chest: "I sometimes earn some extra money."

"Hmph, I knew it. Have you slept with Defar? Otherwise, how could you work here?"

"You know him..."

The woman shrugged, neither confirming nor denying.

"We don't need you here."

The young man pointed to the door. "There's someone inside. Leave the drinks here and go."

The waitress's eyes darted around. She put down the drinks, but didn't leave. Instead, she provocatively placed one hand on the young man's shoulder, looking at him with a grin.

Outside the window, Zhou Xu waited anxiously. He wondered why this woman was still talking, what was she saying to this young man? She looked like a prostitute. He'd seen her on the second floor earlier; how did she get up here? But then he was relieved. The woman was clearly seducing the guy; soon his eyes lit up, he looked lustful, and the woman giggled wantonly. They went into another room and closed the door. They were

going to have sex. It was like heaven was on his side. Zhou Xu used his hands and feet to open the window and nimbly climbed in. He listened for any sounds, and a loaded M92 appeared in his hand. He released the safety and screwed on the silencer. Looking around, he saw no surveillance cameras. After all

the effort he'd put in, chasing him from the border of Iraq in the Middle East to this godforsaken place, it hadn't been in vain. He'd finally found the smuggler; this was practically his only lead. He was determined not to let him escape this time.

He knew whose territory this was; the casino owner was a powerful figure in the local gang and seemed to have connections to a pirate group. But he didn't care anymore. Whoever dared to stop him, the bullets in his gun were ready for them. In war-torn Africa, human life is cheap; if pushed too far, they'll go on a killing spree. Who's afraid of whom?

Inside, Amir, panting heavily, held the woman in his arms on his lap, his hands gripping her thighs. Sweat glistened on his dark skin as he thrust his hips, causing waves of flesh to ripple across her body.

He had already ejaculated once, and perhaps because he'd been holding back, he quickly became hard again. The prostitute, having been brought to orgasm, was now even more sensitive and thirsty, moaning and groaning with extreme lewdness. Her face was covered in semen, and she swayed her hips with Amir's movements, her buttocks writhing as if devouring his genitals.

"Hoo... bitch... say you like me fucking your asshole..."

Amir thrust desperately, enjoying the pleasure brought by the slippery fluid and the tight grip of her tender flesh.

The woman was now overwhelmed by pleasure, muttering incoherently, seemingly in the local tribal language. Amir rolled over and pinned her to the bed, his genitals pressing tightly against her buttocks as he thrust and churned violently. The woman's moans grew increasingly intense and loud, her body thrashing like a cow in heat. The sensual slapping sounds between their bodies were loud and crisp. Sweat mingled with the sticky, pungent secretions from their genitals, leaving damp patches on the sheets.

"Hoo... bitch... bitch..."

Amir roared wildly, seemingly wanting to vent all his lust, pressure, and hatred onto the body beneath him. He shook her violently, savoring the depth and pleasure of his thrusts, his force almost tearing her vagina apart. The woman's moans began to change, interspersed with painful gasps. By then, her hands and legs were pinned down from behind, unable to move, and she could only grit her teeth and endure the man's penetration from behind.

Waves of pleasure erupted again, and the man gasped, pulling back to his knees.

"Open your mouth!"

The man grabbed the woman's hair and pulled it back. The woman obediently opened her mouth wide, and hot, cloudy semen spurted out, leaving large patches on her dark, alluring face. The woman's tongue darted out, licking the semen from the corner of her mouth, as if enjoying something delicious. A large amount of semen flowed down her chin and neck, some hanging precariously from her hair, looking both disgusting and lewd.

Amir lay down on the bed, threw her two US dollars, and said, "Get out."

The woman simply wiped her face with a tissue, put on her clothes, and walked towards the door. Amir ignored her; his purpose was to vent. Now that he had vented, he felt much lighter. Some things didn't feel so frustrating anymore.

Perhaps it was time to take action. No matter what happened in the future, he couldn't stay cooped up in this little house forever; it was time to get out. Although it wasn't possible now, he had to find a chance to get revenge. He felt more confident, and those people didn't seem so scary anymore. He started looking for clothes, but then he noticed the prostitute standing motionless at the door.

"Why aren't you leaving?"

he asked impatiently.

The woman didn't answer, but her legs were trembling as she slowly backed away. Amir didn't understand what was happening at first, but then he saw the gun barrel pressed against the woman's forehead, and everything became clear. Cold sweat broke out all over his body instantly, and immense fear almost made him collapse onto the bed.

Damn it, speak of the devil, and he appears; they've come knocking...

The waitress leaned against the wall with a seductive smile, while the young man, breathing rapidly, buried his face in her breasts like a dog in heat, licking them frantically. His hands hurriedly unbuckled his belt, and when he pulled his pants down, a stiff, erect penis sprang out, full of youthful vitality.

"Take off your skirt, you bitch."

The boy's voice trembled as he reached under the waitress's skirt to pull down her panties. But then he felt a garter belt tied close to her thigh, and when he touched what was clipped to it, his face changed drastically. His lust vanished instantly. He stopped abruptly, but the woman, still smiling seductively, grabbed his chin with both hands.

"Ah..."

The boy only managed a whimper before the woman's hands snapped his neck at an unbelievable angle, like breaking a chopstick. His

lifeless body slumped to the ground.

The waitress glanced coldly at the unfortunate little pervert, pulled a small silver Browning pistol from under her skirt, screwed on the silencer, and slowly approached Amir's room.

Hmm? Why is the window open? The waitress remembered the window looking a little different earlier. She looked outside suspiciously, realizing she was being paranoid. There was no time to waste on such irrelevant matters. She took a deep breath and gently knocked on the door.

No one answered.

She knocked a few more times, and this time there was movement inside.

"Who's outside?"

A man's voice sounded somewhat unnatural.

It was him.

"Excuse me, I'm delivering drinks."

The assassin waited, gripping her gun steadily, adjusting it to its optimal position, ready to fire as soon as the door opened.

"Leave it outside, I'll get it myself. You can go."

The target didn't come out.

The assassin wanted to rush in, but unsure if the target inside was armed, she didn't act rashly. She placed the drink tray at the door, a cold smile playing on her lips.

Inside, Zhou Xu listened to the footsteps outside fading into the distance, pointing his gun at the two people inside. Amir's face was pale as he stared at the man before him. Asian features—Japanese? South Korean? Chinese? He didn't seem to have any grudges against people from these places.

This man didn't seem to be one of those mercenaries sent to kill him. Who exactly was this person? However, seeing the silencer on the man's gun, he was clearly not an amateur, so he didn't dare move.

He pointed the gun at the prostitute, then at the door. The prostitute shakily got up and walked towards the door. Zhou Xu knew this was crucial. He had the man, but this was someone else's territory. He couldn't alert them. If the thugs came up and surrounded him, he would likely die fighting them head-on with just a pistol. The most important thing now was to get this guy out unnoticed.

After the woman left, he would check if the boy was still there and try to get him out of there. Zhou Xu's mind raced as he used his earpiece to notify Ramos and Cheruna, who were waiting downstairs, to proceed with the plan. But before he could finish speaking, just as the prostitute reached the door and turned the handle, something unexpected happened!

A muffled gunshot rang out, a burst of bullets piercing several transparent holes in the door, splinters of wood flying everywhere. Caught off guard, the prostitute was hit by multiple bullets, her body exploding in a cloud of blood and smoke, instantly knocked to the ground, dead without a sound

. Zhou Xu, still in shock, immediately realized what had happened. He truly hadn't expected there to be someone lying in ambush at the door. The waitress hadn't left at all; she was waiting right there. He'd been tricked! To be able to fool him, this was a professional assassin! Who was this after? It was after Amir! His wife and children had died suspiciously, and he'd fled; someone was trying to kill him! This assassin had come knocking! He'd arrived just in time.

He grabbed Amir, flipped the bed over, and pointed his gun at the door.

The female assassin at the door heard a heavy thud from inside, knowing that someone had likely been shot. Overjoyed, she kicked the door shut without thinking. The door was kicked open, and a hail of bullets rained down on her, along with muffled gunshots. She screamed and fell backward on her back, the door riddled with holes. Bullets carrying wood chips grazed her nose, damaging part of the door as well. She rolled to a blind spot by the doorway.

Damn it, someone's inside! The window from before! That's it! Something felt off! Someone must have come in through the window; someone beat her to it. The gunshots were also silenced, like hers—professional gunmen.

She approached the doorway, calling for her companion. Before she could finish, someone shouted from the stairwell. A black man with a gun stared at her in shock, muttering something unintelligible.

Damn it! That was the only word in the female assassin's mind. She fired a shot back, but the old black man reacted quickly, ducking his head and missing. The bullet struck the wall, creating a hole. Then, without him even peeking out, a submachine gun emerged from the other side of the wall and unleashed a burst of gunfire without aiming. The deafening gunfire echoed through the street and reverberated inside the

building. Zhou Xu, hearing the gunfire outside, knew another fight had broken out. Although he didn't know who was shooting whom, he was certain they weren't from his unit, and the gunfire would surely alert the bodyguards downstairs. Once they came up, things would be bad. He was frantically calling for backup downstairs when he heard a loud crash as the window behind him was smashed open. Knowing something was wrong, he turned around and saw Amir already on the windowsill. Before he could even shout "Don't jump!", Amir vanished in an instant, jumping out without hesitation…

Feng Wu met Alam on the third floor. The man looked quite energetic, and his skin wasn't as dark and shiny as the local natives; he seemed to have some Arab ancestry. Without much preamble, after confirming that he had been summoned by Menelik, he went straight into the VIP room.

The VIP room was naturally filled with VIPs; four people were already sitting at the table—two black and two white—who all looked respectable and were not ordinary citizens. Menelik brought Fengwu in, and with a snap of his fingers, drinks were immediately brought over. Then, Menelik asked Fengwu how much money she wanted to exchange for chips. Fengwu, unsure of the others' amounts, thought for a moment and asked, "What's the maximum here?"

"Maximum five hundred thousand."

"Then I'll exchange this million."

Fengwu finished speaking and observed the others' expressions, only to find that they remained unfazed, as if a million dollars was nothing to them.

"Damn it, who the hell are these guys? This is real money! How can this godforsaken place have these rich bastards? Could they be here with ulterior motives like me?" Feng Wu wondered, but her expression remained unchanged. After all, her task wasn't to win money, but to lose it.

The next six people started playing all-in. Feng Wu seized the opportunity to put on a few hands, pretending to be a highly skilled player. She bet 50,000 or 100,000 at a time, and unless Alam didn't bet, she wouldn't bet either, deliberately challenging Alam to a duel. After a few hands, half of her million was gone. Her face turned ugly, as if Alam had seen through her trickery.

The other gamblers seemed to think she was just a half-baked player, but they didn't know her background. She spent money without batting an eye, but it seemed this woman was determined to fight Alam to the death until she won back her losses.

Everyone else folded, leaving only Alam and Fengwu. All eyes were on this seemingly clueless but beautiful Asian woman, wondering if she would call.

"I'm all in, deal the cards."

Fengwu pushed all her chips onto the table. She was determined to end the deal quickly. She had a pair, while Alam had a flush and was raising. She felt he most likely had a flush, and her pair couldn't win, but she pretended to see through his bluff, as if she were about to have a decisive battle. The cards were revealed, and

as expected, Alam did have a flush. The others gasped slightly, as if wondering why they hadn't had the luck to encounter such a fool, letting Alam get such a huge advantage. Fengwu's face was ashen, she forced a smile, but inwardly she breathed a sigh of relief, finally giving away all her money.

"Oh, looks like your luck isn't so good today,"

Alam said with a smile.

“That’s right, luck isn’t on my side today.”

Feng Wu stood up, her words carrying a hidden meaning.

“Looks like I should go. Maybe my lucky day hasn’t come yet. I’ll come back when my lucky day arrives, and then maybe I can get what I need. Don’t you think so?”

“You’re absolutely right.”

Alam also smiled in a strange way. “Should I call you a car?”

“No need.”

Feng Wu said, turning and leaving. Alam said goodbye to the others and went to the chip counter. He gestured to his men to put the money Feng Wu brought back into another briefcase, then went to another room and dialed Menelik’s number.

“Hello, I got the money. Okay, I got it.”

He hung up the phone, put the money away, and was about to go back when suddenly a gunshot rang out right above him, coming from upstairs. At the same time, he heard his bodyguard screaming like a pig being slaughtered. He was stunned at first, then thought of Amir upstairs. He instinctively felt that something had happened to Amir.

"Quick! Get the hell out of here!"

He was frantic, yelling at the top of his lungs. He pulled a loaded silver Colt Python from a drawer and pounded on the alarm on the table. The bodyguards downstairs all heard the alarm, and the entire casino erupted into chaos. The bodyguards, looking like menacing monsters, brandished their pistols and began to forcibly clear the area. Three or four burly men carrying various long guns rushed upstairs.

When they arrived, the guy in front shouted, his face flushed, "That woman has a gun! That bitch has a gun!"

Alam waved his hand, and all the gunmen behind him came up. Several guns blocked the corridor, firing indiscriminately. The female assassin had no way to hide in the narrow corridor and couldn't get into Amir's room. At this point, she knew things had gone wrong and she had to get out of there as soon as possible. The only way out was the window behind her. The bullets had shattered most of the glass. She raised her gun and fired wildly, emptying all her bullets in one go.

Taking advantage of the moment her opponent ducked back, she tried to turn and get back to the window when several guns behind her opened fire simultaneously. No matter how skilled she was, she couldn't dodge the dense barrage of bullets. Bullets exploded in her neck, shoulders, and arms, leaving gaping wounds and spraying blood mist through the air, splattering the walls and floor. The immense impact threw her body out of the window, sending her plummeting from the fourth floor amidst a shower of blood.

"Quick, quick, quick!"

Alam, gun raised, approached Amir's room, sensing his brother was likely dead. He glanced inside at the door before a bullet flew in, the muffled sound indicating a silencer.

"Don't fucking come in! Or I'll kill this kid!"

a man's voice shouted in English from inside.

Alam hesitated. He didn't know the situation inside, or whether Amir was dead or alive. What if he wasn't? He steadied himself and shouted in English, "Your accomplice is dead! You can't escape! Release my man and I'll spare your life! Otherwise, I swear I'll rip your liver out myself!"

There was no response, only a slight cracking sound from the window. Alam immediately sensed something was wrong and, with a wink, his men rushed in with guns drawn…

When Feng Wu reached the street, she felt as if a huge weight had been lifted from her chest. She made a coded call on her phone, reporting that the money had been transferred and that she should return to her post.

She walked towards her car, but after only two steps, she heard the clatter of gunfire erupting from the casino. Instinctively, she darted to the side of the road and looked back to see the gunfire coming from the top floor of the casino. The gunfire was now deafening; gamblers and staff were fleeing the casino in screams and cries, and the street vendors were thrown into chaos.

"What's going on?"

Feng Wu's first thought was whether something had gone wrong with her transaction. Everything was fine a moment ago, how come gunfire erupted as soon as she stepped out! But she couldn't go any further in now. She saw a fourth-floor window shattered by bullets, shards of glass flying everywhere, the whistling of bullets echoing through the air.

Who was fighting whom? Feng Wu stared intently at the scene above, but then a beat-up Land Rover parked by the roadside suddenly started up and sped towards the crowd, honking its horn. The crowd scattered, the Land Rover knocked down two people, and drove straight towards the casino.

Hmm? These people? The moment the car flashed past her sight, Feng Wu recognized one of the guys she'd seen in the casino. They seemed to be waiting outside to meet someone. Right, how could she have overlooked this when she came? The Land Rover was parked in a spot with a good view and no obstructions, allowing for easy maneuverability. An ordinary person might not notice, but someone in her line of work would definitely choose this spot for surveillance or rendezvous missions.

Could it be a double-cross or robbery? Casino owners are all rich. Are some bandits eyeing them?

Feng Wu initially thought it might not be related to her. If someone knew about the transactions and wanted to interfere, they wouldn't have waited until now. She was alone with a large sum of money, unfamiliar with the area; this was the best time to strike.

If it wasn't her concern, there was no need to get involved. She should leave the scene quickly. She wondered if there were any police around. If they

came, it would be troublesome. Thinking this, she looked around, about to leave, when she heard a loud crash, and something collapsed. Amidst the gasps of the crowd, Feng Wu looked up and saw a fourth-floor window smashed open. A person leaped out of that window, screaming in terror, and flailing their arms as they fell. Then another person emerged from a different window, seemingly a woman, riddled with bullets, landing bloodied and in the alleyway.

Holy crap! This guy's got some nerve! What kind of day is this, with people doing aerial acrobatics?

Judging from his movements, Feng Wu knew he hadn't received any training; he was definitely going to crash and get blown away. But then something unbelievable happened. Just as he landed, there was a sudden bang from the wall below, a plume of white smoke, and a huge white inflatable cushion rose up from the ground. The guy who jumped landed squarely on it. Because it happened so suddenly, the cushion hadn't fully inflated, so part of him fell to the bottom, but then it filled up again, lifting him back up.

Luckily, the cushion cushioned him, but he was still badly hurt, with cuts from shards of glass. He barely managed to get up when the two men in the Land Rover grabbed him by the neck and tried to shove him into the car. The guy struggled desperately, yelling and screaming, but refused to get in.

Not after the money? After all, they're after him? But that's none of my business. Feng Wu crouched low and quickly ran to her car, opened the door, and before she could even get in, gunfire erupted behind her. Bullets flew through the air, and a stray bullet struck her car window, shattering the glass like a spiderweb. Startled, she ducked and quickly hid behind a wall.

Meanwhile, Lu Hu's side was already engaged in a fierce firefight. A young Black woman, dressed like a waitress, had somehow slipped out from the fleeing crowd. Approaching Lu Hu, she suddenly moved with a swiftness that belied her delicate figure, leaping forward like a gust of wind. She brandished a silenced Browning pistol at the three men grappling together. Caught off guard, the man who had jumped and the one who was trying to capture him were both hit, their blood splattering everywhere. The car was riddled with bullet holes and shrapnel.

The other, who had narrowly escaped, panicked and grabbed a short Uzi with an extended magazine from his car. He unleashed a hail of bullets at the female gunman, not caring if anyone was hurt. The fire swept towards Feng Wu, riddling her car with holes. This

was too damn dangerous! Someone was firing a submachine gun indiscriminately in the street; bullets don't have eyes. She'd better take cover. Feng Wu managed to suppress her impulsive emotions and hid in a corner, not moving…

The female assassin knew her partner was finished, but she had no other thought than to eliminate her target. This was her training: the mission always came before life.

If she failed to complete the mission, the organization wouldn't let her off the hook when she returned. After emptying one magazine, she reloaded, constantly dodging and exchanging fire with the enemy. She had been trained in close-quarters combat in complex terrain like urban warfare. Although the enemy's firepower was fierce, their rate of fire was too fast, and they would run out of bullets quickly. She firmly believed that if she was lucky enough, she could wait until the enemy reloaded, and that would be their death sentence.

However, the next moment, she heard exclamations from the people around her. Someone else had jumped down? She quickly concealed herself behind a concrete utility pole. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw another person falling from the sky. At the same time, she seemed to see a faint flash of light from the person aiming at her in mid-air. She didn't hear a gunshot, but then a huge metallic clang exploded in her mind. A 9mm bullet shattered the side of her skull, churning her brains into a pulp. With tremendous kinetic energy, it ripped open the other side of her skull, scattering hair, flesh, and bone fragments everywhere. Her vision went completely dark, her legs went weak, and she collapsed to the ground.

Zhou Xu blew the female assassin's head off mid-air, a shot he himself hadn't expected to be so accurate. But before he could even savor his legendary shot, he landed on the inflatable cushion, the immense force of which threw him off, sending him sprawling face-first into the dirt. He scrambled to his feet and saw Luchena and Amir lying on the ground, covered in blood, seemingly still alive and able to move. Ramos, gun in hand, yelled at him, "Hurry! Hurry!"

He got up, fired a few shots back, deflated the inflatable cushion, and sprinted over, grabbing Luchena and Amir and desperately shoving them into the car, shouting, "Drive! Drive!"

However, people were already sticking guns out of the windows of the buildings behind them. Of course, no one was as crazy as him, jumping from the fourth floor; they were simply firing down on them from above, bullets raining down on them.

With a loud bang, like a muffled thunderclap, the Land Rover's hood, smoking, was blown high into the air. A 7.62mm rifle bullet pierced the entire vehicle, shattering the engine and cylinders. Zhou Xu's arm was bleeding; unsure if the car could still be driven, he shouted Ramos's name, only to find two holes in the driver's seat back, still bleeding. The hail of bullets had penetrated the roof and windshield, with a stray bullet hitting and piercing his chest. Ramos was dead.

"Damn it!"

Zhou Xu cursed through gritted teeth, forcing down his grief. He desperately pulled Amir and Luchena out. Luchena was wounded in the thigh and lower back, bleeding uncontrollably. Amir's injuries weren't serious; two fingers were broken, and a piece of his ear was missing, but he could walk.

Bullets were now flying even more fiercely overhead. Alam led his men downstairs and was directing gunmen in an attempt to encircle the vehicle from the street. Zhou Xu brandished his Uzi and sprayed bullets wildly, knocking one down. The rest quickly scrambled for cover, their guns flying in all directions.

"Go! I can't go on..."

Luchena was already unconscious from blood loss. Zhou Xu knew he couldn't take him with him now. He had backup, but it wouldn't be in time. As long as Luchena lived, his government could surely get him out later. He was prepared to sacrifice himself for this job anyway. He gritted his teeth and said, "Don't resist. Do as they say. You must live. I will definitely get you out of here." He then

pressed the gun against Amir's head: "If you don't want to die, come with me. Your pursuers are here!"

Amir realized Zhou Xu wasn't on his side, but seeing Aram approaching, he hesitated, but the gun was pressed against his head.

"Okay, I'll do as you say!"

Zhou Xu grabbed him and ran a few steps, trying to find a means of transportation. Just then, they heard the sound of a car starting up. A car was starting up on the side of the road, driven by a woman, who seemed to be trying to escape. Great, that's her!

"Drive faster!"

Zhou Xu pointed his gun at the woman, immediately recognizing her as the VIP woman he'd seen at the casino earlier. What a coincidence to run into her again! Although a gun was pointed at her, she remained relatively calm, not making a sound. No wonder she dared to gamble in a place like this; even as a woman, she was incredibly bold.

Feng Wu panicked for a moment when the gun was pointed at her. It was the first time she'd encountered someone so fast. She'd just seen him reach her car door, and before she could even step on the gas, he'd darted in through the rear window like a monkey, his movements unbelievably swift, and then the gun was already at her—all in one fluid, seamless motion. It was too late for her to draw her gun.

A master, a true master!

"Keep your hands where I can see you, drive!"

Zhou Xu knew this woman was no pushover. Anyone who dared to come to this place alone was no ordinary citizen. She might even be involved in the underworld, so it was best to be cautious. Most of the women he'd encountered today were extremely dangerous, so he dared not let his guard down.

This woman's words and actions carried a heavy, hard killing intent. Her hand holding the gun was incredibly steady; Feng Wu knew she was definitely a seasoned killer. If she made a slight mistake, this woman would show no mercy.

Amir trembled in the back seat, his face deathly pale.

The car started, crashing into a tricycle on the road, and sped off down the street amidst a cloud of dust and debris. Alam, seeing this, immediately shouted in panic. His men quickly brought over a not-so-new Mitsubishi SUV. Several men jumped in, and the car gave chase.

"Hurry! Hurry! Hurry!"

Zhou Xu pressed Amir's head down, constantly glancing back and urging Feng Wu to drive faster. He was filled with mixed emotions; their arrival today was incredibly timely, a moment later and everything would have been over. But Ramos was dead, and Luchena was seriously wounded, his fate unknown in their hands. Judging by his injuries, even if he survived, he would likely be crippled. The losses were devastating. This loss could perhaps have been avoided, but by sheer bad luck, these two female assassins suddenly appeared and disrupted everything.

Now, a large group of gunmen were chasing them, bullets flying constantly. A high-speed car chase and gunfight in the city was going to be a complete disaster.

The Ford Mustang sped ahead, initially dodging cars and people, but eventually just honking and charging straight ahead, crashing into anything in its path. The Mitsubishi SUV behind was even more aggressive. Its sunroof was open, and a black-haired man was half-protruding outside, carrying a Soviet-style light machine gun with a drum magazine mounted on the roof. The deafening barrage of gunfire never stopped, scattering spent bullet casings along their pursuit route.

The car's bumps and turns constantly tossed him about, sending bullets flying in all directions. Buildings along the roadside were riddled with debris, and dust filled the air, but the man showed no sign of stopping, seemingly unconcerned about accidentally injuring passersby.

Later, the passenger-side window of the Mitsubishi rolled down, and another gunman occasionally leaned out, wielding a Scorpion submachine gun to assist. This guy's marksmanship was far superior to the machine gunner's; he could hit three or four targets with a single burst. The Ford Mustang's trunk was repeatedly hit by bullets, exploding with terrifying sparks and fragments. Later, the car locks seemed to break, and the trunk lid, riddled with transparent bullet holes, popped open, billowing thick smoke. The Mustang sped down the street like a smoke dragon.

The two cars chased each other down the street, guns blazing, bullets whistling through the air. Other vehicles on the street either swerved to the side of the road, collided, or accelerated to get away from the area. The

East Side wasn't far ahead; it would probably be another three or four blocks. The East Side wasn't as safe as the West Side, where chaos in the slums went unpunished. But the East Side had too many white Westerners and upper-class people; the police and military personnel on duty were in charge.

Sure enough, near the eastern district, the local military and police vehicles finally arrived. A local police car turned out of an intersection, its lights flashing, and joined the chase. At the next intersection, a pickup truck appeared, its English and local dialect word for "police" painted on it. Honestly, looking at their shabby appearance compared to the Mitsubishi, it was hard to tell who the police were.

Two men in the pickup were wearing fairly formal camouflage uniforms; it was unclear whether they were soldiers or police. The other man was wearing what looked like a military uniform from decades ago; it was hard to tell if he was a community defense officer or a city management officer. However, the vehicle's firepower was quite intimidating; a metal frame was welded onto it, mounting a 14.5mm Soviet-style heavy machine gun.

The police car's loudspeaker began to blare, with broken English demanding that the two vehicles in front stop immediately. Of course, no one listened; the smoking Ford Mustang and the flamethrowing Mitsubishi continued to rampage through the streets. The police car and pickup truck weren't as powerful, and the drivers seemed to be only so-so, sharing only a similar wild style. They could only follow far behind, crushing some debris damaged by the two vehicles in front.

"Hawkeye, are you in position?"

Zhou Xu yelled into the communication line. The original Plan A was for the three of them to lure Amir out unnoticed and then strike from the outside, with Hawkeye and Butterfly providing support. If all went well, they might not even need to be involved. Plan B was to act inside the building, using the inflatable cushion.

There was also Plan C, which required Hawkeye and Butterfly to appear. Of course, their appearance meant a firefight in the street, a huge commotion, casualties, and endless diplomatic consequences. Before today, he had never imagined he would be reduced to using Plan C, but now that the fighting was raging, he wished he had let them go to the scene to provide fire support; perhaps Luchena could still have been rescued. But there's no going back; he could only make judgments based on the current situation.

"I'm in position."

Hawkeye's tone was always calm and composed.

"Execute Plan C! I'll be at the front of the warehouse in one minute, and take out the wheels of that SUV behind it."

"Understood."

"Quick, turn left!"

Zhou Xu's gun was never far from Feng Wu's head. Feng Wu obeyed and drove the car onto the left-hand road. At this moment, she was completely focused and wary of this man. This man... she felt like she had seen him at the airport. She didn't know if they were on the same flight, but she should have seen him before. What did he do? Feng Wu had a feeling that this guy might be one of her kind.

Was he also an underground agent? Who did he work for? The two people with him looked like Latinos. Did they work for the Americans?

This guy had backup. This was a very typical agent tactic.

The warehouse... was it just ahead? A smoking Ford Mustang sped past a huge, dilapidated old concrete building. Feng Wu didn't see the sniper, but as she passed a certain point, she suddenly felt the hairs on her body stand on end for no reason. A chill ran down her spine, and goosebumps erupted. It was murderous intent, the kind of nerve-wracking tension you only feel when facing death head-on.

Had she just passed through that sniper's scope?

The sniper's muzzle was steadily pointed downwards. This M21A1 had never disappointed him, and today was no exception. He hadn't expected Zhou Xu to be chased so badly; his car was practically riddled with bullets. It was truly remarkable that he had escaped to this point. Who was driving? Who was the driver?

A Mitsubishi was approaching from behind. The sniper's index finger was on the trigger, the 7.62mm lead bullet in the chamber ready, waiting for the moment of release.

Goodbye, my African beauties. The trigger was pulled, the muzzle spitting out a deadly tongue of fire before disappearing.

A second later, the Mitsubishi's front right wheel suddenly exploded.

The out-of-control car swerved like a drunkard, then veered off the road and crashed into a tree. The impact was so severe that the tree snapped in two and landed on the car. The entire front of the car was completely deformed, the windows shattered, the driver died instantly, and the gunman in the passenger seat was crushed by the deformed body and passed out. Thick smoke billowed from the car.

By the time the police cars arrived, Alam had just crawled out of the car, his face pale and covered in blood. He glared hatefully at the fleeing Ford Mustang.

He didn't care about the police; with his local connections, he could easily bribe the cops to settle things.

But Amir's fate was uncertain. Who dared to cause trouble in his territory? What kind of people had Amir offended? Judging from the situation today, these people were no pushovers; they were probably professional hitmen. Amir used to hang around the Iraqi border area; could he have gotten involved with the Americans or al-Qaeda?

He suddenly realized that even though he was a local bigwig here, there were some things he couldn't touch…

“After crossing the bridge, I'll be waiting for you at the rendezvous point.”

Butterfly's words on the communication line finally put Zhou Xu's mind at ease. Ahead was a bridge, with a river flowing through the edge of the city. He'd heard that this bridge was built with Chinese aid, and its quality was exceptional; it was still in use decades ago.

Finally, they were out of danger; a huge weight lifted from Zhou Xu's shoulders. He started to think about Feng Wu ahead, thinking that this woman was definitely not an ordinary person. During that intense gunfight, she had remained calm and drove without making any mistakes; her courage and skill were beyond what ordinary people could achieve. And her driving skills seemed a bit… how to put it, they didn't seem to be from a regular driving school; some of the technical details were more like those of a secret agent.

This little wench…who exactly is she? Could she be with those two female assassins?

No, I can't let her go so easily. Even if she isn't, she's probably not a good person. I might as well just silence her. Thinking this, a murderous glint flashed in Zhou Xu's eyes. Of course, he couldn't see Feng Wu's eyes, otherwise he would have certainly sensed the chilling aura emanating from her as she stared at the passing vehicles on the bridge.

The car reached the bridge.

"Hurry up, turn right after the bridge, it's on the way."

Zhou Xu just wanted to disappear as quickly as possible. There weren't many cars on the bridge, but his car, emitting smoke, was very conspicuous, making him uneasy again.

The car suddenly accelerated, reaching speeds comparable to a high-speed chase, with a gust of wind howling in through the broken windows.

"What are you doing! Don't drive so fast!"

Zhou Xu was startled.

"You told me to hurry up."

Feng Wu said calmly.

"Stop talking nonsense, don't drive so fast!"

Zhou Xu instinctively felt something was wrong; this woman was definitely up to something. But before he could react, the car swerved sharply, the tires screeching.

Simultaneously, the driver's side door was flung open, and under the immense centrifugal force, Feng Wu vanished instantly.

"Ah?"

Zhou Xu was shocked, involuntarily thrown off balance by the massive inertia. He watched as the woman in the front seat disappeared in an instant, flung away like a gust of wind. At that speed, with cars passing by, this woman was truly reckless!

But he had no time to worry about Feng Wu anymore; the car was heading straight for the bridge railing. He roared and lunged from the back seat, desperately trying to steer the wheel back. The Ford Mustang was now a true runaway horse; no matter how capable Zhou Xu was, he couldn't brake. This two-ton, out-of-control steel coffin, smoking and hurtling like a cannonball, hurtled towards the car in front of them at 130-140 mph…

Lu Zhe and President Chen were in the car, driving along the riverside road.

The car was provided by Mr. Guo, an elderly overseas Chinese. Chinese driver's licenses aren't very effective here; he almost got stopped by the police after trying to leave once. So, Mr. Guo had been arranging a driver for the past two days.

Mr. Chen was on the phone, while Lü Zhe looked out the window.

He was wondering when he would leave this country; judging from the current situation, it seemed it wouldn't be long.

These past two days, he had been following Mr. Chen around, gathering information and consulting lawyers, and the situation he learned was far from optimistic.

Apparently, a good mining lawyer here typically charges two to three thousand US dollars per hour, and the best can charge five figures or more! This region established a complete and developed mining system during the European colonial era, with related laws totaling millions of pages—enough to fill several rooms. Mining lawyers are among the most lucrative professions here!

The complexity of the law means there are many places to set traps. The mining laws here require not only ownership of the mine but also land use rights (otherwise, mining is prohibited); underground land ownership (without it, the mine isn't yours); adjacent rights (mining requires the consent of all surrounding landowners); environmental protection (the law strictly stipulates the responsibilities for the impact of mining on groundwater, etc.); and specific requirements and commitments for environmental restoration after mining is completed… Each of these can be a trap.

Furthermore, the law here operates on case law, with many issues determined based on past cases. Even if you read the law, without understanding local precedents, you can still be misled. Therefore, Dongxing Mining's initial few dozen pages of contract were far too simple, practically child's play. Here, a typical mining contract can be hundreds of pages long, with related documents numbering in the tens of thousands—a stark contrast to China.

And that's not all; the absurdity continues.

Iron ore mining licenses are extremely difficult to obtain here. The iron ore left after the tribal inhabitants separate titanium is essentially worthless. If they can't remove it, they must backfill to restore the environment, a very costly process.

Because environmental restoration cannot be guaranteed, they cannot obtain mining permits! Iron ore without a mining permit is considered mine waste, and exports to China can only be processed through such customs procedures; simultaneously, they can receive policy benefits by exporting it as waste. Looking back, we didn't see their iron ore mining permit during the negotiations, so it's reasonable to assume they were planning to export the ore as waste.

Transporting the ore required the support of the railway department. However, the railway department, now under Black rule, is hostile to white people, and money can't buy their way in. In reality, Dongxing Mining helped them deceive those railway officials; the natives' initial tours had commercial motives. The extensive publicity about Chinese donations also greatly aided their operations.

Knowing all this, the people at Dongxing Mining were furious. They initially thought they were being cheated and would only get less than 1% profit, which was infuriating enough, but now they realized they were essentially disposing of someone else's garbage, and they should be paid instead. Meanwhile, according to Chinese law, there are also practical problems. Imported iron ore as mine waste is essentially considered foreign garbage, and such customs procedures are practically impossible to complete in China, which is another hassle!

Another crucial point, which the company headquarters only learned after consulting domestic experts, is that the Tuoli technology agreed upon by the European family represented by Hong Shitai, Dongxing Mining, and the local black marketeers is a globally unique technology, originating from Tuoli's chief engineer and chief prospector.

Although the technology is extremely advanced, because it hasn't been practically applied, the research and development risk is enormous, potentially becoming a bottomless pit; failure would result in total loss, but it would be Dongxing Mining that would lose everything. If operated like a commercial venture capital investment, it might be worth the gamble, provided both parties are aware of this. Therefore, even the meager 1% profit from the iron ore is a highly risky and uncertain return.

For such high-risk technological research and development investments, the proposed investment is often very conservative; the actual expenditure is often several times the estimate, which is quite normal. If they were to continuously increase their investment, they would be truly trapped. Moreover, war could break out locally at any time. In such a business environment, anyone with a normal IQ wouldn't sign this agreement.

The most frightening thing is that, according to Mr. Guo, commercial espionage and bribery are rampant here, far more so than in China. Even lawyers charging tens of thousands of dollars an hour can be bribed, because compared to mining transactions worth billions of dollars, it's nothing. There's no business credibility here. If they insist on investing, they must find an expert in African mining law in China to ask questions; simultaneously, they must find multiple local lawyers, ensuring they don't know each other, to ask the same questions. The

more they learn about these circumstances, the more disheartened they become. When they came, they never imagined the waters here would be so deep, such a terrible investment environment, and even the lawyers and laws here couldn't be trusted. How could they possibly stay?

Lu Zhe glanced at President Chen and saw that the boss's brow was furrowed; he hadn't looked well these past few days. Of course, he couldn't be. It was here that Lü Zhe truly realized how arrogant and complacent the Chinese were about Africa.

In recent years, China's foreign exchange reserves have surged, its economy has developed rapidly while resources have become scarce, and there's a chorus of calls to invest overseas and develop resources, as if money can buy anything. However, without sufficient hard and soft power, simply having money

is like being a sucker. Without its own legal research, without its own team of experts, and without understanding the rules of the mining and market, having money only means being ripped off. And without the backing of national military strength, your personal safety overseas is not guaranteed. What else is there to say?

Well, time to go. Consider this a trip, and that mysterious woman, that incident...

The car crossed the bridge and headed towards the city on the other side.

Lost in thought, Lü Zhe suddenly felt drowsy and secretly closed his eyes, trying to take a nap.

Then he heard a violent screech of brakes followed by screams. The force of the brakes jolted him up, slamming him against the back of the seat in front of him. When he opened his eyes, he saw a smoking car charging towards them like a raging bull…

Feng Wu rolled a few times on the ground, then did a somersault and stood up, the car beside her screeching to a halt. Then came a series of loud crashes. Turning his head, he saw the bridge was a complete mess; several cars had collided, one was overturned, and shattered glass was scattered everywhere.

The worst off was the unfortunate Mercedes-Benz van that was directly hit by the Ford Mustang. The immense impact nearly sent it flying, spinning halfway through the air before landing and flipping over. Half of its body was completely destroyed, all the windows shattered, and the fate of the occupants was unknown. Meanwhile, the Ford Mustang, smoking and spinning, crashed through the bridge railing and overturned with a loud bang. The occupants likely hadn't escaped in time. "

Die!" Feng Wu spat out blood.

Enduring the pain, she looked around and saw that everyone's attention was focused on the accident; no one seemed to be paying attention to her. She quickly turned and limped away.

Inside the overturned Mercedes-Benz van, Lü Zhe, his face covered in blood, was dazed and disoriented, lying upside down. His mind was completely blank; only his survival instinct drove him to use his last bit of strength to push against the deformed door…

1:00 AM, April 19th, Red Sea, Guda Bay.

A dark sky shrouded the ocean. In the pouring rain, the cargo ship "Sea King" heavily plowed through the foamy waves, sailing on the undulating surface.

This Panamanian-flagged ocean liner had 17 crew members, all from South Korea and Myanmar. The bridge was pitch black. Using the dim light of the radar, the second mate and a helmsman were on night duty. The helmsman operated the helm, while the second mate, using data from the gyrocompass and GPS, leaned over the chart table to find the ship's current position, comparing it to the pre-determined course, occasionally issuing commands to the helmsman. "

Port 3 , helm position 1-5-0 ." ********** ... After returning from Germany, the previous sense of walking on thin ice vanished, and everything proceeded smoothly—at least that's how Feng Wu felt. With one piece of good news after another arriving, she now felt like everything was ready except for the final push. First, news came from Germany: the deputy director-level senior's network had once again proven extremely effective, finding a way to deal with the Israeli mercenaries and successfully planting an inside man on the target ship—the ship's cook. This tactic was actually devised by the deputy director-level senior and another European agent who had rushed over from Spain. The original cook on the target ship couldn't be bribed, so the deputy director-level senior's colonel friend arranged a common dockside brawl, resulting in the honest cook being hospitalized. Without a cook on the ship, the problem became serious. Worse still, there were Israelis on board. Jewish dietary restrictions are just as complicated as Arab restrictions: they can't eat bloody food, and they only eat cloven-hoofed animals like cattle and sheep; they can't eat seafood without fins or scales. The meticulous Japanese overlooked one crucial detail: they hadn't specifically assigned a chef to the Jewish company. As a result, when the chef was hospitalized, not a single cook capable of preparing Jewish cuisine could be found on board in the entire port of Hamburg. While the Japanese, who had rushed to the port to resolve the issue, were in a state of panic, the "kind" engineer who had received 20,000 euros introduced them to a Chinese chef. This Chinese chef's culinary skills astonished everyone, even the Japanese technical attaché escorting the ship, who was impressed by his sushi. And so, the matter was resolved. In reality, this chef was one of the illegal spies (without diplomatic status) sent to Europe by the Chinese Ministry of State Security. Before joining the security service, he was already a skilled chef. He had previously worked as a chef at the Chinese Embassy in Berlin, where he received invitations from several Chinese restaurants. After his one-year term at the embassy ended, he didn't return to China but remained in Germany. Although this behavior was considered "defection," a taboo for Chinese personnel stationed abroad, because he wasn't a diplomatic official, domestic law had no effect on him. Later, he obtained permanent residency in Germany and became a senior chef at a renowned German restaurant. However, due to his situation, his wife and children were unable to travel abroad. In 2003, he returned to his homeland after a five-year absence. He proactively contacted agents of the Ministry of State Security, offering to work for them in exchange for his family's permission to leave the country. As it turned out, despite his foreign-worshipping tendencies, he did not betray his country. For the next eight years, although his performance as a spy was mediocre, he faithfully completed all the tasks assigned by the Ministry of State Security. Now, eight years later, he has received the most important mission of his espionage career: to drug the people on the Gulf Princess when it reaches the target area and provide information on their movements. This is the first piece of good news; knowing your enemy is always crucial for victory. The second piece of good news was that, as expected, the domestic headquarters, due to the presence of their own people on board and their wariness of the Israeli mercenaries—fearing that if their inside agent failed, the pirates wouldn't be able to reliably complete the mission—decided, as Feng Wu had predicted, that the hijacking operation wouldn't involve the pirate ship, but instead would utilize a secret commando unit from the Special Operations Bureau under the First General Bureau. After Hu Jintao came to power in 2003, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China began reorganizing the military. The Third General Bureau of the Ministry of State Security gradually took control of several departments under the General Political Department, and many military personnel in offices were stripped of their uniforms and became civilian staff of the Ministry of State Security or the Ministry of National Defense. Simultaneously, the Fifth General Bureau of the Ministry of State Security absorbed most of the technical reconnaissance forces of the Third Department of the General Staff, both domestically and internationally, leaving only departments directly related to combat within the military structure. Special reconnaissance units scattered across various military regions were also integrated, and both the General Staff and the Ministry of State Security possessed directly subordinate special forces units capable of direct military operations. The Ministry of State Security reaped significant benefits from this transformation; the First General Bureau established a Special Operations Bureau dedicated to overseas covert operations, and the Second General Bureau established a Counter-Terrorism Operations Bureau. However, compared to the Counter-Terrorism Operations Bureau, which selects personnel from the Armed Police, the Special Operations Bureau's commando teams come from the Marine Corps, Airborne Troops, and reconnaissance units directly under various military regions. They are the most elite units and possess the most combat experience among all special forces units in China, having been deployed to Afghanistan, Southeast Asia, Central Asia, and other countries and regions for top-secret missions. The prospect of fighting alongside such an elite special forces unit filled Feng Wu with excitement. She had received special forces and intelligence training in the Peony Brigade of the Korean People's Army, and encountering equally skilled individuals naturally sparked a competitive spirit. Her meeting with Mennilik went smoothly. After learning that she could receive the full amount without lifting a finger, the cunning old fox readily agreed to Feng Wu's plan. Feng Wu negotiated contact information with him during the operation, but of course, she didn't tell him any specific details. As a seasoned underworld figure, he also behaved politely and didn't press for details. Three days after arriving in Djibouti, headquarters instructed Feng Wu to retrieve a radio from a secret location and hand it over to Mennilik. Eight days earlier, a new Chinese naval escort fleet arrived in Somali waters. This escort fleet included a Kunlunshan-class dock landing ship, the famous Aegis-equipped destroyer 171, and a replenishment ship. A group of mysterious guests accompanied the dock landing ship, after which Feng Wu finally received orders to set sail and rendezvous.

The cargo ship used to carry out the mission was a roll-on/roll-off ship with a similar tonnage to the "Gulf Princess," which was jokingly called the "fake Princess." The ship had a large robotic arm and a helicopter hangar and landing platform, both of which were temporary modifications of the cargo ship. On the ship, Fengwu met her comrades from the Special Operations Bureau and learned the full picture of the plan: to not act in the Gulf of Aden, but to wait until the target ships entered the Indian Ocean before launching their attack. Fengwu's main task was to contact Menelik by radio when the two ships arrived at Gudah Bay after the operation, and to transfer the cargo from the Gulf Princess to the counterfeit Princess in his gang's anchorage area (the initial plan was to disguise the Gulf Princess and sail it directly back to the US, but the higher-ups at headquarters were afraid of being exposed en route, so they sent an additional ship). According to intelligence from the undercover cook, the cameras used by the Israelis were not adapted to the salty and humid environment at sea, and the equipment frequently malfunctioned. The mercenaries had become very impatient with the constant repairs and replacements of the cameras, and gradually, they had become accustomed to the frequent blackouts on the surveillance screens. This showed that the Jews, who were used to tense security missions on land, had clearly lost the necessary dedication to the tedious and lengthy maritime security mission, and they lacked sufficient vigilance against the dangers at sea.

After analyzing this series of intelligence reports, Gao Shan concluded that these Israelis would only maintain the necessary vigilance in the "pirate paradise" of the Gulf of Aden. In other words, they were likely to "doze off" while sailing in the Indian Ocean, and that would be the best time to attack. This time, even the self-important leaders of the First General Bureau agreed with his plan; after all, these people weren't completely clueless about the operation.

Everything was going so smoothly; everything was truly ready. Feng Wu felt that this operation had no reason to fail.

Turning back into the cabin, she saw the assault team leader and two accompanying agents discussing the operational details. These two agents also belonged to the Special Operations Bureau of the First General Bureau and were both armed agents with some

skills. They had spent a considerable amount of time training on a ship of the same class as the Gulf Princess, built by the Spanish shipyard Basson, to master the use of cranes. Meanwhile, the other assault team members silently and attentively checked and cleaned their weapons again and again, seemingly unaffected by the potential dangers of the impending battle. Their weapons were all genuine American-made: M4 assault rifles, M79 hand-held grenade launchers, Minimi machine guns, M24 sniper rifles, and M72 rocket launchers—not a single item could be linked to China. The Special Operations Bureau of the First General Bureau never allowed its commandos to use weapons from their own country, because they wouldn't fight in their own country, and their mission was something the authorities were extremely secretive about.

This commando team was composed of former Marines; interestingly, they had originally been trained for anti-piracy missions. However, being a pirate and fighting pirates are actually very close, as their combat techniques are similar. These well-trained Marine veterans, mostly around 25 years old, came from fishing families and were adept at handling the harsh environment at sea. Feng Wu got along very well with these comrades she was meeting for the first time, learning many tricks of the trade from them.

Just then, orders came in, and Gao Shan's face appeared on the notebook.

"The plan has changed. The operation will now be carried out in the Gulf of Aden."

A hint of helplessness flashed across Gao Shan's face as he gave the order.

"What!"

Not only Feng Wu couldn't believe her ears, but the two other agents were also shocked. The plan, which was already in the works, was suddenly changed. Why hadn't they said so earlier? Was this a joke? This reckless decision would add many unpredictable variables to the operation. The optimal timing might be missed, and the mole on the ship might be caught off guard, making it difficult to administer the drug, and potentially exposing himself—after all, that guy was alone in the lion's den.

"Why change the plan? We're all ready!"

Feng Wu shouted angrily at the screen.

"The leadership, considering the overall situation, believes that carrying out this mission in the Gulf of Aden is more appropriate."

Gao Shan's expression was genuinely helpless. Although he was the person in charge of this operation, he wasn't the Minister of Security. When orders came from above, he had no choice but to obey.

When the First and Fifth General Bureaus reported their final action plan to the Ministry of State Security headquarters, a disagreement arose among the high-ranking officials of the ministry's Party Committee. Some argued that carrying out the mission in the Indian Ocean made it difficult to attribute the attack to rampant piracy in the Gulf of Aden, as pirate attacks on ships mostly occurred in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. They feared that if the Japanese and Europeans realized that intelligence agencies from certain countries were behind it and launched an in-depth investigation, it could cause problems for the Chinese government in many ways. For the sake of national reputation, the head of the Ministry of State Security believed the plan should still be carried out in the Gulf of Aden region. Although the head of the First General Bureau and Gao Shan argued vehemently at the meeting, trying to persuade the Party Committee not to change the plan at the last minute to avoid unnecessary losses for the participating commandos, the meeting still approved the plan.

"Why didn't you say so earlier if you wanted to change it!"

"Execute the order. Headquarters believes you are capable of success, and you must succeed."

Gao Shan's call ended, leaving no room for negotiation; orders were given and could only be obeyed.

After a moment of silence, the ships changed course and sped towards the Gulf of Aden.

"You idiot, you fucking idiot, Geng Huichuan, you're a complete idiot. I'll curse your grandpa, you're fucking brain-dead! May your future children be born without an anus, and may you get hit by a car!"

Feng Wu cursed incessantly while operating the steering wheel, constantly insulting their unit's boss, the current Minister of State Security. The other two agents were equally busy and cursing. They cursed every minister and bureau-level official they knew in the Ministry of State Security, even their ancestors for eighteen generations.

However, compared to them, their comrades in the assault team, having developed a habit of absolute obedience through long military service, seemed unconcerned about the mid-operation change of orders, instead advising them not to get so angry. In the end, victory would be decided by force, and they could deal with those guys anywhere. Their confident attitude finally calmed Feng Wu and the others down, and their initially bad mood improved considerably. Compared

to the previous smooth sailing, this was the first setback encountered since the start of the operation.

Feng Wu and the other leaders were studying the route on the bridge. Due to the change in plans, a lot of time had already been wasted, and they were now truly pressed for time.

"According to encrypted satellite messages, the target ship has passed through the Suez Canal and entered the Red Sea Strait, and is now no more than 1000 nautical miles away. To save time, our ship must now avoid the seasonal countercurrents in the Indian Ocean and head full speed towards the Somali coast, passing through the downstream currents nearby. This should save us a lot of time."

"Okay, it's settled then. Those damn bastards, they want to torture the crew to death."

The captain was a veteran seaman from the national security system, an expert who had been sailing for years; his route was unlikely to be wrong. Feng Wu and the others could only agree, and the counterfeit princess began sailing towards Somali waters.

At night, the counterfeit princess was sailing 39 nautical miles from the Somali coast.

This was precisely one of the areas most prone to pirate attacks. Suddenly realizing that the fake Princess, posing as a pirate, could also be a target of real pirates, the ship's surveillance radars were activated to monitor suspicious vessels in the vicinity. All the commandos also prepared their weapons, ready to engage the attacking pirates at any moment.

Feng Wu stayed with the commando team, a loaded M4 in her hand. After a thorough inspection, the young marines confidently handed her their weapon. They realized this beautiful woman was just as skilled with firearms as they were, and her occasional casual gestures revealed her military background, making them feel closer to her. Although discipline forbade them from inquiring about her background, they all came over to chat with her.

Just then, the alarm sounded. Everyone snapped to attention, and the commandos rushed onto the deck, guns at the ready, while Feng Wu went to the bridge.

"What's going on?" "

The radar detected three speedboats about three nautical miles away. They're approaching us from three directions,"

the captain calmly reported, adding, "They're definitely pirates." By this time, the commandos were already at their positions on deck. After so many days of being cooped up on the monotonous sea, they finally had a chance to unleash their fury, their eyes blazing with killing intent, just waiting for the pirates to come and meet their doom. However, Feng Wu and her team of agents knew that engaging in firefight at this moment was not advisable, as they were too close to the Somali coast. If they were encountered by the international escort forces, it would significantly delay their advance. The counterfeit Princess began to speed away from the coast, but those damned speedboats, reaching speeds of 40 knots, far exceeded their speed and were impossible to shake off.

When the speedboats were only about 3-4 knots away, it seemed that a firefight was inevitable. Feng Wu, gun in hand, went up to the deck and, through the strange low-light night vision device, saw the flashing gunfire from the speedboats.

"They have anti-aircraft machine guns!"

a soldier beside her shouted.

Then, whistling .50 caliber bullets swept through the air, hitting the lifeboats directly, instantly creating large holes and sending shrapnel flying. Bullets then rained down, striking the ship's sides and the lifeboats.

"Attacked! Prepare to engage! Fire! Fire! Fire!"

Captain Da Feng roared into the communicator.

The retaliatory fire erupted, but there was no gunfire, because they had better options. A flash of fire illuminated the surroundings on the deck, a plume of white smoke streaking across the night sky with a piercing whistle. The small boat closest to the ship exploded into a massive fireball. The other two boats, realizing they had targeted the wrong targets, swerved to escape, but two pursuing rockets didn't spare them, the violent explosions sending them to their deaths.

Soon everything returned to calm; the battle was over in less than a minute. Aside from minor damage to the lifeboats, there were no casualties. Feng Wu witnessed the efficient destructive power of these killing machines, but this unexpected conflict forced them to change course. After reporting to their superiors, the "fake princess" changed course again.

This was the second setback since the first. A shadow fell over Feng Wu's heart. Although she trusted their professional skills, she felt her luck was quietly slipping away.

Late night, May 30th, in the waters near E country.

Feng Wu, in the bridge, watched the roll-on/roll-off ship cutting through the waves, yawning repeatedly. This was the ship that had delivered supplies to them; after unloading, it was now going back to its usual tasks.

Forced to move further away from the Somali coastline, their route had been changed repeatedly, consuming a large amount of extra fuel. They raced desperately to the nearshore waters near Country E, finally blocking the Gulf Princess's path ahead of time, but fuel consumption was excessive. A Hong Kong roll-on/roll-off ship in Assab port was urgently ordered to rendezvous with the fake princess, replenishing their fuel and food supplies. Everyone's mood improved; they felt their luck had returned. Now they could catch their breath and patiently wait at sea for their prey to appear.

"Looks like this time it was a close call, but we made it in time after all,"

Da Feng said, standing beside Feng Wu, somewhat感慨 (gan3kai3, a feeling of mixed emotions, including regret and a touch of emotion). The long, monotonous life at sea hadn't dulled his spirit; instead, his eyes revealed a thirst for battle.

"Yes, a close call,"

Feng Wu chimed in. She imagined what headquarters would be like at this moment. Perhaps, at this very moment, hundreds of staff members of the Ministry of State Security were busy with their attack plan. The

mad scientists of the Fifth Bureau might be deploying oceanographic satellites to monitor target ships slowly sailing in the Indian Ocean; meanwhile, other technicians might be intently calculating the transit times of reconnaissance satellites from the United States, Japan, Russia, and other countries to determine the optimal time and location for the attack. The people of the First Bureau might be worrying about the weather near the Gulf of Aden and the movements of the navies of neighboring countries and international escort forces.

These were all possibilities; she couldn't see them with her own eyes, nor could she hear anyone confirm them. But the one thing she was certain of was that there were definitely many more people concerned about how to remedy the situation if their attack plan failed, and who would be pushed to take the blame.

"We need to recover our strength and get some rest,"

Da Feng's suggestion was quite correct. Perhaps a fierce battle was coming, and physical strength was essential. Their mood at this moment was far less tense than the technicians at headquarters who were worrying about them in Feng Wu's imagination. The long sea voyage had exhausted them, and now the only thing they could do was get a good night's sleep and wait for the final attack.

Except for those on duty, everyone else had gone back to their cabins to sleep.

At dawn on May 31st, local time, a heavy rain began to fall at sea.

Feng Wu was awakened from her sleep, realizing that what was coming had finally arrived.

The entire team gathered on the bridge, listening to the mission briefing. According to headquarters, the "Princess Vison" had entered the ambush zone, only 50 nautical miles away; the operation was to begin.

Feng Wu received a faint Morse code from her cook friend on the target ship; the drug would take effect in two hours. Headquarters also informed them via real-time satellite communication that they were to launch the attack in two hours. The counterfeit Princess quickly approached the Gulf Princess at a speed of 25 knots. The ship's radio operator politely sent a clear code message to the Gulf Princess, greeting the crew, as is customary at sea.

If the drug took effect, there should be no reply.

The Gulf Princess also sent back a message, but the signal ended before it could form a complete sentence.

"It's done! The drug has taken effect!"

Feng Wu shouted excitedly. In fact, the possibility of this being a trap was extremely slim. The other side's primary task was to ensure the safety of the cargo; they wouldn't lure the enemy onto the ship for a battle that could damage the cargo.

"Action!"

Da Feng roared, and the entire assault team immediately boarded the deck.

Soon, the two ships closed to within two chains.

The enemy ship's spotlights were faintly visible in the rainy night. Due to the poor weather conditions, the assault team couldn't risk using their helicopters and powered parachutes.

"Quick, get closer!"

Da Feng directed from the deck via walkie-talkie. The counterfeit Princess moved to the port side of the Gulf Princess, maintaining the same course.

"Radio, radio, quick, radio!"

The assault team knew this all too well; after activating the radio jamming equipment, they covered all the surrounding radio channels. Two snipers aimed at the target, preparing to cover the assault team's forced boarding. Several shots rang out, and a rope bridge was erected between the two ships using a rope launcher and nail gun.

"Go!"

Da Feng's shout rang out again, leading the way as the first to slide across.

One by one, the commandos swung across gracefully, immediately forming a combat formation and rushing into the cabin.

Feng Wu was the last to swing across, and to her delight, she found herself with the best possible outcome.

A few minutes later, the commandos easily took control of the ship without encountering any resistance, tying up the "dead drunk" security personnel and crew and throwing them into the anchor chain locker.

"All is well. Target ship successfully under control. Initiating phase two."

Feng Wu, trying to suppress her excitement, sent a message back to headquarters. Some of the commandos were skilled sailors, and the two ships quickly restarted, sailing towards the pre-arranged sea area with the Menelik gang.

The agreed location was a small island that couldn't be found on the map. A signal had already been sent to Menelik's radio station, and while Feng Wu and her team were still excitedly eating and celebrating their success, several signals appeared on the radar. The pirates' backup had appeared as agreed.

Menelik's men appeared around the Gulf Princess in three small boats, and under their guidance, the fake princess and the Gulf Princess sailed into the island's secret harbor. It must be admitted that the pirates had a good eye; this harbor had the depth to build a good port, and at least under their construction, it had become a well-equipped port.

The island had a 20-ton lifting capacity robotic arm and a complete oil transfer system, but the electromagnetic equipment was much heavier than the capacity it could provide. That's why a large crane robotic arm was temporarily installed on the knock-off princess.

"Ah, dear Miss Fengwu, we meet again."

On the island, Mennilik appeared with a beaming smile. Fengwu also greeted him with a cheerful face, exchanging insincere hugs and greetings. Because she still needed his space, it wasn't time to discard him yet, and besides, this was his territory, so Fengwu had to keep up the good work for a while.

"Oh, quite a big deal, what kind of goods did you get this time?"

"Hehe, I'm just a gofer, only my boss can answer that question. Who cares so much, as long as everyone makes money."

"Oh, you're right, the money this time..."

"No problem, what do you think of this ship?"

Fengwu pointed to the Gulf Princess.

"You mean this ship?"

Menelek's eyes widened. The Gulf Princess had a displacement of over 30,000 tons. After some modifications and resale, it could easily make over a hundred million. This woman… is truly generous. She doesn't even want the ship; what is it that she wants?

"That's right, are you interested?"

Feng Wu didn't seem to care. Since the ship was going to be abandoned according to plan anyway, she might as well use it as a favor.

"You're a true businesswoman. It's a pity we met so late."

Menelek's gaze was somewhat complicated. Feng Wu didn't immediately understand what he meant, but it probably meant he regretted not meeting her sooner. Perhaps he had never encountered such a generous client before, and his few words of admiration weren't anything special.

"What are you saying? Don't we have any opportunities to cooperate in the future?"

"Of course there will be plenty of opportunities. From now on, you'll always be number one on my client list."

Menelek smiled, opening a bottle of champagne on the spot. "Just let me know if you need any help from my people."

"Thank you."

Just then, Da Feng called out to Feng Wu on the communication channel.

After speaking with Mennilik, Fengwu went over, and Da Feng whispered to her that there was a problem with the hoisting equipment. Fengwu frowned upon hearing this; hoisting equipment was no joke, and if this couldn't be handled, all their previous efforts would be wasted. They'd had a few setbacks before, and just when things were finally going smoothly, something else had gone wrong. Had their luck turned bad again? Fengwu's heart pounded, and she quickly returned to the ship, where she saw her two colleagues working up a sweat.

"What happened? What's wrong?"

"That thing is a bit tricky,"

one of them replied.

"Didn't you practice beforehand?"

Fengwu was dissatisfied with this answer.

"This ship has been modified, it's different from the original ships of the same class. The internal guide rails are different from the old ones; following the old procedure doesn't work."

The other person looked distressed, flipping through the ship's instruction manual booklet as he spoke. Because this equipment was extremely important and precious, it couldn't be damaged carelessly. They dared not experiment recklessly until they understood the operating procedures for the new guide rail equipment.

"Where's the instruction manual? Is there any way to find it?"

"It's not even in English, I can't understand it."

A pile of booklets on the control panel was in disarray. Feng Wu picked one up at random and realized it wasn't in English, it seemed to be in Spanish.

"Damn it... this is really..."

Feng Wu didn't know what to say. It really was true that the more detailed the plan, the more unexpected situations would arise. The deputy director-level official was thousands of miles away, strategizing and handling everything smoothly and solidly. But when it came to her execution phase, problems kept popping up. Who would have thought that this damn Spanish would stump her? Time passed slowly, and the two guys were still sweating profusely as they flipped through those damn booklets. There was no time to waste.

"Forget it, forget it, stop looking. Send the user manual back to headquarters in China and have them find someone to translate it as soon as possible, then send it back."

After the others started working, Feng Wu got off the ship again. She still had to deal with that old fox, Mennilik.

"What's wrong? Is there a problem?"

The old fox looked at Feng Wu with a mocking gaze.

"It's just a small problem, it'll be solved soon,"

Feng Wu replied

calmly. Time passed, and the people on the ship anxiously awaited the translation of the manual. Menelik's men had already brought out the crew and security personnel from the Gulf Princess, waiting for the cargo to be transferred so they could take over the ship. However, they saw the other group stuck around the ship's guide rail system, seemingly at a loss

, and were getting impatient. Menelik turned around and said something, then picked out a guy who looked like an engineer from his men and sent him up to take a look. Feng Wu was also getting impatient and didn't stop him, thinking that maybe this guy could find a trick.

As it turned out, a few minutes after the guy went up, it really worked. The guide rail started rumbling, the equipment was successfully running, and the huge device was slowly lifted to the cargo hold opening.

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief, and Feng Wu let out a long sigh, thinking that these pirates were really capable, and that they had some talented subordinates. She was about to thank Mennilik when she suddenly heard a loud "bang," and her heart nearly jumped out of

her chest. She looked down and saw that the device was stuck in the cargo hatch, completely immobilized. "Damn it!" Feng Wu's face turned ashen. If it had been damaged, it would have been terrible. Seeing Mennilik's still nonchalant expression, she was furious.

"Tell him to get down here right now!"

Feng Wu pointed at the engineer and then ran back to the ship in a few strides.

About two hours later, the translation from headquarters finally returned, but because the equipment was inexplicably stuck at the hatch, the instruction manual was useless. Feng Wu had no choice but to give the order to wake up the ship's only mechanic, while she put on a hood and surrounded herself with black pirates to create an atmosphere.

The conversation went very smoothly. The mechanic, seeing the menacing pirates around him, trembled with fear and readily agreed to help them solve their technical problems.

It was their own ship after all, and the problem was quickly resolved; it seemed some gear had been damaged. Then the massive device was finally hoisted and slowly transported to the deck of the fake princess. When this behemoth, weighing tens of tons, touched the deck, Feng Wu finally felt a sense of calm. Just as she was about to call Menelik to take possession of the ship, a warning from Da Feng suddenly rang out on the communication channel.

"Ambush around!"

Feng Wu jolted, reaching for her pistol. Menelik's expression also changed drastically; he involuntarily turned to look at the hillsides surrounding the small harbor, densely covered in green vegetation. Then, a bullet whistled through the air, and half of Menelik's head shattered like a watermelon, blood, brains, and hair splattering all over Feng Wu before his body collapsed to the ground.

Chaos erupted immediately.

Feng Wu, as if by reflex, felt her knees buckle and she collapsed to the ground.

Menelik's men shouted and fired into the jungle, but didn't fire at Feng Wu's group, clearly knowing where the attack was coming from. The assault team reacted much faster. As soon as Menelik was hit, those of them exposed in the open area quickly took cover with a series of swift dodges. Then smoke grenades exploded one after another, followed by volleys of gunfire, bullets whizzing through the air, creating a bright red web of fire.

After recovering from her initial shock, Feng Wu didn't hesitate and immediately rolled behind a nearby abandoned anchor chain.

The enemy was also highly skilled; the surrounding area was quickly covered by dense gunfire. Several pirates who were wildly firing were torn to pieces, while others trying to escape were quickly and accurately picked off by snipers. Those who hadn't found cover in time were hit by the hail of bullets. Blood flowed down the slightly sloping embankment to Feng Wu's side. At that moment, only the word "trap" occupied her mind.

The enemy had clearly planned this; they were specifically targeting them. Mennilik was definitely in the know, but he was used and then killed. The bullets came from the nearby jungle on the hillside. Feng Wu couldn't see her opponent clearly, so she couldn't retaliate.

Soon, sharp, whistling gunfire came from the direction of the fake Princess. It was the muzzle noise of an American-made M-24 sniper rifle, followed by the firing of an M-249 machine gun. M-4 and M-79 grenade launchers were also deployed. Da Feng shouted into the radio for Feng Wu not to move; they needed to get her back immediately.

After desperate suppression fire, the enemy seemed to be losing ground. Da Feng and another person ran over with bulletproof shields, but simultaneously, several locations on the other side emitted a piercing whistle and white smoke and flashes—four rockets flew over at once.

"No! Take cover!"

Feng Wu shouted, but it was too late.

The enemy's technique was extremely sophisticated and professional. The impact points of several rockets completely covered all blind spots. Then, with a deafening explosion, dirt and sand flew everywhere, the loud noise almost deafening Feng Wu. Bulletproof shields were blown into the air, along with half an arm. The explosion knocked two people to the ground, one of whom did not get up. Da Feng, his face covered in blood and mud, staggered to his feet when a bullet accurately pierced his neck from the side. Blood spurted out, and he swayed before falling heavily to the ground.

Exclamations arose from the ship. Another enemy team had secretly infiltrated from the sea and had already stormed onto the ship. The enemy

's firepower immediately intensified. Heavy machine guns and rockets swept across the ground, and there were even recoilless rifle shells. Clearly, they had been deliberately concealing their strength. The assault team was utterly helpless against such heavy firepower. Their cover was destroyed one after another, their retreat was cut off, and even more terrifying, the roar of a propeller filled the air as an OH-58D Chiova helicopter appeared overhead. A domestically produced Type 63 amphibious tank emerged from the woods, belching black smoke, followed by several shadowy figures.

"Retreat! Retreat now!"

Feng Wu shouted into the comms, then without turning her head, fired a shot. A gunman who had stealthily approached from the side had already raised his weapon, but before he could pull the trigger, he was struck in the forehead and fell backward. Feng Wu then fired rapidly into the bushes, a barrage of bullets repelling the pursuers, before turning and rolling into the water. She plunged into the water and desperately swam away from the shoreline; the vast ocean was now her only way out. Judging

from the attackers' tactics and skills, they were highly experienced and skilled soldiers, likely mercenaries or even special forces. The mission had clearly failed; escaping alive would be a victory.

The ship was hopeless. The moment Feng Wu entered the water, she saw several gunmen in black had already taken strategic positions on the ship. A commando's body was plunging into the water, and she could hear her comrades' final screams as they were shot over the comms. Her heart was churning like a knife, but there was nothing she could do.

The enemy had reached the water's edge, and a hail of bullets rippled through the water, sending white bubbles flying everywhere.

Then, a deafening roar—someone had thrown a grenade into the water. A massive shockwave of water pressure hit her from behind, knocking Feng Wu unconscious.

A few minutes later, the gunfire ceased completely, and the counterfeit Princess, carrying cargo, left the dock.

A while later, the deafening roar of turbojet engines filled the sky. A MiG-29 heavy fighter jet, painted a vibrant red, loomed over the small port like the wings of death. After circling once, it dropped several 2,000-pound bombs. The entire island shook violently; the massive explosions sent plumes of smoke and flames hundreds of meters high into the air. The intense heat waves, reaching thousands of degrees Celsius, created a raging storm, engulfing the entire island in smoke and dust.

When the smoke cleared, the port area was completely razed to the ground, leaving only seas of fire, massive craters, and scorched earth…

Editor's Note: After a period without internet, I'm finally back today. I've been incredibly busy lately, and my right hand has also started acting up. Two fingers are so painful I can't straighten them, and my typing speed isn't as fast as before. I sincerely apologize for the long delay in posting this chapter; there are various reasons. I can't guarantee the update speed right now, as I'm still living in reality. What I can guarantee is that I won't abandon the project.

Outside, the wind was strong and the rain was heavy, with sea conditions estimated at force four or five—a rare sight in the Gulf of Aden in April or May. The Indian Ocean's winter monsoon had just ended, and the summer monsoon hadn't yet formed, so it should have been a calm time. However, the wind and waves were slowly rocking the massive cargo ship, weighing tens of thousands of tons

, back and forth. From the wheelhouse, the occasional chilling creaking and squeezing sounds from the deck could be heard. But this rocking was nothing to the experienced second mate. On the open sea, it's perfectly normal for cargo ships, especially large ones, to rock a little when they encounter waves. As long as the containers are properly loaded, no matter how much they rock, the ship won't capsize. If the bow gets windy and tilts, the rudder at the stern will automatically straighten it back. In this back-and-forth struggle, the ship maintains a remarkable balance, like a self-sustaining toy, seemingly precarious but actually unharmed. Experienced sailors know that it's not the rocking that's worrisome, but the lack of rocking. If a wave hits and the ship can't be rocked back, it's not far from capsizing.

Besides, this is the Gulf of Aden; he'd rather have raging waves than calm seas.

Yesterday, they sailed into what is currently one of the most notorious waters on Earth. Everyone on board was on edge, fearing they might encounter pirates. During the day, their radar detected countless suspicious vessels without AIF signals; some small fishing boats even came very close. However, they couldn't distinguish which were fishing boats and which were pirates. The captain suspected that all the fishing boats might be part-time pirates, but they just couldn't do anything about them. Throughout the day, there were constant alarms, and they called for international fleet support more than a dozen times through the international rescue channel. But there was only one actual response: a helicopter circled overhead for a while and then returned.

After a day of anxiety, the sea conditions worsened today, which the captain considered a sign from God.

While a sea state of four or five was manageable for a large cargo ship, it would be a nightmare for pirates' small boats and sampans. He believed the pirates were unlikely to venture out in such weather.

At least so far, no suspicious targets without AIF were detected on the radar. However, the second mate wasn't entirely at ease. The current sea conditions weren't entirely favorable; the torrential rain created waves, but it also interfered with radar waves. Objects on the radar screen were obscured by the rain echoes, except for large targets. If a small target approached, the radar might be ineffective.

"Ahead, there seems to be a ship ahead,"

the helmsman said. It was too dark outside to see clearly; he could only vaguely make out the ship's silhouette.

"What?"

The second mate looked outside in confusion, seemingly seeing it too. He went out from the bridge, onto the outside of the bridge, and, braving the heavy rain, held onto the railing and looked ahead with night-vision binoculars. He indeed saw it. Two strange little boats lurked in the rain, passing by the bow and then back again, their movements extremely erratic.

Pirates? The second mate's mind snapped to the word. He wanted to investigate, but the small boat ahead stopped, blocking the channel.

"There's another boat behind!"

the helmsman shouted anxiously. The second mate looked back and indeed saw two more boats close to the stern on either side, without even lights on, acting suspiciously. There were figures moving on the boats, seemingly hanging ladders onto their ship.

"Pirates! Quick! Wake the captain!"

the second mate roared in a frantic voice as he ran to the bridge, grabbed the intercom, and frantically called for the captain. He then sounded the anti-piracy emergency alarm, its piercing siren echoing throughout the cabins and passageways. Everyone on duty and resting was jolted awake, and the entire ship was thrown into chaos.

Soon, everyone was in position on deck, and the captain appeared on the bridge, his face tense. He then realized the gravity of the situation.

"Are they pirates? Charge! Ram them!"

The engine room roared deafeningly as the massive cargo ship cleaved through the sea, hurtling towards the small boats blocking its path, like a slow, clumsy beast, yet with overwhelming force. The small boats, however, were clearly prepared, nimbly scattering to the sides, avoiding the oncoming giant, and now running parallel to the cargo ship, relentlessly pursuing it alongside the smaller boats behind. Their intentions were clear.

"Maximum speed! Full speed ahead!"

the captain shouted into the radio, unsure of what to do. The second mate frantically tried to contact the international escort fleet via radio, desperately sending distress signals, but no one responded, whether asleep or otherwise. The international escort fleet consisted of only a few warships, already burdened with heavy escort duties. They were likely dealing with other ships' distress calls or escorting others; they simply didn't have time for their lone, isolated vessel. Even if they could free up their hands later, who knew how many hours would pass?

Were they just going to keep running like this? The enemy appearing before them on such a stormy night clearly meant they had planned this for a long time and had their eyes on them; they wouldn't give up easily. Their ship was slow, unable to outrun the light boats, and the enemy was likely armed. They couldn't risk their crew's lives under these circumstances.

Or should they follow the pre-arranged anti-piracy plan and all hide in the shelter? Just wait for rescue and ignore the outside world? But who knew how long it would take for rescue to arrive? In these sea conditions, it was truly uncertain. The international fleet's presence in the Red Sea was practically nonexistent; the pirates continued their activities as before, showing no fear. Relying on external aid was also risky.

In any case, they'd give it their all.

The captain and bosun, each holding a fire axe, crouched low along the bulwark, making their way to the stern. They dared not straighten up, fearing gunfire from below. The two men cautiously peeked out from behind. A black pirate was tightening the grappling hook, seemingly carrying a gun. The small boat was gradually approaching the side of the larger ship, and another pirate was preparing to climb aboard.

The captain, steeling his resolve, leaped up and swung his axe at the rope. The bosun also jumped and hacked at the remaining rope.

One rope snapped, and the small boat, losing its traction, was immediately thrown back by the powerful jet stream.

Seeing this, the other small boats knew they were prepared and immediately opened fire. The muzzle flashes were dazzling in the darkness, and pirate machine gun bullets flew up through the rain-soaked air, shrapnel flying everywhere on the deck.

"Damn it! Quick! Retreat!"

The captain knew there was no escape. The enemy's firepower was immense; bullets rained down on them like they were free. The crew were terrified, cowering on the deck, some covering their heads, others running into the cabins. The crew was in complete chaos. Then a rocket flew up and exploded on the stern of the ship, producing smoke and flames.

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