Chapter 19 Xia Nan (Seeking Collections, Recommendation Tickets, Monthly Tickets)
“Ayman al-Zawahiri, dressed in a black robe, said sternly, “Aiyile hasn’t contacted me for a long time. It seems something has happened to her.”
Khalid Alasad scoffed, “I said long ago that this woman likes to show off too much, and she would cause trouble sooner or later. But thankfully, she doesn’t know about our plan this time, otherwise that would be big trouble.”
Ayman tapped his hands rhythmically on the table, narrowing his eyes to look at his ally across from him. “I’ve already withdrawn the men you arranged near the Chinese warship. For the smooth execution of the plan, it’s better not to complicate the situation with such foolish provocative actions.”
Upon hearing this, Alasad gripped the pistol at his waist, staring fiercely at Ayman. The guards behind Ayman couldn’t help but step forward, and Alasad’s subordinates also stood their ground, unyielding. The atmosphere in the room instantly became tense.
Time passed second by second. Alasad understood that now was not the time to turn hostile. He slowly moved his hand away from the pistol grip, waved his hand, allowing his men to cease the standoff first. Ayman likewise signaled his guards. Both sides took a step back, and the atmosphere seemed to return to how it was at the beginning.
“Miss Xia, we cannot take you with us on this mission.”
“I understand, but I must go to Bassem Town, because besides saving my assistant, I have a very important matter that I must complete there.”
“Uh, I’m sorry, Miss Xia,” Yang Rui said helplessly, “We can’t take you with us on this mission, and we don’t even know what the situation is like over there, right?”
“Captain Yang, can you let me explain the situation before you make a decision?”
“Alright,” an unusually speechless Yang Rui had no choice but to press the PTT, “Xu Hong, Xu Hong, hurry up and urge them to depart, quickly.” He turned his head to look at his teammates; several of them stood by, watching the show.
Xia Nan continued, “I have actually been tracking the trade of yellowcake nuclear material on the black market. William Boson, who was captured by the terrorists, is the biggest seller among them. Recently, we discovered that he has been in close contact with some terrorist organizations, and one of them sold him technology for purifying yellowcake and technology for making dirty bombs.”
Yang Rui opened his mouth, wanting to stop the incessant Xia Nan and tell her, ‘We already know all this,’ but he really couldn’t keep up with the reporter’s speaking speed. Xia Nan continued, “Once these materials fall into their hands, we cannot estimate how many people will be affected by the next terrorist attack.”
“You’ve got one thing wrong,” Luo Jialing said as she walked over after communicating with the Government Army commander. “It’s General Shalaf, the rebel commander, who is buying the nuclear materials.” Yang Rui let out a sigh of relief, ‘Oh my god, I finally don’t have to play the role of a receptionist anymore.’
Xia Nan looked at Luo Jialing, whose face was not only smeared with camouflage but also covered with a black mask, concealing half her face, making it impossible to see her features. She only heard her continue, “We are here to verify this matter. Now, please come with me, Miss Xia, let’s have a good talk.” As she spoke, she made a gesturing motion with her right hand.
Xia Nan was very happy that someone could finally communicate properly. She couldn’t help but glare at Yang Rui and followed Luo Jialing to a military vehicle nearby. “Okay, the situation is like this…” Just as she was about to speak, she felt a sharp pain in her neck, and then quickly fell into unconsciousness.
“Hey, hey, what are you doing?” Yang Rui ran over in shock and felt Xia Nan’s pulse. “Captain, it’s just a sedative,” the conscript Lu Chen said while holding a syringe.
“Do you have any sleeping pills? Give her two more,” Luo Jialing said indifferently from the side, looking at Yang Rui in confusion, “What, do you really want to keep listening to her nagging?”
Yang Rui looked at this woman who never played by the rules and was quite speechless. “What do we do with her now? Hand her over to the Government Army?”
“Have one person drive her to Aden. It’ll take half an hour. The dosage I gave her should keep her asleep until at least tomorrow,” Luo Jialing shrugged, not understanding what there was to be conflicted about. “When we get back, we’ll tell the Yemeni government that the person has been rescued. Perfect.”
“Tong Li, come here.”
“At the next intersection, we turn right,” Luo Jialing said from the back seat, fiddling with the car’s navigation system. Machine gunner Zhang Tiande glanced at Yang Rui, who was in the passenger seat, and obediently turned right.
“What’s going on now?” Yang Rui’s immunity had significantly improved.
Luo Jialing frowned and replied, “Why do you all have no awareness of the enemy? We are in a war zone right now. The rebels have already opened the road to Aden. Such a large Government Army supply point, and so close to the road, do you think they wouldn’t have people watching it?”
Deputy Captain Xu Hong, in another car, said over the intercom, “That’s right, it’s very likely that as soon as our car drove out, the other side already knew.”
“You’re worried the rebels set up an ambush on the road?” Yang Rui suddenly realized.
“The young man is quite clever. It’s not just that. I asked the commander just now, and he said that several people took leave before the operation. Heh, anyway, I don’t understand how he can be so carefree,” Luo Jialing said speechlessly.
Upon hearing this, Yang Rui broke out in a cold sweat. ‘If there’s an inside man, then the driving route must have been exposed in advance.’ He turned back and looked at Luo Jialing gratefully, sincerely saying, “It was my oversight as captain. Thanks.” He then remembered something else, “But what about those ordinary civilians?”
“I’ve already reminded the Government Army commander; it’s his choice now,” Luo Jialing replied while comparing maps. “Moreover, the path I’ve chosen isn’t necessarily completely safe, especially since there’s no aerial reconnaissance. Everyone listen, if we encounter an enemy attack, evacuate immediately. Do not engage in a head-on fight.”
“Then what about the mission?” Zhang Tiande asked from the front.
Luo Jialing looked at him and shook her head, “Comrade Zhang Tiande, please repeat our orders.”
Zhang Tiande replied loudly, “Find a way to verify the nuclear material issue that the French-Chinese reporter Xia Nan reported earlier.”
“That’s right. Since it’s about finding a way, then any method can be used, as long as the intelligence can be verified. As for how it’s verified, what does it matter?” Luo Jialing looked at this straightforward soldier, thinking to herself, ‘Who said the mission must be completed?’ But this sentence absolutely could not be said aloud.
Ignoring their frustration, “We’ll first go to a forest 2 kilometers from Bassem Town, leave the vehicles there, and then deploy drones for reconnaissance.”
This chapter was the easiest to write, with large sections of movie dialogue.