In a classroom in the capital city of Huaxia, high school seniors were either reading or doing exercises, their desks piled high with books and workbooks. The blackboard prominently displayed '33 days until the College Entrance Exam Countdown,' and the teacher sat at the podium, explaining something to a student.
However, two girls in the corner seemed out of place in the tense atmosphere. Although books were on their desks, there weren't as many as on others. One, with long hair, appeared to be reading, but anyone paying close attention would notice she had an entertainment magazine tucked inside her textbook. The other, with short hair, was soundly asleep, her head resting on her desk.
Ring~~~, the bell for class dismissal rang. The long-haired girl looked up, put her magazine away in her desk, and then looked at her companion, who was still soundly asleep, hesitating whether to wake her.
Ding! Her phone vibrated in her pocket. The girl took out her phone and glanced at it. "Mission, Djibouti, come quickly."
"Ah~~~~ha~~~~" The short-haired girl was awakened by the class dismissal bell. She stretched and yawned without any regard for her image. "Dong Qin, why didn't you wake me up?"
The girl named Dong Qin smiled. "Xu Ziwen, what time did you go to bed last night? Teacher Zhang asked several times. I told him you were studying too late and didn't sleep well. If it weren't for your perfect scores, he would have exploded already."
"I didn't sleep at all. But we hacked the American Pentagon's website and replaced its homepage with the Japanese flag," Xu Ziwen whispered, a proud look on her face.
"You~~~guys~~~?" Dong Qin immediately noticed her companion's choice of words.
"Hehe, netizens, netizens," Xu Ziwen chuckled sheepishly, realizing her slip-up. "Don't tell my mom, please."
Dong Qin raised an eyebrow and smiled. "Alright, I won't tell Auntie. But, the College Entrance Exam is coming up soon. I really don't want to see you fall asleep during the exam because of your overly rich nightlife."
"Hiss, why didn't I think of that?" Xu Ziwen's eyes darted around. "They always want me to get into Tsinghua. If I just turn in a blank paper for one subject…"
"If you want to die, you can try it. But the most likely outcome is that you'll have to repeat a year and become the laughingstock of everyone's after-dinner conversations," Dong Qin listened helplessly to her companion's nonsensical ideas.
"Ah, I can't deny it, you make a lot of sense," Xu Ziwen gave up her idea, disheartened.
"By the way, I'll be gone for a few days," Dong Qin said casually as she packed her schoolbag.
Xu Ziwen paused, then picked up her schoolbag, which she hadn't opened all day. "Where are you going? You just said the College Entrance Exam is coming up soon."
"I'll be back as soon as possible."
Xu Ziwen lowered her head, thought for a moment, and asked nervously, "Did something happen with my brother?"
"No, you're overthinking it," Dong Qin smiled as the two of them walked out of the classroom. "There's a very important mission, but your brother didn't intend for me to go. A friend told me about it privately."
"Alright," Xu Ziwen puffed out her cheeks. "My brother not telling you definitely means it's dangerous. Be careful and stay safe."
---
Six hours later.
"Boss, I've arrived in Sana'a."
"Don't act rashly for now. Contact the local tribal armed forces. They are the local experts, and some information they have is more accurate than our intelligence."
"Yes, I understand. But there's something you need to decide right now."
"What is it?"
"Just now, the Yemeni Consulate called and said that due to the escalation of the conflict in Yemen, our Government is preparing to evacuate its citizens. The warship will enter Aden Port the day after tomorrow. Chinese personnel in Sana'a, the capital, and nearby cities in Aden can evacuate themselves, but cities in northern Yemen have become a war zone. The liaison personnel sent out earlier replied that all personnel have been contacted, but the road back to Aden is impassable. The Consulate hopes we can escort them over."
"Approximately how many people?"
"Around 40 people."
"No problem. Take a few people from home with you; it will be easier to communicate. Contact the Yemeni Consulate and tell them that we've taken the job and will charge per person, with a 20% discount."
"Boss, they're our own people. Is that really appropriate?"
"What's not appropriate? Is charging not appropriate? I run a private security company, not a Huaxia overseas military organization! Don't make trouble for me, understand?! Follow the rules!"
There was a pause on the other end of the phone before the reply: "Understood, Boss."
"Also…" Xu Chuan thought for a moment. "You don't need to go back to Aden. Head directly north and enter Saudi Arabia from the border. Let them coordinate it themselves."
"Understood, Boss. I'll call the Consulate back now."
Meanwhile, an emergency meeting was underway on the bridge of the Type 054A guided-missile frigate Linyi (547), part of the 14th escort fleet.
"According to urgent news from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, a military coup occurred in the Republic of Yemen five days ago. Two hours ago, Yemeni President Frani and several Government inspection troops were kidnapped by rebels. Now, the conflict in Yemen has fully escalated. The Navy orders our ship to immediately proceed to Aden Port to evacuate our citizens."
Green Valley Energy Company Headquarters in Yemen.
"Mr. William, I've already paid the money. Where exactly is the item I want?" William Boson held a satellite phone, the person on the other end sounding like he was suppressing his anger.
William Boson sat on the sofa, holding a storage chip, and lowered his voice. "General, I received the money for the yellowcake and the dirty bomb manufacturing technology, but you haven't paid for the items you brought in using my channels."
"What are you talking about? I only want the yellowcake and the dirty bomb technology. The rest has nothing to do with me."
"It has nothing to do with you? General, I think you should ask your partners. I'm only in this to make money; I don't want to help you start a nuclear war."
After speaking, he ignored the reply from the other side and hung up the phone. He then hid the chip in a secret compartment within the necklace he always wore.
He stood up from the sofa and paced back and forth, appearing very uneasy. He picked up the phone. "Anderson, has the Government Army's evacuation convoy not arrived yet?"
"Doctor, we just contacted them. They are already on their way."
"Understood. Keep pressing them."
"Yes, Doctor."
Huaxia Consulate General in Yemen.
"Consul He, the third batch of civilian convoys has successfully reached the port, and our liaison personnel just sent a message that all our personnel stranded in the north have been contacted. Now we just need to bring them out."
Consul He Qingliu let out a sigh of relief. "That's great! They've worked so hard." He then asked, "Xiao Li, is there any news from Liu He's side?"
"Liu He just contacted me. They plan not to return to Aden but to head directly north into Saudi Arabia. We just need to coordinate with the Saudi Government and the receiving personnel within Saudi Arabia; they can handle the rest themselves."
"Understood. That's also a solution. As long as they can pass through the combat zone, it's actually faster than returning to Aden. They are very familiar with the local forces in Yemen, so they should be able to do it."
"However, Liu He said they would charge per person, with a maximum 20% discount. The bill will be sent over later," Xiao Li said helplessly.
"Hehe, Liu He definitely didn't say that."
"Consul, Dr. Lu has arrived," a staff member said, followed by a refined-looking man wearing glasses and a child of about four or five years old.
"Dr. Lu, you must be tired from the journey."
"Consul He, hello, hello."
"Where's your wife? Why didn't she come with you?"
"She's still at the company. She said the Government Army would arrange a convoy to help them evacuate."
"How is the situation on her side?"
Dr. Lu looked anxious. "Don't even mention it. I left in such a hurry that I don't know where I left my phone."
Consul He took out his phone. "Quickly contact her."
Dr. Lu took the phone and dialed. It connected after just one ring. "Hello, Xiao Mei, is that you?"
An anxious voice came from the other end. "Why haven't you been answering your phone? I was so worried!"
Dr. Lu: "Don't worry, we've already arrived at the Consulate. How are things on your end?"
Deng Mei walked towards the office: "Are Xuan Xuan and you both there?"
Dr. Lu: "We're both here, don't worry."
"Let me ask about the situation," Consul He Qingliu took the phone. "Deng Mei, I'm He Qingliu. How are things arranged on your side?"
Deng Mei: "The Government Army will pick us up and take us to a temporary shelter, then arrange for a unified evacuation."
"Pay attention, don't worry about anything else. The most important thing is safety. You must stay in contact at all times."
Deng Mei hesitated for a moment, then replied, "I understand. I'll notify you as soon as the Government Army arrives."
Rebel Command Center.
"Shalaf, has Doctor William still not told us the location of the goods?" a bearded man in combat fatigues, wearing sunglasses, a red and white checkered scarf, and a red beret, asked.
"Khalid, William Boson said you used his channels to bring in nuclear bombs. What exactly do you want to do? Or rather, what does Zakayev want to do?" General Shalaf, the rebel leader, slammed his hand on the table.
"Of course, it's for the ultimate victory!" The bearded man named Khalid seemed to pay no attention to the anger of the general nicknamed "Madman" standing before him.
"Khalid, how much more are you hiding from me?"
"Zakayev's orders, you only need to execute them."
"This is my country. I overthrew the Government because it was corrupt. I want to rebuild it; I don't need Zakayev to tell me what to do. Nuclear bombs, are you crazy? My nickname is 'Madman,' but that doesn't mean I'm truly insane." He then pushed Khalid, who was standing in front of him, aside with both hands and walked out. He stopped at the door, turned his head, and said, "Tell Zakayev, I'm in charge here." Then he walked out.
"Damn it, William Boson dared to hide the goods!" a brown-haired middle-aged man with a wild look in his eyes said from the corner.
"It's fine, I've already sent people to find him."
"What about Shalaf? We can't let him ruin our plan!"
"Exactly, this is a crucial part of the Apocalypse Project; it must succeed!"
"Have Yuri find an opportunity to deal with him!"