However, this was not the time for jokes, so he could only bite the bullet and nod.
He originally wanted to say something like, "If it's a secret, don't tell him..." But then he thought about how the old commander had gone to great lengths, even deploying four armed helicopters and then pretending to draw for half a day, all to get him to do something. How could he give up so easily?
At least whether he wanted to or not, he should at least hear what it was about first. If he just refused without even listening... the old man probably wouldn't say anything, but if he had any trouble in the future, the old man probably wouldn't protect him anymore.
After thinking for a moment, Zhou Ziwei did not immediately refuse, but nodded and said, "Don't worry, old man, I'm not a gossip and I don't have a habit of spreading rumors."
The old leader nodded slightly upon hearing this and said, "It's not that I don't trust you, but this matter is of great importance, and... it is very likely to overturn some of the worldviews that ordinary people have formed over the years, so... this matter has to be handled with such caution."
The old leader stood up gently, walked slowly to the wall on the left, and gently touched the western corner of a map of China on the wall with his aged finger. Then he turned to Zhou Ziwei and said, "Do you know... what this place is?"
When Zhou Ziwei saw that the old commander's finger was almost pointing at the border line in western China, he wondered if there was a serious border dispute there, and that they were arguing over the national border.
After thinking for a moment, he replied, "I know, that's China!"
After answering, Zhou Ziwei revealed a smug look on his face, thinking to himself, "Wasn't my answer politically astute? Who cares if that place was originally Chinese territory or not? At least we'll claim it in name first."
Speaking of the issue of territory, this is something we can't be too generous about. Our country is now considered prosperous and strong, but we can't afford to be as wasteful as the Empress Dowager Cixi during the Qing Dynasty, who would cede hundreds of kilometers of land with a mere flick of her wrist.
Upon hearing Zhou Ziwei's answer and seeing his smug grin, the old man couldn't help but twitch his lips slightly. He then gave Zhou Ziwei a light glare and said, "Nonsense, of course this is China. I'm just asking you... what's the name of this place?"
"Place names..." Zhou Ziwei was too far from the map to see the small print clearly, but that didn't stop him. His eyesight could now be improved almost without limit, and he could even use it as a microscope or a telescope. At such a distance, he could see clearly with just a little focus.
"Oh... that should be the Kashgar La Pass in the Kunlun Mountains... What's wrong, old commander? Has it been occupied by foreigners? But this seems to be a problem that should be solved by our brave soldiers. You're asking me... I'm not a soldier, so this doesn't seem quite appropriate!"
"No, it's just Kashgar Lala Mountain, you little rascal... These eyes are really something... I don't know how they're formed, such small words, I can't even see them clearly even when I'm so close, but you can see them clearly from such a distance... Truly extraordinary!"
The old leader sighed softly, then turned around and sat down next to Zhou Ziwei. He grasped the teacup in front of Zhou Ziwei, which he hadn't yet taken a sip of, and took a small sip before saying, "Just five years ago, on this Kashgar Mountain, a group of people who were ostensibly mountaineering enthusiasts from the United States discovered a very strange cave on the summit. But ever since those people entered the cave, they have never come out again."
"Later, someone found a description of the cave in the backpack they left outside the cave, and learned that... the cave seemed to be a passage to another parallel space. According to the records of those people's ancestors, someone had entered the cave and came out more than fifty years later. The person's appearance was exactly the same as it was more than fifty years ago, without any signs of aging."
"But after that person came out, he inexplicably became mute and could no longer speak. Moreover, he suddenly died not long after returning home. Before he died, he drew a map leading to that mysterious place and wrote a strange word on the map. If translated into Chinese... it means—fairyland!"
"This matter finally came to light because of the simultaneous disappearance of that mountaineering team. However, the things mentioned in the report were too bizarre, and some of the comrades below ignored it, thinking it was just some nonsense. So when the families of the adventurers came to collect the deceased's belongings, they actually returned such important items to the families of the victims as well."
"Later... it was our agents in the US who overheard the whole story from high-ranking military officials. They learned that one of the people who disappeared there had inexplicably returned to the US a month after his disappearance. He brought back something quite strange... but this person also became mute upon returning and died suddenly not long after... However, the thing he left for the US military shocked the US to an extreme degree. It was a very small and exquisite short sword, as short as a dagger, but its shape was clearly that of a sword."
What's most peculiar is that... under certain circumstances, this short sword can actually unleash a beam of extremely powerful light. In this respect, the sword seems remarkably like the legendary immortal sword capable of severing a person's head from a thousand miles away... Subsequently, over a dozen research institutions in the US collaborated, and through research on that object, the US managed to develop a highly powerful energy weapon in just a few years... Of course, the energy weapon developed by the US is nowhere near as powerful as the beam of light from that short sword, and their energy weapon is also extremely cumbersome, completely unsuitable for individual soldiers to carry. But even so... this is still a remarkable research achievement..."
"stop……"
Zhou Ziwei was initially enjoying listening to these strange tales, but as he listened, he felt a chill creep up his spine.
A mysterious cave in the Kunlun Mountains, a passage to another mysterious dimension? And anyone who goes in comes out mute, and... and soon after, they die... What kind of place is that...? Could it really be a legendary paradise inhabited by immortals... where mortals who trespass face the most severe punishment...? This... is probably not a good thing at all!
The fact that the old commander would bring up such a confidential matter with someone who was neither an official nor a member of the military clearly indicated that he wanted him to risk his life in that godforsaken place.
Zhou Ziwei was considered a highly skilled and daring individual. He had been through many dangerous and bizarre places recently, but... upon hearing the old commander's description, Zhou Ziwei felt extremely uncertain.
At least two groups of people have entered the cave, but only two of them have returned. Both of them became mute before they could return, and they died as soon as they came back.
This inevitably aroused great suspicion. Even though Zhou Ziwei was not an ordinary person and did not take ordinary adventures seriously, he was still secretly wary of such strange and unusual things.
People are always more afraid of the unknown. If Zhou Ziwei were to face an elite force alone, he might not take it seriously. But if he were to explore a cave full of unknown dangers, he would be quite unsure of himself.
Moreover, Zhou Ziwei heard some uncertainties from the old commander's words: a short sword that could emit a beam of light with extremely high destructive power... Could it be that a group of immortals really lived in that cave?
Zhou Ziwei still holds a deep reverence for the legendary gods and Buddhas who fill the heavens. The reason he possesses extraordinary abilities is entirely due to a six-syllable mantra he learned from an old lama on a whim.
If those mythical stories in the rumors are not unfounded... then the Kunlun Mountains should be the place where those gods and immortals often appear. It seems that many Chinese myths mention the Kunlun Mountains, so it is not impossible that a god or something really came out of there.
Compared to ordinary people, Zhou Ziwei's skills are practically invincible. But if he were to encounter a legendary deity, he would probably be nothing more than a slightly stronger ant in their eyes.
So... it's best to stay away from such dangerous places.
Zhou Ziwei had no intention of seeking immortality or enlightenment. Even if he knew there were some opportunities there, he had no intention of seeking them. Therefore, he was prepared to refuse without hesitation the task that the old leader might ask him to do next.
By now, he had heard some confidential information, but the old leader hadn't really gotten to the most important details, such as the exact location of the cave leading to the mysterious space... Zhou Ziwei figured that if he knew even that, he would be dragged into this mess by the old man, with no way to back down. That's why he hurriedly told the old leader to stop explaining... In short, he absolutely refused to get involved in this matter.
Volume Two: The Assassin's Nightmare, Chapter 354: The Immunity Card
Seeing Zhou Ziwei's eagerness to extricate himself from the situation, the old commander smiled slightly and said, "Why are you in such a hurry? I didn't say I wanted you to go into that cave to explore. What do you have to be afraid of?"
Upon hearing this, Zhou Ziwei was taken aback for a moment, looking at the old commander with a hint of confusion, and said, "Since I don't need to go into the cave to explore, then... then why are you telling me all this?"
The old commander chuckled and said, "Of course, I want to use your X-ray vision to find that hidden cave!"
The old commander stood up again, walked to the map, and pointed to the small mountain peak mark on it, saying, "Because we had too little information, we could only determine that the mysterious cave should be located on this Kashgar Mountain. However, Kashgar Mountain appears to be very small on this map, but in reality, the entire mountain range is quite large, and because its altitude is over two thousand meters, it is covered by ice and snow all year round. Finding that unknown cave entrance on this mountain is extremely difficult."
"Prior to this, our army had sent special forces there three times to search for the hidden cave entrance, but not only did they return empty-handed, the last time they even suffered a fierce battle when someone was accidentally attacked by a pack of snow wolves, which triggered an avalanche that resulted in the deaths of more than a dozen soldiers..."
The old commander sighed softly, then shook his head slightly, saying, "Because that place is on our border with Country A, we can only send a very small number of people there to secretly search for the cave. It's impossible to send a large number of troops for a thorough search; doing so would inevitably cause conflict between our country and Country A. Moreover, such a large-scale operation would definitely attract the attention of Country M. Since they discovered the cave first and have already profited from it, they will certainly consider it their forbidden territory. Although the cave is located within our territory, they will definitely send people to obstruct us in secret. Because they know a little about the world inside that cave, if they really want to ambush our expedition team, the situation will be very bad."
"Therefore... we still can't carry out this fourth exploration mission on a large scale, so we can only hope that your strange X-ray vision can help us find that hidden cave entrance. As for exploring inside the cave... I know how dangerous that is. You're not part of our military, so I naturally have no right to ask you to do such a dangerous thing. So... as long as you help us find the location of the cave entrance, it will be a great contribution to the country. As for what happens after the cave entrance is discovered, we don't need to trouble you anymore."
Hearing this, Zhou Ziwei finally breathed a slight sigh of relief. "So... as long as I help you find that hidden cave entrance, my mission is complete. As for whether the people you sent in can come out alive... they won't come looking for me anymore, right?"
The old commander nodded affirmatively and said, "Our army has already organized a volunteer expedition team. This team consists of twelve people. They are all well aware of the danger of this mission, but they still chose to join voluntarily. These twelve people have talents in various fields, and each of them is quite skilled... Of course, compared to you, they are far inferior... This volunteer expedition team has already been stationed and training near Kashgar Mountain. Once they find that mysterious cave entrance, they will immediately enter. Alas... whether any of them will come out alive is up to fate."
Zhou Ziwei fell silent upon hearing this. He truly couldn't understand what those people were thinking. Knowing that entering that cave was a near-certain death sentence, they still agreed to take the risk… Perhaps… because they were soldiers! Soldiers are always more prone to impulsiveness. In fact, when facing war, how could a soldier not understand that charging to the front lines and facing enemy fire was also a near-certain death sentence? But could they back down in such a situation? If they did back down, even if they managed to save their lives, could they hold their heads high again in the future?
Therefore, Zhou Ziwei had no doubts about what the old commander said. The country is so big and there are so many soldiers. It shouldn't be too difficult to find a dozen or so outstanding people who are willing to sacrifice themselves for the country!
Zhou Ziwei felt a certain amount of admiration for these volunteers, but he wouldn't impulsively agree to go on an adventure into that eerie cave for the sake of the country.
Although he might gain some unexpected benefits if he actually went there... Zhou Ziwei had absolutely no reason to take such a big risk for those little bit of benefit.
Comparatively speaking, Zhou Ziwei would rather accept a mission to assassinate President M in the White House or Black House than enter a cave with unknown risks.
Although Zhou Ziwei believed that President M must have super bodyguards around him, just like the old chief, whose strength was no less than that of the world's top ten assassins, Zhou Ziwei was still confident that he could easily carry out the assassination.
In fact, if Zhou Ziwei knew someone's whereabouts, then assassinating that person would be quite simple.
Zhou Ziwei himself doesn't even need to show his face. He only needs to release a small mosquito near the target, then find an opportunity to land silently on the target's neck and give him a light bite... and everything will be solved. Even if that person can hire the world's top bodyguards and the world's number one assassins to protect him, under Zhou Ziwei's terrifying assassination skills, they will all be nothing but fleeting clouds.
Since the old commander had promised not to let him venture into the cave, Zhou Ziwei couldn't very well refuse the mission. After all, it was just about finding a cave on a snow-covered mountain that might be buried by snow.
This shouldn't be too difficult for Zhou Ziwei, since his soul power can radiate beyond sixty meters, and even if the cave had been deliberately buried by Old M's people, it would never be buried sixty meters deep.
Therefore, Zhou Ziwei only needs to spend a little more effort, circling the mountain a few times, and he will eventually be able to find it.
It may be simple, but even the simplest things require a certain amount of hard work and effort. You have to understand that he is going to use his soul power to scan a mountain this time... Putting aside everything else, the consumption of soul power alone must be quite significant.
Zhou Ziwei is very frugal with his soul power right now, so he naturally doesn't want to make a losing deal.
Before formally agreeing to the old commander's request, Zhou Ziwei couldn't help but boldly ask, "Old man... I'm fine with agreeing to this, but... what benefits do you think I'll get in return?"
After saying these words, Zhou Ziwei couldn't help but feel a little uneasy. After all, the old man in front of him was no ordinary person. Zhou Ziwei might be very strong in martial arts, but this old man controlled the most powerful force in a country.
Moreover, Zhou Ziwei is, after all, a citizen of this country and ultimately under their jurisdiction, so he cannot completely ignore the old man's attitude.
Sure enough, when Zhou Ziwei said that, the old leader frowned slightly, then his face hardened, and he opened his mouth as if to reprimand Zhou Ziwei. Seeing this, Zhou Ziwei quickly continued, "Please don't talk to me about contributing to the country... Yes, I am a member of this country, and I also have an obligation to do something for the country and the people. But there is a reward for every effort, which seems to be true, right? Our country's leading cadres are also contributing to the country. But if you ask them to do things without receiving a salary, do you think they would be willing?"
"And don't think that just going there and looking around will help you find that hidden cave. My X-ray vision ability comes at the cost of burning my own life energy. If it were just a piece of paper or a rock, that wouldn't matter, but you're asking me to see through an entire mountain... By the time I find that cave, whether I'll even survive is another question. So, my contribution is no less than that of those volunteer expedition members, is it?"
"Hmm... what you said makes sense."
As expected, the old leader was rendered speechless by Zhou Ziwei's words. Come to think of it, if such an almost heaven-defying ability of X-ray vision could be used simply by glaring at one's eyes, the old leader himself would not believe it. Presumably, what Zhou Ziwei said about burning life energy as a price was not untrue.
If Zhou Ziwei wants to see through a mountain, the price he'll have to pay will certainly be substantial. To force him to do it for free with just some excuse like "for the country" or "for the people" is... simply unreasonable.
Of course, this is mainly because Zhou Ziwei is not a soldier. If Zhou Ziwei were a soldier under the old commander, then the old commander would definitely not have been so polite to Zhou Ziwei.
"Well then! I know you've made quite a bit of money gambling on stones, so you probably don't care about any more monetary rewards from this old man. And what I can give you anyway isn't much..."
The old leader opened a drawer on his desk, took out a small green notebook, and handed it to Zhou Ziwei, saying with a smile, "As I just said, if you can find the hidden thing in my painting, I will give you a small reward. Here... take this! So you won't always have to bother Xiao Liu with anything in the future."
"Oh... what is this?" Upon seeing this, Zhou Ziwei immediately took the small book without any hesitation, opened it, and found that it was a work ID.
However, this was not an ordinary work permit. The name on it was Zhou Ziwei, and the position listed was Deputy Director of the Special Operations Division of the Supreme Military Commission.
Zhou Ziwei paused for a moment, then couldn't help but ask tentatively, "Grandpa, you...you're not just going to conscript me into the army like this, are you? I have a whole family to support, they all depend on me for food, drink, and shelter, I can't just abandon them like this!"
The old commander was both amused and exasperated by Zhou Ziwei's antics. He couldn't help but lightly tap Zhou Ziwei on the head, snorted, and said, "I knew you were afraid of trouble, so I gave you the title of deputy director. Otherwise, with your skills... giving you the full director position would be a waste of your talents... Don't worry, this is just to give you a legal identity. Once you have this identity, you won't have to be so hesitant if something like this happens again."
The Supreme Military Commission's Special Operations Division is directly responsible to this old man. Even if you commit some serious crime locally, without my personally signed authorization, no one has the right to restrict your freedom. Even if that brat Hong Gang is arrogant, he wouldn't dare do anything to you after seeing this document. Furthermore, I won't impose any restrictions on you, and you certainly don't need to come to my place every day to follow me to work. You should just continue doing what you normally do. Even if there are special missions that require your help, you have the right to refuse. You can help if you want, or no one can order you around if you don't. So… are you satisfied now?”
Upon hearing this, Zhou Ziwei's eyes lit up immediately. This was a great thing... Having this was practically like having a get-out-of-jail-free card. Even if he committed some crime in the future, only this old man in front of him would have the authority to deal with him. Other small fry would be powerless against him. What pleased Zhou Ziwei the most was that as the head of the Special Operations Division, he had no restrictions. Even if he was given a mission, he could refuse it.
This means that... from now on, with this little booklet, he will basically only enjoy privileges, but will not have to fulfill any obligations.
Of course... it's said that there's no need to fulfill any obligations, but if this old leader really comes to Zhou Ziwei with some trouble in the future, Zhou Ziwei probably won't be able to refuse every time since he's received such a big benefit from him. Fulfilling some obligations wouldn't be a big deal.
I suppose that's what this old man was secretly planning too!
Although he was just a figurehead, Zhou Ziwei was still nominally a soldier of the Republic. Even if he could ignore other people in the military, he should still give some face to this old commander in front of him!
Seeing Zhou Ziwei practically snatch the work permit from him and then carefully put it away, the old leader couldn't help but smile slightly. He then patted Zhou Ziwei on the shoulder and said, "Although this identity will save you a lot of trouble in the future, I also hope you won't take advantage of it and do whatever you want. If you only commit some trivial matters, I can turn a blind eye. But if you really do something heinous... then don't blame this old man for being ruthless."
Zhou Ziwei nodded repeatedly like a chicken pecking at rice, saying, "Don't worry, sir! I'm not a spoiled brat like Young Master Hong. No one bothers me usually, so I naturally won't bother others for no reason... And even if someone does bother me... for your sake, I'll try my best not to go too far."
With Zhou Ziwei's assurance, the old commander was somewhat relieved. He then said, "This identity is a reward I promised you. As for the reward for helping to find the mysterious cave... I really can't think of anything to reward you with right now. How about it... do you have any conditions you want? Just tell me and I'll see. I believe that as long as the conditions aren't too harsh or excessive, I, this old man, will agree to them."
Upon hearing this, Zhou Ziwei's eyes lit up again, and he cautiously asked, "Any conditions are acceptable?"
"Hmm..." The old leader nodded and said, "As long as it doesn't violate principles or go too far, it's fine."
Zhou Ziwei chuckled and said, "I can't think of anything I can ask of you right now, so... just remember that you owe me this favor! I'll come up with a more specific request when I think of something!"
The old leader paused for a moment, then could only shake his head helplessly, which was considered an acquiescence to Zhou Ziwei.
Zhou Ziwei, however, was so excited by the promise from his old superior that he just chuckled to himself.
Unexpectedly, this trip to the capital was not in vain. It turns out that even the top military official owes him a favor. If this is used properly, it is equivalent to a priceless treasure. Of course, good steel should be used on the blade. Such a good opportunity cannot be wasted carelessly.
"Oh... by the way, when are we going to Kashgar Mountain?" Having received such a generous gift... even though it was just an empty promise for now, Zhou Ziwei was immediately filled with enthusiasm for serving the people and eagerly asked the old leader.
The old commander seemed quite satisfied with Zhou Ziwei's enthusiasm, nodding and saying, "Time is of the essence, delay may lead to complications. While the US side may not yet know that we have obtained information related to that cave, we should send that group of explorers in as soon as possible. Otherwise, if the US people cause trouble from behind, things will become very difficult... Hmm... You should rest well at the hotel tonight, and I will send someone to pick you up early tomorrow morning!"
"Going tomorrow?" Zhou Ziwei rolled his eyes upon hearing this and said, "This... isn't it a bit too hasty... I promised to take my... wife to Switzerland to see the snow, and now she's all alone here, it's not a good idea!"
Volume 2, The Assassin's Nightmare, Chapter 355: The Great Snow Mountain
The old commander glared at him and said angrily, "What's so great about snow in Switzerland? If you want to see snow, what snow could be better than the snow on the Kunlun Mountains? Just bring your wife along. You're not planning to explore the caves anyway. I'll send military aircraft to pick you up and drop you off. If you successfully find the cave, you can have the special plane that picked you up take you around everywhere. As long as you don't leave our country, you can go wherever you want. How about that? Heh... Can you expect to receive this kind of treatment in Switzerland, traveling with a military helicopter?"
Zhou Ziwei couldn't help but stick out his tongue inwardly. What the old man said was really tempting... Traveling with a military helicopter—what an awesome thing that would be! And all the expenses were covered by himself. It was simply too good to pass up...
"Is it really true that I can have a plane take us anywhere I want?" Zhou Ziwei pressed his advantage, "I happen to have some business to attend to in Hainan. Can a helicopter take me there directly?"
The old commander's eye twitched slightly, then he snorted and said, "Fine... do whatever you want, as long as you can complete the mission smoothly. I'll even allocate a military helicopter for your exclusive use from now on. Are you satisfied now?"