"Please call me for my personal use, haha... Thank you so much, sir."
Zhou Ziwei was quite adept at seizing opportunities. Regardless of whether the old commander's words were just casual remarks or made in anger, his words of gratitude solidified the matter, and the military helicopter would then be considered his personal property.
To be honest, with Zhou Ziwei's current wealth, he could easily afford a helicopter. However, the nature of the helicopter that his old superior assigned to him was completely different.
Although the military helicopter was for his use, it still belonged to the military. Naturally, all the expenses were covered by the military, and there were also dedicated pilots assigned to him. It could be said that Zhou Ziwei didn't have to spend a penny and didn't have to worry about anything. This was much more cost-effective than owning a helicopter himself.
In fact, many wealthy people in China can afford to buy a helicopter, but not many can actually afford to maintain it. Moreover, there are many restrictions on helicopter take-off and landing, so this expensive mode of transportation has not been used by many wealthy people.
However, Zhou Ziwei's private jet has the outer shell of a military aircraft, so it is invincible and will not be subject to any restrictions.
Thinking about all this, Zhou Ziwei felt a surge of joy. He chuckled and said, "Alright then! My wife and I will go to Kunlun Mountain to see the snow. But you must keep your word, sir. Don't let me work myself to the bone for you, only to have you call the helicopter back with a single word. I'll be devastated."
The old commander was so angry that he hit Zhou Ziwei hard on the forehead and said, "You brat, do you think I'm as petty as you say?"
Zhou Ziwei said with a grin, "With your words of comfort, I can finally rest assured..."
"Then go obediently! Honestly, if I talk to you any more, you'll drive me crazy!" The old commander said, waving his hand repeatedly to urge Zhou Ziwei to leave quickly.
However, as Zhou Ziwei was saying goodbye and reaching the door, he suddenly called him back and instructed him, "I don't care whether the death of the second son of the Hong family has anything to do with you or not, let's leave it at that! I'll go and make sure Hong Gang shuts up, and you... you can't cause any more trouble for others, understand?"
Zhou Ziwei was taken aback upon hearing this. He hesitated for a moment in front of the door, then suddenly turned around and looked at the old leader, saying, "It seems that the Hong family has a fourth son. I wonder if you know anything about that fourth son of the Hong family? It seems that the conflict between me and the Hong family has always been stirred up by that kid... So... now it's not a matter of whether I go looking for trouble or not. If you can settle things with that fourth son of the Hong family, then I will naturally have nothing to say."
"Fourth son of the Hong family!" Upon hearing this, the old commander raised an eyebrow, his expression immediately turning grim. After a moment's hesitation, he waved his hand again and said, "Alright, you can go now! I'll try my best to mediate this matter. Fourth son of the Hong family... that kid..."
As the old leader spoke, he lowered his head, frowned, and muttered to himself, seemingly indicating that the fourth son of the Hong family was causing him quite a headache.
Seeing that the old leader seemed unwilling to talk more about the matter of the fourth son of the Hong family, Zhou Ziwei, though he had many questions, did not dare to ask any further. After hesitating for a moment, he took his leave again and quickly left.
Upon exiting the exquisite lotus garden, Director Liu was already anxiously waiting at the gate. As soon as he saw Zhou Ziwei emerge unharmed, he breathed a sigh of relief and hurriedly greeted him, saying, "How was it? What did you gain this time?"
Zhou Ziwei was very grateful for Director Liu's help these times, and he didn't intend to hide it from Director Liu. He nodded and said, "It's alright. I managed to get an identity from the old leader and a little booklet. I guess I won't have to bother you with every little thing in the future."
Director Liu's eyes lit up upon hearing this, and he said, "Oh... you've acquired an identity? What kind of identity? Does it mean you've been recruited into our National Security Bureau?"
Zhou Ziwei shook his head, thinking to himself, "Your National Security Bureau isn't as powerful as I thought. You can't even handle General Hong. You have to report directly to your old leader when something happens. My identity seems much more useful than the National Security Bureau's name..."
Seeing the curious look on Director Liu's face, Zhou Ziwei simply took out his newly acquired work ID and threw it to Director Liu. Director Liu took it and was immediately dumbfounded.
"Deputy Director of the Special Operations Division of the Supreme Military Commission!" Director Liu exclaimed in shock, then snapped to attention, gave Zhou Ziwei a crisp military salute, and loudly proclaimed, "Good morning, sir!"
This really shocked Zhou Ziwei. He couldn't help but rub his eyes and looked at Director Liu, who was standing ramrod straight in front of him, and asked inexplicably, "Director Liu, what are you playing at? I'm just a figurehead, I don't do any real work, and... I'm just a lowly deputy director, which... should be half a rank lower than you! Do you have to be so polite to me?"
Director Liu's lips twitched slightly, and he could only helplessly explain, "Reporting to the superior, you...you are a deputy director under the Supreme Military Commission. In terms of rank, you are not half a rank lower than me, but...a rank higher."
"Huh...no way! Am I that powerful now?" Zhou Ziwei had never been an officer or a soldier before, so he knew nothing about the hierarchy and intricacies of military ranks. He had thought that as a deputy section chief, he shouldn't be as high-ranking as Section Chief Liu. Who would have thought that thanks to the title of the Supreme Military Commission, his position as deputy section chief was actually one rank higher than Section Chief Liu's...
Of course, no matter how high the official rank was, Zhou Ziwei didn't really care. What he valued was the significance of the position, and he never thought about using it to make any great contribution to the country. He basically just wanted to use it as a get-out-of-jail-free card.
Seeing that Director Liu was still saluting him straight, he couldn't help but smile wryly and said, "Alright, Director Liu, no matter how big or small my official position is, it's all just for show. I'm not really going to work here. After I help the old leader out, I'm going back to Dangyang to open my company and continue being an ordinary citizen. As long as no one messes with me, I guess no one will know my identity until I die. So... you really don't need to be so polite with me."
Just then, Wang Xuewei, who had just returned from the restroom, happened to see Director Liu saluting Zhou Ziwei. She was quite surprised. Through her interactions with him, she now roughly knew Director Liu's identity and knew that he was a high-ranking official whom she used to look up to. But why was this high-ranking official treating Zhou Ziwei with such respect?
"Sir, please don't say that..." Director Liu respectfully handed the green booklet back to Zhou Ziwei, and then said, "This is an official position directly appointed by the Supreme Military Commission. Even if you continue to run your company in Dangyang, you are still my superior, and that cannot be changed. If I didn't know, that would be fine, but now that I know, I must naturally abide by this necessary etiquette."
Zhou Ziwei smiled wryly upon hearing this, but said nothing more. Seeing Wang Xuewei arrive, he said to Director Liu, "It's so late now, so please arrange for someone to take us back to the hotel first! Hmm... the leader will probably send someone to pick me up early tomorrow morning, so let's not delay."
"Yes, sir, I will arrange it for you immediately."
As he spoke, Director Liu gave another standard military salute, then immediately turned around to arrange a vehicle for Zhou Ziwei.
Wang Xuewei looked at Zhou Ziwei with a face full of surprise. After Director Liu walked away, she finally couldn't help but ask, "What... what exactly happened? How... how come Director Liu... he called you 'sir,' and you... it seems like you even responded?"
Zhou Ziwei chuckled smugly and said, "I made a bet with an old man inside just now, and I won a small deputy director position. I originally thought this deputy director position would be lower than Director Liu's, but I didn't expect Director Liu to say that I'm actually one level higher than him... Actually, I don't quite understand how that happened..."
Wang Xuewei was almost speechless with surprise upon hearing this, and couldn't help but ask curiously, "Then... what exactly is that official position?"
"It's just a nominal position, good for scaring people... Hmm... You should see for yourself!" Although she was about to divorce Wang Xuewei, Zhou Ziwei still maintained a sense of closeness to her, so she didn't intend to hide this from Wang Xuewei. Seeing Wang Xuewei's curiosity, she threw the little green booklet in her hand to her again.
Wang Xuewei opened the unassuming little green book with trembling hands. When she saw the title of the Supreme Military Commission inside, she was so frightened that her face changed, her body went limp, and she almost collapsed to the ground...
A dedicated military helicopter slowly landed in an open space in front of a border post with two rows of military camps. Zhou Ziwei jumped off the helicopter first, rubbed his ears which were a little sore from the roaring propellers all the way, and then turned around and half-carried, half-helped Wang Xuewei off the helicopter.
Zhou Ziwei was initially quite pleased with himself for having tricked his old superior into giving him a private helicopter. However, after flying from Qinghai to the outpost in the Kunlun Mountains for some time, he began to feel a bit disgusted with this seemingly cool mode of transportation.
Putting everything else aside, the noise and turbulence alone are quite unbearable. The feeling of riding in a helicopter is far less comfortable than riding in a large passenger plane.
However, this was something I had managed to trick from the old commander, so no matter how uncomfortable it was to sit on, I couldn't possibly return it. At most, I could just use it less often in the future if I didn't have anything else to do.
While military helicopters may not be comfortable to ride in, they are incredibly convenient. A rooftop can be used as an airport, making it easy to go anywhere you want, and they are also much faster than civilian airliners.
Back in the hotel in Beijing, when Zhou Ziwei and Wang Xuewei were discussing changing their plans from going to Switzerland to see the snow to going to Kunlun Mountain to see the snow-capped mountains, a hint of disappointment was clearly visible in Wang Xuewei's eyes. However, Wang Xuewei didn't say anything. It's likely that she knew Zhou Ziwei was going to Kunlun Mountain for some kind of mission, but she wisely didn't ask anything.
Before coming to Beijing, Wang Xuewei might have thought Zhou Ziwei was just a spoiled brat who somehow got hold of two useful product formulas. But after arriving in Beijing and experiencing these things, even if Wang Xuewei was slow to realize, she would soon discover just how extraordinary her husband was.
When she learned that Zhou Ziwei had actually become a deputy section chief under the Supreme Military Commission, she was filled with shock.
As for the task assigned to Zhou Ziwei by the Supreme Military Commission, it was naturally highly confidential. Since Zhou Ziwei did not bring it up, Wang Xuewei would not be foolish enough to ask.
The snow-capped mountains of Kunlun were indeed magnificent. Compared to the snow-capped mountains of Switzerland that she had seen in pictures before, they were much more imposing and grand. However, not being able to go to Switzerland to see the snow left Wang Xuewei with a slight regret. Or perhaps... going to Switzerland to see the snow was more about fulfilling a dream she had long ago. No matter how beautiful the snow scenery of Kunlun was, it had absolutely nothing to do with the dream in her heart.
Seeing that Wang Xuewei didn't seem very interested, Zhou Ziwei could only sigh inwardly. He knew that coming to Kunlun Mountain to see snow was just nonsense. In the next few days, he would probably be spending all his time wandering around that towering snow-capped mountain, and he wouldn't have much time to accompany Wang Xuewei on her sightseeing.
He had intended to accompany Wang Xuewei to Switzerland after things were settled here, but seeing that Wang Xuewei hadn't brought it up herself, he didn't want to cause any more trouble.
Since you're already prepared to break up, why create more trouble?
The border post had already received orders, and all border guards had assembled to warmly welcome Zhou Ziwei and his party.
This border outpost houses a platoon of thirty-two men, in addition to a twelve-man squad that is always on standby to explore the caves.
Because the outpost was not very large to begin with, it became extremely crowded with so many people. Therefore, the special forces personnel who were to cooperate with Zhou Ziwei in the search were stationed directly on the top of Kashgar Mountain.
Seeing the excited expressions on the faces of the soldiers, Zhou Ziwei knew that being a soldier here was truly tough. In these mountains, it was rare to even see a rabbit, let alone a person.
It's likely that if they don't go down the mountain, they'll spend all their time holed up in this small outpost, except for patrols. That's why they get so excited when they see a stranger.
Especially since among the people who came this time was a stunning beauty like Wang Xuewei, who was as beautiful as an angel descended from heaven, the soldiers were naturally even happier.
Although the soldiers were extremely impressed by Wang Xuewei's beauty, they knew she was the wife of Commander Zhou, who was there on a special mission. So none of them had any improper thoughts about her. Under strict discipline, no one dared to harass Wang Xuewei, which made Zhou Ziwei even more fond of these young soldiers.
Compared to the enthusiastic attitude of the outpost soldiers, the twelve members of the expedition team who volunteered to join seemed much more indifferent.
These people were all highly skilled professionals. Some were good at mechanics, some at driving, some at computers, and so on. They stayed in the outpost every day, locking themselves in their rooms and tinkering with their own things. As for Zhou Ziwei's arrival, apart from the first few people who came out to take a look and lingered on Wang Xuewei for a moment, no one paid him much attention after that.
Zhou Ziwei could understand this to some extent. After all, if he couldn't find the mysterious cave, that would be fine, but once he successfully found the entrance, the twelve of them would immediately begin their perilous adventure.
At that time, probably only one in ten will survive. Under the shadow of death, regardless of whether they made this decision voluntarily, they probably won't feel too good at this time!
Volume Two: The Assassin's Nightmare, Chapter 356: A Bed and a Blanket
Kashgar Mountain is a relatively steep peak in the Kunlun Mountains. From the plateau, the mountain doesn't seem very high, but its actual altitude is over 6,000 meters. At this altitude, the climate is extremely harsh. Even at the outpost at the foot of the mountain, people would experience severe altitude sickness. If Wang Xuewei were to go to the top of the mountain, it would be absolutely impossible for her to withstand it, given her physical condition.
Therefore, Zhou Ziwei did not intend to take Wang Xuewei up the mountain with him. Moreover, the secret in the cave on the mountain was definitely a top-level national secret, and it was inconvenient for Zhou Ziwei to know about these things, so he naturally could not take her there.
Wang Xuewei was understandably unhappy about this. Zhou Ziwei had clearly promised to bring her to see the snow, but after arriving here, he planned to leave her alone at the outpost and go up the mountain by himself... Wasn't he just playing with her?
Fortunately, Wang Xuewei knew that Zhou Ziwei might be here to carry out some kind of mission. With the authority of the Supreme Military Commission pressing down on him, Wang Xuewei dared not stop him under any circumstances. So, despite her reluctance, she could only reluctantly agree.
Since it was already afternoon when he arrived at the outpost, Zhou Ziwei didn't rush to go up the mountain and planned to rest there for the night first.
The number of rooms at the outpost was already limited, and several rooms had been taken up by the twelve expedition members, making it extremely difficult to arrange accommodation for Zhou Ziwei and his group.
In the end, the platoon leader of the outpost showed his generosity by living in the kitchen, which barely managed to free up the smallest empty room for Zhou Ziwei and Wang Xuewei.
As for the pilot who came with Zhou Ziwei and the officer in charge of liaising with the search team, they could only be squeezed into the barracks of the ordinary soldiers and live together with them.
Since Zhou Ziwei and Wang Xuewei are still husband and wife, the officer who accompanied them knows this. It seems that the platoon leader and all the soldiers at the outpost know this too, otherwise the platoon leader wouldn't have arranged for the two of them to share a room.
Although the two had stayed in the same suite for one night before, they still slept in separate rooms. But this time... that was impossible.
Zhou Ziwei guessed that Wang Xuewei would definitely be extremely unwilling to sleep in the same room as him, but since everyone knew that they were husband and wife, it would seem too strange for him to insist on sleeping separately from Wang.
Moreover, there are only a few rooms in the outpost, and everyone else has at least four or five people crammed into one room. He and his wife have a room all to themselves, which is already a great privilege. He was too embarrassed to trouble the platoon leader to arrange another room for him.
Left with no other choice, Zhou Ziwei had to agree for the time being. However, Zhou Ziwei was also quite arrogant, and he thought to himself that he should wait and see Wang Xuewei's reaction. If Wang Xuewei showed that she did not want to share a room with him, he would not stubbornly stay here. At worst, he would go up the mountain that night to meet up with the search team.
However, when Zhou Ziwei noticed Wang Xuewei's reaction, he found that she did not show the slightest displeasure at the idea of sleeping in the same room with him. It was as if she had been prepared for this all along, or as if she had always believed that the two of them should sleep in the same room.
Seeing Wang Xuewei's calm reaction, Zhou Ziwei breathed a slight sigh of relief. After having a simple but lively dinner with all the soldiers, they were led by the platoon leader to the room that the platoon leader had just prepared for them.
The platoon leader was busy greeting the pilots and liaison officers who had come with Zhou Ziwei. After showing them where Zhou Ziwei and Wang Xuewei's rooms were, he left immediately without stopping.
After the platoon leader left, Zhou Ziwei smiled apologetically at Wang Xuewei, then walked over and gently pushed open the door.
When the door was pushed open, the two of them were immediately dumbfounded.
The room was indeed as small as they had expected. However, the small size wasn't a big deal, but Zhou Ziwei had thought that even if the conditions were poor, there would at least be two beds! Even bunk beds, or perhaps an extra cot...
However, the reality is that this small room, which looks cramped and is at most five square meters, only contains a single iron-framed bed.
What left Zhou Ziwei speechless was that... it wasn't a big deal that there was only one bed, but... shouldn't there be two sets of blankets? But looking around, there was only one pillow on the small bed, and only one blanket.
It seems like this is forcing this couple, who are about to separate, to consummate their marriage tonight...
Zhou Ziwei subconsciously wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, then looked at Wang Xuewei, who was also staring in disbelief, and turned to leave with a wry smile...
Seeing this, Wang Xuewei quickly turned around and grabbed Zhou Ziwei's sleeve, asking in a low voice, "Hey...you...what are you going to do?"
Zhou Ziwei shrugged and said, "What else can we do? Ask the platoon leader for help. Even if he can't give us another room, at least... he should give us an extra blanket, right?"
Wang Xuewei gently shook her head and said, "That platoon leader doesn't seem like a careless person. Since he only added a pillow to this bed but not an extra blanket, it's obvious that they don't have any extra blankets for us. They only have this one. I don't know how they managed to find it... Oh well... we'll just have to make do for one night."
"...just for one night?" Zhou Ziwei scratched his head, feeling somewhat troubled.
Zhou Ziwei knew that his self-control wasn't actually that good, which was probably a trait he inherited from the previous owner of this body... Anyway, he wasn't some kind of virtuous man who could remain unmoved by a woman in his lap. Even if he were, it would definitely be because the woman sitting in his lap was so ugly that it was disgusting. Wang Xuewei, on the other hand, was obviously not ugly at all and was not in that category.
So... it would be hard for Zhou Ziwei to guarantee what would happen if he were to actually sleep in the same bed with Wang Xuewei in this cramped room.
If Zhou Ziwei hadn't formally brought up the matter of divorce with Wang Xuewei before, he might have been shameless enough to take this opportunity to make it a fait accompli.
However, he had already seriously brought up the matter of divorce with Wang Xuewei a couple of days ago, and both of them had verbally promised that after they went to Switzerland to see the snow, they would officially end this marriage that was a mistake in the first place.
In a situation like this, if Zhou Ziwei were to unknowingly take advantage of this beautiful woman who had been married to him for almost two years and was still a virgin... that would really be a bit unreasonable...
It's like someone buys a bottle of red wine at a store, but before dinner, they suddenly don't want red wine and want champagne instead. After talking to the store owner on the phone, the owner agrees to let them take the red wine back to the store to exchange it for champagne... But if this person then wants to open the cork of the red wine before returning it to the store to taste it slightly, and then return it to the store to exchange it for champagne... isn't that a bit too unethical?
Perhaps this analogy isn't quite accurate, but the meaning is roughly the same. In short, Zhou Ziwei didn't want to be the immoral person, but at the same time, he lacked confidence in his self-control, so he was quite afraid that he wouldn't be able to make do with the night.
"Don't you have things to do tomorrow? Go to sleep early!"
In fact, Wang Xuewei was even more unsettled than Zhou Ziwei at this moment. She had never even held hands with a man in her entire life, let alone slept in the same bed with a man. Just thinking about it made her heart race and her face flush.
However, when she saw that Zhou Ziwei seemed a little hesitant, she calmed down. She took off her shoes and climbed into bed without taking off her clothes, and lay down on the inside of the small bed.