Zhao Qiang chuckled, "You guessed right. Now that you mention it, I'm even more anxious. I'll leave after I finish eating."
Yang Shiqi had no objection, and Hu Qian didn't want Xu Xiaoya to have Zhao Qiang all tonight, so she was hoping Zhao Qiang wouldn't go to Xu Xiaoya's house. Only Gu Xuemei was a little reluctant to part with Yang Shiqi; she couldn't get along with anyone except Yang Shiqi. However, knowing that Yang Shiqi was on official business, Gu Xuemei didn't say anything, obediently ate dinner, and was driven home by Yang Shiqi. Then the car sped towards Beijing, because Yang Shiqi's unit was stationed in the suburbs of Beijing.
Volume 2 [344] The Experiment with the Memory Pill
The military off-road vehicle had a spacious cargo area. Yang Shiqi clung to Zhao Qiang's arm, a shy happiness on her face. The driver in front kept a close eye on the vehicle, and there were other vehicles following in front and behind, so safety shouldn't be a problem. Besides, Zhao Qiang wasn't someone to be trifled with; if anyone dared to attack the convoy, he could protect Yang Shiqi, a fact that had already been proven.
"How's the injury on your foot?" Zhao Qiang asked Yang Shiqi.
Yang Shiqi pulled Zhao Qiang's hand to touch her ankle, "It looks like there's a scar."
Zhao Qiang touched Yang Shiqi's ankle; it was smooth but cool, and there was indeed a scar on it. Zhao Qiang smiled and said, "This little scar is nothing, is it?"
Yang Shiqi said, "It doesn't look good. Luckily it's on the inside of the foot, otherwise it would be horribly ugly."
Zhao Qiang said, "As long as I don't wear a skirt, no one will notice."
Yang Shiqi leaned her head against Zhao Qiang's chest: "But I want to wear it, and you and Xiaomei will laugh at me."
Zhao Qiang stroked Yang Shiqi's short hair: "I feel more at ease with you being a bit more boyish, and everyone is more used to you being like this."
Yang Shiqi was reluctant: "Alright, alright, from now on, I'll do as you say. Everyone wants me to be a boy, and you're no exception."
It seemed the two had a disagreement about clothing, so Zhao Qiang changed the subject, "What's the situation with your grandfather?"
Yang Shiqi snorted, "I told him about what happened abroad, and he didn't say a word. I despise him now, so I'm going to do something to make him angry! You have to help me."
At this point, Yang Shiqi hugged Zhao Qiang's waist. She was used to this action in the dense forest tree hollow, but Zhao Qiang still felt a little awkward. However, psychologically, he no longer saw Yang Shiqi as a man, because he could clearly feel something soft and bouncy against his chest, and Yang Shiqi's skin was even whiter than most girls'. His preconceived notions had faded.
Zhao Qiang said, "Okay, but you also need to work hard. You can't rely on others for everything. Only when you become stronger will you be recognized by others."
Yang Shiqi pressed her face against Zhao Qiang's chest and said, "Okay, I understand. I'm sleepy. The road ahead is still long. I'll sleep for a while."
As dawn broke, the car pulled into a military camp. Yang Shiqi woke up, feeling an overwhelming longing for Zhao Qiang's embrace—the place that had once given her hope for survival. But the camp was filled with her soldiers, so she couldn't show the tenderness of a young girl anymore; instead, she had to act like a man again.
In the office, Zhao Qiang flipped through the unit's files. Currently, it was only a company, but the soldiers in this company were all elites selected from the Beijing Military Region. Each of them was proficient in two skills and had a thorough understanding of the operation and disassembly of aircraft, tanks, cars, and various weapons. Yang Shiqi introduced the situation while saying, "What do you think? They are all outstanding individuals among the elite, aren't they?"
Zhao Qiang shook his head: "They still know too little. My requirement is that these people must be proficient in all current weapon systems. This doesn't mean they should use those weapons, but only by understanding the opponent's weapons can they better defeat them."
Yang Shiqi said, "But everyone's energy is limited, and it's impossible to learn everything. Otherwise, you'll end up with a jack of all trades and master of none."
Zhao Qiang asked, "What do you think of my learning speed?"
Yang Shiqi thought for a moment and said, "It should be very soon, otherwise how could you have developed so many high-tech weapons? This requires the support of basic sciences, and you're not an old scholar, so your memory should be super strong."
Zhao Qiang asked, "What would you do if I told you there was a drug that could temporarily enhance memory?"
Yang Shiqi said, "Why don't you try one?"
Zhao Qiang said, "But I haven't actually tested this medicine on humans."
Yang Shiqi asked, "Did you invent it?"
Zhao Qiang nodded: "I guess so."
Yang Shiqi simply reached out her hand and said, "Give it to me."
Zhao Qiang asked, "What are you doing?"
Yang Shiqi replied without hesitation, "I'll eat."
Zhao Qiang shook his head. "If you really have this intention, you can wait until you've tested it on other people first, but you must explain to the test subjects that it's all voluntary; we won't force or order them."
Yang Shiqi knew Zhao Qiang was concerned about her and worried about potential negative consequences, so she said, "Okay, I'll go find someone right away."
Zhao Qiang said, "Also, prepare some information on weapons and equipment. Once you take the medicine, not a single second can be wasted."
Yang Shiqi brought quite a few people; ten soldiers came in at once. Zhao Qiang recognized several of them: Xu Changhe, Xu Qing, and Zhan Tiannan. No wonder he hadn't seen them at the repair shop these past few days; it turned out Yang Shiqi had transferred them to the army.
The soldiers saluted Zhao Qiang after entering. Zhao Qiang, now a soldier in name only, was licensed. He said, "Comrades, we're going to conduct an experiment. I can guarantee that this experiment won't damage the brain, but I can't be sure it won't leave any adverse reactions. So, everyone must volunteer. Your company commander can't force you. Now, I'm going to select two of you to participate in this experiment. Those who are willing, please step forward."
As soon as Zhao Qiang finished speaking, all ten soldiers stepped forward. Yang Shiqi was quite pleased with herself. Zhao Qiang said, "Since everyone wants to participate in this experiment, I'll have to call on them. Xu Changhe and Xu Qing, you two step forward."
Xu Changhe and Xu Qing stepped forward. Zhao Qiang pointed to the stools in front of the table and said, "Sit down. I've looked at your files. Neither of you has any experience piloting an aircraft before, right?"
Xu Changhe and Xu Qing nodded. They were proficient in driving vehicles, so Zhao Qiang gave each of them a domestic helicopter piloting manual, which included helicopter structural diagrams. "You two practice first, and the others can sit down and practice together. The goal is to read this book from beginning to end without missing a single page within half an hour!"
Xu Changhe didn't quite understand, so he raised his hand and asked, "Sir, is it to read it all or to memorize it all?"
Zhao Qiang said, "You must finish flipping through the pages, but you must glance at each page, just once, and then immediately move on to the next page. Remember, you only have half an hour for this book, not a second more. I'm going to start timing you now."
Yang Shiqi also sat down, a thick textbook of over 800 pages in front of her. At Zhao Qiang's command, the sound of pages turning rapidly began. Half an hour is 1800 seconds, meaning you have to turn a page and glance at it within two seconds. If you're skilled, this task isn't difficult.
At first, everyone's movements were rather stiff, and their flipping through the pages was erratic, often managing to turn several pages at once. However, after flipping through half, most people developed a conditioned reflex, and their eye-hand coordination gradually became synchronized. After the first round of training, three people completed the task, including Xu Changhe, while Yang Shiqi had only flipped through two-thirds. She was quite dissatisfied, so she asked Zhao Qiang to test her again.
Seeing that it was still early before noon, Zhao Qiang let everyone rest for a while before resuming practice. Having learned from their previous experience, more than half of the participants succeeded this time. Even Yang Shiqi only had one hundred pages left to practice. Zhao Qiang then let everyone rest for another half hour before taking two pills from his notebook bag and handing them to Xu Changhe and Xu Qing.
"Swallow them, and then, from the moment you feel pain in your brain, spend half an hour finishing this."
Xu Changhe and Xu Qing took the pills, picked up the water glasses on the table, took a sip, and then swallowed the pills in one gulp. About a minute and a half later, the two frowned and immediately began flipping through a book.
Yang Shiqi didn't understand. She whispered in Zhao Qiang's ear, "This will actually work? You're not kidding, are you?"
Zhao Qiang said, "You'll know once you test them in half an hour."
Yang Shiqi laughed and said, "If I fail the exam, you'll have to stay up all night flipping through books for me. My arms are sore from exhaustion."
Zhao Qiang said, "Okay, I can massage you all night, no problem."
Yang Shiqi quietly kicked Zhao Qiang: "Give me some face in front of my soldiers, let's talk about this tonight."
Half an hour isn't long. As soon as the time was up, Xu Changhe and Xu Qing collapsed onto the table as if they'd been electrocuted. Yang Shiqi glanced anxiously at Zhao Qiang, who said, "It's alright, they're just exhausted. Let them rest like this for a while. The rest of you can choose the materials you want to study and practice on your own, timing yourselves. Remember, you only have half an hour. If the materials aren't thick enough, choose two. Choose ones you haven't studied before; those you've already studied don't need to be chosen."
About half an hour later, Xu Changhe and Xu Qing stood up, both touching their foreheads and looking somewhat pale. Zhao Qiang asked, "How are you feeling? Can you hold on?"
Xu Changhe nodded: "It's alright, just a little dizzy and in some pain, but much better than when it just ended."
Zhao Qiang said, "It's normal to have such a strong reaction the first time you take this medicine. If you take it regularly, the symptoms will lessen considerably. Okay, now let your company commander test you. Don't rush, think back slowly before answering. You might not be used to it at first, or you might even have a headache, but you'll gradually get used to it."
Xu Changhe nodded. "Company Commander, test me first. I feel much better now."
Yang Shiqi randomly flipped to a page to ask a question. Xu Changhe frowned slightly, but after considering for twenty seconds, he suddenly began to answer fluently. Yang Shiqi looked at the text in the book and saw that he hadn't missed a single word! This shocked her greatly. Thinking it was a coincidence, she flipped to another page. This time, Xu Changhe only took a little over ten seconds to recite the text word for word before asking another question. Xu Changhe's consideration time was even shorter.
Yang Shiqi glanced at Zhao Qiang in surprise. Still unconvinced, she turned to another page of the drawing. Xu Changhe began to sketch on a blank sheet of paper. Because his brain did not have a super biochip, his strokes were slightly off, but the overall pattern was not much different from the one in the textbook, and the data markings were completely correct!
"Xu Qing, you come here." Yang Shiqi gave up on testing Xu Changhe and started asking Xu Qing questions. Xu Qing had rested a bit longer, so he was in better shape than Xu Changhe. He only took about twelve seconds to think about the first question and only five seconds for the second. After that, he answered almost fluently. His drawing was also incredibly skillful, so much so that the other soldiers were so envious they almost pounced on Zhao Qiang's notebook bag.
This scene almost made Yang Shiqi's mouth drop shut. She immediately stretched out her hand to Zhao Qiang: "Give it to me, I want some too!"
Zhao Qiang knew it was impossible to conduct two experiments today. He said, "Don't rush. Xu Changhe and Xu Qing still need to continue their observations. For the rest of the day, you can practice turning pages and looking. There's a trick to looking; you can't just glance at something and remember it. The more accurately you look, the deeper your impression will be in the future. But looking for too long will be a waste of time. So everyone, grasp the relationship between the two. We'll continue the experiment tomorrow."
Volume 2 [346] Secret Military Deployment
Yang Shiqi wouldn't joke with Zhao Qiang, and it's impossible for her to trick him into going back to Donghai City right after he returned. It must be something important. Therefore, Zhao Qiang immediately decided to drive back to Yang Shiqi's military base himself.
With Xiao Wei's navigation, getting around wasn't a problem, but such a long journey was truly exhausting for Zhao Qiang. Maintaining a driving posture for over ten hours, he plopped down on the sofa in Yang Shiqi's office, rubbing his aching back. He wasn't Superman, at most a super-equipped superman—a superman armed with super gear.
"What's the rush?" Zhao Qiang asked.
Yang Shiqi was flipping through several documents marked in red; those were top-secret files. "Take a look at these newspapers first."
Zhao Qiang picked up the newspaper from Yang Shiqi's desk. "Isn't this about internal strife in a small African country? Does it have a lot to do with us?"
Yang Shiqi said, "Originally, this had nothing to do with you and me, but just last night, five more Chinese people in that country were killed, and their deaths were extremely gruesome. They were beheaded and their bodies exposed by anti-government armed forces. The entire process was recorded and has been spread on the international internet. This is a huge blow to the dignity of the country, and the central government held an enlarged meeting overnight to study and deal with this matter."
Zhao Qiang was shocked: "There really are such cruel things?"
Yang Shiqi shrugged. "That's indeed the case. The anti-government armed forces hate that Chinese companies are plundering their resources, and they've threatened that as long as Chinese companies remain in their country, this terrorist behavior will not stop! The central government has decided that in addition to protesting, it will also take some concrete action to respond to the atrocities committed by the anti-government armed forces in that country."
Zhao Qiang threw the newspaper down: "Now that you've said that, there's no need for me to read any more. Let's get straight to the point."
Yang Shiqi said, "The country has assigned us two tasks: first, to evacuate Chinese people in dangerous situations; and second, to cooperate with the local government in launching a counterattack against anti-government armed groups..."
Zhao Qiang was very surprised: "Is this appropriate? We have always adhered to the principle of non-interference in other countries' internal affairs."
Yang Shiqi said, "Therefore, we cannot go on an expedition in the name of the national army, and we will not receive any reinforcements from the country along the way. At most, we are a mercenary force, and the local government will provide us with a reward after the mission is completed."
Money was irrelevant to Zhao Qiang. The international impact of this matter, and how to handle international relations, were also not his concerns. Local anti-government forces had extended their reach to the Chinese, and Zhao Qiang had no reason to stand idly by. Even if he could, the task had fallen to Yang Shiqi, and he had to help her.
"When do we set off?" Zhao Qiang asked directly.
Yang Shiqi said, "One week later."
Zhao Qiang asked, puzzled, "So late? Since the situation in Africa is already so chaotic, why not take action immediately?"
Yang Shiqi said, "Firstly, we are not familiar with the desert environment, and secondly, the higher-ups need to formulate corresponding plans, disseminate some information in advance that is unrelated to the country and future events, and at the same time, they need to set aside time to provide special training for the personnel involved in the operation."
Zhao Qiang asked, "Is it not just our team that's involved in this operation?"
Yang Shiqi said, "Yes, we can only send ten people. The other fifteen are from an elite special forces unit, the country's most relied-upon decapitation and counter-terrorism force. Originally, this operation wouldn't have been our newly formed small company's turn, but this is an opportunity my grandfather did his best to secure for us, so we must cherish it."
"Ten people?" Zhao Qiang considered for a moment. "That's good. In that chaotic environment abroad, having more people might not be a good thing. Fewer people would make it easier to move around. How have they been practicing using the equipment lately?"
Yang Shiqi said, "It's alright. Apart from the running shoes being a bit difficult to get used to quickly, everything else is fine."
Zhao Qiang said, "That puts my mind at ease. Who do you plan to send on this secret mission?"
Yang Shiqi said, "You and I have to go. These soldiers haven't participated in actual combat, and they're new to the equipment. I'm afraid something might happen. I have no confidence at all without you by my side."
Zhao Qiang said, "If you go, I won't be able to escape. A girl alone in a chaotic situation abroad is very vulnerable to accidents."
Yang Shiqi grabbed Zhao Qiang's hand: "I knew you wouldn't abandon me, YZUU."
Zhao Qiang said, "Let's intensify our training this week, hoping to take everyone out and bring them back safely."
Zhao Qiang ignored what happened outside during that week. After Yang Shiqi's selection, Liu Jia, Xu Changhe, Xu Qing, Zhan Tiannan, Ma Dahong, Wang Jin, Lu Yuming, and Zhang Junpeng were chosen as the operation team. Most of these men were veterans who had performed protection missions in the Donghai City military camp and repair factory. They all had some experience in using the super equipment, making it easy for them to operate. Moreover, they cooperated well with Zhao Qiang. Liu Jia continued as the first squad leader, and Ma Dahong continued as the second squad leader, each leading three ordinary soldiers. With Zhao Qiang and Yang Shiqi, there were exactly ten people.
Zhao Qiang thought it would be best if Yang Shiqi didn't participate in this operation, but it was also an excellent opportunity for her to enhance her resume and advance her career, so she had to go.
A week passed quickly. That evening, Zhao Qiang and his group of ten boarded a private jet to fly to the capital of another African country, where they would meet up with another special forces unit. They would then take a military plane from that country to the border of the country where the violence had occurred. There, they would be picked up by a military helicopter and flown directly to K City, the capital of S Country. Their subsequent operations would be subject to the arrangements of the S Country government. From the moment they arrived at the S Country border, Zhao Qiang and his men were no longer part of the People's Liberation Army, but merely a ragtag mercenary force, working for S Country for their pay.
In the VIP waiting room of the capital airport of the neighboring country of S, twenty-five people were crammed into one room. With their numerous, haphazardly arranged luggage, there was practically no room to sit. Naturally, bumping into each other was inevitable. If they were all from the same unit, it wouldn't be so bad, but another elite special forces unit from the south clearly looked down on this small northern unit, so there was a constant stream of cursing and swearing. Liu Jia, not one to back down, clenched his fists, ready to fight, but Yang Shiqi stopped him. The current Yang Shiqi no longer possessed her former flamboyant personality.
Liu Jia, furious, said, "Company Commander, who does Li Zhongyuan think he is? Just a spoiled brat, trying to act tough with us!"
Yang Shiqi said, "Liu Jia, I now order you to gather the troops together. No one is allowed to make noise or cause trouble. Sit down in two rows and rest!"
Liu Jia dared not disobey Yang Shiqi's orders and immediately relayed them. The ten soldiers sat down neatly in two rows along a corner of the rest area. Because each of the ten soldiers only carried a small military backpack, the seating arrangement was not crowded.
The formation on this side was neat and orderly, while the other elite special forces unit was a disorganized mess, laughing and joking, smoking and spitting. Zhao Qiang really doubted whether they were soldiers; how could they have no discipline at all?