Chief of Staff Wang was startled: "Division Commander, are you sure it's 500 square kilometers? That's no small amount. Our special forces division alone simply can't handle it." Chief of Staff Wang was actually a good staff officer who followed orders. He didn't ask Yang Shiqi if she had the authority to give this order, but he knew perfectly well that a special forces division simply couldn't complete the task assigned by the division commander.
Yang Shiqi said, "Don't worry, such a big thing will definitely not be led by our special forces division. Our task is to supervise and assist the local garrison in completing this task. I will ask the Central Military Commission for instructions later. But you need to be prepared and not be flustered when the time comes. I need to complete this martial law objective in the shortest possible time."
Staff Officer Wang straightened up: "Commander, please rest assured, I guarantee the mission will be completed."
Xu Xiaoya didn't understand and asked Zhao Qiang, "Now that you've returned safely, why is there still a curfew?"
Zhao Qiang smiled but did not answer. The occasion was inappropriate. Apart from a few bigwigs in the central government, no one else could leak a word about the underworld. Otherwise, it would cause a panic even more terrifying than the widespread, deadly virus outbreak in the United States.
"Have you found the Xuchang River?" Zhao Qiang asked Staff Officer Wang.
Staff Officer Wang naturally recognized Zhao Qiang and stepped forward to salute: "Hello, Instructor Zhao. We have made contact with Xu Changhe, but it will still take some time before we can rescue him."
Yang Shiqi asked, "What's going on? Why do we need to wait a while longer?"
Staff Officer Wang said, "Commander, the situation is like this: Xu Changhe is stuck in a crevice more than 400 meters underground. We can't dig through the obstructing rocks right now, but we have already lowered food and water down using specially made ropes. The engineering corps is trying to widen the opening down, and we believe we will be able to rescue Xu Changhe soon."
Zhao Qiang said, "Tell me the exact coordinates, and I'll go down to rescue them."
Wang glanced at the drilling rig on the ground and said, "Okay, Instructor Zhao, please follow me."
Volume 2 [756] Successful Escape
As members of the special forces, everyone knew the importance of secrecy regulations. So everyone present saw the strange, corn-shaped drilling machine and knew it came from underground. However, no one dared to ask questions or come forward to look curiously. There was another reason for this: everyone was already used to the high-tech weapons unique to special forces.
Staff Officer Wang sat down in the drilling rig, and Yang Shiqi naturally followed. As the division commander, participating in the rescue mission would increase her rapport with her subordinates. Zhao Qiang started the drilling rig and, following Staff Officer Wang's instructions, drilled underground, leaving behind a group of astonished people, including Xu Xiaoya and other women.
Xu Changhe was injured, but not seriously. His armor was torn by several stones, but the wound did not continue to spread. However, he was unable to move and was stuck in the crack between the rocks. Fortunately, the rescue team found him quickly, otherwise he would have starved and died of thirst.
Zhao Qiang didn't need to exert much effort to rescue Xu Changhe. He stopped the drilling rig one meter below Xu Changhe, then used an electromagnetic accelerator to drill several rocks around Xu Changhe into a honeycomb pattern. After a light blast, the rocks shattered, and Xu Changhe successfully escaped from the cracks. If the area hadn't been too deep for rescuers to descend, Xu Changhe would have been rescued long ago.
"Instructor Zhao, it's so good to see you!" Xu Changhe said with tears in his eyes. Ignoring his weakness after his injuries, he first asked about the whereabouts of the others, "Instructor Zhao, where are our Commander Yang and the others?"
Zhao Qiang pointed down: "Look, we're all fine."
Xu Changhe indeed saw Yang Shiqi at the cave entrance below. He was so moved that he didn't know what to say. "Commander, I'm sorry... I couldn't save you, and I even dragged you down here to save me."
Yang Shiqi said, "Alright, stop crying like that. You need to get better and heal your injuries. There are important tasks waiting for you."
Xu Changhe straightened his back as much as possible: "Yes."
The drilling rig returned to the surface. The person most curious about the drilling rig was Xu Changhe. He was the one who accompanied Zhao Qiang and Yang Shiyun down to the underground fissure. At that time, there was no such thing. Moreover, Xu Changhe and Yang Shiyun were quite familiar with each other. When it was time to come down, he finally couldn't help but ask, "Commander Yang, what did you encounter down there? And what is this thing?"
Yang Shiqi said, "Our encounter down there was quite amazing, but you shouldn't ask about it for now. Also, this thing is a drilling rig, specially used for drilling into the strata. It can walk through rock layers as if it were flat ground."
Xu Changhe exclaimed excitedly, "It must have been Instructor Zhao who invented it!"
Yang Shiqi said, "I guess so." Actually, it was Zhao Qiang who modified it, but Xu Changhe shouldn't know about the aliens. If it were leaked, it would be a big deal.
Back on the ground, Yang Shiqi said to Staff Officer Wang, "This machine should be classified as a top-secret weapon and guarded. The site is now in your hands. We'll go back to Beijing first, to recuperate and rest, and second, because there are important matters to report to the Central Military Commission."
Staff Officer Wang saluted: "Commander, please rest assured, I guarantee the mission will be completed."
In the conference room of the Central Military Commission, Zhao Qiang and the Yang sisters, Yang Shiyun and Yang Shiqi, were surrounded by smoke. Zhao Qiang simply lit a cigarette himself, thinking that firsthand smoke was better than secondhand smoke.
Yang Zhaoxi flicked his cigarette ash and asked Hu Weimin, "Old Hu, what do you think?"
Hu Weimin stubbed out his cigarette, his tenth one already, and said, "I believe what Zhao Qiang, Shiyun, and Shiqi said."
A member of the Central Military Commission said, "Old Hu, there are no aliens in this world. Investigations have proven that all UFO incidents have their own causes and have nothing to do with aliens. Even if the United States has alien corpses and spacecraft, as rumored, it has not been officially confirmed. Are we the only lucky ones in China to have an alien spaceship underground? And one that is so huge that it is indescribable."
Hu Weimin said, "What's wrong with that? Everyone has witnessed the rapid development of science and technology in our country in recent years. Such leaps and bounds of progress would have been impossible before. Just because it is beyond the norm, does that mean everyone should deny the existence of such development?"
One member of the Central Military Commission said, "This matter cannot be viewed as a special case."
Yang Zhaoxi said, "I think what Xiao Zhao said is very likely true. Otherwise, where would the drilling rig come from? That kind of metal material is not something our world currently possesses."
Someone glanced at Zhao Qiang and said, "What if he made it himself? There's precedent for this."
Yang Zhaoxi snorted: "If you had the ability to create it, I would believe you."
No one spoke up. Yang Zhaoxi and Hu Weimin were now heavyweight figures in the Central Military Commission. If the two reached an agreement, almost no one could object. Although others were unwilling to see the two join forces, Hu Weimin's family controlled the lifeline of the military's high-tech modernization. Almost all military programs were developed and maintained by Hu Weimin's granddaughter. If she stomped her foot, the entire modernized army would come to a standstill. The Yang family, on the other hand, possessed a vast system in the military, especially special forces and troops equipped with high-tech weapons. Their combat power was extraordinary, making them the ace of ace in the current military.
Hu Weimin said, "My opinion is that I agree to send troops to designate the area as a military zone for blockade and monitoring."
Yang Zhaoxi chimed in, "Yes, we're not afraid of the odds, but we must be careful not to become pawns for those aliens. We have to be on guard against them. Of course, it would be even better if they were friendly, and it would be even better if we could make contact with them. Even if we could get a tenth of their technology, it would be enough for us to digest for decades."
Now that Yang and Hu have reached a consensus, the issue is almost irreversible. Two members of the Central Military Commission exchanged helpless glances, seemingly convinced that the decision was unshakeable and that they were powerless to change anything. The Yang and Hu families were becoming increasingly powerful, and others were finding it increasingly difficult to restrain them.
After signing the top-secret guarantee for today's meeting, everyone else left. Zhao Qiang, Yang Shiyun, and Yang Shiqi stood up, and Yang Zhaoxi called out, "Little Zhao, stay and let's have a simple meal together." The meeting had been going on since early morning, and everyone was starving.
Zhao Qiang said, "Of course I dare not disobey Vice Chairman Yang's invitation." Yang Zhaoxi is currently the Vice Chairman of the Central Military Commission, but with his current strength, it's only a matter of time before he is officially appointed. All that's needed is the next election. These things are not Zhao Qiang's concern. He is not used to political occasions and prefers the freedom of an unrestrained life.
Yang Zhaoxi chuckled and said, "Don't be so serious. Lao Hu and I have considered that you and we have had many disagreements before. This time, let's sit down and communicate properly. Don't misunderstand our intentions. Some decisions cannot be reversed by Lao Hu and me. After all, our country is not a one-man show. Some things still need to be discussed and decided by everyone."
Zhao Qiang smiled. He didn't want to delve into the shady dealings behind it. If he did, wouldn't that embarrass the Yang sisters? Before coming here, the two sisters had begged Zhao Qiang, so he wouldn't be angry no matter what Yang Zhaoxi said today. Besides, Yang Zhaoxi was being so friendly. Zhao Qiang was going along with it and giving the Yang sisters face would bring him great rewards.
Lunch was arranged in the military-commissioned special canteen. There was no one else there, and it was very quiet. However, Zhao Qiang was not used to it. Even a small roadside restaurant would allow him to have a good meal, but the atmosphere here made people afraid to speak loudly, let alone wolf down their food.
Actually, eating is secondary. The key is to use this opportunity to get closer to everyone. Yang Zhaoxi and Hu Weimin are well aware of how much power Zhao Qiang has. Hu Weimin has always been supportive of Zhao Qiang, which Zhao Qiang is naturally aware of. Only Old Ghost Yang has always suppressed Zhao Qiang, but he changed his attitude not long ago because he could no longer suppress him.
Yang Zhaoxi gave Hu Weimin a wink. Actually, Hu Weimin didn't intend to explain his position to Zhao Qiang, but he believed that his granddaughter Hu Qian would definitely tell Zhao Qiang about it. He had always supported Zhao Qiang, and this time he was just brought in by Old Yang to act as a peacemaker. Hu Weimin coughed and said, "Little Zhao, a lot has happened between us in the past two years. There are some things that Old Yang and I may have done that you are not satisfied with. If you have any opinions, please feel free to speak them."
Zhao Qiang put down his chopsticks and said, "No, I'm not one to hold grudges."
Yang Zhaoxi said awkwardly, "That's good, that's good. Shiqi, pour more wine for Zhao Qiang."
Yang Shiqi filled Zhao Qiang's glass with wine and said, "Zhao Qiang, you should toast my grandfather and Grandpa Hu. From now on, you should discuss things together and not argue with each other anymore, understand?"
Zhao Qiang chuckled but didn't answer; this matter wasn't in his hands at all. Yang Zhaoxi and Hu Weihai naturally understood this as well. They raised their glasses and said, "Little Zhao, come on, let's drink this one. If anything happens in the future, we can communicate promptly. You have to trust us, and we trust you completely. The rise of our Chinese nation depends on your generation."
The three clinked glasses and downed their drinks in one gulp. Even if Zhao Qiang was unwilling, he had to put the past behind him. After all, Yang Zhaoxi was Yang Shiyun and Yang Shiqi's grandfather. Even if Yang Zhaoxi punched Zhao Qiang twice, Zhao Qiang could only accept it. Alas, he was troubled by love. Fortunately, Yang Zhaoxi now fully recognized Zhao Qiang's influence, so the past wouldn't repeat itself. Even honest people have tempers; if Zhao Qiang were truly angered, no one would benefit.
Reeking of alcohol, Yang Shiqi left and got into the car, her eyes alluring: "Zhao Qiang, thank you. You really gave my second sister and me face today. How about this, tonight we sisters will express our feelings?"
Zhao Qiang was naturally delighted. "Sure, how do we present it?"
Yang Shiqi asked, "How do you want us to express it?"
Zhao Qiang said, "Uh... there are some things I don't need to say but you understand." Zhao Qiang's eyes darted back and forth between the two sisters' bodies. Yang Shiyun giggled and pinched Zhao Qiang, "What are you looking at? You're thinking dirty thoughts. Don't drag me into what you two are planning to do."
Yang Shiqi said, "Come on, second sister. Do you think I don't know how you feel about Zhao Qiang? Now that it's just the three of us, just tell me straight. What kind of nonsense is this, you stealing your own sister's husband?"
Yang Shiyun blushed: "Who's trying to steal your husband?"
Yang Shiqi said, "You won't admit it, huh? Zhao Qiang, let's go. Don't ever see my second sister again."
Yang Shiyun said, "Zhao Qiang and I are good friends. What right do you have to interfere with our meetings between friends?"
Yang Shiqi said, "Still being stubborn, huh? I originally planned to form an alliance with you to fight against those girls, but it seems you're unwilling now. Fine, I'll just consider it a waste of my talent. Zhao Qiang, let's go. The rest is not something my second sister can get involved in."
Zhao Qiang said, "Alright, Shi Yun, stop hiding it. Your third sister isn't an outsider. Tell her what happened."
Yang Shiyun said to Yang Shiqi, "Shiqi, actually I'm not entirely your second sister anymore."
(Thanks to Caiyuntian for the 1176 coin donation and to szsiv for the 100 coin donation)
Volume 2 [757] Special Affairs Division
"Are you crazy?" Yang Shiqi said to her second sister.
Yang Shiyun said, "I'm not stupid, but you will always be my third sister, forever."
Seeing that Yang Shiyun didn't seem to be joking, Yang Shiqi asked Zhao Qiang, "What exactly happened? What are you guys up to?"
Zhao Qiang said, "This is a long story, it all started with Wei."
"Wei?" Yang Shiqi asked, puzzled. "What does this have to do with her? My second sister doesn't know Luo Wei, does she?"
Zhao Qiang said, "It's not Luo Wei."
"Not Luo Wei?" Yang Shiqi was even more confused. "Which Wei is it?... I understand, you're talking about your intelligent life form Wei, but she and my second sister are completely unrelated."
Zhao Qiang said, "No, they were originally completely unrelated, but now they are."
Yang Shiyun said, "Although I am still Yang Shiyun, my body has changed. Now I am a combination of Yang Shiyun and Wei. My body has both the original Yang Shiyun and Wei's control chip, so my background is now somewhat special. Strictly speaking, I am not the original me, but in fact, I still retain all of Yang Shiyun's thoughts."
Yang Shiqi said, "I'm confused by you all. Anyway, you're my second sister, and I don't care about that."
Yang Shiyun hugged Yang Shiqi affectionately, "I'm glad you think that way. No matter what, we're still sisters."
Yang Shiqi asked Zhao Qiang, "Does anyone else know about this?"
Zhao Qiang said, "You are the third person, but sooner or later we will have to tell Xu Xiaoya and the others."
Yang Shiqi said, "I think we should just forget about it. Let's not add any psychological burden to everyone. In short, I think my second sister is still my second sister. As for Wei, that's between the two of you. I don't care."
With the support of the Yang and Hu families, and the special forces providing transportation, a large number of troops rapidly advanced towards Wulong Mountain, completely surrounding an area of 500 square kilometers in less than three days. Various monitoring devices were set up, ready to report any disturbance underground to higher authorities immediately. Missiles originally aimed at the coast were now redirected towards Wulong Mountain. As a precaution, the central government was even preparing to deploy several nuclear warheads to Wulong Mountain, so that if the intelligent life underground became hostile to humanity, they would be completely destroyed.
Zhao Qiang had considered going down into the underground world again, but Xu Xiaoya and the others firmly disagreed. If the equipment failed again, danger could very likely arise once more. At the very least, they would wait until Zhao Qiang could use a more powerful weapon that was not affected by alien signals. Otherwise, the plan would never be approved.
After deliberation by the central government, it was decided to give Zhao Qiang more responsibilities. Originally, they planned to recruit him into the government system, but Zhao Qiang was used to a leisurely life. Would he really be in a government agency? So Yang Zhaoxi suggested giving Zhao Qiang a military rank. Zhao Qiang declined again, but after much persuasion, they finally convinced him to form a unit specifically to defend against alien attacks. Considering the existence of those intelligent alien beings underground, Zhao Qiang reluctantly agreed.
Although the aliens are underground, that's only because their spaceships crashed underground. Therefore, Zhao Qiang's unit is still targeting aliens in outer space. His unit is nominally under the National Space Administration, publicly known as the Special Affairs Department of the National Space Administration, but in reality, it is directly under the leadership of the Central Military Commission and bears the important responsibility of discovering and supervising extraterrestrial intelligent life. Zhao Qiang is the director. Out of trust in Zhao Qiang, the Central Committee does not appoint anyone else to the Special Affairs Department of the Space Administration. All candidates will be selected by Zhao Qiang. However, later, at the request of his granddaughter, Yang Zhaoxi specially assigned Zhao Qiang a secretary, Yang Shiyun.
Compared to the secret unit in the movie "Black Cop," Zhao Qiang lives in reality. He doesn't need to hide his identity, and his life remains the same as always. When he's not on a mission, he doesn't need to report to anyone and can go wherever he wants, unless the intelligent life underground makes a move or a new spaceship enters Earth's vicinity. Of course, such an event might only happen once every few thousand years.
On this day, Zhao Qiang and Yang Shiyun officially established the Special Affairs Department. Due to a lack of manpower, Liu Jia and Xu Changhe were transferred from Yang Shiqi's special forces division. Liu Jia was appointed as the chief detective, and Xu Changhe was appointed as Liu Jia's assistant. Together with Zhao Qiang and Yang Shiqi, the Space Agency's Special Affairs Department had four official employees. External personnel did not need to be set up separately. Yang Shiqi's special forces had a wide coverage area, and any reinforcements needed could be directly mobilized by the special forces. To facilitate the mobilization of special forces forces, the Central Committee officially confirmed Zhao Qiang's status as an instructor as a special forces advisor, with power second only to Yang Shiqi. Of course, this was for external purposes; in reality, Yang Shiqi still had to follow Zhao Qiang's orders.
Liu Jia had objections to the office address of the Special Affairs Office. After announcing the establishment of the Special Affairs Office, he said to Zhao Qiang, "Director, isn't our place a bit shabby? There isn't a place as inconspicuous as ours in any of the government offices in Beijing. If no one is there to guide us, no one will be able to find it."
Zhao Qiang slammed his hand on the table and said, "Keep a low profile, you have to be careful. Liu Jia, you need to understand our position. We're targeting aliens. Do you think there are aliens on Wangfujing Street? Or are there aliens eating Peking duck at Quanjude?"
Liu Jia said, "How could that be? If there were aliens in those two places, the news would have spread throughout Beijing by now."
Zhao Qiang said, "That's settled then. Aliens are such a secretive thing. What's the point of setting up your office in a bustling area? I think you should learn from Xu Changhe. Go back tonight and watch both episodes of 'Black Cop' five times."
"Ah," Liu Jia said with a bitter face, "watch it five times? By the way, Chief, what is 'Black Cop'?"
Zhao Qiang was speechless. Xu Changhe said to Liu Jia, "You don't even know 'Black Cop'?"
Liu Jia said, "Yes, I don't know. Is there something wrong?"
Xu Changhe gave a thumbs up and said, "There's nothing wrong with that, you're awesome."
Zhao Qiang said, "Xu Changhe, I'm giving you a task. You must train Liu Jia tonight. I don't want to see another clueless idiot like this tomorrow morning."
Xu Changhe saluted: "Yes, Director. Don't worry, if I can't teach him, I'll make him my assistant."
Liu Jia grew anxious: "Xu Changhe, I can learn it just by myself without you teaching me."