Zhao Qiang said, "You don't need to worry about this. You just spread the word."
Li Zhongyuan chuckled coldly: "Fine, you said it yourself. I've recorded it. If anything goes wrong in the future, it's your responsibility."
Zhao Qiang ignored this scheming guy, casually registered an account, logged into Bazafi's website, and left him a message in Japanese. Chen Xinyu was a little nervous: "Zhao Qiang, did they really kill the hostages?"
Zhao Qiang said coldly, "Of course I will kill them."
Chen Xinyu didn't ask any further questions. She knew that Zhao Qiang's decision was irreversible, and in fact, there was no way to change it. What else could he do? Ask Zhao Qiang to commit suicide? He certainly wouldn't do something so suicidal. And if Zhao Qiang hadn't taken action against Bazafi last night, he would have launched an attack in a few days, resulting in even more deaths. Besides, how could he complete his mission without assassinating Bazafi? How could he explain it to the country if he failed to complete his mission?
From a national perspective, sending troops would give the United States an excuse to intervene, and the United States is a powerful country that China dares not provoke. After learning that Bazafi had released information about the massacre, the country would probably only protest and not take any real action. Li Zhongyuan's special forces, which had secretly infiltrated S country, was probably the only hope.
Zhao Qiang quickly received a message from Yang Shiqi online. She had arrived in K City. However, Yang Shiqi had also learned that Bazafi was planning to massacre the hostages, so she had organized a team to prepare to set off for U City to stop him. She estimated that they would arrive tonight, and then they would contact each other by radio.
Zhao Qiang did not stop Yang Shiqi's actions. He had come here for her and her people to hone their combat skills. However, just as war involves death, this kind of training would also come with dangerous costs, which was beyond Zhao Qiang's control.
Zhao Qiang sat on the ground silently eating all afternoon. He ate an entire bag of rice, which surprised Chen Xinyu. She wondered what kind of appetite he had. He either didn't eat at all, or he ate so much. She didn't know how his stomach could hold all that food.
"Zhao Qiang," Chen Xinyu finally spoke after hesitating for a long time.
Zhao Qiang said, "Just say what's on your mind. You've been holding it in for so long, it's making me uncomfortable."
Chen Xinyu said, "I think we still need to rescue those hostages. If you don't have the ability, then forget it. But if we do have the ability, why shouldn't we do it?"
Zhao Qiang said, "But we have no idea where the hostages are being held, or how many enemies are guarding them. Even if we find their location, how can we get them through U City, which is heavily guarded by enemy troops?"
Rescuing people was actually quite simple, but the most important problem was how to get so many people out of U City. Chen Xinyu didn't have any good ideas either; she could only stand silently to the side, her face filled with deep anxiety.
After drinking two bottles of water and noticing that it was getting dark, Zhao Qiang first checked the comments. There was no response, but other websites were in an uproar. The Japanese thought that their national hero was going to declare war on Bazafi, so the wave of support was getting stronger and stronger. Many Chinese netizens, on the other hand, complained a lot about the fact that the Chinese government had not taken any concrete action.
Zhao Qiang threw away the empty bottle and said to Chen Xinyu, "Post a message on Weibo saying that you are going to sneak into the prison where the hostages are being held with a hero, and if possible, rescue the hostages."
Chen Xinyu was overjoyed: "Zhao Qiang, you've decided to save them?"
Zhao Qiang said, "Let's go take a look first. Since Bazafi hasn't announced the release of the ten Japanese hostages, I'm going to kill twenty of his officers tonight. Otherwise, wouldn't we just be making a laughing stock, as someone said?"
Chen Xinyu pointed at herself and said, "You mean you're going to take me with you? Aren't you afraid I'll drag you down with me? I don't know anything."
Zhao Qiang said, "I'm afraid, but you're a reporter. Without you, I'm afraid I won't be able to record things truthfully or write the kind of articles you reporters would write. So this is something you should do."
Chen Xinyu clenched her fist and promised, "I will definitely listen to you and won't cause you any trouble."
Li Zhongyuan walked over and said, "Instructor Zhao, I know you are not an ordinary person, but I still have to remind you that no matter what happens in U City, you are no longer a Chinese citizen. Your actions have nothing to do with the country. Do you understand what I'm saying?"
Zhao Qiang nodded, and Chen Xinyu said to Li Zhongyuan, "Aren't you going to participate in the rescue operation?"
Li Zhongyuan said, "Our strength is too weak, so we can only provide support from outside. This is our radio communication device. Contact us immediately if anything happens."
Zhao Qiang walked ahead, with Chen Xinyu following behind. The two trudged through the yellow sand towards the urban area of U City, leaving Li Zhongyuan and the others bewildered. Relying on these people to rescue the hostages was simply wishful thinking. Zhao Qiang did possess special abilities, but the hostages did not; it was impossible for him to lead them out of U City.
Volume 2 [368] What do you need?
Chen Xinyu was a little out of breath from walking, and Zhao Qiang reached out and pulled her arm, saying, "You must be very tired."
Chen Xinyu said, "It's alright, we're almost in the city. Just hang in there and we'll succeed."
Zhao Qiang asked, "Are you scared?"
Chen Xinyu asked, "To be honest?"
Zhao Qiang said, "Of course, if you hide anything from me, I won't take care of you anymore."
Chen Xinyu said, "I will be honest with you. To be honest, I am very scared. But you are not an ordinary person, so I know you will protect me. Thinking of this, I am not afraid anymore. Instead, I am a little excited because what we are going to do is a very great thing."
Zhao Qiang took off his electronic watch and handed it to Chen Xinyu: "I can't find a digital camera for now, so use this to take pictures. There's a pinhole camera on the front screen. Just point it at the scene you want to capture, and my computer will record it automatically."
Chen Xinyu carefully examined the digital watch in her hand: "Is it that amazing?"
Zhao Qiang didn't answer, and Chen Xinyu immediately thought of Zhao Qiang's strange weapon, which was a hundred times more amazing than a digital watch. So it was just a digital watch with a camera function, nothing to be surprised about.
"Zhao Qiang, may I get to know you better? I'm not talking about your status as a student, I'm talking about the real you."
Zhao Qiang said, "Aren't you learning about this right now? I'm working for the country. My goal is to stop Bazafi from seizing power. First, I want to assassinate him; second, I want to prevent the rebels from attacking K City; and third, I want to rescue the hostages."
Chen Xinyu said, "This is a covert operation by the country in response to the last massacre of Chinese people. On the surface, the country can't do anything, but it can secretly retaliate against Bazafi and let him know that the Chinese are not to be trifled with."
Zhao Qiang nodded: "However, you can't say this to anyone, otherwise it will cause a lot of trouble. As a CCTV reporter, you should understand this principle. Otherwise, I will be powerless to help you if you are hunted down by Li Zhongyuan because of the leak."
Chen Xinyu said, "I understand, don't worry. Is the weapon you have the latest scientific research achievement of the country?"
Zhao Qiang said, "You don't need to ask about that. I'll tell you when the time is right, but not now."
“Oh,” Chen Xinyu nodded. Seeing that she was having a hard time walking, Zhao Qiang bent down and said, “I’ll carry you.”
Chen Xinyu had been waiting for him to say that. She immediately jumped onto Zhao Qiang's back with a smile, wrapped her arms tightly around his neck, pressed her face against his shoulder, and pressed her chest against his back without any hesitation. "Zhao Qiang, do you have a girlfriend?"
Zhao Qiang readily replied, "Yes."
Chen Xinyu was a little disappointed. "Didn't Professor Gu say that students are not allowed to date? Why are you so annoying? Can't you wait a few years before finding a girlfriend?"
Zhao Qiang said, "I had a girlfriend before I went to graduate school, and Professor Gu knew this beforehand."
"She's beautiful?"
Zhao Qiang said, "It's alright. He was my class monitor at Donghai University. We lived and studied together for four years."
Chen Xinyu said sourly, "Then you could say we were childhood sweethearts."
Zhao Qiang asked, "Do you have a boyfriend?"
Chen Xinyu said, "Two have been approved, but I'm still undecided and don't know which one to choose."
Zhao Qiang chuckled: "I'll help you check it out later."
Chen Xinyu bit Zhao Qiang's shoulder: "It would be so much better if you didn't have a girlfriend, I would dump them both."
Zhao Qiang said bluntly, "No way. Besides our class monitor, I know another girl who is very nice to me. Even if I don't talk to the class monitor, you still won't get a substitute spot."
Chen Xinyu got even angrier and snorted, intending to ignore Zhao Qiang. But then she felt relieved: "Who cares about them? Anyway, you're doing this behind my back. Maybe I even seduced you into bed while we were in Africa. By the way, you're still a virgin?"
As their relationship grew closer, their conversations became more unrestrained. Having experienced hunger and the test of life and death, Chen Xinyu understood many things. She realized that modesty and face were all empty words. Human life is incredibly fragile, and one should not leave too many regrets. One should indulge when it is time to indulge, otherwise, one will not have the chance to indulge again.
Zhao Qiang shook his head: "They were dealt with a long time ago. What about you?"
Chen Xinyu sighed: "I'm in a terrible situation. I haven't been dealt with yet. Those two men have been pursuing me for years, but we've never even held hands. I can't feel anything for them."
Zhao Qiang said, "Really?" As he spoke, Zhao Qiang touched Chen Xinyu's hand that was resting on his chest. "Not bad, not too much dust on your hand." Then Zhao Qiang lifted Chen Xinyu's buttocks and took the opportunity to grope them a few times. He chuckled and said, "Your buttocks are quite bouncy. Your breasts shouldn't be very big. How old are you?"
Chen Xinyu blushed furiously, but she just didn't have the courage to refuse Zhao Qiang's indiscriminate touching. Her virgin body was thus played with at will by him. But for some reason, Chen Xinyu wasn't angry; instead, she felt a little pleased. This way, Zhao Qiang would be even less likely to abandon her. "24, you've only been working for a short time since graduation. How do you know my breasts aren't big? Some people may look big, but that doesn't mean they're all well-endowed. So you can't judge a book by its cover, or you'll regret it when you're fooled."
Zhao Qiang said, "Then should I touch you to see if you have real skills?"
Chen Xinyu said, "Okay, but you have to take responsibility if you touch me."
Zhao Qiang said, "Then let's forget it. My girlfriend's are the real deal. I'll hold back and touch her when I get back."
Chen Xinyu snorted and ignored Zhao Qiang. By this time, the city was in sight, and black people kept passing by on the road. Not far ahead were soldiers who were strictly checking everyone who passed by.
As soon as Zhao Qiang turned and left the main road, Chen Xinyu said, "We once interviewed a place where a large number of foreigners live. We can go there first and take a look. Maybe the place where the hostages are being held is there."
Zhao Qiang said, "Okay, you can give me directions. It seems that bringing you along was the right thing to do, otherwise it would have taken several hours to get around such a big city."
Chen Xinyu said, "I remember the way, but how do we get there? Let's put on makeup first, otherwise we might be recognized by the black people. We'll also cover our bodies in black, and with the cover of darkness, we should be able to get by."
Zhao Qiang lifted Chen Xinyu's buttocks and said, "Hold on tight!"
Chen Xinyu hurriedly increased the strength in her arms. At this moment, she felt her body float, just like when she flew up the wall. Zhao Qiang actually carried her and jumped, launching her towards a building. Then she leaped between the rooftops, making it easier than walking on flat ground.
This place used to be a poorly equipped oil refinery, but it was abandoned long before the civil war. The high walls of the compound became the perfect place to detain hostages. There were two fixed fortifications at the entrance, each with two machine guns, completely blocking the roads on both sides. Five squads of soldiers patrolled around the refinery, and soldiers passed by each section of the wall almost every two minutes. Such a patrol density was quite rare.
Chen Xinyu whispered in Zhao Qiang's ear, "I think they should still be here. When I came to interview them last time, the anti-government armed forces weren't this rampant. They just drove the foreigners to live in the nearby residential buildings. I didn't expect that in just a few days, the status of the foreigners would change so much. They've all become prisoners."
Zhao Qiang said, "I think it would be great if we could get a group of American hostages."
Chen Xinyu said, "That's impossible. The Americans didn't get involved in S country at all before, so there are no of their people here."
Zhao Qiang carefully scanned the interior of the oil refinery. There were approximately four hundred people being held captive, less than half of whom he could identify. The rest were Chinese and Japanese, though Zhao Qiang couldn't determine their identities based on their faces alone, unless he heard their language. But that wasn't the key issue. How could he get so many people out? These people were defenseless; if they were pursued by anti-government militants during their escape, a single burst of bullets could wipe them out in large numbers. In that case, rescuing them would actually harm them.
Zhao Qiang said, "Go and create some chaos for Bazafi first. I might not be able to take care of you later, so you'd better hold me tight. If you're left behind in U City, you'll be in trouble. Then the black man will have to verify whether you're really capable."
Chen Xinyu lightly punched Zhao Qiang on the back: "You're so annoying. I'd rather you verify it for free."
Zhao Qiang returned to the villa area. After a day, things had calmed down. Zhao Qiang approached Bazafi's villa to inspect it. The soldiers at the gate were still there, as were the snipers on the surrounding rooftops. Zhao Qiang knew that even if he broke in again, Bazafi would have plenty of time to escape into the underground river, and he still couldn't do anything to him.
Finding a high vantage point—the chimney of a villa—Zhao Qiang pulled out his electromagnetic gun, cocked the barrel, loaded solid bullets, and observed the surrounding officers' villas. It was still too early; most of the officers hadn't returned yet, and even those who remained were restless, pacing back and forth, making it impossible for Zhao Qiang to aim. Moreover, since they weren't sleeping, people were constantly entering and leaving the rooms, and if an officer was killed, an alarm would sound prematurely. In that case, Zhao Qiang wouldn't be able to assassinate the other officers with peace of mind, and his boast of killing twenty officers would truly become a laughingstock.
Zhao Qiang turned off the scanner, plopped down next to the chimney, and could only wait for the night to fall. Chen Xinyu sat down next to him, then habitually hugged his arm, afraid that Zhao Qiang might suddenly run away.
Zhao Qiang suddenly said, "Give me a massage on my thigh."
Chen Xinyu hummed in agreement, asked nothing, and picked up Zhao Qiang's thighs to start massaging them diligently. She massaged one thigh after another until her fingers ached, but she didn't complain at all. Zhao Qiang lay down on the ground and said, "Give me a back massage and a shoulder massage."
Chen Xinyu then bent down and clenched her fist, pounding it repeatedly, then squeezing it, then pounding it again. Zhao Qiang finally couldn't help but laugh out loud: "Reporter Chen, you don't have any objections to me ordering you around like this?"
Chen Xinyu kept working with her hands and said, "It used to be there, but it's not anymore."
Zhao Qiang asked, "Oh, why is that?"
Chen Xinyu thought for a moment and said, "I don't know. I just want to treat you like a king. It's like I'm afraid you'll abandon me if I don't. You know I have no one else to rely on in this foreign land, so please don't abandon me because I'm working so hard to serve you."
Zhao Qiang said, "I have to say, you're so obedient and well-behaved, even if the time comes when I have no choice but to abandon you, I won't be able to bear it."
Chen Xinyu was delighted: "Really? You can't be lying to me."
Zhao Qiang said, "I'm not lying to you, I need a media partner. If you're willing to always be this obedient, we'll continue to work together forever. And I'm the kind of person who would never abandon a partner."
If an ordinary man had said this, Chen Xinyu would have snorted coldly and turned away. But what kind of person was Zhao Qiang? Now Chen Xinyu could only regard him as a god. He could be as agile as a bird in the air and control the fragments of a gun to kill people. Chen Xinyu was overjoyed at the moment. With such a man helping her, what was there to worry about in achieving her ideals!
Chen Xinyu nestled obediently in Zhao Qiang's arms like a kitten, "Grandpa, is there anything else you need? I'll satisfy any need you may have..."
Volume 2 [369] The Massacre
In Bazafi's secret chamber, his face was contorted with rage. How could he be happy? His stronghold had been breached!
A dozen officers sat nervously in their chairs. Bazafi said, "Who can tell me who broke through the defenses and forced me to hide in the underground river overnight, suffering the pain of being soaked in the icy water!"
An officer said cautiously, "It must be the Japanese. They left a message for us saying that we should release the Japanese hostages, or they will kill twenty of us tonight."
Bazafi slammed his fist on the table: "You believe that? This is undermining morale!"
Another officer whispered, "Actually, we don't believe it either, but the person who attacked last night was incredibly elusive. He killed the sniper without anyone noticing. I think only a Japanese hermit could do that. It must be that their country sent special agents to rescue the hostages."