Zhao Qiang nodded: "Battalion Commander Li, I understand what you're saying, but I'm not afraid to tell you, none of us can kill Bazafi if he's hiding in U City. I've already tried. With the strength of your group, I don't think you can even find out where he lives, let alone assassinate him."
Li Zhongyuan's face turned red with suppressed anger. He didn't like what Zhao Qiang said, but he had already confirmed Zhao Qiang's agility. Besides, the noise in U City throughout the night, with constant gunfire, seemed to be because Zhao Qiang had said he had "already tried it." Although Li Zhongyuan wanted to lead his team in, he was also unfamiliar with the situation and terrain of the city, so he could only wait outside.
"Then what do you suggest we do?" Li Zhongyuan had no choice but to lower his head and seek Zhao Qiang's opinion.
Zhao Qiang said, "Now the city is on high alert, so we can only stay outside and wait for another chance to sneak in. But Bazafi is too clever. He built three basements, and his real lair has an underground river. I'm not familiar with the terrain of the river, so I don't know where he's hiding. That's why the assassination failed at the last minute."
Li Zhongyuan glanced at the time and date on his watch and said, "Waiting is fine, but we absolutely cannot let Bazafi launch an attack on K City. Otherwise, with his American equipment, his tanks and artillery alone would be enough to destroy the government army's defenses. Heh heh, you've seen it too, the so-called government army is just a bunch of rabble, their combat power is utterly ineffective."
Zhao Qiang said, "Do you think Bazafi would still launch an attack now that the city is in such a state?"
Li Zhongyuan said, "Given his brutal nature, I think we can suppress him tomorrow, and the plan still cannot be changed."
Zhao Qiang said, "Since it will take until tomorrow to suppress this, let's cause some more trouble tonight so that he can't suppress it tomorrow. What do you think, Battalion Commander Li?"
Li Zhongyuan chuckled: "If you have that confidence, of course I welcome it. We'll just wait and see what happens to you."
Zhao Qiang knew that Li Zhongyuan was plotting against him again, wanting him to go into U City alone and cause trouble. However, considering the bigger picture, he had no choice but to accept it for now. After all, he was stronger than them. He would teach Li Zhongyuan a lesson later.
Zhao Qiang grabbed a bag of rice from the roadside and pulled Chen Xinyu off the highway. There would be a lot of people coming and going here after daybreak, and it would be dangerous to stay on either side of the highway. Zhao Qiang chose to walk deeper into the desert and find a place to wait away from the scorching sun. He hadn't killed Bazafi last night, so he would go and check the situation again tonight and also cause some trouble for the stability of U City so that they couldn't send troops.
Li Zhongyuan waved to his team members, and a total of eight people followed behind Zhao Qiang. He had lost two more team members during the previous breakout, and the remaining ones were exhausted. If Chen Kezong hadn't repeatedly reminded them before they came, they probably would have given up long ago.
This is an abandoned gas station after the road was rerouted. Although the gas station buildings collapsed due to the wind and sand, a few remaining walls still stand, providing shade. Zhao Qiang and Chen Xinyu are sitting here. Chen Xinyu is leaning against Zhao Qiang, using his kukri knife to trim his nails. Next to them, in a small shady spot, sit Li Zhongyuan and eight others. They are so angry that they feel like their stomachs are about to explode, watching Zhao Qiang enjoy the woman's services with his eyes closed.
A special forces soldier said to Li Zhongyuan, "Battalion Commander, this is so unfair! We also demand to find a woman to serve us."
Li Zhongyuan pointed to the urban area of U City and said, "Go ahead, I wish you success, and it would be even better if you could bring me one back."
The special forces soldier who had been speaking shrank back. They had suffered greatly at the hands of the rebels along the way. Those black men were too tough, and they had almost exhausted themselves chasing them. Even so, two team members had unfortunately lost their lives. U City was their current base of operations, and going there to snatch a woman would probably be a death sentence.
Chen Xinyu was somewhat smug. Now she had reason to be proud. Breaking through enemy lines with Zhao Qiang was an event worthy of being made into a documentary. She had even thought of a title: "My Days in Turmoil in Africa." Unfortunately, she didn't have any filming equipment, otherwise the documentary would have been even more impressive.
After finishing her nail trimming, Chen Xinyu massaged Zhao Qiang's shoulders, and Zhao Qiang comfortably fell asleep. Although it was Chen Xinyu's first time doing this, she quickly became skilled. She did it willingly and without any coercion from Zhao Qiang, so she naturally put more effort into the massage.
After whispering for a while, Li Zhongyuan was finally chosen as the representative to walk over to Zhao Qiang. He kicked Zhao Qiang's foot, but Zhao Qiang didn't wake up. Chen Xinyu was displeased. She glared at Li Zhongyuan and said, "What are you doing? Don't you have any manners? Can't you see Zhao Qiang is sleeping?"
Li Zhongyuan laughed. "Hey girl, you really think you're something special. Let me tell you, even Zhao Qiang has to take orders from me, let alone you. Believe me or not, I can get him to take you out."
At this moment, Zhao Qiang lazily opened his eyes and said, "Li Zhongyuan, who are you trying to scare? This girl is mine, so don't pretend to be a big shot." At this point, Zhao Qiang no longer played coy with Li Zhongyuan.
Chen Xinyu was quite satisfied with Zhao Qiang's words. She hugged Zhao Qiang's arm and looked at Li Zhongyuan defiantly. Li Zhongyuan scratched his head and said, "Stop talking nonsense and get something to eat."
Zhao Qiang said, "Ask my girl for some. If she gives you some, you can eat; if she doesn't, you'll go hungry."
Li Zhongyuan, enraged, pulled out his pistol and yelled, "Damn it! What the hell are you so arrogant about! We outnumber you, if you're not happy, we'll take you down!" The other special forces soldiers also stood up, their rifles pointing at Zhao Qiang and Chen Xinyu. Chen Xinyu never expected them to fight amongst themselves, and her face turned pale with fright.
Zhao Qiang chuckled as he stood up. Li Zhongyuan dared not deviate from his head from the gun. Zhao Qiang remained calm and pointed at his own head, saying, "Try shooting me here."
Li Zhongyuan said, "Don't force me. We just want some food and drink. We haven't had a drop of water for two meals. You're not going to watch us starve to death, are you?"
Zhao Qiang said, "Since you want some food and drink, then show some sincerity in asking! This isn't asking, this is robbing!"
Li Zhongyuan said, "You're forcing me!"
Zhao Qiang grabbed Li Zhongyuan's gun barrel and pulled it against his own chest: "That's right, I'm forcing you! Go ahead and shoot if you dare."
Li Zhongyuan was so angry that he fired a shot!
(Thanks to jingy for the two monthly tickets! Thanks to shasha for the Valentine's Day monthly ticket!)
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Volume 2 [366] A Show of Force
"No!" Chen Xinyu screamed and lunged forward, biting Li Zhongyuan's arm viciously. She was heartbroken; Zhao Qiang was her only hope for survival! Li Zhongyuan's fingers loosened in the attack, and the pistol fell to the ground.
Enraged, Li Zhongyuan grabbed Chen Xinyu's head and yelled, "Damn it, you dare bite me!"
A voice suddenly said, "Let her go, or I'll smash your head open!"
Li Zhongyuan shuddered in fright. He looked up and saw Zhao Qiang standing unharmed in front of him, holding the pistol that Li Zhongyuan had just dropped. Li Zhongyuan involuntarily released Chen Xinyu's head. "You...you weren't shot?" Zhao Qiang's chest was clean, with no trace of a gunshot wound. But he had clearly fired a shot, and at such close range, there was absolutely no way he could have missed.
Chen Xinyu regained her freedom and threw herself at Zhao Qiang, hugging his waist. At this moment, Zhao Qiang was her only source of emotional support. Although Li Zhongyuan and the others were also Chinese, it was clear that these men were not very trustworthy.
Zhao Qiang snorted coldly, intending to give Li Zhongyuan a hard time. He suddenly flung the gun outward: "A mere piece of junk, I don't even care!" Li Zhongyuan's pistol flew outward with a whoosh, but after only two meters, it suddenly disintegrated in mid-air. By the time it hit the ground after its momentum had dissipated, the gun had shattered into hundreds of pieces!
The seven special forces soldiers stared in disbelief. One of them stepped forward and picked up the fragments. It wasn't a complete part; the barrel had been torn in half by tremendous force, and the broken pieces were very obvious. When Zhao Qiang threw the gun, it was perfectly intact. It only flew a short distance in the air before it became like this. Why was that?
Suddenly, Zhao Qiang waved his hand again, and nearly a hundred fragments flew up from the ground, shooting towards the eight men in eight directions. The sharp sound of the fragments cutting through the air was ear-piercing, indicating that the fragments had passed through the bullets fired from the gun barrels. If they had hit them, they would have been deadly! The special forces soldiers were terrified. What kind of skill was this?
Just as the fragments were about to kill the eight special forces soldiers, they suddenly stopped ten centimeters away from their bodies, hovering motionless in mid-air. Zhao Qiang sneered, "Battalion Commander Li, killing you is like killing a chicken! You'd better be smart and not embarrass yourself with your crappy weapons!"
Li Zhongyuan dared not move, fearing that the fragments might suddenly increase again. However, Zhao Qiang had no intention of killing him, so the energy attached to the fragments suddenly disappeared. With a whoosh, nearly a hundred fragments fell to the ground at the same time. Li Zhongyuan could no longer stand and fell to the ground with a thud. The other special forces soldiers were also covered in sweat, and one of them was so bad that his crotch was wet!
Chen Xinyu was also stunned, but she was the first to react. Whether Zhao Qiang was performing magic or he was really that amazing, the stronger Zhao Qiang was, the higher her chances of getting to K City alive and returning to China alive. It seemed she hadn't followed the wrong person. If she had chosen them when she met Li Zhongyuan, she would be the one dumbfounded now.
Ignoring Li Zhongyuan and the seven special forces soldiers, Zhao Qiang lay back down in the shade. Chen Xinyu diligently followed and massaged his back. Zhao Qiang pointed to the rice bag on the ground and said, "Give them some food, so they don't starve to death."
Chen Xinyu naturally dared not disobey Zhao Qiang's orders. She took out a dozen or so cornbreads from the rice bag and threw them at Li Zhongyuan and the others with a bad attitude. The special forces soldiers were terrified and sweating profusely. Now that they had received food, no one dared to say a word. They all hid far away to eat. At this moment, they had an inexplicable fear of Zhao Qiang. If what they had just seen was not an illusion, then he was a person with special abilities! Comparing themselves to him was really courting death.
Li Zhongyuan didn't dare disturb Zhao Qiang during the whole day. They rested on the sand at a distance. After Zhao Qiang had a good sleep, he chatted with Chen Xinyu. It was not lonely to have such a woman with him. Otherwise, guarding the endless yellow sand would have been visually tiring after a while. Now, looking at the desert scenery for a while and then looking at the woman, it felt good.
"Being a journalist must be glamorous, especially a CCTV journalist. They are the uncrowned kings. No matter whether it's the provincial or municipal level, every leader has to give them face, otherwise they'll expose them."
Chen Xinyu chuckled, "It's not as good as you say. Being a reporter is hard and dangerous. Look at me now, I'm a living example. I'm probably the only reporter who has ever been this miserable."
Zhao Qiang said, "Why would a girl like you be a war correspondent? Isn't that just asking for trouble?"
Chen Xinyu said, "I regret it now, but when I was in China, I always thought I was young and wanted to make something of myself, so I signed up to come to Africa. Who knew that the situation I imagined was completely different from reality? Luckily I met you, otherwise I would have been dead. I will never participate in such a thing again, even if it means being an unknown reporter for the rest of my life. The key is to live a peaceful life."
Zhao Qiang smiled and said, "It's not as serious as you make it out to be. With your current position, it's easy for you to become famous."
Chen Xinyu said, "No way, the few episodes I did have received very little response. The higher-ups have a lot of complaints about me. Otherwise, I wouldn't have signed up to come to Africa. I was trying to turn things around. Who knew that while I found a good topic, all the camera and video equipment was lost. Now I can't do anything. If I just go back to do written reports, the effect will be far worse."
Zhao Qiang said, "If I gave you a chance, would you dare to imagine your future, or at least, just imagine it?"
Chen Xinyu rested her head on Zhao Qiang's lap, propping her chin up with one hand. "Uh... let me think. If I really become famous one day, I think I have two paths to choose from. One is to stay at CCTV and get promoted to a leadership position, controlling the most important media in our country and guiding the direction of public opinion, just like you said, becoming an uncrowned king."
Zhao Qiang said approvingly, "That's a good idea. What about the other option?"
Chen Xinyu said, "I want to establish a media empire, but the domestic media industry is too heavily regulated by the government, so it is impossible to have independent freedom of speech. If possible, I would register a media company abroad and control the media of the whole world."
Zhao Qiang gave a thumbs up: "You have ideals! You truly deserve to be called a promising young man."
Chen Xinyu patted Zhao Qiang's thigh: "Are you making fun of me? I'm just a reporter now, all of this is just imagination."
Zhao Qiang said, "You can't say that. You're still so young, and you've come across such a rare opportunity. You must take advantage of it to expose Bazafi's brutal rule to the world, so that everyone will condemn and despise him, and make everyone believe that the government's suppression of the rebellion was incredibly wise and in line with the will of the people. And make the people behind this mess leave Africa as soon as possible!"
Chen Xinyu shrugged. "That's what I think, but it's impossible. Do you think everyone will believe me just because of a few words?"
Zhao Qiang said, "I took some photos and videos. I don't know if you can use them."
Chen Xinyu exclaimed in surprise, "Really? Let me see it quickly!"
Zhao Qiang took out his notebook from his pocket, opened the screen and brought up two folders. These were photos taken by Wei using the camera function of the digital watch on Zhao Qiang's wrist. Zhao Qiang had previously thought of using these materials after returning to China, perhaps to create momentum for Li Shiqi's troops. Now that he had tamed a reporter, it might be more appropriate to let her handle it, after all, she was a professional and much better than his half-baked self.
Chen Xinyu sat in Zhao Qiang's lap, making it much easier for the two of them to look at the laptop. The screen had a touch function, making it more convenient to operate. After looking at just a few pictures, Chen Xinyu turned her head happily, their faces almost touching. "These photos are so well taken. If they could be sent back to China, I think I would definitely become famous!"
Zhao Qiang smiled and said, "Then what are you waiting for?"
Chen Xinyu pointed at Zhao Qiang's notebook and said, "You mean your palm can connect to a satellite?"
Zhao Qiang said, "I reckon there should be a signal by now. You can log in to QQ and check."
Chen Xinyu's fingers trembled as she opened QQ, entered her QQ number and password, and clicked login. She never expected QQ login to be so fast; it didn't even take half a second. Her avatar lit up, and there were a lot of messages on it. The beeping sound kept going off, and the flashing avatar kept appearing.
Chen Xinyu excitedly leaned closer to Zhao Qiang, exclaiming, "We did it! Zhao Qiang, you're amazing!" Chen Xinyu turned and kissed Zhao Qiang on the cheek.
Zhao Qiang touched his face; it felt a little hot. Reporter Chen was incredibly bold, daring to kiss him in front of Li Zhongyuan and his eight men. Despite her previous arrogance, she was now obedient to him. A sense of accomplishment washed over Zhao Qiang; conquering women could be addictive, especially certain strong women.
Zhao Qiang first grasped Chen Xinyu's hand: "Wait, don't rush to send back the photos. I have something to say first."
After her initial excitement subsided, Chen Xinyu returned to her obedient demeanor. Zhao Qiang said, "For the sake of confidentiality, you are not allowed to mention a word about my relationship with Li Zhongyuan and the others."
Chen Xinyu said with difficulty, "But I want to portray you as a great hero. Actually, you don't need to be portrayed, you are already a great hero. I just want everyone to know."
Zhao Qiang shook his head: "If you want to continue to get these photos in the future, then you have to listen to me."
Chen Xinyu said, "I'll listen to you, even without these photos." It's unclear whether this was her true feeling or just the typical smooth talk of a reporter, since Chen Xinyu was currently relying on Zhao Qiang.
Zhao Qiang said, "Even if there is no war in Africa, I can still provide you with countless exclusive topics in the future. But my condition is that you must not mention a word about me, and you must also control other media to prevent my name or anything from appearing. Of course, your current ability is limited, and it is difficult to control other media, but this is only temporary. I think your dream will be realized soon, and then controlling other media will be a matter of course."
Chen Xinyu was puzzled. Many people dream of becoming famous, but Zhao Qiang asked her to help him cover for him. Even though she couldn't understand it, Chen Xinyu didn't hesitate. "Okay, I'll agree to anything you ask!"
Volume 2 [367] Bad News
Zhao Qiang's reluctance to become famous is understandable. There's a saying, "The nail that sticks out gets hammered down," so he needs to stay behind the scenes and carefully observe those who might try to harm him. Once he steps into the limelight, his perspective will narrow. More importantly, Zhao Qiang is focused solely on repairs. Once this matter is resolved and Yang Shiqi's unit has thoroughly established its reputation within the military, he can return to Donghai City to focus on his repair business. As for the miscellaneous tasks, those will naturally be left to others.
As expected, Chen Xinyu obeyed Zhao Qiang's orders. During her half-hour conversation with the station's leaders, she did not mention the matter at all. Afterwards, the station's leaders immediately decided to create a special column for Chen Xinyu during prime time on the prime-time channel, where she would explain the movements of the anti-government armed forces in the African country S to viewers across the country and even the world. This was because Chen Xinyu was the only reporter still remaining in the turbulent city, and judging from the pictures and videos she sent back, the intelligence she possessed surpassed that of any other reporter. Even the top war correspondents from Britain and the United States had not obtained this information.
Why is CCTV taking this matter so seriously? It's because the chaos is happening abroad, which conveniently highlights the stability and unity within the country. Reporting on such matters avoids political censorship and concerns about impacting public sentiment and production. On the contrary, it enhances CCTV's international standing. Adding a few expensive commercials in between makes it a win-win situation, so why not?
After sending back the photos and videos, Chen Xinyu also posted them on her blog and Weibo, leaving a message saying that she would continue to stay in U City to follow the latest developments. Then she said to Zhao Qiang, "Zhao Qiang, is this okay? If it's not good, I'll delete it."
Zhao Qiang said, "No need. I'll go into town and find a digital camera, then I'll take you in to see it for yourself."
Chen Xinyu hugged Zhao Qiang: "You're so great!"
Zhao Qiang pushed her away and said, "Alright, let's keep an eye on the news on the internet and see if Bazafi has released any new information."
Before Zhao Qiang could even browse the webpage, Li Zhongyuan suddenly jumped up from the sand, opened his backpack, and pulled out a laptop larger than the one Zhao Qiang was holding. It was beeping with notifications. Li Zhongyuan opened the screen, tapped a couple of times, and his expression changed instantly. "Oh no! Bazafi is going to massacre the Chinese in U City!"
At this moment, a webpage automatically popped up on Zhao Qiang's computer. Wei must have found the information online and sent it to Zhao Qiang. Li Zhongyuan's device should be able to contact people in China. Presumably, the old man of the Chen family was worried about him, so he would notify him immediately in case of an emergency.
When leaving the country, they repeatedly emphasized that contact with the country was prohibited after entering S country. In fact, everyone knew that this rule was inflexible. As long as nothing went wrong, they could contact each other however they wanted. But if something went wrong, they would be finished and would definitely be abandoned by the country. Otherwise, how could they absolve the country of any involvement? If the United States used this as an excuse, who knew how much trouble it would cause? Given the nature of the Americans as international police, they would probably use this as an excuse to send troops to S country immediately. At that time, the government forces would be completely unable to turn the tide.
Bazafi was furious this time. He was chased and nearly killed, so he decided to punish those who tried to assassinate him. The target of the massacre was not only Chinese, but also Australians and Japanese, because they had also set up businesses in the country, albeit on a small scale, but they always gave Bazafi an excuse to plunder their resources. Bazafi wanted to scare away all foreigners.
After reading the message, Li Zhongyuan stood up. He didn't dare to get too close to Zhao Qiang. He was still wary of Zhao Qiang. However, the deteriorating situation made him speak to Zhao Qiang without any respect: "Instructor Zhao, you caused this mess. Now that things have turned out like this, what are you going to do? Tell me."
Zhao Qiang had seen the news, and Chen Xinyu stood beside him, not daring to say a word. The rebels had posted a message on their website saying that they would massacre a total of fifty hostages at eight o'clock tomorrow morning, including thirty Chinese, ten Australians, and ten Japanese. If the people who caused a disturbance in U City last night did not turn themselves in, this would be inevitable. If someone stepped forward to admit it and take responsibility for the consequences, the massacre could be stopped; otherwise, the massacre would be broadcast live on the global internet tomorrow morning.
Zhao Qiang remained calm. He asked Li Zhongyuan, "Even if we hadn't come, even if we hadn't assassinated them, do you think these hostages would have been safe? Besides, what was your purpose in coming to U City? Wasn't it to assassinate Bazafi? If that's the case, you should have thought of this consequence long ago. War is so cruel; the most innocent victims are always the civilians."
Li Zhongyuan said, "At least we would plan carefully instead of acting impulsively like you. Now there are serious consequences. I have already reported the facts to my superiors. If we cannot force Bazafi to cancel the plan, then you and I will be severely punished when we return to China!"
Zhao Qiang said, "Since Bazafi is threatening us, I don't think we can show weakness. We'll also send a message, let's use Japanese, whether they believe it or not, as long as Bazafi can't find fault with it on the surface. We'll also warn Bazafi that if he doesn't release all the trapped Japanese hostages by 8 p.m. tonight, then we'll massacre 20 of his officers tonight! If he dares to massacre even one hostage tomorrow morning, then he'll pay a hundredfold price."
Li Zhongyuan said, "You're talking nonsense. Since U City is Bazafi's temporary base, you know how tight the defenses are. How can you possibly massacre twenty of his officers? If you can't achieve that, you'll only become a laughing stock."