Great Power Reclamation

Liu Ling couldn't remember how long it had been since she had seen Ye Mao. The hot weather had made her look dark and thin, but her expression was even more capable.

Life in northern Myanmar is very tough. Most of the land is mountainous and unsuitable for growing crops, which is why it was once a poppy-producing region.

Since her father started banning opium, the people began to change their ways, but everything takes time, and life has indeed become more difficult than before.

However, after Liu Ling took over the area, the Warrior Group began to invest here, developing mines, building steel plants, and establishing automobile factories, which greatly improved the local economy.

However, nothing can be accomplished overnight. In such a large area, a few factories cannot completely solve the problem. Therefore, we can only rely on ourselves.

In addition, the Myanmar authorities are extremely discriminatory against ethnic minorities, and to this day they refuse to grant them even legal status. Therefore, the Han Chinese in northern Myanmar, like other ethnic minorities, have been in constant conflict with the authorities.

Because there was no one else to rely on, the burden fell entirely on Liu Ling, the chairman of the Northern Myanmar Autonomous Region.

Now that Ye Mao is part of the Chinese system, her identity naturally makes it inconvenient for her to contact him.

Therefore, there was no one to consult with when problems arose, but people always become stronger under pressure, and Liu Ling grew up completely in this environment.

The Youth Army is now strong and well-equipped, and has acquired a large amount of weapons and equipment. Liu Ling has no intention of invading anyone, but he must not be invaded by others either.

"Mom, when can I see Dad?"

A little boy of about three years old ran over, looking up at Liu Ling with hopeful eyes.

Liu Ling affectionately stroked her son's head: "Ye Si, Dad is busy. Mom will take you to see him when I'm done."

Ye Si's gaze dimmed instantly, causing Liu Ling a pang of heartache. He secretly vowed to find an opportunity to let his son see his father.

In the blink of an eye, she hadn't seen Ye Mao for more than three years, and it was inconvenient for them to contact each other. Even Ouyang Xue couldn't contact her by phone because of her identity.

Liu Ling could only occasionally get news of Ye Mao from the steel mill and automobile manufacturing plant that the Warrior Group had established here, and he really missed him...

Under the scorching sun, Liu Ling stood on the observation platform of the Mandalay mining area, looking down at the roaring excavators at work, sweat trickling down his neck and into his collar.

Behind her, three-year-old Ye Si was standing on tiptoe, her little hands tightly gripping the binoculars, imitating her mother gazing into the distance.

"Chairman, Myanmar military patrols are again lingering on the Kachin State border."

The adjutant, Hei Zi, strode forward, his tactical vest soaked with dark patches of sweat.

"The scouts reported that they brought heavy artillery this time."

Liu Ling took off his helmet, his hair sticking to his forehead with sweat.

Since the Myanmar authorities unilaterally broke the ceasefire agreement last month, there have been no fewer than ten such alarms.

She stroked the pistol her father had left her at her waist, her gaze sweeping over the distant, rolling tea plantations—once poppy fields, now converted to tea cultivation, but some of the people there were still struggling to make ends meet.

"Notify all village elders that an emergency meeting will be held tonight at 8 PM."

Liu Ling put the safety helmet on his son's head, "And have the logistics department prioritize distributing the newly arrived disaster relief supplies to the elderly, the weak, the sick, and the disabled."

As she turned around, she caught a glimpse of curiosity in Ye Si's eyes, and crouched down to speak softly:

"After Mom beats up the bad guys, she'll take you to see Father."

As night fell, the oil lamp flickered in the bamboo building's meeting room. More than twenty tribal elders sat in a circle, the air filled with the aroma of tobacco and rice wine.

Scarface Li, a member of the Kokang tribe, was the first to slam his fist on the table and stand up: "We can't tolerate this anymore! They're seizing our mines, burning our tea plantations, and treating us like lambs to the slaughter?"

"But our ammunition reserves are only enough for two weeks."

The Wa State elder's expression was grave. "Moreover, in the last battle, the youth army lost more than thirty brothers."

Liu Ling pushed the tablet to the center of the table, and a topographical map of northern Myanmar was prominently displayed on the screen:
"I've contacted the outside world, and a batch of drones and air defense systems will arrive in Myitkyina in three days."

She traced a line across the Kachin State border with her finger, saying, "We're going to lay landmines at these three passes and then use drones for 24-hour patrols."

Suddenly, hurried footsteps sounded outside the door. The sentry rushed in, his face covered in blood: "Chairman! The Burmese army has launched a surprise attack on Namkham town and is now advancing towards here!"

The meeting room erupted in chaos. Liu Ling grabbed her tactical backpack and entrusted Ye Si to her personal female bodyguard:

"Take him to the air-raid shelter and lock the door!"

As she turned around, the five-year-old child suddenly broke free from the guard and hugged her leg:
"Mom, I'm not afraid! I want to fight the bad guys with you!"

Liu Ling's heart skipped a beat, and she bent down to wipe away the tears on her son's face:
"When you grow up, you'll be even more amazing than your mother."

After saying that, she climbed into the car, and Lin Xiao's voice came through the car radio:
"The enemy has two armored companies; our rocket launchers can't penetrate them at all!"

"Activate Plan B."

Liu Ling gripped the steering wheel tightly, and the SUV sped along the rugged mountain road. The so-called Plan B was an "electromagnetic trap" she had designed with external engineers—

They used the magnetic field of abandoned mine shafts to interfere with enemy electronic equipment. When Burmese tanks entered the designated area, their onboard radars suddenly malfunctioned, and their gun barrels spun uncontrollably.

"Fire!" Liu Ling gave the order, and the mortars hidden in the ravine roared in unison.

In the darkness, the burning tanks resembled giant torches, illuminating the sky over northern Myanmar.

The raid lasted until dawn. When the youth army was cleaning up the battlefield, Liu Ling found that his combat boots were soaked in blood.

Meanwhile, thousands of miles away in Beijing, Ye Mao was reporting on his work in a ministry conference room.

On the projector, a map of the situation in Southeast Asia flashed with red and blue dots.

Suddenly, my phone vibrated in my pocket. It was a message from my girlfriend, Ouyang Xue: "Are you free to video chat now? It's urgent."

The moment the video call connected, Ouyang Xue's hand holding the tablet was trembling. On the screen was a picture of Liu Ling holding a child and being interviewed by foreign media.

In the video, Ye Si, dressed in camouflage, says in a childish voice, "My dad is a great hero. When I grow up, I'll protect my mom too!"

Ye Mao felt his breath catch in his throat; the sounds of his colleagues' discussion in the conference room suddenly seemed distant. He recalled that stormy night three years ago, Liu Ling's resolute figure as she left at the airport…

The key is that this little boy looks too much like a member of the Ye family. Even Ouyang Xue could tell at a glance, let alone Ye Mao, the person involved.

After Liu Ling left, it wasn't that Ye Mao didn't miss her, but because of his status, he had even abandoned the Jin sisters, let alone Liu Ling, who was far away in northern Myanmar.

Ouyang Xue wasn't consumed by jealousy like most women, after all, she had lived with Ye Mao and Liu Ling for several years.

Being classmates, best friends, and sharing the same love for the same man, she also developed special feelings for Liu Ling.

Now that he suddenly finds out that Liu Ling actually had a child with Ye Mao, you can imagine how he feels.

"Are you aware of this?"

Ouyang Xue's voice trembled almost imperceptibly.

Ye Mao stared at Liu Ling's increasingly resolute face on the screen, recalling the girl who used to be overjoyed by a wildflower. His Adam's apple bobbed, but he couldn't speak.

The fighting in northern Myanmar continues. Liu Ling stood in a makeshift field hospital, watching medical staff bandage the wounds of civilians. Suddenly, Ye Si stumbled in, clutching a small daisy covered in mud.
"Mom, this is for you!"

Liu Ling crouched down and hugged her son tightly. In the distance, the buzzing of a drone could be heard—it was a reconnaissance aircraft that had been delivered.

She knew that this war to defend her homeland would not end easily, but as long as the little life in her arms was safe and sound, and as long as the land beneath her feet remained, she would continue to fight.

At that moment, Ye Mao stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling window of his office, gazing at the neon-lit Chang'an Avenue. His phone screen lit up again; it was Ouyang Xue's ultimatum:

"We need to talk."

He gripped his phone tightly, the moonlight streaming through the window illuminating his face and the complex emotions churning in his eyes.

The smoke of war in northern Myanmar and the lights of Beijing—the fates of two worlds are quietly intertwined at this moment.

Before the morning mist in northern Myanmar had dissipated, Liu Ling was awakened by the urgent sound of bugles.

The groans echoing throughout the field hospital clung to her nerves like vines, and the smell of disinfectant mixed with blood made her stomach churn.

She gently patted Ye Si, who was sleeping on a makeshift cot, tucked him in with the thin blanket that had slipped off, then picked up her tactical vest and quickly walked out of the tent.

Lin Xiao approached, carrying a stack of documents; his eyes were visibly bruised.
"Chairman, satellite monitoring has detected that the Myanmar military has assembled three mechanized divisions in Sagaing Region, and at the same time, a transport plane with an unidentified nationality has been spotted landing at Mandalay military airport."

He handed the tablet to Liu Ling, and the faint silver markings on the transport plane's tail fin on the screen made her pupils shrink—it was a distinctive symbol of arms dealers.

"Notify all company commanders to assemble in the operations room in fifteen minutes."

Liu Ling swiped her finger across the screen, bringing up the list of supplies promised by the arms dealer three days ago.

"Have the intelligence team find out immediately where this batch of supplies was sent."

As she turned, her gaze swept over the child soldiers training on the distant hillside. Those little hands, which should have been holding pencils, were now tightly gripping assault rifles that were longer than their arms.

In the capital, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was brightly lit late at night. Ye Mao stood before a huge world map, his finger hovering over the northern Myanmar region, hesitant to drop it.

Ouyang Xue's questioning voice still echoed in my ears: "Did you always know she had a child? Why didn't you tell me?"

He took a deep breath, turned to face the constantly updated briefing on the situation in northern Myanmar on the projection screen, and his heart sank when he saw the red mark "suspected international mercenaries involved".

Suddenly, the conference room door was kicked open, and the Director of the Southeast Asia Affairs Department appeared grave:
"Emergency situation! The Myanmar army crossed the border early this morning and engaged in a firefight with our temporary outposts on the China-Myanmar border. Two soldiers have been injured so far."

Ye Mao grabbed his suit jacket and rushed out the door, just as his phone vibrated.

It was an encrypted text message from a long-forgotten contact—Liu Ling. Those few words made him stumble:

"They're trying to frame me. Investigate the silver transport plane immediately."

On the battlefield in northern Myanmar, Liu Ling led his squad to sneak into an abandoned mine under cover of darkness.

Chisel marks from the gem mining days still remain on the damp rock walls. A beam of flashlight sweeps across the corner, revealing several boxes of ammunition bearing a distinctive logo.

"Sure enough."

She gave a cold laugh, took off her gloves, and stroked the code on the surface of the ammunition box. "These are supplies they promised to their Middle Eastern allies three months ago."

Suddenly, a flurry of footsteps sounded outside the cave. Liu Ling quickly signaled his team to take cover. In the darkness, several figures carrying night vision goggles burst in. The lead mercenary removed his gas mask, revealing a sharply defined Western face.

"Chairman Liu, how have you been?"

He spoke in broken Chinese, but the gun was firmly pointed at Liu Ling:
“We are just working for different masters. This farce will end as long as you hand over the mining rights in the Mandalay mine.”

Just as the soldier behind Liu Ling was about to raise his gun, she stopped him by raising her hand.

She took a step forward, the pistol her father had left her gleaming coldly in the moonlight at her waist:

"Tell the people behind you that we will not give up an inch of land in northern Myanmar."

Before he could finish speaking, a violent explosion suddenly came from outside the cave, and smoke instantly filled the entire mine.

In the chaos, Liu Ling seized the opportunity to roll behind cover and draw his pistol to fire accurately.

The mercenaries' firepower was too fierce; her left arm was grazed by a stray bullet, and blood stained her tactical sleeve.

Just as things were about to turn around, the buzzing of drones sounded outside the cave, and several miniature missiles accurately hit the mercenaries' stronghold.

"mom!"

A familiar voice suddenly rang out. Liu Ling's blood froze. He saw Ye Si running towards the mine, crying and being pulled by the female guards, while an unexploded grenade rolled at the child's feet.

"do not want!"

Liu Ling practically screamed as he rushed out, and in the instant the explosion rang out, he tightly shielded Ye Si with his body...

The shockwave from the explosion sent Liu Ling flying several meters. She struggled to her feet amidst the rubble, while Ye Si, whom she held in her arms, was already pale from crying.

The female guard, her face covered in blood, rushed over: "Chairman! Lieutenant Lin has arrived with reinforcements!"

In the distance, the headlights of off-road vehicles pierced the night, and the sound of heavy machine gun fire poured down on the mercenary positions like a torrential downpour.

Liu Ling didn't bother to check the wound, but tore off a piece of her shirt and used it to bandage Ye Si's scraped knee.

As she rushed out of the mine carrying her child, she ran into Lin Xiao, covered in blood, wielding a military knife and cutting down the last enemy.

Under the moonlight, the medals on the young officer's chest were soaked with blood, resembling an eerie red rose.

"Chairman, the intelligence team has deciphered the mercenaries' communications records."

Lin Xiao handed over the blood-stained tactical tablet, and the code flashing on the screen gradually pieced together a shocking truth.

"This batch of equipment is the result of a secret deal between arms dealers and the Myanmar military. They want to use you to eliminate local armed groups and then take over resources in northern Myanmar under the guise of 'counter-terrorism.'"

Liu Ling slammed her fingertips heavily on the tablet. Three years ago, she came to northern Myanmar with her father's last wish, transforming poppy fields into tea plantations and establishing schools and hospitals, but ultimately she could not escape the fangs of capital and power.

Suddenly, Ye Si, nestled in her arms, reached out her little hand and wiped away the tears mingled with gunpowder on her cheeks: "Mommy, don't cry. When I grow up, I'm going to build a flying tank and drive away all the bad guys."

In Beijing, Ye Mao paced back and forth in the meeting room of the National Security Bureau's special operations team.

In satellite photos, the flight path of the silver transport plane eventually points to the arms dealer's secret base on the high seas.

My phone suddenly vibrated; it was a location sent by Ouyang Xue—she was currently downstairs at the arms dealer's company in Beijing.

"Director Ye, the latest battle report has arrived from the front lines in northern Myanmar." The technician's voice interrupted his thoughts.

"We have detected an unidentified signal interfering with radar systems along the China-Myanmar border. It is very likely..."

Before the words were even finished, the Southeast Asian situation map on the large screen suddenly turned completely static, and a piercing alarm blared throughout the entire floor. (End of Chapter)