Great Power Reclamation

In the early morning in North Africa, before the heatwave has fully subsided, the temporary airport on the edge of the desert is already bustling with activity.

Ye Rou and Ye Mei's private jet warmed up its engines at the end of the runway, emitting a deep roar. The two aunts, dressed in smart travel attire, stood at the foot of the gangway to bid farewell to Ye Guigen.

"Tiechui will handle the project matters; he has extensive experience in this area."

Ye Rou checked Ye Guigen's bulletproof vest buckle one last time.

"Remember, in North Africa, face is given by others, but substance is earned by yourself. After today, no fool like Kader will provoke you again, but you must let everyone see that you rely on more than just the Ye family's name."

Ye Mei then handed Ye Guigen a satellite phone:
"The dedicated line is encrypted and staffed 24/7. If you encounter any problems, just call directly. Your grandfather said that when the Ye family's grandson is out in the world, he has to sleep with one eye open—that's a bit of an exaggeration, but you get the idea."

Ye Guigen gripped the satellite phone tightly; its metal casing still carried the slight coolness of a desert morning.
"Auntie, Auntie, are you really leaving today?"

"There's been some trouble on the East African border; several tribes are clashing over water resources."

Ye Mei glanced at her watch. "Yang Da has already gone back. We need to get there to mediate. As for North Africa..."

She gestured towards the other side of the tarmac with her chin, "With Hammer here, we're at ease."

Ye Guigen followed her gaze. Iron Hammer was wearing a simple black tactical vest and desert camouflage pants, with a row of magazine pouches hanging from his waist. He was currently looking down and inspecting the bolt of a short assault rifle.

The movements were casual, yet every detail was as precise as a clockwork component.

In Africa, this name means two things: absolute reliability and, when necessary, absolute violence.

The gangway retracted, the plane taxied and took off, drawing a white line across the desert sky. Ye Guigen stood there until the plane disappeared behind the clouds. When he turned around, Tiechui was already standing in front of him.

Iron Hammer was nearly two meters tall, and the muscles on his arms looked sculpted in the morning light. He stretched out his hand; his palm was rough and covered in calluses.

“Your two aunts told me that my people were responsible for your safety and your projects while you were in North Africa. But they also said that you are not a child who needs a nanny.”

Ye Guigen grasped that hand: "I need to study."

Hammer grinned, revealing a set of white teeth: "Then you'll learn. Starting today, you'll attend project security meetings, participate in personnel deployment discussions, and if anything happens..." He patted the gun at his waist, "you'll be there watching, you can't hide."

Over the next three days, Ye Guigen witnessed firsthand what professionalism truly meant.

Around the solar farm construction site, Hammer deployed three lines of defense:
The outermost layer consists of drone patrols equipped with thermal imaging and night vision devices; the middle layer is a patrol team composed of young people from the Hassan tribe, led by veterans from Bayonet Security; the innermost layer is a six-person close-quarters team personally selected by Iron Hammer, on duty around the clock.

"Security isn't about having more people, it's about making those who want to cause trouble feel that paying the price for something like this isn't worth it." Iron Hammer drew a defense plan on the sand. "It's about making those who want to cause trouble feel that it's not worth paying the price for something like this."

He pointed to several points on the map: "Here, here, and here, we deliberately left 'loopholes.' If someone wants to infiltrate, they'll choose these places. Then..." He drew several crosses next to the loopholes, "...we'll wait here."

This is not merely a show of force, but psychological warfare. Ye Guigen suddenly understood what his uncle-in-law Yang San had said:
True strength is not about how many people you can kill, but about how many people you can prevent from having the will to kill you.

On the afternoon of the fourth day, Iron Hammer caught a fish through the "hole".

In the monitoring room, footage from the drone showed three unlicensed SUVs approaching a weathered rock area on the west side of the farm. Seven people got out of the vehicles, all armed, and moved stealthily but in an orderly fashion.

“They’re not bandits.” Hammer stared at the screen. “Judging from their formation, they’re trained regular troops, or former regular troops.”

"Where did it come from?"

Hammer zoomed in on the image, pointing to one of the men's arms: "Look at this tattoo—a two-headed snake coiled around a scepter. This is the 'Desert Spear,' a mercenary group that mainly operates in West Africa and the Sahel region. They charge high fees and only take jobs from governments or large companies."

He turned to look at Ye Guigen: "It seems that although Kader has run away, the people behind him haven't given up. Or rather, a new player has entered the game."

Hammer pressed the communicator: "Team A, Team B, proceed as planned. Remember, leave survivors; I need to know who the employer is."

Ye Guigen stood up: "I'll go with you."

Hammer glanced at him and nodded: "Put this on." He tossed him a bulletproof vest and said, "Stay close to me, don't try to be a hero."

The weathered rock area was five kilometers from the camp. Instead of driving, Iron Hammer led Ye Guigen and four team members on foot to approach it.

They advanced along the dry riverbed, using every inch of the terrain for cover. Iron Hammer moved like a fox in the desert—quiet, swift, each step placed in the safest spot.

When they were 800 meters from the target, Iron Hammer raised his fist. Everyone stopped and crouched down.

“They’re setting up explosives,” Hammer observed through binoculars. “Not to attack the camp, but to blow up the main power line tower. Clever—this way, they can paralyze the project without a direct confrontation.”

He whispered a few words into the communicator. Thirty seconds later, the roar of engines came from afar. Two construction pickup trucks drove in from the direction of the camp, deliberately kicking up high clouds of dust.

The mercenaries in the rocky area immediately took cover. Iron Hammer seized the opportunity: "Now, advance."

The six people moved like shadows among the rocks. Ye Guigen struggled to keep up, his heart pounding, but his mind was unusually clear.

He noticed the route Hammer chose—always downwind, always with cover, and always in a blind spot for the enemy.

When they were 300 meters away, Iron Hammer stopped again. He made a few hand gestures, and his four team members split into two groups to flank from the left and right. Iron Hammer himself, along with Ye Guigen, slowly approached from the front.

Two hundred meters, one hundred and fifty meters, one hundred meters.

The mercenary leader seemed to sense something and suddenly turned around. Hammer fired almost simultaneously.

"boom!"

The bullet accurately knocked the detonator out of the opponent's hand.

"action!"

The team members on both sides opened fire simultaneously, not to kill, but to suppress the enemy. Bullets struck the rocks, sending up a spray of stone dust. The mercenary was pinned down.

Hammer stood up and shouted in the local language: "Put down your weapons, you are surrounded. We don't want to kill, but we are not afraid to kill either."

silence.

Then, a gunshot rang out. A mercenary tried to fight back and was shot in the arm by Iron Hammer. His screams echoed among the rocks.

"The last time." Iron Hammer's voice was calm, but that calmness was more terrifying than a roar.

Weapons were thrown out one after another. Seven men raised their hands and stepped out of cover.

Hammer stepped forward and inspected their equipment. Suddenly, he stopped in front of a young man—who looked to be under twenty, pale-faced, and trembling.

"Were you forced?" Hammer asked in English.

The young man nodded, tears streaming down his face: "They said... if I don't come, they'll kill my family."

Iron Hammer was silent for a few seconds, then patted him on the shoulder: "Go stand over there."

He turned to the leader—a middle-aged man with a scarred face: "Who hired you?"

The leader spat out: "Every profession has its rules."

Hammer laughed, but there was no warmth in his smile. He pulled a small metal box from his tactical vest, opened it, and inside were several syringes.

"Do you know what this is?" He picked up a vial. "A little gadget from the East African National Army Medical Laboratory. After injection, a person will be very... honest. The side effect is that it may permanently damage some brain functions."

The leader's expression changed.

“I’m not a cop, I don’t follow procedures,” Hammer said calmly. “I just want to know who’s trying to sabotage this project. Tell me, and I’ll send you to jail. If you don’t, I’ll give you a shot and dump you in the desert for the hyenas to deal with.”

The leader's psychological defenses crumbled: "It's the 'North African Resources Group'! They don't want to see the solar energy project succeed! Kader is just their agent!"

"Who specifically gave the order?"

"The vice president's name is Rashid. He's directing operations remotely from Paris."

Iron Hammer nodded and put away the syringe: "Take it away."

On the way back to camp, Ye Guigen asked, "What about the syringe...?"

“Vitamin B12,” Hammer grinned. “It’s a scare tactic. But it works, doesn’t it?”

Ye Guigen suddenly realized that Tiechui was the same kind of person as his two aunts and two uncles—they knew when to use a hammer and when to use a needle. Violence was a tool, not an end.

That evening, Hammer contacted Paris via satellite phone. The next morning, a senior local government official came to the camp in person, bringing a document.

“We investigated North African Resources Group,” the official said almost deferentially, “and found that they had violated regulations in multiple projects. The government has decided to revoke their mining licenses and impose a fine.”

Ye Guigen took the document, which bore the government's seal. The reasons for the punishment were presented in a grand and dignified manner, but everyone understood the real reason—they had offended the wrong person.

After seeing the officials off, Iron Hammer said to Ye Guigen, "See? These are the rules of the game. They use mercenaries, we use the government. They want to play dirty, we'll deal with them with the law. But if the law doesn't work..." He patted the gun at his waist, "we'll play dirty too."

Is this considered fighting violence with violence?

“It’s a matter of using rules to fight rules,” Iron Hammer corrected. “They broke the rules first, and we are just retaliating within the limits of what the rules allow. It’s just that we know more rules than they do, and we can mobilize more resources.”

He paused for a moment, then said, “Your grandfather often told my grandfather that when doing business overseas, you need to have three eyes—one for business, one for politics, and one for people’s hearts. You are still young, so take your time to learn.”

The project progressed smoothly with the help of the hammer. Two weeks later, the first photovoltaic array began generating electricity. On the night the Hassan tribe's village lit up with its first electric light, the entire tribe held a celebration.

Hammer made an exception and allowed his men to drink—one bottle of beer per person, no more. He himself sat on a sand dune at the edge of the camp, holding a cup of tea, watching the campfire and the dancing crowd in the distance.

Ye Guigen came over with two bottles of water and sat down next to him.

"Missing home?" Iron Hammer asked. "A little," Ye Guigen admitted, "but more than that... I'm thinking about what this project would be like without the Ye family, without you all."

“They will die,” Hammer said bluntly. “They will either be destroyed by bandits, swallowed up by big companies, or dragged down by government bureaucrats. In Africa, good ideas are worthless; the ability to hold onto good ideas is what matters.”

He took a sip of water: "But don't think this is because of your family. Your family gave you the platform, but the one standing on that platform is yourself. The fact that you were able to come up with this project, negotiate cooperation with the tribe, and persevere until we arrived—these are all your own abilities."

Ye Guigen was silent for a while: "Brother Hammer, after so many years in Africa, what is your deepest feeling?"

Looking up at the starry sky, Iron Hammer said, "My deepest impression is that the people here are no different from people in other places."

"Everyone wants safety, dignity, and a future for their children. But opportunities here are scarce, and the competition is fierce. So, whoever can bring them opportunities will gain their loyalty."

He pointed towards the campfire: "The Hassan tribe is loyal to you now, not because you are the grandson of the Ye family, but because you gave them electricity, jobs, and hope. If you leave tomorrow and the project falls through, their loyalty will disappear. That's just how it is."

"That sounds a bit cold."

“It’s about being clear-headed,” Iron Hammer said. “Acting on emotions here will kill you. Back in West Africa, Uncle Ye and Uncle Yang let a rebel leader go because they were soft-hearted. Three days later, that leader attacked them with his men, and some people died.”

He turned to look at Ye Guigen: "From then on, we understood a principle: mercy should be given to those who deserve it; to be merciful to the enemy is to be cruel to one's own people. You must also remember this principle."

The night wind blew across the sand dunes, carrying distant songs and drumbeats. Ye Guigen looked at Tiechui's profile; this man, only ten years older than himself, possessed a maturity and clarity beyond his years in his eyes.

"Uncle Hammer, are you planning to stay in this line of work forever?"

"I don't know." Hammer rarely showed a hint of confusion. "I've taken over Bayonet Security, and the company headquarters is in New York, but I don't like it there..."

He chuckled and said, "What else can I do with my skills besides killing and protecting people?"

“You can teach people,” Ye Guigen suddenly said. “My fund will be investing in more overseas projects in the future, all of which will require security. You can train security teams, design security plans, and conduct risk assessments. You don’t necessarily have to carry a gun yourself.”

Hammer paused for a moment, then slowly nodded: "This idea... isn't bad."

That night, they talked late into the night on the sand dunes. They talked about family, responsibility, the burdens they had to bear, and the dreams deep in their hearts that they dared not easily speak aloud.

The next day, Ye Guigen received a call from Ye Yuze.

"I heard you handled things quite well." The old man's voice came from thousands of miles away:
“That kid Iron Hammer called me and said you’re a bit like your grandpa when he was young—hard when you need to be hard, and soft when you need to be soft.”

"Grandpa, I still have a lot to learn."

“You can never learn everything in a lifetime,” Ye Yuze said. “But you understand one thing now: the power of the Ye family is not for you to flaunt your power, but for you to do the right thing. If used well, it is a power of good. If used poorly, it is a disaster.”

He paused for a moment, then said, “Your two aunts will be going back to North Africa in a few days. It’s not for you, but for other arrangements. But don’t worry, with Iron Hammer around, your project in North Africa won’t have any problems.”

"Grandpa, I'm thinking... once this project is stable, I'll go to East Africa to see what my aunts and uncles are up to."

There was a few seconds of silence on the other end of the phone, then Ye Yuze laughed:
“Okay. You should go and see. See how your aunts build hospitals and schools in Africa, and how they provide jobs and food for hundreds of millions of people. After seeing that, you'll realize that your solar energy project is just a small step.”

After hanging up the phone, Ye Guigen stepped out of the tent. At the construction site, photovoltaic panels gleamed brilliantly in the sunlight. Young men from the Hassan tribe were learning basic maintenance techniques under the guidance of bayonet-wielding security guards.

Hammer walked over and handed him a document:
"News from Paris. Rashid, the vice president of North African Resources Group, has been dismissed, and the company has issued a statement condemning his 'personal conduct.' The new vice president wants to meet with you to discuss cooperation."

"cooperate?"

“They want to invest in the second phase of the solar project,” Hammer said. “That’s reality—if you can’t beat them, join them.”

Ye Guigen took the document and looked at the generous cooperation terms. He suddenly remembered something his grandfather had once said:

The business world is like a battlefield, but what's more complicated than a battlefield is that today's enemy may be tomorrow's ally.

"What do you think?" he asked Hammer.

“Meet them,” Iron Hammer said decisively. “Listen to what they have to say. But remember, at the negotiating table, strength is the greatest bargaining chip. Now, we have the strength.”

Three days later, Ye Guigen met the new vice president of the North African Resources Group at a five-star hotel in the capital. The new vice president was a French Algerian named Samir, who was in his fifties, dressed in a suit and tie, and spoke politely.

“Mr. Ye, on behalf of the company, I apologize for the previous unpleasant incident.” Samir’s opening remarks were direct. “Rashid’s actions violated the company’s values, and he has already paid the price.”

The subsequent conversation went smoothly. The other party proposed investing in the second phase of the project, taking a 30% stake, without intervening in management, only demanding priority purchasing rights and profit sharing. The terms were even better than Ye Guigen had anticipated.

After signing the letter of intent, Samir suddenly said, "Mr. Ye, do you know why we changed our attitude?"

Ye Guigen shook his head.

“Because we also have operations in East Africa,” Samir said with a wry smile. “Last week, the East African government suddenly imposed an ‘environmental review’ on one of our mining projects there, demanding a three-month shutdown. Meanwhile, our biggest competitor just happened to get a new exploration license.”

He paused for a moment: "Sometimes, business isn't about looking at just one project, but at the whole game. We know how to choose."

After seeing Samir off, Ye Guigen sent Ye Rou an encrypted message: "Aunt, did you arrange the 'environmental review' in East Africa?"

Ten minutes later, a reply came: "It's just a normal regulatory process. What, did someone say something?"

Ye Guigen looked at the message and smiled. He understood; his two aunts' departure wasn't a true departure. Their brief appearance in North Africa was enough to convey a message: this solar energy project had an East African country behind it.

The influence of East African countries in Africa is enough to make anyone who wants to cause trouble think twice.

This is the power of family—unassuming yet omnipresent.

It was evening when they returned to the camp. Iron Hammer was training the young men of the Hassan tribe in basic fighting skills. Seeing Ye Guigen, he approached.

"The deal was reached?"

"It's done," Ye Guigen said. "It went more smoothly than I expected."

"That's good." Hammer wiped his sweat. "But don't let your guard down. In Africa, today's ally may be tomorrow's enemy. Always stay vigilant."

"I know."

As the sun sets, the desert is bathed in gold. Ye Guigen stands atop a sand dune, gazing at everything before him—the photovoltaic arrays, the busy workers, the young people training, and the twinkling lights of distant villages.

He recalled what Elizabeth had told him when he left London: "Some roads must be walked alone. But knowing that you are not walking alone will make you walk more steadily."

Now, he truly understands that statement.

His family is his root and his support, but he still has to walk his own path step by step.

He has already taken a solid step.

Iron Hammer walked over and handed him a bottle of water: "What are you thinking about?"

"I'm thinking..." Ye Guigen took the water. "If one day I can accomplish something like this without the protection of my family, that would be true success."

Iron Hammer glanced at him and smiled: "Then you'd better work hard. But remember, family is not a shelter, it's a legacy. It was passed down from your great-grandfather to your grandfather, from your grandfather to your father and your aunt, and now it's passed down to you. What you need to do is not get rid of it, but make it better in your hands."

As night falls, the desert sky shines exceptionally brightly.

Ye Guigen raised his head and looked at the stars that had been twinkling for millions of years.

He thought, perhaps everyone is a star. Some are brighter, some are dimmer. But the most important thing is to know which galaxy you belong to, and to know what kind of light you want to emit.

His galaxy is called the Ye family.

The light he wants to emit is called connection and creation.

The road ahead is still long.

But he has already found his direction.

Deep in the desert, solar farms operate quietly, transforming daytime sunlight into nighttime light.

Like a small promise, it slowly takes root and sprouts on this ancient land.

Iron Hammer's voice came from behind: "Starting tomorrow, you'll learn to shoot from me."

Ye Guigen turned around: "Why?"

“Because you need to know how to protect what you create,” Hammer said. “In Africa, that’s a required course.”

Ye Guigen nodded: "Okay, I'll learn."

Under the starry sky, the shadows of the two people were stretched very long.

One who has been fighting on this land for more than a decade.

His journey has just begun.

But they all understood one thing:

In this land full of both opportunities and dangers

Kindness needs teeth.
Ideals require armor.
And change,
It needs strength to protect it.

The night breeze carried away distant sand and the scent of a nearby campfire.

Tomorrow will be another day. (End of Chapter)