cicada

Chapter 1433 Escort

A U.S. Army Air Forces C-87 Liberator Express transport plane slowly came to a stop on the runway at Paine Field.

As the hatch opened, a man in military uniform took off his cap and waved to the welcoming crowd.

"The guest has arrived. Observe the high ground."

At the top of the airport control tower, Gui Youguang whispered a reminder to the junior agent in charge of security.

Four men lay prone beside him, each a crack shot, their Mauser rifles, equipped with high-powered scopes, aimed at the windows and rooftops of nearby houses, ready to fire at any suspicious person.

To ensure absolute security, the Military Intelligence Bureau/FIRC went to great lengths this time, with sharpshooters being just one of many security measures.

It's not that Zuo Chong is making a mountain out of a molehill, because the Allied forces did not keep the Cairo Conference a secret at all. Newspapers from various countries reported on it long ago, and now the whole world knows about the itinerary of the three heads of state.

Putting aside the Japanese who had long wanted to get rid of someone, even the Germans wouldn't let go of the opportunity to wipe out the British and American leaders in one fell swoop.

With the war having progressed to this point, the so-called chivalrous spirit has long since vanished, and all nations are now bloodthirsty.

As long as they could achieve victory, Japan and Germany were willing to use any means necessary. Reputation? That thing was less useful than a bullet.

As someone stepped off the gangway, a dozen tall agents walked to the bottom of the plane, blocking the line of fire with their bodies and guiding the entourage toward the convoy of cars.

But perhaps because he was in a good mood, he did not follow the pre-arranged security plan and instead walked towards the Chinese representatives present.

Since the fall of the previous dynasty, many merchants from the Republic of China went overseas to seek a way out, and Egypt was one of their destinations.

Upon learning of someone's visit, overseas Chinese businessmen in Cairo took the initiative to greet him and provided substantial assistance to the embassy. The Nationalist government could not refuse this goodwill.

Upon seeing this, Zuo Zhong felt a pang of anxiety and quickly went to someone's side to personally protect them. In case there were assassins in the welcoming crowd, there was no need to aim at such close range.

Someone noticed his actions, nodded slightly in acknowledgment, and then shook hands with each of the excited representatives.

During this process, Zuo Zhong kept scanning the scene, his right hand, which was in his pocket, gripped his pistol tightly, as if afraid that someone might do something outrageous to someone.

Although all Chinese citizens eligible to go to the airport have undergone background checks, one can't be too afraid of the unexpected, given the many unethical things the Nationalist government has done.

The other junior agents also held their breath, paying close attention to the expressions and movements of everyone present, until someone finished the meeting and got into their car, at which point everyone relaxed a little.

A few minutes later, more than a dozen cars slowly started up and left the airport carrying security personnel and their entourage.

FIRC was able to collect so many vehicles thanks to the full support of overseas Chinese businessmen; otherwise, with only that limited operating funds, they would probably have had to use donkey carts to pick people up.

Inside the carriage, the smile on someone's face faded, and he asked Zuo Zhong wearily about the arrangements for the next few days.

From the mountain city to India, and then from India to Africa, the bumpy journey, coupled with the threat of Japanese fighter jets, left this person truly exhausted.

Upon hearing this, Zuo Chong, who was sitting to the side, bowed slightly and, without thinking, recounted the itinerary of the past few days, which was a basic skill for an attendant.

"Master, British Prime Minister Mr. Q arrived in Alexandria the day before yesterday. He is currently flying to Cairo. The British side has invited you to a banquet tonight at 6:00 PM."

"At nine o'clock tomorrow morning, the President of the United States will meet with you and Mr. Q. After the meeting, you will also meet with American and British generals such as Marshall and Hurley."

"The meeting will officially begin at 10:00 AM the day after tomorrow. I have already submitted the meeting agenda to the adjutant's office, and you can review it at any time."

"As for your hotel, I specifically chose the Royal Palace Hotel in Heliopolis, northeast of Cairo. The environment there is relatively quiet and will not disturb your rest."

After going over the schedule in detail, Zuo Chong glanced at his watch again, indicating that there was still plenty of time before the British dinner, and that someone could rest at the hotel for three to four hours before setting off.

Someone was very satisfied with Zuo Zhong's performance. He opened his triangular eyes and praised him with a smile.

"I trust you to handle things. I need to go ahead and greet President Roosevelt at the meeting place tomorrow."

Zuo Zhong's face stiffened, realizing something was wrong, but he couldn't avoid answering the question, so he could only continue his report in a low voice.

"As informed and advised by the UK and the US, the meeting will be held at Malham Palace."

One of them immediately turned cold, because Malham Palace was the venue for this meeting and also Roosevelt's residence.

Tomorrow's meeting is less a meeting of the three heads of state and more a meeting between Mr. Q and Roosevelt.

Seeing someone's reaction, Zuo Zhong quickly added, "Mr. Roosevelt is unable to walk and it is inconvenient for him to go out. The American personnel asked me to express my apologies to you."

Hearing this, the person's expression softened a bit, since there was now a way to back down.

After a while, he suddenly said with schadenfreude, "I don't care about these formalities, but the British don't."

Zuo Zhong immediately smiled apologetically. The relationship between Britain and the United States was intricate and complicated, even more so than Xu Enzeng's romantic relationships. They were both "father and son countries" and rivals.

At its peak, the British sent troops to occupy that white palace. Who could have imagined that, in just over a century, Britain would have to rely on the Americans to survive?

The saying "Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west of the river" is absolutely true.

Sensing that someone was starting to adopt an Ah Q mentality, Zuo Chong quickly chimed in, "What the leader says is true. I imagine Mr. Q isn't in a very good mood." Zuo Chong deliberately put on a smug look, making no mention of the fact that Mr. Q also lived in an annex villa of the Marham Palace.

In the path of officialdom, the most important thing is to know how to read people's expressions and act accordingly. Don't be fooled by someone's seemingly nonchalant words; they might be cursing the Americans to death in their heart.

If he were to bring things up at this point, it would be like poking a nerve with someone, and a smart subordinate wouldn't do that.

At this point, the convoy turned into a small alley, drove out of the alley, and then crossed an open area to reach Cairo's busiest main city.

The hotel where someone was staying, the Royal Palace Hotel Heliopolis, was located east of the city, while Paine Airport was west of the city, so getting to the hotel required crossing the entire city.

This route is dangerous, but taking a detour is even riskier. The desert is the perfect terrain for an ambush, and convoys traveling outside the city are easily attacked.

In the lead car, Gu Qi, in the passenger seat, was looking ahead through binoculars, his expression somewhat tense.

Especially when passing through alleyways, he didn't dare to blink, for fear that someone would suddenly jump out and shoot at the convoy.

Fortunately, what Gu Qi feared did not happen, and the convoy successfully entered Cairo city, with the speed of the vehicles decreasing sharply.

After years of war, Cairo's traffic is extremely chaotic and completely disorderly.

People would stroll leisurely past the car from time to time, as if they were in their own backyard, and some even squatted down to relieve themselves by the roadside.

Not only people, but also camels, horse-drawn carriages, oxcarts, and flocks of sheep blocked the road, making Gu Qi very upset.

The Military Intelligence Bureau was already aware of this situation, and Zuo Chong had also proposed to the British to implement traffic control, at least temporarily prohibiting the sheep from going on the road, but received no response.

The British were already dissatisfied with the Republic of China's participation in the conference, so how could they possibly listen to the advice of an officer from an Eastern country?

"Beep beep beep~~"

The driver of the lead vehicle kept honking his horn, while an old Egyptian man led a donkey slowly in front of the vehicle, completely ignoring the honking behind him.

The convoy came to a complete stop. Seeing that the crowd was about to disrupt the convoy's formation, Gucci stretched his hand out of the car window and made a gesture.

Upon seeing his actions, the agents in the cars behind immediately opened their doors and spread out along both sides of the convoy, separating the vehicles from the crowd.

The agents, armed with submachine guns, watched the approaching Egyptians warily, and stepped forward to block anyone who crossed the cordon.

The scorching sun beat down on the earth, and a gust of wind blew by, sending dust kicked up by livestock hooves flying everywhere, significantly reducing visibility.

Dust settled on the young spy's face, quickly mixing with sweat to form a dark, muddy mess, but no one dared to be distracted by wiping it off.

Gu Qi also got out of the car with his men to direct traffic. The method was simple—to use money to clear the way.

Looking at the pounds in his hand, the old Egyptian man blocking the way jumped onto the donkey's back and whipped the donkey hard in the buttocks, sending the donkey and the man running far away in an instant.

Money can make the devil turn the millstone, and it can also make an octogenarian walk briskly.

With the help of his "money power," Gucci cleared the obstacles at top speed, and the convoy started moving again.

Half an hour later, the escort vehicle was about to leave the most congested section of the road, and everyone breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed that the mission had been successfully completed.

However, Gu Qi's expression remained serious. It was precisely at times like these that he could not relax, as danger often lurked in the most unexpected places.

Suddenly, he noticed a local child a few meters away huddled in an alley, peering towards the road with curiosity and a hint of excitement in his eyes.

Seeing a convoy in a place like this is normal to be curious, but why the excitement?

Gu Qi turned his gaze to the front of the vehicle. There was nothing unusual. Both sides of the road were lined with traditional Cairo houses, and people were coming and going on the street.

Without realizing it, he glanced at the ground, and the next second Gu Qi's pupils suddenly contracted, and he grabbed the steering wheel and shouted.

"Stop the car quickly!"

The sudden stop of the lead car did not cause chaos in the convoy because each car was spaced a certain distance apart to prevent an accident.

Gu Qi looked terrified. He had walked the escort route more than once before setting off, and he had walked it again just now on his way to the airport.

He remembered clearly that the road ahead was very flat, but now there was a small ditch.

The key to escorting important personnel lies in the details; no subtle change can be overlooked. Considering the unusual behavior of that local child, there must be something wrong with Tugou.

Thinking of this, Gu Qi disregarded the need to reveal his presence. He jumped out of the car and ran backwards while waving to warn others.

"Danger! Run!"

If there really is a bomb ahead, it's too late to reverse now; we can only evacuate on foot and establish a defensive line immediately.

The agents had just gotten out of the car and retreated more than ten meters when a loud bang rang out, and a shockwave swept across the convoy. Gu Qi felt a sudden lightness in his body, and his entire body was sent flying.

　① Due to certain reasons, the lady was unable to join, so this has been deleted.
　　(End of this chapter)