He was so persuasive that he actually practiced extraordinary

Yang Rui frowned, holding his gun to his chest with both hands, his eyes darting around. He really didn't want to get entangled with this stubborn female reporter, so he tried to be as tactful as possible: "Ms. Xia, I'm sorry, but the town of Basem is now completely under Zaka's control, and it's full of militants. It's too dangerous. Our mission has strict objectives and routes, so we can't take you with us."

As he spoke, he quietly lowered his tactical headset and quickly said into it, "How much longer until we need to refuel? Speed ​​up, don't delay our departure time!" The subtext was obvious—he wanted to end this argument as soon as possible to avoid further complications.

Xia Nan seemed oblivious to his hint and took another step forward, her tone even more agitated: "I know it's dangerous! But do you understand the dangers of yellowcake? It's a raw material with strong nuclear radiation. If Zaka turns it into a bomb, the consequences would be unimaginable! I've found out they've already mastered the preliminary purification technology. If this batch of raw materials gets out, nobody knows how many people will die in the next terrorist attack!"

She opened her notebook and pointed to the densely filled notes: "These are the clues I've gathered over the past six months. Only I know the exact location of the yellowcake. If you don't take me there, even if you save Deng Mei, you won't be able to stop Zaka's plan!"

Yang Rui's expression instantly turned serious—he knew better than anyone the threat of yellowcake; it was something that could trigger a regional nuclear crisis. But the mission objective couldn't be shaken. He took a deep breath and patiently explained, "The terrorist organization you're talking about is Zaka, right? We already know the situation. But our primary mission is to rescue Deng Mei; that's an order from our superiors. We'll try our best to keep an eye out for yellowcake leads without affecting the rescue, but we can't let this change our mission priority."

"It's not 'try your best,' it's 'must'!" Xia Nan's voice suddenly rose, her eyes filled with stubbornness. "There are still many civilians trapped in Basem Town. If the yellowcake is leaked, they will all be in danger! You can't just save one person and then ignore the rest!"

Yang Rui felt his temples throbbing, his mind in turmoil: Must? Must my foot! If you weren't a woman, I would have already lost control! But he had to maintain a polite facade, his tone tinged with helplessness: "Miss Xia, I understand your feelings, but we have rules and cannot change the mission details without authorization. If you come along, it will not only disrupt our plans but also put you in danger, which is not what we want."

Just as he was about to try to persuade Xia Nan again, a series of steady footsteps sounded behind him. Zhang Beixing strode over and stood directly between the two of them, raising his hand to gently interrupt Xia Nan: "Hello, Reporter Xia. I am Zhang Beixing, the captain of the Red Cell Special Operations Team."

Xia Nan was stunned for a moment, then, as if grasping a new hope, she immediately turned to Zhang Beixing: "Captain Zhang, you've come at the right time! I must go to Basem Town with you. Only I can find the yellowcake storage location. Without me, you can't stop Zaka at all!"

Zhang Beixing smiled faintly, his tone seemingly relaxed yet carrying an undeniable authority: "Miss Xia, first of all, I must make this clear to you—my team and I are ordinary people, flesh and blood, capable of injury and sacrifice, not invincible superheroes. Each of our lives is precious and cannot be risked lightly."

His gaze turned slightly cold, and his tone became more serious: "To be honest, we went to Basem because our compatriots were kidnapped there. Civilians from other countries are just strangers to us, and we have no obligation to let our team members bleed and sacrifice themselves for strangers. This is not heartlessness, but being responsible for my team members and their families—do you think it's fair to let my team members die for strangers?"

“Secondly, as Captain Yang has already said, we will try our best to keep an eye out for clues about yellowcake, provided that the rescue mission is completed. If there is an opportunity, we will also try to stop Zaka’s plan. But this is not our obligation, and no one can force us to do so.” Zhang Beixing’s words were firm and resolute, like a heavy hammer hitting Xia Nan’s heart, leaving her speechless and unable to find a reason to refute.

Xia Nan was stunned for a long time, her eyes slightly reddening, and her tone finally softened a bit, but she still didn't give up: "But... I've been investigating this for half a year. If I give up this time, Zaka will move the yellowcake to other places, and it will be difficult to find it again! Those civilians... they shouldn't have died in vain!"

“I’ll say it one last time.” Zhang Beixing’s tone remained firm. “I know you mean well, and I admire your courage. But I can’t risk the lives of my team members. If we find yellowcake and related evidence during the rescue of Deng Mei, I will bring them back to you. But now, you must return to the port with the convoy and board a warship to go home—this is an order, and it’s also for your protection.”

Seeing Zhang Beixing's determined gaze, Xia Nan knew that arguing would be useless. She bit her lip, suddenly stomped her foot, and said with a hint of defiance, "If you won't take me, I'll go by myself! Basem Town is only a dozen kilometers away from here; I can walk there!"

After saying that, she turned around and ran towards the end of the road, her steps quick and hurried, clearly determined to go to the town of Basem.

"Stop!" Zhang Beixing frowned, his figure flashing. He was incredibly fast, catching up to Xia Nan in just a few steps. His right hand formed a knife, and he swiftly and ruthlessly slashed at the back of her neck. Xia Nan's body suddenly went limp, her vision went black, and she instantly lost consciousness, collapsing straight to the ground.

Zhang Beixing reacted quickly, catching her limp body. He frowned in disapproval—not because he disliked Xia Nan, but because he found the woman too stubborn and impossible to reason with. He turned and handed Xia Nan to Li Erniu behind him: "Erniu, contact the warship and have them send a helicopter to take her back to the ship. Make sure to tell the people on the helicopter to keep an eye on her and not let her run out and cause any more trouble."

"Alright, Captain Zhang!" Li Erniu hoisted Xia Nan onto his shoulder and strode towards the communications vehicle. Xia Nan wasn't heavy, but Li Erniu was still very careful, afraid of hurting her.

Watching Xia Nan being taken away, Yang Rui shook his head with a wry smile and whispered to Zhang Beixing, "Captain Zhang, isn't your method a bit too direct? What if she wakes up and causes a scene? The people on the warship might have a hard time dealing with that."

“It’s better to do it directly than to send her to her death in Basem Town.” Zhang Beixing glanced at him, his tone slightly teasing. “What? You think what I’m doing is inappropriate? How about this, you apply to your superiors to have two people from the Jiaolong Squad protect her and take her to Basem Town? I have no objection.”

"No, no, no!" Yang Rui hurriedly waved his hands, shaking his head like a rattle drum, his face full of lingering fear. "Your idea is better! I wholeheartedly agree!"—He still felt lingering fear when he thought about Xia Nan's relentless attitude earlier; she was practically a reincarnation of a "tiger mom," and he didn't want to invite trouble upon himself. Zhang Beixing couldn't help but laugh at his avoidance. "Alright, stop looking like you've seen a ghost. Hurry up and check on the fuel supply. Let's set off as soon as possible and complete the mission quickly."

"Alright!" Yang Rui seemed relieved and immediately turned around to check the supply progress.

Twenty minutes later, the convoy's refueling was finally completed. Xia Nan was also picked up by the arriving naval helicopter, the roar of which gradually faded into the horizon. Zhang Beixing and Yang Rui exchanged a glance and simultaneously ordered, "Depart! Head to Basem Town!"

The convoy slowly drove away from the supply point, heading along the winding and rugged mountain road. This road had clearly not been maintained for a long time; the surface was riddled with potholes, strewn with gravel and gullies. The armored vehicles bounced and jolted along the mountain road, like they were performing a chaotic dance, swaying violently and occasionally crashing into the roadside rocks with loud bangs.

The team members sat in the back of the armored vehicle, their bodies swaying from side to side with the vehicle's movement. He Chenguang gripped the handrail tightly, his face pale, struggling to suppress his stomach discomfort—he didn't usually get seasick or carsick, but the violent jolting was still making him feel unwell. Xu Tianlong leaned against the window, eyes closed, fine beads of sweat forming on his forehead; he was clearly also trying his best to endure the discomfort. Although Wang Yanbing hadn't come along, the other team members were also affected by the jolting to varying degrees, with only a few remaining relatively stable.

Song Kaifei was one of them. Leaning back in his seat, he couldn't help but joke with Zhang Nengliang next to him: "Hey, Nengliang, do you think if this armored vehicle bounces any more, it might shake our internal organs out?"

Zhang Nengliang grinned, completely unaffected: "What's this little bump? I drive tanks for training, and that's what I call bumpy! Sometimes when a tank is climbing a hill in the wild, it can bounce you off your seat. Compared to that, this armored vehicle is child's play."

The two chatted back and forth, easing the stuffiness in the carriage. Zhang Beixing took out a slightly worn book from his backpack and leaned against the corner to read quietly. The book was titled "Dismantling and Deconstruction of Standard Artillery Ammunition Systems," and it was filled with annotations, clearly having been read many times.

The days of fighting had kept Zhang Beixing on edge, and now that he had a rare moment of leisure, he took the opportunity to refresh his knowledge. He was extremely focused when he read, and even the bumpy ride in the carriage did not affect him at all—he gently pressed the pages with his fingers, turning each page with extra care, as if afraid of damaging this precious professional book.

Sitting across from him, Yang Rui glanced curiously at the book title and couldn't help but ask, "Captain Zhang, I didn't know you had a reading habit, and you even read such a professional book. This book looks quite profound, can you understand it?"

Zhang Beixing didn't even look up, just grunted and turned a page of the book: "Knowledge is power, and it's never a bad thing to learn more. The artillery ammunition dismantling techniques in this book might come in handy on the battlefield—if we encounter a rebel artillery position, knowing how to dismantle the ammunition could reduce the danger."

"You're also interested in demolitions?" Yang Rui was even more surprised. "You're the captain, a top-notch sniper, and now you're even researching artillery ammunition. You're so versatile! Among our Jiaolong team members, you're probably the only one who can do what you do."

Zhang Beixing looked up at him, his tone matter-of-fact: "Since I'm the team leader, I have to be as versatile as possible. If the team members encounter problems, I have to be able to help them solve them; if there are emergencies, I have to be able to deal with them. If I don't even understand these things, how can I lead the team to complete the mission? How can I ensure their safety?"

Yang Rui's face flushed instantly, and he awkwardly pursed his lips—he was also the captain of Jiaolong, but in terms of all-around ability, he was far inferior to Zhang Beixing. If the other members of Jiaolong heard Zhang Beixing say this, wouldn't it make him look like an incompetent captain?

He couldn't help but mutter to himself: What do you mean a captain has to be all-around? I think you're a freak! Who can be good at everything? You killed the conversation in just three sentences, you really don't know how to have a conversation! If I could beat you, I would have argued with you long ago!
Just then, a sudden screech of brakes came from the lead armored vehicle!

"Screech—!" The ear-piercing screeching sound, like a sharp knife, shattered the silence of the mountain road, echoing repeatedly in the empty valley. The armored vehicle convoy behind had no time to react and could only brake sharply. The vehicles came to a stop with violent shaking, their tires leaving two dark tracks on the gravel road, with wisps of smoke rising from the edges. The buses escorting the overseas Chinese in the middle shook even more violently, and panicked screams came from the windows. Water bottles and bread fell from people's hands, rolling all over the ground.

Yang Rui grabbed the handrail in front of him to steady himself, then peered out the window of the armored vehicle. He saw a major from the Ivia government forces rushing towards him, his boots crunching on the gravel, his face filled with anxiety. The major leaned close to the window and whispered in heavily accented English, "Captain Yang, Captain Zhang, we've just received an urgent message from the forward outpost! The pass three kilometers ahead is blocked by the rebels, and they've discovered what appears to be an anti-tank mine. This road is impassable; we must change course immediately!"

"Change course?" Yang Rui frowned, his mind racing—the original route had been determined after repeated surveys by the Navy Headquarters, avoiding all known rebel-controlled areas. Changing course would not only add at least fifty kilometers of mountain roads, taking nearly two hours, but also require reapplying for route planning from the warships; it couldn't be decided arbitrarily. More importantly, an unfamiliar route meant unknown risks; no one knew if they would encounter more ambushes along the way.

He hesitated for a moment, then immediately turned to Zhuang Yu in the carriage and shouted, "Zhuang Yu, quickly contact the warship using the encrypted channel! Report the current situation and request new route instructions, the sooner the better!"

"Yes!" Zhuang Yu immediately pulled out his tactical communicator, his fingers rapidly adjusting the channel. After pressing the call button, his voice was urgent: "0101, this is Jiaolong Commando Team One, please respond! Repeat, 0101, this is Jiaolong Commando Team One, requesting emergency communication!" (End of Chapter)