Rejecting Qinghua Baoyan, I became a military officer

Happy Lantern Festival! Don't forget to eat lots of glutinous rice balls!

Looking at the distant manor of Shadama, Xu Ye was on the phone with Han Ziqing, who was thousands of miles away.

It's already evening back home.

Amidst the lights of countless homes, a sudden realization dawns on me: I am now thousands of miles away in Moscow, unable to celebrate the holiday with her.

Moreover, this will become the norm in the future.

"Yes, Happy Lantern Festival to you too! Did you eat any glutinous rice balls?"

Han Ziqing looked at the glutinous rice balls she had gotten from the CCTV cafeteria in her bowl, casually stirring them with her spoon, her mind already on Xu Ye on the other end of the phone.

“I ate it, and it was peanut-filled!” Xu Ye said with a smile.

This wasn't something Xu Ye made up. When he arrived, he actually ate a bowl of glutinous rice balls that he had redeemed from the system shop. They tasted amazing and were a great deal.

After chatting for a while longer, Han Ziqing reluctantly hung up the phone, feeling somewhat melancholy.

Although she didn't ask, Xu Ye didn't say anything either.

However, Han Ziqing's sixth sense told her that Xu Ye had most likely gone on another mission, and she couldn't help but feel a little worried.

Looking down at the nearly finished glutinous rice balls, Han Ziqing quickly put down her phone and started eating.

Han Ziqing has already gained considerable experience in quickly adjusting her mindset.

For example, shift your focus.

Xu Ye, on the other side, could naturally sense Han Ziqing's feelings, but could only offer words of comfort.

That's just how my job is, there's nothing I can do about it!
After thinking for a moment, Xu Ye sent New Year's greetings to some people, as was his custom in previous years.

Anyway, there is still time.

After finishing all this, it was already past three o'clock in the afternoon. The gate of the manor in the distance was opened, and a convoy drove out.

After taking a few glances, Xu Ye picked up the binoculars again to confirm, and the person sitting in the bulletproof car was indeed Saddam Hussein.

According to the relevant schedule, Shadam will meet with one of the ministers of Russia in a little over an hour.

Xu Ye didn't obtain this intelligence from Saddam Hussein, but from within the Russian government. Given Xu Ye's current expertise in computers and the internet, acquiring this intelligence wasn't particularly difficult.

According to Xu Ye's estimate, the number of hackers in the world who are capable of obtaining such a device is definitely no less than three digits!

In other words, if someone were to think of starting from this point, they could ambush Saddam Hussein on his journey.

Bulletproof car?

Even armored vehicles, if they are used in a calculated attack and the target is caught off guard, can still kill the target instantly.

This is Russia, not China. Let alone guns and ammunition, it's not difficult to get your hands on even more powerful weapons.

Fortunately, according to Xu Ye's casual investigation, Shadama's trip this time was not dangerous.

However, after the convoy left, Xu Ye started his car and followed.

Instead of providing protection, they were conducting simulated attacks, marking out all the possible attacks along the way.

Essentially, it's a game of "spot the flaws" to find a series of vulnerabilities in DDTank security systems.

……

"That's a good hobby, but please be careful!"

While Saddam and his group were still on their way back, Xu Ye had already quietly infiltrated Saddam's manor. Looking at the huge indoor swimming pool in front of him, Xu Ye felt a sense of感慨 (gan3kai3, a feeling of mixed emotions, including nostalgia and reflection).

The constant influx of clean water is consuming a considerable amount of money and resources every moment.

With this kind of lifestyle, would the water that an average person saves in a lifetime be enough to power this swimming pool for even one day?

As the saying goes, "Without me, there's no decadence and extravagance; global warming is all my fault."

Thinking of this, Xu Ye shook his head speechlessly.

save?

If you have money, even a dog would be frugal!
I don't know what Saddam was thinking. The pool water wasn't crystal clear; instead, it was a dark, deep-sea-like color. Isn't that a clear safety hazard?

Thinking of this, Xu Ye had an idea. After two days of investigation, Xu Ye had roughly figured out the strength and various weaknesses of Saddam Security. It was time to meet Saddam.

However, Xu Ye wanted to make the meeting more special and memorable.

At the same time, it can also give Saddam's bodyguard team the most profound warning, clearing away all obstacles for the seamless implementation of the training next!
As for watching airplanes?
What's so interesting about those planes? Just buy them by model, and determine the quantity based on the $300 million limit.

Surely no one thinks buying an airplane, especially a fighter jet, is the same as buying vegetables at the market?
That's impossible!
Even though Russia can be quite rough in its work, it's not uncommon for them to sell off active-duty aircraft.

No, it just happened.

Many of the aircraft sold to the Iraqi Air Force were retired active-duty planes that were simply painted with Iraqi Air Force markings. The pilots were then transferred to "volunteer" status and immediately flew to Iraq to engage in combat with aircraft from the British, American, and other multinational forces.

To produce new ones?

It takes several months for the cabbages in the field to grow, let alone these advanced fighter jets, which are all produced to order and have a lot of inventory!

If we wait for the new production to be completed and delivered, it will be too late. How could Iraq possibly hold out for that long?

Besides, even the simple-minded Saddam Hussein was willing to pay a higher price. Under the influence of various factors, 80% of the planes that Saddam Hussein bought before were active-duty fighter jets from Russia.

Several hundred fighter jets—not all of them were lost, but not many were actually left.

Similarly, they also achieved good results.

It's impossible for them to have an advantage. In the field of fighter jets, let alone the current Russia, even the Soviet Union in its later period was already lagging behind the United States.

However, with the support of the system, the situation did not become one-sided, and the casualty ratio was roughly three to two, meaning that three Iraqi fighter jets could be exchanged for two British and American ones.

Xu Ye alone boosted the team's lead by several percentage points, achieving a complete collapse while always managing to escape unscathed.

If it weren't for the fear of having too great an impact, this number could be even higher.

Whenever he thinks of this, Xu Ye feels a pang of heartache—those are all my hard-earned points!

However, Xu Ye also knew that he had to leave at that time; he really couldn't take America for a fool!
If it goes too far, it can't pretend it doesn't see it.

It is precisely because of the heavy losses suffered by the Iraqi Air Force that Russia now faces a severe shortage of fighter jets.

Therefore, even if this agreement is signed, aside from the older aircraft, the advanced fighter jets will still need some time to be ready.

After all, Russia also needs to prioritize replenishing the shortage of its air force.

It's not that it's afraid of being attacked. In today's world, even the United States only dares to target Russia in economic and other ways, but doesn't dare to actually take action against Russia.

Even twenty years from now, if Russia's combat capabilities are still extremely poor, the United States still won't dare to personally intervene.

Why?

Firstly, the US is genuinely afraid that Russia will retaliate. Secondly, Russia's power has declined, and so has the US's own; it's also afraid of revealing its weaknesses.

Of course, there is a way to deliver quickly—that is, those fighter jets that Saddam Hussein had already paid for and that were eventually withdrawn back to Russia, nominally belonging to the Iraqi Air Force.

These planes are essentially Iraqi, or rather, Saddam Hussein's.

However, Xu Ye knew that at this moment, both Shadama and Da Mao would tacitly "ignore" this matter.

Do you really think that Russia is a purely good person who would be willing to provide asylum to Saddam Hussein despite pressure from the US, UK, and other countries?

There must be various considerations and interests involved; otherwise, it's just wishful thinking!
Not to mention, the entire Iraqi government-in-exile was being sheltered, so there had to be some benefits involved.

Therefore, these fighter jets, worth billions of dollars, were naturally ignored.

This $300 million plane is a gift to China, and also a gesture of goodwill to Russia.

After all, the profits from arms dealing are obvious to everyone!
After being thoroughly humiliated by the United States twice, Saddam Hussein has lost his neuroticism as the "Middle Eastern madman" and has become much more mature, rational, and stable.

This assessment sounds a bit like an insult to someone in their sixties or seventies.

But that's just how it is.

Otherwise, Saddam Hussein wouldn't have ended up like this, and he could still enjoy a life of extravagance and absolute power in Iraq.

Unlike now, where you still have to travel around to meet with even a high-ranking official like a minister.

Time is also destiny!

Shaking his head, Xu Ye had a sudden thought, and a complete set of diving equipment appeared beside him.

In fact, even without these devices, Xu Ye's current physical condition would allow him to hold his breath underwater for more than half an hour, far exceeding the current world record.

However, since Xu Ye is now simulating a normal assassin, this diving suit, which is almost the same color as the pool water and helps with concealment, and the oxygen tank are very necessary.

In less than a minute, Xu Ye was dressed, evaded the patrol personnel, and silently disappeared into the somewhat blue-black swimming pool, quietly lying in wait.

Just as Xu Ye finished his infiltration, the manor gates opened, welcoming its owner back.

"Get ready, I'm going for a swim in a bit!"

Shadama took a puff of his cigar and casually gave an order.

Swimming in the pool at this time every day has become one of Saddam Hussein's few hobbies since he came to Moscow.

This is also the reason for Xu Ye's comment that he "has a good interest," and it is also a conclusion that Xu Ye came to after observation.

Indeed, at Shadama's age, he can be considered an elderly person, so having a hobby like swimming, which provides a full-body workout, is really great.

Considering this is Moscow, where it's freezing cold, it's even more remarkable.

"Yes, sir!"

The assistant in the passenger seat immediately replied.

Then, the assistant began to give instructions in a low voice.

Before Shadama's car had even stopped, Xu Ye, who was lying quietly at the bottom of the pool, heard some disordered footsteps.

"You've really formed this habit?"

Based on the information he had observed earlier, Xu Ye guessed what had happened up there, and he thought to himself with a slight grumbling.

Self-discipline is extremely rare for a normal person.

However, for Shadama now, a regular life is not suitable, as it makes him easily exploited by those with ulterior motives.

For example, Xu Ye is now preparing to give Shadama a surprise.

"Pfft!"

A few minutes later, Shadaki, who had changed into a bathrobe, stretched his body, jumped into the pool, and began to swim.

Seeing this, the bodyguards on guard around the perimeter looked away from Saddam Hussein—their president didn't like being stared at.

From now on, they will only need to scan it occasionally.

This is actually easy to understand; if you have a strong and healthy body, then it doesn't matter.

However, Shadam is now over sixty years old, so it's normal that he doesn't like being stared at.

Similarly, Xu Ye also observed this habit.

"Ok?"

While swimming face down, Da Mu suddenly noticed something faintly glowing at the bottom of the pool. Curious, he dived down into it.

Curiosity killed the cat, and Shadak was no exception. Before Shadak's hand could even touch the thing, a dark figure suddenly darted out from the side, and a large hand grabbed Shadak's shoulder near his neck.

Just as Shadamu was terrified and instinctively tried to struggle to swim upstream, Xu Ye pulled down his breathing mask and gave Shadamu a big smile.

The silly big guy recognized Xu Ye immediately and stopped struggling. He then opened his mouth to greet Xu Ye, forgetting that he was still underwater and almost choked.

Seeing this, Xu Ye felt a little embarrassed and quickly used a little force to drag the big wooden thing to the surface of the water.

Even at this point, no one noticed anything unusual.

That's true. It may seem like a long time has passed, but it's actually only a few seconds.

"call!"

The silly big guy, who had been brought to the surface by Xu Ye, breathed a sigh of relief, feeling a lingering fear of surviving a disaster.

Fortunately, it was Xu Ye; if it had been anyone else, he would most likely have lost his life this time.

Saddam Hussein was well aware that although he was now in Russia and had received Russia's open protection, he was still in a difficult situation.

However, this does not mean that you are safe.

On the contrary, because of its own actions, Iraq is now experiencing widespread resistance, and the United States will certainly want to eliminate it as soon as possible.

Otherwise, Shadak wouldn't have specifically asked Longguo to have Xu Ye help him train his bodyguard team.

Unable to obtain Xu Ye, getting Xu Ye to help train bodyguards was a second-best option for Shadama.

"Sir, I'm so sorry to have startled you!"

Looking at the still-frightened Shadam, Xu Ye lowered his head slightly and apologized.

In other words, it's Shadak. If it were anyone else, Xu Ye would really like to say, "Surprised? Unexpected?"

However, although he didn't ask the question, judging from Shadaki's expression, he was not only surprised but also very delighted!
"It's alright, you did a great job, better than I expected!" Shadama wiped the water off his face and laughed heartily.

By this time, Shadama had more or less understood Xu Ye's intentions. (End of Chapter)