Go back in time and be a chaebol

Chapter 2577 Decapitation, We're Good at It (First Update, Please Subscribe)
At 2 a.m.,

The investigation department, hidden deep in the forest, is like a giant beast in the darkness. It lies dormant there quietly, just as it has for so many years, hidden in the shadows, unknown to the outside world.

Only one desk lamp was lit in the top-floor manager's office.

The light from the desk lamp cast a glow on the table, but beyond that glow lay only darkness.

As the head of the investigation department, Jia Wentao was slumped in the back of the large leather chair, leaning back slightly, with his hands crossed over his abdomen and his head buried in the shadows, revealing only a section of his hard jawline and tightly pursed lips, making it impossible to see his expression.

For many years, as the head of SEA's intelligence, he has remained secretive in the field of international intelligence, always quietly hidden in the shadows, just as he is now.

Standing in front of the head's desk, Chen Feng held an action plan in both hands, his fingers gripping the edge of the document with slight pressure.

In the quiet office, only his slightly rapid breathing and his words could be heard.

"Sir, this is the final plan for Operation 'Sword of Justice'."

Chen Feng's voice was extremely low, carrying a hint of deliberate suppression:

"The core objective is to carry out a decapitation operation to eliminate the remaining high-ranking forces of Zhenla."

He paused, and seeing that Jia Wentao in the shadows did not respond, he continued his report:

"After Phnom Penh was captured by the Thang Long Army, the target and his core staff led the remaining troops to retreat to the rainforest area of ​​the Cardamom Hills. According to the combined analysis of satellite reconnaissance and intelligence transmitted by informants, his remaining forces still number between 2 and 4, equipped with light and heavy weapons, and have a certain ability to fight and resist in the field."

Chen Feng turned a page of the action plan, his tone becoming increasingly solemn:

"But our psychological warfare analysis team concluded that there were already undercurrents within the organization, and the factors of instability were extremely prominent. The long-term reign of terror had caused immense suffering to the rank-and-file soldiers and the local people. Many soldiers were extremely dissatisfied with the dictatorship and brutality of the leadership, and there were even small-scale desertion incidents. The people of Zhenla hated them to the core, but dared not resist due to the threat of force. They would rather welcome the invasion of the Thang Long army than provide them with any assistance. This shows that the people were dissatisfied with them."

This is extremely rare in human history—the invaded actually welcome the invaders' invasion!

"Based on this, we believe that carrying out a decapitation operation is absolutely necessary."

Chen Feng's voice held a newfound certainty as he looked at his head and said:
"As long as we can successfully destroy its core leadership, the remaining troops, without command, will inevitably scatter like monkeys falling from a tree, and the entire organization will fundamentally collapse. More importantly, this will completely prevent other countries from taking the opportunity to win over and utilize these remaining forces to interfere with our subsequent strategic deployment and order reconstruction in the Zhenla region."

This is even more important than defeating them; after all, we must ensure that everything is under our control and not interfered with by others.

After he finished speaking, the office fell into a brief silence.

Chen Feng could clearly hear his own heartbeat. Just when he thought his boss would raise questions, there was finally movement in the shadows. Jia Wentao slowly extended his right index finger and lightly tapped the group photo of the high-ranking officials of Cambodia on the table. The movement was very light, but it carried an undeniable authority.

"Are you really aware of their movements?"

Jia Wentao's voice was low, but calm and without the slightest fluctuation:

"Do you have any concrete intelligence about the exact location of the leadership?"

"We are making every effort to strengthen intelligence gathering and verification!"

Chen Feng responded immediately, his tone tinged with urgency. He lowered his head and said:
"We have now basically pinpointed the approximate area of ​​their activity through drone reconnaissance and informant infiltration. It is located in a primeval rainforest deep in Cardamom Mountain."

Once our informants relay the accurate coordinates, we can immediately deploy air power to take action. Therefore, boss, this operation plan needs advance approval—after all, the enemy's movements are elusive, and such opportunities are often fleeting; any hesitation could lead to missed chances or even alerting them.

After Chen Feng finished speaking, he held his breath, waiting for a response. He could feel the gaze of the head in the shadows, as if it were real, falling on him, making his whole body tense. The air in the office seemed to freeze, and the light from the desk lamp illuminated a small area on the desktop.

After a full minute, Jia Wentao finally spoke, his tone concise and decisive, without the slightest hesitation:

"Then let's carry out the operation. Tell the task force to make sure it's a clean strike, leaving no room for error."

"Yes, sir!"

Chen Feng couldn't contain his excitement, and his voice rose a few decibels. He hesitated for a moment, then asked:
"Then is it necessary to establish a special court?" According to the tradition of the Investigation Department, assassination missions need to be retried by the court, and the Investigation Department will carry them out only after the judge makes a judgment.

This is not just about "legalizing" the operation, but more importantly, about protecting everyone involved, from the investigation department officials to the operation leader. It means that their actions are legal, thus avoiding potential risks.

Shaking his head, Jia Wentao said:

"This is different. They are specific targets of our operations, enemies of humanity, not just any individual. Moreover, our attacks are acts of war. No additional separate legal proceedings are required."

"I understand."

After receiving the instructions, he carefully put away the action plan, turned around and tiptoed out of the office, afraid of breaking the silence of the night.

The office door closed softly, and Jia Wentao remained in the same position, his head hidden in the shadows. He reached out, picked up the photograph on the desk, and ran his fingertips across it, his eyes deep and unfathomable.

Are you a cruel person?

When he asked this question, the corners of his mouth turned up, and his face held a certain sarcasm.

At that moment, moonlight streamed through the gaps in the curtains, casting dappled shadows in the office. No one knew what he was thinking.

He sat there quietly. For the past few months, Jia Wentao had been living in his office. After all, there were too many things to do, and everything was coming one after another, making it feel overwhelming.

A few hours later, as dawn broke, Jia Wentao was having his meal in a corner of the restaurant. The investigation department's restaurant was the same as other places; everyone ate in the same restaurant, without any hierarchy. Even as the director, he ate on a regular plate and had the same breakfast as everyone else. There was nothing special about it, and no special provisions were provided.

While he was eating, someone came to report that "today's briefing is ready." After thinking for a moment, Jia Wentao said:

"Okay, I'll deliver it myself!"

The Daily Intelligence Briefing is a meticulously prepared intelligence briefing produced by the Investigation Department and delivered to the Prime Minister's Residence every day. It is the first report that Your Excellency reads as soon as you enter your office each day, a practice that has been followed for many years. It can be said to be the start of Your Excellency's day.

Normally, the briefings were delivered to the official residence by a specialist from the Investigation Department in a private car. But today, Jia Wentao delivered them personally. So, when his car appeared at the official residence, it naturally attracted the attention of some people. Even Cheng Lixuan, the newly appointed director of the office, was slightly taken aback when he saw his car, and then muttered to himself:
"Something big is going to happen today..."

He said this because just a few minutes earlier, Defense Minister Chien Shang-chin had also arrived at the official residence. Their simultaneous appearance here must mean something big had happened.

Although he didn't know what had happened, Cheng Lixuan thought for a moment, then checked the time. It was 8:35 a.m., more than an hour before his work start time.

They all arrived really early.

However, it was they who knew that you entered the office at nine o'clock every morning.

Although SEA's working hours are now 10 a.m., Li Yi'an has always maintained the habit of starting at 9 a.m., or rather, he still has the tradition of "curling up".

Actually, it's not really a matter of being rushed, since it's only a ten-minute walk from the bedroom to the office, just a little earlier.

Sitting in his leather swivel chair, Li Yi'an flipped through Qian Shangqin's report. He didn't ask any questions while reading, and Qian Shangqin remained silent. After a moment, he looked up at him and asked:
"You mean... just bombing?"

"Yes, considering the local rainforest terrain and the fact that the Rising Dragon Army is adept at rainforest guerrilla warfare, if we send ground troops, we are very likely to get bogged down in a protracted war like the US military. Although this possibility is not high, we must avoid it as much as possible. At the same time, our allies do not yet have sufficient strength to carry out a landing operation. Relying solely on us, we need to deploy at least 15 troops. Considering that this is a large-scale landing operation, we..."

After a slight pause, Qian Shangqin stated directly:

"We were not prepared for this. The logistical support required for a landing operation involving hundreds of thousands of troops will be unprecedented. It is different from the war we fought in Lebanon. In Lebanon, we had ample time to mobilize troops and launch an attack only after the army was fully mobilized. In the meantime, the Syrians were just waiting."

However, the Thang Long Army will not wait for us to attack when we land, nor will they ignore us when we launch our westward attack from the direction of Zhenla. They will hinder us from all directions. The long logistical lines, the guerrillas in the rainforest—all of these will threaten our operation and even jeopardize the entire operation. Therefore…”

After a slight pause, Qian Shangqin said:
"The most realistic and safest way is through the air! By launching a comprehensive air strike, we can force them to accept our terms."

(End of this chapter)