The villainous young lady is actually a scientific research genius!

There were casualties.

The duty officer placed the emergency power supply on the table.

The sweat on my palms had already softened the corners of the paper.

In the operations room, the South China Sea navigation chart had not yet been put away, and the red route left by the US carrier strike group ran across the chart. Next to it, the map of the southwestern border had been hastily spread out.

The two events occurred only six hours apart.

Qin Beihai grabbed the urgent telegram and read it from beginning to end; his face darkened.

"How's the team doing now?"

"The escort personnel have moved the workers to a ravine on the east side of the highway. Two trucks were damaged, one of which caught fire. Nearby troops are on their way to provide assistance, and the wounded have been taken to the border hospital."

"Where are the attackers?"

"After the firefight, they retreated into the forest area on the neighboring country's side."

The duty officer turned to the second page, paused for a moment, and then continued reading.

"The enemy used light machine guns, rifles, and rocket launchers; the attack lasted seventeen minutes."

"During their retreat, they took some of the wounded with them, leaving behind three ammunition boxes, six medical kits, and a damaged radio."

Gu Zhaozhao pressed down the South China Sea map that had not yet been put away, and then asked the staff to spread out the map of the southwestern border next to it.

What are the construction vehicle fleets transporting?

"Road construction machinery parts, cement, medical equipment, and living supplies for personnel involved in foreign aid projects."

"Do you have any weapons?"

"The escorts were carrying standard firearms, but there were no military supplies on the transport manifest."

Gu Zhaozhao immediately followed up with, "Was the list saved?"

"It's saved."

The duty officer glanced down at the telegram, his Adam's apple bobbing.

"After the convoy was attacked, the team leader organized the evacuation according to the pre-arranged plan. Two workers braved the flames to drag a file box out of the driver's cab."

"The transport manifest, border crossing permit, and cargo acceptance form are all complete."

Qin Beihai raised his hand to press down the telegram, his brows furrowing even more.

"His life is in danger, and he's still thinking about stealing some documents."

The words sounded like a reproach, but there was a hint of anger in the voice.

Gu Zhaozhao looked down at the list of casualties.

The numbers on the paper were changed several times, with new ink pressing down on the old ink.

The last stroke added wasn't dry yet.

"Because they know that without these documents, the newspapers will report a different story tomorrow."

As soon as she finished speaking, a series of hurried footsteps sounded outside the door.

Another telegram was sent into the operations room, this time from the foreign affairs department.

An Associated Press correspondent in Southeast Asia has issued a breaking news report claiming that Chinese personnel carrying military supplies into a neighboring country's conflict zone were intercepted by local armed forces.

The report described the ambush as a "self-defense operation" and accused China of interfering in the internal affairs of a neighboring country under the guise of aiding in highway construction.

Less than forty minutes elapsed between the attack and the issuance of the breaking news.

Qin Beihai slammed his hand on the table, causing the teacup to jump violently.

"The wounded are still on their way, but their articles have already arrived!"

"It's not that they write fast."

Gu Zhaozhao picked up a pencil and drew a line in the time column of each of the two telegrams.

"It's this manuscript; it was written a long time ago."

She then marked a distance on the edge of the map.

"The attack site was more than 180 kilometers away from the nearest foreign media outpost. It would normally take at least several hours for reporters to receive the news, verify the information, and then send out the report."

Wen Che bent down to check the sending times of the two telegrams, his eyes turning cold.

"They knew in advance that the convoy would be attacked."

"At least, they got the reporting information beforehand."

Gu Zhaozhao did not rule out the possibility of a definitive answer.

She turned around and wrote three lines next to the map.

Pressure tactics in the South China Sea have failed.

Six hours later, the border convoy was attacked.

Forty minutes later, the foreign media report was published.

The pencil tip stopped at the last line.

"Some people, seeing that the first step didn't work, prepared a second plan in advance."

The phone on the table suddenly rang.

The central command called, requesting Qin Beihai, Gu Zhaozhao, and the foreign affairs department to immediately attend a special conference.

After the call was connected, Mr. Long didn't exchange pleasantries and went straight to the point.

"The casualty figures are still being verified. First, let's make one thing clear: we can't let a few newspapers lead us by the nose, and we certainly can't rush to send troops just to grab a word."

"Understood," Qin Beihai replied in a deep voice.

Qian Qishen from the foreign affairs department took over the conversation.

"The other party has already preemptively made a characterization. We must produce the convoy transport list and on-site evidence as soon as possible. Verbal denials alone cannot quell this trend."

"The list can be made public."

As Gu Zhaozhao spoke, she wrote down the document numbers.

"The goods acceptance form, engineering contract, and border crossing permit shall all be made public. The type and quantity of firearms carried by the escort personnel shall also be clearly stated, leaving no room for the other party to omit or piece together the information."

There was a moment of silence on the dedicated line.

Someone asked, "If we publicize the escort force, won't they seize on it and use it to portray it as military intervention?"

"It is an internationally accepted practice for engineering convoys to be equipped with necessary security escorts when passing through areas of armed activity."

Gu Zhaozhao's voice was not loud, but she spoke each word clearly.

"The more you try to cover it up, the more stories they have to tell."

"Everything that should be made public will be laid out on the table. Specific deployment details will be handled separately."

She paused for a moment.

"Being open and honest doesn't mean revealing all your cards."

Old Long asked, "What should we do with the items left at the scene?"

"First check the serial number, batch number, and transportation channel."

"Every piece of physical evidence must be photographed, and the entire process of its discovery, handover to relevant personnel, and sealing must be documented."

Gu Zhaozhao glanced at the foreign media telegrams on the table.

"By connecting the chain of evidence, the report can be published quickly, but they can't change where the evidence came from."

Shortly after the special meeting ended, the on-site photos sent by the Southwest Military Region arrived.

On one side of the mountain road, the charred truck was reduced to a twisted frame, with wooden planks scattered along the roadside and broken cement bags pressing against the messy tire tracks.

Several wooden crates found along the roadside were piled up, with faint serial numbers still remaining on the lids.

The officials in charge of collecting evidence wrote the time and specific location of discovery on the back of each photo.

Three ammunition boxes.

There are six medicine packages.

One shortwave radio station.

In addition, there are two rows of rubber-soled tire tracks that go up the hillside and eventually disappear into the forest.

Gu Zhaozhao picked up a magnifying glass and moved the photo of the ammunition box under the lamp.

The serial number on the side of the box had been scraped off with a knife, but there was an inconspicuous brand mark on the bottom.

Her finger pointed to a corner of the photo.

"Enlarge this area."

The technician took the film and immediately re-processed it.

Not long after, the enlarged photo marked on the bottom of the box was sent back to the operations room.

Under the light, a set of English abbreviations was clearly visible.