The villainous young lady is actually a scientific research genius!

Qian Qishen took the photo, stared at the serial number at the bottom of the box for a few seconds, and his expression darkened.

"This is the warehouse code for overseas aid projects."

Wen Che immediately opened the newly delivered supplies register and checked each page according to its number.

Not long after, his finger stopped on a line of records.

"Three months ago, this shipment was delivered to the neighboring country by an international aid organization."

He turned the register to the crowd.

"The declared items are agricultural tools, seeds, and grains, and the project is for agricultural relief, totaling 420 boxes."

The ammunition boxes found at the ambush site were numbered exactly within the range of this shipment's serial numbers.

The beginning and the end both match up.

Not a single number was skipped.

Qin Beihai picked up another photo of medicine.

The outer packaging of the gauze was printed with the same organization's logo, and the batch number, production date, and shipping number were exactly the same as those in the register.

"Agricultural relief?"

He placed the two photos side by side on the table and gave a cold laugh.

"Using machine gun bullets to help farmers cultivate the land?"

No one responded.

The only sounds in the operations room were the rustling of pages turning and the low hum of the instruments in the corner, making the air feel even more oppressive.

Meanwhile, technicians had already disassembled the damaged radio.

The manufacturer's nameplate had been removed, and fresh scratches remained around the screw holes.

However, the other party did not clean it thoroughly enough; a string of maintenance numbers remained on the internal crystal, and a frequency recording paper was pressed under the battery compartment.

The paper was wrinkled from being soaked in sweat, but the numbers on it were still legible.

The technicians checked each item one by one, and then looked up after a moment.

"The three backup frequency bands completely overlap with the communication frequency bands commonly used by overseas aid convoys."

Ammunition box.

drug.

Radio station.

Three things fell from different directions and eventually caught the same project.

Wen Che looked at the physical evidence on the table, reached into the South China Sea incident file, pulled out a photo, and pushed it in front of everyone.

Not long ago, Vietnamese transport planes airdropped supplies to disputed islands under the guise of "humanitarian resupply."

Several of the wooden crates fell into the sea and were retrieved by fishery administration vessels. The crates contained no food or medicine, but only radios, gun parts, and construction blueprints.

Now, the two batches of physical evidence are placed on the same table.

A batch labeled "Humanitarian Supplies".

A batch of items labeled "Agricultural Relief" were distributed.

The name has changed, but the script remains the same.

"We transport military supplies by sea using humanitarian aid, and send ammunition to the border using agricultural relief."

Qian Qishen took off his glasses and slowly wiped them twice with a lens cloth, his voice filled with undisguised sarcasm.

"They've even forgotten to change their methods of concealment."

"It's not that I'm too lazy to change it."

Gu Zhaozhao looked at those photos.

"They never imagined that these boxes would end up in our hands."

She bent down and marked the ambush location on the map, then wrote down the time when the standoff in the South China Sea occurred.

As the pencil moved, several key nodes were connected one by one.

"This armed group is probably targeting more than just a batch of foreign aid supplies."

The pen tip lightly touches the map.

"The pressure from the sea was just blocked, and then something happened at the border, with foreign media publishing reports almost at the same time."

"The timing of the three lines is so precise, it can't be a coincidence."

There was a two-second silence on the other end of the dedicated line.

Old Master Long only said three words.

"Go on."

"We use the sea to contain fighter jets and warships, the border to contain stationed troops and foreign affairs forces, and then let the media fuel the fire, directing the doubts to both domestic and international audiences."

As Gu Zhaozhao spoke, she wrote down several project names in her notebook.

South Heaven Gate.

Kunlun.

Materials development.

Her pen paused for a moment.

"Next, someone will definitely ask why the country is spending so much money on aerospace, aircraft carriers, and new materials."

"There will definitely be people who will use the security situation to their advantage, advocating for the suspension of some projects and the redeployment of all manpower and funds to deal with the border and maritime areas."

Qin Beihai stared at the names on the paper and finally pieced together all the clues.

"What they really want to slow down is our construction progress."

"right."

Gu Zhaozhao placed the pencil between the two maps.

"Their goal will be achieved once China begins to doubt its own development direction."

Applying pressure in certain areas, followed by public opinion, will further force China into disarray.

That's a clever plan.

"We must defend the borders and the seas, but the projects must not be stopped."

Gu Zhaozhao raised her head.

"If we stop one thing today, next time they'll know where to start and how much pressure to apply to force us to continue making concessions."

The sound of documents being turned over could be heard from the other end of the dedicated line.

After a while, Elder Long spoke.

"A joint investigation team has been established."

"The military, foreign affairs, and engineering departments participated together."

He paused for a moment, then added another sentence.

"Invite observers from neutral countries."

Several people sat up straight around the conference table.

Qian Qishen was the first to understand the significance of this arrangement.

"Once the site is sealed off, observers can examine the physical evidence."

He put his glasses back on and glanced at the photos on the table.

"The box number, drug batch number, radio frequency, and fleet list are all put together and cross-checked item by item."

"Whether it's true or false, we don't need to draw conclusions for anyone. The evidence won't play along with their act."

"Can."

Elder Long immediately made the decision.

"We don't draw conclusions for anyone."

"Put everything out in its original form, let them see it for themselves, remember it for themselves, and let them draw their own conclusions."

His voice became increasingly steady.

"Border escort capabilities will be strengthened simultaneously. Foreign aid projects will not be withdrawn, but personnel safety standards must be raised."

"Investigation is investigation, and construction is construction. The two lines of work should be pursued separately, and neither should delay the other."

Old Master Long spoke the last sentence very slowly.

"No one can cut off our path with an ambush."

……

At 2 a.m., news finally came from the border hospital.

The seriously injured veteran driver has regained consciousness.

His left shoulder was wrapped in thick bandages, and his face was almost bloodless.

The army doctor forbade him to speak now.

He stubbornly raised his uninjured hand and patted the cut-open work clothes next to the bed.

The nurse bent down and pulled a piece of cardboard covered in mud and blood from her inner pocket.

"Master, is this what you're looking for?"

The experienced driver struggled to raise his hand, his trembling fingertips tapping the piece of paper.

"When they were retreating... one of their vehicles got stuck in the ditch."

He spoke too quickly, and his chest heaved violently.

The medic quickly pressed down on his shoulder. Once his heavy breathing subsided, he managed to squeeze out the rest of his words.

"I hid under the car...the car skidded."

"I reached out and... tore it off."

Just as the nurse was about to turn around and call for help, the old driver kept staring intently at the piece of paper, as if afraid that it would disappear from his sight if he closed his eyes.

"Don't throw it away..."

"Don't worry, it won't get lost."

The nurse held his hand and spoke very softly.

"This is something you risked your life to protect; we will definitely keep it safe."

The experienced driver then relaxed his grip.

The piece of cardboard was quickly put into an evidence bag and sent to the joint investigation team overnight.

That was a vehicle pass.

The front of the vehicle is printed with "Neighboring Country Agricultural Relief Project". The vehicle type registered on the pass matches the width of the ruts left at the scene. The tread pattern of the tires used by the vehicle also matches the tire marks left on the edge of the ditch.

The English name of the issuing authority also appears in the storage code on the bottom of the ammunition box.

The staff turned it over to the back.

A red stamp was placed right next to the date.

When Wen Che finished reviewing the organization's information and walked into the operations room with the documents in his hand, the sky was already turning gray.

Gu Zhaozhao hadn't slept all night. Hearing footsteps, she looked up.

Who is the head of the organization?

Wen Che handed over the top page of information.

Harold, Head of the Overseas Agricultural Aid Program in Asia.

"Where is he?"

"Kyoichi."

The pencil tip rested on the paper, leaving a small black dot.

Gu Zhaozhao stared at the words "Beijing" on the document, not writing a second stroke for a long time.

Ammunition boxes at the border, and the person in charge of Beijing.

The line was closer than they had anticipated.

Wen Che pulled another application form from the folder, but did not hand it over immediately.

Gu Zhaozhao looked up at him.

"What else?"

Wen Che was silent for a moment.

"He submitted a meeting request yesterday."

"Whom do I request to see?"

Wen Che placed the application in front of her, pressing his finger on the section for the respondent.

"you."

The operations room fell silent.

Gu Zhaozhao lowered her eyes to look.

In that column, three words were written clearly.

Gu Zhaozhao.