Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
A three-month break? When the Special Forces is in chaos? Of course Huo Shaoheng would not agree to it, but he would not reject General Ji directly, either.
“I was indeed a little rash, General Ji. But think about it. I fell into a trap set by our enemy in America and almost landed in the hands of the CIA. Over here in my Special Forces, a traitor was found and caused the death of two of my comrades. Their bodies were not even found until recently. This time around, my trip to Germany was merely to give them a warning. However, this is far from enough. Therefore, I cannot go on a break yet,” Huo Shaoheng said sincerely with a gentle tone.
General Ji’s eyebrows furrowed. He touched his chin and thought out loud, “What you said makes sense as well. However, in only two days, you’ve already executed two people. I know that you’re angry, but in times like these, we will need even more to be cool and collected. You’ve been in this line of work for a long time now and should not be so rash.”
It was true that he should not, but he should also not lose his golden opportunity during the wait. Of course, Huo Shaoheng was biased when he had decided to go to Germany to kill Als, but he had also analyzed it thoroughly before going there. He had not gone there solely based on anger.
His biggest push factor was the central information system in Germany that Gu Nianzhi had just managed to hack. He could only attack swiftly when the opponent’s information department was down and have an opportunity to get rid of their best man. Coincidentally, their best man happened to be the person who electrocuted Gu Nianzhi.
When Huo Shaoheng saw her being electrocuted, he had already sworn to kill this man. He did not know who the person was when he first saw the footage. However, when Gu Nianzhi wanted a breakup, she said his name in tears in his arms. From then on, Als was already a dead man to Huo Shaoheng.
Rash?
Of course, but as a man, he could not take this lying down. The woman he loved was kidnapped and electrocuted. He was already being nice allowing Reinitz to live. No matter what, he was the one who let Gu Nianzhi go eventually. Had he not done that, Gu Nianzhi would not have been back by his side so soon.
Huo Shaoheng contemplated and replied, carefully selecting his words, “General Ji, Ye Zitan was a traitor who directly betrayed two of our comrades. Therefore, she definitely had to die. As for Als, he was a lesson from us to the FIA. They set a trap in Germany and wanted to gain from it, but there’s still someone behind them. By killing Als, I was also trying to warn the people behind him not to think that we’re a pushover that would not retaliate when our people are killed or tortured. An eye for an eye—the only way for them to return to the negotiating table would be to make them listen. General Ji, you told me this before. The reason we set up the Special Forces was to pave a nice path for our benefits overseas. As long as there were things that the country and army could not do in the open, we would be the ones doing those things.”
General Ji was extremely taken aback when he heard those words from Huo Shaoheng. Indeed, this was why he had wanted the Special Forces to be set up then. Huo Shaoheng had followed through with that initial belief, but General Ji, as one of the founders and initiators, had become cowardly unknowingly over the years.
“Shaoheng, knowing that you’re thinking like that makes me feel comforted. You did not forget about the responsibilities you have and remembered our beliefs all this time. I’m very happy that I was right about you.” General Ji looked at Huo Shaoheng encouragingly, and his eyes were almost filled with admiration. “Okay. You don’t have to go on a break. However, you’re not allowed to travel for now. You’ll have to give me your passport so that I can make sure.”
Huo Shaoheng did not have any plans to leave the country for now, or rather, before he made up with Gu Nianzhi. He would not be leaving her anymore…
“Okay. As you wish. I’ll get Big Xiong to send my passport over later on,” Huo Shaoheng agreed steadily. Seeing that General Ji was happy with his reply, he took the opportunity and continued, “There’s one more thing, General Ji, that I would like to inform you of.”
“What about? Let’s take a seat.” General Ji pointed at the sofa across his desk. “Don’t you know how to take a seat after standing for so long?”
Huo Shaoheng smiled and filled General Ji’s cup with more tea before taking a seat.
“I wish to inform you about the mistake that the vice president of the Special Forces has made.” Huo Shaoheng sat up straight on the sofa. “He went against the Special Forces’ important rules and beliefs and dabbled in the nation’s affairs. He’s not suitable to be the vice president of the Special Forces anymore.”
Huo Shaoheng was referring to the vice president of the Special Forces forcing the people he trusted to remain in the central control room for three days to support the voting campaign.
General Ji was slightly embarrassed when he heard that. “Ah, that… It’s like this; we cannot fully blame him. It was at my request and Speaker Long’s, along with the two prime minister candidates’.”
“You, Speaker Long, and the two prime minister candidates’ request… That’s true.” Huo Shaoheng had skipped over the fact that General Ji and Speaker Long were involved.
This was something that he had no choice but to do, as he could control the vice president of the Special Forces but was unable to control General Ji, Speaker Long, and the two candidates.
“However, being the second-in-command of the Special Forces but not having any stand of his own and going according to others’ wishes, that went against the beliefs, motto, and mission of the Special Forces. It is a severe case of neglect. Moreover, for those three days in the control room, we missed the golden opportunity to decode many pieces of information, and it caused us tremendous losses. If we do not punish such an action, how can I work in the future? Would anyone even respect me anymore? How else can the Special Forces be the nation’s secret powerful weapon?”
Huo Shaoheng linked the entire issue to the existence of the Special Forces. Even if General Ji were to speak up, it would be hard for him to do so.
However, General Ji still felt troubled. Shaking his head, he said, “We cannot say that. Even though there’s a clause that says the Special Forces are not supposed to dabble in national affairs, things happen. Moreover, this request wasn’t brought up by me alone. There was still Speaker Long and the two candidates. Also, let me tell you, the nation’s people support this. They trust that the organization is fair and just, and therefore, were willing to allow you guys to keep watch over the entire campaign.”
Huo Shaoheng’s eyes twitched. He controlled his frustration and lowered his voice. “General Ji, what do you mean by the ‘nation’s support?’ I thought that our organization was supposed to be secret. No one was supposed to even know about our existence other than the government bodies. How would the citizens know? If even they learn about our existence, how can we be kept a secret? How can we work, then? We might as well disperse.”
General Ji was struck dumb by his words. With his brows furrowed, he said, “Actually, it was the candidates who said this. They said that according to a survey, everyone hoped to have a fair organization that would be the one in charge of counting the votes, an organization that does not take sides in politics. Therefore, they selected your organization.”
Huo Shaoheng wanted to laugh out loud. These two candidates really thought that they were so good at playing the game, didn’t they? They were trying to make the citizens be the scapegoat…
Leaning forward, Huo Shaoheng looked General Ji straight in the eyes and said clearly, “General Ji, I feel that you and Speaker Long’s intentions were good. However, the two candidates took advantage of your good intentions. Their request was really too odd. If they were the ones who guided the citizens’ opinion and selected the Special Forces to be the organization to count the votes for the campaign, then I’m confident in saying that they have all the criteria to leak our secret. Please do not think that betrayal is only leaking information to our enemies. People like them who reveal their own secrets are also considered betrayers.”
General Ji’s heart skipped a beat. His eyes narrowed as he looked at the display cabinet, deep in thought. Indeed… The Tans and the Cais were the ones who wanted Huo Shaoheng to go to America to rescue Tan Guiren… And the Bais were the ones who were fine with Gu Nianzhi going to Germany. And at the final moment of the election, both of them actually had the same thought and wanted the Special Forces to be the vote-counting organization…
When he thought along that line, General Ji felt extremely uncomfortable. Being used as a gun to shoot—no one would feel comfortable about that. His expression darkened. Looking at Huo Shaoheng, he nodded. “Yes, Shaoheng. It’s really great that you thought about the entire incident in all aspects. This doesn’t seem that simple.”
“Yes, sir! You’re so wise!” Huo Shaoheng praised General Ji. Now, General Ji was happy and shy.
He smiled and pointed at Huo Shaoheng. “You! I’ve praised you just now and said that you were mature, and now you talk like that. Look at your position and rank. How can you still praise others like that? Aren’t you worried that anyone would laugh at you?”
Huo Shaoheng smiled. “I’m always your subordinate, General Ji. Without your great leadership, I wouldn’t have been able to work so smoothly.” This wasn’t all boot licking. General Ji honestly provided huge support to the Special Forces and was their biggest back up. That was the reason why Huo Shaoheng’s suggestions could go through so easily.
General Ji was finally convinced. Opening his arms, he smiled happily and said, “Fine, then! Let me know what you want to do. I will definitely support you!”
“You’re so wise, sir!” Huo Shaoheng stood up and bowed to General Ji. “I’m relieved to have heard that from you. It’s like this: this mistake that the vice president of the Special Forces made could actually land him a sentence of life imprisonment. However, since General Ji helped to plead for him, I will not allow such a harsh punishment. Instead, I will just appeal for him to step down as vice president of the Special Forces.”
General Ji pointed at Huo Shaoheng and smiled knowingly. “Traps. It’s all traps. Talk. Who do you want to promote?”
“I was thinking that we should have two vice presidents. Then we wouldn’t be faced with such a difficult position like this,” Huo Shaoheng said smoothly. “Big Xiong and Little Ze are really capable. Their capabilities are top notch. They’ve been my personal secretaries for so many years and had never made any mistakes. I feel that they’re both worthy of being the vice presidents of the Special Forces. This would also help me to better carry out missions in the future.”
