Closer, Much Closer...

The skies over West Africa are unpredictable and the weather is ever-changing. After the Humvee had been running for two hours, the clouds rolled in, the moonlight disappeared, and the Stellaris vanished.

The earth was shrouded in darkness, Horus had to turn on his headlights to travel safely at high speed. In the pitch-black silence of the night, the two xenon headlights shone like a lighthouse, which meant a much higher chance of being spotted and an increase in unpredictable events.

Along the way, they had already encountered two checkpoints that they couldn't avoid, and then a small patrol team, all of whom were armed forces from that mercenary group.

The other side had already seen the bright headlights and heard the powerful roar of the Humvee's engine; they had even covered the vehicle with searchlights and set up machine guns.

Kang De had no choice but to kill them all.

The battle was so swift and efficient that no one had time to send out news of the attack. After all, even with their rigorous training, these mercenary soldiers could never have imagined encountering such a powerful enemy combination.

--Transformers are one thing, but humans not only have superhuman strength and X-ray vision, but they also have all sorts of superpowers. Who would have thought of that?

The killing to silence witnesses and the destruction of evidence were swift and efficient, but this did not mean that everything was fine. Although the enemy had not had time to send out news of the attack, the mercenary command would eventually discover the loss of contact, and then they would realize that the enemy had entered the Comora battlefield and that a crisis was approaching.

The advantage of the enemy being in the open while we are in the dark will be reduced.

Once the mercenary leader realizes this, the potential risks faced by my father and his men will increase, and even a slight increase would be unacceptable to Kang De.

He needed to rescue his father before the other party realized there was a problem.

Therefore, he was ruthless and swift in his methods, leaving no survivors. So the first thing he did when launching the attack was to cut off the power and destroy the surveillance system, because he couldn't let the enemy know that the attacker was China, and he couldn't let these damned mercenaries realize that he was there for those China hostages.

The Humvee accelerated again, speeding along the uneven road.

The car's interior lights illuminated Kang De's expressionless face as he listened to the intelligence Kirov had gathered.

"The reason for the war is quite formal. It originated from a piece of land that has long been disputed between Comora and Gambia. That land was originally occupied by Comora, and then the Gambia citizens were shot and killed. You know, this method is classic and effective, it's practically timeless."

"It's worth mentioning that the Gambia royal family and the Comora royal family are closely related, and even the two countries share deep cultural, historical, and ethnic connections. The Gambia king's war slogan was to end the division and conflict, and to completely resolve the disputes and contradictions between the two countries. Of course, what he actually thought, we don't know... He may have reached some kind of agreement with that mercenary group."

"Even..."

The Russian paused for a moment after saying this.

Kang De inquired, "Even what?"

"Friend, I have no intention of speculating about conspiracy theories, but the old leader of this mercenary group is Big Bob Buruo. Although the Fr*nce governments do not recognize him, everyone knows who secretly approved his series of coups and military operations in Africa in his early years. It is simply unimaginable that a legendary mercenary with blood on his hands could spend his later years in peace in his own country..."

As the Russian stammered, a cold glint flashed in Kang De's eyes. "What do you mean?"

"I think this mercenary force might be qualified to make an arms deal with a small Africa country, but they would never dare to detain China citizens, absolutely not."

Kirov's tone turned serious. "Believe me, mercenaries, like us, are frequent visitors to the gray area. We may seem unscrupulous and capable of anything, but that's just an appearance. In fact, we understand respect and rules better than anyone else..."

"--Of course, 'rules' refers to the rules we consider to be rules."

"For this mercenary or security company led by Bob Buruo, with its close ties to the Fr*nce governments, and possessing a certain international reputation and legitimate industry, the greatest rule is to respect the true power of this world and abide by the international order established by the five permanent members of the UN Security Council."

Kang De cracked his neck. "But they still tied them up... Who gave them the guts?"

Kirov said in a deep voice, "That depends on what's in the King of Comora's tomb... Perhaps the enormous profits drove them to take the risk, or perhaps it was at the behest of some powerful figure."

"I must emphasize one point, my friend, this is not an attempt to sow discord or fan the flames."

"In any case, given Big Bob's hidden power in Comora, and the influence of Fr*nce power projection in Africa, the Fr*nce government could not possibly be unaware of the battle between Gambia and Battle of Comora, or even the role played by this mercenary force—it might even be the driving force behind it all."

"Don't forget, the Comora's naval and air defenses were outsourced to France, and they haven't done a single thing about it."

Kang De remained silent for a long time on the other end of the phone.

He knew what Kirov meant.

If, as he claims, all of this is a conspiracy and scheme orchestrated by a certain government, then the enemy he faces may not be just a group of mercenaries profiting from war.

Rather, it is one of the five permanent members of the Security Council, a traditional European power, and still possesses a large number of overseas colonies. Its sphere of influence Fallout almost to the entire Africa. It has a number of powerful allies, the second largest number of military bases in the world after the United States, a space power, a nuclear power, maintains a powerful army that can operate independently of NATO, maintains an independent and effective nuclear deterrent, has extremely high self-sufficiency in military production, and has a very complete combat system.

That's the kind of country it is.

Although the operation in Comora may just be a secret decision by this behemoth, and although it is almost certain that Comora will not confront the enemy's true military forces...

But the five permanent members of the UN Security Council are still the five permanent members.

"Brother, I have to say, don't worry. You and I are alike; we both have a powerful motherland to be proud of. Especially you, don't worry, your motherland is the only non-white country among the five permanent members of the UN Security Council."

The implication of the Russian's words is quite simple.

If there is indeed a game and strategy of this scale behind the scenes, then reporting to the motherland for help is the wisest choice. At most, it will only obtain some irrefutable evidence, giving the motherland an opportunity to launch an attack and exert pressure, making the France swallow this loss.

"Thanks, Kirov."

Kang De said softly, "But my father and I, or rather, the people of my country before me, were not inclined to trouble our motherland unless we had no other choice."

The Russian asked in astonishment, "But..."

"Alright, no more 'buts'. Thanks for the information. If you can, please continue gathering. I'm almost at my destination," Kang De said. "They're just some white pigs. Watch me crush them."

Kirov is also a white-skinned pig in a certain sense, smacked his lips.

All he could say was a popular Chinese internet phrase, "Whatever makes you happy."

Hanging up the phone, Kang De slowly exhaled. "What a joke!"

Submitting evidence and requesting pressure from the motherland might be the wisest course of action, but this back-and-forth would take a lot of time and involve many variables, because people's hearts are unpredictable and unexpected events are hard to control. Rather than hoping for help and assistance from others, it is better to fight for it with swords and knives.

The Humvee was parked at the foot of a cliff.

This royal mausoleum is the final resting place of several generations of Comora kings, but the mausoleum itself has an even older history. It is an ancient site that existed before the conquest by Europe colonists. Although it has been looted and excavated by colonists, it still retains its sacredness and holds great significance in the hearts of the Comora People, and is highly valued by the Comora royal family.

This ancient mausoleum has been developed into a tourist area, but only partially open to the public. It is one of the most developed areas in Comora, with a royal guard stationed there, relatively smooth roads, permanent fortifications, standing barracks, and many other essential facilities.

Even today, the smell of gunpowder and death can still be smelled here, clearly indicating that this historical site has experienced another war, with armed white men once again setting foot here, just like hundreds of years ago.

What a tremendous irony.

Kang De opened the car door and got out.

The Life Detection Sigil has a detection range; too far a distance or too thick a barrier will affect its effectiveness. However, even from here, one can still see that the camp is heavily guarded and on high alert.

Many large vehicles are parked here.

The camp was brightly lit, and the faint sound of machinery could even be heard.

This indicates that the excavation of the tomb is still ongoing.

In other words, it's almost certain that the kidnapped China people are still here.

Kang De took a deep breath, calming his anxious mind.

Stay calm.

He said to himself.

This time is different from before. Previously, it didn't matter whether you were stealthy or not; you could just rush in and start fighting.

But not this time.

No guns, no explosives, and no loud noises.

We must not attract the enemy's attention.

Ideally, I would sneak in, kill all the enemies one by one, silently, and then lead my dad and the others out swaggeringly and calmly.

Any action that alerts the enemy will increase the risk.

So, this time we really have to sneak around.

Fortunately, I do have some experience in this area.

"It's like going back in time, isn't it? Like putting on beginner gear again, adding layers of restrictions to challenge high-difficulty dungeons..."

Kang De returned from the White Mist World, his clothes completely renewed. He joked to ease the tension, "Son, you've never known hardship. Back in my day, I had to count the bullets when I fired a gun, and I'd use an axe if I could. Unlike you now, so extravagant, wasting water like that..."

Horus did not respond to his joke.

The Transformers remained silent for a while, until Kang De, finding it somewhat strange, spoke.

"Father..."

With a series of clicking sounds, he transformed into a steel giant, his purple eyes gazing towards the distant tomb. He spoke uncertainly, "It feels like something there is calling to me. It's the same feeling I had when I last came to Earth, to Myanmar... closer, much closer..."

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PS1: First update, 3000 words... one more update to come.