Dreaming

At dawn, the People's Republic of China Ambassador to Comora was awakened by urgent knocking on the door.

Ambassador He shook his head and opened his bloodshot eyes.

That's a sign of short sleep duration; look at the time, he'd only slept for less than three hours.

Gambia's swift invasion of Comora was nothing more than a skirmish between light infantry of a thousand men. Both sides were relatively weak, even in impoverished and underdeveloped Africa. As a diplomatic envoy of one of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council, Mr. He should have remained calm, closed the gates, contacted the Chinese community in Comora to ensure their safety, gave them some instructions, ordered the troops to be on high alert, and waited for the war to end.

As for the outcome of the war and how to handle the relationship between Comora and Gambia, those are matters that need to be studied domestically and are not relevant to him as the ambassador.

But he was overthinking it.

Something still happened.

At least eight Chinese employees working in Comora were kidnapped.

They were kidnapped by the Gambia army.

The Comora People secretly called the embassy. While trying to hide, the kidnapped China employees also sent messages to their relatives in China in case of emergency. As a result, the news spread back to China through various channels and, after two or three days, it began to explode.

More and more people are discussing this issue on Chinese social media. It's trending on Weibo and making headlines on portal websites, maintaining a high level of popularity. Some are praying for their compatriots, some are hurling insults at Gambia, and some are calling on the government to intervene or even send troops. These people all have good intentions and are driven by simple kindness.

There are also malicious people who mock China, idiots who sarcastically shout about the deployment of "Wolf Warrior" (a derogatory term for China's militants), and damned marketing accounts that try to ride the wave of popularity. It's not surprising at all that some beasts and scumbags emerge from a population of over a billion.

The relevant departments were under considerable pressure, and the country took immediate action. The Gambia Ambassador to China was summoned immediately, and relevant leaders conveyed to the ambassador the concern of over a billion China people for their missing compatriots, urging Gambia to immediately release the kidnapped China civilians and prevent the relationship between the two countries from being tarnished.

The ambassador to China was just a mouthpiece, but when the news reached Gambia, the king had no idea about this trivial matter. Upon hearing it, he panicked and immediately asked his France friends what was going on.

My France friend, of course, smiled and reassured me, "It's alright, it's alright. All the China are fine. I'll show you the photos. We just asked them for a small favor. My friend, you'll soon hear good news. The entire territory of Comora has been basically occupied. Soon you will reclaim your ancestral lands."

King Gambia was relieved upon hearing this.

Then he started playing dead.

If a head of state deliberately feigns innocence, he can do so for at least three to five days. Even China, as one of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council, cannot do anything about it for the time being. Don't you see how the Soviet Union and the American Empire both backed down under the King of Gambia's angry roar and military intimidation?

I'm too embarrassed to talk to you; that's practically giving you, China, a lot of face.

Besides, they promised to have someone investigate.

Efficiency in international affairs is usually quite slow because of the need for coordination, various exchanges, and procedures. In situations where bureaucracy and bureaucratic delays occur, things become even more complicated.

As a result, the Chinese Embassy in Comora bore the brunt of the criticism. The phone rang constantly, with 99% of the calls coming from "concerned people" back home. They didn't provide any useful information; they were all just asking about the progress and whether their compatriots had been rescued.

After all, most embassies in different countries have their own official websites, which provide basic information about the country's customs, culture, and travel tips, and also include contact numbers, which anyone can find.

The netizens who called to inquire were relatively mild-mannered, but some of the more savage ones started cursing as soon as they got through, calling them all useless and asking what they were good for.

Then someone else, speaking in a superior tone, offered advice and suggestions, pontificating about the situation.

This was completely unhelpful and even consumed the embassy's critical and valuable telephone lines.

Later, more cases were exposed in China, including some of the more snobbish, pretentious, and rude individuals who were also giving unsolicited advice. These were some of the low-level, nosy livestreamers from various platforms who, in order to gain fame, used the guise of caring for their compatriots to call the embassy during their livestreams and profit from the tragedy.

After sparking public outrage online, the video website permanently banned him.

The embassy posted on Weibo, asking netizens not to occupy valuable lines so as not to miss truly useful clues and information. After being widely forwarded and even pinned to the top, the embassy also changed the caller ID to a message to prevent people from messing around with the caller ID before the call was connected. Only then did the frequency of the calls gradually decrease.

Even so, the embassy staff were still overwhelmed by these calls, but they dared not ignore them, lest they miss truly important information.

Although Ambassador He didn't have to work as a telephone operator, he was more tired than the person answering the phone.

Since the news of his kidnapping and disappearance came, he has basically never stopped. While maintaining contact with China, he tried to seek help from the local government. At first, it was the Comora, but the Comora were weak and easily defeated. They couldn't even protect themselves, let alone a few China people.

Two days later, the "elite army" that Comora had gathered was indeed scattered, and the king fled in panic. Gambia marched straight into and occupied the capital. Ambassador He went to question the Gambia army commander Ambassador He had occupied the palace, but this time he couldn't even get into the palace. He was rudely blocked at the door by the guards.

The ambassador was furious. He tried a combination of threats and bribes, but the guards refused to let him in. Finally, the ambassador swore and even subconsciously adopted the traditional tactic of "don't say we didn't warn you."

International law is not just for show, and it is even more so for the five permanent members of the UN Security Council.

Please convey to your superior—the ambassador has made it very clear.

International law stipulates that when war breaks out, if the life and property of a neutral citizen of a third country are violated, and the country in question has lost all capacity to intervene or provide assistance, and there is sufficient evidence to indicate that the violation has occurred or is occurring, then, with authorization from the Security Council and the consent of the countries at war, the third country has the right to use necessary force to conduct military rescue of its citizens who have been harmed.

It means if we don't give you an explanation, we're fucking going to come and mess with you!

Even after all that, these thugs remained unmoved.

The ambassador stormed off in a rage.

After returning, I didn't even eat. I was busy for most of the night, checking on the safety of all the China people in Comora again. It was almost dawn when I finally fell into a deep sleep.

I didn't expect to be woken up by my secretary in less than three hours.

The ambassador's initial anger at being woken up lasted only a moment before he quickly regained his senses. His secretary, not one to be irrational, knew he needed rest.

I threw on some clothes and went to open the door, only to find my secretary, Xiao Qian, looking flustered Shang-Chi...

"Telephone..."

The ambassador sensed something was amiss. "Who called?"

"Human... hostage..."

Ambassador He's expression changed. "The hostages called?"

"No... no..." Xiao Qian finally caught his breath, "They said on the phone that the hostage is outside!"

The ambassador paused for a moment, then rushed out the door and ran downstairs, with Xiao Qian following beside him.

"Who called?" he asked as he walked. "Those Gambia?"

"No..." the secretary hesitated for a moment, "I think he's China..."

The ambassador coldly replied, "Not everyone who speaks Chinese is China."

He's been really angry these past few days.

Xiao Qian hesitated, then said, "I think he's China..."

The ambassador turned his head. "Why? How can you be so sure?"

The secretary whispered, "I asked him who he was, and he said he was Lei Feng..."

They arrived on the first floor, where the lobby's roller shutter was already open, and several fully armed soldiers stood outside. The leading military attaché stopped him. "Wait a moment, we are conducting an inspection."

Outside the gate, several China people could be vaguely seen lying down. Several soldiers stared at the scene without moving. There, an armed police officer knelt carefully beside his compatriots, checking them for explosives such as bombs and booby traps.

Finally, he gestured to indicate that everything was alright. His comrades all breathed a sigh of relief and immediately surrounded him. At the same time, the few China men were finally woken up.

They looked around blankly, and then instinctively flinched before seeing the faces of their compatriots so close to them.

Then there's the helmet, the arm patch, and the five-star Hongqi on the uniform.

These China people, who had been kidnapped and imprisoned for days and lived in fear, were stunned for a moment. Then, tears welled up in their eyes, and they reached out to hug the People's People's Liberation Army uncles... who were actually armed police uncles, and then burst into tears.

"So it was you!" one of them cried out, "You should have said so earlier! We wouldn't have told anyone..."

The embassy staff were both delighted and relieved, and they looked at each other in bewilderment upon hearing this.

What's the meaning?

Ambassador He's expression shifted slightly, and he said, "There are too many people and too much attention here. Let's take everyone inside first. Heat up some porridge in the kitchen, get some pickles, and boil some water. We'll talk inside then."

Those who do good deeds anonymously have quietly left.

Kang De and Horus returned the way they came, since they didn't pass by the France or American Empire embassies.

Comora is still under martial law, with patrol teams and fixed checkpoints everywhere. However, Kang De is a master of stealth, with extremely high skills. Even with an armed Humvee, he can move around calmly without being discovered by any living enemy.

"Father, are we just going to send them back like this?"

"Otherwise what?"

Kang De said calmly, "Hong San didn't give me any hypnotic spells, suggestion spells, or brainwashing spells in his bag. It's said that the mind is a forbidden zone for magic because the brain is incredibly complex, and the soul is even more profound, belonging to the realm of the gods, and is not something ordinary people can touch... There are things that can roughly erase memories, but they are too rough and will cause irreversible damage to the target."

Horus still hesitated. "But..."

"There's no 'but' about it."

Kang De slowly said, "I was extremely anxious to rescue my father this time, and there were many things I didn't have time to cover up. To be honest, I left many flaws, especially regarding Xie Liqian, which simply cannot withstand scrutiny... The flaws are not limited to these few compatriots. In other words, even if there were a perfect method for erasing memories, I would not use it."

"Because I don't want the first piece of concrete evidence that my country has the ability to interfere with minds to be the discovery of my differences and the numerous speculations and conjectures about me."

"Do you understand?"

"A Superman with many abilities—if he can manipulate Flame, possess immense strength, and shoot lasers from his eyes—would have an expectation of 80, and people would be willing to cooperate and coexist with him amicably. However, they would also be wary of his superhuman strength, and this wariness, converted into a numerical value, would be around 20."

"And this Superman, in addition to those abilities, also possesses the power of mind control, personality rewriting, and memory manipulation. Therefore, the level of fear that those in power and the public have of him is ten thousand, a hundred thousand, or even positive infinity."

"The otherworldly being is right; the realm of the mind truly belongs to the gods."

Horus began to understand.

"Then, Father..." he asked, "Are you ready to make contact with your motherland?"

Kang De replied without hesitation, "... Of course not. I don't want to see those grandfathers. I always feel that something terrible will happen if I see them."

Iron Son asked, puzzled, "But Father, you still need to go back to China..."

"Yes, I should go back. I really miss my parents and Xiaoman. But I can use my teleportation ability to sneak back. I can't mention the names of the elderly people who invited me. I'll just pretend I didn't see their invitations."

Kang De took a deep breath and looked out the window at the quiet yet restless sky and the morning light.

Comora, Africa, a land of chaos, one of the most backward and sorrowful regions on the planet.

Peace is precious, water is precious, electricity is precious, food is precious; everything that most China people already possess is precious here.

But there is a certain convenience to it.

Money, power, and strength—you can gain a lot here.

"You can't even buy a toy gun that fires plastic bullets in China anymore."

Kang De said, "And here, I can order large quantities of machine guns, mortars, and rockets from arms dealers anytime, anywhere. It's like a game; I unlock higher levels, gain greater status and power, and can even buy more terrifying things, as long as I have money."

Slowly, a cold expression appeared on his face.

As an ordinary person, I am certainly safe in China, and living in the country is the right thing to do.

But he was no longer an ordinary person.

They bear extraordinary responsibilities and also extraordinary enemies.

We must protect extraordinary people and things.

The shock and sense of crisis he felt from this unexpected event were immense.

Tina, her father, is caught between two crises, constantly running back and forth, exhausted and even driven to madness. He doesn't want this to happen again.

"After we finish this, we'll ask if the land here is for sale."

As we talked, the Humvee drove by, and according to the map, the Comora Palace was not far away.

From here you can see the beige palace walls and spires in the distance.

"Father, how do we go stealth this time?"

Kang De tapped the steering wheel. "My father might be inside... We can't make any rash moves."

He pondered for a moment and said, "I have to sneak in quietly and see if I can find my father. If I can't find him right away, I'll capture a high-ranking officer to interrogate him... This is crucial, and I don't want to take any risks whatsoever. Once I rescue my father, we'll leave immediately without lingering for even a moment."

"Understood—then I'll wait nearby?"

"Yes, let's proceed according to the various contingency plans we discussed beforehand..."

Kang De's voice was calm yet stern.

Horus and his father confirmed some details, as well as the terrain.

As they entered Comora and escorted the China to the embassy, the father's cold and ruthless demeanor, which had been radiating bloodlust, had greatly softened.

Entering this city means that I am now very close to my father's father.

The matter has reached its most critical moment.

Even the long journey and the killings were all for this moment.

That's probably why Father was so calm.

No one knows a son better than his father, and vice versa.

Iron Son already knows his father quite well. He is the kind of person who becomes calmer the more urgent the situation, and even when he is extremely anxious or furious, he can still maintain extreme rationality at critical moments.

But if the outcome is not what he expected, he will be as calm as he was before, and as crazy as he will be afterwards.

Please, please don't let anything go wrong...

At this moment, even the Transformers were silently praying.

"Please, whatever you do, don't make any mistakes."

In a house in a street on the other side of the palace, a group of mercenaries were lying in wait, with maps, weapons, intelligence, and everything else ready.

They all looked like Asia.

They came from the infamous mercenaries of Northern Myanmar.

The more war-torn a place is, the more professionals will emerge. They are brave, professional, efficient, ruthless, skillful, and adept at their work. The reputation of the mercenaries in Northern Myanmar is not low, even internationally.

They rushed here solely to rescue people. With the employer's unconditional support, they received tremendous assistance: intelligence, informants, resources, equipment... Even this house was chosen well in advance; someone had arranged all these things overnight before they even entered the Comora.

"Next, it will be a test of patience, clashing with a fleeting moment of lightning."

The leader gazed at the map on the wall and spoke slowly, while his subordinates listened attentively.

"Intelligence indicates that our target is being held captive in the palace. We first send people in to gather information, and use drones to scout the terrain. Then we keep a close watch until nightfall."

"If the VIPs are taken away during the day, then we will intercept the convoy."

"If that's not the case, then we'll launch a surprise attack tonight."

"Take this time to rest, but also be prepared for battle at any moment. Unexpected events can happen at any time, just as fate is unpredictable; you might encounter a tiger around the corner. You must always maintain vigilance and humility to survive longer—arrogance and conceit are the root of destruction, do you understand?"

The leader's gaze swept past the dozen or so subordinates in the room and landed on the three people sitting on the sofa.

His voice turned sharp. "Don't end up like these three guys, who usually think of themselves as brave warriors comparable to tigers, only to be sneaked up behind them and fall asleep without knowing a thing!"

The three men immediately stood up, but the young man in the middle curled his lip in disapproval.

"Mao Deng!"

The leader walked up to the young man and roared, "Do you have any objections to what I said?"

The other side shouted, "Yes, sir! I believe you would have been killed in that situation too. That doesn't mean we're arrogant!"

The leader flew into a rage. "Bullshit!"

"Yes, sir!" the other man continued, "I misspoke! Sir, you can't be assassinated silently! You alone can kill all the enemies in the palace!"

Before he could finish speaking, he was punched in the face and knocked to the ground on the sofa.

"All disbanded!"

The leader roared, "Mao Gang! Come with me to scout the palace! The rest of you, stand by!"

After the leader and another person left, Mao Deng's companion said to him, "You shouldn't have provoked your superior, even if he's your brother."

The young man just scoffed, "I didn't say anything wrong. Why don't you let him try yelling at me like that all the time?"

Meanwhile, the man who had gone out with the leader said, "You're too harsh on your brother. Perhaps that mistake wasn't his fault."

"A mistake is a mistake, there's no excuse. I don't believe there could be such a wicked enemy; it must have been their carelessness."

The leader said coldly, "Let's go. Stop chatting and be careful of your surroundings."

They observed their surroundings and walked casually toward the palace. Their intelligence work was excellent; they knew there was a hidden sewer leading there.

At the same time, Kang De also arrived not far from the palace.

The front is heavily guarded, but that's alright.

Kang De placed his hand on the ground, Extraction, the ground began to collapse, revealing a hollow tunnel.

In the palace, Kang Jinzhu suddenly opened his eyes, then rubbed them, shook his head and smiled.

"What you think about at night, you dream about during the day."

He gazed at the bright sunlight streaming through the window and chuckled to himself, "Still afraid of death, Kang Jinzhu. My dreams are getting weirder and weirder; I even dreamt that Kang De came to save me. How could I even dream that..."

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PS1: 5,500 words, still a combined chapter. Goodnight, goodnight, damn it, I'm so sleepy today.