Chapter Summaries

Jiang Yan Hai learned that the ore Jack had hidden could affect the entire world and might be safely handled only by the country to the north. After the Red Star Engine analyzed it, Jiang Yan Hai discovered that it was a Stargate construction material capable of interfering with, shutting down, or destroying a Stargate.

• Jiang Yan Hai told Jack and Jason Bourne that the object was extraordinarily important and that he intended to hand it to the country to the north.
• Jack agreed to give Jiang Yan Hai the ore, explaining that he had found it in a former Soviet mine and hidden it after learning of a terrifying explosion.
• Jack dug up a sealed box concealed beneath the dock and warned Jiang Yan Hai that the unstable ore could explode with enough force to destroy half the village.
• Jiang Yan Hai scanned the ore, triggering the Red Star Engine to analyze it, then stayed behind while Jason Bourne went to meet Allen and the others.
• The Red Star Engine identified the ore as Stargate construction material and explained that its energy could interfere with Stargate operations, shut one down, or destroy one.

Jiang Yan Hai extracted the Stargate material, gaining higher authorization and a scanning upgrade while destroying the remaining evidence. He parted on friendly terms with Jason Bourne and arranged for 47 to contact Yun Tao, keeping the material’s potential use as a last resort.

• Jiang Yan Hai extracted the Stargate material, raising his authorization to Lieutenant Colonel and unlocking an N3-sequence mineral scanning program.
• Jiang Yan Hai found that the ore had become gray powder, destroyed the box, and decided to keep the extraction secret as a contingency plan.
• Jiang Yan Hai took Jason Bourne and the others to meet Mei, then exchanged farewells with Jason Bourne, who offered help if he ever needed it.
• Er Dan decided not to report the material to the country and left after booking a flight.
• Jiang Yan Hai sent 47 Yun Tao’s contact information and told him to reach out to Yun Tao for assistance.

Jiang Yan Hai returned to the Republic of Evia and told Blood Wolf’s leaders and mercenaries that rising tensions could bring dangerous conflicts, urging them to decide whether to stay. Back in his room, he checked Li Ruo Bai’s Weibo account and learned she had a trending topic.

• Jiang Yan Hai returned to the base, reported that his Southeast Asia trip had produced no results, and received orders to expand Blood Wolf while keeping it under control.
• Jiang Yan Hai met with Black Lion, Balek, and the first batch of Blood Wolf mercenaries to explain that Africa might become chaotic and that the group could face other mercenaries in combat.
• Jiang Yan Hai gave the mercenaries until the next day to consider leaving before their missions grew more dangerous, then left the meeting with Hummingbird.
• Jiang Yan Hai used his phone to look up Li Ruo Bai’s Weibo account, and Er Dan told him she had a trending topic.

Jiang Yan Hai saved photos of Li Ruo Bai from trending searches while Eric’s team handed its failed investigation to the Black Five Department. As the department uncovered evidence of an enemy’s extraordinary video-editing capabilities, its head went to seek help from Black 3.

• Jiang Yan Hai browsed photos of Li Ruo Bai and ordered Er Dan to save any similar trending-search photos in the future.
• Eric’s team learned that Allen and Marta had visited the pharmaceutical factory, where Mike found something missing despite there being no trace of the intruders on security footage.
• With the investigation stalled in the Philippines and the pair still missing, the fat old man handed the case to the Black Five Department.
• The department found that nearly thirty thousand of the roughly fifty thousand copied videos had been expertly edited, with no trace of the process left behind.
• After a team member admitted they could not handle the problem, the department head went to seek Black 3 on the base’s tenth underground level.

Zero brought Thomas Gable in to investigate altered surveillance footage, and Thomas concluded that a master hacker had infiltrated and meticulously cleaned the systems. He could not identify the intruder, but agreed to connect to the network and investigate further.

• Zero showed Thomas Gable surveillance footage that had been altered and asked how the edits could have been made.
• Thomas explained that changing tens of thousands of recordings in a dozen hours would require advance control of the relevant systems or their recording programs.
• Zero allowed Thomas to connect to the network and inspect the systems himself.
• After examining the systems, Thomas found no visible traces of intrusion and concluded that an expert hacker had cleaned them up.
• Thomas told Zero he could not determine who the intruder was or what kind of person they were.

Thomas Gable warned Zero about a serious network-security threat and pointed to Pantheon, prompting officials to plan a covert operation to capture Liston Han Xiao. Unaware of the plan, Jiang Yan Hai gathered his core mercenaries, and Black Lion and Balek chose not to return home.

• Thomas Gable told Zero that Pantheon was the only organization he knew capable of the network intrusion, and Zero reported the warning to high command.
• Officials connected Liston Han Xiao to missing hackers and Pantheon, then agreed to hire mercenaries and Rebel Army forces to capture him after confirming he was in Africa.
• Jiang Yan Hai, unaware of the plot, looked at a photo of his wife and went to sleep.
• At the next day's gathering, Black Lion said he would not return home, and Balek said he could not support his family if he went back.

Jiang Yan Hai confirmed that the Blood Wolf Mercenary Group’s members would stay and proposed expanding the group. Black Lion told him the men trusted him and wanted a place to belong and a chance to survive.

• Balek joked that Jiang Yan Hai would outlive them, and the mercenaries took turns explaining why they would not leave.
• Jiang Yan Hai said the group needed to grow from four combat teams to two or three hundred people, and Black Lion agreed to handle recruitment.
• Jiang Yan Hai said he would find funding, recruit people, and buy weapons, then asked the men about Leng.
• Black Lion praised Leng’s military competence and reliability, so Jiang Yan Hai decided to contact him.
• Black Lion told Jiang Yan Hai that the men trusted him and wanted a place to belong, earn money, and stay alive, and the others agreed.

Jiang Yan Hai urged the mercenaries to hold on to their humanity and find meaning beyond money, then arranged to bring Leng Feng and twelve retired comrades to the Republic of Evia. The chapter ended with Jiang Yan Hai waiting for the team to arrive in thirty-six hours.

• Inov, Wild Donkey Bobby, Wasp Lance, and Bob Lee explained where they sent their earnings and why they kept fighting as mercenaries.
• Jiang Yan Hai asked the mercenaries to preserve their humanity and believe their fighting could help protect peace, and they joined hands in agreement.
• Lance and Balek praised Jiang Yan Hai’s ideals, and the others laughed together after Inov joked that they would become great assistants.
• Jiang Yan Hai reported Leng Feng’s situation to his contacts at home and was advised to recruit him and his retired comrades.
• Leng Feng called Jiang Yan Hai and said he would arrive in the Republic of Evia in about eight hours, followed by twelve comrades in thirty-six hours.

Jiang Yan Hai and Leng Feng welcomed the recruitment of Leng Feng’s former comrades and prepared to equip them for the conflict zone. While they waited for the newcomers, the group received new armored vehicles and disguised their exteriors to avoid drawing attacks.

• Leng Feng met Black Lion and warned him that his former comrades had killed mercenaries who might seek revenge, but Black Lion welcomed them as recruits.
• Jiang Yan Hai arranged to pick up Leng Feng’s comrades in about twenty-eight hours and said they would purchase weapons and modify vehicles from their backers.
• Leng Feng told Jiang Yan Hai that the recruits came from Special Forces and other special units, had passed their evaluations, and lacked much real combat experience.
• Jiang Yan Hai and the others received new Dongfeng Mengshi bulletproof vehicles and armored vehicles, then drove them to the base repair shop.
• Jiang Yan Hai explained that the vehicles needed to look old to avoid attracting attacks, and warned Leng Feng not to drive a Humvee in the city.
• Black Lion and the others covered the vehicles with battered-looking materials, leaving their roof-mounted remote-controlled machine guns untouched.

Shao Bing and eleven recruits arrived at a dangerous foreign airport, where Leng Feng and Jiang Yan Hai met them. A mortar strike hit nearby, and the group escaped in armored vehicles.

• Shao Bing and the eleven recruits landed and drew attention because they arrived without weapons.
• Leng Feng welcomed Shao Bing and introduced him to Jiang Yan Hai, who was operating under the name Liston Han Xiao.
• The recruits instinctively took cover after a distant explosion, and Jiang Yan Hai explained that it was a nearby rocket attack.
• Jiang Yan Hai's Active Warning System detected danger, and he ordered everyone down before a mortar shell exploded about eighty meters away.
• Jiang Yan Hai hurried the group into the armored vehicles, and the convoy drove away from the airport.

Shao Bing and Leng Feng entered a war-zone black market with Jiang Yan Hai’s convoy to buy equipment and saw the weapons trade firsthand. Jiang Yan Hai began negotiating with an arms dealer, but the dealer’s high prices angered Balek.

• Black Lion told Shao Bing and Leng Feng that the convoy was taking them to buy equipment, and Jiang Yan Hai ordered everyone to prepare as they entered the black market.
• Shao Bing saw streets lined with stalls selling firearms, ammunition, grenades, and mines, then learned from Black Lion that colored doors marked different arms dealers and that Green Zones were common in war-torn cities.
• Jiang Yan Hai brought Shao Bing, Black Lion, Leng Feng, and Balek into an arms dealer’s building while the rest of the group stayed in the vehicles.
• A local salesman tried to lure Jiang Yan Hai away, but Jiang Yan Hai went inside and asked the white dealer for brand-new AK47s.
• The arms dealer quoted two thousand dollars per AK47 and one thousand dollars for a small crate of a thousand rounds, prompting Balek to accuse him of robbery.

Jiang Yan Hai and the others searched for weapons and vehicles, learning from Azabu how U.S.-supplied equipment was resold through a corrupt arms-trading chain. They entered a gold-painted shop and found Chinese-speaking sellers offering weapons at much lower prices, including an M4A1 and expensive night-vision scopes.

• Jiang Yan Hai found that weapons cost about the same at several nearby shops, and Azabu offered him a military armored Humvee for $30,000.
• Azabu explained that government troops sold off U.S.-supplied weapons and vehicles, which agents bought cheaply and resold at a profit.
• Jiang Yan Hai described the arms companies' role in the resale scheme, surprising Azabu, then headed toward a gold-painted door.
• Jiang Yan Hai and his group entered the shop and met a Black man who spoke fluent Chinese and a Chinese shopkeeper who offered them half-off prices.
• Jiang Yan Hai asked about an AK, an M4A1, and a night-vision scope, learning their quoted prices were $400, $800, and starting at $40,000.

Jiang Yan Hai negotiated with Bai San for night-vision equipment and a large order of American firearms. After inspecting the new M4A1s and agreeing on the price, Jiang Yan Hai ordered two hundred rifles, leaving the group ready to equip itself.

• Jiang Yan Hai met Bai San and asked whether he could supply the items on his equipment list.
• Bai San led Jiang Yan Hai and the others to a warehouse stocked with new M4A1 rifles and tactical accessories.
• Jiang Yan Hai and Leng Feng inspected the rifles, while Black Lion and the others tested them.
• Bai San quoted prices for rifles, sights, accessories, and ammunition, and Jiang Yan Hai accepted his offer.
• Jiang Yan Hai ordered two hundred M4A1 rifles at twenty thousand dollars each, with the extra thousand dollars per rifle allocated to ammunition.

Jiang Yan Hai bought weapons from Bai San and armed his group after Er Dan reported a sniper was watching the shop. Suspecting the attackers were targeting his identity as Liston Han Xiao, he led the fully equipped team outside to confront the threat.

• Jiang Yan Hai agreed to buy rifles, ammunition, and other weapons from Bai San, then transferred two million dollars as an initial payment.
• Jiang Yan Hai warned Bai San to stay inside and ordered Leng Feng and Shao Bing to put on full tactical gear.
• Er Dan reported that a sniper had aimed at the shop while the rest of the enemy team held defensive positions, leading Jiang Yan Hai to suspect they were targeting him as Liston Han Xiao.
• Jiang Yan Hai called the other eleven Chinese soldiers inside to arm themselves and load ammunition.
• After the team reported that they were ready, Jiang Yan Hai headed outside despite Black Lion's warning to stay behind, and the others followed with their rifles prepared.

Jiang Yan Hai and Black Lion’s convoy came under sniper fire shortly after leaving the building, and Jiang Yan Hai used Er Dan’s scanning system to coordinate a swift counterattack. The enemy began retreating as the convoy pursued them.

• Black Lion led Jiang Yan Hai outside, where an enemy sniper and spotter prepared to fire from a rooftop 300 meters away.
• Jiang Yan Hai sensed the sniper’s shot and ducked, while Er Dan activated the convoy’s rotary machine guns and killed the spotter while suppressing the rooftop.
• Black Lion warned the convoy of the attack, and Shao Bing, Leng Feng, and the others rushed out and boarded the armored vehicles.
• Jiang Yan Hai identified enemy positions and killed another attacker with a precise burst as the enemy forces retreated.
• A bearded mercenary ordered his men to withdraw and called for supporting forces to block Jiang Yan Hai’s group.

Jiang Yan Hai’s convoy pursued the assassins through the city while drones tracked their route, and Barney warned him that a mercenary group had been hired to kill him. The rebels blocked the road to let the assassins escape, and Jiang Yan Hai ordered his armored vehicles to open fire.

• Jiang Yan Hai had his convoy pick up Black Lion’s group and sent drones to track the fleeing attackers.
• Jiang Yan Hai ordered Carlos to pursue the attackers and identify them as a Rebel Army convoy mobilized to intercept them.
• The attackers wondered how Han Xiao had anticipated their ambush and complained about the prepared armored vehicles.
• Jiang Yan Hai ordered the convoy’s heaviest vehicles to the front when the rebels blocked the road, but the rebels moved aside to let the attackers pass.
• Barney called Jiang Yan Hai to warn him about the assassination contract, and Jiang Yan Hai told him a sniper had already attacked.
• When the rebels tried to stop Jiang Yan Hai’s convoy, he ordered his vehicles to open fire with their 12.7-millimeter guns.

Jiang Yan Hai led an armored convoy through Rebel Army territory in pursuit of a fleeing mercenary group, using drones and remote-controlled machine guns to clear the route. He split the convoy to cut off the enemy and prepared the machine guns for an interception near the Rebel Army headquarters.

• Er Dan's program helped the armored convoy destroy the Rebel Army barricade, and Vehicle Number 1 rammed through the burning wreckage.
• Jiang Yan Hai took control of Vehicle Number 2's roof-mounted machine gun as drones supplied aerial views of the city.
• Jiang Yan Hai and the convoy eliminated Rebel Army soldiers who fired on them and cleared further ambushes along the streets.
• Jiang Yan Hai ordered Vehicles 1 through 4 to take a separate route while the four vehicles behind continued pursuing the mercenary group.
• Jiang Yan Hai directed the first four vehicles through the city and, ten minutes later, ordered all machine guns to prepare.

Jiang Yan Hai and his team ambushed three fleeing SUVs, killing several mercenaries and trapping the survivors. The mercenary captain surrendered, while the reason they had been hired remained unknown.

• Jiang Yan Hai stopped his convoy at an intersection and armed himself with a Barrett M500 as the team set up a defensive line.
• Jiang Yan Hai shot the driver of the first fleeing SUV, causing it to flip and the vehicles behind it to crash.
• Jiang Yan Hai and Black Lion led their teams toward the trapped vehicles while the Armored Vehicles sealed off the intersection.
• Jiang Yan Hai killed a machine gunner and another mercenary as they tried to resist, leaving three people alive in the second SUV.
• The mercenary captain threw out his gun, announced his surrender, and raised his hands through the car door.

Jiang Yan Hai captured the mercenary captain who had tried to kill him and learned that Hans Grace had arranged the hit. He let the captain’s teammates leave, then wagered the captain’s life on whether Rebel Army forces would kill them.

• Jiang Yan Hai confronted the mercenaries and agreed to spare the captain’s two men, along with a wounded survivor, in exchange for the identity of their employer.
• The captain named Hans Grace, a British intermediary, as the man who had paid one million dollars for Jiang Yan Hai’s assassination.
• After Carlos warned that Rebel Army forces were gathering nearby, Jiang Yan Hai let the three mercenaries drive away and ordered his convoy to move toward Target Three.
• Jiang Yan Hai had the captain restrained and bet that the rebels would kill his teammates; he promised to release the captain if they survived, but kill him if they did not.

Jiang Yan Hai showed Bill Clayton drone footage of Bill’s three subordinates heading toward the Rebel Army and offered to discuss a deal. Jiang Yan Hai’s group moved into a fortified factory complex to prepare for a fight with the rebels, while Bill watched his men approach them.

• Jiang Yan Hai asked Bill Clayton to consider how he would react if the Rebel Army killed his three subordinates, then showed him drone footage of their vehicle.
• Bill saw that Jiang Yan Hai’s convoy was heading deeper into Rebel Army territory, toward a C-shaped complex of three sturdy factory buildings.
• Jiang Yan Hai decided to confront the Rebel Army and establish his reputation, with the new arrivals expected to gain experience in real combat.
• The group unloaded its supplies and weapons into the buildings, while the eight Armored Vehicles and their mounted weapons were moved into the basement.
• As the group entered the building, Bill watched the tablet show his three subordinates heading toward the Rebel Army.