The joint operation's command center was set up in the largest tent in the middle of the camp. All kinds of electronic equipment filled almost half the space, giving it a distinctly modern, high-tech feel. If you overlooked the fact that 70 percent of it bore the label "Made in China," the scene might even have helped dispel the stereotype that Soviet-linked armies were clumsy and backward.
A meeting area had been hastily cleared inside the tent. Xiang Qian stood at its center, surrounded by more than a dozen officers who treated him like the star of the show.
"Gentlemen, it is an honor..." Xiang Qian glanced around and spotted a few female officers, including the Weather Witch. "...and ladies. I'm delighted to work with you all. I also see a few familiar faces here—people who've worked very well with my company in the past."
Xiang Qian spoke fluently in Russian. "On the way here, I learned that under your command, the Joint Counter-Terrorism Force just completed a successful operation. You cleared up the turmoil along the border with Afghanistan and drove a small band of terrorists into a cave. They still haven't dared show their faces..."
Vector stood at the edge of the crowd, listening as Xiang Qian used artful euphemisms to describe the current stalemate, and couldn't help marveling at his skill.
Watching a group of plainspoken soldiers beam after just a few words, Vector leaned toward the Weather Witch and muttered, "So he can talk like a normal person. Why does he act like a living hedgehog back at the agency?"
"If a few nice words can earn you hundreds of millions, even billions, why wouldn't you talk nicely?" the Weather Witch said with a cold laugh. "Hearing a few kind words from this future billionaire doesn't come cheap."
Vector gaped. Beside her, Saber let out a scoff. "What kind of military budget do these Central Asian countries have between them? Our technical consultant's barking up the wrong tree."
"You think he's stupid? He wouldn't waste his time on a little military spending." The Weather Witch shot Saber a cool glance, then nodded toward the edge of the crowd. "See the Russian observer over there? He doesn't stand out, but he's one of the Russian president's trusted men. He handles military procurement planning at the Russian Department of Defense."
It was the first time Vector had seen her commander and a senior agent whispering behind someone's back. Still a little confused, she blurted out, "But aren't the Russians short on money too?"
"The Russians are poor, sure, but they'd built up a huge stockpile before the breakup. Our consultant is probably eyeing some other prize of theirs." Saber sounded contemptuous. "A typical greedy businessman."
Vector studied Saber's indignant expression. After thinking it over, she couldn't resist asking, "Saber, why do I get the feeling you especially hate Consultant Xiang?"
Saber stared at her. "How many people at our agency don't hate that guy?"
Saber's answer didn't answer the question. Unable to make sense of it, Vector looked to her own team leader for help. The Weather Witch couldn't help laughing softly. Her cool, refined face thawed in an instant. "Don't mind them. They've got a personal grudge."
"Huh?" Vector grew even more curious. Saber gave another dissatisfied snort.
"Xiang Qian's lab has a lot of joint R&D projects with our agency, including combat equipment. The two sabers Saber uses were designed and made with help from Xiang Qian's lab."
"Isn't that a good thing? Everyone says Xiang Qian's Five Elements Laboratory is the strongest research lab in the country, and one of the best in the world." Vector pressed on in a hushed voice.
The Weather Witch smiled a little more broadly. "It is good, except they're a little too big to care about the customer. Back then, Saber was the end user, and he made a lot of suggestions about the design right in front of Xiang Qian..."
"And then?" Vector was starting to get the picture. This so-called "personal grudge" must have started with Saber's suggestions.
"I don't know what happened after that. I only heard that Saber came back from the lab and couldn't eat for a whole day." The Weather Witch gave Saber a teasing look. "I've always wondered what happened. Why wouldn't you tell anyone on the team who asked?"
"That foul-mouthed brat didn't know his place. He's not worth talking about." Saber's tactical mask hid his expression, but Vector clearly saw a vein throbbing at his temple. Thinking of Xiang Qian's prickly manner, she guessed that whatever had happened must have left a deep scar on Saber's mind.
But simple conjecture wasn't enough to satisfy Vector's curiosity. "Then what happened later? Why did you end up using the sabers designed by the Five Elements Laboratory?"
As soon as Vector finished speaking, Saber said nothing, turned, and walked away.
The Weather Witch sighed, exasperated, and poked Vector on the forehead. "You. Don't bring that up in front of Saber again."
"Oh." Vector hunched her shoulders and guiltily avoided her team leader's gaze. She turned to look at Xiang Qian in the crowd. Not many people could humiliate Saber and still make that firecracker swallow his anger.
Xiang Qian had just finished a long, rambling speech and finally got to the point. "Destroying and clearing out deep underground tunnels is a worldwide challenge. During World War II, the Chinese resistance made extensive use of tunnels behind enemy lines, and successfully used them to wipe out enemy forces."
He took a swipe at the Americans, and the officers' expressions brightened. Even the world's greatest military power had struggled against tunnel networks. They'd only been held up for ten or twenty hours—it wasn't that humiliating, was it? This young man certainly knew how to talk. No wonder he'd made a name for himself at such a young age.
Xiang Qian continued his performance. "But from today onward, tunnel networks will no longer be a problem."
As his confident declaration rang out, a 3D terrain map of the surrounding area appeared on the projector screen. It quickly zoomed in on a mountainous region. The officers recognized it as the location of the underground caves where the Ten Rings militants were hiding—and the source of the problem that had stymied the joint forces for more than ten hours.
"With modern weapons, striking underground fortifications is certainly possible. The most advanced bunker-busters can penetrate 180 meters underground. Even through solid granite, they can pierce as much as 40 meters. The biggest challenge in attacking underground fortifications is actually identifying the target's location."
As Xiang Qian worked on his tablet, the map on the screen changed. Irregular lines appeared across the terrain, winding like a child's doodles. But as the lines multiplied and stretched out, the officers grew more and more excited.
Several officers began whispering to one another. The noise grew until someone finally voiced the question on everyone's mind. "Mr. Xiang, is that a map of the underground caves?"
"Obviously!" Xiang Qian tapped hard on his tablet, completing the final survey of the digital map. The full underground cave system appeared in 3D on the projector screen. "This is the latest research from the Five Elements Laboratory. A drone equipped with the newest Microwave Deep-Earth Penetrating Radar is circling above us right now. It can scan more than 200 meters underground and is paired with an Intelligent Graphic Generation System. I'm not bragging when I say this is another successful leap forward in radar technology."
"Ladies and gentlemen, from this moment on, those rats underground have no secrets from you. Clearing the militants out of their tunnels will be easier than playing whack-a-mole." Xiang Qian strolled over to the projector screen and casually pointed out a few spots. "Even a layman like me can tell that these dead ends, less than half a meter below the surface, must be secret entrances the militants have hidden. They use them to launch surprise attacks."
Xiang Qian showed off the radar map's precision as if it were nothing special.
"Oh, this part is the most interesting." Xiang Qian pointed at the screen. "This section is deep underground and relatively spacious. If it isn't the enemy's central activity area, then they're not very professional."
None of the officers could stay seated. They crowded around the projector screen, thrilled. What difference was there between fighting with a full view of the enemy's position and taking an open-book exam at school?
Xiang Qian looked at the officers, their confidence restored, and spread his hands with a smile. "All right, should we send in a strike team to clear them out, or just drop a bunker-buster on their central area? That's for you to decide. From here on, it's the soldiers' stage again."
More voices rose in the command center.
"Mr. Xiang, can your drone attack?"
"Of course. It was originally converted from a drone designed for both reconnaissance and attack, and we kept most of its weapon hardpoints."
"How compatible is its onboard electronic system?"
"Rest assured. The electronic control system has plenty of open ports. It can connect to any battlefield command system without a problem."
"Why not just equip the drone with bunker-busters? Then we could be celebrating with vodka in a minute."
"There wasn't enough time. The drone took off from our country, and your aviation regulations don't allow us to fly over your airspace carrying weapons."
"That's an obstruction of military operations. I'll have them court-martialed."
"Uh... The regulations are a bit rigid, I admit, but could I ask you to go easy on your aviation authority?"
"Ha ha ha! Mr. Xiang, you're a good friend..."
The Weather Witch remained expressionless as Xiang Qian handled the praise from the officers with effortless composure. Vector, on the other hand, watched him with growing admiration.
Saber had already retreated outside the tent. He leaned in for a look, grumbled, stubbed out the cigarette still half in his hand, and put his mask back on to cover his deeply sour expression. "Mouthy pretty boy. Showing off!"