The new ground-penetrating radar Xiang Qian had brought put the joint command center in a relaxed mood. It was just like students who'd lucked into an open-book exam: the commanders from each country approved the plan without much discussion, and orders were swiftly passed down the line.
Everything went just as Weather Witch had predicted. They tightened the encirclement around the perimeter, trapping all the armed militants who were putting up a last-ditch resistance deep inside the cave, and let bunker-busting bombs finish the fight. This wasn't just how the rough-and-ready Russian forces fought. Any army in the world would fight this way once it had an overwhelming advantage in technology and firepower and was free to act as it pleased.
If firepower could solve the problem, why waste lives?
Unlike the easygoing atmosphere at the command center, the mood among the Spear Bureau Special Task Force quietly grew tense. Xiang Qian's theory had no evidence behind it and looked like an irresponsible joke, but even Saber, who'd never gotten along with Xiang Qian, wouldn't dismiss it as one. No one had ever seen the Memory Planet deep in Xiang Qian's soul, but everyone who'd worked with him knew about his superhuman memory and formidable ability to process information.
Same surname, same hometown, disobeyed orders, a breach on the battlefield—this was a battlefield, not a courtroom. With so many coincidences, who needed evidence?
The Spear Bureau Special Task Force quietly began adjusting its deployment. The unusual activity went unnoticed. Since they were fighting overseas, the Spear Bureau hadn't sent many combat personnel for this joint operation; its main role was to provide intelligence and technical support. But although the task force Weather Witch led was small, every member was a seasoned elite. If the Mandarin organization hadn't been near the top of the Spear Bureau's watch list for years, they wouldn't have deployed this trump card.
The deployment wasn't Xiang Qian's concern. After Weather Witch hurried off, he fell completely quiet, found a corner to sit in, and bent over his tablet, tapping and drawing on the screen.
Saber had been left behind, furious. As soon as Weather Witch left, he walked out of the tent, clearly preferring to stand outside in the sun and wind rather than look at Xiang Qian's face. Vector, who'd also been left behind, quietly sat down not far from Xiang Qian and kept sneaking glances at him. She was terribly curious.
The Spear Bureau was a secretive organization with almost no contact with ordinary people. No matter how much responsibility its members shouldered or how great their achievements, they remained unknown. But Xiang Qian was different. He was practically a household name. His name appeared everywhere, from obscure, specialized science and technology journals to popular entertainment columns and gossip rags. Sometimes people would cheer his latest scientific breakthrough and praise him for bringing glory to the country, only to turn around and gleefully devour the juicy gossip about his current and former girlfriends trading barbs from afar.
A scientist shaping the future of technology, a rising star in business with one scandal after another, and a little-known, confidential title as a technical consultant for the Spear Bureau—all of it gave Xiang Qian an air of mystery. When he casually helped the allied forces solve their problem at the command center, then spotted a potential risk in the operation from clues in the briefing, Vector was stunned to realize that he'd quietly taken control of the entire joint operation. He'd been in the allied command center for just half an hour.
On the front lines, Xiang Qian had none of the star quality he showed in the entertainment columns. Still, he could effortlessly become the center of everything. Even a mature, levelheaded agent like Vector found it hard not to be drawn to a man like that. Then someone noticed the gaze she'd thought she'd hidden so well.
"You've been staring at me for over five minutes." Xiang Qian looked up and met Vector's gaze before she could look away. "You're... Vector, right? Sorry, I assume your real name is classified even within the task force, so I'll call you that."
Vector felt awkward. Looking away now would only make it worse. She stammered, "It's fine. Everyone on the team calls me by my codename, too."
"So, is there something wrong with me?"
"Huh?"
Xiang Qian smiled gently. "You've been staring at me for so long. Is there something wrong with me?"
"N-no, it's not that..." Vector stammered for a while, then nearly pulled her hair out before coming up with an excuse. "I... I just wanted to ask about your ground-penetrating... drone... radar."
"What about it?"
Vector took a deep, discreet breath and finally managed to speak fluently. "Before this operation, the captain asked me to put together a list of technical equipment we might need. Why didn't I see any information about this ground-penetrating radar? I wouldn't have missed it if it had been on the list."
"Oh, that." Xiang Qian pretended not to notice how awkward she felt. "This new ground-penetrating radar was built less than ten hours ago. Apart from its test flights during development, this should be its second trial run."
Only then did Vector feel herself recover from the awkwardness. She put on a casual air and said, "I see. If the operation had been delayed a few days, the drone could've finished its test flights."
"Delaying it a few days wouldn't have helped." Xiang Qian shook his head unconcernedly. "This new radar project was only officially approved twenty-four hours ago, when you asked headquarters for support."
"Huh?" Vector nearly stopped breathing again. "Y-you're joking, right?"
"I never joke about technical matters," Xiang Qian said seriously.
Vector started stammering again. What Xiang Qian described went against everything she thought she knew. "You... this radar... in just over ten hours, you developed a new radar and built a working model?"
Xiang Qian watched the stammering Vector with an impassive face. His matter-of-fact expression made her wonder if her shock and questions were embarrassingly ignorant. She couldn't help doubting herself.
"Of course... not." Xiang Qian suddenly broke into a mischievous grin. "The ground-penetrating radar project had actually been around for a while. It just wasn't originally intended for military use. The military modifications really did start after you asked for help."
"Hmph..." Vector shot Xiang Qian an annoyed look, making no secret of her contempt for his prank, but couldn't resist asking, "Then what was the radar originally designed for?"
"The original design was, of course, a ground-penetrating radar." Xiang Qian paused for effect. "The Five Elements Laboratory developed it with several major domestic mining groups for mineral exploration. It was only finalized a few days ago, and you happened to catch it at just the right time."
Vector understood now. That made sense. Modifying a radar with a similar function in a little over ten hours was completely different from developing a brand-new one from scratch in the same amount of time.
"Feeling lucky?" Xiang Qian said with a knowing smile. "I wouldn't celebrate too soon. Your director had to call in a lot of favors to get permission to use the radar prototype, and he paid me a hefty overtime fee to get the modifications done in time. Knowing how stingy he is, he'll probably take it out of your pay."
"Why?" Vector's eyes widened.
Xiang Qian shrugged. "Why else? The radar modifications were to clean up after your team's failure to get the job done. A ground-penetrating radar is basically toilet paper, so naturally you're the ones paying for it!"
Vector was left speechless.