Upper Capital, command center.
The white light on the big screen slowly dissipated, replaced by a slowly rising mushroom cloud.
Orange-red fireballs surged at the bottom of the clouds, and thick black smoke shot straight into the sky, turning half of the sky dark red.
The picture was frozen in that frame, and no one spoke.
In the command center, dozens of people stood there, staring blankly at the frozen mushroom cloud.
The technician's fingers were hanging above the keyboard, forgetting to type, while the staff's hands were hanging at their sides, holding documents.
Some people covered their mouths, some clenched their fists, and some looked away, unable to bear to look any further.
Commander Tian stood in front of the command podium, motionless.
His hands were supporting the countertop, his knuckles were white and blue, and his whole body was as stretched as a steel plate about to break.
My eyes were staring at the mushroom cloud on the screen, and my eyes were red.
"Is there any news from the safe house?" The voice was so hoarse that it was almost inaudible.
The Kumite beside him shook his head, his lips moved, but no sound came out.
Commander Tian looked away from the screen.
He began to regret that Fang Tianyi should not have been allowed to perform this task.
Blame him, it was him who recommended it - he was the one who said against all opinions, "Only Major Fang Tianyi can complete this mission."
It was he who assured his superiors that Major Fang Tianyi was capable enough to deal with any emergencies."
It's because he was overconfident in Major Fang Tianyi.
What now? The nuclear bomb exploded and everyone was gone. What could he do to face the people of this country? What could he do to face the mother of Tianyi?
Time passed by minute by minute, and the command center was filled with deathly silence.
Every second was like a stab in Commander Zaitian's heart.
Tens of minutes later, his complexion had turned from livid to ashen, and the remaining glimmer of hope in his eyes was completely extinguished.
He knew very well what it meant to have no news for so long.
At this moment, a cry of surprise came from behind.
When the kumite received the news, he suddenly jumped up from his chair, his eyes widened and his mouth opened.
His face turned from gray to flushed, and his voice was trembling:
"Haha... Hahaha! Alive! Still alive!"
Commander Tian suddenly turned his head, his eyes like a beast being forced into a desperate situation:
"What did you say? Say it again!"
Kumite pointed at the communication panel with trembling fingers, his voice broken with excitement:
"Now there is news from the safe house... Major Fang Tianyi... Professor Gao... are all still alive!
Major Fang Tianyi and Professor Gao are already in the safe house! They are all still alive!"
A few seconds of silence.
Then, the command center erupted!
Some people cheered, some applauded, some hugged the colleagues next to them, and some took off their glasses and wiped their tears desperately.
The emotions that had been suppressed for half the night finally found an outlet and spewed out like a flood from a bursting dam.
A young female technician covered her face and cried out. A staff officer threw the folder in his hand into the air, and it didn't hurt even if it fell and hit her head. Those silent, tragic, and desperate faces instantly turned into ecstasy.
Commander Tian was stunned. He stood there, motionless. The expression on his face changed from defeat to confusion, and from confusion to disbelief.
After a few seconds, he raised his hand and slapped himself hard on the face.
Bang! There was a crisp sound, and several people around were startled.
"Damn, it hurts! It's real, it's not a dream, this guy was hit by a nuclear bomb and he can still live, hahaha!"
He murmured to himself, then slowly opened his mouth, revealing a smile that was uglier than crying, but his eyes were as red as Rabbit.
He turned around, grabbed the communicator, took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down:
"Safe house, this is Upper Capital, report the specific situation."
The agent's voice came from the other end, with the hoarseness and uncontrollable excitement of a survivor:
"The mini-bomb in Professor Gao's neck has been successfully defused, his vital signs are stable, and his life is not in danger for now.
Fang Tianyi Major was injured, with trauma, internal bleeding, and broken ribs, but he was conscious and his life was not in danger.
Repeat, neither life is in danger!"
The last stone hanging in Commander Tian's heart finally fell to the ground.
His fingers clenched tightly on the communicator, his knuckles crackled, and his lips opened and closed several times.
I want to scold Tianyi, but now that he has completed the task, it's not very good.
After much searching, I couldn't find any words that could express my mood at this moment, so I finally just said dryly:
"Okay... okay, make a safe handover immediately, initiate an evacuation plan, and bring both of them back."
"Yes!" came the agent's sonorous and forceful response from the other end.
Commander Tian put down the communicator and slowly leaned back on the chair.
The ecstasy just now gradually subsided, replaced by an indescribable fear.
He closed his eyes, exhaled a long breath, and swore secretly in his heart.
Fang Tianyi will never be allowed to perform overseas missions of this level in the future.
As for what to do when he needs to take action, that is a matter for the future.
At least now, he just wants that brat to come back safely and drink him three times!
Bald Eagle Capital, Suburban safe house.
The curtains were tightly closed, the lights were dim, and the surroundings were quiet, except for the rustling sound of paper being turned.
The tip of the pen slid across the white paper, brushing, brushing, without stopping. The lamp on the table focused the light on that small area, illuminating the page filled with formulas and structural diagrams.
Tianyi's eyelids trembled.
He slowly opened his eyes, and his vision changed from blurry to clear. He saw a gray wooden ceiling, a simple ceiling lamp, and no decoration.
He was lying on the cot, covered with a thin blanket, and his chest and right arm were wrapped with bandages. The faint pain reminded him that he was still alive, still breathing, and still in this world.
He tilted his head and his eyes immediately fell on the table.
Professor Gao was sitting at the table with his back straight. He was still wearing the gray shirt he brought from Deep Well Base. The sleeves were rolled up to his forearms, revealing a thin arm.
Holding a mechanical pencil in his hand, he writes and draws on the paper.
Those formulas, data, and structural diagrams gushed out like spring water from his writing, neatly and densely packed with traces of various alterations.
A young agent next to him was sitting upright, his eyes jumping back and forth between Tianyi and Professor Gao.
Then I saw Tianyi waking up. His hands were on his knees, and his fingers were clenched and loosened, and then clenched again.
After hesitating for a moment, he finally plucked up the courage and walked to the camp bed. His back was as straight as a javelin and his voice was extremely low:
"Hello, Major Fang Tianyi, I... I am your fan. I know all about your deeds. Can you sign your autograph for me?"
On the desk, Professor Gao's pen paused for a moment, then slowly put it down and turned around.
He stood up, moved very slowly, as if he had exhausted all his strength, walked up to Tianyi, and bowed deeply.
"Comrade Fang Tianyi, thank you."