Over the South Atlantic, aboard a Boeing 777
The plane cruised steadily through the stratosphere. Outside the windows lay the deep night sky and the boundless dark ocean below, reflecting starlight.
The cabin lights had been dimmed, and most passengers were asleep or resting with their eyes closed after the exhausting long-haul flight.
Wang Qiang finally relaxed the nerves that had been taut for days. Leaning back in the spacious first-class seat, he closed his bloodshot eyes.
As his breathing gradually steadied, Zhao Kai and Li Yan also seized the chance to rest, though they remained alert in light sleep.
Near the front of first class, Zhouzhou, Mr. Wang, and several other executives were also utterly exhausted.
Yet the enormous shock of surviving disaster and the excitement of finally heading home for real made it impossible for them to sleep.
They kept their voices low as they spoke quietly.
"This really was... unforgettable for the rest of my life." One executive rubbed his temples with a bitter smile.
"I used to think business negotiations were the fiercest battlefield. Looking at it now, that was laughably naive."
"Yeah." Mr. Wang sighed, his gaze fixed on the endless darkness beyond the window.
"Laws and international rules are as thin as paper in the face of real power.
"If it hadn't been for the country this time..." He shook his head and said no more, but the meaning was obvious.
Zhouzhou gently touched the faint bruises left by the electronic shackles around her ankle and said softly,
"These past few days, I've thought about a lot. I used to think that if a company grew large enough and had enough influence, it would have a certain sense of security.
"Only now do I understand that without a powerful homeland supporting us from behind,