bookrandom Chapter 1031 Times have changed, how could there be any regrets!
Chapter 1031 Times have changed, how could there be any regrets!
Baoqiang gestured with his chin, indicating to the six men in plain clothes sitting opposite him, who stood silently like statues.
The four men appeared to be sitting casually, but their backs were straight as pines, and their breathing was even and long. Even in the dim light, their eyes, which occasionally swept over the cabin environment, were as sharp as eagles, carrying a kind of fierce aura that had been tempered by countless trials.
They are quite different from the refined or neurotic codebreakers commonly found in Bureau 701; they are more like... sharp blades forged in blood and fire.
“Isn’t this the ‘black dog’ by the door? It doesn’t move around easily.”
Baoqiang continued muttering, his eyes behind his sunglasses scrutinizing Director Zheng: "You brought them all along. Those who know will understand that you're going to ask Jiang Xia for help, but those who don't will think that our 701 Bureau is going to come to our door armed to catch that idiot red-handed!"
What terrible rule did he break? Did he really need such a huge fuss?
Director Zheng finally opened his eyes, glanced at Baoqiang sideways, his eyes filled with a warning that said, "If you say another word, I'll throw you out of the cabin."
"You little devils, can you shut up already? If you keep spouting nonsense, and they come looking for a fight with you after we get off the plane, I promise I won't take sides." As he spoke, Director Zheng smiled apologetically at the soldiers.
The six remained silent, like ancient pines that have stood unchanged since time immemorial.
"Spar with me? Why? I'm stating objective facts!" Baoqiang looked completely innocent, his voice rising even louder, and he deliberately tilted his head to sized up the soldiers:
"Oh... I get it! Old Zheng, do you have some lingering romantic entanglements outside that you're afraid of being confronted by your enemies when you get there? Is that why you brought all of our bureau's guardian beasts with you to give you courage and support?"
Director Zheng finally lost his temper, suddenly opened his eyes, and glared at Baoqiang. At the same time, he quickly moved his body at least ten centimeters away from him, clearly intending to draw a line between them.
"Protection! It's about implementing protection!"
"Protect?" Baoqiang was taken aback, his sunglasses slipped down a little, and he was about to break into a "you're kidding me" smile when he froze when he met Director Zheng's profile, which was devoid of any smile.
"Oh...you mean protect the telegram? No need for protection, just eat it. I'll write it down for you when I get there!"
"Jiang Xia!"
"Protect who? Jiang Xia? Isn't that big oaf standing next to him? That guy, if he gets into trouble, even if all the guys in our bureau... uh, all the good guys combined," he glanced at the "Blackies" again, then changed his words, "they might not even get the better of us, right? Do you really need to bring people to protect him?"
Upon hearing Baoqiang not only address him by his first name but also "praise" Lao Wang in such a way, Director Zheng's face turned green, and he moved to the side, wishing he could go deaf on the spot.
“Minister Wang’s son is certainly tough, and there’s nothing wrong with him protecting Jiang Xia. But… no matter how tough he is, in the eyes of certain beings, he’s just a kitten with fairly sharp claws! What we need to guard against are real tigers with wings that can look down from the sky! Understand?”
The playful look on Baoqiang's face vanished completely. He slowly pushed his sunglasses back into place, pursed his lips, and remained silent.
"So, you brought 'Blackie' with you to guard against...those 'from the sky'?"
“Be prepared.”
Director Zheng did not give a direct answer, but his tacit acceptance spoke volumes. "Comrade Jiang Xia's current position is too crucial. What's in his head might be even more deadly than the code we're trying to decipher this time."
Those who have designs on him aren't just the foreign devils and monsters. Internally…
Old Wang chopped off one claw that was sticking out too obviously; there's no guarantee that other claws won't come out to pry.
Our 701st Bureau personnel went there under the guise of requesting technical cooperation to strengthen his temporary perimeter security and screening, which was perfectly legitimate.
In the event of any 'special circumstances,' our people are more...experienced and 'more convenient' to handle them than the base's regular guards.
He glanced at Baoqiang: "You know Jiang Xia well, you know the importance of these words. Our top priority this time is to decipher the coded messages, but ensuring Comrade Jiang Xia's absolute safety and allowing him to fully assist us without interference is equally important, even more so. Understand?"
Baoqiang slowly leaned back in his chair. Having gathered enough information, he finally stopped picking his ear.
He secretly pondered: So Old Zheng came with a dual mission. On one hand, he was requesting assistance in deciphering the coded message; on the other hand, in this delicate situation, he was providing that dimwitted kid with an extra layer of protection from Bureau 701.
Hey, this old man, he probably had this idea for a long time, and now he's just using his mouth to say it out loud, isn't he?
Those who do secret work are all cunning and have ulterior motives; they're not clean at all!
However, I like...
Haha, Jinzhen, I'll protect your older brother's life!
"Understood." Baoqiang nodded, becoming unusually serious. "Don't worry, Lao Zheng. When we get there, I'll give Dai Maozai a heads-up so he's aware of things. He's quick-witted, but a bit cunning; he might not be as perceptive as those of us who've been in the shadows for a long time."
Director Zheng nodded slightly, closed his eyes to rest again, and the cabin returned to silence, with only the low hum of the aircraft engine remaining.
Before two minutes had passed, Baoqiang came over again and nudged Director Zheng's arm with his elbow: "Hey, old man Zheng, old man Zheng, how are you feeling right now?"
Director Zheng pretended not to hear, and moved his buttocks to the edge of the wooden bench, wishing he could get as far away from the troubled youth as possible.
Baoqiang pressed down on him, his dark claws pressing down on his chest.
"Does it hurt?"
"Nonsense! Of course it hurts, get up!"
"I mean, does the bullet wound from the shot you took at Mengjialou in Jixian still hurt?" Baoqiang seemed oblivious to the bureau chief's angry glare, talking to himself, and even reaching out to poke someone's chest.
"It must be uncomfortable on a cloudy, rainy day!"
Director Zheng paused, his expression darkening slightly: "Why are you asking this?"
"Did you ever feel even the slightest regret for taking that bullet for someone?"
Director Zheng finally lost his temper, shoved him aside, and then kicked him.
Caught off guard, Baoqiang fell down next to the six soldiers.
Under the watchful eyes of the soldiers, Baoqiang shrank back and finally behaved himself.
After a while...
"One thing at a time... I have no regrets!"
"cut!"
……
What Director Zheng didn't know was that thousands of meters below his plane, another convoy was also speeding through the night towards the same destination.
This was a convoy of three vehicles, led by a grass-green canvas-covered BJ-212 jeep, followed by a command vehicle converted from a wheeled armored personnel carrier, and then another truck fully loaded with personnel.
Inside the armored vehicle, the two rows of hard seats that were originally facing each other have been removed and replaced with a more comfortable, soft-padded arrangement similar to the back seats of a car.
In the back seat, two figures sat facing each other.
A slightly portly middle-aged man wearing gold-rimmed glasses was carefully wiping the lenses with a velvet cloth, his tone filled with confusion: "Old Qin, are you sure the news is correct? Zuo Peng... was he just taken down like that? And by... some engineer's bodyguard captain? What was the reason given... studying confidentiality regulations?"
The middle-aged man wasn't actually nearsighted; he simply felt that wearing glasses made him look more like his social status.
The person in charge of the logistics department cannot be like those thugs who only know how to shout for war.
There's a strategy to working!
Yes, with just a short essay and the efforts of the person behind him, he effortlessly secured the logistics position, something the middle-aged man was quite proud of. Although he was still only a deputy, he, now wielding considerable power, considered a title a trivial matter.
As long as the boss ascends to the throne, won't I be promoted to the top position in no time?
It's all just a matter of time!
The man next to him, known as Old Qin, was a wiry-looking fellow. He nodded upon hearing this.
"The news is accurate. Wang Kui personally led the team to handle it, and all the procedures were complete, using the special provisions of the directly subordinate security department. The reason given was that his behavior after handling highly classified information was suspected of being inappropriate, posing a potential risk of leakage, so mandatory isolation, investigation, and special training measures were taken."
"Wang Kui..."
The man with the gold-rimmed glasses repeated the name, a cryptic smile playing on his lips:
"That hothead from the Wang family at the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications? Ha, he's getting better and better at 'following the rules.' But just for an engineer?"
Even if that engineer is somewhat capable, this commotion is an overreaction. Zuo Peng, at his worst, is still someone who has served his old boss for many years and is on his radar.
Was Wang Kui truly acting under someone's orders?
Old Qin paused for a moment, then said in a low voice, "According to what I've heard from the sidelines, those who tacitly approve of or even support this matter... are quite influential. At the very least, Wang Kui must have something to rely on for his decisive action."
"Humph."
The man with the gold-rimmed glasses put on his cleaned glasses, and his eyes behind the lenses became sharp:
"It seems our highly sought-after engineer has grown quite powerful, even daring to directly challenge the old leader's 'arms.' This matter cannot be let off lightly."
"Sitting on the roc needs to get out as soon as possible; this rule needs to be reconsidered by certain people."
Old Qin slightly raised his eyes: "What do you mean?"
“Madam is very displeased.” The man with the gold-rimmed glasses did not answer directly, but changed the subject.
"Madam believes this not only offended Zuo Peng, but also caused her to lose face and discouraged those below her. If morale is low, the team will be difficult to manage. Therefore, Madam intends for us to make this trip. Firstly, to see if we can resolve Zuo Peng's matter in a more 'compliant' way and get him out. Secondly..."
He paused briefly: "That young engineer comrade also needs to know that he must act with discretion and that there are certain boundaries that cannot be crossed. His guards may be reckless, which is understandable, but he himself should learn to assess the situation and see which way to go."
Old Qin understood immediately: "Understood. I'll make the arrangements right away. When we arrive in Darian, we'll first contact Deputy Political Commissar Chang of the base. He's a former subordinate of our old leader. It should be more prudent to understand the situation and exert influence through him."
After he finished speaking, he hesitated for a moment, then added, "However, Minister, for such a small matter... isn't it a bit much for you to personally handle it..."
He didn't finish his sentence, but the meaning was clear: it's like using a sledgehammer to crack a nut.
The man with the gold-rimmed glasses had narrowed his eyes slightly at some point and didn't reply. Old Qin, having been rebuffed, gave an awkward smile, looking somewhat embarrassed.
Little did he know that his boss, who loved to flaunt his status with glasses, was thinking about far more than just the task at hand.
The man with the gold-rimmed glasses was lost in thought: "Was this action solely the wife's idea, or was it tacitly approved or even authorized by the old leader behind her?"
That engineer surnamed Jiang is said to be favored by several veterans; maintaining a good relationship with him is, in the long run, more beneficial than harmful. Even the armored vehicle I'm currently riding in, I've heard, received his guidance on its improvement plan…
Are there any secrets or tricks I haven't yet grasped?
We need to reconsider and make a careful decision…