Chapter 220: Kong Ming
In April 2003, West Africa, the Republic of Congo.
The rejuvenation of Huaguo itself is constituted by a series of games with the so-called world mainstream order dominated by North America. Being able to join the World Trade Organization and completely embark on the fast track of globalization also includes conditions that Huaguo must fulfill as part of its responsibility as a major power.
Sending peacekeeping troops to the chaotic Republic of Congo in West Africa is one of those conditions.
The long-term turmoil caused by the Black Blood Tribe, which has swept almost half of West Africa, not only destroyed the Republic of Congo but also destabilized the entire West African region, affecting the interests of Europe and the United States in that area.
Under the covert coordination of the United Nations, the secret agencies of the world’s major powers began to take joint action, and Huaguo secretly dispatched its most elite forces to participate in this expedition.
Now, among the peacekeeping forces stationed in the Republic of Congo, there is a mixed reinforcement detachment of the Anjian unit, led by the most elite captain of the Anjian, Zhen Guangquan.
Zhen Guangquan has served as a captain for nine years since he became one at twenty-three, and he is now just one year away from achieving a record of ten years.
As an ordinary blood type frontline Anjian operator, thirty-two-year-old Zhen Guangquan has become a legendary captain of the entire Anjian. Over the past nine years, he has successfully completed numerous international joint operations, and his experience in foreign combat is very rich, naturally taking on the most arduous tasks hidden within this peacekeeping operation.
The combined operations of multiple countries’ secret forces quickly suppressed the audacious actions of the Black Blood Tribe and local warlords, but it also welcomed the final desperate struggles of the Black Blood Tribe, which had nowhere to retreat.
The last battle unfolded in the tropical rainforest along the Congo River, where the encircled multinational secret forces engaged in an all-out hunt, capturing the last remnants of the Black Blood rebels trapped within the encirclement.
The area surrounded by the Huaguo Anjian forces became the last escape route for the Black Blood, fighting for their lives with almost suicidal attacks that lasted from the previous evening until dawn the next day.
The nearly two hundred personnel of the Huaguo Anjian mixed reinforcement detachment fought for nearly ten hours, over half of the operators had to withdraw from combat due to the side effects of the anti-blood infection medication reaching critical levels, and fewer personnel were able to remain on the front lines.
After another skirmish ended with an enemy breach of the defense line, Zhen Guangquan leaned against a large tree, spitting out blood. At this moment, the captain of the Xuanjia Brigade had already become completely exhausted, with a high fever from the anti-blood immune medication causing his face to turn red, and a half shard of a Caucasian baron’s bone was lodged in his right lung.
His temperature was uncontrollably fluctuating, his limbs felt weak, and the pain from the severe lung injury had long since become numb. Looking around, all he saw were the bloody remains from the chaotic battle, some belonging to the Black Blood Tribe and some to Anjian soldiers.
“Xiao Luo, are you alive?”
“Anyone who can move, make a sound…”
“Is anyone still alive…”
From deep within the dense forest, there were sporadic gunshots and grenade explosions. Zhen Guangquan tried to prop himself up several times, but the early symptoms of blood infection had left him unable to control his bodily coordination, each attempt ending in failure.
“Are we all dead? Did the mission fail…”
Zhen Guangquan spat out another mouthful of blood, feeling his consciousness slip away faster, everything before his eyes twisted into distortion. He even felt that he should belong to the kind of person who couldn’t withstand the initial immune storm of blood infection and would soon collapse and die.
After all, he was just an ordinary blood type.
A tall, dark figure gradually approached and finally stood in front of Zhen Guangquan, quietly looking down, silent.
“Who are you…”
Zhen Guangquan struggled to lift his head and began to fumble for a weapon nearby, but no matter how hard he tried, his arm wouldn’t obey his commands.
“Do you want to live?”
A strangely accented Mandarin reached his ears, causing Zhen Guangquan’s suddenly stiff body to freeze.
“Ha, they’re all dead… I don’t want to live anymore…”
Zhen Guangquan felt that he was about to die; he was just struggling with his last bit of consciousness, or perhaps some phantoms were questioning him about his life.
“Colonel Zhen, you are quite remarkable; we have been observing you for a long time. You have been infected with blood, and you cannot withstand it… but I can help you live.”
Zhen Guangquan sensed that the dark figure had crouched beside him, one hand gripping his chin as if admiring his near-death visage.
“What do you want…”
Zhen Guangquan’s eyes widened, but there was nothing he could see; his vision had already faded.
“Colonel, I heard your child is only two years old, and your wife is very virtuous and beautiful… Dying is easy, but do you really want to lose all of this?”
The dark figure’s devilish whisper floated in Zhen Guangquan’s fading consciousness, sounding awkward and unpleasant, but it penetrated deep into his mind, causing him to shudder uncontrollably.
He felt his body rising and falling in the icy black abyss, the despair and fear in his heart gradually taking over his senses. It seemed a straw had quietly emerged in the vast darkness before him, within reach.
Yes, why should I die? I’m about to reach ten years. I am about to break the record for the Anjian captaincy. My wife, my son…
“No… save me…”
Moments later, Zhen Guangquan closed his eyes, trembling as he shook his head, his facial muscles twitching erratically due to nervous dysfunction.
It felt as if something special had been injected into his body, a cool comfort flowing through his veins, and Zhen Guangquan felt all the heat within him gradually dissipating.
“Mr. Zhen, congratulations on overcoming the blood infection. Our conversation today has been recorded on video; you will receive instructions from Kong Ming when you return; I wish you a pleasant life.”
The dark figure stood up, looking around the eerily silent battlefield, and laughed.
A partially naked Black Blood tribesman with scorched skin and one eye glaring red burst out from the rainforest, baring his teeth and clawing, inopportunely interrupting the secret conversation.
Rushing to within ten meters of the dark figure, the injured Black Blood tribesman stopped, confusion written all over his face.
The tall man before him was a suited white man and emanated a chaotic aura that only a baron or higher could possess.
In a flash, the dark figure moved, and the Black Blood tribesman’s head flew into the air, the landscape spinning, and his last thought lingered: Why was a baron from a European house appearing here?
Dawn gradually broke, and more reinforcements from multinational secret forces arrived just in time to save the Huaguo Anjian forces, who fought to the last line of encirclement.
The decade-long Black Blood revolt in the Republic of Congo was finally put down by the United Nations this April, with the Huaguo Anjian troops making significant contributions, creating conditions for the final victory at the cost of over half of their forces.
The commander of the Huaguo Anjian expeditionary force, Colonel Zhen Guangquan, fought fiercely without retreating, sustaining grave injuries. Fortunately, he did not suffer from blood infection, and was later awarded a medal by the multinational secret organizations participating in the joint action.
…
On April 11, 2020, Saturday morning.
“Leaders, the patient has woken up. Today, various physical indicators are fine. Although the issue of paralysis cannot be resolved, his mind has regained lucidity, and he possesses some basic language expression abilities.”
In the underground K area of the Blood Dragon secret base, a routine health check had just concluded. The doctor, wearing a mask, walked out of the treatment room, bringing good news to everyone waiting.
“Dad, why don’t you go to the rest area for some tea? The intelligence bureau personnel need to go in and ask some questions.”
On the bench, Han Guowei stood up with a relaxed expression, smiling at his elderly father, who was resting with his eyes closed in a wheelchair.
Han Zhongliang didn’t say anything, just waved his hand lightly, and his niece Han Ying pushed the wheelchair down the corridor.
A few seconds later, several male and female officers from the intelligence bureau rushed into the treatment room with various portable devices.
Time passed gradually, and a few hours later, close to noon, the officers who had entered came out one by one, looking dejected.
“Director Ye, Commander Han, no matter how we started the conversation, Zhen Guangquan has refused to speak, only staring at the ceiling…”
The lead officer had a serious expression, and both Ye Zhijun and Han Guowei in the corridor frowned.
“Old Ye, is it possible that he can’t talk?”
Han Guowei clenched and relaxed his hands several times, visibly frustrated.
Having been in office as the commander of the southern inspection district for a month, Han Guowei felt that the past month had been packed with more events than the previous years combined, and the mess accumulated in the south had left him feeling worn out.
It clearly felt like a scheme directed from outside, with collusion inside, continuously draining the blood of the Anjian and even Huaguo, but they had not been able to catch the real mastermind behind the scenes, making Han Guowei pin all his hopes on Zhen Guangquan.
“No, since the doctor said inquiries could proceed, it means Zhen Guangquan’s physical condition meets the questioning criteria. His refusal to respond indicates that he knows his identity has been exposed.”
Ye Zhijun also felt somewhat helpless.
“Xiao Ye, I’ll go talk to him. He is an outstanding cadre I personally promoted, and I had expected him to become a new pillar for the Anjian… I want to know why he ended up like this…”
Han Zhongliang appeared again, pushed in his wheelchair by Han Ying.
The old man surveyed the senior Anjian commanders present, his sharp gaze imposing even without anger, as if in that moment, he transformed back into the former chief of the Anjian General Staff.
However, within those aged eyes, there was a painful expression that was hard to overlook.
“Old chief…”
“Second uncle…”
“Dad!”
The surrounding senior Anjian commanders all gathered around.
“If you think there’s a suspicion of violating confidentiality, then just go in with Ye Zhijun.”
Han Zhongliang smiled, appearing indifferent.
Han Guowei and Ye Zhijun exchanged glances; the former nodded slightly while the latter took out his phone, stepping aside. A few seconds later, the sound of Ye Zhijun communicating with Wu Zhongxian came through.
“Old Wu’s side agreed; I’ll accompany the old chief in.”
Ye Zhijun walked over to Han Guowei, whispered something in his ear, then steadied Han Zhongliang’s wheelchair and pushed it into the treatment room.
…
Han Zhongliang’s deep and steady voice echoed in the cramped treatment room, accompanied by the ticking of several monitoring devices.
On the hospital bed, Zhen Guangquan lay with his eyes open, gazing at the ceiling with an expressionless face, only a few glimmers of unshed tears forming in the corners of his eyes.
Han Zhongliang recounted Zhen Guangquan’s growth, even mentioning details about his hope that Han An and Zhen Guangquan would get along, causing the exposed hand of the middle-aged man on the bed to tremble.
“… Knowing you’ve become the chief of staff of the Western Inspection District, how happy I am. I’ve always believed I hadn’t misjudged you, believing that one day you could shoulder the burden of the Anjian…”
“I just want to know, when did you stray from your mission and my expectations for you? You don’t need to say anything else.”
Han Zhongliang leaned back in his wheelchair, half-closing his eyes, mumbling as if ignoring others, while Ye Zhijun sitting beside him observed Zhen Guangquan’s expression changes meticulously.
“His name is Kong Ming…”
Tears streamed down Zhen Guangquan’s face as he finally spoke.
Upon hearing this obvious code name, Ye Zhijun abruptly stood up, crouching beside the bed and straining to listen, while Han Zhongliang opened his eyes; the once cloudy gaze became clear, fixating intensely on Zhen Guangquan’s face.
“Director Ye, I want to have a private chat with the old chief… alone.”
Zhen Guangquan struggled to turn his head, looking at Ye Zhijun.
“Old chief, K area is a medical zone; this treatment room has no audio-visual surveillance…”
Ye Zhijun paused, looking at Han Zhongliang, then deep in thought for a few seconds, quietly left the treatment room.
Shortly after, Ye Zhijun personally stationed outside the treatment room, leaving absolute confidentiality for Han Zhongliang and Zhen Guangquan.
Inside the treatment room, Zhen Guangquan was still in tears, while Han Zhongliang remained silent.
“Speak. You know everything.”
After receiving a gesture from Ye Zhijun through the doorway crack, Han Zhongliang finally addressed the weeping Zhen Guangquan.
“I don’t know… who Kong Ming really is… I can only receive instructions from Kong Ming through the contact method provided in written mail…”
“I once wanted to uncover Kong Ming’s identity and redeem myself… but my parents, wife, and child are being watched; I can’t let them down…”
“The person who brought me back from blood infection was from the Engel family, which I only found out last year… Since I was awakened, I’ve been acting according to Kong Ming’s instructions, protecting Xia Yan and Gu Yao from being discovered by the Anjian…”
“There should be members of the Engel family in both the Hermit Alliance and Wang’s family, but they don’t know each other… I suspect they all follow Kong Ming’s orders…”
“Old chief, no matter what, please protect my family.”
In the past ten minutes, Zhen Guangquan relayed a lot of information, and his emotions gradually stabilized.
At this point, do you want to turn back? I thought you would hold on until the end…
Han Zhongliang sighed, slowly supporting himself, rising from the wheelchair to approach the bed.
Moments later, Han Zhongliang leaned down, putting his mouth close to Zhen Guangquan’s ear, “Xiao Zhen, your life is tough; you really should be dead… You actually took the liberty to try to kill my grandson, the last hope of the Han family.”
As he spoke, a hint of ferocity surfaced on Han Zhongliang’s face.
“However, I won’t blame you for it; in fact, your flaws were too many; you’ve long been suspected…”
“Xiao Zhen, do you think you are a traitor to the Anjian? No, you’re not; everything you’ve done is also righteous; your mission has been completed… Rest easy, you will be recognized as a martyr, and your family will have a brighter future than you…”
Having said that, Han Zhongliang extended his thin, aged hand, gripping Zhen Guangquan’s exposed hand with a solemn tone.
A flash of lightning surged through Zhen Guangquan’s mind, his pupils contracted in shock, trembling he turned his head to look at the frail old man before him, as if he couldn’t believe what he had just heard.
Thank you, old chief…
Zhen Guangquan seemed to understand something, exhaling deeply, smiling as his expression returned to calm.
Han Zhongliang pressed the call button at the head of the bed, then returned to his wheelchair and closed his eyes.
“Old chief.”
Ye Zhijun and Han Ying entered, the former maintaining a serious demeanor while the latter glanced at the silent Zhen Guangquan on the bed, revealing a hint of confusion.
“Xiao Ye, take good care of Zhen Guangquan… Ying girl, let’s go.”
Han Zhongliang waved his hand, and Han Ying quickly moved to the back of the wheelchair.
Take good care… After Han Zhongliang and Han Ying left the room, Ye Zhijun sat beside the hospital bed, quietly observing Zhen Guangquan.
…
On the way home, Han Zhongliang sat in the back seat with his eyes closed, resting.
“Ying girl, do you regret joining the special confidential action team?”
Suddenly, the old man opened his eyes and inexplicably asked.
Startled, Han Ying glanced at her second uncle through the rearview mirror, looking a bit tense. “Second uncle, is it because I asked Er Ge to let Xiao’an quit last time that I disappointed you…”
“It’s human nature; we men in the Han family don’t value our lives. You can think of Xiao’an; I’m actually very pleased. But in the Han family, there are no cowards; once we commit to something, we will persist until the end.”
Han Zhongliang nodded thoughtfully.
“By the way, Second Uncle, has Zhen Guangquan confessed?” The car slowly stopped outside a courtyard, and Han Ying turned her head cautiously to ask, “Actually, Er Ge started to suspect Zhen Guangquan at the end of last year, but despite numerous tests, there were no results.”
“Ha, when a man is about to die, he speaks good words… Nonetheless, he is a man; he is resilient and has his own principles. I still appreciate him for that. You all should avoid making things difficult for him, especially for his family.”
Han Zhongliang smiled, appearing indifferent.
“I didn’t expect such an outstanding person to be a mole. It’s a pity we couldn’t unearth the mastermind behind it…”
Han Ying sighed, gripping the steering wheel.
