Strongest Soldier King

After hanging up the phone, Luo Zheng contained his anger and informed everyone of the situation. Upon hearing this, everyone was furious, their faces cold and silent. Luo Zheng didn't know what to say for a moment and began to ponder. The opponent had planted a bomb in the underground basement and set flammable agents, which clearly indicated that the Sanhe Martial Arts Hall had important, unspeakable things. Once things went wrong, they would be destroyed by fire. Unfortunately, nothing could be salvaged amidst the conflagration.

"Such a great fire, it burned everything clean without leaving a trace. Even if we captured some hostages, without sufficient evidence, there would be nothing we could do. At least Sam Country and Japan can wash their hands off cleanly," Hong Meihua said coldly, her face sullen, her pretty brows tightly knit, and she looked extremely angry.

"Are they planning to treat the hostages as expendables? Aren't they afraid of chilling everyone's hearts?" Ghost Hand asked.

"Chilling hearts?" Hong Meihua retorted, seeing Ghost Hand's puzzled look. She somewhat understood, thought for a bit, and smiled bitterly, "This is the rule of our line of work. Intelligence work is different from your military. People with special identities would rather commit suicide than be captured. If forced into capture, the state will sever ties immediately to avoid negative implications for the country. We are all mentally prepared for this."

"Without direct evidence, even if something is extracted from interrogation, Sam Country and Japan can claim it was a unilateral action with no connection to their country. It seems we are once again put in a passive position. This move was ruthless enough, very much in Charlie's style. Could that so-called Charlie really exist?" Lan Xue asked Hong Meihua with suspicion.

"If you had asked me this question a month ago, I would have confidently told you he exists. Now, I'm muddled myself; it might be better to ask Ghost," Hong Meihua replied, somewhat bitterly.

"I looked into it, and 'Charlie' in Germanic means 'man.' Could it be that Charlie is not a person but an organization or group using this name externally, like the think tank of the Sam Country Strategic Intelligence Bureau, whose members consider themselves men?" Lan Xing suggested.

"Oh? There's such an interpretation?" Luo Zheng looked at Lan Xing in surprise, realizing another layer of implication in the name Charlie. After thinking about it, he felt Lan Xing's explanation wasn't unreasonable, but it was just personal speculation and couldn't be taken seriously. So he said, "Whether it's one person or a collective name for a group, this vendetta must be avenged."

"What are your thoughts?" Lan Xue asked, intrigued.

"First, the ambassador from Sam Country must be assassinated. Second, strike against Sanhe Martial Arts Hall's industry in our country, something that's beyond our capability. Third, speed up the interrogation to find their accomplices and decisively strike them. Fourth, increase surveillance on the Sam Country Embassy," Luo Zheng coldly suggested.

"Great ideas, but any concrete plans?" Hong Meihua inquired further.

"Sanhe Martial Arts Hall can be declared as the target of a terrorist attack, claiming it was the Eastern Turkistan Islamic Movement, putting the blame on them. Anyway, the Eastern Turkistan Islamic Movement is no good, always harming the people unnecessarily. It's best to make them the scapegoat and then initiate a nationwide anti-terrorism campaign under that pretext. The real aim, of course, is to form a joint task force with several departments to focus on striking against spies from Sam Country and Japan," Luo Zheng suggested, thinking intensely.

"A joint task force?" Everyone pondered the viability of such an action, intrigued and curious.

This involved a combined operation of several departments, making everyone hesitant. While thinking about it, Lan Xue's phone rang. She quickly picked it up and saw it was her grandfather calling. She quickly answered, greeted, and then listened. After agreeing repeatedly, she turned to Lan Xing and said, "Grandfather wants us to join a video conference."

There was a huge blunder with significant losses, and although many were captured, many were also lost. This would certainly have attracted the top leaders' attention, making Mr. Li's call reasonable. Lan Xing readily agreed, and soon, Mr. Li's figure appeared on the computer screen in the conference room, with some other elderly, distinguished-looking individuals beside him.

"We have a general understanding of the situation and are currently discussing solutions. Ghost, you are responsible for tactical command, say a few words to everyone," Mr. Li said seriously.

Luo Zheng knew that Mr. Li was asking for solutions, not opinions on the incident, so he quickly organized his thoughts, took a deep breath to calm himself, and seriously said, "Report to the chief, the purpose of this fire is evident, to destroy the unspeakable evidence. The prisoners are being interrogated intensively, and once there are leads, we will act immediately."

"We don't want to hear that; tell us something substantial," Mr. Li interrupted.

"Randomly pick a terrorist organization to blame, like the increasingly rampant Eastern Turkistan Islamic Movement recently. Conduct a nationwide anti-terrorism operation. First, it can prevent social panic, second, it provides an explanation to the public, and third, it serves as a cover-up. Meanwhile, by forming a joint task force with the police, national security, and us under the guise of anti-terrorism, we secretly pursue spies from Sam Country and Japan, suppressing their arrogance," Luo Zheng hurriedly explained.

"Your thinking aligns with what we just discussed, but not just a tripartite; we need to add a fourth side, the military, launching operations portrayed as anti-terrorism exercises across all major military regions. The real goal is to guard the border tightly, preventing any killers from escaping," Mr. Li confirmed assertively.

Luo Zheng was greatly pleased to see that the higher-ups agreed with his ideas and said, "Wonderful, this way, our work becomes much easier. Whether it's anti-terrorist actions or security actions, they are all external pretexts. The goal is to flush out the snakes hidden in the grass, also preparing an elite troop to become a crucial force in crushing the snake. We can't let the snake escape after rattling the grass."

"If you were to lead this task force, do you have the confidence?" Mr. Li continued to probe.

"This?" Luo Zheng hesitated, glancing at Hong Meihua and Lan Xue. In terms of rank, they were both higher. In terms of experience, Hong Meihua was more suitable for leading such an operation, so why him?

Hong Meihua and Lan Xue seemed to notice Luo Zheng's hesitation and nodded in encouragement. Luo Zheng thought for a moment, his expression turning resolute, and said, "Chief, I need absolute cooperation. For instance, today's situation at Sanhe Martial Arts Hall involving that senior Ministry of Foreign Affairs officer—we handled it a bit roughly, and we are willing to accept punishment, but there mustn't be similar individuals interfering with the entire action plan."

In a society governed by law, Luo Zheng's request was excessive; it implied absolute power, a privilege. However, Luo Zheng had his constraints; if, at a critical juncture, a significant figure intervened, should they investigate or not? A moment's hesitation could mean missing the opportunity.