Chapter 1027: Showing goodwill?

Ten minutes later, at Nakagawa Airport, on the apron next to the runway.

A huge Y-20 "Kunpeng" has been shut down, but its huge body is still emitting residual heat, like a giant beast that has just finished a mad run.

As the rear hatch slowly lowered, members of the Western Theater delegation, led by Lieutenant General Zhang Shouzheng and Lieutenant General Zou Yuan, walked out of the dim cargo hold one by one and stepped onto the cold and hard concrete ground of their northwestern homeland.

Hours of continuous flying and huge psychological impact left many people with a trace of fatigue and trance on their faces, but more of them were the excitement of "mission accomplished, returning with honor", and the urgency to show the results to their colleagues who stayed behind.

At the airport, officers and soldiers of the Lanzhou Corps were nervously guiding and assisting. Various vehicles began to approach the fleet, preparing to unload supplies that were related to the fate of the Northwest. The scene was busy but orderly.

However, just as Zhang Shouzheng took a deep breath of cold air and was about to say something to the airport manager who came to greet him, his eyes accidentally swept across the perimeter of the runway, where -

There were several infantry fighting vehicles parked quietly, which were out of tune with the Lan City Legion but exuded a tough aura.

Beside the car, a figure in dark green combat uniform, with his back to the hustle and bustle of the airport, seemed to be gazing at the night scene of the wasteland. However, the lonely and oppressive standing posture made Zhang Shouzheng feel a sense of familiarity and...extremely surprised!

He subconsciously narrowed his eyes and looked carefully.

The next second, his pupils contracted slightly, and the excited smile of "returning home in glory" on his face froze instantly, turning into pure, undisguised surprise, or even a hint of astonishment.

"Gao...Gao Zhikai?" Zhang Shouzheng whispered almost subconsciously, his voice full of disbelief.

Zou Yuan next to him also noticed the figure, his brows instantly furrowed, and his eyes became sharp and alert.

Other members of the delegation also gradually discovered the abnormality over there, the whispers stopped abruptly, and the atmosphere suddenly became a little weird and tense.

"Gao Zhikai! Why is he here?! At this time, appearing at this airport that has just been urgently taken over and reopened by the war zone, which is of great significance?"

According to the information they received and this person's usual style, even if this is not a tense confrontation at the moment, it should be a cold war state of mutual vigilance!

How could he appear so "peacefully" on the edge, as if he were just a... bystander?

Just as everyone in the Western delegation was in confusion, the figure with his back to them slowly turned around as if he had eyes on the back of his head.

There was no surprise or embarrassment on Gao Zhikai's face, but instead a perfect, almost indifferent calmness.

His gaze calmly swept over the delegation that had just landed, and finally fixed on the faces of Zhang Shouzheng and Zou Yuan. There was no joy or anger in those hawk-like eyes, only an unfathomable depth.

He took a leisurely step and walked towards the delegation. The sound of his boots hitting the ground was particularly clear during the cooling period of the aircraft engine.

The guards behind him stopped where they were tacitly, forming an invisible deterrent.

"Director Zhang, Deputy Commander Zou, how are you?" Gao Zhikai stood a few steps away from the group, his voice steady and hoarse, and was the first to speak and greet them.

There was no hostility in his tone, but rather an indescribable strangeness, as if... as if a host was greeting two guests who had come to his home.

"Captain Gao?" Zhang Shouzheng quickly suppressed the surprise on his face, replacing it with the cautious and polite smile unique to political cadres, but it was a slightly stiff smile. "It's really... unexpected to meet you here."

He deliberately emphasized the word "here", with an obvious tentative meaning.

Zou Yuan simply nodded slightly, his eyes still alert, maintaining a soldier's coldness and sternness: "Captain Gao."

Gao Zhikai seemed oblivious to Zhang Shouzheng's probing. He glanced at the massive fleet of Y-20 aircraft behind them, his tone even carrying a faint, elusive hint of "approval":

"What a big deal! It seems your trip eastward has been fruitful, and you've made significant contributions to our Western Theater Command."

This sounds like a compliment, but considering his identity and past, it seems like there is something else behind his words.

Is he envious? Or jealous? Or is he hinting at something?

Gao Zhikai's "praise" for "great contribution" still echoed in the cold air, carrying with it an extremely uncomfortable sense of dislocation.

The fact that a general-level cadre used such a condescending tone to evaluate the achievements of two deputy theater-level generals is itself a major anomaly.

The muscles on Zhang Shouzheng's face twitched slightly, and the standard smile of a political cadre became a little stiff. He laughed, trying to get the topic back on track, while also kicking the ball back:

"Captain Gao, you're joking. This is all about survival in the war zone. It's part of our job, so I can't say we've done anything meritorious. But Captain Gao... the battle in Lan City is raging. How did you find the time to come to this newly reopened airport? Is there some urgent military matter?"

He stared at Gao Zhikai's eyes, trying to catch a glimpse of his true intentions.

Zou Yuan was even more direct, adding in a cold and hard tone, with the directness that is typical of a soldier:

"This area has been designated as a military restricted zone and is under the control of the Lanzhou Corps. Commander Gao, if you have nothing to do, please stay outside the cordon to avoid unnecessary misunderstandings." His words clearly marked the boundaries and carried a warning.

Facing the two people's soft and hard temptations and vigilance, Gao Zhikai showed an extremely dull and even slightly sarcastic smile on his face.

He did not directly answer Zhang Shouzheng's question, nor did he pay attention to Zou Yuan's warning. Instead, he turned his gaze again to the Y-20 cargo holds that were being opened in a tense and orderly manner by the ground crew.

The huge hatch was filled with densely packed standardized containers printed with the emblem of the Central Plains Theater Command. Under the strong light of the airport, they reflected a cold and attractive metallic luster, piled up like a mountain.