Chapter 1204 0 Yuan Purchase
To put it bluntly, a top-secret mission is a 'dirty job'...
Du Yuming's difficulty in dealing with him wasn't because he had a bright future and was starting to hold back, deliberately dragging his feet and not making progress...
It's precisely because it's 'dirty' that we need to clean it even more thoroughly... to avoid leaving problems for the future...
The target of this mission is the family of the commander's only younger brother's wife. If something goes wrong, it's uncertain whether Army Commander Wang Tiefeng will be implicated, but as the primary executor, I certainly won't escape responsibility...
After all, we can't expect the leaders to take responsibility, can we?
However, while the risks were extremely high, the rewards were also enormous. For example, his current position as commander of the Jinling Military Sub-district, and his future prospects as a major general and lieutenant general, were all closely related to this matter...
Even if things go well, becoming a lieutenant general might not be the end goal...
All of this was because he had taken on this task in the first place; otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to come to the east, much less establish the Nanjing Military Sub-district and serve as its commander.
So upon closer reflection, Du Yuming increasingly felt that the saying "every gift in fate has already been priced in the dark" was very true.
The only thing he could do was try to negotiate the price down as much as possible, which meant doing the job more meticulously and handling the beginning and end more cleanly to avoid any potential problems.
This made it impossible for him to contact anyone through official channels of the Eastern Theater Command, because using the Eastern Theater Command's resources would inevitably leave behind a large number of traces that could not be completely erased...
Therefore, despite the close ties established between the Central Plains Theater and the Eastern Theater, they still cannot offer Du Yuming any assistance in this regard... The mission remains isolated and without support, requiring them to navigate uncharted territory...
Fortunately, according to mission feedback, the 0748 team responsible for the operation successfully arrived at the "Lin'an gathering place" in Hangzhou, which was highly likely to be the location of the Du and Yang families, three days ago, as analyzed in the mission analysis.
But if they miss their target this time, the 0748 squad will probably have to try to reach the Eastern Theater Command headquarters on Zhoushan Island to search for them...
As for why they didn't search in smaller settlements, this is based on speculation about the power of the two families before the apocalypse. For such top-tier families, their network of connections before the apocalypse was unimaginable to ordinary people.
Even after the apocalypse, a weakened camel is still bigger than a horse, and small settlements are too shallow to accommodate everyone...
Or to put it more bluntly, both companies have connections in major cities and at higher levels. Going to large gathering places means they can leverage their existing connections, which is an advantage.
But what about small communities? There are countless tough, unruly people from the bottom of society. In such a place, if you tell someone, "My father is Zhang Erhe," what will you do?
Sorry, the other party was immune to your background intimidation and slashed your head and neck multiple times, then spat:
"Zhang Erhe? He didn't even make you get stabbed twice more, did he?"
...
Just as Du Yuming was lost in thought about the top-secret mission, a slightly hurried report suddenly rang out outside the meeting room.
"report!"
A communications officer, carrying a folder with a special encryption mark, strode into the command room, went straight to Du Yuming, and said in a low voice:
"Commander, urgent communication, top secret, from the Theater Army Command, designated for your personal review and handling."
Top secret? From Commander Wang Tiefeng? Du Yuming's heart skipped a beat, and he subconsciously thought of the top-secret mission that had been on his mind day and night.
Has the situation changed? Or... has something unexpected happened in the Eastern Theater Command that necessitates the immediate implementation of the "second layer" plan?
A chill instantly ran up his spine, and the smile on his face vanished completely, replaced by a seriousness that was a mixture of tension, determination, and even... a hint of barely perceptible heaviness.
He took a deep breath, trying to make his voice sound steady, gestured to Brigade Commander Zhao Jie who was giving a report to "wait a moment," then took the folder and nodded to the communications staff officer: "Understood."
The command room fell silent instantly, all the officers' eyes focused on Du Yuming as he picked up the special decoder and connected it to the encrypted interface on the document.
Upon seeing this, everyone present instinctively held their breath, guessing that something extremely important had happened.
Du Yuming's fingers trembled almost imperceptibly as he entered his advanced access code. The electronic lock on the folder clicked open.
He held his breath and opened the document.
Du Yuming's pupils suddenly contracted as his gaze quickly swept over the brief yet weighty instruction!
The instructions were completely unexpected!
It's not urging, it's not executing the "second layer," it's... a change in instructions!
[Instruction Change Notification]
[Sent from: Central Plains Theater Army Command (Highest Authentication)]
[To: Colonel Du Yuming, Commander of Jinling Military Sub-district]
[Content: Regarding the 'Eastern Theater Search Mission' (Top Secret No.: JD-0748), the original order is immediately repealed. The new order is as follows: Locate the target individuals Du Wenyuan and Yang Zhendong, along with their core family members, ensure their personal safety, take all necessary measures, treat them with utmost care, and await subsequent repatriation arrangements. The mission nature is changed to highest priority humanitarian rescue. This order is issued by Wang Tiefeng.]
The signature "Wang Tiefeng" was like a stabilizing force, and also like a thunderclap in Du Yuming's mind!
In this top-secret mission, Wang Tiefeng was the embodiment of the leader, and Du Yuming was well aware of this, so... this was an order personally issued by the leader!
The nature of the mission changed from "top secret" which was full of uncertain risks and shady dealings to "highest priority humanitarian relief" which was open and aboveboard!
what does this mean?
This means the leader has changed his mind! It means the worst-case scenario is no longer possible! It means the heaviest shackle on Du Yuming's shoulders has been removed in an instant!
Alright! That's great! This gift from fate has no price; he got it for free!
An immense, indescribable ecstasy and sense of relief washed over him like a surging tide, instantly dispelling all the tension and heaviness he had felt moments before.
He could even feel his fingers, gripping the edge of the folder tightly, go slightly numb from the excessive force, and a surge of heat rushed to his head, making his cheeks feel hot.
He suddenly raised his head and looked at all his colleagues in the command room who were looking at him with doubt and concern.
At that moment, Du Yuming's expression was one of great joy, his originally serious and tense face instantly thawing like an iceberg, radiating an almost brilliant light.
He couldn't resist slamming his hand on the edge of the sand table, making a loud "bang" that startled everyone.
"Great! That's fantastic!!" Du Yuming practically roared, his voice hoarse with excitement, yet brimming with boundless exhilaration and power.
This sudden reaction left Zhao Jie, Hu Renfu, and the others bewildered. They looked at each other, wondering what incredible good news could have caused their usually composed commander to lose his composure like this.
"Commander...?" Zhao Jie called out tentatively.
...
