ending
Rahman is a master of political posturing. After initially announcing that he risked his political career to rescue his son by going to his brother's place but only returned with a corpse, he devoted himself to playing the role of a heartbroken father.
He was too grief-stricken to give interviews to the media, nor did he have the energy to make any further accusations against Karim.
He only went to the old king and cried for half a day at the beginning.
After successfully silencing the old king by using the excuse that Karim had disregarded family ties and that his son was forced to rebel, Raman returned to his estate and began a life of seclusion.
He instructed his subordinates to liaise with the media and the Imperial Household Agency, occasionally leaking evidence to the agency that Karim had long coveted Steve, and sometimes inadvertently revealing to the media some of the misdeeds Karim had committed in the secret fortress.
After the initial shock, various forces and public opinion gradually began to react. Migal was the first to speak out, but this was ultimately an internal affair of Sifia, and apart from expressing serious concern and making veiled sarcastic remarks about the appalling fratricide, they could do little else.
Migal's agent, Karim, is dead, which means all their previous investments were wasted. And with the Sifians royal struggle at this point, it's too late for them to cultivate a new agent.
Aside from engaging in verbal sparring and causing some trouble for Raman, Migal had no real outlet for his anger.
This matter was cleverly kept within the realm of family affairs. As long as Raman could handle the old king, no one else could interfere.
After all, Karim's black market bounty and the kinship test report he submitted before taking over Steve were undeniable evidence. Raman had long ago secured the moral high ground.
No matter how much trouble he caused by killing Karim, it would at most be considered excessive self-defense.
Not to mention that Rahman also released a lot of evidence of Karim's misdeeds to prove that although he killed his brother in a moment of impulse, it was a righteous act of eliminating a scourge for the people.
Karim is dead, and no matter how much smear Rahman tries to smear him now, he can't refute it. Besides, much of what Rahman is smearing isn't just slander, but solid fact.
Similarly, in the official narrative, Steve is also "dead." He was an accident caused by Raman's youthful recklessness, and Raman spent over twenty years painstakingly searching for him, even selflessly donating bone marrow to save his two younger brothers. But just as he was about to reunite with his family and enjoy family life with Raman, he was ruthlessly kidnapped and tortured to death by Karim.
His death caused immense psychological trauma to Rahman, who bestowed upon him endless honors in his memory.
Raman generously applied to the King for a lengthy royal title for Steve, and his wife had no objections. After all, promises made to the dead don't need to be kept.
After this series of actions, those in West Africa who opposed Raman gradually fell silent. After all, the king's willingness to confer titles already spoke volumes.
Raman was already the most powerful prince in Sifris. Now, with Karim's downfall, he is even more so.
A smart person will only take sides, not oppose them.
In this international event, which was neither major nor minor, everyone only saw Raman. No one knew that the cause of all these events was Nutag's attempt to rescue a great female scientist.
Steve woke up 35 hours after the rescue operation ended. Knowing that Steve needed to be sedated to be rescued, Chen Jiu specifically instructed the agents who stayed behind to let Steve sleep a little longer and not to wake him up before he returned to West Africa.
Chen Jiu didn't want Steve to face Raman's possible contact alone in his current mental state, or to be disturbed by those messy rumors outside.
Steve's mission is complete; he shouldn't be bothered any longer.
When Steve woke up, the first thing he saw was Chen Jiu sitting by the bed. He subconsciously checked his surroundings and realized that he was at Raman's manor.
"Is the mission complete?" Steve asked.
"It went smoothly, Xinlan has returned to China," Chen Jiu replied.
"That's good." Steve breathed a sigh of relief, feeling that his tense mind could finally relax.
"Have you already flown back and forth?"
Steve's voice was weak. He felt as if every joint in his body had been shattered and then pieced back together. He had no strength, and his whole body ached.
"Yes, but I slept on the plane. It's 3 a.m. now, about 35 hours after the operation. We'll take you back once things stabilize outside. Raman is under too much surveillance right now, making it difficult to move you."
Chen Jiu thoughtfully provided Steve with all the necessary information.
Steve nodded, indicating that he understood Chen Jiu's meaning.
He wasn't really in a hurry to go back; he just felt empty inside and wanted to grasp onto something.
He missed Chen Chao, but he also knew that Chen Chao could not come to West Africa in person no matter what.
"I want to see the boss." Facing Chen Jiu, Steve didn't put on a brave face or pretend, but instead indulged his vulnerability.
He knew that Chen Jiu would understand him and be able to comprehend him.
Chen Jiu sighed helplessly upon hearing this. He had long expected Steve to make this request, but...
"His brother says he's been waiting for you to come back. But Steve, are you sure you want to call him now? Are you ready?"
Steve looked at Chen Jiu for a while, then his gaze gradually darkened.
He understood what Chen Jiu was saying.
Chen Jiu understood and saw his breakdown, so she took the initiative to tighten the valve of his emotions and prevent him from venting.
Chen Jiu knew that his pride wouldn't allow him to break down in Raman, but Chen Chao was his weakness.
Virtual electronic signals cannot truly alleviate the deepest desires in one's heart, but they may stir up his deepest weaknesses, causing him to finally break down his self-control.
A fleeting but unattainable satisfaction is like drinking poison to quench thirst; it will only push him into a deeper abyss.
“But I miss him so much,” Steve said desperately.
"He misses you too. But believe me, it's better to go back and see him directly. I'll arrange for you to see him as soon as possible."
“Okay,” Steve agreed.
"Your injury isn't serious. It's mainly due to the imbalance in your body caused by the electric shock and the muscle degradation caused by long-term high-pressure stress. You can recover."
Karim has treated Song Zifeng's external injuries, and their condition is relatively good. Some are slightly inflamed due to stress, but it's under control. You should rest well these next few days. We'll try to get you back to my brother's villa without needing to be hospitalized.”
“Okay, but even if I don’t go to the hospital, I’ll still have to undergo an investigation after I return to China. I probably can’t go directly back to the boss.”
“No, there won’t be any censorship. My brother won’t allow it,” Chen Jiu said firmly.
"But……"
“Steve, don’t forget, Te’an’s surname is Chen. Just focus on resting and don’t worry about anything else. Trust me, your brother and I will have solutions for everything you care about and are worried about.”
Steve silently pondered Chen Jiu's words for a while. When he finally understood all their meaning, an overwhelming surge of emotion welled up within him. He was so moved by Chen Jiu that he wanted to cry, but he knew he couldn't let his emotions run wild in Raman's manor; this was his last shred of restraint.
So he could only suppress all his emotions and simply say thank you to Chen Jiu.
Chen Jiu smiled knowingly, then stood up: "You can sleep when you need to. If you need anything, just press the call button by your bed. Z0007 and I will take turns watching over you until we can take you back. During this time, I will guarantee that no one you don't want to see will bother you, including Raman."
Steve looked at Chen Jiu and couldn't help but smile. Chen Jiu really understood him: "Okay."
"Are you hungry? I'll go get you something to eat. The doctor said you have intestinal irritation and can only eat liquids for now."
"Please get me some food; I need to eat to recover."
"Okay." Chen Jiu turned and left the room.
Steve looked up at the opulent room belonging to the West African royal family, but in his heart he was silently reciting the name of Nutag, who was far away.
Chen Chao, I really miss you.
After a week, all the commotion gradually subsided. The situation settled down, the large number of reporters no longer lurking at the gates of Raman's manor, and the covert surveillance from various forces decreased significantly, finally giving Chen Jiu and his group a chance to move.
"We're leaving tomorrow," Chen Jiu said to Raman.
"So fast?" Raman feigned surprise, looking at Chen Jiu with a hint of reluctance in his eyes. "Has he recovered? Don't force him. I'm safe here. You can take your time."
"He'll recover faster once he gets back. We'll leave with your supply convoy tomorrow. We've already taken care of things at the airport; everything should go smoothly."
“I believe you have considered everything very carefully.” Seeing Chen Jiu’s firm attitude, Raman stopped trying to persuade him to stay. “I spoke with Chen Chao yesterday and told him that I was very worried about the assassination attempt by the Kingdom of Migal and hoped that he could send someone to me to train my private soldiers to ensure my safety.”
Chen Jiu didn't care about the content of Chen Chao and Raman's conversation, so he didn't respond and waited for Raman to continue.
"Chen Chao said he could consider lending me someone for six months, and I told him I wanted you."
"He won't agree," Chen Jiu said with absolute certainty.
"It's only six months, and you're not willing?"
"You're not qualified to lend me your money."
“I’m almost certain he’ll be the next king of Sifia. Wouldn’t it be better to maintain a good relationship with him?” Raman didn’t seem offended; his tone was tinged with curiosity.
“This is my brother’s decision, I don’t care. I only know that Te’an doesn’t force people to go to the battlefield, and I’m not willing to train private soldiers for you, so my brother can only find someone willing to do it for you.”
Raman stared at Chen Jiu for a moment, seemingly not expecting Chen Jiu to give such an answer.
"Your principles in Special Security are truly astonishing."
Raman carefully chose his words; to be honest, he didn't believe that an organization like Te'an could truly refrain from coercion. But since Chen Jiu had said so, he couldn't simply deny it.
Chen Jiu smiled, had no intention of explaining to Ramando, and simply said goodbye and left the room.
Tomorrow, he and Steve will be able to leave this not-so-pleasant place.
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