The time was frozen at 2:00 a.m. on May 12, 116 in the new calendar, and the location was a deserted suburb outside the city of Empire X.
Seven black cars were speeding on a deserted road, two in front, two in the back, and two on each side, guarding a black car in the middle - the military's high-powered engine made a smooth sound, the body was made entirely of high-performance alloy, and a spiral bulletproof pattern could be faintly seen on the windshield. There was no license plate, no special military logo... This made people wonder how such a convoy got out of the heavily guarded city gate.
An hour later, the convoy approached an inconspicuous ochre-colored building on the outskirts of the city. Four soldiers in camouflage uniforms came forward and signaled the people in the car to stop for inspection. The door of a car in front opened, and a young man in a black suit got out and handed over a crimson sign. The soldier checked for a while and said in a deep voice: "I need to ask my superiors for instructions."
The man raised his eyebrows, his expression slightly angry, and lowered his voice and said, "This has Admiral Jin's signature. Who else do you need to ask for instructions?"
The soldier continued expressionlessly, "Major, the superiors have just issued an order that, except for the head of state himself, anyone else entering the military restricted area must have the joint signatures of General Jin and Chief of Staff Zhang, otherwise they will not be allowed to enter."
"you……"
"Li Yang."
A deep voice suddenly sounded in the car behind me. A black sedan slowly drove up and the driver rolled down the window, revealing an old, slightly tired face inside. The soldier was startled, stood at attention, saluted, and said, "General!"
Admiral Jin nodded calmly: "Can we go in now?"
The soldier hesitated and said, "General, Chief of Staff Zhang has ordered that no vehicles are allowed in the military restricted area. Everyone must walk."
Admiral Jin frowned slightly, patted his legs, and said, "Do I need to walk too?"
The soldier's face became uglier and uglier. He looked through the car window at General Jin's injured leg and finally said in a wooden voice, "I'm sorry, General. The superiors have ordered that no one is allowed to drive. Everyone must walk!"
Li Yang's face changed and he became furious.
Admiral Jin waved his hand gently, turned around and said to Li Yang: "Li Yang, you go in by yourself, take my documents, and make sure to bring 005 out intact. We can no longer afford the loss of 003. They are all the wealth of the empire."
Li Yang was immediately moved. Facing the tired, white-haired old man, he saluted respectfully and said firmly: "General, rest assured, we will complete the task resolutely!"
However, at this moment, a huge explosion was heard, and a dark mushroom cloud rose in the dark night above the dazzling flames. Li Yang's eyes widened, veins popped out on his forehead, and without saying a word he turned around and ran towards the military restricted area.
That night, the citizens of City X were still sleeping peacefully, but in the Fourth Military Prison outside the city, a huge explosion occurred that was enough to shock the world. In the darkness, the eyes of all countries were secretly focused on one point, waiting for dawn in a few hours.
Four hours ago.
In the trial hall of the National Fourth Military Prison, seven senior officers in military uniforms sat, with shining stars on their shoulder straps, indicating that they were all at the rank of generals. There were five military judges sitting in the courtroom. They came from various military commands and did not belong to the same military system. Below are more than twenty national first-class special forces soldiers armed with Colt mod733 5.56mm assault rifles, looking alert as if facing a powerful enemy.
The atmosphere in the entire courtroom was solemn and dignified, with everyone's eyes focused on the defendant's seat. The judge in military uniform cleared his throat and said in a deep voice, "Name?"
"Chu Qiao."
A calm and quiet voice responded in a low voice. Although the tone was a little hoarse, one could tell the gender of the person just by listening to it.
Sure enough, there was a pretty woman wearing light green military pants, a white shirt with her sleeves rolled up, revealing half of her fair arms, sitting in the dock. She looked calm, without any sign of nervousness.
The presiding judge continued the boring procedure: "Gender?"
"female."
"Date of birth?"
"October 8, 1990."
"Where is your origin?"
"Lo City, Yuntuzhou."
"Military experience?"
"I was admitted to the Imperial Capital Military School in 109. In 111, I was selected to study in the Fifth Intelligence Department of the Imperial Capital Military Command. In the second half of the same year, I entered the Seventh Unit of the Flying Eagle Group for training. On August 27, 112, I officially joined the Fifth Intelligence Department and was assigned to the Second Group, engaged in intelligence analysis and deployment. In December 113, I was transferred to the Y City Intelligence Department and cooperated with the Ninth Military Intelligence Department to implement the HL plan. In June of the following year, I went abroad to hide. In January 114, I returned to the country and joined the Eleventh Command Post, serving as deputy commander until now."
"What operations were carried out during your tenure?"
"The 11th Department handled a total of 97 matters, of which 29 were handled by me. Among them, 11 were one-star, 9 were two-star, 5 were three-star, 4 were four-star, and none were five-star."
"Please report the four-star missions you have performed truthfully."
"In August of the year 114, the intelligence provided by the 7th Military Intelligence Department led to the action of the 9th Military Intelligence Department. Colonel Li from the 9th Military Intelligence Department and I jointly planned the 'Sea Salt Plan' and successfully obtained three tons of uranium ore. In November of the same year, the 11th Military Intelligence Department cooperated with the 6th Military Intelligence Department to implement the trapping strategy, captured the traitorous general known as Mika the Half Rat, and blew up the nuclear reactor of country F. In April of the year 115, the plan was to instigate the superpowers of country E to revolt and take back the loophole code of the central bank. In June of the same year, with the help of country X, the Simo Operation planned by the 11th Military Intelligence Department, assisted by the superpowers, and led by Agent 003 of the 9th Military Intelligence Department took shape, and successfully obtained the production drawings of HK-47."
The presiding judge pushed up his glasses and said in a deep voice while checking the documents: "Please tell me in detail about the relationship between you and Agent 003 of MI9."
The woman raised her eyebrows slightly upon hearing this. Her expression, which had not changed for a long time, was somewhat cold. She swept her eyes over the seven jurors one by one, and finally said in a deep voice, "During my training in the Seventh Army, I lived in the same dormitory with Agent 003, Agent 007, and Major Huang Minrui, the staff officer of the 11th Division. In 115, I cooperated with 003 to carry out Operation Simo."
The presiding judge said in a deep voice: "What is your relationship? Are you comrades-in-arms, colleagues, or just casual acquaintances?"
The woman looked calm, raised her eyebrows slightly, and after a long while, she said in a deep voice: "We are friends."
There was a slight uproar among the jury. The woman looked at two of them and her sharp eyes caught the smiles on their lips that had not yet faded.
"That is to say, you and 003 have close contacts and are close friends who can talk about anything, right?" A female judge, about 40 years old and wearing a dark green military uniform, asked in a deep voice.
Chu Qiao turned around and looked at the female judge's seemingly friendly face. Finally, she said in a deep voice: "Judge, 003 and I are both highly qualified soldiers who have received special training from the country. We know very well what we can say and what we cannot say. Therefore, I think the four words "talk about everything" in your interrogation statement are a contempt for our professional qualities and the greatest disrespect to the martyrs who have sacrificed heroically for the interests of the country."
The female judge's face turned pale, she pursed her lips and stopped speaking. The atmosphere suddenly became a little awkward.
The presiding judge continued, "Chu Qiao, now, please make a brief statement and defense of Operation M1N1."
At this point, the main point and the crux of the matter were finally asked. Upon hearing this, the two foremen of the jury, who were in their fifties, leaned forward slightly, their expressions very focused.
Chu Qiao lowered her head, and after a long while she raised her neck and spoke in a deep voice, "I request to see my superiors, or to be tried in public by the Supreme Military Court. Before that, I will not make any statement about Operation M1N1."
The presiding judge frowned upon hearing this, with a hint of anger in his voice, and said slowly: "Are you questioning the authority of a military tribunal that was jointly dispatched by the five military regions and formed by the highest legal experts?"
"I'm not." Chu Qiao raised her head and repeated, "I just asked to see my superior. Before Admiral Jin signs the decryption document in person, I cannot reveal the information and content of Operation M1N1."
The presiding judge frowned and continued, "Then please give your own defense and explanation for ordering the explosion of the General Affairs Building, which resulted in the deaths of 23 hostages from various countries."
"They are not hostages." Chu Qiao raised her head and said in a deep voice, "The orders I issued are absolutely in line with the military regulations. No one has been killed in vain. As long as I see the signed documents from my superiors and General Jin, I will make the most complete statement to the military court. Before that, I will not accept any trial."
The trial reached a stalemate. After Chu Qiao was taken away, all the judges and generals filed out of the hall, and the strict surveillance equipment captured all of their images. However, under a bench in the corner where a senior military general had just sat, a small device flashed red light, and the numbers on the screen were jumping quietly.
There is little time left.
Chu Qiao sat on the iron bed, head lowered, silent. The cell she was in was made of special tempered glass on all four sides. People outside could see what was going on inside clearly, but the people inside could not see anything happening outside, so there was no privacy at all. The glass is so hard that even if you shoot at it continuously with a large-caliber submachine gun for a whole day, you can only make a small hole in it. If you want to break the glass and escape, you may need the help of an atomic bomb.
Even though she couldn't see or hear anything, as a senior commander of the country's most confidential intelligence agency, she knew clearly all the arrangements outside. She felt her pulse and calculated the time silently. She knew that it was time to eat.
Sure enough, with a crisp click, a corner door opened under the glass, and a hand holding a tray was slowly put in.
Chu Qiao sat on the bed with her head down, seemingly motionless, but a small stone suddenly flew out and hit the watch buckle on the wrist of the soldier who delivered the meal accurately and silently. With a swish sound, the watch fell into the cell.
The soldier outside the door was startled and stretched out his arm to feel inside twice, but he couldn't reach it. When Chu Qiao heard the sound, she turned her head seemingly unintentionally and frowned in confusion. She knew that in addition to this man, there was another person standing outside, watching her closely. According to common sense, prisoners are not allowed to approach the cell door during meal delivery, but at this moment, Chu Qiao stretched out her hand and gestured to herself. The soldier outside the door saw it clearly. He stretched out his hand twice, but still couldn't reach the watch. He then stretched out his fist and hit the ground twice to show his agreement.
Chu Qiao jumped off the iron bed, picked up the watch on the ground, handed it to the soldier, smiled gently at the tempered glass that blocked her view outside, picked up the food and returned to bed.
Outside, it soon became quiet.
Everything was so natural, without a trace of strangeness.
After Chu Qiao finished her meal, she walked to the simple bathroom and opened the door.
The government is relatively humane and the bathrooms are relatively private. Except for the area above the shoulders, everything below is made of opaque plastic. Chu Qiao sat on the toilet with her head slightly lowered. She knew that someone was watching her outside, and that she could not spend more than twenty minutes in the toilet.
In the bathroom where no one else could see, Chu Qiao gently stretched out her fair palm. At the fingertips of the fingers that had just touched the soldier, there was a transparent film with the other party's fingerprints that she had accidentally extracted. Chu Qiao knew that time was running out and she should act.