067 Die! Let It Be on the Battlefield!

Getting up early in the morning, I braved the heavy rain to proctor a computer exam! I didn’t get back until six thirty, finished typing up my work, ate, and then kept on writing! With the support of my brothers, why wouldn’t I give it my all? Let me finish eating and I’ll fight on!

“What? You said Li Changjiang has been found?”

At the Special Operations Command Center located in the northwest region of China, Xiang Guofang looked at his old partner, Hu Dayou, in utter shock.

His hand, gripping the phone, was trembling slightly.

“Hurry, bring up the map of Libya immediately. Find Highway 88 and Highway 89. Connect me to the communications unit.”

He hung up the phone.

Xiang Guofang immediately issued his orders.

The command center became a flurry of activity. The massive electronic display soon showed a three-meter-wide map of Libya, zooming in on the intersection of Highway 88 and Highway 89.

“Report, the communications unit is online.”

“Good! Put them through!”

“Communications unit? This is Xiang Guofang. I order you to immediately deploy the nearest reconnaissance satellite to Libyan airspace for surveillance.”

“What? I don’t have the authority? Damn it!”

He slammed down the phone.

Xiang Guofang’s face darkened.

These bastards!

“Old Xiang, what’s going on?” Hu Dayou was somewhat bewildered.

“Old Hu, I need you to do something. Contact the National Intelligence Center at once. Tell them I’m requisitioning Recon One Satellite for surveillance over Libya’s territory.

Colonel Lu Qian from the Jiangzhou has just reported to me that they may have found traces of Mr. Wu Delong, but this still needs to be confirmed. However, one thing is certain—Li Changjiang, that rascal, is still alive.”

“What???”

Hu Dayou was stunned.

Li Changjiang is still alive!

He rubbed his palms together, excitement flickering across his face.

Had he heard this news earlier, he would have been pleased—after all, safeguarding the lives of every Chinese citizen is the sacred and unshirkable duty of all Chinese soldiers.

But never would he have felt the wild exhilaration he did now.

This was all due to a secret declaration submitted by the Americans to the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs a few days earlier.

Upon receiving the declaration, the Ministry reported it to the highest authorities at once.

The Americans’ vaguely worded communiqué essentially contained a single demand: they wanted China to hand over a certain Li, a Chinese national whom, based on intelligence assessments, could only be Li Changjiang.

As for why the Americans would make such an unusual and forceful demand of China, neither the military nor the Foreign Ministry had any idea.

From that moment on, Li Changjiang’s importance skyrocketed.

Soon after, following several calls, Recon One Satellite was requisitioned and dispatched over Libya for close surveillance.

Compared to drones, satellites had undeniable advantages.

Soon, satellite images began to flicker onto the big screen.

But what appeared left Xiang Guofang and Hu Dayou speechless.

A battlefield.

There was no doubt that what they saw was a battlefield.

Though the satellite’s resolution was inferior to a drone’s, within a two-meter range it was still clear enough to make out the wreckage of a downed helicopter, destroyed vehicles, and the blackened residue left by RPG explosions.

The bodies of the Americans had already been removed.

The Libyans, it seemed, would not pass up the chance to showcase their victory to the United States and the world. As for why the rebels had done so, that was still unclear.

But the blame would undoubtedly be laid at Qadhafi’s feet.

“Old Xiang, this is more complicated than it seems. The Americans have clearly penetrated deep into Libyan territory. If I’m not mistaken, those must be their infamous Black Hawk helicopters.”

Hu Dayou pointed at several blackened spots on the screen—one could clearly see the shattered remains of helicopters.

“Indeed.”

“This must have been a covert operation, but they’ve suffered a heavy loss this time. I doubt they’ll let it go easily. Let’s just hope Li Changjiang doesn’t get caught up in this mess.

Contact Lu Qian at once. Have him find a way to inform Li Changjiang that his father has already returned home, otherwise who knows what trouble he’ll stir up.”

Xiang Guofang automatically assumed that the Americans’ demand to hand over Li Changjiang meant he must have been involved in the Libyan military action against the Americans.

Meanwhile, just off the Libyan coast, on the Mediterranean Sea—

The Jiangzhou, with its silver-gray naval paint, was nearly invisible against the horizon, the massive vessel drifting with the wind and waves. Yet on the open deck, the atmosphere was tense and solemn, even tinged with a sense of imminent violence.

More than twenty robust men moved about in silence, checking their gear: bulletproof vests, infrared night vision goggles, BeiDou satellite communication receivers—and most importantly, weapons and ammunition.

“Attention!”

A sharp, rapid sequence of footsteps, and they instantly snapped into formation.

Not a muscle moved.

Apart from the crashing waves against the hull, only the red flag overhead could be heard snapping in the wind.

Anyone witnessing this scene would be moved.

Just as every time they saw China’s warriors standing shoulder to shoulder!

Every time the bright national flag fluttered in the wind!

And those resolute faces!

“Comrades! An army is raised for a thousand days for a single moment of use! Behind us, within Libya, real war is erupting—and that is the very objective you are about to infiltrate.

This mission is highly classified. From the moment you join, you are erased from the record—no name, no number, no nationality, only your code name. Understood?”

Lu Qian’s voice was calm, yet powerful.

“Understood!”

“Good! The detailed operation orders will be given by your commanding officer. For now, check your equipment and prepare to move.

Comrades, though we are far from our homeland, I hope you will remember the oath you swore beneath this flag: Victory in battle!”

“Victory in battle!”

The pre-battle exhortation was carried away on the sea breeze, pressed into the crashing waves as the spray danced against the hull. Lu Qian watched the departing direction of the rubber rafts in silence.

He had never imagined that war could come so close.

Though this was a war not his, not the Jiangzhou’s, not even China’s to fight, history is always forged by events such as these.

From the moment he donned the uniform, he had been preparing for this day.

“Old Luo, this mission won’t be an easy one.”

“Haha, if even you say it’s not easy, it must be serious. Of all the officers, you, Captain Lu, have the most courage. But this is also a rare opportunity—let them see what a real battlefield is like. You can’t raise battle-hardened troops by keeping them at home.”

Lu Qian nodded.

He understood—a soldier’s sacred duty is to defend his country and his home.

And as a soldier—

If he must die, let it be on the battlefield!