125: Chapter 125 Joint Military Exercises

It was Monday in the United States. John Wilson hated Monday mornings, so he got up early. It was just past 7:00, and he was already sitting in his office drinking coffee.

The phone on his desk rang abruptly, and John Wilson grabbed it with annoyance.

"John, come to my office."

Then came the "beep, beep, beep" of the line being disconnected. John shrugged, adjusted his tie while looking at his reflection in the glass, and then pushed the door open and walked out.

Rodriguez was sitting in his office, frowning as he read a report. Seeing John Wilson walk in, he pointed to a seat and lowered his head to continue reading the report.

About 5 minutes later,

"John, was the operation in G Istanbul approved by you?"

Rodriguez put down the report, leaned forward, and asked in a serious tone.

"Yes, Boss. Our people at the Dark Web have been operating that military airfield for a long time. We made a meticulous plan in advance, and by now, it should be a success."

John Wilson said nonchalantly.

"No, no, you didn't understand what I meant. I meant, you want to create chaos during their exercise?"

"Idle hands are the devil's workshop, and aren't those old men in Congress the same way? They feel uncomfortable if they don't tweak the dragon's whiskers every three days. I'm afraid I've already mastered their true teachings!"

John Wilson didn't think this was a big deal at all; after all, he had done such little tricks countless times and was already well-versed in them.

Rodriguez looked at John Wilson, his fingers tapping rhythmically on the desk.

"Tap, tap, tap."

"I don't object to that, but I want to remind you that you'd better hide your tail well. You know we already have a lot of trouble, and I don't want any extra complications."

"Don't worry, Boss. Once it's done in G Istanbul, everyone in the know will be handled by the Dark Web. Nothing will be left behind, not even a map with the United States printed on it."

John Wilson smiled slyly.

"Haha, you old fox. So, can they catch a big fish this time?"

"Oh, Boss, I can't answer that specifically. Frankly speaking, I don't have high expectations for their plan. That place is heavily guarded. Military satellites have monitored it before; it should be a military base. But it's very strange—the alert level wasn't this high before, but it suddenly increased in the last few months."

"Also, do you think their anti-aircraft weapons are just for show? Of course, the incident happened suddenly, so perhaps they might hit the mark in one go. If that happens, thank God—I'd wake up laughing in my sleep."

"Haha, alright, John. I wish you a wake-up laugh!"

"Haha!"

John Wilson and Rodriguez laughed loudly in the office. The subordinates outside heard the laughter, looked towards the office, then looked at each other and pursed their lips.

For them, they could have a peaceful day of work today.

...

Early the next morning, Chu Ge, Division Commander Wang, and their group were preparing to continue to the test site to test other individual combat equipment. Before the convoy had even left the gate, several military vehicles drove over from a distance, honking their horns diligently. Chu Ge felt that something must be up, so he immediately had the driver stop.

The military vehicles stopped in front of Chu Ge's convoy. A moment later, several officers in military uniforms got out. Division Commander Wang took a close look.

"It's our Commander."

He then got out of the car. Chu Ge had met Commander Leng a few times and could be considered an old acquaintance, so he also got out of the car with Division Commander Wang and the others.

Commander Leng walked over with a smile and shook Chu Ge's hand with both of his.

"Academician Chu, I heard from Wang Yi yesterday that you were here. I wanted to come visit you overnight, but I happened to be caught up with a joint military exercise over there and couldn't get away. I could only come here this morning to intercept you, haha."

Commander Leng was very enthusiastic and someone who cherished talent. It was unknown whether Chu Ge's name was still in his little notebook.

"Commander Leng, long time no see. I've been here for the past few days, so we can meet whenever. The joint military exercise represents cooperation between countries and must not be delayed."

"That's why I came to invite you to observe. You must not refuse! I know the weapon tests will be fine with them there. Besides, what are you testing? Now, throughout the entire military, you, Chu Ge, are a pass. The equipment you develop is something everyone fights to get. I think this testing is completely superfluous."

Commander Leng was still that straightforward man. Chu Ge felt his face flush and heart race upon hearing this.

"Uh, alright. Since Commander Leng has so kindly invited me, if I continue to act coy, wouldn't that be a bit unfeeling?"

Chu Ge agreed readily. Just as Commander Leng said, Li Gang and his team were enough to handle the testing of the individual combat equipment. Chu Ge estimated that he wasn't even as familiar with the relevant operational procedures as Li Gang and his team, after all, they were the ones who had created these procedures.

After giving Li Gang some instructions, Chu Ge got into the same car as Commander Leng. Captain Gong led his team to follow behind, and the convoy turned around and drove towards the joint military exercise site.

"Let's go, Team Leader Li Gang. Academician Chu has been whisked away by our Commander, don't worry."

Division Commander Wang walked over and nudged Li Gang, who was still watching Chu Ge's convoy.

"Oh, oh, alright. Hey, Division Commander Wang, why aren't you following them to observe the military exercise?"

"What's the point of a military exercise? They happen every year. Your weapon testing is rare, and I'm not stupid!"

The remark left Li Gang speechless. He waved his hand, and the team members behind him got into their vehicles to continue their individual combat equipment testing.

20 minutes later, inside Commander Leng's car.

"Academician Chu, what equipment are you mainly testing this time?"

"Mainly the full set of individual combat systems, and one of the weapon systems of the aerospace carrier 'kunpeng', the Electromagnetic Railgun."

Chu Ge knew Commander Leng would ask; it must have been hard for him to hold back for so long.

"Ah, the weapon system for the aerospace carrier is already out? Come to think of it, to be able to see our Interstellar Fleet in this lifetime really feels like a dream. It's a pity, I'm old, and I probably won't be able to go on expeditions with you young people in the future."

Commander Leng sighed. At over 50 years old, more than half of his military career had already passed, and he spoke with great emotion.

"What are you saying, Commander Leng? In my eyes, you are in your prime. Perhaps when the Interstellar Fleet sets out, you will be the one commanding from the front."

"Haha, I love hearing that, Academician Chu. Good! Old General Lian Po may be aged, but I feel I can still fight for this country!"

Chu Ge nodded heavily at Commander Leng and then turned the topic to the joint military exercise.

"Commander Leng, what content will we be exercising with Russia and the several Central Asian countries this time?"

"It's mainly about the Air Force. Am I not the military commander here? I'm just fulfilling the duties of a host. Oh, Deputy Commander Ran from the Air Force is also here. If he knew you were here, he would probably have arrived even faster than I did. We were even talking about you yesterday, but, hehe, I kept a little secret."