341: Chapter 341 The Eye of Satan

The observer in his fifties tapped his finger on the tabletop.

"Davis," he said. "How sure are you?"

"Facial recognition is at seventy-eight percent; we haven't obtained a complete sample yet. The physique and age range match," Davis said. "Add to that the Great Xia's total internet cleanup completed within half an hour—this reaction speed itself provides the final twenty percent of proof."

The observer nodded once.

"Michael." He turned to Michael Chen. "Your opinion."

Michael Chen flipped another page of the briefing.

In his seventeen years, he had seen all sorts of judgment calls, and most of the time, he preferred to leave a ten percent margin for error.

But today, he couldn't leave any.

This person was too mysterious, and they had been searching for him for too long.

"It's him," Michael Chen said. "The motorcade specifications, the route secrecy, the internet cleanup—any one of these appearing alone wouldn't be enough for confirmation, but all three appearing on the same day and pointing to the same person is no coincidence."

The observer pushed his chair back half an inch.

"The problem now is—" he said, "we missed that opportunity this afternoon. The motorcade has already reached its destination, and he has stepped out of the car and entered a building. What we need to do now is get everything we can before he comes out or moves again."

"Sir," Davis said, "I need an authorization."

"Speak."

"Eye of Satan."

The meeting room fell silent for two seconds.

'Eye of Satan' was an unconventional dispatch protocol for the Eagle Nation's satellite reconnaissance system in East Asia.

Activating this protocol meant that at least twenty on-orbit assets would deviate from their original missions, six synthetic aperture radar satellites would switch their sensor orientations, and the signal intelligence department would work across four frequency bands simultaneously.

Since its creation, this protocol had been fully activated only twice.

Once thirty years ago, and once eleven years ago.

"Target coverage?" the observer asked.

"The city where Su Mingyuan is located, and all high-probability locations where he might appear in the next twenty-four hours," Davis said. "We want his face, physique, gait, the composition of his surrounding security, and communication characteristics. Once we have those, we can build a complete intelligence profile around him."

"This is the opportunity we've been waiting over a year for," Davis added. "Who knows when the next one will be."

The observer looked at Michael Chen.

Michael Chen didn't speak. He knew Davis was right. He also knew that once this was activated, Great Xia's counter-detection system wouldn't fail to react. But from a pure intelligence perspective—this was indeed the only chance to get close to Su Mingyuan.

The observer picked up the red phone on the table.

"I will apply to the Director," he said. "Wait here for the result."

Three minutes later, the call came back.

"Approved," the observer said. "The Director has notified the President, and the President has given oral authorization. Davis, you will execute this on-site."

"Yes, sir."

Davis stood up and walked toward the command console. The grayish-green image on the screen began to shift as satellite icons lit up one by one from their standby orbits and began to drift toward East Asia.

At 3:14 AM, the 'Eye of Satan' was officially activated.

3:14 PM, UTC+8.

When Elder Qin's private line rang, he was having dinner.

The meal was a working lunch: a bowl of rice, two dishes, and a bowl of soup.

Elder Qin was already halfway through.

He set down his chopsticks and answered the phone.

"Elder Qin," it was Tao Zhe's voice.

"Speak."

"The Eagle Nation has activated the 'Eye of Satan'."

Elder Qin didn't speak immediately.

Tao Zhe continued.

"In the past twenty-five minutes, at least twenty Eagle Nation satellites over East Asia have performed unconventional maneuvers, and signal reconnaissance activities across four frequency bands are abnormal. Tianheng has already back-calculated it; the target is the city where Group Leader Su is located. Professor Zhou Peide notified me twenty minutes ago to ensure Group Leader Su's safety at all costs."

The chopsticks in Elder Qin's hand hadn't been put down yet.

He placed them gently on the edge of the bowl.

"Has it been confirmed?"

"Confirmed," Tao Zhe said. "The Eagle Nation has really activated it this time."

Elder Qin nodded, though Tao Zhe couldn't see it on the other end.

"Tao Zhe."

"I'm here."

"Do what you need to do on your end. Have Tianheng monitor their satellites at full power, and have the signal reconnaissance department follow up simultaneously. As for Su Mingyuan, don't tell him for now; let him accompany his parents in peace."

"Understood."

The call ended.

Elder Qin sat at the dining table for a few seconds.

The dishes on the table were still steaming, but he had lost his appetite. He picked up a napkin to wipe his mouth, stood up, and walked to the study.

The study door closed behind him.

In the study was a red landline phone.

This landline had no keypad, only a handset.

Elder Qin picked up the handset. The call was connected instantly.

"Elder Qin."

"The Eagle Nation has activated the 'Eye of Satan' with Su Mingyuan as the target," Elder Qin said. "Answer two questions for me first."

"Please ask."

"First, if we let them take their photos, what are the consequences?"

The person on the other end pondered for a moment.

"From a technical level, they can obtain Su Mingyuan's face, physique, gait, the composition of his surrounding security, and some communication activity characteristics," the voice said. "None of this information is fatal on its own, but pieced together, it will allow them to form a preliminary profile of Su Mingyuan. Once this profile is formed, all their subsequent intelligence work around him will be more targeted. In the worst-case scenario, they might attempt to plan some actions against him personally."

"Second, if we respond forcefully, what are the consequences?"

"It depends on the intensity of our response," the voice said. "At the diplomatic protest level, they won't take it seriously. At the technical countermeasure level, we have ways to temporarily disable one of their satellites, but that would bring the conflict officially to the table. The highest level of response is to call their President directly and clearly tell them the nature of this matter."

Elder Qin was silent for two seconds.

Only the sound of the wall clock filled the study.

He had thought about this many times. Over the past year, he had simulated such a moment in his mind more than once—if one day he needed to provide the highest level of endorsement for Su Mingyuan at a critical juncture, what would he do?

He was going to do it today.

"Follow my arrangements," Elder Qin said.

"Yes."

"First, immediately connect to the Eagle Nation President's private line; I will speak to him personally."

"Yes."

"Second, simultaneously prepare for technical countermeasures. I want a complete list of all satellites involved in the 'Eye of Satan', with a pre-set disabling plan for every single one, ready to be executed at any time."

"Yes."

"Third, have the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on standby. After I finish speaking with the President, we will decide whether to take the next step publicly based on the results."

The person on the other end paused.

"Elder Qin," the voice said, "if we really touch their satellites, the Eagle Nation's reaction will be quite intense."

"Let it be intense," Elder Qin said. "If they dare to point the 'Eye of Satan' at our people today, they must be prepared to bear the consequences."

"Understood."

"Go do it."

"Yes."

The call ended.

Elder Qin stood in the study for a while.

The sky outside was still bright; at 3:30 PM, it was the most ordinary time of day. Thousands of miles away, Su Mingyuan was likely still sitting in his father's hospital room, unaware of what was happening overhead, and having no need to know.

Elder Qin placed the handset back onto the landline.

It was his turn to step up.