153: Chapter 153 Live Broadcast Provocation

A remote village in a small, war-torn Central African country.

The village was in ruins, with crooked adobe houses and roads strewn with rubble and weeds.

No one expected that a malicious incident of flagrant provocation against Dragon Country was quietly unfolding here.

The militants entrenched in the village were actually anti-government forces secretly supported by the US, armed entirely with American-made rifles.

After the elite Blackwater squad was wiped out, the US couldn't stomach the loss. Lacking evidence to act openly, they secretly incited these militants to cause trouble, specifically targeting Dragon Country's local infrastructure personnel.

They ambushed an isolated Dragon Country infrastructure team and, without a word, detained 12 Citizens of Dragon Country.

The Citizens of Dragon Country had their hands tied behind their backs with thick rope. Their faces were etched with exhaustion and terror, and some had abrasions on their foreheads.

These militants were incredibly arrogant; they actually started an overseas live stream. They pointed the camera at the Citizens of Dragon Country while their leader held a rifle, shouting into the lens in broken English. Someone beside him translated his words into Chinese:

"Listen up, people of Dragon Country! Withdraw all infrastructure projects from Africa immediately and compensate us for our losses. Otherwise, every six hours, we will execute one hostage. Twelve people—that's enough for me to kill for three days! I want to see if your Dragon Country dares to gamble with these people's lives!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the surrounding militants joined in the jeering. One even pressed his muzzle against the temple of a Citizen of Dragon Country, his posture full of provocation.

The tricky part was that these militants had deliberately hidden the hostages inside the adobe houses where the villagers lived, mingling with the local populace. No matter how great the Dragon Country military's fury, they couldn't launch a direct missile strike. Once they opened fire, innocent hostages and civilians would inevitably be caught in the crossfire. They were forced to hold back, caught in a dilemma.

Soon, the footage of this insane live stream reached the domestic internet, instantly sparking a massive wave of public opinion.

On Weibo, Tieba, Tianxing Short Video, and various major forums, the trending search terms began to soar at a visible speed, all marked with a bright red "EXPLOSIVE" tag:

#Militants Detain Citizens of Dragon Country in Live Provocation#

#Save Our Overseas Compatriots#

#US side Pulling the Strings#

These topics dominated the charts. In just half an hour, the related views surpassed one hundred million. The comment sections were densely packed with netizens' messages; the massive scale of the heated discussion was on the verge of spiraling out of control.

"Oh my god! Looking at how scared our compatriots are... these militants are way too cruel!"

"This is simply lawless! Detaining our citizens in broad daylight and even live-streaming a provocation—do they really think Dragon Country is easy to bully?"

"Anyone with eyes can see the US is behind this! Just after hearing the Blackwater squad was wiped out, these people jump out to cause trouble!"

"So wicked! Using the lives of innocent civilians as leverage—they're worse than beasts!"

"The state needs to find a way quickly! We must bring our compatriots back safely; nothing can happen to them!"

"Despicable! These people actually tied the hostages and villagers together. That's so insidious!"

"What's the use of just condemning them! Hurry up and save the people; we can't just watch our compatriots be bullied like this!"

"It breaks my heart! These infrastructure workers went to Africa to help with construction. Why should they suffer like this?"

"Western countries, stop playing dead! You scream about human rights every day, but now that Citizens of Dragon Country are being detained, why isn't a single one of you speaking up?"

"Those who offend China will be punished, no matter how far away they are! No matter who it is, if they dare touch our people, they must pay a heavy price!"

"I'm begging you, please ensure the safety of the hostages. Nothing can happen to them!"

"The US is the mastermind! Acting innocent while letting their dogs bite people—so shameless!"

"Praying for everyone! I hope our compatriots stay safe and return home soon!"

"I really can't swallow this insult! We must rescue the hostages and punish the culprits severely!"

"Watching the live stream footage, I'm almost in tears. They are all our compatriots!"

"The state should send troops for a rescue immediately! No matter how difficult it is, we must bring them back!"

Not only were domestic netizens in an uproar, but the foreign internet and media were also exploding. The reaction of Western countries was even more chilling—they all watched coldly from the sidelines, some even waiting to see Dragon Country make a fool of itself.

The US media went as far as to deliberately distort the facts, reporting extensively:

"Dragon Country's reckless expansion in Africa has sparked resentment among local militants; the hostage incident is purely a result of Dragon Country's own actions."

The US Official Authorities continued to play deaf and dumb. When faced with reporters' persistent questions, the spokesperson only replied:

"We condemn all acts of violence and hope all parties will exercise restraint."

Truly shameless enough—trying to brush it off with a single sentence while secretly passing information to the militants to embolden them.

Media outlets in Western countries like the UK and France followed suit, fanning the flames and mocking Dragon Country's inability to conduct a rescue, claiming they were helpless:

"Dragon Country always wants to show off its status as a major power, but now it can't even protect its own citizens. How ridiculous."

Many Western netizens also filled the comment sections with cold irony and biting sarcasm:

"Isn't Dragon Country supposed to be very powerful? How come they can't even save a few people?"

"Waiting to see Dragon Country compromise. I'm afraid these hostages are doomed."

"Anyway, it has nothing to do with us. Let's just see how Dragon Country cleans up this mess."

Meanwhile, inside the core meeting hall in the Capital.

Leaders, military generals, diplomatic heads, and counter-terrorism experts sat on both sides of the long table, all with grim faces. The large screen was broadcasting the militants' provocative live stream in real-time. Seeing their compatriots threatened at gunpoint, everyone present felt a surge of fury, yet they had to remain calm and restrained.

The head of diplomacy spoke first:

"The US side played this hand very underhandedly. They support a puppet militia to cause trouble while hiding behind them to clear themselves of any connection. Now the Western media is following up by smearing us. They clearly want to put us in a dilemma."

A military general slammed the table and said angrily:

"These militants are just a bunch of desperados; reasoning with them is useless! Send in the fighter jets for an airstrike and wipe these scumbags out in one go. We cannot let them be so arrogant!"

A counter-terrorism expert immediately shook his head:

"No! An airstrike is absolutely out of the question! We just finished our assessment; the hostages and ordinary villagers are crowded into the same adobe houses as the militants. There are civilians everywhere within a radius of dozens of meters. If a missile hits, the hostages and the villagers will definitely be caught in the blast. Not only will we fail to rescue our compatriots, but we'll also give the Western media more ammunition to smear us!"

As soon as these words were spoken, the general who had just proposed the airstrike fell silent. He knew in his heart that this was the most difficult part. They were forced to hold back; using brute force would only lead to more losses than gains.

The leader sitting at the head of the table looked solemn as he scanned the people present. He asked, "Public opinion is about to spiral out of control, and the people of the entire country are watching this. The lives of the hostages cannot wait. Everyone, speak up—what feasible methods are there that can ensure the safety of the hostages without bowing to these evil forces?"