467: Chapter 467 Fingerprints on the Stylus

"This is a frame-up—" Zainuddin's throat emitted a dry, raspy sound.

"There are also your fingerprints on the transfer records. Not digital fingerprints—actual physical fingerprints. When you made the transfer, the tip of the stylus slid across the screen, leaving your fingerprints on the stylus's sensor. Vega matched your left thumbprint from the stylus's factory test records."

The liaison officer crouched down and flipped the tablet over. The fingerprint comparison chart on the screen filled the entire display.

Zainuddin was silent for a moment, then he said, "I need a lawyer."

"Of course." The liaison officer stood up, put the tablet back into his briefcase, then took out another document and placed it on the tray table in front of Zainuddin.

The document's title was printed in both English and Malay—'Notice of Arraignment for the Kuala Lumpur Tribunal for War Crimes and Crimes Against Humanity.' The defendant's section was already filled in with Zainuddin's name, and it was issued by the Minister of Justice of the Federation of Myanmar, stamped with the Baobab Leaf emblem.

"Your lawyer can argue your case in court."

Marines escorted Zainuddin and his companion out of the Gulfstream G650 and zip-tied their hands behind their backs on the tarmac. US dollar bills from a crocodile-skin handbag scattered across the exit slide.

A sniper in the high-altitude control tower captured the scene. The angle of the photo was cleverly chosen—it wasn't focused on the people, but on the handcuffs. The handcuffs were white plastic zip-ties, framed in the same shot as the tarmac's landing lights. In the background was the tower's radar antenna, and just above it, the Malaysian flag fluttered in the night wind. He uploaded the photo to Shuguang Cloud with a caption: "Flight is over. Next stop—court."

Five seconds later, Zhang Cheng finished viewing the photo in the command center and dragged it with his fingertip into a new folder. The folder was named "Gates of Selangor," and it already contained 142 photos, 47 intercepted call recordings, and a flow chart of the coup's funding—the arrows on the chart pointed from the Cayman Islands to the Ministry of Defense, then to the fires in Penang, Ipoh, and Petaling Street.

Zhang Cheng dragged Zainuddin's hard drive data package into the terminal node of the flow chart. The system automatically matched fourteen funding chains, each corresponding to a CIA shell company, and every transfer time corresponded to within 72 hours after Rashid issued an anti-Chinese policy.

Zhang Cheng asked on the encrypted channel: "Full synchronization?"

Old K's voice came from the Naypyidaw Intelligence Center: "It's already pushing. Shuguang Cloud now has all the transfer records, shell company registration information, and the timeline comparison table. Seventeen international media outlets are downloading it—Reuters took a minute, CNN hasn't accessed the link yet."

Zhang Cheng swiped his fingertip across the screen. The folder was packaged as a mirror site, and the link was pushed to all major global media outlets and the UN Security Council. He glanced at the time—four minutes from Zainuddin's capture to the disclosure of the evidence.

"Let the rich of Kuala Lumpur tell the truth themselves." Zhang Cheng stood up and zoomed the situational map out to cover all of Malaysia. The red arrow on the northern route had advanced from the Perak River to the Selangor state border, while the red arrow on the southern route had crossed Negri Sembilan into southern Selangor. The distance between the two arrows on the outskirts of Kuala Lumpur had shortened to 47 kilometers.

He said to Old K: "The Gates of Selangor will close tomorrow morning. All private planes—ground them."

Old K picked up the phone and called Zhao Yuxun: "All units on the northern route are to switch to forced march. Rest is canceled. Fuel supply trucks are to follow directly behind the tanks for refueling. The Selangor state border must be breached before dawn."

Then he dialed the southern route Marine Corps channel: "Airport direction—surround and seal it off."

The Marine commander didn't answer. But on the situational map, the green coordinate of Kuala Lumpur International Airport flickered and changed into the Baobab tree flag emblem.

The third day of the war, 7:00 PM.

The arrows from the northern and southern directions converged in Petaling Jaya, Selangor, on the outskirts of Kuala Lumpur. The vanguard M1A3 of the northern Titan Division encountered the southern Marine Corps' amphibious assault vehicles on the Federal Highway—the two convoys were nose-to-nose, their gun barrels nearly touching.

Zhao Yuxun stepped out of the command vehicle and shook hands with the southern commander.

"You're seventeen minutes late." The southern commander checked his watch.

"Spent a bit more time on the Perak River." Zhao Yuxun wiped the dust from his face and pointed to the highway behind him, "The north is cleared. The remnants of the 12th Division have surrendered, and the Gray Wolf communication terminal has been burned."

"Same for the south. Airport and port are fully controlled. Intercepted seven planes and captured three deputy ministerial-level officials." The southern commander handed over the tablet, displaying the latest situation in downtown Kuala Lumpur, "There are still three divisions of remnants in the city—the 4th Mechanized Brigade, the 9th Infantry Division, and the 11th Reserve Division. About 24,000 men. Plus the UMNO Youth armed militia—estimated at 50,000 to 60,000."

Zhao Yuxun took the tablet and zoomed in on the map. Downtown Kuala Lumpur was marked in orange-red by Vega—the enemy-occupied zone. A green circle of Myanmar-controlled territory surrounded it, turning the entire city into an isolated island with a diameter of 32 kilometers. All highways, railways, and waterways leading into the city were sealed off. Kuala Lumpur's water and power supply systems had been cut off from the external network.

"How much longer can he hold out?" Zhao Yuxun asked.

"Food for three days, drinking water for two days, diesel for a week—if they don't use it for power generation." The southern commander swiped the tablet, opening the underground pipeline map of downtown Kuala Lumpur. The valves for the main water supply pipes were all marked as "Closed," the power substations as "Cut Off," and the fuel pipelines as "Drained."

Zhao Yuxun nodded, returned the tablet, and went back to the command vehicle to connect to Naypyidaw.

Underground bunker of the Kuala Lumpur Parliament Building.

Rashid Hassan sat in the war room, clutching a cup of unsweetened black tea. The tea had been cold for an hour, and a film of milk had formed on the surface, but he didn't drink it.

The holographic situational map in the war room used the same technology as the one the Myanmar army used—both bought from the United States. On the screen, the outskirts of downtown Kuala Lumpur were surrounded by red arrows, each marked with the unit number and strength of the Myanmar forces. Army Commander Jamaluddin pointed them out one by one with a laser pointer: the northern Titan Division, the southern Marine Corps, and the second armored column approaching from the Perak direction.

"Situation of the defense line." Rashid's voice sounded terrible. He hadn't closed his eyes for three days, and the bloodshot veins in his eyes were spreading from the whites into the irises.

Army Commander Jamaluddin put down the laser pointer and picked up a paper report—paper, because encrypted communications were intermittent under Vega's suppression, making paper reports more reliable.

"The 4th Mechanized Brigade controls the Ampang and Cheras areas, with about 8,000 troops. The 9th Infantry Division is deployed in the city center, with 5,600 men. The 11th Reserve Division is in the Kepong and Selayang areas, with about 12,000 men. The UMNO Youth militia is distributed throughout various residential areas—specific numbers unknown, estimated at 30,000 to 40,000. Ammunition is enough to hold out for seven days."

"What about the US military?" Rashid asked.