Chapter 570: The First Batch of Technicians

Star-Spangled Country, Washington, a rainy early morning.

Outside the VIP passage of the National Airport, a line of black sedans waited quietly. Inside the cars sat Advanced officials from the Star-Spangled Country's National Security Agency and the Central Intelligence Agency; their expressions were grave and complex.

"Their plane has landed," an Intelligence Officer received information through an earpiece and turned to a companion, "prepare to welcome our... distinguished guests."

The last three words, he said almost through gritted teeth.

A medium-sized passenger plane bearing the Long Country emblem taxied slowly to a dedicated tarmac. The cabin door opened, and more than twenty men and women dressed in uniform dark work clothes and wearing dragon-shaped badges walked down the boarding stairs in turn. They looked composed and acted professionally, showing no signs of fatigue from the long-haul flight.

The team leader was a man about forty years old named Chen Ming, a senior engineer at Penglai Base and one of the first batch of "Pangu Guardian" commanders personally selected by Li Mingyuan.

"Welcome to the Star-Spangled Country," Deputy Director of the National Security Agency Smith forced a smile and extended a hand, "we have prepared everything according to the agreement."

Chen Ming shook hands politely and responded in fluent Star-Spangled Country language: "Thank you for your country's arrangements. Our team needs to first check whether the accommodation and workspace meet the contract requirements before we can begin work."

Smith nodded, the smile on his face somewhat stiff: "Of course, we have reserved an entire floor for you at the best hotel in the city, and the workspace has also been renovated according to your requirements."

"Very good," Chen Ming said calmly, "please lead the way."

The group boarded the luxury sedan motorcade that had been waiting and drove toward the city center. Outside the car windows, the streets and buildings of the Star-Spangled Country appeared somewhat gloomy in the rain. But the members of the Long Country technical team inside the car looked relaxed, whispering to each other in a dialect that the Star-Spangled Country intelligence personnel could not understand at all.

Smith sat in the front row, observing these special "guests" through the rearview mirror. He knew that from this moment on, these Long Country people would become the highest-level surveillance targets of the Star-Spangled Country's intelligence system. However, looking at their confident and composed demeanor, a trace of unease welled up in Smith's heart—they seemed completely unconcerned about being monitored, as if everything were under their control.

That evening, the highest-grade Hilton Hotel in the Star-Spangled Country.

The entire eighteenth floor had been cleared out, reserved exclusively for the Long Country technical team. Every room was equipped with the highest standard of facilities in accordance with the contract, from bedding to bathroom supplies, from in-room beverages to security measures, every single one was a top-tier configuration.

Chen Ming stood in front of the suite window, looking at the night view of Washington. He knew that at this very moment, at least a dozen hidden listening devices were recording every sound in this room, and there might even be pinhole cameras monitoring his every move.

But these were all within expectations. He turned and picked up a small metal box, pressed the switch, and a faint electronic static immediately sounded in the room—this was an Anti-Eavesdropping Device specially designed by Li Mingyuan, capable of effectively interfering with most eavesdropping equipment.

He picked up a dedicated communicator and reported to Penglai Base in the pre-agreed Sichuan dialect: "Eagle Nest has landed, accommodation conditions meet the standards, work starts tomorrow. Please tell Chief Engineer Li that everything is proceeding according to plan."

A reply in the same dialect came from the other end of the communicator: "Received. Guardian Unit One, mission initiated."

At the same time, in the capital of Beijixiong Guo, the same scene was playing out.

The difference was that the Long Country technical team here received even more rigorous "care." Every team member had at least two "translators" and "liaison officers" by their side, who were in fact KGB agents following them every step of the way.

Team leader Wang Qiang, a thirty-five-year-old systems expert, showed no signs of nervousness in the face of this situation. He and the team members continued to communicate using the pre-arranged Yunnan dialect, leaving those "translators" completely baffled.

The locally arranged accommodation was a luxury government guesthouse; on the surface, it met the contract requirements, but Wang Qiang spotted the problem at a glance—the facilities in the room were far below the standards stipulated in the contract, and the security measures also had obvious loopholes.

"This does not meet our standards," Wang Qiang told the Beijixiong Guo reception official straightforwardly, "according to Article 4, Clause 2 of the contract, we have the right to refuse to work in an environment that does not meet the standards."

The reception official's expression changed: "What do you mean it doesn't meet the standards? This is the accommodation we prepared for the highest-level foreign guests!"

Wang Qiang took a document from his briefcase, which detailed the various requirements in the contract regarding accommodation standards: "The mattress firmness does not meet the regulations, the bathroom facilities are missing specific brands of toiletries, the room's soundproofing effect is not up to standard, and more importantly, there are obvious loopholes in the security measures."

The reception official gritted his teeth: "These small problems can be solved immediately."

"No, these are not small problems," Wang Qiang said firmly, "until all conditions fully comply with the contract requirements, we will suspend all work arrangements. Please notify your country's relevant departments that we need to change our accommodation."

"Do you know the consequences of delaying work?" the reception official threatened, "You are here to maintain our critical systems!"

Wang Qiang responded calmly: "It is precisely because the systems are important that we need the best working state and environment. The contract is very clear; any violation of the terms will lead to a suspension of work."

The reception official was almost bursting with anger, but in the end, he had to compromise. Under the emergency intervention of the Beijixiong Guo high-level officials, the Long Country technical team was quickly transferred to the most luxurious hotel in the capital, and all conditions were immediately rearranged according to the contract requirements.

This incident was soon reported back to Penglai Base through secret channels, becoming a classic case for other teams—never compromise on contract terms, not even on the smallest details.

In the following days, similar scenes played out all over the world.

In a certain European country, the Long Country technical team refused to start maintenance work without a dedicated workspace, causing the country's banking system upgrade to be forced into a delay, resulting in millions of Star-Spangled coins in losses; eventually, the country's government urgently cleared out an entire office building specifically for the Long Country team's work.

In a certain Middle Eastern country, when local officials tried to lower logistics support standards and provide inferior catering services, they were met with firm resistance from the Long Country team, and work was interrupted for three full days until all standards were restored to the levels stipulated in the contract.

In a certain Asian country, because they were dissatisfied with the security measures, the Long Country team refused to open the equipment crates, causing the country's military communication system to be paralyzed for nearly forty-eight hours; eventually, the country had to dispatch special forces-level security personnel to ensure that the Long Country team's working environment was absolutely safe.