Chapter 912: The Retaliation Comes Quickly

The deafening roar of the factory explosion burst forth in the night sky like a thunderclap, causing glass within a radius of several miles to tremble.

That small team that had infiltrated by posing as a factory delivery route heard the sound of the explosion and no longer hid their tracks; they pulled out their AK47s one after another and opened fire on the patrolling security guards.

"Bang! Bang! Bang—"

Gunfire flashed several times in the darkness, and several security guards fell to the ground in response.

These men were all veterans who had seen blood, and their marksmanship was both accurate and ruthless.

Security Captain Xiao Jianchun took a hit to his arm; he gritted his teeth, waved his hand, and shouted, "Retreat! Everyone retreat! Leave it to the SWAT team!"

The security guards were well-trained; upon hearing this, they relied on their familiarity with the terrain and quickly vanished.

Fortunately, Tian Dan had long since reported the situation to the Public Security Bureau, and the SWAT team had already hidden themselves inside the factory in advance.

The SWAT team members lying in ambush in the shadows saw the security guards retreat and immediately pressed in from all sides.

For a time, bullets flew everywhere, and tracer rounds drew lines of fire that tore the night sky to shreds.

The mercenaries were compressed between several trucks, fighting back desperately as both sides engaged in a fierce exchange of fire.

When He Yuzhu heard the gunfire, he was standing on the other side of the factory grounds.

He furrowed his brows, wind rising beneath his feet, and immediately rushed toward the point of engagement.

By the time he reached the vicinity and saw the scene, he cursed inwardly.

In this day and age, guns are banned nationwide, and control is strict to the extreme.

No matter how capable He Yuzhu is, he cannot pull out a gun and start shooting people under the very noses of the public security officers—that wouldn't be helping, it would be looking for trouble for himself.

Yet, watching the SWAT team and the thugs stand off against each other, he couldn't swallow this frustration.

His gaze landed on a hand grenade hanging from the waist of a SWAT officer.

"Brother, I'm a veteran who has been on the battlefield; lend me one of your hand grenades. I'll help you blow up those trucks."

The SWAT officer was taken aback, looked him up and down, and said, "No, we have rules."

He Yuzhu smiled and said, "I am a Consultant for your Public Security Bureau; if you don't believe me, ask the retired Deputy Bureau Chief Tian Dan."

The SWAT officer hesitated for a moment, but still handed the hand grenade to him, half-doubting.

He Yuzhu took it, weighed it in his hand, and took a deep breath.

His strength is not something an ordinary person can compare to; with this throw, the hand grenade flew like a meteor, tracing a high parabolic arc and landing precisely in the middle of the trucks.

"Boom!"

Fire soared into the sky, and debris scattered everywhere. Those mercenaries hiding behind the trucks were blown away instantly, their screams drowned out by the sound of the explosion.

The SWAT team leader's eyes lit up, and without a word, he took all the remaining hand grenades from the SWAT officers and shoved them to He Yuzhu: "Just keep throwing them like that!"

He Yuzhu did not stand on ceremony, throwing them one after another as if he were tossing shot puts.

Every single one landed accurately and ruthlessly, blowing the thugs to pieces; the air was filled with the pungent smell of gunpowder and burning.

After a series of explosions, the opposition was completely silenced.

"Stop shooting! We surrender! We surrender!"

The surviving mercenaries threw their guns on the ground, held their heads with both hands, and walked out from behind the cover, trembling.

Some had faces covered in blood, others had ears bleeding from the shockwaves; they were all in a wretched state.

This interception battle lasted for a full two hours from start to finish.

The ground was a mess, bullet shells were scattered everywhere, several trucks had burned down to iron frames, and the fire lit up half the sky.

However, the factory grounds were simply too large.

In the pitch-black night, a few fish that slipped through the net still managed to vanish without a trace during the chaos.

He Yuzhu stood among the ruins, looking toward the pitch-black distance, and slowly clenched his fists.

United States, New York, Manhattan.

On the top floor of a skyscraper, outside the floor-to-ceiling windows of a spacious office, lay the skyline of all Manhattan.

Night had fallen, lights were like stars, and the Hudson River flowed silently beneath their feet.

On both sides of a long table sat several consortium giants.

Cigar smoke rose slowly in the air, and the ice cubes in whiskey glasses occasionally collided, making crisp sounds.

Noam of the Balzev Consortium leaned back in his chair, his fingers tapping the tabletop rhythmically: "This time, the chip factory of the Huaxia He Group exploded—this is a good thing. However, why were all five of our undercover agents blown to death?"

He raised his eyes, his gaze sweeping over everyone present.

The major shareholder of the Blackstone Consortium picked up his glass and took a sip, shaking his head dismissively: "Does that even need asking? They must have been blown up together when they went to support those people. There's nothing strange about that." He paused, "It is a bit of a pity that we can't get the latest intelligence on that factory, especially that Zhao Chuan, who was a very outstanding Engineer... However—their latest chip workshop has been blown up; it's impossible for them to develop new chips for at least a year or two. For us, this is already the best result. We can use these two years to stay ahead of them."

David Katzman, Chairman of the Katzman Group, took over the conversation.

He was slightly plump, his hair combed meticulously, and his tone was firm: "Mr. Noam, do not doubt the authenticity of this operation."

David put down the cigar in his hand and leaned forward slightly, "We had six people return this time, and they all saw it with their own eyes. The factory's security was set up very tightly, but the grounds were too large, and there were always loopholes. Javier's team finally broke through and caused this explosion. Even Reuters reporters went in to take pictures; it was a miserable sight... the core workshop has almost become ruins."

David placed the photos on the table for everyone to pass around.

They were photos of the explosion scene: twisted steel frames, charred equipment, and shattered glass all over the floor.

Noam glanced at them, but his brows did not relax.

He was silent for a few seconds, then slowly stood up, walked to the floor-to-ceiling window, turned his back to the others, and said: "I still have doubts about this operation!"

His voice was not loud, but it made the entire room go quiet.

David shook his head: "You are overthinking it."

Noam turned around, his gaze deep: "I always feel that Jenny Chen was exposed, and everything that followed was a trap. That man surnamed He is not simple; given his personality, before long, the chip factories invested in by our consortiums will explode just the same."

Hearing this, the expressions of everyone present changed.

Several consortium giants looked at each other, cold sweat seeping out on their backs.

They knew Noam too well—this man was a former spy, and his sense of smell was sharper than a hound's. If he said the words "have doubts," it was definitely not without cause.

David Katzman was the first to lose his composure, lowering his voice to ask: "Noam, then... can we ask the government for help? Use diplomatic channels to pressure Huaxia so they won't dare to act rashly? As long as we stall them, there is still room for maneuver."

Noam slowly shook his head, a cold sneer even appearing at the corner of his mouth: "Wouldn't that be the same as us confessing without being asked?"

A short sentence, like a basin of ice water poured down.

David opened his mouth, the expression on his face changing from anxiety to unwillingness. He clenched his fists, his voice sounding a bit hoarse: "Then... wouldn't our hard work this time be ruined in one fell swoop?"

Just at this moment, the door to the conference room was knocked upon.

An assistant walked in quickly and handed a secret telegram directly into Noam's hand.

Noam unfolded the secret telegram, his gaze swept over it, and his pupils shrank violently.

The next second, he slammed the table and stood up abruptly: "The retaliation has come too fast—latest news, several of Iliarno's wafer fabs have all exploded!"