Chapter 428: Well Then, I Wish You Good Luck

"How did I end up here, haha, you tell me, how did I end up here?"

From outside the screen, an annoyed voice from Hou Battalion came.

Immediately, Zhao Haishen hurriedly stood up, even pressing the screen down.

Bai Yuan, seeing this, realized something was up, quickly perked up his ears and turned the computer volume to the maximum.

"Zhao Haishen, I ask you, how did you tell me on the phone yesterday? Didn't you say you had dealt with Zheng Chengfeng and had already solved the matter?"

"Uhm, yeah, yes, it's solved."

"Solved what? I ask you, what is this?"

"Ah, who sent it?"

"Don't worry about who sent these two bottles of Maotai, I just ask you, do you know where this liquor came from?"

"Battalion Commander, let me explain, here's what happened; I originally intended to get him drunk, but Zheng Chengfeng's tolerance had already been trained, I couldn't get him drunk after a long time, so in the end I had no choice but to pay out of my own pocket and buy a case of fine liquor for him, which finally made him reluctantly give up Lu Yang to us!"

Hearing this, Bai Yuan quickly turned his head and pressed his ear against the speaker.

Earlier, the Chief of Staff had said he'd handle Zheng Chengfeng's side, and hearing this, it sounds like it went wrong?

The voice from Hou Battalion, half in doubt, said: "Did you really settle it? Are you sure you weren't set up, with this guy deliberately using the liquor to disgust me?"

Zhao Haishen quickly opened a drawer, took out an invoice and slapped it on the table: "Here, look, look; if I were set up, could I issue an invoice? Who can outplay me in scheming?"

"This liquor was indeed bought out of my own pocket; it cost a lot, and I was afraid you'd be displeased, so I didn't tell you."

"Keep this invoice; I was thinking that after we get the person over, while you're in a good mood, I'll bring up the reimbursement."

"Then these two bottles of liquor......?"

"This liquor is simply because they remember your kindness, specially sent for you to taste; do you still need to ask? You are old comrades, he's also your old Squad Leader, and at the dinner table I chatted with him for a while; he realized his past mistakes and shouldn't have been so harsh on you..."

Zhao Haishen, with his unbreakable three‑inch tongue, finally persuaded the Battalion Commander, making him believe the matter had been 'handled'.

These two bottles of liquor and this invoice are ironclad proof.

At the same time, he also flashed the signed document and gave it a shake.

Hou Battalion mistakenly thought they had misunderstood the other side, feeling a bit embarrassed and too shy to look closely.

He only saw Lu Yang's name on the list; the other four people didn't really matter to him.

The soldiers at Sea Training Base were all fresh, inexperienced ducks, far from meeting their Special Operations selection standards.

Those four could be taken or not; it was half‑sale, half‑gift, like buying a pound of pork with two stalks of scallion.

Hou Battalion's anger subsided: "Sorry, sorry, old Zhao, I shouldn't have doubted you; the liquor is one bottle each for us; as for the invoice, later the accountant will reimburse you."

"Ten thousand yuan got me someone who can kill four armed militants with bare hands, step on a fleet‑footed sharpshooter; this deal isn't a loss, hahaha."

"By the way, has the island assessment started yet, how's the busy work going?"

Zhao Haishen rolled his eyes: "I was just talking with Bai Yuan, and you come in to start a prosecution!"

Seeing the camera being pushed up and the Battalion Commander standing in front of the screen, Bai Yuan immediately stood up and saluted.

"Good day, Battalion Commander!"

"Bai Yuan, you've worked hard these past days; after this ends, you'll get three days off to rest and recuperate."

"It's my duty."

"Remember, everything must prioritize safety; under no circumstances should anything go wrong."

"Yes!"

Hou Battalion gave a brief reminder and then left.

The assessment items, mainly overseen by Chief of Staff Zhao Haishen, so he didn't feel it proper to ask further.

As soon as his front foot left, Zhao Haishen locked the door, drew the curtains, and returned to the screen.

Bai Yuan, curious, asked: "Chief of Staff, Lu Yang's matter, have you really taken care of everything?"

"Taken care of what?"

Zhao Haishen stopped pretending and laid it out: "That Zheng guy set me up, used a fake name, swindled me a case of Maotai, and even sent back two bottles just to disgust me!"

"Luckily I reacted quickly and brushed it off; it was downright insidious!"

Bai Yuan, half laughing, half crying, realized you also have mishaps: "So what's your plan next? After the assessment ends, if you don't bring the person back, won't the whole operation be exposed?"

Zhao Haishen pointed at him: "So I want you to try every possible method, even if it means binding them, you must bring the person back; then, once the rice is cooked, change the file's attribution, and Zheng Chengfeng's urgency will be useless!"

Bai Yuan, his head full of black lines, said: "That's so unethical, is that it?"

"Unethical?"

Zhao Haishen chuckled coldly: "That's called 'soldiers never tire of deceit, not a tyrant forcing a bow'; how will I later answer the Battalion Commander?"

He raised his hand to stop, no longer discussing the topic: "Even though the assessment items have been approved and their danger level evaluated, safety must still be observed."

"Although each of them are elite selected from various units and have undergone long specialized training, except for that kid Lu Yang, none have truly experienced danger."

"This assessment, like the training plan changes you previously proposed, is a bold experiment; absolutely, absolutely must not go wrong."

Bai Yuan nodded: "As long as the intelligence staff provides accurate data, it will be foolproof."

Zhao Haishen hummed: "Then there's no problem, seize the time, I'm waiting for your good news. Remember, not one good message, but two!"

Bai Yuan: "......"

The call ended, and he rolled his eyes in annoyance.

Back then, he was lured onto the pirate ship by Zhao Haishen's smooth talk.

Now, this guy finds his tongue no longer works, yet still wants to be the one to force it?

What kind of joke is this, if he really does this, what has Bai Yuan become?

Just then, the door outside was pushed open, and Lao Mao, rehearsing the simulation, called out to him.

"The ship is here, we're about to set off."

"Keep the communication channel clear; contact me anytime if there's a situation. Wish you a smooth mission completion."

En, he left.

On the eve of dusk, the setting sun slowly sank into the sea, and the sky was filled with golden evening clouds.

A small fishing boat was cutting ripples, moving at a steady speed across the sea surface.

Compared to the vastness of the sea, this fishing boat moved sluggishly, like a slow old water buffalo.

The fishing boat mainly used a wooden structure, the most common type near the shore, with a total length under twelve meters; the hull's paint was severely peeled, and the words 'xx Fishery' could barely be seen.

In the cramped cabin, everyone of Team B, including Lao Mao, had already changed into fisherman attire.

Sandals, straw hat, undershirt, shorts; paired with messy hair, dark brown skin from long-term sun exposure, and black dirt under the nails.

Whether taking a quick glance or a careful look, they hardly differed from the image of fishermen who had long drifted at sea fishing.

And in the background supplement, the setting for Team B's characters was that they had been out at sea for a month without catching anything, worried about not getting paid, and upon returning home would be scolded by their wives, a depressed image.

This point, whether it was Lao Mao, Xu Ce, or Jiang Dahai, they all fit perfectly.

And Tu Hongwei was assigned to Team A, becoming Lu Yang's deputy captain.

At this moment he looked tense, his whole body stiff, just like a student about to enter the exam hall who hasn't finished reviewing.

"How are you, seasick?" Lu Yang noticed his abnormality and nudged him with his arm.

"No, just a little nervous." Tu Hongwei changed from his previous arrogance, his personality became more cautious, which also made him prone to overthinking and anxiety.

"Stay calm, stay calm, it's just a mock evaluation, nothing to be nervous about, just like usual; I'm right, right, Lao Mao?" Xu Ce comforted him while adding a remark.

Lao Mao wore a shirt, relatively more decent compared to others' outfits; his identity was captain.

Lao Mao gripped the rudder, smirked at the corner of his mouth: "You say it is, then it is."

His ambiguous answer left everyone even more puzzled.

Lu Yang, on the other hand, didn't say much; instead he closed his eyes and mentally reviewed the upcoming action plan.

On the contrary, Xu Ce revealed a smile as if he had seen through everything, and then elaborated on his point of view.

"Infiltrate without equipment to subdue the enemy, control and contend for the island; we've trained hard for almost a month, and just as the evaluation came, we got a mission to drive out invaders and retake the island."

"Don't you think this arrangement is too much of a coincidence? How could there be such a perfect coincidence in the world?"

"Lao Mao, you have too many loopholes, too obvious; I've been trying hard to pretend not to see them, but I still can't."

After hearing Xu Ce's words, those who had been as tense as Tu Hongwei relaxed a little.

Their point of contention was that they weren't sure whether this was an actual combat mission or a drill.

If it were just a drill, there'd be no need to worry too much, after all they'd trained for a month and had just run through the action plan.

But if it were an actual combat mission, they'd have no idea what to expect; after all, they'd never truly engaged unidentified armed militants, and more importantly, they lacked any decent heavy weapon.

Once something unexpected happened, the situation would become very passive; in the vast ocean, they'd have no chance to escape.

Lao Mao still didn't respond to Xu Ce's words, but instead turned to Lu Yang and asked what he thought.

Lu Yang opened his eyes and only said: "Within controllable limits, execute according to the plan."

Lao Mao: "Then what if the situation gets out of control and something unexpected happens?"

Lu Yang calmly said a single word: "...... Kill."

That answer made the temperature in the cramped cabin drop sharply, everyone's hairs stood on end, a chill ran down their spines.

Xu Ce forced a smile and smoothed things over: "Brother Yang, it's not that serious, just a drill."

Lu Yang originally wanted to ask him why he always thought this was just a drill; but the words turned into a smile at his lips: "Well then, good luck."