Chapter 542

The situation is basically like this.

Lu Yang, is there anything you'd like to add?

One of our soldiers was bravely wounded in combat; his name is Chen Panpan.

The wound isn't serious, is it?

The bullet grazed a piece of flesh from his arm, yet he gritted his teeth and fought on until the end—his courage is highly commendable.

Alright, I've taken note—he's definitely a good soldier. What's your plan moving forward? Are you heading straight back, or what?

Bai Yuan's voice came over the speaker again: "I intend to start with these two mercenaries to try to get upstream leads; during interrogation we may have to use some unconventional methods that could possibly kill the enemy; we need your permission, chiefs."

Zheng Chengfeng hesitated briefly, then immediately agreed: "Permission granted—those who illegally entered our territorial waters and assisted in drug trafficking can be shot without interrogation; mercenaries aren't protected by international conventions, so deal with them as you see fit."

Chief of Staff, what do you think?

I think that's not right; we should first bring the person back, then combine with the police situation to address the issue specifically.

Zhao Haishen had just finished speaking when a deliberately lowered voice from Lu Yang came through.

"Don't bother him, it's just a baseless fart; we'll interrogate first, and after that we'll take him back."

"......"

Zhao Haishen immediately, as if he'd swallowed a fly, shouted angrily into the phone.

"If you lower your voice I won't hear you; my ears aren't deaf yet!"

"Bai Yuan, immediately escort all suspects back; as for the interrogation, I'll handle it personally!"

Bai Yuan on the other end remained silent, but Lu Yang's sneaky cricket chirp came through again.

"He's getting impatient, he's getting impatient; he just wants to hog the credit, afraid you'll take it, afraid I'll take it."

"Pfft......"

In the command room, many soldiers responsible for intelligence gathering and data processing couldn't hold back their laughter.

Anyone with eyes can see that the Chief of Staff is trying to monopolize the credit.

But at most they only dare keep such words to themselves, not speak them out loud.

Sure enough, the truth has to be spoken by an outsider; hearing it is what relieves the anger and feels satisfying.

In the past, Zhao Haishen often squeezed subordinates, plagiarized their work, which was indeed rather unscrupulous.

"What are you laughing at!"

Zhao Haishen stroked his beard, glared, and slammed the table: "That kid is deliberately smearing us, can't you see? I think interrogating them outside could suddenly go awry; I'm worried they have other accomplices!"

Lu Yang: "Ah, right, right! Ah, right, right!"

Through the phone, Zhao Haishen was so infuriated by Lu Yang that he felt steam rising from his seven orifices.

Damn, that little bastard, why is he so infuriating?

He practically wishes he could stick his hand into the microphone and give him a slap on both ears.

Zheng Chengfeng smiled and smoothed things over: "Alright, Chief of Staff Zhao, no need to be at odds with the youngsters; you have your concerns and considerations, but the Jiao Long squad has already all landed on the island, and if anyone else comes now, it would be pure suicide."

"Just let them interrogate on the island; maybe they'll uncover new information or a new hideout for the goods, and we could launch an operation immediately, perhaps?"

Zhao Haishen hesitated briefly, then nodded: "Then, following Brigade Commander Zheng's suggestion, we'll conduct the interrogation on site; Bai Yuan, during the interrogation don't let certain inexperienced people get in the way."

From the other end, Lu Yang's hushed voice came again.

"Who is he talking about?"

"What do you think?"

"Is he talking about himself?"

"Ahem..."

"He's totally clueless, knows nothing, just a big‑mouth wolf; I could do this job myself; later if you plan to replace the Chief of Staff, remember to call me."

When the call ended, the Jiao Long operations command room was filled with soldiers holding back laughter with heads bowed.

Usually, the Chief of Staff is a shrewd, decisive type.

But they didn't expect that a few sentences today would leave him unable to get off the stage.

He even dared to brazenly retort that anyone could fill that position.

Honestly, many in the staff truly think that way, especially those who pride themselves on talent and thinking not inferior to Chief Zhao's staff.

Whether in missions or exercises, the operational plans and ideas are basically supplied by the staff, while the Chief of Staff's main job is decision‑making.

Picking one out of many ideas, discussing, refining, and then it becomes his; this work is indeed a bit too easy.

Zheng Chengfeng, smoothing things over, said: "Children's words are harmless, children's words are harmless; Lu Yang, that kid, you know him, he's just a careless talker, don't take it to heart."

Zhao Haishen snorted: "Will I match him? Just do the job well and complete the mission, that's enough."

Zheng Chengfeng laughed: "For the interrogation, your people will lead; there'll be no mistakes, rest assured."

"We originally thought we could only intercept downstream channels, but unexpectedly we managed a strike in the middle; if we obtain key clues about upstream production and set up a joint anti‑drug task force, we can maximally curb maritime drug trafficking and the criminals' brazen arrogance!"

"When that happens, it'll truly be a great achievement!"

Zhao Haishen nodded, a rare smile appearing on his face.

The items were discovered on the island under Jiao Long's jurisdiction and should be handed over to them for full handling.

Although the credit should be shared, overall this joint operation proceeded quite smoothly.

The two teams coordinated, swiftly secured the enemy and captured the key figure alive; even without further follow‑up, this credit is not insignificant.

Domestically, anything related to combating drug crime is no small matter; moreover, seizing nearly a hundred kilograms of white powder saves countless families and indirectly helps frontline anti‑drug officers solve many hassles.

If this shipment were to enter the country, the consequences would indeed be unimaginable.

"Report, Chief of Staff, the battalion commander is back, the car is downstairs."

"You stay here and watch; if anything happens, notify me immediately."

"Yes."

Zhao Haishen nodded at Zheng Chengfeng, then quickly left the command room.

He hurried downstairs, where Battalion Commander Hou Yi was disembarking from the vehicle, dust swirling, and walking inside.

Hou Yi asked, "Why are you up so early?"

Zhao Haishen saluted and said with a smile, "It's not that I got up early; I haven't slept all night!"

"What happened? What's going on?"

"Battalion Commander, good morning, I have a good report for you!"

"Go on."

"We received reliable intel that someone is using our training island as a transshipment hub to hide drugs; I acted immediately, ordered an operation, and have successfully cut off the downstream transport routes, captured and killed several enemies, and also ordered a raid interrogation on site to try to obtain upstream channel clues!"

Hou Yi's eyes lit up, the fatigue from meetings and car rides vanished in an instant, and he became fully alert.

"Well done, Zhao Haishen, you just came back and gave me such a big surprise!"

"Battalion Commander, isn't this just my primary duty?"

"Well said, let's go to the command room!"

"By the way, Zheng Chengfeng is also here."

"What is he here for?"

"That shipment was discovered by his men; however, the island training was approved by me. Considering they are brother units and Lu Yang also has some connection with us, I gave the order. Before I could report to you, this incident happened, and I must atone to you…"

Hou Yi laughed heartily, patted him, and said, "You did well. So does that mean we are now conducting a joint operation?"

Zhao Haishen, without a hint of embarrassment, said, "We are the leaders; their role is mainly to cooperate with us. Battalion Commander, I think they are also working hard, and some were lightly injured during the mission, so credit should also go to them."

Hou Yi nodded, "It's a minor matter; you did show concern. I'll go freshen up first; with outsiders around, we have to stay a bit more alert."

"Go to my place to freshen up; it's close, and I have towels and facial cleanser."

"Alright."

On the other side of the island, Lu Yang was discussing the upcoming interrogation details with Bai Yuan.

Originally, Bai Yuan thought his interrogation methods were sufficient, but after hearing Lu Yang's suggestion, he realized he was being too cautious and too kind.

"We could start with a small knife, cut a slit in the person's scalp, then pour water over the top; I once read in a ghost story that a desperate person can crawl out through a scalp opening."

"Or we could stab holes in their bodies with a knife and insert insect eggs; after ten days to half a month, the eggs would hatch, and the larvae would feed on flesh, gradually burrowing out from various parts of the body."

"We could also get a rutting wild boar…"

"Enough, enough, that's already vicious enough!"

Bai Yuan raised his hand, cold sweat streaming, thinking these ideas were each more insane than the last…