Chapter 3224

Four o'clock in the afternoon.

The Moroccan National Railways freight train arrived at Duke Mining on time.

The Cavalry Guards of the Third Battalion followed their usual procedure, guiding the train into the platform. After the train uncoupled the empty cars, they helped the locomotive turn around and slowly pulled the prepared phosphate out of the platform.

Yin Xiaoyang stood on the platform with the Cavalry Guards responsible for transport, watching the train slowly accelerate and gradually pull away, his heart already so excited he was about to cheer out loud.

After this train left, the only task remaining for everyone was to prepare for the withdrawal!

For generations, for hundreds of years, they had dreamed of shaking off the control of the Anti-Qing Society. Now, they were only a few hours away from achieving that goal.

After the train left, the mining area's construction machinery continued to operate. Once it was completely dark, these machines were driven by the Cavalry Guards of the First Battalion to the open space below the office building.

One heavy machine after another gathered, all packed tightly together; the scene was spectacular.

At the same time, the Cavalry Guards of the Third Battalion began connecting the oil pipelines.

Because Duke Mining had a large amount of construction machinery and vehicles that needed refueling, the fuel reserves here were very high, primarily diesel, which accounted for sixty to seventy percent of all fuel reserves, with the rest being gasoline.

Since diesel is not easily ignited at room temperature and pressure, the Cavalry Guards poured all the diesel into the mine shafts and large sealed containers in the processing plant, then combined it with a large amount of accelerant.

Yin Xiaoyang said to Ye Chen, "Mr. Ye, the high temperature and high pressure generated when gasoline burns will cause the diesel in these sealed and semi-sealed states to rise in temperature and pressure, so igniting it will be a matter of course."

Ye Chen nodded and asked him, "Is this fuel enough to turn the entire Duke Mining operation into ashes?"

Yin Xiaoyang said excitedly, "It is enough! Such a massive amount of oil, burning in the underground mine shafts, will inevitably burn up everything combustible below ground. All the steel structures in the mine will also be severely affected. At that time, the steel supports and anchoring structures will lose their strength under the high temperature, subsequently triggering the collapse of the entire mine structure. It is the same principle as the skyscrapers collapsing due to high temperatures during 9/11 in the United States. Most of the construction here was completed under my supervision, so I am very confident about this."

As he spoke, Yin Xiaoyang added, "In addition, the refinery plant buildings are mostly steel structures. High temperatures will cause the load-bearing components to rapidly degrade; as long as the fire burns for a few dozen minutes, they will inevitably collapse. The main office building is a steel-concrete structure and the floors are not very high, so the possibility of it burning down is not high. However, we still have the mixed explosives left over from the underground expansion earlier. Later, I will have the brothers place the explosives on the load-bearing parts of the main building. We will detonate them remotely at that time; the explosion will happen to ignite the fire. As for these construction vehicles, once ignited, the tons of diesel in their fuel tanks will quickly reach a critical value, and they will trigger successive explosions and fires, which will certainly destroy them completely."

"Good." Ye Chen nodded and said, "You can withdraw first after you have handled these things. I will stay here and wait for them to come."

Yin Xiaoyang couldn't help but sigh, "I would also very much like to see this place turn into ashes with my own eyes..."

Ye Chen smiled and said, "It doesn't matter. You can withdraw in advance to a commanding height three to five kilometers away and enjoy tonight's fireworks show from a distance."

Yin Xiaoyang asked excitedly, "Mr. Ye, is that really okay?"

Ye Chen nodded and said, "Tonight will catch them off guard, but if you are too close, you will inevitably leave clues when you withdraw. If I stay here alone, I can ensure they don't find any valuable clues. If you are a few kilometers away, it will be difficult for them to find you for a while, and you can withdraw calmly."

As he spoke, Ye Chen added, "However, you must remember, if you detonate at twelve o'clock, you must arrive at the food factory before six o'clock. It's a one-hundred-kilometer journey; no problem, right?"

Yin Xiaoyang said without hesitation, "Sir, rest assured, there will be no problem. The remaining brothers are all martial artists, and their physical fitness is far stronger than the best marathon runners. Twenty kilometers an hour is absolutely no problem."

"Good." Ye Chen said, "Then tonight, let Master Wan and you choose a suitable location to enjoy it from a distance."

After finishing, he looked at Song Wanting and said, "Miss Song, although your cultivation is temporarily sealed, you should have no problem dealing with a forced march of this intensity, right?"

Song Wanting nodded and said, "Mr. Ye, rest assured, I will not fall behind."

Ye Chen said to Wan Pojun, "Pojun, you lead the team tonight. After the explosion, take everyone to the food factory immediately. Don't wait for me; I will catch up with you."

Wan Pojun immediately said respectfully, "Yes, Mr. Ye!"

Ten o'clock in the evening.

Yin Xiaoyang received a call from an envoy of Moore Trade. On the phone, he told Yin Xiaoyang that the Moore Trade convoy had already departed from Casablanca and was expected to arrive at Duke Mining on time.

At the same time, all the Cavalry Guards had also made their final preparations before the withdrawal.

Yin Xiaoyang handed a remote control to Ye Chen and said respectfully, "Mr. Ye, this is the detonator. Explosives have been placed in the mine shafts, the factory buildings, and the office building. When you press the detonator, all the explosives will detonate simultaneously."

The wireless detonator's remote control device looked like an outdoor satellite phone, similar in size to the 'big brother' mobile phones of the nineties. It had an LCD screen in the middle and a vertical high-power antenna on top, which was much larger than the antenna of a standard walkie-talkie.

Yin Xiaoyang told Ye Chen how to operate the detonator. After confirming that there were no problems with the unlocking and detonation process, he said to Ye Chen, "Mr. Ye, please take care of your safety."

Wan Pojun came to Ye Chen and said respectfully, "Mr. Ye, my subordinates and I will take the first step. Please be careful in everything!"

Ye Chen nodded and said, "Be sure to be careful along the way and do not leave any traces or clues."

"Understood!"

A few minutes later, Wan Pojun left Duke Mining with Song Wanting and the group of Cavalry Guards who had held out until the end.

In the entire Duke Mining operation, only Ye Chen remained.

Ye Chen came to the mining area of Duke Mining, found an iron tower with the best view, and waited there with the remote control.

Time ticked away, second by second.

At 11:45, at the end of the pitch-black road in the distance, a series of lights appeared. A convoy consisting of more than a dozen vehicles was driving toward the main gate of Duke Mining.

Ye Chen, lying on the fence, smiled slightly as he watched the long-awaited convoy get closer and closer.

At the front of the convoy was a Toyota Land Cruiser leading the way. The person in charge of Moore Trade, who was also the special envoy Dong Mingchao specifically assigned to interface with Duke Mining, was sitting in the passenger seat.

Besides him and the driver, there were three other people in the back seat. These people were all key members of Moore Trade and Dong Mingchao's trusted aides.

Seeing that they were not far from Duke Mining, Dong Mingchao said, "All of you, perk up in a moment. This time, inside Duke Mining, it's not just Yin Xiaoyang and his group of Cavalry Guards; there is also an Assistant Commissioner sent down from the Governor's Office to gain experience. Perform well in front of the Assistant Commissioner and don't let her have any dissatisfaction with you."

The others nodded immediately, and the driver said, "Special Envoy, rest assured, we will definitely not drop the ball."

"Hmm." Dong Mingchao hummed with satisfaction, then looked around and asked with some confusion, "Isn't Duke Mining supposed to operate 24 hours a day without stopping? Why is the mining area pitch black and shut down?"

The driver hurriedly said, "Isn't there a major personnel reshuffle tonight? It's normal to stop for a while. After sending this batch away, we have to wait for the next batch to be sent over. With all kinds of scheduling and arrangements, it's certainly more convenient to stop production."

"That's true." Dong Mingchao sighed and said, "A major reshuffle is indeed quite cruel for these Cavalry Guards. I have been interfacing with Yin Xiaoyang for many years, and I get along quite well with him. With them being replaced, I don't feel very good about it either. Now I can only pray silently that it won't be our turn."

A man in the back seat asked nervously, "Sir, will it be our turn?"

"How would I know that?" Dong Mingchao said helplessly, "For this kind of thing, they only tell me when they need my cooperation to execute it. Otherwise, I won't hear a whisper of it. If it really is our turn one day, we can only obey obediently."

The man said with a sorrowful expression, "My son isn't even a year old yet. If it really is our turn, I might never see him again in this lifetime..."

Dong Mingchao coughed twice and said, "Ahem, alright, there's no point in saying such nonsense. Just listen to the English Lord's arrangements. Before a clear order comes down, just cherish the days you have now."

The group nodded dejectedly.

At this moment, the lead car had already arrived at the gate of Duke Mining.

Although Duke Mining was brightly lit at this time, there was no one guarding the gate. Seeing the convoy arrive, no one came over to verify the situation or open the gate, which made Dong Mingchao somewhat confused.

He frowned at the brightly lit gate and muttered, "What's wrong with this Yin Xiaoyang? Could it be that he started slacking off because he knew he was going to be replaced?"

Having said that, he took out his phone and called Yin Xiaoyang.

At this very moment, Ye Chen watched the convoy stopping one by one at the gate of Duke Mining, his finger already having unlocked the detonator.

He had not had anyone install explosives near the gate, so once detonated, it would not harm the people in the convoy. Ye Chen intended to leave them alive so they could pass the first-hand news to the Right Army Governor's Office and to Wu Feiyan.

Inside the Land Cruiser, Dong Mingchao's brows were locked, and he muttered, "Strange, he's not answering the phone. The Assistant Commissioner is still here. Could these guys have mutinied?!"

"Mutinied?" The driver couldn't help but say, "Without the antidote, what's the use of mutinying? After mutinying, they wouldn't need the English Lord to send people to purge them; they and their families would all be dead within a week."

"That's true..." Dong Mingchao kept sucking his teeth, making a clicking sound, and muttered to himself, "What on earth is going on?"

Just as he finished speaking, he, who had been looking down, suddenly felt the front become as bright as day in an instant. Everyone subconsciously looked up and saw a monstrous fire suddenly erupting from inside Duke Mining!

Dong Mingchao subconsciously blurted out, "Oh my god! Reverse the car...!"

Before he could finish, the sound of the explosion and the blast wave hit them together!

The massive blast wave directly knocked over the walls of Duke Mining, shaking all the vehicles violently, and even the front windshields were shattered by the blast wave!

Dong Mingchao didn't care about the cuts on his face from the glass and quickly pushed the door open to get out. Seeing the entire Duke Mining operation already engulfed in a sea of fire, he stood there stunned!

At this moment, the blasted office building collapsed instantly amidst the sea of fire!

Dong Mingchao hurriedly reached out to cover himself from the debris flying from afar and shouted to the car, "Quick, export the video from the dashcam and send it to me! I'm going to report to the Deputy Governor right now!"