Chapter 1001 Restless Night

"My room? It's here."

It's here?

Jiang Chen heard her words and raised an eyebrow.

"You're not afraid that I will do you in my sleep tonight?"

"When I lived at your home, there were so many opportunities yet you didn't seize any of them." Natasha rolled her eyes as if she didn't see Jiang Chen as a threat. She added a sentence, "I won't resist. Do you dare to take action?"

When Jiang Chen heard this sentence, he wasn't pleased.

I've crossed the line so many times that you couldn't count even if I lent you another hand.

However, while he wasn't pleased, he was still dictated by reason. He always maintained enough rationality and didn't get too involved with the agent woman. He wasn't afraid of what she would become, but he was afraid of getting stuck in this mess himself.

While his private life could be described as scandalous, he still maintained rationality.

"When I finish showering, I will take care of

you."

Natasha was provoking him by biting on the beer bottle and he responded with a hard stare then he closed the bathroom door.

Her eyes stayed on Jiang Chen's back until the door closed, then a complicated expression appeared.

If he showered by himself, he usually took a short amount of time. He turned on the showerhead and rubbed himself with the towel. Before he finished humming two songs, he walked out in a bathrobe feeling refreshed. But when he walked out, there were already three empty bottles on the table.

With a bottle of champagne, two bottles of different brands of red wine, and half a bottle of Bordeaux left, Natasha was slowing shaking her wineglass.

"You're certainly a drinker. Aren't you afraid of getting a beer belly?" Jiang Chen looked at the empty bottles and mocked her.

"I've never worried about these problems. As long as I keep a good schedule and exercise, I don't even have an opportunity to get fat," Natasha said while smug then changed the position of her legs. "Do you want to have a drink?"

She indeed could show off her slim and fit waist; it wasn't like the typical waists of Eastern Europeans. On the beach, Jiang Chen had seen it and not only was there not even a single trace of fat, but she had a deeper waistline than Ayesha, displaying both strength and beauty.

And the giant gentleness in front of her demonstrated her perfect inheritance of the "Slavic ancestry advantage." Jiang Chen was worried that if she lifted her chest, the buttons on her blouse would explode.

"I'll pass. I still have things to do tomorrow. You can drink." Jiang Chen retracted his gaze from her gentleness, gulped, and refused her invitation. He turned around to go to his bedroom.

Natasha shrugged and looked at Jiang Chen with mischievousness.

Jiang Chen didn't have a good sleep that night. After being teased by Natasha, he felt like a fire was burning in his lower abdomen. Ayesha and Xia Shiyu weren't there, and he couldn't risk revealing his secret by going back to the apocalypse in Russian territory, so he couldn't release himself in any way.

Using his hands?

He hadn't used his hands for a long time.

Jiang Chen looked at his small tent in the morning then looked at the sun outside the window and shook his groggy brain. He dressed and walked out of the bedroom then saw Natasha lying on the sofa. He stepped forward, shook the sofa with his feet, and woke her up.

Natasha opened her eyes, yawning. She rubbed her eyes and sat up on the sofa.

"You really slept here last night?" Looking at her hungover face, Jiang Chen spoke. "I already said so? I live here." Natasha couldn't stop yawning. She held her groggy brain and stood up. "Damn it, I drank a little too much yesterday."

Looking at the empty bottles on the table, Jiang Chen was twitching.

A little too much?

"Go and clean yourself up; I need to leave in a while. If you don't resolve your black circles, just stay here," Jiang Chen said wickedly.

"I can't do that; I'm your security consultant."

When Natasha heard she had dark circles, she remembered that she slept without washing her face. She realized she must not be in an elegant state, and she suddenly rushed into the bathroom without any sleepiness.

Jiang Chen estimated that she would need to take a while and called for two servings of breakfast.

Not long after, under the surveillance of two agents, the waiter carefully rolled the dining cart in and stopped at the door. After knocking on the door, he uncomfortably delivered the breakfast into Jiang Chen's room.

This five-star hotel was quite good; at least breakfast was impeccable.

The main course was buckwheat porridge with Russian characteristics as well as grilled Bolognese and Russian big ribs. The side dishes were quite fancy—there was grilled toast, grilled mushrooms with salt and black pepper, and mashed potatoes with minced garlic, dried tomatoes, and butter. There was also something mixed with cream that Jiang Chen couldn't name.

One of the dishes that left the biggest impression on Jiang Chen was the bowl of soup. It wasn't the flavor, but the soup had everything. Potatoes, fresh cucumbers, plumeria, green onions, sausages, all kinds of vegetables, and even wine. Jiang Chen didn't know how good it tasted, but it was some bizarre cuisine.

After eating half a bowl of the buckwheat porridge and half a slice of toast, Natasha finally came out of the bathroom. Standing at the door and smelling the fragrance of the food, her eyes lit up and she sat opposite Jiang Chen. She then grabbed some toast from the basket.

"That's not the way you eat it; it should be like this... Then you can put blueberry jam on it. It would be better to have yogurt; yogurt can make this softer and taste better."

Can

Russian women with makeup weren't the same as women without makeup. Caucasians typically had larger pores compared to Asians, and their faces were more three-dimensional than Asians, which was more suitable for the use of color.

She combed her messy hair, wiped off the makeup that she slept on yesterday, and retouched her face with a little makeup. It was just some simple fixing, but Jiang Chen was stunned.

Very satisfied with Jiang Chen's reaction, a curvature formed on her lips. She stuffed the toast with blueberry jam into her mouth.

"Where are you going to go?"

"In the morning, I have to go to the Russian Aerospace Corporation. There's an investor exchange meeting in the afternoon... and a cocktail party in the evening." Jiang Chen took out a small notebook from his pocket and scribbled the agenda for the next few days.

Nominally, he came to Russia to research the investment environment, but it was naturally impossible to stay at the hotel all day. Since he didn't have anything to do, he found some casual events. He only needed to show his face without the need to discuss any cooperation in person.

"A cocktail party? What cocktail party?" Natasha was excited when she heard "cocktail."

"It's a private reception hosted by General Nikolaev. Many Russian politicians will also participate in it. Since I received an invitation, I should go... What happened to you?" Jiang Chen looked at Natasha staring into space, not understanding what happened.

Chapter 1002 SS Oleg

Natasha didn't tell Jiang Chen what happened even after they headed out. She just vaguely said that she had drunk too much yesterday then changed the topic. Although Jiang Chen was curious, he didn't persist on the topic. After, he went to clean himself up.

At about eight o'clock, surrounded by hairy Russians in suits, Jiang Chen took Natasha downstairs and sat in the limousine.

While it didn't feel the most comfortable being followed by a large group of security personnel, he understood that they were now in the midst of a special period and it was always better to be safe.

A call came to Jiang Chen from Xia Shiyu.

"How are you? Are you safe?"

"It's fine. I have so many burly men looking after me when I go outside, and there are people to even go to the washroom with me."

"Oh, then I'm relieved. You won't do bad things then."

Xia Shiyu was doing her hardest not to laugh.

Jiang Chen, who thought Xia Shiyu was laughing too hard, decided to tease her. With a smirk, he said. "That's not necessarily true. Guess who the appointed security consultant is?"

Xia Shiyu thought about it for a second and wanted to say Ayesha, but she thought she could be regarded as a private bodyguard.

After thinking for a moment, she suddenly thought of a name and probed.

"Is it... Natasha?"

Among all Russians, she knew Natasha the best. She remembered that Ayesha had mentioned to her that Natasha used to serve the KGB and later entered the diplomatic system.

Although her relationship with her wasn't bad and the four of them even went on holiday together, this didn't mean she was willing to add one more sister.

"The two beautiful women in the family aren't enough for you to eat?" Gritting her teeth, Xia Shiyu couldn't think of any way to control Jiang Chen. She pouted as she spoke with resentment.

"Ahem. She's just a safety consultant; I have nothing to do with her. Don't think too much. Well, let's not talk about this. How about you? How many of our asteroids have been contracted out?"

She noticed that Jiang Chen didn't want to continue with the topic. Although Xia Shiyu got jealous easily, she didn't always persist on the same thing and understood priorities. She quickly shifted her focus to the more important issue.

"A total of five were contracted out, including Hua, Russia, the UA, Nippon, and India. NASA asked us to expand the asteroid contracting quota and replace the hard indicators with market bidding. The United Kingdom and France submitted an application to us."

"NASA's request can be ignored. Get them to finish mining the one on hand before applying for the second. As for the United Kingdom and France..."

As Jiang Chen was talking, he glanced at Natasha sitting opposite him.

Although she put her hands over her ears to indicate she wasn't listening, Jiang Chen was not easily convinced.

He organized the wording in his head, avoiding all the sensitive information.

"The conditions for the United Kingdom's application can be relaxed. Just hold France's application for now. Once the EU mess is over, you can review their application."

"Will this be brought to the WTO?" Xia Shiyu was somewhat hesitant.

"WTO is for countries. We're a private enterprise and a large multinational one at that. We have the power to decide who we do business with and who to play with," Jiang Chen said with certainty.

"Well, since that's your order, I will follow it." Xia Shiyu nodded.

"Please."

After saying goodbye to Xia Shiyu, Jiang Chen smiled and turned off the holographic screen on his watch then his line of sight crossed Natasha's.

"Why can't I be included?" Natasha said, displeased.

"Because..." Jiang Chen couldn't think of how to answer this question then responded with: "Love is selfish."

Sure enough, Natasha made a vomiting gesture and also an exaggerated clown face at him.

"Then why is Ayesha?"

This time, Jiang Chen didn't know how to answer. For a while, he couldn't think of any rebuttal.

"There are always exceptions," Jiang Chen shamelessly said.

"I understand. You only like women with small boobs and aren't interested in other women. In the words of your country, you're a Loli Lover! Pervert!" She was infuriated by Jiang Chen's answer so she blurted out the sentence before she turned her head and ignored him.

Jiang Chen looked at her sulking without knowing what to do.

What is this?

Maybe she was really angry. Natasha didn't say a word again along the way. Although he was confused, he wasn't too bothered by this. He knew very well that she wasn't the kind of woman with a small mind, and she might forget it in a while.

As for asking him to examine himself, that was impossible.

When he arrived at the Russian Aerospace Science and Technology Group, a Russian with a giant nose greeted him and enthusiastically invited him into the building. He took Jiang Chen from the warehouse to the office and even went into the research and development center without hiding anything.

During their conversation, Jiang Chen learned that the name of the big nose Russian was Yuri, which was a very popular name in Russia.

He was extremely talkative. After Jiang Chen entered through the door, he didn't stop talking for a minute.

"This is the RM-320 we produced according to the drawings you provided. Your design is outstanding. I don't know what words to use to describe the astonishment in my mind. The only limit is that the materials in our combustion chambers aren't up to standard..." Pointing at a bright silver rocket engine, Yuri didn't stop complimenting him. "We will also ask Jiang Chen about some of the technical problems related to the rocket."

However, Jiang Chen was bound to disappoint him. He didn't understand any of the technicalities at all. At most, he understood the direction. In terms of technical details, he might be less knowledgeable than the interns who copied data, working behind the scientists.

Fortunately, experts also came with him from Xin and these problems were dealt with by those experts. Perhaps it was because of the conviction of the technology of Celestial Trade that these high-spirited scientists were very eager to learn. If there was anything that they didn't understand, they were humble to learn.

Helping Russia master the RM-320 engine itself was part of the agreement. Jiang Chen let the Celestial Trade expert deal with the scientists while he went to another place with Yuri.

In an empty warehouse, a flat-shaped cuboid aircraft about 15 meters long was parked. Behind the cuboid aircraft, there were four large holes and an RM-320 engine could be placed in each of the holes.

"SS Oleg, this is our spacecraft that can be used in the Earth-Moon system. This is the top secret of our group." Yuri slapped the metal giant and squinted his eyebrows at Jiang Chen with pride.

Chapter 1003 Learning The Truth from Experiments

After seeing the design of the transport spacecraft, Jiang Chen almost laughed out loud.

These Russians just changed the rocket in the middle, lined up four rockets together, then removed the third-stage rocket. They placed the fuel tank at the bottom of the middle section of the spacecraft while the cargo was above. Although the overall layout surpassed the standards of the times, the power system still used the original chemical fuel engine.

The advantage of this cuboid aircraft was the longitudinal acceleration which could effectively alleviate the load on the aircraft's outer casing during the acceleration phase. But at the same time, a problem also arose in which if the spacecraft wanted to turn a corner in space, it would be extremely difficult. It'd be like holding a toothpick, sticking to the wall, it'd be hard to break the toothpick, but it wouldn't take much effort to break it by pinching the two ends.

It was no problem to turn through the speed difference of the four engines, but to change the steering more than 90 degrees, it'd likely require the gravity of the planet. Unless they added a small engine in the middle, but then the whole hull would be too bloated.

When it came to this engine, Jiang Chen still felt embarrassed. After all, he did scam the Russians. After the space elevator was built, the RM-320 chemical fuel engine no longer had a future. A high-energy storage battery, plus a palm-sized Cesium metal had a cruising radius equivalent to a traditional chemical fuel rocket with two small house-sized fuel tanks. The limitations of technology meant that the issues couldn't be solved without simply improving the technology.

It was like a bronze knife. No matter how you improved the tempering and forging technique, you couldn't compare it to a tool made out of steel.

"It's not impossible to use a chemical fuel engine as an engine, but it can only be used as a short-term solution. At most, it will be eliminated in another 20 years. EmDrive (1) is the future of space development. It's difficult to make giant strides, but we can start with electric propulsion... Don't take notes; I'm just talking casually." Jiang Chen looked at the big-nosed Russian taking out a notebook and starting to jot down notes before he felt embarrassment.

He really didn't understand aerospace. His only role in Celestial Trade's Space Department was to transport the documents from the apocalypse to the database of the modern world, and the departments managed the affairs of each department. No one knew who made these documents.

However, he still understood the general direction, so he just casually made a few comments. As for whether his comments really reflected the truth and could be scrutinized, he wasn't sure himself.

Yuri touched the back of his head, feeling awkward. "I think what you said made sense. However, we've studied the principle of EmDrive from the Soviet era, but we still didn't achieve anything. We have a prototype for electric propulsion, but the propulsion power is too low and can't match the carrying capacity of chemical rockets."

"If you really developed EmDrive, we would be learning from you." Jiang Chen began joking with him because of the Russian's easy-going character.

Yuri took out a piece of document and handed it to Jiang Chen.

"I wanted to ask—what do you think about this spacecraft? Can this dock at the port of Celestial City? If not, what are the specifications that don't meet the requirement? Please be sure to tell us."

Jiang Chen took the English densely-written documents and couldn't understand a thing, then he returned them to Yuri.

"I can't give you a reply now. You don't have to give me the document; the scientists I brought are experts at this. Import the parameters of this aircraft onto the computer, and we will test this in the simulation program to see if you meet the standards."

This time, he came to the Russian Aerospace Group to help them check whether the Oleg could stop at the port of Celestial Trade. This procedure was not to be underestimated. Not just any spacecraft could enter the Earth-Moon system. The speed of outer space was measured in kilometers per second. The loss would be in the billions. This matter must be taken seriously even for the safety of Celestial City.

However, this had nothing to do with Jiang Chen. He mainly came to show his presence. After all, it was a very special period. His real purpose of coming to Russia must be hidden.

However, Yuri didn't think so. Jiang Chen's argument that "the chemical rocket has no future" won him over. Some might say that even Jiang Chen, as an outsider, saw the problem. Did Yuri as an expert not understand?

This involved a problem with research schools.

EmDrives or propulsion engines. It was hard to say which one was wrong. Could concepts be "wrong" in research? Two research directions, one focusing on the present while one focused on the future. Adhering to the more efficient development of chemical fuel rockets, the RM-300 had doubled the thrust to the push value of Falcon 9 rockets. Going down this road, who could say which was better? Before the Flintlock mechanism was invited, guns weren't superior to bows.

Yuri also had his own ideas in mind. He copied Jiang Chen's statement not to make notes but to use his aura to persuade those who supported the RM-320, to convince his bosses who were more optimistic about propulsion engines.

Although Jiang Chen claimed he didn't understand aerospace technology and that he only understood general directions, who would doubt his words? Many people regarded him as the founder of the second "Great Navigation Age" of human beings, comparing him to people like Columbus.

Not to mention the Russian Aerospace Group, which largely inherited the success of the old Soviet Union, but even the director of NASA would still take notes. This wasn't about academic authority but more about the truth determined from experience. If people had opinions? Why didn't they build a space elevator first then bring them up!

After copying several pages of notes, Yuri couldn't stop smiling. He saw Jiang Chen to the door joyously and watched him disappear at the end of the horizon. Even Natasha looked at Jiang Chen a few more times. She couldn't associate the word "scientist" with this man. However, he was able to make technical director Yuri take notes, which made her uncertain.

"You...what you said was true?"

"I was bullsh*tting. I had nothing to do say." Jiang Chen smiled. "But while my understanding of basic theory is limited, there aren't many people in the world who know the general direction better than me."

As for why, there was no need to say.

Natasha nodded.

After a long silence, she suddenly said, "Can I discuss something with you?"

"What's the matter? Let's talk." Jiang Chen looked at Natasha with some surprise. He thought she wouldn't talk with him today. He didn't expect her to not be angry so quickly and even adopt a negotiating tone which was so unlike her personality.

After hesitating for a moment, Natasha said, "Can you go by yourself... to the cocktail party tonight?"

(1) EmDrive is purported to generate thrust by reflecting microwaves internally in the device, in violation of the law of conservation of momentum and other laws of physics. (Source: Wikipedia)

Chapter 1004 Natasha's Unusual Behavior

"Can you go by yourself... to the cocktail party tonight?"

When Jiang Chen heard Natasha's words, he took a second to process before examining her from head-to-toe.

Natasha was starting to feel uncomfortable as she rebutted, "Why are you looking at me like that? Can you just give me an answer? Hurry."

As a security consultant for Jiang Chen, she had to follow where he went, including this private reception.

"I used to think about it—the leader of a frontline intelligence team in her twenties, and a woman too." Jiang Chen touched his chin and looked with intrigue. "Do you think this is normal?"

"You're sexist," Natasha protested.

"Well, let's throw away the gender problem. You just graduated from university a couple of years ago, right? Don't mind me, I'm just saying. Back home, if an official is in their twenties, there are two situations: either they're the second generation of a politician

or—"

"Is this related to you?" Natasha said.

Normally, Natasha wouldn't be so passive, at least not in her language; she might've even teased Jiang Chen instead. Now, she was obviously troubled by something on her mind.

"Of course it's not related to me. If you say you're already in your forties, I'm sure I will believe it... Wait, let's keep it civil. No use of force!" Jiang Chen didn't finish his words yet before a strong gust of wind was directed at him. He quickly put his arms up and grabbed Natasha's foot in midair.

This chick was indeed fierce. Although they were in a limousine, it wasn't spacious at all, and she could still kick her leg. However, while fierce, Jiang Chen could handle a few moves from Batman with his strength and reflex, let alone Natasha.

The movements in the limousine disturbed the bodyguard sitting in front. The bald man turned his head sideways slightly. Jiang Chen only saw his narrowed triangular eye and the hand reaching into his pocket. His murderous vibe was like a monster; he had only seen this in Carmen's bodyguard before. Of course, it wasn't directed at Jiang Chen but Natasha who sat across for him...

"Worry about your own business. Turn around; we're just having fun," Jiang Chen pushed away Natasha's foot and waved at the bald guy.

This murderousness made Natasha turn pale, but it was useless to him. He fought the Mother of Death Claws head-on before. Not to brag, but a creature on this Earth without radiation exposure that could scare him hadn't been born yet.

The bald-headed guy didn't speak. After hearing Jiang Chen's words, he nodded and took his hand out of his pocket then continued to look straight ahead. The driver sitting next to him was even more spectacular. Like a robot, the speed of the car didn't change at all during the entire incident as if nothing happened.

"What's with you today?" Looking at the pale Natasha, Jiang Chen was worried.

She didn't use force. Although it seemed fierce, she reduced her strength in the end.

The pressure from behind slowly disappeared and Natasha breathed a sigh of relief. She sank into her seat, buried her face between her hands, and took a deep breath.

"Sorry... I am a little emotional today."

"Apologizing isn't necessary; I was trying to irritate you and I apologize too. If you aren't feeling well, you can go back and wait for me." Jiang Chen sighed and wasn't in the mood to guess her issues so he comforted her.

Jiang Chen certainly wouldn't have so much patience if it was someone else, but they had known each other for so long now.

On the way, neither of them said anything.

When Jiang Chen was bored, he focused on the person driving the car and the back of the bald guy sitting in the front. He felt that the two were indeed powerful and he wondered which system they belonged to.

Intelligence Agency? Alpha Special Forces?

While his mind was running wild, the limousine had already returned to the hotel. Natasha requested an absence. She didn't even return to the hotel and disappeared right after getting out of the car. Jiang Chen wasn't too bothered; everyone had their own private affairs. If she needed his help, would certainly not be polite with him.

If she didn't say anything, it only meant one thing.

This wasn't something he could help with.

In the afternoon, there was an investor meeting. It was jointly organized by the Russian Space Agency and two national space giants to attract investments. One way to describe this was "making money together," while the other, uglier way to describe this was "lowering the risk." After all, the Russian economy was now in a slump, and even the banks tightened their belts. Even these giants had to be treated with caution.

Like what happened in the morning, Jiang Chen showed his face on the stage, gave a speech in front of a group of Russians interested in investing in outer space, discussed the broad prospects of outer space then handed the rest to the organizer...

If nothing else, the script should be like this.

However, Jiang Chen apparently underestimated the enthusiasm of these investors and journalists. If it wasn't for the giant bodyguards helping him clear the way, he would've almost been drowned by the crowd.

"I'm just making a suggestion. You should decrease your attendance to events with a high amount of people. This puts a lot of pressure on our security work and it's also a risk to your safety." After leaving the venue, the silent bald guy who had been silent this entire trip finally spoke, and his Russian English sounded a bit low and hoarse. Jiang Chen finally understood why he rarely spoke. With this voice, no matter how politely worded, the tone would sound bloody.

"I will be careful in the future." Jiang Chen nodded then curiously added, "Just wondering; which system are you in? I don't know if this problem is presumptuous. I'm very curious—are you from the fabled Alpha?"

At that moment, Jiang Chen finally saw a hint of a smile, but it wasn't better than not smiling.

"We aren't the little guys from the National Security Agency. We are Gruu..." the driver sitting in the driver's seat said.

Jiang Chen finally made sense of the relationship.

The Alpha Special Force was affiliated with the National Security Agency and was mainly responsible for counter-terrorism missions. The scope of activities was also mainly within the country. The two men sitting in front of Jiang Chen were tasked around Syria and Kane year-round, usually performing military missions in the truer sense. If they died, the country would deny their existence unless it was hard facts.

It was hard to say which force was stronger, but from the expression of the bald-headed guy, he seemed quite disdainful of the name Alpha.

After returning to the hotel, Jiang Chen went straight back to his room. After eight o'clock in the evening, he still needed to attend a private cocktail party. Before that, he must prepare himself. Even if it was a suit, it was divided into business and casual.

He opened the tap and went into the room. Just as he was about to take off his clothes, a softness hugged him from behind.

Jiang Chen froze for a second before he realized and picked up Ayesha, who was wearing a carbon nano battle suit. He brought her into the bathroom. In her shock, Jiang Chen threw her into the bathtub that was as wide as a small pool with a smirk.

With a "splash", Jiang Chen easily held Ayesha's hands. He rubbed his nose against hers with a smirk. "I just caught a little spy. How should I punish her?"

Her sapphire eyes were burning with thoughts. Ayesha didn't speak. She lifted her chin emotionally and offered her sweet lips.

The burning fire he hadn't vented was rekindled by a gentle touch.

At that moment, Jiang Chen didn't care about being late. Since there were still a few hours, he could eat at the cocktail party if need be.

He slapped her perky butt then turned Ayesha around while still holding her hands. He watched her "trying" to struggle and whispered in her ear, "You dare to seduce the popo during interrogation? Looks like you need to be punished. Don't move. Let me see if you're hiding a weapon here..."

Chapter 1005 Heartwarming Reunion

A high-pitched voice intermingled with a low-pitched concerto, and the dimly-lit bedroom returned to a state of calm.

Ayesha curled up in front of Jiang Chen's chest. Her white and delicate skin was filled with a seductive blush, just like a ripe shrimp. Jiang Chen combed her bangs then caressed her messy hair.

Still immersed in a fascinating pleasure, Ayesha wiggled her petite nose and moved closer to Jiang Chen so she could enjoy the aftermath of climaxing.

No matter how many times he tasted her, Ayesha always intoxicated him. It wasn't because of her petite and fit body nor her stunning beauty but it was because of her gentleness, as if she never knew what rejection meant. Regardless of how embarrassing the proposal might be, she never resisted and instead, she prepared herself for the ultimate pleasure...

As for why the battlefield changed from the bathroom to the bedroom or why they were sweating at the moment, this would forever remain a mystery only to be imagined.

"I have to attend a private reception hosted by General Nikolaev in the evening-do you want to accompany me? Oh right, are you hungry? If you're hungry, I'll get something to eat."

"But... I didn't prepare the right clothes."

Looking at her carbon nano battle suit tossed onto the bedside table, Ayesha looked somewhat regretful, but Jiang Chen caressed her hair and smiled.

"It's okay, just wear an evening gown. This is a five-star hotel. If they can't resolve this little issue, they should close down."

Jiang Chen sat up and called the front desk.

It was already past six and it was definitely too late to order a dress, but since the hotel was on the busiest street in Moscow and it was also a foreigner hotel, it should be able to easily resolve small problems like this. Especially for a guest living in the Presidential Suite who was taken care of by the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Security Bureau.

On the phone, Jiang Chen asked his question and the waiter immediately brought a measuring tape and knocked on the door.

When the waiter was measuring Ayesha's size, Jiang Chen also called for dinner.

There would definitely be food at the cocktail party, but he probably wouldn't get a chance to eat. It wasn't the first time he participated in this type of private reception. It was best to eat before going or else it might be awkward to have his stomach growling.

After measuring Ayesha's size, the dining cart also arrived.

The waiter told Jiang Chen that she would bring the dress within an hour then left.

Dinner was still Russian-style, vanilla-flavored low-calorie liqueur, creamy bread stuffed with meat, caviar with a value comparable to gold, and unique borscht.

Ayesha, wrapped in a bathrobe, sat next to Jiang Chen. She held a silver fork and fed him spoonful by spoonful. In the end, she barely ate anything, but Jiang Chen was stuffed full.

While eating, the driver called Jiang Chen and reminded him of the time. This made Jiang Chen slightly surprised. He remembered that he didn't tell the Russian official his schedule for the evening. He thought about telling the driver later, but this phone call already served as a reminder.

But he just thought about it before tossing it to the back of his mind.

After all, a Russian general was hosting the party. Although it was a private reception, it was impossible to hide it from the Russian official.

It was also due to safety considerations that he should reduce his travel outside his schedule. While only a few bodyguards followed him on his visit to the Russian Aerospace Group, it would be no exaggeration to say that within a ten miles radius, everything was under the control of Russian intelligence. Half the Security Bureau would have to go rogue before anything happened to him.

Regardless of the purpose, Russia was much more careful about Jiang Chen's safety compared to the UA.

They finished dinner in half an hour. Jiang Chen then hugged Ayesha and rested for a while before the dress arrived.

According to the waiter, the dress was bought at a nearby boutique store. Two million rubles, the dress, and the bill were sent to Jiang Chen. Jiang Chen tossed in a tip of 100 Xin New dollars to the waiter. Then the lady smiled and blew him a kiss before leaving.

"I'll go change now."

"No need to hurry," Jiang Chen said with a smirk. He didn't hand the dress to Ayesha. Instead, he approached her like the Big Bad Wolf approaching Red Riding Hood and slowly unfolded the white evening gown. "It's hard to put on this dress; should I help you?"

Ayesha turned red and whispered, "How about... We go to the bedroom?".

"What are you going to do in the bedroom? We're fine where we are." Jiang Chen sat down on the sofa and patted his thigh. He generously offered, "Come on, sit on my lap."

Ayesha's cheeks were almost bleeding. Knowing that resistance would be futile, she simply closed her eyes and let go of her towel.

A cool breeze blew, and the white bath towel slipped down. Two smooth legs stepped out of the towel and sat on Jiang Chen's lap.

After messing around for a while, her body was finally wearing the dress.

She ran to the mirror and turned around a few times. Looking at herself in the mirror, her face was glowing.

Jiang Chen also nodded with satisfaction. It was just a change of clothes, but her vibe completely changed. The black cotton evening gown, although conservatively covering most of her skin, still perfectly outlined the curves of her figure.

It outlined everything that should be outlined. It was petite, not exaggerated, low-key and elegant.

Judging from her smile, she was quite satisfied with this dress.

Just from the waiter's choice, Jiang Chen felt that the tip he left seemed to be too low. Maybe he should make it up to her next time.

Ayesha didn't leave Jiang Chen cold. After examining herself in front of the mirror, she turned and dove into Jiang Chen's arms. Her beautiful eyes blinked at him full of affection as she said with excitement, "Do I look good?"

Feeling the warmth in his arms, Jiang Chen felt his little brother raising his head again. Feeling the hardness against her lower abdomen, Ayesha, who finally calmed down, blushed again.

Of course, there was still a reception, and even if Jiang Chen wanted to do something, there was no time.

Jiang Chen kissed her on her lips and slapped her perky butt.

"You look great! You dared to seduce me? I'll teach you a lesson tonight."

Without any fear, her sapphire-like eyes blinked as if they were saying: "I'm waiting for you to come back and teach me a lesson."

At that moment, the phone rang in an untimely manner. Jiang Chen let go of Ayesha and opened the holographic screen. There was a bald head in front.

Since Jiang Chen already knew what he was going to say, Jiang Chen was too lazy to answer the phone. After hanging up the phone, he patted Ayesha's back.

"Let's go-my two bodyguards are already rushing me. This is too amusing; they're even more anxious than me. This is what I call dedication."

Swiping the holographic screen to the side, Jiang Chen put on his shoes while muttering as he left through the door.

Chapter 1006 The Bearded General's Cocktail Party

Since the economic crisis triggered by the spike in oil prices and the pressure on the dollar at the beginning of the year, Moscow had since been in a state of depression. Although the rise in oil prices spurred income from Russian oil exports, most of the money went into the pockets of the oligarchies. Even Putin, who dared to go against the capitalist countries, couldn't change the oligarchies' monopoly on Russia's economy. They were the bloodsuckers on top of the polar bear, but without them, the polar bear would be worse off.

Driving out from the busiest city center, the air on the street seemed to cool down. Judging by the hurried pedestrians on the street and the night that seemed to be missing an element, Jiang Chen felt the city had just experienced a chilly winter.

Of course, all this had nothing to do with Jiang Chen. What's more, in fact, he was also an oligarch of Xin, and what he was doing was even more unacceptable. The only difference was that he earned "tuition" from foreigners, not the hard-earned money of ordinary people.

Natasha didn't show up, and Ayesha sat across from Jiang Chen. Regarding the woman who suddenly appeared next to Jiang Chen, the bald head only glanced at her before focusing on the front.

His instincts told him that the woman just 160 centimeters tall was much stronger compared to the KGB girl in the morning.

In stark contrast to the depression in the Russian city, the villa in the suburbs was filled with luxury cars. Ladies took the arms of their male partners and showed their invitations to enter the main entrance of the villa.

The driver parked the car. This seat was reserved for him. The waiter at the exit of the parking lot came up, and after taking the invitation from Jiang Chen, he ran back. After a short while, an old man with a long beard crossed the courtyard door of the villa and greeted Jiang Chen.

Almost without asking, just by looking at the huge beard, Jiang Chen guessed his identity.

Commander of the 58th Army Group of Russia, General Nikolaev!

Melodious and magnificent symphonies played on the lawn, serving as the backdrop for those who were dancing with the music. Bars were located in every corner of the lawn to provide a resting place for the people tired from dancing. In this country, only alcohol didn't have class; even a general with a star on his shoulder was also a loyal fan of vodka.

While Nikolaev was an alcoholic, his ability to command was certainly among the top. Among the 22 existing army groups, the 58th Army Group was the largest and most powerful army group. The Second Chechen War might have nothing to do with him, but in the Georgian War, referred to as the "Five-Day War" in 2008, he was the trump card that served as the main force.

"Welcome, friends from afar." The bearded old man laughed loudly, patted Jiang Chen's back, and invited him through the door. He then took two bottles of alcohol from the waiter. "In this prairie, this is my kingdom. There's a rule in my kingdom-anyone who comes as a guest must drink a shot. Vodka or mineral water, which one do you choose?"

Seeing the Asian who was invited by Nikolaev personally, the young people next to them also turned rowdy. The lights were very dark and it was difficult to distinguish their faces, but it didn't matter—no identities mattered here. Even if the president chose a bottle of mineral water, they would still be booed to the point of shame.

Looking at Nikolaev's harm-free but challenging eyes, Jiang Chen smiled and took the bottle of vodka. He pushed away the cup that the waiter handed to him and began to chug directly from the bottle.

Nikolaev's eyes almost popped out as he didn't expect Jiang Chen to do that. The young people who were acting rowdy also became silent as they didn't expect this Asian to be able to drink like this.

It wasn't beer but 70% vodka. Pure enough to be used as medical alcohol!

After the first swig, Jiang Chen was also sensing the heat of the alcohol, but since he already decided to show off, he couldn't back down. Except for the first and last swig in which he actually drank it, the rest of alcohol was all wasted and entered the storage dimension.

He tossed the empty bottle to Nikolaev, burped, and wiggled his eyebrows at Nikolaev.

Nikolaev's beard was shaking before he shook his head and finally spoke.

"You can drink more than I can. I admit defeat."

Nikolaev was quite straightforward. He picked up the mineral water and chug it down. After finishing the bottle, he tossed the bottle out. Then he patted Jiang Chen's back while laughing, not caring that he just lost face.

The silent young people finally reacted and instantly erupted into cheers and whistles.

Not many people could outdrink Nikolaev, the old alcoholic. For the young people who loved action, just watching this scene made this cocktail party worthwhile.

There were also several Russian girls attracted by the noise. After learning about Jiang Chen's fascinating alcohol-drinking abilities, they looked at him differently.

Everyone wanted her man to be a hero. In the eyes of these girls who loved to party, the man who could make Nikolaev drink mineral water was worthy of the name "hero." While Jiang Chen had a female companion, the enthusiastic and outgoing Russian girls didn't seem to be bothered.

When Jiang Chen followed Nikolaev to receive warm greetings from the crowd, Ayesha, who was behind him, also caught the attention of many people. For those young people accustomed to big chests, this exotic face and petite body was particularly attractive.

Sitting next to the bar, a person with a hooked nose was biting his glass. He didn't even drink a few gulps before his eyes became intoxicated. The slightly more mature man next to him wasn't drunk as he punched his friend on the shoulder and laughed.

"I advise you not to think about it. Take a look at the man beside her."

"Who? The president of a country or the prime minister of a country? Even God cannot obstruct sincere love. Fyodor, I think I'm in love. If I don't try, I think I will go crazy." The young Russian took a sip of whiskey.

"Get out. How many times have I heard the same sentence?" Fyodor laughed and cursed. "Don't blame me for not warning you. Women from the Middle East aren't normal. Maybe they look romantic in your opinion. In her eyes, it's despicable and an insult to her. And rumors say that she's the chief instructor of the Ghost Agents. Have you heard of the Ghost Agents? They're like ghosts. You're just a captain; even you added one more bar here—"

"Fu*k Grass, don't say it. I'll pass." Hearing the name of the Ghost Agents, the officer shrank and looked around. He met the mocking gaze of his comrade and cursed, "Fu*k. If I see your smug smile again, I will put your head into the keg."

Just after the two officers were bickering with each other, Jiang Chen followed General Nikolaev and walked toward the villa. Inside the villa was a seating area, mainly for those tired from dancing to relax and drink. At the same time, for those young men and women who developed close relationships, the adjacent hall also provided rooms for the "exchange of feelings."

It was rare to see people entering the seating area right after the start of the party, but no one was concerned about the unusual behavior of the Lord and his guest.

For them, the carnival tonight had just begun.

Chapter 1007 A Surprising Meeting

Accompanied by the lights in the city center, the suburbs of Moscow had already fallen asleep. The night had already cast its shadow on the country road, and only sporadic street lights decorated the lonely night sky. A Renault SUV passed by, raising dust that had been settled for a long time.

A birch tree gently swayed and the leaves rustled. The branches bloomed with the buds belonging to April. Among the flowers that symbolized life, there was a cross of an Orthodox church, and below the cross was an inconspicuous tombstone.

The Preobrazhensky Cemetery. This path has a poetic name – "Heroes Trail".

A bunch of white lilies was placed in front of the tombstone. An index finger gently touched the engraving on the tombstone and removed the dust that hid the hero's name. A line of words described her life on the tombstone. However, unlike most heroes buried there, there was no record of merits on the tombstone.

Whenever this happened, there were generally only two possibilities. The merits she obtained weren't glorious, or her merits were difficult to record, or both...

Marina Ivanovna Nikolaev

Moscow in April was still cold. Especially at night.

In front of the tombstone, she looked at the words she had read countless times. Natasha took a deep breath and buried her face in her hands. The white mist that floated between her fingers quickly spread into the cold night and gradually blurred her vision.

"Mom, how are you?"

"Your daughter has been very good. I... I came to see you again."

"It's been eleven years since that day. I'm sorry that I didn't listen to you and your daughter has finally embarked on this path."

Her face was buried in her sleeves, and Natasha wiped her eyes and the mist that was in the way. However, a rare softness appeared on her stubborn face.

"But... it's okay."

Looking up at the starry sky, she opened her stiff mouth and forced on a smile.

"When this is over, I'll retire."

"Although I don't know what the outcome will be... sure enough, I still want to try and pursue my own happiness."

Once again, she took a deep breath with her nose and quietly sensed the chill that filled her nostrils. Natasha felt that her mood was slightly calmer. She then reached out and picked up a handful of dust and carefully wrapped it in a handkerchief.

Putting the handkerchief into her purse, Natasha stood up and gave the tombstone a deep bow.

Just as she was about to leave, at that moment, she suddenly noticed that there was a white rose lying not far from the tombstone.

The pure white petals were stained with dirt like they had been blown by the wind...

Walking side by side in the corridor of the villa, just as Jiang Chen was wondering why General Nikolaev brought him there, the bearded general spoke.

"Natasha didn't come with you?"

Hearing the familiar name, Jiang Chen looked at him, confused.

"You know Natasha?"

After Nikolaev heard Jiang Chen's question, he laughed as if he just heard a funny joke.

"You've known her for so long. You don't even know her last name?"

Jiang Chen thought for a second and his expression suddenly changed.

A possibility that he never guessed suddenly emerged in his mind. But even if the answer was already obvious, he still couldn't imagine that the Russian who looked like a relative of the polar bear was actually Natasha's...

"Let me introduce myself again-my name is Vladimir Nikolaev. Natasha Vladimir Nikolaev is my daughter."

Jiang Chen was silent for a long time and it took a long time for a sentence to come out.

"I've always suspected that Natasha's background wasn't simple. I just didn't expect her to have an army group commander behind her. Don't misunderstand me; I don't mean anything by it; it's just... Very surprising."

This explained why Natasha could arbitrarily hop from the intelligence department to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Although the relationship between the father and the daughter wasn't very harmonious, she was still the daughter of General Nikolaev. It was difficult to say that her father didn't secretly take care of her.

Nikolaev laughed happily, but a hint of desolateness mixed into his laughter which finally turned into a sigh.

"It's useless to say that... It seems she still doesn't want to see me."

"So, you invited me to come here just to see your daughter through me?" Jiang Chen showed a helpless expression. "Unfortunately, when I told her that the party was held by General Nikolaev, she asked for sick leave."

"No, seeing my daughter is just the wish of an old father." Nikolaev shook his head and spoke with a grin. "But standing here is General Nikolaev, commander of 58th Army Group. Do you understand what I mean?"

Jiang Chen smiled courteously and didn't answer. He didn't like to gossip, nor was he interested in other's people's private matters, and he wasn't interested in being involved in the conflicts between father and daughter.

Nikolaev clearly understood the status of the young man in his daughter's heart. The previous words were deliberately directed at Jiang Chen with the hope that he would do something. However, Jiang Chen didn't respond to his expectations, which disappointed him a little.

However, these disappointments lasted only for a short moment. Today, this party wasn't for his daughter.

After a pause, Nikolaev hid his laughter and said seriously, "Let's get down to business. I hope you will accompany me to meet someone before attending the party."

"Why don't we do it after the party? It's not good for the host to disappear for so long," Jiang Chen said.

"Compared to the future of Russia, the party is secondary."

Stopped in front of a wooden burgundy door, Nikolaev raised his hand and knocked on the wooden door three times.

The door opened, and a Russian man wearing sunglasses opened the door. After he confirmed the identity of the visitor, he stepped to the side. General Nikolaev stepped forward and gestured at him to come in.

"Please."

Jiang Chen raised an eyebrow and stepped into the room. The moment he entered the door, he looked up and saw the man sitting on the sofa, and his face was unexpectedly surprised. The man smiled and took the lead.

"Welcome to Moscow, friend from afar."

The man lifted the goblet in the distance and expressed his welcome.

Although it was the first time meeting him, Jiang Chen was no stranger to this face.

The Russian President, Putin.

Chapter 1008 Rubles and A Military Base

When Jiang Chen went in, he noticed that at least ten pairs of eyes were focused on him. But he didn't care and continued as if nothing had happened.

"Surprised?" Putin raised an eyebrow and gestured at him to sit with his empty hand.

"Indeed." Jiang Chen shrugged and sat down across from him. Jiang Chen nodded to a waiter who handed some champagne to him then he looked at the leader of the fighters' nation. "I heard the Minister of Foreign Affairs say that you were in the Crimean Peninsula inspecting the frontlines and wouldn't return to Moscow for three days."

Both of them spoke good English and didn't need to communicate through translation.

Gently toasting with Jiang Chen, Putin drank the champagne in the cup and handed the goblet to the waiter.

"If you want to fool your enemies, you must first fool yourself."

"Do you still need to be careful in Moscow?" Jiang Chen returned the goblet to the waiter as he joked.

"There's no harm being careful. Russia's territory is vast; it's difficult to guarantee that no one will slip in." Putin's fingers crossed on his knees, his body leaned forward slightly, and his blue pupils looked straight at Jiang Chen. "So, time is tight. To not miss the party, let's get straight to the topic."

Putin eyed Nikolaev, who was standing behind Jiang Chen.

General Nikolaev immediately saluted, took a map from a bodyguard, and lay the map on the coffee table.

It was a topographic map covering the cities of Donetsk and Dnepropetrovsk, with contour lines depicting basins and mountains. In the middle of the two cities, there were also villages and towns. Three jagged black lines were drawn in the middle of the map. Three or four arrows pierced the hinterland of the Republic of Donetsk from the northwest like a sharp knife and divided the armed forces of Donetsk and Lugansk.

The map looked familiar to Jiang Chen. It wasn't just European countries that were concerned about the civil war in Kane. However, the information disclosed on this map was slightly different from what Jiang Chen learned. Although he heard that the civilian armed forces were on the losing side in the end, he didn't expect them to be in such terrible shape. The armed forces that had already been pushed to the Dnieper River were now forced back to their starting point.

Nikolaev's next few words confirmed Jiang Chen's speculations.

"Since last month, an illegal private armed force has entered Kane from Poland, and the situation has changed sharply. They claimed to be mercenaries and were employed by the President of Kane. The sources of funding were quite complex, including the National Foundation for Democracy which had a total of more than 20 North Americans, Europeans, and human rights institutions. Our intelligence personnel tried to investigate their behind-the-scenes shareholders, and eventually, all the clues point to an organization."

"The Freemasonry?" Jiang Chen asked.

"You guessed it." Nikolaev paused. "These aren't regular mercenaries. They're composed of retired veterans of NATO member states and refugees. They were trained in Finland. Their equipment isn't limited to automatic weapons but also armored vehicles, tanks, and even helicopters..."

"Tanks? Helicopters? What's the difference between this and an army?" Jiang Chen was stunned.

"This is an army, and the size is comparable to the 58th Army Group," Nikolaev added.

The silence lasted for a long time.

Putin, who was silent, spoke up.

"So? Are you confident?"

"Confident?" Jiang Chen looked at him, and his expression was a bit strange.

Staring at Jiang Chen's eyes, Putin continued: "This is about our cooperation, and we hope you will be their opponent."

The room once again fell into silence.

But Jiang Chen broke the silence this time.

"We're their opponents? We're an enterprise; we can't do anything that has no benefits." Jiang Chen leaned on the sofa and smiled.

After hearing Jiang Chen's words, Putin also smiled.

Although there was no immediate answer, since he didn't directly reject it, it showed there was still room for discussion.

"Please rest assured. You're an enterprise, and we don't expect you will provide assistance free of charge. All the mercenary supplies will be converted into rubles and we will bear the burden. In addition, we will pay 100 billion rubles in fees in two settings."

100 billion rubles, equivalent to 1.7 billion Nw Xin dollars. For Russia, which had a tight budget, it wasn't a small number. However, 1.7 billion New Xin dollars didn't meet Jiang Chen's appetite. He was more interested in something.

"One hundred billion rubles, a military base."

Putin and Nikolaev frowned at the same time upon hearing the demand. Although they eagerly hoped Celestial Trade could intervene in the Kane crisis and reverse the decline of pro-Russian civilian armed forces, this didn't mean they were willing to sacrifice their interests for Donetsk.

Putin eyed Nikolaev, and his fingers tapped the arm of the sofa before he spoke one word at a time.

"Russia will not open military bases to any country or private institution. We can raise the fee as needed, but this condition is unacceptable."

"You misunderstand." Jiang Chen waved his hand and explained, "Our military base will certainly not be built in Russia. Since we're fighting the Kane government, it will naturally be built there."

Nikolaev breathed a sigh of relief and looked at Putin. That was certainly acceptable to them.

"If it's Donetsk, there's no problem. We will help you negotiate with them." Putin nodded. "What else?"

"Nothing. Best of luck to both of us." Jiang Chen smiled.

Without a legal document to sign, this contract naturally couldn't appear on paper. The actual employer of Celestial Trade would be a local chocolate company in Donetsk. As for the source of funds, it would be from shell company registered in Russia or overseas.

A map of the world was spread out on the table. The bearded general pointed his finger along the map and pointed to the position of Vladivostok, a far east Russian city.

"You can land in Vladivostok. We will provide a railway route from Vladivostok through the Siberian region to the Russian-Ukrainian border. This line will serve as your supply line, and all costs will be borne by us. If the situation is positive, by mid-May, you should be able to deploy two brigades at the border..."

"No need." Jiang Chen shook his head. "It's too slow."

"No need?" Nikolaev repeated.

Putin's eyebrows rose slightly and displayed a look of intrigue.

"We go directly from here." Jiang Chen's finger tapped on the corner of the western Pacific Ocean, where the equator line crossed.

Following Jiang Chen's finger, Nikolaev's pupils suddenly shrank.

There were no markers there, but he was no stranger to the latitude and longitude of the position.

That was a space elevator, the man-made miracle of Celestial Trade.

Chapter 1009 Orbital Airborne Soldiers

In mid-April, the Kane Civil War was in its peak, and mercenaries continued to cross the Polish border and entered the Kane region to support the pro-Western Poroshenko government. In this war, Arrow Company entered the international community for the first time. Its combat power was comparable to that of regular army, and it was a mercenary organization that owned tanks, artillery, and helicopter gunships. On the battlefield, they ignored any international law and killed their enemies with the cruelest means.

However, in this regard, the UA, Europe, and other countries were only symbolically condemned, and no one would use international law to prosecute private companies that had an unknown registration location. This double standard worked perfectly, just like what happened in Iraq, with the private military company taking most of the blame.

There was a rumor that Celestial Ring trade would be involved in this war. However, except for a train full of supplies being pulled to the Russian-Kane border, there was no news about Celestial Trade. At first, the Kane government also strongly condemned the action, but intelligence soon revealed that Celestial Trade did not make any other moves in the region was and the tension was slightly diffused.

As a pawn of the Freemasonry, Willey Society was exhausting all its resources to collect intelligence in Russia and keep tracking of Celestial Trade. They were not so naive to think that Jiang Chen was just joking with them. Their master, Carmen, knew better than anyone else what Jiang Chen was capable of.

In late April, after the official signing of the contract with the Donetsk Chocolate Field, Celestial Trade completed war planning and all forces were deployed within three days.

In a ring-shaped city 36,000 kilometers away, a black transport ship left the port.

At first glance, this spaceship resembled the Russian-designed SS OleG. It was the same rectangular structure with defined corners as well as four engines. However, a closer examination revleaed that Celestial Trade's ship was much larger, and the four engines at the tail used principle of electric propulsion rather than chemical power.

After the transport ship left the port, it changed directions, reduced its speed, and follow the synchronous orbit. After the ship entered 30-degree east longitude, it would then accelerate and return to the synchronous orbit.

In this 30-degree east longitude airspace, there was a total of ten transport ships hovering. These transport ships were pulled by mechanical arms and arranged side by side, just like a bamboo pole spread out on the orbit.

Leaning against the window of the transport ship, Zhang Feng, in a kinetic skeleton, squinted at the view from the window.

Looking down, Europe was brightly lit, but their destination had nothing to do with the center of the bustling world. They were aiming for the darkest corner of the continent, Kane, only decorated by the spare artillery explosions.

"It's exciting to jump from a height of more than 30,000 kilometers, isn't it? Don't get me wrong, I'm not afraid. I'm just going back to my hometown." One of the Slavic soldiers joked.

Zhang Feng looked at him but didn't say anything. They were from all over the world, and the only thing they had in common was their veteran experience as soldiers.

At this time, a black shadow near the window slowly approached.

Zhang Feng glanced down and happened to see the red signal light on the watch embedded in the kinetich skeleton's arm.

Time was up.

"The last bus is coming. I wish you good luck." Zhang Feng patted the arm of the Slavic soldier, lifted the rifle on the side, buckled the helmet, moved his stiff neck, then moved to the cargo.

Counting the ship that was approaching, these eleven transport ships were the entire fleet of Celestial Trade. In order to carry out this large-scale airborne mission, Ivan even borrowed the space shuttle that sailed between Celestial City and the Moon.

When the last transport ship entered the queue, the entire fleet of transport ships moved together, like a chemical reaction taking place.

The bottom door slowly opened and the cargo compartment tilted downward slightly. The iron boxes dropped down like from the hatch like dumplings being dumped into the boiling pot. There was a short burst of flame coming from the top of the iron boxes, and they fell down to the Earth one after another.

30,000 kilometers below, in the northern suburbs of Donetsk, the night had opened the curtain for the battlefield. The trenches had divided the streets around the city. From time to time, green tracer bullets were sprayed out from the bunkers, flying in the empty night. Sporadic sniper rifles were like demons, taking away the fresh lives.

The sound of gunfire in the distance sounded from time to time, and the soldiers in the trenches had become accustomed to it. The shells plowed through every inch of the land. The black burn marks were like scars, printed in every corner of the city.

This line of defense was the last lifeline of the armed forces. It directly determined whether the democratically elected government of Donetsk would remain in place or become a government in exile.

About fifteen kilometers north was the artillery position of the Kane government army, where the 11th Artillery Brigade of the 5th Infantry Division was deployed. An hour ago, they received an order to fire at the northern suburbs of Donetsk, providing fire support for Arrow mercenaries who were attacking civilian armed positions.

"Look! What is that!?" A Kane soldier pointed to the sky and shouted.

Shining highlights descended from the sky, and they looked like lamps in the distance, but these "lights" were too high and too dazzling

"Sh*t! Are they rockets from Russians?! No... not quite like... damn, what are those things?!" Another Kane soldier nervously shouted.

The bright spots didn't give them too much time to prepare. Along with the roar in their ears, the burning iron boxes broke through the sound barrier, tearing apart the curtain of the night, and directly landing on the artillery position of the Kane government.

Self-propelled artillery was directly hit by the airdrop cabin and turned into scrap metal, with the giant turret directly flattened. High-pressure steam rushed out of from the airdrop cabin, and the door slammed down. Four soldiers in kinetic skeletons stepped out from four different directions and rushed to the nearest cover.

The airdrop cabins fell one after another, and the Kane government force were divided. The hologram helmet marked the identity of the friendly force, the night vision made the dark battlefield clear as day light. Among the chaos, there were only explosions that covered the screaming and mourning.

The gunfire from the north came to an abrupt end, and the civilian armed forces once again regained the lost grounds. After some casualties, Arrow mercenaries were forced to retreat.

At the same time, there was an angry roar from the command room dozens of kilometers away.

With his eyes completed red, the officer was screaming into the face of the soldier that delivered the news while holding onto his collar.

"The 11th Artillery Brigade is completely wiped? By Russian airborne troops? How can there be airborne troops if there are no planes!"

"No, I-I don't know." The muscles of the soldier was tensed up, he was almost to burst into tears.

At that moment, the man who had been standing next to him without speaking suddenly spoke.

"They are not from Russia."

Letting go of the soldier's collar, the officer turned and looked at the man, his raised an eyebrow.

"Oh? Not from Russia? Do you want to they are your froce?"

"It's Celestial Trade," the man said. "And we may be in trouble."

Chapter 1010 A Sleepless Night

Looking from a distance, a series of airdrops with flaming tails fell on the plain behind the hills, like the hellfire in a magical movie. The soldiers emerging the steel ruins were like those stepping out of the gate of hell. Like cavalries, they harvested the livings.

The cold wind was blowing, and the wind under the propeller was especially fierce.

Standing at the door of the Mi-8 helicopter, Jiang Chen was holding a military telescope while the heavy wind gust turned his hair into a bird nest. He was overlooking the tragic situation of the 11th Artillery Brigade a few kilometers away.

That night, in the house of General Nikolaev, Jiang Chen reached a secret agreement with Putin on behalf of Celestial Trade. At the cost of 100 billion rubles and a military base that has been in use for 50 years, Celestial Trade became involved in the civil war.

From that day on, he was accompanied by Natasha to the Russian-Uzbek border and lived at the military base on the border. First, he met with the interim government of the Republic of Donetsk, and with his nominal employer, the chocolate tycoon.

He had a relaxing week. Almost everyday, he would take a SVD and hop in a helicopter to hunt in the nearby mountains.

As a security consultant for Jiang Chen, Natasha naturally had to follow him everywhere. Just when she suspected that he was traveling, Jiang Chen suddenly made a rather excessive request.

"I don't want to go hunting in the mountains this time. I want to go to the border to distract myself."

Due to such close proximity to the battlefield, Natasha naturally opposed. The operation plan of Celestial Trade was known only to two Russians, and she was obviously one of them. Although her task was to fully cooperate with Jiang Chen, in her opinion, it did not include accompanying him.

However, Jiang Chen was the kind of person who only listened to himself. He had authority granted by the Russian President himself. He did not need Natasha's consent and directly contacted the military base. The person in charge of the military base received his request and quickly approved it. Then a helicopter and two pilots were seated on the tarmac, accompanied by four Alpha special forces.

In desperation, Natasha had to follow Jiang Chen as he boarded the Mi-8 helicopter.

At the risk of being taken down at the border, the Mi-8 escaped from the radar at the edge of the forest and the mountain, reaching its current position.

Of course, the helicopter could only reach this point. The pilot said that he would not go any further.

This artillery brigade was often equipped with anti-aircraft guns and radar vehicles. Experience has taught him that they were quite close to the radar's scanning radius. If they advanced further, even a blind man would notice a helicopter at this distance. Jiang Chen could only use his telescope to make up for the remaining distance, and could not see the first battle of Celestial Trade's orbital airborne troops at close range.

However, the Russian pilot clearly did not expect the 11th Artillery Brigade to fall so quick. The brigade did not even have a chance to lock on the helicopter with its radar.

It only took ten minutes before the entire brigade was wiped by this unexpected attack. The bullets flew in the air, and explosions appeared one after another. The soldiers fired back with their AKs, but they efforts were futile to reverse this battle. One after another, they died under the guns of the orbital airborne soldiers.

The only two armored vehicles were penetrated by RPGs. The trucks carrying the rockets were blown into iron slag by sticky bombs. The ammunition racks piled up on the ground exploded, one after another, with countless blossoming orange-red mushrooms appearing on the vast plain.

The outcome of the 11th Artillery Brigade was evident, and there was nothing more to look at. Jiang Chen hopped into the helicopter again, handed the telescope to Natasha, who was spacing out, and jokingly asked.

"Isn't that spectacular?"

She caught the telescope thrown by Jiang Chen and woke up from her blanked state. Then she raised the telescope to examine the battlefield in the distance.

She had never seen such a strange war.

The battle there was basically over, with only sporadic resistances.

Before the establishment of the military base, Celestial Trade did not have the conditions to accommodate prisoners, nor did it intend to accept surrenderers. As for the Geneva Conventions, the rules could only restrain a regular army, and there was no point for a group of hired mercenaries.

"Those are...airborne soldiers?"

"Yes." While answering Natasha's question in an understatement, Jiang Chen reached out and patted the pilot's back. "Today's flight is over, you can return. Go quickly, as the enemy plane will be here soon."

Even without Jiang Chen's reminder, the pilot was fully aware.

With what just happened, the entire region was about to erupt. The door was pulled up and the helicopter began to turn around and return.

Natasha lowered the telescope. Her sight finally came back inside the cabin.

"Where did they come from? Crimea military base? Or..."

"No." Jiang Chen shook his head and raised his eyebrows proudly. Then he raised his hand and pointed. "They belong to the Celestial Trade Air Defense Force, Orbital Airborne Brigade."

Jiang Chen could not see the expression hidden behind the Alpha Special Forces' green and black camouflage ink, but it was not difficult to guess the shock in their minds at this moment.

Natasha took a second to process the information before she immediately whispered anxiously. "Stupid! Don't just say this kind of thing—"

"It doesn't matter. The whole world will know about it by tomorrow." Jiang Chen looked at his watch. "In about five hours, we will have a second round of airdrops. As a result, we will have two brigades in this region. Although we lack in numbers compared to Arrow, we will be fine. We never win by numbers anyway."

In addition, he did not expect to be able to finish the war in such a short period of time.

There was a substantial gap between the government forces here and Country F, which determined that this war was unlikely to replicate the great victory of the City M's landing war. This gap was not only reflected in weapons and equipment, but in tactical thinking, organization, and politics and many other factors.

On the other hand, the supply line of Celestial Trade would be extended. Although Russians promised to help with transportation, some sensitive weapons would not be handed over to them. They could only transport them by air to the military base on the front line, or directly ship them from outer space to the military base.

If Arrow mercenaries continued to replenish the forces at the front line, this war was bound to become a tug-of-war.

But the only thing that Jiang Chen did not worry about was the ending of the war.

Natasha gasped as she listened to Jiang Chen's speach, then she repeated his words in with a unbelievable tone.

"Two brigades? That is, you just..."

"Yes," Jiang Chen smiled. "You are very surprised by the fact that I just dropped an entire brigade."

"I shouldn't have been surprised. I should have known that a madman was sitting across from me." Natasha rolled her eyes.

Jiang Chen grinned.

Recently, he noticed that she was not in the best mood after she dodged the cocktail party that night. The main reason why he dragged her along tonight was to distract her.

In the next hour of flight, the two didn't say a word. Jiang Chen leaned in his seat and closed his eyes, and Natasha was digesting all the shock she felt that night. Because she was too astonished, she even began to worry about the report she must draft.

The direct airdrop from outer space and the deployment of an entire airborne brigade anywhere in the world within a few hours. If this tactic could become universal, it would undoubtedly revolutionize the pattern of future wars.

Whether voluntarily or not, for all those involved in this whirlpool, tonight was destined to be a sleepless night.