Chapter 1011 Two Powerless MiGs

The battle on the plains had ended. The Orbital Airborne Troops who cleared the battlefield reassembled. Before the enemy Ukrainian armored forces arrived, they disappeared into the northern forest.

As expected, two MiG-29 fighters whizzed through the air.

The First Airborne Brigade of Celestial Trade did not pay any attention. They had already withdrawn to the edge of the forest.

Once they entered the dense forest, no one could stop them.

With such a large-scale airborne attack, the government forces thought that the 58th Army of Russia on the border finally attacked. What they didn't understand was how the Russians avoided their radar.

It was an entire brigade! Even aliens wouldn't be able to erase an entire brigade from the radar!

Are all of their radars broken?

Two MiG-29s took off from the airport and rushed to the target airspace in full throttle.

The safety for the missiles was released, and the pilot even prayed by signalling a cross. He was prepared to engage in a dog fight with the Russian Su-35 fighters. However, what puzzled him was that not a single airplane was within the target airspace.

The expected battle did not occur. Looking at the white spots scattered on the thermal image screen, the two pilots couldn't fathom how the airborne troops appeared.

With the original intention of suiciding with the Russian jets, the two MiG jets were both equipped with air-to-air missiles. In order to improve maneuverability, the 150 pairs of 30X165mm Fuel Air Explosives were removed.

The two MiGs could only watch the airborne brigade that annihilated their entire artillery force escape into the forest.

On the edge of the forest, Zhang Feng who was just looking at the radar gestured to the comrade next to him. The soldier nodded and lowered the air defense missile on his shoulder before putting the weapon on his back.

The task of their team was to secure the exit route, if the two MiGs were to launch an air strike, they would fire missiles in retaliation. However, the two MiGs only hovered in the air for a few laps before they flew away, without any intention to avenge their own people.

Of course, it was the best ending.

Zhang Feng sighed and walked into the forest.

"Sh*t, they just left like that? If I were on that jet, I would have definitely sprayed some bullets before I left." With a rifle in hand and leaning against the back of the tree, an active Slavic boy raised two thumbs and pressed a few times, as if he was playing an arcade game.

His name was Sergey; a very popular name in Russia. He fought two years for the guerrillas in this region. Later, he somehow snuck into Xin, joined the foreign corp, and obtained legal status.

But he did not expect that he would return here in this fashion.

"You should be taught a lesson. I would do that for the two little birds." The man next to him grinned and slapped the back of his head.

"Don't mess with me, I didn't close the safety, you should worry about your two pickled eggs." Sergey grimaced and turned around, swaying his muzzle. The guy, scared, jumped to the side.

"If you two are going to make trouble, then just stay here. Others, keep up. It's time to go."

With the command of the captain, Sergey and the buffed soldier immediately stopped, and followed Zhang Feng. They began to chase after the brigade.

The raid on the artillery force was just their first mission tonight.

At the gas station ten kilometers away, another killing awaited.

...

Back at the military base, it was already one o'clock in the morning.

Having just watched a "firework show", Jiang Chen did not feel sleepy at all. He only felt his empty stomach and the desire to eat something. However, at this time, the canteen of the military base was long closed. If he wanted to go out to eat, he would have to drive to a small town 10 kilometers away. So, his only option was to make something himself

He went straight to his apartment, tossed the jacket on the sofa, and then went to the fridge to take out noodles and other ingredients. While hymning, he made himself a bowl of chowder as the snack for the night.

Taking a deep breath of the white steam coming up from the bowl, Jiang Chen threw the spoon aside and nodded in satisfaction.

Just by the smell alone, the noodle shouldn't taste bad!

Just as he put the noodles on the table, picked up the chopsticks, and was ready to eat, he heard knocking at the door

"Wait, I'm coming..." he shouted and put the chopsticks aside. Then he went to open the door. He saw Natasha, in plaid pajamas, standing at the door. He took a second to process this before he jumped to the side and pulled her into the room.

"Are you not afraid of catching a cold?"

Although more than half of April had gone by, the temperature was still very low, especially at night, even Jiang Chen didn't dare to sway outside wearing only his pajamas.

As for why Natasha appeared in her pajamas, it was because she lived next door.

"For the Russians, this cold is nothing."

Natasha's lips curved up as she walked around Jiang Chen and scanned around.

Suddenly, her eyes lit up when she saw the bowl of noodles on the table, and gulped subconsciously.

Jiang Chen suddenly understood her intentions.

She was here to steal his food

"How did you know I had food here?" With a sigh of defeat, Jiang Chen asked.

"You Asians make a lot of noise when you cook."

As a former agent. Natasha's face didn't turn red when she lied and Jiang Chen almost believed her.

What noise could he make while making noodles? Her nose was too sensitive!

"Am I..."

Jiang Chen only complained in his mind and did not state the truth.

Natasha, who got hungry from the smell of meat, rushed into the kitchen. She took a bowl and helped herself to some noodles before returning to Jiang Chen, giving him a charming smile.

Not being distracted by the smile, Jiang Chen keenly noticed that she was not only holding noodles, but was also holding a bottle of vodka.

While slurping on the noodles, Jiang Chen looked at her alcohol-induced flushed face and said, "This is the first time I have heard noodles go well with vodka."

"That's because you don't understand Russians," Natasha took out two cups. She first poured a cup for herself, and then filled a cup for Jiang Chen. "I have been waiting for you to come to Moscow. This one is on me. Here, take it."

"You couldn't find a better place to treat me to a drink? And I won't even mention the fact that you are still using my vodka." Jiang Chen rolled his eyes and put the glass on the side.

"Can you drink with me?" Natasha whispered.

"Is something wrong?"

"Sort of." Natasha sighed.

The eyes that looked into the empty space were stained with memories as tears began to fill them.

Chapter 1012 Leave without Saying Goodbye

So big.

No, precisely, extremely big.

It was the only feeling left on Jiang Chen's fingertips.

A ray of sunshine passed through the window and sprinkled onto Jiang Chen's eyelashes. The muscles on the corners of his eyes contracted slightly, and the eyelids that were half-closed opened. The sound of snoring stopped abruptly as Jiang Chen struggled to open his sore eyes.

There were a few birds singing outside the window. From the sun that already rose above the treetops, it was probably after ten.

He searched around him, but didn't manage to find any clothes. The only thing he found was a piece of cloth.

"Black? This is..."

Jiang Chen discerned from his blurred sight that it seemed to be a underwear, the type that had lace...

Out of reflex, he tossed it to the side and instantly woke up.

"What the fu*k, how is this here? It's Ayesha's... No, last night..."

Shaking his dazed brain, Jiang Chen sat up from the bed, closed his eyes to meditate while desperately searching through his snippets of memory from last night.

As he searched further, the fragments of his memory gradually gathered like a puzzle and everything gradually became clearer.

"It was Natasha."

His lips moved slightly as he whispered to himself. He looked around but she was not seen on the bed or on the floor.

Last night, Natasha knocked on his door, went to the kitchen for a bowl of noodles, and then took out a bottle of vodka from the fridge... These trivial things didn't matter. Jiang Chen remembered having a few drinks with her, listening to her talk about her childhood, and then... and then both of them got drunk and he couldn't remember who took the initiative but remember that the two finally hugged together and rolled onto the carpet. He seemed to have hurt her.

"Did I just...?" With a bitter smile, he held his head. Although he almost crossed the boundary of friendship countless time, he never thought it would end up this way.

Jiang Chen didn't feel any awkwardness or regret. He never was the type that felt bad after crossing the boundary. The only regret was the lack of memory from last night, and she disappeared after waking up.

"This is not good, how do I say hi to her when I see her... fu*k."

When he got out of bed, he almost slipped.

After getting dressed, Jiang Chen went to the bathroom to wash up. Now at half-past ten, there was still a little bit of time before lunch. So, he decided to eat something to fill his stomach. However, when he opened the fridge and his eyes swept across the shelf before suddenly stopping.

One, two, three, four... four?

Jiang Chen rubbed his eyes.

There were no mistakes. It was indeed four bottles.

He clearly remembered that the four bottles of vodka were from the logistics personnel in the base. He asked them to purchase the bottles for him when they went to the nearby town.

This kind of potato-brewed vodka was too spicy for his throat, and Jiang Chen didn't like the taste of it. The reason why he put a few bottles in the fridge was mainly for Natasha who often came to steal food from him. However, there wasn't a single bottle of vodka in the fridge, then the vodka from last night...

Finally realizing what happened, Jiang Chen slammed the fridge door and rushed to the entrance.

As expected, Natasha's shoes were not there. Jiang Chen did not even change before rushing to the corridor and turning to the front of Natasha's door.

"Natasha,"

He just knocked on the door once, and the door opened by itself.

Jiang Chen stopped and then stepped in.

There were two pairs of shoes missing, and the luggage next to the shoe cabinet was gone.

The curtains in the living room were pulled shut and the light in the room was very dark. Jiang Chen searched in every room, even the washroom, but she was nowhere to be seen. He entered his bedroom again and opened his wardrobe.

There was only one set of pajamas left in the closet. It was the one she wore last night, and the rest of her clothes were disappeared.

Obviously, she already left.

"Did I say too much last night? You didn't even say goodbye." Jiang Chen with a bitter smile shook his head and sat on her bed.

All kinds of clues pointed to one thing, that was, Natasha left without saying goodbye, and already planned it last night.

She brought the vodka that contained a "special ingredient"; likely a benign drug that did not trigger his immune mechanism. The reason why she did this was probably to bid farewell to him.

It was also what Jiang Chen was most afraid of.

Where did she have to go that she must say goodbye to him in this fashion? It was not a farewell; the night's intimacy was to make up for some regret. Therefore, when she was leaving, she had already planned for the worst.

"FU*K!"

Jiang Chen punched the wall and even shook the closet.

As early as in Moscow, he discovered that Natasha might have encountered trouble. He originally thought that it was only a small problem such as a conflict between father and daughter. When she needed help from him, she would naturally ask him for help. But he did not expect that the trouble she encountered was not a small problem, and she was so stubborn that she didn't even mention and just left.

If she encountered some trouble, if she was willing to say it, he wouldn't turn a blind eye to her. But she chose the most difficult road of facing it alone. What was this girl's head made out of?

Now, he didn't even know where she went.

Taking a deep breath, Jiang Chen pressed his index finger on his temple and tried to recall every detail of last night, trying to uncover the truth hidden behind the thin mask.

Just then, footsteps came from outside the room.

Jiang Chen looked up and saw Ayesha standing at the door, looking at himself with a confused look.

"I didn't see you in your room and her door was open... What happened?" Seeing Jiang Chen didn't have the best look on his face, Ayesha rushed to his side and sat down. Holding his hand, she asked with a concerned voice.

Jiang Chen patted her hand gently, telling her not to worry. He then adjusted his expression, and said.

"Ayesha, did you see Natasha when you came?"

Ayesha shook her head and looked around the room. When she saw the open wardrobe, she suddenly understood something. The hand holding Jiang Chen's hand tightened and her sapphire eyes looked sternly at him, " When did she leave?"

"Morning... maybe last night."

"I am going to help you bring her back."

Ayesha stood up and was ready to leave. However, Jiang Chen did not let go of her hand and pulled her back.

"What are you worried about? You don't even know where she is, how can you get her back?"

"But..."

"Let the Ghost Agents of Moscow keep an eye out for her. If she is going back to Moscow, then don't worry about her."

Among all possibilities, it was the most optimistic possibility. If she did not return to Moscow, she was likely to be on the border.

"I will let them know now." Ayesha nodded.

"Not so fast. There is something else I need you to do. Find someone for me."

"Who?"

"Marina. If I remember correctly, she should be Natasha's mother..."

Chapter 1013 Two Bad News

Marina Ivanovna Nikolaeva. Italian-Russian. The dead wife of General Nikolaev and the mother of Natasha.

On August 8, 2008, the Russian-Georgian war broke out. It was also the same day that Marina, who was engaged in intelligence gathering in Georgia, was found died by the Tbilisi police in the hotel she stayed at. Through the individual items in her suitcase, she was finally confirmed to be a Russian intelligence personnel.

Since the war ended in less than a week, the news was not disclosed. After the signing of the ceasefire agreement, the Georgian government returned the body of Marina to Russia with the remains of other Russian soldiers.

Eventually, Marina was buried with other Russian soldiers killed in Georgia in the Preobrazhensky Cemetery on the outskirts of Moscow. Nikolaev attended her funeral with Natasha, who was only 15 years old at the time. Since then, the relationship between them deteriorated.

The death of Marina was said to be due to a shot in the head, but there was no further evidence that could provide more information.

An entire day passed since Natasha's departure. When Ayesha reported the information to Jiang Chen, Jiang Chen frowned.

"Hated her father because of her mother's death? I had always felt that there was something wrong with this explanation."

"Maybe it's due to the reason behind the death of Marina, " Ayesha analyzed.

"You mean...Marina was killed by her husband Nikolaev? One is the commander of the 58th Army, and the other is the agent of the Russian Security Service. The work of the two are not in the same field. Did Nikolaev have a reason to do this?" Jiang Chen leaned back in his chair while rubbing his sore brows and said while easing a headache, "I'm the most curious about what the big bearded general thought when he found out he had a spy as a wife, especially a field agent."

Ayesha walked behind Jiang Chen and placed her hands on his shoulders to gently massage them for him, trying to ease his fatigue.

"Maybe, it is not his intention to marry Marina."

Jiang Chen's eyes lit up, but immediately turned dark and shook his head. "It doesn't make sense. Nikolaev did not remarry. With his position, he shouldn't have lacked pursuers. Unless he liked men, it makes no sense...."

With so little evidence, he was only sure that Natasha must have been tracking down her mother's cause of death for several years, and this sudden disappearance was most likely related to it. As for whether Marina's death was related to his husband Nikolayev, or what role Nikolayev played in her death, that all remained a mystery.

Enjoying the massage of the two small hands on his shoulders, Jiang Chen closed his eyes. His fingers began gently tapping on the arm of the sofa.

"Will the clues be in Georgia?" Ayesha suddenly said. "If we send people to the hotel where the incident happened..."

"It's useless, it's been eleven years," Jiang Chen shook his head. "It's better to go to the local police station than go to the hotel, but I suspect that all the evidence and Marina's personal belongings would have been transferred with her body after the signing of the ceasefire agreement. It is better to go to Moscow than to go to Georgia."

"Then..."

"I know what you want to say, but I forbid you to do this. Our relationship with Russia is now in the honeymoon stage, and any miss step may cause misunderstanding and could be quite unwise."

Jiang Chen hesitated, but in the end, he didn't break out the news of Natasha's disappearance. Disregard if the Russian Security Service would go deep into a foreign country to find a special agent who left her duty without provision, no one would be sure if the Freemasonry planted insiders inside Russia. Breaking out the news would increase her danger at the border.

As for how long he could keep it a secret, he'll take it one day at a time.

Originally, he planned to return to Xin after the military base was complete. But now, with Natasha's sudden disappearance, it directly disrupted his plan. Before confirming her safety, he couldn't just leave.

"How many people do we have in this region? I am referring to the Ghosts Agents." Jiang Chen suddenly looked at Ayesha and asked.

"Only two people. The intelligence in the Ukraine region is mainly the responsibilities of Gnavier. Now our focus on European intelligence work is concentrated in Western Europe... Do you need me to contact her to send more people?" Ayesha asked.

"No, she needs people on her side." Jiang Chen stood up from the sofa. "We will transfer people directly from the headquarters."

"Transfer directly from the headquarters? But is this feasible?" Ayesha wondered.

"Normal entry is definitely too late, but we can go through the orbit."

The village in the northwest of the city of Donetsk, where in shambles and ruins. There was not a single sign of life. As early as the beginning of the war, the residents here moved to the town in the north to take refuge. The government forces and civilian militants were both stationed here and from the cracked wall, this place endured heavy artillery.

Dressed in a brown windbreaker, Natasha's long blond hair was tied into a ponytail. Natasha, dressed as an independent journalist, carried a travel bag and walked through the rubbles. She was being cautious of the shadows lurking in the darkness.

She made a few turns in the ruins, and soon arrived at the designated location.

It was still Skanov, the Ukrainian military officer that actually served Moscow.

When he saw Natasha, Skanov grinned and greeted her.

"Where is the stuff?"

As soon as he said this, a package of documents was tossed at him.

After catching the documents that Natasha had thrown, Skanov opened the package and took out the documents from inside. He took a few glances at the text, and he seemed surprised, but very quickly his expression returned to normal.

"Is this the last piece of document?" After Skanov roughly scanned the document, he put the document in front of his chest and looked at Natasha.

"Yes, the organization suggests that you withdraw to the rear. It is better you have a wound or something, better than dying on the battlefield."

"Even if the organization doesn't recommend it, I will still do it." Skanov smiled. "Have you heard about what happened the night before? In five hours, two airborne brigades were deployed here, and the entire Ukrainian radar system had no response. It was ESA that first discovered the little guys and reported them as meteor showers. Hey, speaking of which, pulling Celestial Trade into this mess was my idea, I don't know if they will give me a St. George's medal after I return home... Right, where is my cigar?"

When Natatha came, she would get a box of cigars fom her father and give it to this old friend.

"I left in a hurry and didn't go see him." After a pause, Natasha said, "Do you have any lead on the thing I asked you to investigate?"

"If you didn't mention it, I would have forgotten," Skanov slapped his forehead and then looked at Natasha with a smile. "I have two pieces of bad news. Which one do you want to listen to first?"

Chapter 1014 A Meeting EngagementOn The Plains

The steel belts of the tank roared in the wilderness. A T-84 main battle tank rolled over the plains, leaving a trail of dust behind it.

This steel beast was modified from the former Soviet T-80UD main battle tank and was particularly fierce on the open plains. It acted as the main tank in the Ukrainian government armored force and was a nightmare for the militants.

"Eight T-845, no identity."

"...confirmed the tank formation belongs to the Arrow. Attack is approved."

"Roger that."

Across the hill two kilometers away, a group of soldiers wearing kinetic skeletons kneeled behind the tall grass.

On the third day, the First Orbital Airborne Brigade Zhang Feng belonged to was competing with the Ukrainian 4th Armored Brigade and Arrow Mercenary for control of the northern town of Donetsk.

Zhang Feng, who was at the front, held a telescope and locked his sight on the eight tanks. When the tanks slammed into the marked positions, he gestured to Sergey behind him. The Slavic boy understood and tapped a few times on the holographic screen of the arm guard.

At the same time, several drone hives were deployed from behind the bunker two kilometers away. Dozens of Hummingbird drones came out from the hive. With the remote-controlled road signs, they were soaring towards the eight tanks.

They weren't equipped with machine guns but had viscoelastic bombs installed on them.

The tank formation broke across the edge of the farmland and began to slow down and prepare to drive through the ditch.

Entering the low-lying area, the visibility of several tanks was greatly reduced. A machine gunman opened the top of the tank and exposed half of his body. Both of his hands held onto the grip of the machine gun; the gun was used in case any danger appeared.

At this time, dozens of drones that had already entered the blind spot of the tank suddenly leaped out from the grass and rushed toward the tank formation that was moving through the ditch.

The machine gunman's pupil suddenly shrank. He shouted while pulling the trigger to open fire as he used his foot to kick the occupant below him. After a clip of bullets, only one drone was unfortunately hit. Most of the bullets pierced into the cabin behind the drones, breaking the piles of rotten wood into pieces.

"He said to reverse." Behind the hill two kilometers away, Sergey stared at the screen and bite his tongue in excitement.

"Do not talk nonsense," Zhang Feng impatiently ordered.

"Okay, cap, they can't run away." Sergey target set the attack target for the drone with a grimacing smile before pressing the last button.

Seeing that the flies could not be hit, the machine gunner hurriedly hid into the tank. After the captain issued an order to withdraw by one kilometer, he immediately opened the electromagnetic shielding device hanging outside the tank, but it was too late. All the attack commands processed by the terminal were already cached on the chip built into the drone.

The entire tank formation had just started to reverse when the first echelon of drones began to attack the tanks from above. The fist-sized viscoelastic bombs landed on the surface of the tank, and when all the viscoelastic were in place, they exploded. All the reaction armor hanging on the surface of the T-84 turned to scraps.

After discovering the intent of these drones, several tanks suddenly panicked, and their engines roared. However, no matter how much they accelerated the engine, it was impossible to escape. The second echelon of drones already appeared over their heads, and the viscoelastic bombs directly stuck to the tanks' surface.

"Goodbye."

Sergey murmured.

There was no deafening explosion. Only a short flash of fire. Eight tanks collectively stalled and slowly stopped after losing power. This amount of explosive alone, of course, couldn't blow up an entire tank. However, the "caving effect" formed inside the armor due to the explosion turned the members inside the tank into sieves.

It was a strategy that Zheng Feng summarized when he served in the Celestial Trade Marine Corps. At that time, they dealt with the enemies in City M equipped with the M1A1 main battle tank with this technique and captured a tank.

Not far away, a Ukrainian dressed as a farmer stepped out from the bushes and ran to the nearest tank. He took out a pistol from his pocket, climbed onto the tank, and carefully opened the top.

After confirming that all members inside the tank were dead, he immediately stood on top of the turret and whistled in excitement to the comrades in the bushes.

Soon, more than a dozen civilian militants dressed in camouflage moved closer to the tanks. They checked the inside of the tanks. A few courageous boys even jumped into the tanks and pulled out the fleshy bodies.

"It's going to be fun tonight."

The man behind Sergey suddenly smirked with a sly look on his face. His appearance gave Sergey goosebumps.

"Today's mission is over. Let's go." Zhang Feng took the lead and stood up. Then several soldiers walked toward the tanks two kilometers away.

When they met with the militants, they immediately received a warm cheer. A passionate Ukrainian female soldier even daringly stepped forward and gave several heroes a big hug. Finally, she gave the man named Hans a French kiss...

Zhang Feng saw with the corner of his eye that Hans brought the Ukrainian girl to a cabin. The two conversated while smiling. Later, Hans gave her a pack of cigarettes, and the two walked inside.

At this time, an unshaven Ukrainian who was wearing a muddy gray coat, walked over and handed him a crumpled up cigarette. Zhang Feng had some impressions of him. He was the first one who climbed onto the tank.

"Do you smoke?" He said in English.

"Smoke mine."

Zhang Feng took out a box of cigarettes from his pocket and took out two. He put one in his mouth and handed the other one to the man. In the resistance zone, cigarettes were equivalent to dollars, which acted as a local hard currency. Zhang Feng himself didn't lack cigarettes.

The Ukrainian did not reject the offer. After taking the cigarette from Zhang Feng's hand, he took out the lighter from his pocket and lit it for Zhang Feng and himself.

"Eight T-845, I have to thank you for the tank battalion. They have always wanted to get a few T-845 from the enemy. Now their dream has come true and can finally get rid of the tractors." Philip laughed.

"You'd better add anti-disintegration lining inside. Armor that has already experienced the caving effect is prone to secondary caving." Zhang Feng shook off the ash and pointed to the nearest tank.

"We will be careful!"

Celestial Trade naturally had no interest in the tanks, but they were all treasures to the militants. Of course, Celestial Trade did not do the job for free. These trophies were converted into rubles and sold to the militants.

Of course, the wouldn't get the money immediately. The tanks would be loaned to the Republic of Donetsk and paid for after the war, and even if they aren't able to pay for them later, compared to the depreciating banknotes, Celestial Trade's stance always favored other goods in exchange.

After a few words with the man named Philip, Zhang Feng estimated that his comrades should be done, so he extinguished his cigarette.

However, not so far away, voices of dispute attracted his attention...

Chapter 1015 A Prisoner of War Claiming to be An Informant

"What happened?" Zhang Feng looked towards the noise.

Two soldiers dragged out a Ukrainian from behind the haystack and found an M9 pistol and a military officer card on him.

Philip tossed away his cigarette and ran to him.

"We caught a Ukrainian officer. He claims to be an informant of the Russian Security Service. I have never heard such a funny joke." A thin Slavic boy with a grin on his face dragged him out and punched him in the stomach.

The Ukrainian was covered in muddy water, his hair was glued to his scalp by mud, and his pants were stained with dark red blood. Not his best look. With another punch to his stomach, he reflexively gagged and emptied the acid in his stomach.

"Barf, Sh*t! I am not kidding, man, let me at least let me see your officer before you punch me. Don't be impulsive..."

"I am their captain." Philip stepped forward, put his arm on the shoulder of a soldier, and raised his eyebrows to look at the tied up Ukrainian. "You said that you are a Russian informant? What is your proof?"

"I didn't bring my documentation, but please believe me. Just take me to the back—".

"We can't take you to the back, we are here looking after the tanks." Philip lifted his finger and interrupted him. "And since you are a Russian, why are you hiding behind the haystack?"

"Listen, I am an informant of the Russian Security Service. I have provided them with intelligence up till four months ago. But it didn't last long. I was discovered by the government four months ago—"

Too lazy to listen to this person's nonsense, the thin Slavic guy dragged the man to the ground, then pulled out the machete from his waist and revealed a grimacing smile. "It seems that you will not tell me the truth until I teach you a lesson."

"Trust me! Fuck! I really am—".

The machete did not fall. Zhang Feng grabbed the hand of the Slavic boy.

Both Philip and the Slavic boy looked at him with questioning eyes.

"Let me ask him a few questions." Zhang Feng let go of the Slavic boy's hand, walked to the Ukrainian's side and squatted down. "What is your name?"

"Skanov... You are from Celestial Trade, right? Take me to see your boss! Please, before everything is too late... cough!" Skanov dry coughed a few times and mud or blood spilled out from his mouth.

"You want to see our boss? Haha, I want to as well. I want to take a picture with him. Of course, it would be better if I could shake hands with him." While chewing on his gum, Sergey looked at Skanov with a dubious smile.

Zhang Feng ignored this boy and stared at Skanov's eyes for about half a minute.

"Take him with us. We are heading back anyway." Then, Zhang Feng turned and gestured to Sergey while pointing to Skanov. "If he escapes or resists, end him."

"Roger!" Sergey saluted. "Spill it out," Zhang Feng said impatiently.

"What if I accidentally press the triggered?" Sergey squinted at Skanov without any good intention.

Before he immigrated to Xin, he was a Russian from eastern Ukraine. Although the Ukrainians and Russians were both Slavs in heritage, the eastern Russians and the western Ukrainians naturally were incapable of coexisting. After the disintegration of the Soviet Union, the two sides were dissatisfied with each other and were now in the midst of a conflict.

"Then I will dump you into the dumpster."

"Sh*t! Cap, I was just joking." Chasing after Zhang Feng, Sergey then turned around and poked Skanov's arm with a rifle. "Hurry up and get up. Raise your hands and hold them against the back of your head. Don't let me see you play any tricks."

Watching Sergey take Skanov forward, Philip walked next to Zhang Feng.

"I advise you not to believe his rhetoric. These self-proclaimed informants are a common sight. They just want to be sent to Crimea or the Russian-Ukrainian border, or other places with "human rights," Philip looked at Skanov. "The most convenient way is to torture out valuable information, and then find a place to bury him. With this, it still counts as a contribution.".

Philip patted the officer's card in his hand. "Maybe. But anyway, we have time today," Zhang Feng said.

Philip shrugged, didn't say anything, and walked away.

The force was reorganized next to the farmland, and Zhang Feng found that a person was missing.

"Where's Hans?"

"Still in that cabin." A guy laughed and put his finger into the hole he made with the other hand.

"F*ck, ...Enemy!"

Zhang Feng raised his leg and kicked the wooden cabin door open. With a loud bang, the entire cabin shook a few times as dust fell from the roof. Then they heard a male scream and curse inside while a female sneered.

Hans' face was flushed as he stepped out of the cabin. While running to his position in the formation, he was still pulling up his trousers and buckling the armor around his waist.

"The enemy, where is the enemy? Sh*t, you are playing me!"

Hans was ready to see who interrupted his good times, but then found that it was his captain, so with a sneer, he quieted down.

Behind him, the busty Ukrainian woman who also walked out of the door had changed into her militant uniform. When passing by Hans, she blew him a kiss.

Zhang Feng did not say anything but quietly whispered, "Get ready to go". Then he walked towards the direction of the city of Donetsk.

When a group of people passed by the drone hive, a soldier in the team stepped forward and carried the half-person high drone hive directly behind him. With the help of the kinetic skeleton, his weight-bearing ability easily surpassed two hundred kilograms. The drone hive was nothing to him. The only thing obstructing him was the mud on the ground as he was more likely to get stuck with the extra weight on him.

The way back was very safe. The high-altitude drone already scouted out this zone in advance. There was not a single soul in the area.

On the way back, Skanov became more flustered. As time went by, his expression became more and more anxious.

Finally, he couldn't hold his silence and shouted.

"Do you have a radio? Can you get in touch with the command center?"

Zhang Feng stopped and looked at him.

Skanov took a deep breath and looked straight into his eyes. The 190 centimeters tall man's voice even carried a pleading tone.

"Listen, this is urgent. I know that I seem suspicious... But whether you believe me or not, I hope that you can at least contact your boss. 'Natasha', I only ask you to give your superior this name. Please, or else it will be too late!"

Chapter 1016 A Monster

"Two pieces of bad news?" Natasha frowned as she continued to stare straight at Skanov. Then, her lips suddenly curved up. "Does it matter?"

Skanov smiled and sighed in relief.

"The idea of ​​your investigation is correct. Your mother's death is indeed related to your father. It was the Special Forces under the 58th Army. The order was issued by the Russian Security Service."

Natasha took in a deep breath of cold air. Her fingers trembled as she tried to control the sorrow that was about to overwhelm her. She was desperately trying to sound strong.

"And the other piece of bad news is?"

"The other bad news is related to your mother's death. Are you sure you want to hear about it?" Skanov smiled. "Old guy Nikolaev will not want you to know."

"Say it," Natasha said it expressionlessly.

"Your mother was a double agent. She joined the Freemasonry when she was twelve years old. In 2008, she sent us intelligence in Georgia but accidentally revealed herself. And I, I am her master." With a dubious smile, he looked at Natasha who took a step back, "I advise you to take your hand out of your pocket. At least two sniper rifles are being pointed at you."

The smile on Natasha's face gradually disappeared.

From when she walked into the town, she realized that something was wrong, but did not expect the one who betrayed her, who betrayed Russia, would turn out to be her father's old friend, Major Skanov.

"This joke is not funny at all." Using the corner of her eyes to observe the surrounding environment, Natasha determined by experience that the location of the sniper should be in the clock tower 400 meters away and on the roof of the factory 500 meters away.

She didn't take her hand from her pocket but let go of the pistol and held onto the smoke bomb.

Skanov shrugged.

"This is not a joke... You don't have to waste time. Even if the Alpha Group came, they wouldn't be able to save you, and they won't take the risk to save you. The 14th Motorized Brigade of Ukraine is stationed not far from here."

After Skanov finished, he clapped his hands.

Like ghosts, twelve figures appeared from the shadows. They were covered in lacquered black combat uniforms, armed from head to toe, and moved without a sound. Without a doubt, they were the elites of the elites.

When Natasha saw these special force agents, a trace of despair appeared in her eyes. If there were only snipers, she could work up the courage to make a gambit, but against twelve heavily armed special force agents, even if she was 007, her possibility of surviving was null.

"Shameless traitor." Squeezing a few words out of her teeth, Natasha stared at Skanov.

If eyes could kill, Skanov would have died many times.

However, against Natasha's allegations, Skanov didn't seem to agree.

"A traitor?" Skanov shrugged, and raised his hands and rubbed his neck a few times.

When she saw this, Natasha's pupils shrunk. She noticed that as he rubbed, there was a noticeable chromatic aberration, and then his hands seemed to have grabbed onto something. He tore and ripped off the silicone hood from his head.

"Skanov" who had removed the silicon hood became a completely strange face.

In other words, he revealed his true appearance.

"Let me introduce myself again. I am Peter Petrov." Since it was no longer necessary to disguise himself, he revealed his real voice.

The stiff expression on Natasha's face gradually softened into a bitter smile.

Disguise. She was naturally familiar with this as she is a member of the Security Services. However, she never expected to fall for this trick. The identity of the real Skanov was exposed, and he was most likely killed.

"When did it start?" Natasha asked bitterly.

"Since the beginning of this year. I remember at that time, I also proposed to you to pull Celestial Trade into this mess. Did you forget?"

Natasha looked at Petrov inexplicably. She didn't understand why he did it, or why the Freemasonry did this. Knowing the combat prowess of Celestial Trade, weren't they afraid that they would lose too fast?

"You should be seeing Stalin after I get this stuff." Petrov grinned and patted the stack of paper in his hand. "But you are very lucky, the superiors think that you still have some value. If you are obedient, you may be able to live a bit longer."

After that, he gestured to the special forces behind him.

Two special force agents stepped out and walked over to Natasha.

Looking at the black muzzles, Natasha only felt the coldness of her hands and feet, and she probably already guessed what the so-called value meant. Not as a Russian agent, nor as a daughter of Admiral Nikolayev, but as a bargaining chip that could threaten Jiang Chen.

The memories with him flashed through her head. When she reminisced to their night of intimacy, a smile appeared. Somehow, she was suddenly unafraid.

The smile was very gentle; it was nothing like her normal smile.

There was a ray of determination in her eyes. Just as she was preparing to risk it all, a trace of unnatural humming suddenly began to approach from above.

She was not the only to notice the sound.

Petrov looked up and his pupils suddenly shrank, but when he caught a glimpse of what was above, everything was already too late.

The tungsten rod projectile that fell from a height of 36,000 kilometers was melted into droplets as they passed through the atmosphere. They continuously broke through the sound barrier that prevented them from protruding and left explosions behind them. The moment he heard the resonance, the bullets that were as wide as his hand had arrived.

Ten dozen tungsten rod projectiles, like dozens of Tomahawk missiles, bombarded the area. The second the rods hit the ground, they sent kinetic energy to the bottom of the earth. Like bullets hitting gel, they formed a huge cavity in an instant, and instantly shattered the ground below.

The soil was blown up into the air, flying into the sky more than ten meters above, and the reinforced concrete fragments and wooden chips were exploding around wildly. Even the well-trained Arrow elites were caught off-guard by the sudden impact.

That was her only chance!

Natasha used her arms to protect her head, fighting hard to stand up from the ground. Fleeing under the disguise of the dust that covered the sky, she threw out the smoke bomb in her hand.

Almost at the same time, a round of rapid gunshots emerged from the depths of the smoke and swept toward her direction.

Natasha grunted in pain as a bullet hit her belly and another shot hit her in the shoulder. During her escape, she almost tumbled to the ground when a transparent figure emerged from behind her and put her on their back.

The whistling sound of the flying bullets swept past her. Natasha watched the petite figure underneath her with a complex expression on her face.

"I didn't expect... one day I would owe you my life."

"You were shot. Are you okay?" Ayesha did not talk nonsense with her but asked in an emotionless tone.

"I'm fine. I wore a bulletproof vest... my left hand might be fractured."

The bullet pierced through Natasha's trench coat but did not penetrate the bulletproof vest she wore inside.

This bullet-proof vest was "borrowed" from Jiang Chen's closet. It was made with high-molecular-weight polyethylene fiber and it could release the kinetic energy of the bullet to the surface of the vest. Therefore, it has the ability to block bullets and to limit the kinetic energy received upon contact to a safe limit.

"Catch her!"

Petrov's unsettled expression quickly dissipated as he was to first respond to the situation. He roared, snatched up a rifle from the ground, and rushed into the smoke.

A total of twelve special forces; two died and one was injured. If Natasha escapes, he wouldn't be able to take the fall.

However, just as he rushed into the smoke, he suddenly seemed to have hit a wall and stopped there.

One hand grabbed his neck and lifted him off the ground like he was a little chick.

Petrov's pupils focused on a point. When he saw the steel-built body, there was nothing but fear.

"A monster..."

Chapter 1017 Rescue Mission

"A monster—"

His throat, being locked by a steel hand, screeched in fear. Petrov reflexively pressed the trigger and the automatic rifle around his waist fired against the power armor. However, the bullets only left a series of crisp sounds. Only a layer of paint on the surface was scraped off.

Through the holographic mirror, Jiang Chen looked at him coldly. He used slightly more force on his right hand and then heard the cervical vertebrae crack. Petrov rolled his eyes and relaxed his muscles. He couldn't be more dead.

The dust had dispersed, and more than a dozen armed men hid behind the bunker and began to fire back.

Jiang Chen released his minigun without hesitation and began to cleanse the battlefield bombarded with tungsten rods. The firepower turned the concrete and wood into fragments and the return fire of the special forces instantly disappeared.

As for the two snipers in the distance, Ayesha had long finished them before the tungsten rods arrived.

While maintaining firepower suppression, Jiang Chen scanned the mess and nodded in satisfaction.

With the dual insurance of quantum computer trajectory measurements and terminal guidance, the pseudo-space-based weapon displayed great accuracy and good killing power.

The reason why it was a pseudo-space-based weapon was that it draws on the design of the God's Cane, but it was not fixed by satellites at a certain point on the orbit. Instead, it was carried by a transport ship and could be dumped directly over the target. Because there was no launch track to give the initial speed, the probability of a direct hit was not high and could only be used as a means of suppression.

At the beginning of the design, the weapon was originally prepared for the orbital airborne force. The target area would be bombarded with tungsten rods before landing to ensure the safety of the landing site. However, Jiang Chen did not expect that the airdrop cabin from the apocalypse would have its own suppression effect. Instead of carrying a few tungsten rods on the transport ship, it was better to have two more airdrop cabins.

However, for the time being, the tungsten rods were not useless. Any fixed bunker placed in front of it was just as thin as a piece of paper. And this kind of weapon thrown directly from the synchronous track had a miraculous effect on decreasing enemy morale. The weapon was never intended to kill many people, but it could destroy the faith of those who witnessed the tungsten hell-rain.

The firepower of the power armor was too strong for the special forces to fight back. Seeing the lack of effectiveness of rifle bullets, a special force soldier took out the AT4 rocket launcher, quickly opened the safety and pressed the trigger. However, this steel giant not only had a thick armor but was also agile and maneuverable. This unguided rocket was easily dodged.

From the storage dimension, Jiang Chen took out a heat sensor grenade and threw it straight to the target heat source. The grenade spurted a trail of flame in midair before flying straight behind the enemy bunker. With a bang, the soldier carrying AT4 was blown into pieces.

"Wesley! FU*K!"

Giles, with bloodshot eyes, watched his comrade explode. He could not do anything against the steel giant.

They already replaced their rifles with special armor-piercing ammunition specially prepared for Celestial Trade soldiers, but against the steel armor, it was useless. The situation was completely out of their grasp. Giles gritted his teeth, made up his mind, and gestured to his comrades.

"Retreat!"

These special forces came quickly and left quickly. The back row first dashed to the back of the house. The front row also left the bunker in batches and retreated from the street.

Jiang Chen fired a few more clips at the direction of their escape symbolically. He didn't pursue further and decisively headed to the agreed evacuation point.

From the satellite image, the 43rd Motorized Brigade of Ukraine was close to him. With the mess here, as long as the commander was competent, he would inevitably send people to investigate the situation. Both of Celestial Trade's Orbital Airborne Brigades were deployed in eastern Ukraine. Only two waves of tungsten rods were the available attack methods. Celestial Trade Forces on the ground and the militant's base were nearly 80 kilometers apart, which didn't help the situation.

Though Jiang Chen would be interested in trying to solo an entire brigade, unless he replaced his power armor with a Gundam, he didn't have the confidence to try.

It was confirmed on the satellite map that the ten special force soldiers had indeed withdrawn from the town. Jiang Chen ran into a semi-collapsed house and threw the power armor into the storage dimension. Putting on the K2 kinetic skeleton, he went to the outskirt of the town.

Behind a haystack of a farm, a military green "battalion commander" T98 armored vehicle was parked there. Its other name would be the Russian version of the Hummer. Although not as well known as the Hummer, it performed better in terms of protection. Jiang Chen burrowed the car from the Russian military base and the engine was also modified. He used this vehicle to cross the Russian-Ukrainian border.

Jiang Chen closed the door after he got into the backseat.

Ayesha skillfully started the engine, stepped on the gas, and headed into the forest.

Leaning in the backseat, Jiang Chen let out a long sigh of relief and leaned his rifle against the door. When he turned around, his sight aligned with Natasha's.

Natasha was not in the best state. Not only was there a hint of blood by her mouth, but her left arm was fixed in place by a splint.

They made eye contact and her expression became awkward. She didn't know how to face Jiang Chen so she lowered her head.

"Sor—"

However, the word "sorry" had yet to come out completely before Jiang Chen picked her up and put her on his lap.

"Let go! What are you doing—" Natasha was like a frightened golden-haired Persian cat, uneased.

Although she struggled hard to escape, manpower could never outpower the kinetic skeleton, not to mention that she still suffered a small injury. Jiang Chen controlled her with just one hand.

Careful not to touch her left arm, Jiang Chen did not waste any time. With his spare hand, he slapped her *ss.

The loud sound was extremely noticeable in the vehicle.

"..." Ayesha's cheeks turned red, as she pretended nothing happened.

After a cry, Natasha with her eyes widened, stopped struggling.

"Do you dare to do this next time?" Jiang Chen said wickedly to Natasha.

"Bastard...you, you actually hit me." The blushing Natasha glimpsed at the back of Ayesha's head and then tried hard to turn her neck. She growled at Jiang Chen with embarrassment and anger. "Let me go!"

Jiang Chen raised his hand again and landed his palm against the curved and soft butt.

"Hey!"

Natasha couldn't help but again cry out loud. Ayesha was turning even redder and her eyes flickered to the rearview mirror from time to time. Perhaps it was an illusion but Jiang Chen saw envy?

"Bastard! I want to kill – AH!"

"You are a per – HEY!"

"NOOO... I'm sorry, don't – ah~"

The original imposing curse was interrupted by the loud slaps.

Humiliating and shameful tears formed in Natasha's eyes. The sting on her butt seriously hurt her self-esteem. At this moment, she had lost her usual calmness. However, the most annoying thing was that... she began to feel aroused...

Chapter 1018 Do you dare to do this again?

"Do you dare to do this again?" Jiang Chen's hand stopped in mid-air as he looked at Natasha who was begging for mercy; a smug look appeared in his eyes.

"No...No!"

Although she didn't exactly know what he was referring to, she did not dare to be argumentative at this moment.

Watching Natasha's blond hair swing back and forth, Jiang Chen finally nodded in satisfaction and put down his raised hand.

Training seemed to be successful.

Natasha glared at Jiang Chen with a hateful look and turned her head back. Jiang Chen was not surprised either, if someone slapped his butt, he would feel hateful towards them too. However, compared to being hated, he was more worried that she would again disappear on him without saying a word.

"Do you know why I slapped your butt?"

"..." Natasha didn't speak, her lips pressed tightly together.

"Do you know how worried I was?"

Although he couldn't see her face, he could clearly feel the tensed muscles in her abdomen relax slightly.

Jiang Chen smiled and didn't speak further. He released her wrist and waist and then let her go.

Natasha, who "regained her freedom", did not come down from his lap. She just stayed in his lap.

At this moment, Jiang Chen suddenly heard the sound of splashing water.

That sound was very soft and very quiet as if a pearl had fallen on the sofa.

He froze for a second, then reached out to comb her hair back. When he saw her teary eyes, he suddenly panicked.

Although he wanted to punish this girl, he never wanted to make her cry.

Just as Jiang Chen was helplessly looking for ways to appease her, Natasha's right hand pressed against the sofa and she slid down from his lap. Then she looked at him.

Due to the lack of room inside the car, she could only kneel in front of him as she softly bit her lower lip. Her face was written with weariness and bloodstains were still visible at the corners of her mouth, and now tears were emerging from her eyes.

"I hate you."

"I—"

Jiang Chen was just about to say something, but his lips were quickly blocked by Natasha who rode onto his legs. A soft and indescribable thing aggressively entered his lips, causing havoc.

Suddenly, the frightened Ayesha accidentally stepped on the gas and almost knocked off Jiang Chen's teeth

With a glorious and victorious expression, Natasha wiped the corner of her mouth with her sleeve and said fiercely.

"I hate you... you stole my heart."

This time, Ayesha almost stepped on the brakes, and Jiang Chen in the back was completely stunned.

Although he was moved, it was exactly like the plot of a romantic comedy.

But it was not the time for Jiang Chen to think about this. With both of his hands around her waist, he coughed, then continued the plot.

"Then just hate me forever."

However, this seemed to have worked extremely well.

Natasha's eyes gleamed with tears as she "munched" on him.

Enjoying the softness, for a glimpse of a second, Jiang Chen noticed with the corner of his eyes that even Ayesha, who had never been jealous, started to pout.

...

To avoid the Ukrainians and Arrow on their journey home, Jiang Chen made Ayesha take the long way. Instead of crossing the Russian-Ukrainian border directly from the forest on the east, they drove along the forest to Starobersk and took a detour of more than fifty kilometers.

Although they were already far away from Donetsk's front line, driving at night was still very dangerous. Turning on the lights could cause them to be detected easily from a far distance, but driving without lights meant that they could accidentally drive into a ditch. The most pressing issue now was to find a safe spot to spend the night.

Fortunately, at the edge of the forest, Ayesha discovered a logging yard. Judging from the rusty iron gate and the mushrooms on the woods, this logging site seemed to have been abandoned for a long time. Since there was no owner, they requisitioned this logging yard.

After they drove into the warehouse, Ayesha stepped out of the vehicle and deployed four Hummingbird drones into the area. She then connected the drones to the terminal at the back of the vehicle.

Jiang Chen was taking out the outdoor gasoline stove from the trunk of the vehicle. There was no shortage of food and water, so he started to cook noodles in the middle of the warehouse.

It didn't take long before the delicious aroma filled the warehouse. The three people soon started to slurp on the noodles placed in stainless-steel bowls.

The noodle was far from delicious as the ingredients were dried meat and dehydrated vegetables, but they devoured the food. Jiang Chen didn't mind the taste of his food, Ayesha enjoyed whatever Jiang Chen cooked... As for Natasha, it was purely out of hunger.

In the past two days, she only drank the sour nutrient supply. It was the first time she even ate anything remotely hot.

As the night grew darker, the three laid their sleeping bags in the middle of the warehouse and then arranged their lookout schedule. Originally, Ayesha insisted Jiang Chen does not participate, saying that she could watch two shifts. However, in the end, she could not convince him and had to agree to include him.

Ayesha would take the first shift. With a long day of driving tomorrow, for the safety of everyone, Jiang Chen insisted on putting her in the first shift.

After extinguishing the fire of the gasoline stove, darkness gradually returned to the warehouse.

As his eyes gradually adapted to the darkness, Jiang Chen saw through the faint moonlight that Natasha, in her sleeping bag, was staring at him with her emerald eyes.

"Still awake?" Jiang Chen closed the zipper of his sleeping bag and smiled.

"I can't fall asleep that fast."

"It's better to go to bed early. We still have a long way to go tomorrow. By the way, speaking of it, it was you that night..."

"Don't say it." Realizing what he wanted to say, Natasha looked away while interrupting him. "It took a lot of determination."

"No, what I want to say is that I didn't feel that night at all. When will we have another in-depth session?" Jiang Chen said with a smirk.

There was a curvature on her mouth, and Natasha said while raising her eyebrows.

"Okay, once we go back."

The two chatted, and soon their sleepiness started to catch up to them.

Jiang Chen was yawning and just about to pass out when Natasha suddenly asked in a quiet voice.

"How did you know I was here?"

"When the soldiers under my command were in the north, they met a captive named Skanov. He claimed to be an informant of the Russian Security Service. He mentioned your name when proving his identity.

"Is that so? Skanov is not dead yet." Natasha sighed with relief, "Yes, what about the document?"

"The document?" Jiang Chen was confused.

Natasha's face suddenly turned pale, and the sleepiness she had accumulated instantly disappeared.

"You didn't get it?"

Jiang Chen frowned.

"Be clear, what document is it, what is on that document?"

"It's a list... The organization asked Skanov to withdraw, and the list contains the intelligence resources he can use. There is also an encrypted file, I don't know what it is, I only know it is important!"

"Tell me the name of the informant," Jiang Chen said.

Natasha's expression was a little hesitant at first since this involved the Russian Security Service's confidential information on the Ukrainian issue. Even if Celestial Trade was an ally, the organization was not part of Russia.

Jiang Chen knew what she was thinking and yawned.

"Forget it."

"Mario Melnikov."

"Just one?" Jiang Chen raised his eyebrows and gave Natasha a surprised look.

"And also..."

After reporting the entire list, Natasha seemed to have had her energy drained away as she hid her head in the sleeping bag, upset.

"Is this treason..."

"It must be, but you can save the lives of those informants," Jiang Chen said while editing the audio file. Then, he sent the file to the Ghost Agent Headquarters through quantum satellites. "Why don't you immigrate to Xin once the war is over? "

Chapter 1019 Ghost Rescue

The next morning, the three packed up the gasoline stove and their sleeping bags, and continued with their journey.

Jiang Chen was the last one to be on guard. After getting in the vehicle, he napped against the window. However, when he woke up, he found his head on Natasha's lap.

Although separated by jeans, it still felt quite soft.

"I suddenly found out that you have a cute sleeping face." Meeting Jiang Chen's eyes, Natasha mocked him.

He sat up while rubbing his eyes and with a yawn, then asked.

"What's today's date?"

"April 25th." Ayesha, who was driving, replied.

"It's already April 25th?" Jiang Chen looked at the scenes disappearing from the window, as well as the smoke rising in the south, and then said, "We should go back soon. I have a feeling something is going to happen here."

What's more, it would be May 4th in a week, and the Stingray sent to the UFO would be back by then. He was quite curious about the UFO. Half a century passed since humans began to explore extraterrestrial civilization, during which countless postcards symbolizing friendship have been launched into the universe, but they have never been answered.

Even in the timeline of the apocalypse, Jiang Chen never heard of any record of extraterrestrial civilization. If the unidentified object really belonged to an extraterrestrial civilization, it would mark the start of the contact between human civilization and the extraterrestrial civilization.

"What are you thinking about?" Natasha gently poked Jiang Chen's arm.

Jiang Chen smiled.

"I was thinking... about something far away."

To avoid the patrols of the border guards, Ayesha once again released the drones, confirmed the patrol route of the border guards, and found the right time to rush through.

On the way to the border, Jiang Chen also saw ragged smugglers. Most of them were poor people displaced by the war, and some were deserters from the frontline. From their lifeless and colorless eyes, there was hardly any hope.

Perhaps it triggered some unpleasant memory, Ayesha's expression changed and she began accelerating.

Someone waved to stop the car, but they didn't stop. No one could be certain who really needed help, and who held sinister thoughts. What's more, there were so many people. They couldn't save everyone.

No longer focusing on the refugees, Jiang Chen then glanced his watch.

It was almost eleven o'clock, which means they shouldn't have any problems with cross the border before lunchtime. Perhaps it'll even be possible to have a hot meal in a Russian town.

Just then, a brief from Ghost Agents' headquarters was sent to his watch.

There were only two words.

[Rescue Successful]

...

In the eyes of Mario's neighbors, he was just a coffee shop owner. However, few people knew the other side of the kind-hearted Slavic man. In addition to being a great coffee grinder, he also served as an informant of the Russian Security Service in the underground intelligence network of Kiev.

In the Kiev intelligence system, he served as the microphone, the information transfer station. He was responsible for assigning the task of the superior to the informants, and for sorting out the information collected through the encrypted radio and broadcasting the information to the receiving station on the border.

As usual, Mario made breakfast for himself and enjoyed his meal while watching TV before heading to work. Recently, he heard that a front line, Ukrainian military officer named Skanov was transferred back to the capital. His real identity was the informant of the Russian Security Service.

Just as Mario wondered who he should assign this work to, the doorbell rang.

After hearing the doorbell, he paused for a moment.

It was 8:00 in the morning. No neighbor would visit at this time.

When he thought about this, he became more cautious. He carefully walked to the door and peeked through the peephole.

Two men in black trench coats were standing at the door. The man in front wore a cap, and his narrow face gave off a sense of sophistication. The other hooked nose was particularly eye-catching. Mario immediately analyzed they were two intelligence workers from their appearance.

First, they carried guns.

Second, the man leading was a soldier.

When the door didn't open, the man pressed the doorbell impatiently and gestured to the other. The hooked nose understood and went to the other side.

Mario knew that the other man was going to the back of his house to prevent him from escaping.

Now he knew that the people outside were not here to investigate and collect evidence. They likely already obtained enough evidence and had come to arrest him.

He cursed under his breath, hurriedly put on his shoes, and ran to the stairs.

When he had just gotten to the second floor, a loud noise came from the living room.

When the man found that there was no response after pressing the bell three times, he had realized something was wrong and decisively chose to break in.

Mario rushed into his bedroom, took out a Glock pistol and two magazines from under the bed and then ran to the bathroom. He loaded the gun and then locked the reinforced glass door, before sliding into the bathroom.

Behind the bathroom curtain, there was a wooden door that he designed specifically for escaping. He never thought that he would use it one day, but as he pulled out the key to open the door, the door of the bathroom was gently pushed away.

He jerked and lifted his gun. The muzzle was shaking in fear.

Although he received military training, he never killed anyone before, and he never thought that he would have to fight with a gun. After all, he didn't serve combat duty nor did he need to risk his life to collect intelligence. Before he became an agent, he was just an ordinary person.

No one came in through the open door. Mario was gasping heavily and tried hard to stop his hands from shaking.

However, at this moment, his vision suddenly blurred and his gun became unloaded. Before he could react to what just happened, his hands were reversed and he was pinned down against the edge of the bathtub. Despite how much force he used, he couldn't break free.

A figure emerged from behind him. Like a ghost, he didn't even notice where she came from.

"Don't move."

"Friendly."

One hand was enough to pin him down. Mario then noticed that her other hand was holding a dagger, and the dagger was stained with blood.

No doubt, the blood was fresh.

He felt extremely relieved.

It should be the blood of the man that broke in earlier...

Chapter 1020 UA"s Reaction

"...Rescue Successful?"

When Jiang Chen called out the holographic screen and tossed it toward Natasha, Natasha was confused by the short text.

"Didn't you give me a list last night?" Jiang Chen smiled and reminded her.

Natasha's emerald eyes widened, and she looked at Jiang Chen in disbelief, "it... it was this fast?"

Ayesha's lips curved up in proudness; not saying a word.

But her eyes, that could speak, perfectly depicted the smugness she wanted to express.

"We are a private company. Compared to others, we are more focused on efficiency." Jiang Chen said with a smile and removed the holographic screen. "Now you can rest assured that the most important people have been saved. Our people will transfer them to a safe place. Now the decision to withdraw from the country or transfer to another place to continue working is left to your people."

If Mario was caught, the Russian spies and informants in the entire city of Kiev wouldn't be able to sleep. Even if he withstood the torture and not let out a word. Those frightened informants may still become whistle-blowers and turn against the country.

If that did happen, it would be a heavy blow to Russia. At the same time, Russia's national image would be tarnished because of the spy scandal.

Speaking of this, the Ghost Agents that saved Mario were originally sent to Ukraine to find Natasha. Except they didn't play their role yet before Skanov, who escaped from the Freemasonry, told Jiang Chen her location.

"The Russian Security Service owes you a favor." Natasha looked at Jiang Chen and said with sincerity.

"What about you?" Jiang Chen half-jokingly said.

"Me?" Natasha smiled. "I gave myself to you already. What more do you want?"

At the border, Ayesha showed the documents to the border patrol and they passed by smoothly. Afterward, the group stopped at a Russian town next to the border. Jiang Chen found a restaurant opened by the locals and ordered a table full of dishes.

Compared to the time in Moscow, no one in this remote area seemed to recognize him. Compared with his identity, his Asian face was more surprising. Most of the visitors were Russians who had fled from across the border. With the lack of tourist attractions here, the locals rarely saw a foreigner.

There were very few guests in the store, and the sumptuous lunch quickly arrived at the table.

The bread in the basket was much harder compared to the ones in Moscow, and also saltier. However, the borscht in the bowl was fresher, and judging by appearance, the stew at the end would be especially delicious.

After the three cleared the dishes, Jiang Chen left money on the table before continuing on with the trip.

After crossing the border, Jiang Chen felt he was more relaxed. Although they were still traveling, because were on the Russian side, they longer worried about being caught by the Ukrainian army. The speed at which Ayesha drove naturally slowed down.

If nothing else, the three should be able to reach the city of Voronezh, the capital of Lipetsk, before dark. There was an international airport there, and Jiang Chen's private jet had already landed.

Because of the ominous feeling lingering in his heart, Jiang Chen didn't want to stay for a second longer. He planned to return to Xin the next morning and even canceled his plans to visit the military base established by the First and Second Orbital Airborne Brigade.

As for Natasha, she had to go back to Moscow first.

Though only after she repeatedly swore that she would never do anything stupid alone.

In the car, Jiang Chen received a long-distance call from Ivan.

After the news that Celestial Trade deployed two orbital airborne brigades in Ukraine spread, it caused a global uproar. The EU and the UA expressed shock and doubts about the use of the space elevator for military purposes. On the contrary, they didn't respond to the involvement of Celestial Trade within the civil war.

After all, the latter was only a strategic interest, and the former is related to national security.

The UA first sent an airborne brigade and two B2 bombers to the Guam military base on the grounds of strategic balance. However, this move did not cause dissatisfaction with Xin. Instead, it resulted in backlash from Hua.

"Let them deploy. Don't bother with them. If they don't flex, they can't explain this situation to their citizens. As for the threat? For someone who can turn the Capital into ruins in ten minutes even if they stuffed an armored division here, is not a threat to us. You overreacting now will only make them nervous. Ignore them and let them do their thing. As long as they don't cross the line, just pretend like we didn't see anything," Jiang Chen said after listening to Ivan's report over the phone.

"Then I should order the Guardian frigates cruising between the Pannu Islands and Guam to withdraw?" Ivan asked.

"Let's do this... send four Guardian frigates to conduct live-fire military exercises in the waters around Ange Island. We can showcase the high-precision, long-range strike capability of our Type-50 Electromagnetic Pulse Cannon. We can't completely ignore them. We have to appropriately flex back too, at least let the people feel at ease. But don't trigger them, so, a landing exercise is not necessary."

"Roger!"

Ivan's answer was concise.

Ivan always strictly executed Jiang Chen's order and never made judgments in uncertain situations. These traits were what assured Jiang Chen the most. As a commander, it is essential to have one's own judgment. But it was also important to understand the difference between an order and a judgment.

What Jiang Chen needed was not a general who was masterful in battle, but a general who could carry out his orders without compromise. As for the combat effectiveness of the army, those could be supported by technology. Do civilized people need the Art of War when fighting against cavemen?

As long as he didn't provoke a total war with all the superpowers, Jiang Chen never considered the possibility of losing.

When the sun had almost fallen, the group finally arrived in Voronezh. Jiang Chen wanted to call General Nikolaev to inform him about his daughter's safety, but he didn't expect that he would be unable to reach him. Jiang Chen informed the head of the Russian Security Services about his location.

After checking into the hotel, Natasha rushed into the bathroom. She had not taken a shower for three days. Ayesha helped Jiang Chen call the front desk and ordered room service before she began to check for eavesdropping equipment in the room.

Jiang Chen, who had nothing to do, turned on the TV and sunk into the sofa.

International news happened to be on.

It showed what happened in Ukraine yesterday morning.