Chapter 876
A Fierce Tiger Descends the Mountain, A True Dragon Emerges from the Sea
Lu Cheng did not return to his office, but went straight into the private security elevator on the top floor and pressed a floor button without a number.
The elevator descended three floors and stopped. The door opened to reveal a white corridor, where both iris and palm print authentication were required for entry.
This is a special area on the third basement level of the Galaxy Technology Building. On the surface, it is a data backup center, but in reality, it is an emergency command node set up above to protect Wang Donglai and his core research.
Lu Cheng entered a room without any windows. The walls were made of a special sound-absorbing material, and the room contained only a metal table and three chairs.
He opened the encrypted communication terminal on the table and entered a dynamic password that was 32 characters long.
The screen lights up, displaying "Connecting."
Thirty seconds later, a familiar face appeared on the screen—in his fifties, with slightly graying temples, wearing an ordinary jacket, but with his shoulders and back straight as a pine tree.
"Leader!" Lu Chengli stood at attention and saluted.
"Xiao Lu, emergency communication, what's wrong?" The voice on the other end of the screen was calm.
Lu Cheng gave a brief and concise report on the situation, adding at the end: "Academician Wang's attitude is very firm, demanding that the person be seen and return to China by this time tomorrow."
He said it was an order!
There was a silence of about ten seconds on the other end of the screen—a considerable amount of time for decision-makers at this level to think.
"Wang Donglai rarely makes demands."
The leader finally spoke, saying, "But every time it's brought up, it's a major issue. Northern Shan State... is indeed a troublesome place."
"Should I refuse? I can cite security procedures as an excuse..."
"No!"
The leader shook his head and said, "If he wants to do it, then let him do it! But we must do it cleanly and leave no evidence."
"Understood, but cross-border operations require coordination among multiple departments, and in terms of time..."
"I coordinated it personally."
The leader glanced at his watch and said, "It's ten o'clock now. You have two hours to prepare. I need to see the complete action plan by noon."
"I'll talk to the relevant departments; you just need to carry it out."
"Yes!"
"Also, please tell Wang Donglai!"
The leader's eyes deepened, and he said, "We value the safety of every citizen, and we cherish talent like him even more. Let him focus on scientific research. There are people who can handle these things."
With communications cut off, Lu Cheng stood still and took a deep breath.
Formulating a cross-border rescue plan in three hours is an almost impossible task—but since the leader said he would "personally coordinate," it means the whole machine will give the green light to this.
He immediately took action.
……
In the capital city, in an unnamed courtyard.
An emergency meeting is being held.
There were only seven attendees.
"Everyone should be aware of the situation."
The meeting was chaired by the same leader Lu Cheng had reported to: "Comrade Wang Donglai asked us to rescue a compatriot trapped in the Shan State Industrial Park. Let's all share our opinions."
A communications department head said, “The situation in northern Shan State is quite complicated. The four major families have been entrenched there for many years, and there are vested interests between the local area and these industrial parks.”
“If we go through the official channels, it may take some time.”
No sooner had he finished speaking than another person chimed in, "It's obvious that Wang Donglai is testing us, trying to see how much support we have for him. So this matter must be handled beautifully and efficiently."
"In that case, we have no choice but to resort to force. Only in this way can we achieve our goal as quickly as possible."
“I agree. There is a small team undergoing rotation training in the south that can carry out this mission. However, going to Shan State is a cross-border matter, so we need to get authorization from higher authorities.”
"I will handle the authorization."
The leader tapped on the table and said, "What we need to determine now is: first, the precise location; second, the situation inside the park; and third, the evacuation route."
"Galaxy Technologies' AI system 'Wa' has already provided precise positioning."
Lu Cheng joined the meeting and reported, "The error radius is 10 meters, but it needs to be confirmed on the ground."
"Let our informant confirm."
The National Security representative said, "At the same time, we activated the 'Hive' system—we have several commercial cover identities in northern Shan State that allow us to conduct reconnaissance close to the industrial park."
"What about the evacuation route?" the leader asked.
The military representative pulled up a satellite map: "The safest option is to withdraw to Yunnan Province by land, but it's 120 kilometers from Mengla to the border, and you have to pass through three checkpoints along the way, all of which are controlled by local armed forces. If the other side discovers that someone is missing, they may block the road."
"Then prepare the second plan."
The leader stared at the map and said, "If the land route is impassable, we'll use helicopters. We have a cooperative project in Myitkyina, Shan State, and we have two civilian helicopters that we can temporarily deploy."
"Helicopters need permission from the Shan State to cross the border..."
"Complete the formalities afterward!"
The leader made the final decision, saying, "The most important thing now is to rescue them safely. All departments, act immediately according to this framework!"
The meeting ended quickly; from the time the leader received the report to the time a decision was made, it only took 75 minutes.
……
9:20 PM, Mong La, Shan State.
A middle-aged man dressed in local ethnic clothing rode a motorcycle slowly past the perimeter of the Jinlong Industrial Park.
He seemed to be looking for a way, stopping every now and then to check his phone, but in reality, a miniature camera in his sleeve was taking pictures of the defenses around the park at 30 frames per second.
“Hive No. 3 reports: There are four guards with AKs at the main gate of the park. There are three blind spots in the western wall, but a patrol team passes by every 15 minutes. There is a small grove of trees 50 meters outside the northeast corner of the wall, which is suitable for a covert approach.”
At 10:05 PM, at a training base on the border of Yunnan Province.
A 12-person special operations team has completed its assembly.
Team leader Zhao Tie took the mission briefing, quickly glanced at it, and looked up: "A 24-hour cross-border rescue? Time is too tight."
"That's an order!"
The officer who came to deliver the instructions looked serious and said, "The target is a 21-year-old Chinese woman who may have been abused. The operation must be quick, quiet, and clean."
"In the event of a firefight, the safety of the target must be prioritized; all means may be used if necessary!"
Zhao Tie nodded, then turned to his team members and said, "Check your equipment. We'll set off in an hour. Remember, we're bringing one of our compatriots home."
11:30 PM, Beijing, top-floor office of Galaxy Technology.
Wang Donglai did not leave.
The computer screen in front of him displayed real-time footage—satellite images obtained after Wa gained access to certain special privileges.
Although the resolution is not high, it is possible to see convoys moving in the border area of Yunnan Province, as well as an unusual surge in communication volume at several key nodes in northern Shan State.
“Boss, you can leave this entirely to me. You can rest first!” Wa reminded her.
"Okay, then it's up to you!"
Wang Donglai nodded slightly, then asked, "How is Lin Mo doing?"
"His heart rate and breathing are normal, his mood is stabilizing, his leave application has been approved, and he is currently on leave. Should we inform him of the progress?"
"Okay, let's send him directly to Yunnan Province to wait. I think what he wants most is to see his sister as soon as possible!"
Wang Donglai got up and poured himself a glass of water.
He knew that at that moment, on both sides of the border, many people were risking their lives to save an ordinary girl.
This power filled him with awe and also weighed heavily on him—if he weren't "Wang Donglai," if he didn't have such weight, would Lin Xiaoyu have received such a rescue?
He didn't want to think too deeply about the answer to this question.
……
Jinlong Industrial Park, Building 3, 4th floor.
Lin Xiaoyu huddled on the mattress in the corner—if it could be called a mattress, it was nothing more than a moldy sponge pad.
The room was about six square meters, with no windows and only a heavy iron door.
The air was filled with the smells of mildew, sweat, and a faint odor of blood.
Five days have passed. The nightmare began the moment she realized the "five-star hotel customer service" job was a scam.
Her phone, passport, and all her cash were confiscated, and then she was locked in this room.
On the first night, a man who called himself "the supervisor" came in and asked her to memorize a "fraud script".
She refused, and was then stabbed in the waist with a stun gun—the excruciating pain nearly made her faint.
"Either call and scam money, or go to the 'medical department' for a tissue matching test," the man said with a sinister grin.
She didn't know what "matching" meant, but instinctively felt it was something more terrifying than death.
The next day, the man came again, holding his phone: "Your brother's pretty rich, huh? He can transfer 400,000 yuan like that. But that's not even enough for our team's weekly performance. If you get him to transfer another 400,000 yuan, you'll suffer less."
She shouted those words into the camera—telling her brother not to send money.
She knew that money wouldn't solve the problem; these people were just insatiable.
Now, she is almost in despair.
In her eyes, this place was nothing short of hell on earth.
She knew she had no chance of going back. Given what she had seen, the idea of leaving safely was practically a pipe dream.
If she hadn't clung to the possibility of something going wrong, she probably would have already taken her own life.
Live one day at a time, and if you really can't take it anymore, then commit suicide.
Lin Xiaoyu kept giving herself mental encouragement to persevere in this desperate situation, even though she didn't know what she was still holding on to.
At 2:15 a.m., in northern Shan State, 3 kilometers from the Golden Dragon Industrial Park.
Zhao Tie's squad has already infiltrated the country.
They broke up into three smaller groups and approached the target from different routes.
According to real-time intelligence provided by local informants, Lin Xiaoyu was being held in the second room on the east side of the fourth floor of Building 3.
"Target location confirmed. There is one person in the room, in a weak state, with no other guards," the forward scout reported.
"Group A is responsible for perimeter security, Group B will cut off power and communications, and Group C will follow me in to rescue people."
Zhao Tie gave the order, glanced at his watch, and said, "Operation time: 02:30 sharp."
At 2:28 a.m., the Jinlong Industrial Park was suddenly plunged into darkness—the backup generator also failed three seconds later.
The guards cursed and pulled out their phones to light their way, only to find that they had no signal at all.
In the chaos, several dark figures silently scaled the wall and pounced on Building No. 3 like cheetahs.
There were two patrolling guards along the way. Before they could sound the alarm, they were knocked down. Before they lost consciousness, all they could see were a pair of eyes that were frighteningly calm.
Zhao Tie led two team members to the fourth floor.
At the end of the corridor, a guard was dozing off when he was knocked unconscious by a precise pressure on his carotid artery.
They found a second room with a regular padlock, which they easily cut with pliers.
Pushing open the door, the beam of a flashlight shone inside—a girl was huddled in a corner, trembling with fear, her hands covering her head.
"Lin Xiaoyu?" Zhao Tie asked in a low voice in Chinese.
Lin Xiaoyu nodded, her voice trembling.
"Your brother sent us to pick you up and take you home."
Zhao Tie quickly scanned the room, and after confirming it was safe, he stepped forward and asked, "Can we leave?"
Lin Xiaoyu nodded, struggled to stand up, but her legs went weak and she almost fell.
One team member immediately stepped forward to help, while another guarded the corridor.
"go!"
The evacuation went exceptionally smoothly—people in the park were still struggling with the power outage and communication disruptions, and no one even noticed that someone had been taken away.
The team returned along the same route and met up with the support team outside the wall.
"Target safe, no one is pursuing."
Zhao Tie reported via encrypted radio.
At 3:40 a.m., 20 kilometers from the border.
The convoy had been waiting for a long time.
Lin Xiaoyu was placed in a modified off-road vehicle, and the accompanying military doctor immediately conducted an examination.
"Multiple soft tissue contusions, mild dehydration, malnutrition, no signs of sexual assault, severe psychological trauma, requiring professional intervention."
"Let's go back to China first and then talk about it."
Zhao Tie glanced at the time and said in a deep voice, "According to the plan, we must cross the border before 5 o'clock."
The convoy sped through the night.
They passed two checkpoints along the way, but strangely, the guards seemed not to see them at all; some were dozing off, while others had their backs to the road. Later, Zhao Tie learned that the guards had been "bribed" in advance by informants from the national security system.
At 4:55 a.m., at the Daluo Port in Yunnan Province.
The border line was exceptionally clear in the darkness before dawn.
As Lin Xiaoyu was helped across the white line and stepped onto Chinese soil, she suddenly collapsed to the ground and burst into tears.
At the border checkpoint, medical staff and psychological experts who were prepared immediately stepped forward.
Someone draped a blanket over her, someone handed her warm water, and someone gently comforted her: "It's alright, child, you're safe now."
Zhao Tie watched this scene and let out a soft breath.
He turned to his team members and said, "Mission accomplished, retreat."
……
7:30 a.m., Tangdu City.
Wang Donglai was busy working in his office when he was suddenly reminded by Wa's notification sound: "Sir, Captain Lu requests a meeting."
"Let him in!"
Lu Cheng walked into the office, looking somewhat tired but with bright eyes. He said, "President Wang, the mission is complete. Lin Xiaoyu entered the country safely at 5:08 this morning and is currently receiving examinations and psychological counseling at a local hospital in Yunnan Province. Her condition is stable."
Wang Donglai stood up and gave Lu Cheng a deep look: "Thank you, and please thank everyone who participated for me!"
"My supervisor asked me to tell you this!"
Lu Cheng paused for a moment, then said, "The higher-ups value the safety of every citizen and cherish talent like yours even more. Please focus on your research; these matters will be taken care of!"
Wang Donglai nodded and walked to the window.
The sun is rising in the east, and golden rays are spreading across the city.
Seeing that Wang Donglai remained silent, Lu Cheng prepared to leave. Just then, Wang Donglai suddenly spoke up, "Captain Lu, do you think it's worth using so many resources to save one person?"
Lu Cheng stopped and thought for a few seconds before saying, "From a cost-benefit perspective, it's not worth it. But from a higher-level perspective, it is!"
"Because it means that no matter where our citizens are in danger in the world, the motherland has the ability and determination to bring them home."
Wang Donglai turned around, a rare smile on his face, and said, "You're right, you can go and rest now, you've worked hard."
After Lu Cheng left, Wang Donglai sat back down at his desk.
On the computer screen, live footage of Lin Xiaoyu undergoing examinations at the hospital was displayed—she looked haggard, but she was still alive, could still cry, and could still smile when she saw her brother.
He brought up another interface and began drafting a new project proposal: "A Cross-border Crime Early Warning and Citizen Protection System Based on Artificial Intelligence and Big Data".
Since the country has demonstrated such determination and capability, what a scientist can do is to make this protection more efficient, more precise, and more timely.
"Boss, if we crack down on cross-border power fraud as you suggested, it's estimated that we'll need to mobilize 34% of the company's computing power, which will affect the progress of some commercial projects!"
After a moment's thought, Wang Donglai said calmly, "Let's develop this early warning system first, and then we can consider its implementation."
"If the higher authorities value this aspect, then this early warning system should be handed over to them, and they can step in and take action to resolve this matter."
"But if we don't take it seriously, we have other options!"
Wang Donglai's tone carried a hint of depth, as if it held a deeper meaning. (End of Chapter)