133: Chapter 132 An Unexpected Encounter with an Acquaintance

Cao Xiao paid no mind to the captives, instead having a soldier lead the way to find Wu Feng in the command building.

“Brother Wu, how are our casualties? Have the battle results been sorted out?”

Thinking of the casualties so low they were almost negligible, Wu Feng replied with a strange expression, “There were no casualties during the assault. However, while clearing the battlefield and rounding up prisoners, a few unlucky bastards suffered limb injuries, and two had their necks snapped. The statistics are out: we killed three hundred and eighty people, wounded six hundred and thirty, and captured a total of two thousand seven hundred. Over eight hundred escaped, and we didn't catch the primary members of the mercenary group.”

“We seized countless firearms and ammunition this time. None of the artillery pieces are intact anymore, but we have five tanks, twelve armored vehicles, and two missile launch vehicles—including over twenty short-range surface-to-surface and surface-to-air missiles. There are also four helicopters and two fighter jets, though these are old models phased out by other countries, some dating back twenty or thirty years. Their performance is very outdated, but sufficient for dealing with armed groups like mercenaries.”

“The valuables are still being inventoried. We found a hidden storage room in the basement of this building; it likely contains the wealth the mercenary group accumulated over the years. Because of our surprise attack, they didn't have time to move it. It should be of great value. Why don't you go take a look yourself?”

Cao Xiao didn't care for the obsolete weaponry; what he valued were the people. Nearly three thousand captives could likely yield one or two thousand recruits for the Iron Fist Mercenary Group. Then there was the base itself—backed by a primary forest, only fifty kilometers from the Gulf of Aden, and with a national highway passing three kilometers away that led directly to the Port of Berbera and two other coastal ports. The geographical location was excellent, and he planned to move Iron Fist's base here.

“I plan to return home directly today. This will be Iron Fist's new station from now on. You six stay here to help Sister Yan for a while—convert the captives, train the soldiers, and build the base. Also, stay alert for attacks from other forces. We just caught the Commander of Black Scorpion, and I learned from him that the Black Scorpion Mercenary Group is backed by another power. They certainly won't be content to lose their muscle, so be on your guard. Contact me as soon as possible if anything happens. Make sure to maintain good relations with the local government. If funds are sufficient later, consider acquiring or establishing some small processing enterprises in the surrounding area—any business is fine as long as it doesn't lose money. This will make it easier for the local people to accept our presence. Discuss these matters with Sister Yan and just do your best. Once things stabilize, you can return home.”

“Alright, we'll handle it. By the way, was the person Qingcheng was looking for caught?” Wu Feng had been so busy running around that he almost forgot the main purpose of this mission.

Cao Xiao was about to speak when he saw Yan Qingcheng appear at the door. He said, “The person was caught and handed over to Sister Yan. Speak of the devil, and she appears.”

Yan Qingcheng approached the two and said seriously to Cao Xiao, “Mr. Cao, thank you! I will fulfill what I promised you. With me here, nothing will go wrong with the mercenary group!”

Cao Xiao waved his hand. “This was my promise to you. Iron Fist will rely on your management in the future, so there's no need to thank me. Sister Yan, you've been in this region for several years; do you know what power is behind Black Scorpion?”

“I’ve investigated the intelligence on the Black Scorpion Mercenary Group thoroughly and never found any backing power. However, the origins of Tubier, Bao Shakun, and Wandao are very mysterious; I couldn't find specific information on them. The three of them suddenly appeared in Somalia over ten years ago and founded the Black Scorpion Mercenary Group within a year. Over the next five years, they grew Black Scorpion to its current scale, but strangely, there has been no development in the years since—they've just been treading water. The Black Scorpion Mercenary Group does cooperate closely with another large mercenary group, Saber-toothed Tiger, but I don't know anything beyond that.” Yan Qingcheng frowned in recollection; she truly had no impression of any other backers.

“Saber-toothed Tiger? Black Scorpion? Both named after animals... they might indeed have a direct connection. However, I suspect the power behind Black Scorpion isn't just another mercenary group; otherwise, Commander Tubier wouldn't have been so terrified. Forget it! Just keep an eye out; we'll know once that power reveals itself. You must remain vigilant at all times; do not be careless with your personal safety. There are many martial artists in that organization; don't let them sneak in. Contact me immediately if there's any movement. In a crisis, prioritize your own lives—don't worry about the mercenary group.” Knowing only that a major power backed Black Scorpion without any other details, Cao Xiao couldn't make further deductions and could only urge them to be cautious.

“We have ways to deal with martial artists. High-tech equipment isn't entirely useless against people with extraordinary talents. As long as they aren't 'Outsiders' with supernatural means, ordinary martial artists absolutely cannot approach our core area silently. Once detected, they won't even be able to flee. This isn't a small special ops mission; no matter how fast a martial artist is, they aren't faster than a bullet. No one can survive a concentrated area-of-effect barrage from massed firepower. You can rest easy!” Wu Feng said confidently. He had seen the powerful combat strength of martial artists—their physical fitness was more than double that of an ordinary person—but their movement speed was nowhere near the muzzle velocity of a bullet, which was why he spoke this way.

“Mhm, that's for the best. Take me to see that storage room.” Having killed three martial artists today, Cao Xiao agreed with Wu Feng's assessment.

Wu Feng led Cao Xiao to the combat command center on the first basement level, then into a small adjacent office. A row of bookshelves partially concealed a metal door, though the lock had already been blown apart. Stepping inside, the storage room was small—only about thirty square meters—with several rows of wooden shelves where a few soldiers were organizing items.

The most eye-catching thing was a small pile of gold bricks stacked in the center of the floor, weighing roughly two or three tons by volume. Other items were displayed on the shelves; some were in boxes, their contents hidden, while the visible ones were antiques—African artifacts, ivory products, bone and hide crafts, wood carvings, pottery, goldware, and more.

Cao Xiao had no interest in these. He reached out and picked up a box; it was very heavy. Opening it, he found it filled with African gold coins, about thirty in total, most of them unique. These coins were quite rare; if he wasn't mistaken, a few looked like they had come from the pyramids. Still, he lacked interest, glanced at them, and set the box down before opening another. The contents of this one did pique his interest: the square box, about thirty centimeters wide, was mostly filled with gemstones. Diamonds, rubies, sapphires, tourmalines, emeralds, tanzanites, malachites, amethysts, olivines, and agates were all mixed together, a dazzling and colorful sight.

Sparkling gems aren't just for women; men aren't immune to their charm either. There were many types he didn't yet possess, and the box contained top-quality specimens of each variety, which was rare. His interest piqued, he had the soldiers move all the boxes and crates from the shelves to the floor to open them. To his disappointment, no more gems were found. Most of the dozen or so crates and boxes contained cash in various currencies, while two small boxes held jewelry and another small box contained stock certificates. Cao Xiao only took the gemstones and jewelry, leaving everything else for Yan Qingcheng to sell for cash to purchase surrounding land and build the base.

Cao Xiao left as soon as he said he would, taking the six men including Duan Hong to the Berbera Airport. They transferred to Mogadishu and boarded an early morning flight to Dubai. At 6:00 AM, the plane landed at Dubai International Airport. Although he had slept a bit on the plane, he was still tired; however, eager to get home, he immediately bought a ticket to Xianhe Airport and boarded the flight back to China.

“Eh? Cao Xiao?”

As soon as Cao Xiao got on the plane, he found his seat in first class and fell asleep instantly. In a daze, he heard someone calling his name and thought the plane had landed. He struggled to open his eyes and saw it was Fang Yongchang, whom he had met last time at Jicui Pavilion. He rubbed his temples painfully; being woken up from a deep sleep was agonizing, but he couldn't just keep sleeping. He forced himself to perk up and stood to greet him. “Mr. Fang, what a coincidence!”

“Where are you coming back from? Why are you so exhausted that you fell into such a deep sleep the moment you got on the plane?” Fang Yongchang asked with a smile as he stood before Cao Xiao.

“I went to Africa, had several transfers, and didn't get much rest along the way. What about you, Mr. Fang? Visiting Dubai for a vacation?” Cao Xiao said, rubbing his nose sheepishly. He felt a bit curious—why wasn't Fang Yongchang going back to Hong Kong, but heading to Huanghe City instead?

Fang Yongchang said with a touch of pride, “Haha, our company went to Europe for an international jewelry exhibition. We had a good harvest this time, so I brought the employees to Dubai for a few days on the way back.”

“Oh, congratulations, Mr. Fang!” Haolai Jewelry wasn't an internationally renowned brand; it was only somewhat famous domestically and in Southeast Asia. A company like Haolai wouldn't even rank in the top twenty in Asia. For Fang Yongchang to say this meant their results at the exhibition far exceeded expectations—likely a success in both fame and profit, marking their first emergence in the international jewelry market.

“By the way, I couldn't make it to the auction you held last time because I was abroad. It was a real shame! I heard that one needs a tianxing blade to participate next time. Since I happened to run into you today, I'll be thick-skinned enough to ask you for one—even the most ordinary one will do.” Fang Yongchang spoke with a very humble attitude. After all, Cao Xiao was no longer the young man who had come to his door to sell things; he was now Elder Chen's favorite closed-door disciple and the son-in-law of the Hongdu Group. Their statuses had quietly swapped, and when asking for a favor, one naturally had to be humble.

“Mr. Fang, I'm sorry! Since I'm running the auction, I can't break the rules myself; otherwise, the other holders will have something to say. My apologies, Mr. Fang! Actually, when the next auction comes around, you can enter with someone else who holds a tianxing blade. If you don't know anyone, you can come find me then.” Fang Yongchang’s sudden request for a tianxing blade was indeed a bit strange. They were only casual acquaintances, and granting this would make the qualification for the Tianxing Auction seem cheap. He didn't want to go back on his word and break his own rules.

“It’s fine, I understand. But please notify me when the next auction happens.” Fang Yongchang felt some regret; his goal wasn't just to attend the auction, he was directly after the tianxing blade itself.

Some holders of the tianxing blade who attended the last auction had privately taken the blades for testing. The results showed that the hardness of the tianxing blade was astonishing; it took several tungsten steel tools just to scrape a bit of powder off the surface metal coating, and the interior material was even harder. Analysis revealed the metal coating was a type of new alloy never seen before. Not only could it absorb electromagnetic waves, but its conductivity was comparable to a superconductor, with low density and a melting point as high as ten thousand degrees Celsius. The conclusion was that the applications and prospects for this metal coating were vast, especially in the military and aerospace fields.

This material test report shocked the entire domestic scientific community, and some experts joined the research. However, after nearly half a month of efforts, the scientists failed to reverse-engineer the material's formula. It was said that the coating contained two metal isotopes that do not exist naturally on Earth, which also proved Cao Xiao's claim—the tianxing blade was forged from a meteorite. Even if the complete formula were recovered, current technology couldn't produce it, not even in a lab, because those two metal isotopes couldn't be manufactured. It was rumored that several lead researchers co-authored a paper on those two isotopes and published it in an international physics forum, receiving a nomination for an international physics award. As for the metal material of the blade body itself, no news had been released yet.

Once this news broke, all tianxing blade holders took them very seriously. Beyond what they represented, the blades themselves were limited-edition artistic collectibles; there were only so many on the entire planet, and each was precious. Now, even the most ordinary tianxing blade was being hyped up to several million huaxia currency, with the Star-grade ones doubling in price. Even at such staggering prices, no one was willing to sell. Consequently, the value of the tianxing blade continued to rise, and even the qualification to attend the next Tianxing Auction was being scalped for one million huaxia currency. So far, only two ordinary holders had succumbed to temptation and sold their guest spots—one for 1.2 million, and the other was even more ruthless, asking for 5 million, and surprisingly, a sucker actually bought it.

“Daddy, it's just a knife. If you like it, what kind of good blade can't you buy with a bit of money? As the chairman of the dignified Haolai Jewelry, why lower yourself to beg someone?” A handsome, tall, and fashionable young man appeared beside Fang Yongchang at some point. He gave Cao Xiao a look of disgust before speaking to his father.

“Heh.” Cao Xiao chuckled upon hearing this. This person really didn't know what he was talking about, but with Fang Yongchang present, he couldn't be bothered to argue with him.

“Alan, don't talk nonsense if you don't understand! Go back and sit down.” Seeing his son butt in, Fang Yongchang frowned and scolded him.