137: Chapter 136 Qualification

In the corridor outside the emergency room of Baishui Town Central Hospital, Cao Xiao paced restlessly, waiting in anxiety. Suddenly, the red light above the emergency room door went out, and several doctors, drenched in sweat, opened the door and walked out.

“Doctor, how is my sister-in-law?” Cao Xiao lunged forward, grabbing one of the doctors and asking immediately.

“Her life is no longer in danger! The wounds have been treated; no internal organs were hit. However, she lost too much blood and suffered extreme shock. The patient was already physically weak, which has caused slight brain damage; it may take some time before she wakes up. Our hospital lacks the necessary facilities and our plasma reserves are insufficient. The last two bags of Type O plasma were used on her, which can only temporarily sustain her life. She still needs further blood transfusions,” the doctor said, sounding relieved. When the patient was brought in early this morning, her vital signs had almost vanished. Normally, the hospital wouldn't have admitted her because the chances of resuscitating someone so close to death were slim. But faced with the dark muzzles of the family's guns, the doctors could only organize the rescue in fear. Fortunately, they managed to save her; otherwise, they didn't know if this young man before them would have gone on a rampage.

“Brother Long, I'll have to trouble you to go to Pan City and bring back some plasma.” Cao Xiao's heart finally settled. He wiped the sweat from his forehead, let go of the doctor, and turned to speak to Long Tu.

“My dear Mr. Cao! How do you expect me to leave now? The place is crawling with police outside; I’d be shot the moment I stepped out. Better have Tianling call his father and have a plane deliver it. Do you really plan to keep up this standoff forever?” Long Tu sighed in relief seeing the rescue was successful. Currently, Cao Xiao's bodyguards were blocking the police from the Baishui Town Police Station at the hospital gates; otherwise, they would have been taken away long ago.

“It's the middle of the night, it wouldn't be right to disturb the elders again. You'll just have to make the trip! I'll go negotiate with those outside.” Cao Xiao only just realized the situation. When he brought his sister-in-law to the hospital, he had forced them to treat her and hadn't stopped them from calling the police. In less than five minutes, the Baishui Town police had surrounded the hospital. He had Duan Hong and the others explain things to the police while using their guns as a deterrent. They hadn't fired to harm anyone, nor had they restricted the freedom of hospital staff or patients, which was why the stalemate had lasted until now.

Long Tu looked at Cao Xiao strangely and said, “The world outside is turning upside down; how could they possibly be sleeping? They're all watching our situation here! Besides, it's not just the Pan City police now; even the army is rushing here. With such a massive commotion and three lives lost, the police will definitely launch an assault once reinforcements arrive. We're powerless to stop that, so you'd better think of something fast!”

“Uh, it's been over half an hour, hasn't it? It is time to handle this. Otherwise, I really don't want to exchange fire with the police. Tianling, please call your father and have him send someone with the plasma. Don't worry about the situation here; I can resolve it. I won't let you get into trouble,” Cao Xiao said, checking his watch with belated realization.

Cao Xiao sat down on a chair, took a sip of water, and then pulled out his phone to start dialing.

Meanwhile, tens of thousands of miles away in the cafeteria of the Huaxia Embassy in Cape Town, South Africa, Xiahou Anbang, Qi Bin, and a middle-aged man were gathered around a small table, joyfully eating hotpot. They didn't put down their chopsticks despite being drenched in sweat. Even though the weather in Cape Town was relatively cool, eating hotpot in Africa still felt a bit out of place. Fortunately, this was the embassy cafeteria, so it didn't seem too strange.

Just then, Xiahou Anbang's phone rang, startling him so much he nearly poked his face with his food.

“Huh? An unknown domestic number? Who could it be?” Xiahou Anbang popped a piece of beef into his mouth, muttering to himself while chewing and huffing out steam as he checked his phone.

Reluctantly putting down his chopsticks, he swallowed the food with effort before sliding to answer. “Hello! This is Xiahou Anbang! Who is this?”

“Big Brother Xiahou! It's Cao Xiao! I’d like to ask you and Brother Qi for a favor, if it's convenient?”

Hearing Cao Xiao’s calm voice over the phone, mixed with the faint sound of sirens, Xiahou Anbang frowned. He tapped the table twice with his knuckles, signaled to Qi Bin with his eyes, placed the phone on the table, and pressed the speakerphone before asking in a low voice: “What's the matter? Are you in trouble?”

“I'm currently in a township hospital in Pan City, Qian Province. Half an hour ago, I killed three armed members of a criminal syndicate here to save someone. We used automatic weapons, and now the police have surrounded the place. So, I’d like to ask for your help in handling this matter.”

Qi Bin and the other man couldn't help but put down their chopsticks. In China, any incident involving guns is a major affair, regardless of the reason. Moreover, Cao Xiao and his group were neither police nor military; this was illegal possession of firearms and three people were dead, making the nature of the crime even more severe. They were just personnel stationed abroad; how could they help with something like this? They couldn't even speak up to plead for leniency.

“Cao Xiao, how could you be so impulsive! Do you think you can just run wild in the country? We can't help you with this. Put down your weapons and surrender to the police immediately!” Qi Bin said, slapping the table righteously.

“Oh, Brother Qi is there too! That's perfect. I'm not asking you to plead for mercy; I just want you to pass a message to the higher-ups. I want legal domestic gun-carrying status for myself and my bodyguards.”

Qi Bin was instantly incensed, thinking the young man was far too arrogant. He spoke sternly, “Who do you think you are? You are in no position to bargain. Lay down your weapons and surrender immediately to strive for leniency!”

“Haha! Brother Qi, let me finish first. I know full well whether I have the qualifications. If it weren't for the inaction, or even the shielding of criminals by the authorities here in Baishui Town, things wouldn't have reached this point. I don't care about others, but if something happens to the people around me, someone has to give me an explanation. Otherwise, I don't mind escalating things further. I won't waste words; after all, it was those bastards who committed the crimes, and I didn't want it to end like this. Since trouble has occurred, it must be resolved. You might as well hear my solution before making a decision.”

“Old Qi, don't get excited. If he's talking like this, maybe he has something to back it up. Let's hear what he has to say,” the other middle-aged man interjected.

“I have a mercenary group called Iron Fist in Somalia, with a scale of three thousand armed personnel. I will equip them with various top-tier international weapons, and the group's base is right on the coast of the Gulf of Aden. If you can help me resolve this matter, from now on, the Iron Fist Mercenary Group will unconditionally and freely provide assistance to passing Huaxia ships—fighting pirates, rescuing hostages, and performing necessary escort missions. We have the capability to complete all of these. At the same time, we can provide military support in countries and regions surrounding Somalia. I know the country has an escort fleet in the Gulf of Aden, but there are situations where it's inconvenient for them to act. We, however, can ignore those constraints and rules to achieve goals quickly and effectively.”

The three men fell into silence upon hearing this. As qualified diplomats, they knew deep down how difficult it was to conduct business abroad. Due to various regulatory restrictions, they had to fight hard for fair treatment, and the safety of Huaxia citizens had never been strongly guaranteed; they were often powerless in the face of certain special events. The conditions Cao Xiao mentioned were already tempting. With the support and protection of such a trustworthy armed force, the safety of passing ships in the Gulf of Aden and overseas Chinese in the surrounding areas would have an additional layer of protection—and it would be out in the open, without fear of criticism. Entrusting matters that couldn't be handled quickly or effectively to the Iron Fist Mercenary Group would make things much easier. Moreover, the embassy in Somalia was newly established and was currently overwhelmed by a thorny issue. Some parties were bringing things that were usually tacitly allowed into the light, applying double standards that put the Huaxia side in a very passive position. If there were local forces to provide protection, they wouldn't be in this predicament. Thus, the importance of Cao Xiao's promise was self-evident. The trouble Cao Xiao caused wasn't impossible to solve; as he said, as long as he had a legal identity, killing a few criminals wouldn't be a big deal. Reporting Cao Xiao's promise would easily resolve this; criminals were simply incomparable to national interests. But Qi Bin didn't want to let Cao Xiao off that easily. First, he wanted to teach him a lesson—even to save a relative, he shouldn't have been so reckless. Second, this kid wasn't as simple as they understood; using this opportunity, they might be able to trick him into revealing other things they didn't know.

“I'm afraid this alone isn't enough. The impact of your actions is very negative, and we aren't sure we can convince our superiors. You should just surrender honestly!” A trace of a cunning smile appeared on Qi Bin's face, though his voice sounded helpless.

“Do you need nuclear fuel? I know our country's uranium reserves aren't abundant, and nuclear fuel is even scarcer. I can provide a large amount of nuclear fuel—annually!”

“What? How do you have nuclear fuel! Where did you get it? Is there even a ton? Did you say annually?” Before Qi Bin could speak, the middle-aged man beside him asked urgently and loudly.

“And you are?”

“I am the Ambassador to South Africa. If you can provide a sufficient amount of nuclear fuel, I can help you resolve your situation,” the middle-aged man said solemnly.

“Hello, Mr. Ambassador! Currently, I can provide over a hundred tons of fuel-grade uranium with about ten percent enrichment annually. Within half a month after this matter is resolved, it can be secretly delivered to customs. And I only want half price.”

“Over a hundred tons? Just how much do you have in your hands? It's best to sell all of such material to the state; you should understand what I mean.” Securing export quotas for South African uranium mines was also an important task for the embassy. A hundred tons of fuel uranium was enough for five large nuclear power plants for a year; it could not only fill the entire gap in nuclear fuel but even allow for the construction of two more power plants. If there were a hundred tons every year, it would greatly alleviate the domestic energy shortage. Not just him, but even national leaders would view this as a major matter. He hadn't expected Qi Bin's casual bluff to yield such a massive surprise. This made it impossible for him to remain calm; he stood up, gripped the edge of the table with both hands, and leaned his upper body toward the phone.

“I understand. This stuff is a byproduct; I have no use for it myself. Once refined, it's just been sitting there, so I can give it all to you. However, I hope you keep this absolutely confidential; otherwise, I'll have to deal with countless intelligence officers from other countries. Also, it's best if the situation on my end is handled within ten minutes; otherwise, I'm worried the police will launch a direct assault. The situation in Pan City seems a bit complicated, and I'm not entirely sure of the outcome. Finally, I hope everyone involved in this crime receives severe punishment. I'm counting on you, Mr. Ambassador!”

“What do you two think?” The Ambassador asked Qi Bin and Xiahou Anbang as he sat back down after the call ended.

Xiahou Anbang spoke first, his words coming rapidly: “Actually, Cao Xiao can be considered one of our Supervision Department's people. Yesterday, his file was sent to the Supervision Department headquarters, and his credentials have already been processed. Even if we don't help, the Supervision Department wouldn't just ignore it once they found out. The top brass at headquarters are very interested in him—not because of his mediocre ability, but because of what he's done and the person behind him. According to my investigation, a few days ago, members of the Angress Family provoked him. That night, they sent a team of well-equipped armed men to attack his villa, but they were wiped out before they could even get close. Less than an hour later, the manor where the Angress Family resided was attacked by a mysterious figure; all armed personnel were dismembered. The next day, their patriarch, Dapu, appeared at Cao Xiao's seaside villa. Since then, the Angress Family has been completely submissive to him. The Iron Fist Mercenary Group was the Angress Family's armed force, and it fell into his hands just like that. The day before yesterday, the Iron Fist Mercenary Group attacked the Black Scorpion Mercenary Group, which is ranked in the top ten in Africa. It seemed like throwing an egg against a rock, but they succeeded. They suffered almost no casualties, while the Black Scorpion Mercenary Group was completely wiped out. Two of their martial artists, equivalent to the Dark Jin realm, died mysteriously under Cao Xiao's gun. It's said that the mysterious person behind Cao Xiao also took action then, and the resulting attack effects were beyond belief. Therefore, the Supervision Department will definitely not let anything happen to Cao Xiao. You two should hurry and contact the domestic authorities; I need to contact headquarters as well. You've seen Cao Xiao's temper; I'm afraid if another accident occurs, it will be truly difficult to clean up the mess!”

Qi Bin immediately pulled out his own phone and began dialing while saying to the middle-aged Ambassador, “Old Fang, you contact the highest level directly; I'll handle the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The faster the better. Based on what Xiahou said, if this kid goes crazy, something truly big is going to happen.”

“Alright!” Ambassador Fang also decisively pulled out his phone and began pressing a strange set of numbers.

Meanwhile, Cao Xiao sat on a chair in the empty corridor, putting away his overheated phone and letting out a heavy sigh of relief. Long Tu and Zhang Tianling had long since tactfully walked away. Cao Xiao stood up and walked to a hospital room, looking through the door at the sleeping Li Lanshan. Li Lanshan hadn't suffered any physical harm, but she was severely traumatized and somewhat delirious; she just needed a period of recuperation.

On the other hand, her mother, in order to protect her from being violated, had desperately tried to stop that balding middle-aged man and suffered some external injuries. In the end, she had even used her own life as a threat to prevent the man from succeeding, but in his rage, the man had stabbed her in the abdomen. If Cao Xiao hadn't arrived in time, she might have truly lost her life. If she had really died here, Cao Xiao would have absolutely gone insane. But the current situation wasn't much better; she was in critical condition and would have to spend a long time in bed. Why did this gentle woman have to endure such pain? Thinking of the figure who had specifically made delicious food to nourish his body over the past few years, Cao Xiao walked toward the hospital entrance with a frigid expression.