143: Chapter 142 Retire after success

While the two were talking, the sound of a helicopter flying came from the sky. They stopped their conversation and looked out the window to see a majestic attack helicopter landing. There was no need to guess—Commander Xu had arrived. Together with Tan Fei and Ni Zhen, they went downstairs to greet him.

The helicopter door opened, and the first person to step out surprised Cao Xiao; it was actually Zhang Zhetao. Following him was an elderly man in a military uniform with shining gold stars on his shoulders, then a capable-looking, thin middle-aged man, and finally four young men in their thirties who appeared to be staff members.

"Xiao Xiao, are you alright? You really know how to cause a stir. You've only just arrived and you're already making such a big scene. I heard several people died that night. When I heard the news, I could hardly believe you were Old Chen's student. Your bloodthirstiness is quite suited for the military," Zhang Zhetao joked the moment he saw Cao Xiao.

"Uncle Zhang, why are you here?" Cao Xiao didn't take the bait. His image was beyond saving, and as Zhang Zhetao was his elder, it wasn't easy to argue back.

"Don't, don't call me uncle. According to our seniority, just call me Brother Zhang. I received serious warnings from the Chen brothers today; if I let you call me uncle, I'd be taking advantage of them, and they'd bully my son. Those guys might look serious normally, but they definitely did plenty of shameless things when they were young. My son is honest and can't handle their trickery. Your teacher was worried about you and sent me to check. Besides, we can't ignore the massive commotion you caused here, so I'm also here representing the Provincial Committee," Zhang Zhetao said, waving his hands with a wry smile.

"Uh, alright then!" Cao Xiao was speechless. He really wasn't used to this level of seniority; it felt extremely awkward for a young man in his twenties to call someone more than twice his age 'brother'. He was also moved by his teacher's care. Old Chen rarely asked for favors, yet he had spoken up many times for Cao Xiao's sake recently. The debt of gratitude to his teacher was heavy indeed!

"Xiao Xiao, let me introduce you. This is General Xu Fanghou, and this is Director Cao Xingzhi from the State Council—he's also a relative of yours," Zhang Zhetao introduced the two men beside him.

"Greetings, Commander Xu! Greetings, Director Cao!" Cao Xiao gave General Xu Fanghou a military salute, then lowered his hand to shake hands with Director Cao.

"Cao Xiao, why not come to our military region? I guarantee your treatment will be better than at the General Logistics Department. Your skills are wasted there," Xu Fanghou said kindly to Cao Xiao.

"Commander Xu, you know his situation, so stop trying to recruit him," Cao Xingzhi said bluntly as soon as Xu Fanghou finished. He then turned to Cao Xiao with a smile. "Cao Xiao, I checked your family's genealogy before coming. Coincidentally, our two families shared the same ancestor over a hundred years ago, so we can be considered family. Based on seniority, you should call me Uncle."

"Oh! Hello, Uncle!" Cao Xiao was a bit dazed. Weren't they here for official business? How did a clan uncle suddenly pop up? But no one was foolish enough to joke about such things, so after a moment's hesitation, he addressed him as such.

"Alright, this isn't the place to talk. Let's move somewhere else," Zhang Zhetao said to everyone.

"Leaders, please follow me." As the host, Ni Zhen naturally led the way.

The group arrived in the conference room. Tang Shaolin, Tan Fei, and Ni Zhen, who hadn't had a chance to speak earlier, finally introduced themselves to the leaders.

"Director Tang, please brief us on the situation," Zhang Zhetao said.

"Yes. Early this morning..." Tang Shaolin reported the general situation to the leaders.

"This is going to be a headache. Several of the foreign companies involved have significant investments in our province. We've offended them all this time. Given their style, they might cause more trouble. What's more disgusting is their habit of shifting the blame and smearing us, which will bring a lot of negative impact. I'm afraid some people on the committee won't agree with how we handle those we've captured," Zhang Zhetao said with a conflicted expression after hearing Tang Shaolin's report.

"What's there to fear? I am in full charge of this matter, so the committee doesn't need to make the decision. They came into our country in droves to commit crimes; having been caught with evidence, they still have the gall to make trouble? I won't indulge them! I know you're worried about the impact on the local economy, but they aren't fools either. If we take a firm stance, they won't abandon their industries here knowing it's a losing battle. If they did that, their losses would be substantial. So, there's no need to be polite with them," Xu Fanghou said disdainfully.

Cao Xingzhi sat quietly drinking tea without speaking, and Tang Shaolin and the others didn't offer any opinions either.

Cao Xiao didn't care how Qian Province decided to handle it; with General Xu's statement, the tone was set. Thus, he spoke up: "Actually, there's more to this story. Beneath the coal seams of the Xinyuan Coal Mine lies a hidden underground space covering several hundred square kilometers. It is completely isolated from the surface and has formed a complete ecosystem. The evolution of life there is very different from surface organisms, containing many miraculous new species. This has a revolutionary role in promoting research in biological fields and other natural sciences. Whether in terms of research value or economic value, it is immeasurable. In terms of economic value alone, the combined market value of all the foreign companies involved in this matter wouldn't even come close, so you leaders needn't hesitate."

"Hiss! A complete, independent ecosystem? And an area of several hundred square kilometers? Isn't that an entirely new biosphere? Are you sure?" Cao Xingzhi, who had been calmly drinking tea, gasped and nearly knocked over his teacup upon hearing Cao Xiao's words. This information was too shocking. Having worked in the national center for years, he naturally viewed things from a strategic perspective rather than being limited to a single location or event. If such an underground space truly existed, certain related fields would take off because of it, and since it was unique, it could form a powerful core competitiveness. Huaxia's biological field had started late; suddenly gaining an opportunity to surpass its peers, how could he not be incredibly excited? He could no longer sit still.

"Xiao Xiao, take us there quickly!" Zhang Zhetao stood up in a sudden burst of wild joy, grabbing Cao Xiao's arm to lead him out. Regardless of anything else, this information alone could bring countless benefits to Qian Province. It was a literal natural biosphere! Qian Province would gain massive recognition before the people of the world and be written into textbooks globally. If it could be opened to the public, they would be rolling in money just from ticket sales.

"Tell me the location. I'll have men seal off the entrance immediately," Xu Fanghou also stood up abruptly and asked Cao Xiao with utmost gravity. This was within his jurisdiction, and he had to ensure national property was not lost.

"Everyone, please don't get excited. That underground space does exist, and the entrance is the mine shaft in the Xinyuan Coal Mine where the accident occurred. However, it's currently blocked by earth and rock, so it's temporarily inaccessible," Cao Xiao said, pulling his arm away from Zhang Zhetao helplessly.

"This matter must be kept strictly confidential. Commander Xu, please seal off the Xinyuan Coal Mine. Director Tang, Captain Tan, Director Ni—from today on, Baishui Town is under full martial law. Block all related news; people may leave, but no one may enter. Pan City must also be closely monitored, and the transport of any flammable or explosive materials is prohibited. I will report to the central authorities immediately for instructions and to strictly handle the government personnel involved in this incident. Secretary-General Zhang, I'll leave the investigation to you," Cao Xingzhi said to the group in a heavy, commanding tone.

Although Cao Xingzhi's administrative rank wasn't as high as Zhang Zhetao's, he was the representative sent by the central authorities, so even the primary person in charge, Xu Fanghou, had to respect his opinion. Thus, Xu Fanghou and Zhang Zhetao nodded and began making calls, while Tang Shaolin and the others left to arrange the police forces.

Watching them all busy themselves, Cao Xiao found himself with nothing to do. Now that things had reached this stage, there was no longer any need for him. In three days, it would be the day of his engagement ceremony with He Yueyou, so he had to go back and prepare. He suddenly didn't want to get involved in the underground space matter anymore; he had already obtained the tangible benefits, and with his current strength, getting involved further might not be a good thing.

Half an hour later, Cao Xingzhi hung up the phone with a look of joy, unable to hide his excitement as he said to Cao Xiao, "Xiao Xiao, you've performed a great service this time! The leaders are all praising you! Who would have thought you'd make such a huge discovery by chance? If you hadn't intervened forcefully, those people might have actually succeeded. By the time we discovered it, it might have lost its value. Rest assured this time! Qian Province's importance is no longer what it used to be. Several senior leaders have spoken; those who played dishonorable roles in this matter will be punished accordingly, and those foreign companies will receive serious warnings."

"With your word, I'm relieved. If it weren't for people secretly obstructing me multiple times, I wouldn't have caused such a big scene. My Brother Li has also been cleared of his charges, so there's nothing left for me here; it's time for me to head back." Cao Xiao felt a wave of relief. He still vividly remembered the feeling of helplessness when he had come yesterday to give gifts and ask for help, only to get no news at all. Those who had secretly obstructed him bore an undeniable responsibility for the harm suffered by Brother Li's family; these accomplices had to be punished for him to vent his anger. Cao Xingzhi came as a representative of the central authorities; since he had made such a promise to Cao Xiao, it was set in stone. This was also a commitment made by the center in consideration of Cao Xiao's contribution; otherwise, dealing with important personnel would have caused a significant impact and required much more effort from Cao Xiao to achieve.

"Don't be in such a hurry. I came this time mainly for the two things you promised. I'll be here for a while and won't have time to go to Huanghe to find you, so let's resolve them all at once," Cao Xingzhi said, gesturing for Cao Xiao to sit down.

"When the Iron Fist Mercenary Group is needed, just have someone contact me directly, and I will make the appropriate arrangements. However, this is limited to special circumstances. We cannot deploy a large force for ordinary escort missions; that would be too conspicuous. We would face questioning from various countries and might even be labeled as an illegal Huaxia-backed armed force in Somalia, or worse, someone might manufacture incidents to smear us as terrorists. So, under normal circumstances, it's best not to expose our close relationship with Huaxia," Cao Xiao said calmly. He was stating the prerequisite for cooperation; if the domestic side truly treated the Iron Fist Mercenary Group as a direct subordinate force, they might find it impossible to move forward when faced with external constraints in the future.

"We have already considered that. Unless it's a necessary or emergency situation, we won't rely on external forces. Do you need domestic support? For example, funding or weapons? According to our intelligence, although the Iron Fist Mercenary Group wiped out the top-ranked Black Scorpion Mercenary Group in Africa, your weapons and equipment are relatively outdated," Cao Xingzhi nodded in understanding and then asked.

"There's no need for support. I'm not short on funds, and we have channels to solve the weapons issue. The nuclear fuel you need will arrive in Hong Kong within half a month. This batch of nuclear fuel has an enrichment of ten percent, totaling one hundred and twenty tons—it's all the byproducts we've stored over the past two years. We won't charge for it this time; consider it my contribution to the country. By the way, does the country need gold? I have two hundred tons in my hands!" After finishing with the nuclear fuel, Cao Xiao suddenly shifted the topic to gold.

"One hundred and twenty tons is enough! And two hundred tons of gold? It seems you must have a large gold-uranium mine; your confidentiality work is truly tight! In that case, the gold in your hands is definitely more than two hundred tons. Gold is a scarce resource, and our country's gold reserves are still far from sufficient—even two thousand tons wouldn't be enough. You might as well bring out everything you have!" Cao Xingzhi hadn't expected the extra twenty tons of nuclear fuel, let alone the surprise of the gold. Connecting the nuclear fuel and gold, a hypothesis flashed through his mind, and he spoke to Cao Xiao with sudden authority.

"Haha! I can only bring out two hundred tons for now; we'll talk about the rest later. This batch of gold will arrive with the nuclear fuel, but how will the price be calculated?" Cao Xiao laughed, which served as a tacit admission. However, selling gold now was just a temporary measure. If he hadn't met Cao Xingzhi today, he might have sought a bank loan using it as collateral later. Releasing two hundred tons was something he had considered long ago; he had great use for the rest and intended to continue collecting more.

"Alright, if you want to sell gold in the future, just give it all to us. The price won't leave you at a loss. The current gold futures price is fluctuating around two hundred and eighty yuan per gram. I can make the decision directly; we'll calculate it at two hundred and eighty yuan. What do you think?" This trip had yielded a rich harvest, so Cao Xingzhi didn't push further. Large-scale precious metal transactions usually followed futures market prices, but two hundred tons of gold held a different significance for the state because the state held it long-term and wouldn't trade it in bulk. A price of two hundred and eighty yuan per gram wasn't a loss, and the banks wouldn't object to this price.

"The price is fine. I'll contact you when the goods arrive. That's all for now. Uncle, if you have time, feel free to visit Huanghe City!" Cao Xiao had no objections. His batch of gold didn't have formal paperwork; selling it to others might have resulted in a much lower price, so two hundred and eighty yuan per gram was very fair. He finished speaking and prepared to take his leave.

"Wait, there's more!" Cao Xingzhi interrupted Cao Xiao again.

Cao Xiao didn't sit back down. He guessed that Cao Xingzhi might mention the bulletproof vests next, but he felt now wasn't the time and wanted to delay that discussion. Thus, he started walking out, saying, "I have urgent business back in Huanghe City. Let's talk next time!"