Volume 1: The Fierce Tiger Leaves Its Leash Chapter 35: Dust Settles (Part 1)

  After a moment of silence, Wang Yilin coughed a few times, breaking the silence, and then said: "Big brother, is there any solution to this matter with Tian Xiang?"

  "Before you came, I was thinking about this issue." Zhou Guohui extinguished the cigarette butt and lit another one. "First of all, we need to understand how serious the mistake Tian Xiang is making now. Or rather, it's no longer a mistake, but a serious crime."

  Huang Longfei wanted to argue, but ultimately held back.

  "Shouldn't manslaughter be considered a serious crime?" Wang Yilin slightly furrowed her brow.

  "Manslaughter is not a serious crime, but the question is under what circumstances Tianxiang mistakenly killed Zhang Guoting?" Zhou Guohui sighed. "He was in a situation where he seriously violated orders and took unauthorized action, which ultimately led to Zhang Guoting's mistaken killing. In addition, there is also an American spy, an intelligence officer, and a police officer whose death is related to him."

  Huang Longfei was also shocked, he really couldn't believe that Ling Tianxiang had actually killed so many people in one breath.

  "Of course, the deaths of these three people have nothing to do with him directly. The death of that spy can be set aside, and no one knows it was his doing. And as for the intelligence officer who died of a heart attack, he was involved in the betrayal. As for the police officer..." Zhou Guohui paused slightly, "He's the one who betrayed state secrets and committed treason. The deaths of these three people can be ignored, but the main problem is that Zhang Guoting's death must be accounted for. Even if I've cleaned up the scene, we have to consider the worst-case scenario. If someone wants to investigate further, they'll definitely find out."

  "Why?" Huang Longfei still felt a little unwilling.

  "At that time, there were only a few minutes left, and I couldn't have considered all the questions." Zhou Guohui also looked a bit regretful. "The biggest loophole was on that gun. The ballistic test results are out, and Zhang Guoting was shot with a .45 caliber ACP bullet, which is the kind of ammunition used by the special forces' combat handguns. Luo Guotong was just an ordinary police officer, using a 77-style police pistol that fired 7.62mm handgun bullets, not a combat handgun at all. Even if there were Luo Guotong's fingerprints on that USP, it doesn't explain anything."

  By this time, Huang Longfei had also figured it out.

  "Big brother, then what's Tian Xiang's way out now?" Wang Yilin asked directly this time.

  "Yes, what should be done to avoid trouble for Tian Xiang." Huang Longfeng also let out a sigh, "Does Zhang Guoting have children? Even as a form of compensation, I am willing to raise his children and provide economic compensation to his family, as long as..."

  "Second-in-command, compensation is not the issue. I've already applied for Zhang Guo-ting to be recognized as a martyr, and the army will take care of his family." Zhou Guohui didn't let Huang Longfei continue speaking. "The main problem now is that Tian Xiang can no longer stay in the army."

  The room fell silent again. If speaking from personal feelings, Huang Longfei did not want Ling Tianxiang to spend his whole life in the army. He was very clear that a person like Ling Tianxiang could achieve success anywhere, and he had always opposed letting Ling Tianxiang join the military. But the problem was, if considering it from Ling Tianxiang's perspective, this would definitely be a significant blow to him.

  "Is this the only way?" Wang Yilin broke the silence again.

  "I've thought about it many times, and I think this is the only feasible way out." Zhou Guohui leaned back on the sofa. "Apart from mistakenly killing Zhang Guoting, Ling Tianxiang has caused so much trouble in Afghanistan that he must be on the blacklist of the US military or even the US intelligence agency. Now that Tianxiang is in the army, the Americans can't do anything to him, but if he leaves the army, he may face even more threats."

  "What should we do?" Huang Longfei was getting anxious now.

  "Actually..." Zhou Guohui didn't continue, with a look that was hard to put into words.

  "Big brother, does that mean you want Tian Xiang to disappear from the world?" Wang Yilin helped Zhou Guohui finish his sentence.

  "How can this be? Are you willing to watch your own nephew..."

  "Second brother, I didn't mean it that way." Wang Yilin sighed. In the past, Huang Longfei wasn't such an impatient person. As the saying goes, "concern leads to chaos", this sentence is indeed correct.

  "Lao Er, Lao San is right. If we want to get Tian Xiang out of trouble, the best way is to make everyone think he's already dead."

  Huang Long furrowed his brow, it turned out that he just wanted to fake death, rather than pretend to be real.

  "This time, our operation ended in failure. It has now been confirmed that at least ten team members died during the operation, and two more were seriously injured, with one still in critical condition." Zhou Guohui handed over a list, "I haven't submitted the detailed casualty list yet, we just need to add one name to this..."

  "You mean..." Huang Longfei glanced at Zhou Guohui and stopped talking.

  Zhou Guohui nodded. "I will contact the General Staff Department directly, and Old Three can also say something on the side of the Ministry of National Defense. As long as no one comes to investigate, this matter is considered over."

  "I'll rush back and find a few friends at the Ministry of National Defense, let them quickly pass on the personnel casualty report you submitted." Wang Yilin didn't waste any words.

  "In that case, I'll hand over the list as soon as possible." Zhou Guohui said while glancing at Huang Longfei.

  Wang Yilin's gaze also fell on Huang Longfei, it was clear that this matter required Huang Longfei to make a decision.

  If it were his own affair, Huang Longfei would have made a decision quickly, but this time, he hesitated for a long time. "Big brother, Old Three, is there another way to go?"

  Zhou Guohui and Wang Yilin both fell silent, it was clear that this was the only way out.

  "Must Tian Xiang be forced to change his name and live in obscurity?"

  "And it's better to leave for a while and spend a few years in another country, and come back after things have calmed down." Wang Yilin added.

  "But..." Huang Longfei fell into deep thought again. "Can I talk to Tian Xiang first?"

  "That's right, you'd better go talk to Tianxiang first." Zhou Guohui nodded, "He's in the next room now, he just woke up a few hours ago and fell asleep again, probably hasn't had a good sleep for a long time."

  Huang Longfei didn't say much, and immediately stood up. After the argument with Ling Tianxiang, Huang Longfei had come to realize that he couldn't make decisions for his son anymore. Ling Tianxiang was already an adult, so he should be allowed to decide his own path in life.