Chapter 4 The Rose Woman

  Walking on the dark and humid road surface in the base, Yang Wenfeng, disguised as an engineering technician, had a thousand thoughts: With the Democratic Progressive Party coming to power, the authorities did not plan for the welfare of the Taiwanese people, spending large sums of money on buying American weapons. Under the instigation of a small number of separatist elements, they wanted to amend the constitution and rename Taiwan, making it a place of darkness and evil. Seeing the mainland's military modernization growing stronger day by day, these elements were like ants on a hot pot, restless and unable to settle down for a moment. The huge cost of building this base was just an attempt to win over the United States and Japan to boost their own morale, with the intention of using force to resist reunification. When he knew he was in the base, a bold plan emerged. He took out the SD card that Luo Ming had given him before his death from the hidden compartment in his shoe heel. As long as he could quickly sneak into the "Command and Control Center" of the base and steal the coordinates of the second radar station, there would be enough time to retreat and meet up with the naval special forces who were waiting for him. So he decided to take a risk.

  The end of the road is two very secretive elevators, which go straight to the "Command and Control Center" 150 meters underground. The Command and Control Center is the brain of the entire radar system, the core part of the base.

  "Halt!"

  Yang Wenfeng was startled and turned around, but there was no one behind him...

  "Anything else, sir?"

  A woman's voice came from the next room.

  Yang Wenfeng tiptoed to the window and took a look, seeing a fashionably dressed beautiful woman grasping the door handle with an annoyed expression. Behind her stood a robust colonel, his eyes wide open, his face full of anger.

  "Miss Hu, it's rare for us to be alone together on a good night, why are you in such a hurry to leave?" The officer suddenly said with a smile, his smile lines stacked together, and his smile was intentionally or unintentionally hidden under the thick layers of flesh, making people feel somewhat ill-intentioned.

  "I'm tired and need to go rest." The woman politely declined.

  The officer walked over and grasped the woman's hand, his face saying: "It's a long night, let me accompany Miss Hu."

  The woman drew back her hand and said seriously: "Officer, restrain yourself!"

  "Hey, when did you become so pretentious, Hu Dabao's beauty?" The officer sneered, "Don't pretend to be a pure and innocent girl in front of me, I know exactly what kind of woman you are! What, can't I have fun just because Zong Lele is having fun?"

  "Shameless!"

  "Miss Hu, don't look at me with such disdain..." The officer's face showed no concern. "I know you despise me. If it weren't for me, this position would definitely be yours with your talent. But there's one thing you need to know: nowadays, just relying on looks and appearance is not enough. Do you know how I, a colonel, got promoted? Honestly, I bought it for 1 million!"

  "Hmph, don't be too pleased with yourself, one day the truth will come to light and you'll experience what it means to regret your past actions in prison."

  "Who dares to inform on me? You dare?! The officer glared at the woman with a sinister gaze. "You're well aware of how our intelligence unit operates, and you wouldn't be unaware of Chen Yixiong's fate (Note: Chen Yixiong was involved in the 913 shooting case). In 2004, on March 19th, during the presidential election campaign in Tainan, he was shot at on Jinhua Road and sustained minor injuries. He gained tens of thousands of sympathy votes as a result and won the election by a narrow margin of several thousand votes. However, the truth behind the '319 shooting case' is that after taking office in 2000, Taiwan's economy declined, and public discontent grew. Fearing defeat in his re-election bid, he and his aides staged a drama, and when the incident occurred, his aide secretly broke open a fake blood packet on his abdomen to feign being shot. Later, they found a scapegoat in Chen Yixiong and had him assassinated under the DTAs conspiracy, claiming he died by suicide. Now, who in Taiwan is not corrupt? The first family's scandals are endless, and the president's aides are openly corrupt. This isolated island has lost all sense of integrity and justice, leaving only the dark politics of money and power transactions. Nowadays, one must know how to adapt to the times and follow the crowd. Don't be a stubborn career military officer; that would be unwise. You and I are the best examples - in terms of real talent and ability, I should be your deputy at most, but now I'm your superior. You wouldn't be unaware of the intricacies behind this, would you?"

  "It's no wonder the morale is getting lower and lower..." The woman sighed, "A basically corrupt army can't even defend against the planes and artillery from across the shore."

  "The sorrow of being a professional soldier is that you don't understand the people who decide your fate are high-level politicians. You think those powerful and privileged individuals would entrust their lives to just tens of thousands of soldiers? They dare to provoke because they see themselves as having a strong backing...". Looking at the woman's puzzled face, the officer continued with a self-satisfied tone, "Do you think the person in the Presidential Palace expects us to resist the million-strong army from across the shore? Don't even think about it! The person in the Presidential Palace just uses us as cannon fodder, letting us fight to the death to delay time, and when the time comes, there will be reinforcements..."

  The woman finally understood that the reinforcements were naturally American troops.

  "If the situation across the Taiwan Strait is a play that has yet to reach its final act, then the true leading actor who has yet to make an appearance on stage is the American soldier."

  "As the commander-in-chief of the three armies, he doesn't think about training and strengthening his troops, but instead always fantasizes about begging other countries for help. What if the cunning American army doesn't come to their aid? By then, I'm afraid the person in power will only be able to wait for slaughter!"

  "We are a loyal Labrador retriever of others, as long as the powerful Allies support us from behind, the other side will not act rashly."

  Looking at the flattering appearance of the official, the woman sneered: "A dog is always a dog. People will not be harmed by a dog for their own benefit. In the eyes of Americans, their own interests are always the first."

  "Hu Lirong! You're too presumptuous! Don't be obstinate and ignorant of what's good for you!" The officer's expression was like that of a humiliated bull.

  "I dare not concur with the superior's fallacy, and his kind intentions are also unfortunate to accept."

  The officer's face turned iron-green as he walked back to his desk, pulled out a file from the drawer and slammed it on the table. "Officer Hu, how do you explain the complete paralysis of the base's command and control system for eight hours from 8pm three days ago to 4am?"

  The woman's face changed, and she fell silent for a while before saying, "Although I secretly modified the air duct log that night, I still forgot that you are the base's security chief."

  "Hu Changguan was well aware of how important the base was... The officer's face turned gloomy, 'The President once said that as long as the base operates normally, he will sleep well every night. But because of your dereliction of duty, the base was paralyzed for eight hours, what if the other side launched a surprise attack during those eight hours? Taiwan would fall within 72 hours! By then, you would be the sinner who lost the country!"

  "The woman argued forcefully: 'That night, the base's radar malfunctioned and I wasn't surprised at all. This situation was bound to happen sooner or later. Our engineering technicians discovered during a routine maintenance two months ago that some critical components of the phased array radar antenna were actually second-hand goods discarded by the US military! What's even more outrageous is that the software used in the early warning system was an old version used by the US military three years ago. Our engineers developed an upgraded version of the software through their own efforts without obtaining the source code, which barely made the early warning system work. I reported the poor condition of the base's early warning system to the Ministry of National Defense several times, but never received a response. Under my supervision, the engineering personnel worked hard to keep the early warning system running normally every day, which was already a miracle.'"

  "Magistrate Hu, no matter how eloquent you are, you can't shirk your responsibility. You were derelict in your duty!" The officer's tone suddenly became stern and pressing, "Because at the time, you weren't on duty guarding the scene."

  "I wasn't on duty at the scene, there must be an irresistible reason..." the woman argued.

  "Oh, really?" The officer opened the file and pulled out a medical record of someone from within the base. He took a look and said in a roundabout way: "Officer Hu indeed has an irresistible reason..."

  "Zheng Changrong! You're really shameless, what right do you have to access my private medical records? Even if you are a superior officer, you don't have this privilege!" The woman accused indignantly.

  She was angry for a reason. Zheng Changrong, although the head of security at the base, was actually a mediocre person at heart. He either neglected his military duties or interfered with them and made a mess; he was incompetent in his specialized work but had an exceptional talent for flattering others, especially the intelligence officer Jamison from the Pentagon. All the hard work on military affairs at the base was done by her, the deputy director, and when there were achievements, he wouldn't let anyone else share the credit, and when mistakes were made, he pushed them onto his subordinates. Three days ago, the mainland military held a military exercise along the coast, and she had been on duty for three days and nights without closing her eyes. During this time, it coincided with her menstrual period, and overwork led to disorders of normal physiological functions, causing her to bleed nonstop. After taking medication under the strong request of the base's medical officer, she went back to rest. Later, the base's control system was paralyzed for eight hours. If Zheng Changrong had fired her on the spot, she would have been resentful but could have barely accepted it. However, when she saw him take out her medical records, she couldn't hold back anymore because he had committed a major taboo - women are born with the instinct to protect themselves.

  "Hu Lirong! I sympathize with you, otherwise I would have reported the incident three days ago to the Ministry of National Defense, and your military career would have ended. Do you think that after fainting from exhaustion for three days and nights, those officials at the Ministry of National Defense will show sympathy for you? In their eyes, you are just an unconditional obedient machine that doesn't know fatigue, as long as you still have a breath, you must sacrifice yourself for them!"

  "I've done my best, I couldn't hold on and had to go back to rest. Even if I was on duty at the scene, what could I have done? That night you took Jamison and the Japanese intelligence officer down the mountain to drink huajiu, I alone had no authority to activate the backup radar... In light of this, please do not report this incident to the superior officer."

  Although she was not reconciled, the entire army's sound system was slowly corroded away. As a professional soldier, she had no power to challenge the corrupt and dark reality. The proud her could only lower her head and apologize for self-protection.

  "This doesn't seem right?" Zheng Changrong's eyes lit up as he pretended to push it away, "It would be difficult to conceal this incident unless..."

  "What if?"

  Zheng Changrong stepped forward, holding Hu Lirong's hand and said with a smile: "Unless Miss Hu stays to accompany me."

  "Superior, please restrain yourself. The eighth article of the Military Legal Order of the Ministry of National Defense is clear: those who harass subordinates will be punished severely by military law, regardless of rank!"

  "Oh, is that so? I remember Article 12: If a superior officer is responsible for a serious security breach, he will be demoted and have his salary reduced. In severe cases, he will be brought to military court. Officer Hu, your future prospects are limitless, don't ruin your promising career over this!"

  Zheng Changrong said, stroking her hands lightly, Hu Lirong was so angry that she trembled all over, but considering the handle in front of her and the scoundrel's hand, thinking whether to swallow her pride for a moment... The sinful hand quietly slid from her back to her chest...

  Huli Rong felt sick to death, humiliated and embarrassed, leaving her proud heart with helpless tears.

  Yang Wenfeng hesitated for a moment, but still walked to the door and knocked. Hu Lirong took advantage of the opportunity to wipe away Zheng Changrong's tears with her hand, and loudly asked: "Who is it?"

  "Reporting to superior! A formation of enemy fighter jets on the other side ignored warnings and crossed the median line, requesting emergency handling from control personnel."

  "Got it!"

  Huli Rong took advantage of the opportunity and slipped out.

  Zheng Changrong chased out and asked:

  "Director Hu, don't be in such a hurry to leave!"

  Huli Rong didn't even turn her head: "I have urgent military affairs to attend to, Officer Zheng should prioritize the bigger picture!" She took advantage of the situation and grabbed Yang Wenfeng's hand, pulling him away as they left.

  The door was heavily closed, and a man howled like a mad wolf. Then came the sound of porcelain being smashed to pieces on the floor.

  Huli Rong's body was almost leaning on Yang Wenfeng's shoulder, and Yang Wenfeng felt her body trembling constantly, like a girl who had just escaped the devil's palm.

  "Thank you."

  "What's there to thank?" Yang Wenfeng asked knowingly.

  Huli Rong stopped in her tracks, pulled out a video communicator from her pocket and said: "In emergency situations, the control personnel will use this to notify me. By the time you rush over from the control center, the Communist army's warplanes would have destroyed this place already. Moreover, the base's engineering technicians are not authorized to disclose control enemy information to anyone, this is an iron rule. I think only you and that white idiot in the base don't know."

  Yang Wenfeng rubbed his nose and said with a scowl: "It seems I'm really an idiot..."

  "Alright, I didn't say you're an idiot, my great benefactor!" Hu Lirong said with a pout.

  "I just happened to be passing by earlier..." Yang Wenfeng smiled with a smirk.

  "You're making a joke." Hu Lirong's face revealed a hint of embarrassment that was hard to conceal. "In the past, the military's mission was clear: maintain the status quo across the strait. After the change in government, with political forces intervening in the military, many experienced generals were eliminated, and now the grassroots soldiers are anxious, leading to a continuous weakening of combat effectiveness. With corruption rampant among high-ranking military officials, how can such an army compete with the brave and skilled iron army on the other side?"

  "Sir, don't we have excellent equipment and weapons? As long as we rely on the strait's natural barrier to protect us, we can definitely keep the enemy out of our island!"

  The mainland army's equipment is no longer what it used to be. In terms of air force, the performance of domestically produced J-10 and J-11 fighter jets has far surpassed that of Mirage, F-16, and domestically produced IDF fighter jets. Looking ahead, the military has been secretly developing the J-14 stealth fighter jet, which is comparable to the US F-22 stealth fighter jet, while the next-generation fighter jet is still out of reach; In terms of navy, the mainland's self-developed "Aegis" destroyer is the second country after the United States to master the core technology of Aegis. The new generation of nuclear submarines has been launched one after another, and the nuclear submarine is known as the "super killer in the ocean" with its stealthy attack capability, and only the United States can compete with it on the Pacific Ocean; In recent years, the mainland has attached great importance to amphibious landing operations, and in a few years, they will have the ability to transport the invincible army across the strait. The People's Liberation Army is known as the "invincible iron army", and the military has never been defeated in the Korean War, the Sino-Indian War, the Sino-Soviet border conflict, and the Sino-Vietnamese War. If such a powerful military sets foot on Taiwan Island, it can only be a nightmare for Taiwan!

  "Then, isn't there still a powerful ally?"

  "Hmm, ally?" Hu Lirong's face was filled with disdain. "The situation is changing and unpredictable. If you count the three strongest countries in the world on one hand, the first one would be the United States, the only superpower in the world." Hu Lirong gently pressed down her left thumb with her right hand. "Although the old Western European powers are no longer as glorious as before, the 'European Union' formed by various countries is still a formidable military power that should not be underestimated."

  She then pressed down her index finger. "Which country can be considered a world-class power besides these? Russia? The only superpower that could rival the United States in the past. However, since the dissolution of the Soviet Union, its national strength has weakened and it has suffered greatly. Although the country's national strength has been rising in recent years, it is becoming increasingly authoritarian and dictatorial, adding to the uncertainty of its future."

  Hu Lirong continued, "Japan? This island nation is the world's second-largest economy, but its land area is small, energy is scarce, and its diplomacy and military are controlled by the United States. If Japan cannot break free from American control, it can only be a secondary country that cannot fully demonstrate its true strength."

  She then mentioned India, "India has the greatest potential to become a world power after China, but it will take several decades for India to achieve this status." Hu Lirong pointed out that the United States has been actively strengthening its military alliances with Japan and South Korea in recent years, selling weapons to Taiwan, and frequently showing goodwill to India. The intention behind these actions is to suppress the mainland.

  Hu Lirong concluded, "From these actions, it can be seen that although the mainland is not yet a superpower and cannot challenge American hegemony, the United States has already regarded the mainland as a major power and strategic competitor. However, some foolish politicians on the island are unaware of this reality and believe that buying large amounts of weapons will allow them to confront the mainland. They do not realize that the dominant relationship between the two sides of the strait is not China-Taiwan, but China-US."

  Hu Lirong emphasized that the United States is currently stuck in two wars in the Middle East and cannot extricate itself. This will inevitably affect America's future strategic deployments. If one day the mainland's military strength makes the United States wary, the pragmatic United States will not recklessly send troops to protect Taiwan.

  "Superintendent's analysis of the situation is truly insightful, it has given me a sudden enlightenment." Yang Wenfeng pretended to be enlightened.

  Huli Rong smiled slightly and said with self-mockery: "But if the higher-ups find out about this, I might be accused of inciting mutiny..." Before she finished speaking, she looked ahead with a gloomy face. At the end of the road, next to the elevator, there were two soldiers on duty. One was leaning against the wall smoking, while the other had placed his 91 automatic rifle aside and was dozing off sitting on the ground.

  The smoking soldier saw Hulijiang and was so frightened that he almost swallowed the cigarette butt into his stomach. He put his feet together, saluted: "Attention! Good officer!" This shout awakened the sleeping soldiers, who hastily held their guns and saluted.

  "Hello, sir!"

  Huli Rong rushed forward and slapped each of them two times, "slap slap". Fresh blood immediately flowed from the mouths of the two soldiers.

  "Look at you! Slack and lazy on duty! What's the emblem on your arm? The insignia of the Special Task Force 'Night Hawk'! The Special Task Force is the elite of the army, was what you just did the bravery of a Night Hawk? No! You're not worthy! Do you know how important this base is? As long as this base exists, the enemy's planes dare not fly over the strait! As long as this base exists, the enemy's missiles are useless! You've failed in your duty! Any slight mistake can destroy the entire base, and the base must be impregnable! Every minute, every second, you must remain highly vigilant, using the fearless will of a soldier to defend the absolute safety of the base with your life!"

  "The superior's teachings we remember in our hearts!"

  Two soldiers stood up straight and answered proudly.

  Yang Wenfeng was thinking to himself on one side, the weak woman who had just escaped from the devil's claws immediately transformed into a lioness, it seems that this woman needs to be careful in dealing with herself, and cannot be careless.

  After reprimanding the two soldiers, Hu Lirong looked at Yang Wenfeng again. Her gaze no longer had the sorrow and resentment of earlier, but was now cold and indifferent, looking at him like a stranger. "Lu Yinglin? I don't think I've ever seen you at the base?" She stared at the ID card on Yang Wenfeng's chest.

  "Officer, I came with this group of personnel and just reported to the base yesterday!" Yang Wenfeng said smoothly, reciting his well-rehearsed lines.

  "Where are you from?"

  Yang Wenfeng felt that Hu Lirong's tone was not quite right, so he pretended to be a bit agitated: "In response to the officer's words... I am from Pingtung County, and my family is in the fourth generation. After graduating from junior high school, I enlisted in the army and later joined the National Defense Intelligence Bureau. Three years ago, I was sent to the US-Taiwan intelligence exchange agency for training, and this time I was ordered to return to the country as a system security maintenance technician at the base. Before coming to the base, I passed the political review, if the officer still has doubts about my identity, you can go to the base's intelligence department to check my file."

  "Hehe, I was just casually asking, why are you so anxious to clear yourself? This makes it seem like you have some secret hidden in your heart." Hu Lirong said with a sarcastic tone.

  "No wonder when I first arrived at the base, my colleagues hinted to me that I must not provoke the people from the Intelligence Department. If you suspect me, please bring out real evidence!" Yang Wenfeng loudly protested.

  Huli Rong was pondering the words of this vigorous and ambitious contemporary, although his words were somewhat unreasonable, they were extremely in line with the temperament of these people. She understood these high-achieving students who had studied abroad, although they were also soldiers, but always regarded themselves as intelligent elites with natural talent, looking down on the soldiers in the base, thinking that the soldiers were simple-minded, crude and shallow, and even more looked down on the officials of the intelligence agency, thinking that the officials of the intelligence agency were sneaky and suspicious, not upright and honest gentlemen.

  Hu Lirong always felt that the "Lu Yinglin" in front of her didn't look like an engineering technician. Looking at his heroic spirit, she teased: "I've seen those foreign-trained technicians who are all book-smart and bespectacled, but you don't seem to be a military officer." Yang Wenfeng heard the implication in Hu Lirong's words and pretended not to understand, calmly responding: "Schwarzkopf crystal pendants, IB watches, Baozhi suits, Ducci perfume... if I hadn't met the superior at the base, I would have thought the superior was a fashionista. Who would believe that such a beautiful lady is an intelligence agent?"

  Huli Rong burst out laughing, the technician in front of her was too cute and very talkative. Although she pretended to be cold all day, but deep down, she was no different from other women, of course, she enjoyed the flattering words from men's mouths. She was happy and didn't mind the mocking tone hidden in his words.

  "Is there anything else you'd like to ask, sir? If not, I'll go on duty now."

  "You go ahead and busy yourself..." Hu Lirong was somewhat distracted.

  Yang Wenfeng didn't want to get entangled any further, so he walked straight to the elevator and pressed the button. With a "ding", the elevator doors opened, and he stepped inside without even glancing at Hu Lirong, pressing the button without hesitation.

  Watching "Lu Yinglin" disappear before her eyes, Hu Lirong pondered for a moment, then pulled out the video communicator from her pocket. She popped up the video interface and saw a headshot of "Lu Yinglin", which she had secretly taken earlier. Hu Lirong pressed the call button:

  "Security Manager, Hu Lirong."

  A female soldier's head appeared on the LCD screen, and she smiled and said, "Sir, what are your orders?"

  Huli Rong sent over a portrait of "Lu Yinglin", "Verify the identity of this person, if there is any result, report back quickly!"

  "Yes, sir!"

  "As long as you're my prey, I'll never let you escape from my grasp..." Hu Lirong clenched her fist tightly, with a strange smile on her face... Suddenly, a strong surge of energy rose up within her. She was a very powerful woman, with a strong desire for power and status; for wealth and material possessions; and also for men...