OBS Chapter 413 Overseas Chinese in America!
Chapter 413 Overseas Chinese in America!
"Now, this extremely special and extremely dangerous mission, after repeated deliberation by the military region's Party committee and approval from higher authorities, has been assigned to your team, which has just passed a brutal selection process and proven its capabilities."
"Comrade Zhong Yuemin, I order you to lead your team into the Lingele Canyon, at all costs, to ascertain the whereabouts of the expedition team and all previous search and rescue personnel, and to find out exactly what happened inside. This is a death order!"
"I've finished speaking. Do you have anything to say? While everyone is here, please feel free to ask any questions or make any requests."
All eyes in the room were on Zhong Yuemin, waiting for his questions about mission details, equipment supplies, or contingency plans.
Even the preparation to back down and refuse.
However, Zhong Yuemin's reaction surprised all the senior officers present.
The man simply raised his hand and touched his nose, not looking at the deputy commander nor asking anything about the Kunlun Mountains or the Lengger Valley. Instead, he pointed directly at the female officer sitting quietly to the side.
"Nothing else for now," Zhong Yuemin said calmly.
"I just want to know, what exactly is her identity?"
This kid... doesn't play by the rules!
Faced with such a dangerous and life-or-death mission, he didn't ask about the enemy situation, logistics, or support; instead, he first inquired about the identity of a woman.
What, you're not interested in her just because she's pretty, are you?
Yang Qing slowly stood up, walked calmly to Zhong Yuemin, and looked up slightly at the man who was half a head taller than her, a half-smile playing on her lips:
"Oh? My identity... is that important to you? More important than figuring out the man-eating canyon in the Kunlun Mountains?"
Zhong Yuemin shrugged and nodded.
"This mission is extremely dangerous, with a slim chance of survival. I have to be responsible for the lives of my brothers. Knowing yourself and your enemy is the key to victory. If I don't even know the identities, backgrounds, and purposes of the highest command on my side, I'll just lose my life in that godforsaken place without even knowing what happened..."
He paused, his gaze fixed on the woman's stunningly beautiful face.
"I don't think that's brave, that's stupid. If you die, you'll be a fool."
Yang Qing told the truth,
"My identity is no secret. Actually, I am not from your military. I am an overseas Chinese from the United States. My father is the person in charge of this scientific expedition team and also the sponsor. This special forces selection and subsequent search and rescue mission were indeed entrusted by me personally, and after approval from higher authorities, they were carried out with the strong assistance of the leaders of the Northwest Military Region."
"that's it?"
Zhong Yuemin pressed for an answer, clearly not satisfied with the explanation. How could an overseas Chinese, even if her father was a member of a scientific expedition team, mobilize an entire military region to cooperate with her in such a large-scale operation?
Yang Qing seemed to see through his thoughts, and smiled softly, a smile carrying a complex and unfathomable meaning.
"Otherwise what? Are you wondering why I, an overseas Chinese, can command our country's regular troops to cooperate with me?"
She paused, as if talking about something trivial, but the words she uttered carried immense weight.
"Nothing else, I contributed money. In my personal capacity, I donated 20 million US dollars, foreign exchange, to the country!"
Twenty million... US dollars?!
Even though Zhong Yuemin was somewhat prepared, he was still shocked by the figure. Twenty million US dollars—even decades later, this would be an astonishing sum, let alone in the early 1980s when their country was in dire need of development and foreign exchange reserves were extremely scarce.
He understood instantly.
He didn't know the specifics of how tight the country's finances were right now, but he had often heard that the country's total foreign exchange reserves were said to be only around $8.4 million.
What is this concept?
This amount of money is probably not even a fraction of the overseas procurement budget of a large American company.
If a country wants to import an advanced fertilizer production line, it has to tighten its belt and raise foreign exchange from all over the country. It takes half a year of endless negotiations, and in the end, it often can only accept second-hand equipment that has been phased out by others...
In this context, the $20 million donated by this individual is like sending charcoal in snowy weather; it is a valuable foreign exchange resource that can solve many urgent problems.
With this huge donation, he made a substantial contribution to the country and naturally won the attention and respect of the higher-ups. Under the pretext of finding his father, he requested the formation of an elite team for search and rescue. The military region had no reason not to fully cooperate, both for public and private reasons.
This woman is not only a beauty and a ruthless person, but also... a super rich woman, and a daughter who is willing to give up everything to find her father.
"I understand."
Zhong Yuemin nodded and didn't ask any further questions.
Yang Qing continued:
“I am also aware of the danger of this mission. I have told the leaders of the Northwest Military Region that if any member is willing to join the search and rescue team, regardless of success or failure, each person will be given a reward of $20,000. If they unfortunately die, they will receive a one-time compensation of $100,000. You can tell the team members when you get back that it is not mandatory and is entirely voluntary.”
Zhong Yuemin nodded again, left the room, and went to the next room. He briefly recounted the mysterious disappearance of the Lengger Canyon expedition team and the subsequent search and rescue teams' failure to return.
"...That's the situation. That place is really weird!"
The members of the dozen or so teams, including Haiyang and Dalong, were in an uproar, all looking excited.
"Go, go! How can we not go to such a good opportunity? Twenty thousand US dollars! Right now, the exchange rate is 1.5 Chinese yuan to 1 US dollar. If we go, we'll be three millionaires when we come back."
"All of you, calm down!"
Zhong Yuemin was speechless at their excitement; these guys were really risking their lives for money. He gave them a warning.
"Wipe your drool and don't forget what I just said. This mission is extremely dangerous, with a nine-out-of-ten chance of death. None of the people who went in before came out. Money is a good thing, but you have to be alive to spend it. Don't just dream about becoming a millionaire. Be careful that you don't end up earning it but not living to spend it!"
Da Long said,
“Yuemin, I know it’s dangerous, but didn’t that Miss Yang say that even if I die, I’ll still get a $100,000 compensation?”
His Adam's apple bobbed, and his voice was a little hoarse.
"Honestly, my family is poor. My parents are in poor health, and I have two younger brothers and a younger sister who are waiting for me to eat and go to school. They're all counting on my military allowance... $100,000 is enough for them to live comfortably for the rest of their lives, and they'll never have to suffer from poverty again..."
He patted his chest forcefully, his eyes resolute:
"Yuemin, take me with you! I, Dalong, would rather die than miss this opportunity. I'm willing to go!"
"I am coming too!"
"Count me in!"