Chapter 1 An Evening Arrival

That evening, a plane from The Dragon City Rises slowly arrived at the airport in Bana City.

The Dragon City delegation arrived as scheduled, but Bana City only sent a diplomatic official and a dozen accompanying staff to greet them at the airport.

No senior officials from the Bana City government or the military came forward. Compared to previous diplomatic protocols, this was a very cold and simple reception.

Fortunately, the diplomatic official was very polite and did not neglect the Dragon City delegation in terms of personal etiquette.

Jin Maohui and Fei Pingsheng exchanged brief pleasantries with the official, but didn't say much else.

During their interaction, among the twenty-odd accompanying security personnel, one guard kept his head down the whole time, standing at the back of the crowd, wearing a mask, and appearing very low-key.

"Gentlemen, this way, please."

The diplomatic official led them to the cars waiting outside and said with a smile, "We have arranged your accommodations. Please rest for now."

"Okay."

The delegation of over fifty people boarded the motorcade and slowly headed towards the city.

Once the cars started moving, Jin Maohui glanced at the familiar yet somewhat strange scenery outside and asked Fei Pingsheng in a low voice, "Where did you go before? How come you only showed up when we arrived at the Old Mo transfer point? You were sleeping soundly on the plane, and I didn't want to wake you since you looked so tired."

Fei Pingsheng lit a cigarette and said slowly, "What else could I have been doing? The situation is so tense. I took care of some things in advance."

Jin Maohui thought for a moment and asked again, "Can we hold the line this time?"

Fei Pingsheng waved his hand and said helplessly, "Hold what line? In this kind of situation, who can say for sure?"

Jin Maohui also had a headache. Diplomacy wasn't his strong suit, and he felt lost, being thrust into this role.

After rubbing his face, Jin Maohui could only rely on Lao Fei: "What's our strategy for this trip?"

Fei Pingsheng spread his hands: "Play it by ear, adapt to the situation. Anyway, we're here now, so let's take it one step at a time."

Jin Maohui glanced at him, sighed, and didn't say anything more.

The two of them sat in the car, smoking cigarettes and looking out the window.

Along the road from the airport to the city, they could see numerous Blackwater Mercenary Corps soldier outposts, and military vehicles passed by from time to time.

Jin Maohui's expression was grim, and he had a bad feeling. He couldn't help but mutter, "Troops entering the city... that's not a good sign."

Fei Pingsheng frowned and said casually, "To hell with it, everyone dies sometime. Thinking about this now is useless. Eat when you should, drink when you should!"

Jin Maohui looked at him speechlessly and joked, "You've got a big heart."

Fei Pingsheng smiled helplessly and reached out to pat Jin Maohui on the shoulder.

For the rest of the journey, the two of them didn't say anything, just quietly observing the situation in Bana City.

...

About half an hour later, the motorcade drove into the city, and it was getting dark.

Logically speaking, when a delegation of Dragon City's level arrived, Bana City should have held a corresponding diplomatic dinner to welcome them.

But this time, no dinner was held, and the group was simply sent to their accommodations.

Bruna had arranged their accommodations in a building in the backyard of the administrative building.

The building had just been built and was originally intended for administrative staff to rest in, but now it was temporarily serving as a foreign affairs hotel.

The Bana City diplomatic official warmly led them to the lobby and arranged for the group to check in.

Fei Pingsheng glanced at the surrounding decor, looked at the exquisite marble brick walls, and couldn't help but smile. "Bruna is treating us pretty well. The accommodations are quite nice."

Jin Maohui was worried and said noncommittally, "Let's hope so."

After arranging everyone's rooms, the diplomatic official walked up to Fei Pingsheng and said politely, "Mr. Fei, Mr. Jin, our negotiations will begin at ten o'clock tomorrow morning. I will pick you up then and take you to the negotiation site. In the meantime, you can rest well in your rooms. If you need food or daily necessities, just tell the receptionist on your floor."

"Okay, thank you for your trouble."

"It's my duty. Then I'll leave first. Call me if you need anything."

The two sides said goodbye, and the delegation returned to their respective rooms to rest.

Jin Maohui and Fei Pingsheng stayed in a suite. The two of them entered the room and closed the door.

Fei Pingsheng sat down on the sofa, looking around the room. Jin Maohui walked to the window, gently pulled back the curtains, and looked down.

There were many military vehicles nearby, as well as guard posts, and many Blackwater Mercenary Corps soldiers were patrolling the area.

Jin Maohui frowned and couldn't help but say, "Damn it, it's not necessarily safe here either. Look outside."

"Let me see."

Fei Pingsheng walked over and looked out the window, and couldn't help but curse, "Damn, why are there so many military vehicles around here?!"

The two looked at each other, their expressions not looking good.

Fei Pingsheng returned to the sofa, was silent for a moment, took out his cell phone, and dialed a number directly.

The call was quickly connected, and Zhao Weihu's voice came out: "Hello? Lao Fei, what's the situation there?"

Fei Pingsheng's voice revealed a hint of solemnity: "Commander, the situation here is more serious than I thought. It's still what I mentioned to you before, let the official army move a little earlier."

Zhao Weihu agreed without thinking: "Okay, I understand. You must pay attention to your safety."

"Understood."

Fei Pingsheng hung up the phone and turned to Jin Maohui and said, "Are you hungry? What do you want to eat? Should we have the cafeteria send something over?"

...

That night, Bo Ang had already led three regiments of troops into the city.

In an office building in the city, Bo Ang was sitting in a wheelchair, chatting in a low voice with several officers.

Soon, the office door was pushed open, and Gilman, the head of the Black Bear Regiment under the Blackwater Mercenary Corps, strode in and snapped to attention, saluting Bo Ang: "Reporting, Commander, according to the previously agreed plan, my side has taken over part of the city defense work of the police department."

Bo Ang nodded.

An officer next to him immediately asked, "What about the list of members of the Dragon City delegation? Has it come out yet?"

Gilman turned to him and said, "It's out. There are two people in charge of this delegation: Jin Maohui and Fei Pingsheng."

The people of the Blackwater Mercenary Corps were very familiar with the names of these two people. Hearing that it was them, they couldn't help but be a little surprised and exchanged glances.

Bo Ang thought for a while and said to Gilman, "Notify the garrison units in the city to strengthen the alert around the administrative building tonight, set up two or three more checkpoints, and increase the patrol by one battalion."

Gilman was taken aback, but immediately nodded and said, "Yes, Commander!"