Chapter Thirty-Seven: Quiet Speculation

Angry Dragon Squad Operations Room was located on the first floor of a small building at the heart of the underground training base. The space was not large, but the vaulted ceiling soared high above. Pristine white walls gleamed, utterly spotless, and were adorned with enormous maps: the Republic, Arthur State, Northern Minia, and a world map.

At the center stood a massive projection screen, ten meters wide and six meters high. Beneath it sprawled a giant command table, three meters wide and over ten meters long, equipped with large computers, high-resolution projectors, and other facilities. Lei Tiangang sat solemnly at the center of the table.

Surrounding the command table were dozens of the most common military chairs—straight-backed, hard, and uncomfortable, designed to keep one’s posture upright and mind alert. Now, every chair was occupied. The projection screen displayed a live feed of the southern Indian Ocean, an endless expanse of water dotted with islands and reefs, like dark red, blood-stained specks on a jade platter—so glaring, and fraught with hidden danger.

As the frozen scene slowly unfolded, every face in the room was marked with heaviness and anxiety; the atmosphere was suffocating.

Especially after Lei Tiangang’s final words, the weight, anxiety, and repression reached their peak.

Everyone understood what the orbital shifts of five satellites meant—it signaled that these five satellites would soon exhaust their energy reserves, their operational life drastically overdrawn, and they would be scrapped in a very short time.

This meant billions in losses. More critically, it would leave a gaping hole in the Republic’s satellite surveillance network over the Indian Ocean.

Even more important, the satellites’ search results were limited. Despite the Republic’s remote sensing satellites, launched over the past two decades and equipped with high-gain antennas for real-time image transmission via SkyLink relay, their resolution was restricted. Satellites with over 100-meter resolution provided wide coverage but could not distinguish an aircraft barely sixty meters long—a best-case scenario if the plane was floating intact on sea or land.

If the worst had happened—a crash in the vast ocean with wreckage sinking below—neither remote sensing nor radar satellites could penetrate the sea to search underwater.

High-resolution satellites, while capable of identifying an aircraft, had narrow imaging swathes, and given their speed, searching hundreds of thousands of square kilometers of ocean would take an indeterminate amount of time.

What was needed most now was time.

“Report!” Lei Dong suddenly remembered something and raised his hand. With Lei Tiangang’s permission, he spoke thoughtfully, “Regardless of the final conclusion, I believe this matter may be related to the East Uguchat Organization.”

Lei Dong’s statement was brief, yet he used phrases like “I think” and “perhaps,” taboo in military discourse, but no one minded. The situation itself required conjecture and judgment, and in this moment of urgency and uncertainty, any speculation could be valuable for future direction.

Everyone turned to Lei Dong, hoping he might offer some insight. Lei Tiangang nodded slightly, signaling him to continue.

Lei Dong gathered his thoughts and said, “As you know, less than an hour ago, I apprehended Aiyim Nawal of the East Uguchat Organization two kilometers southwest of Han Jing International Airport, at North Fifth Ring. During the pursuit, I discovered that Nawal’s target was the airport itself. Throughout his escape, carrying powerful explosives, he showed no intention of detonating them until he realized escape was impossible, then attempted to trigger the explosion. On my way back to base, I heard a loud commotion from the airport direction, which coincided with the announcement of the missing flight. Therefore, I deduced,” Lei Dong spoke slowly, “that Nawal must have known chaos was about to erupt at the airport—chaos sufficient to draw security forces away to restore order, giving him the opportunity to strike amid confusion.”

His analysis was logical; nearly everyone nodded subtly, except for An Jing, who shook her head gently.

Her motion was slight, but everyone present—including Lei Tiangang—were elite special operations personnel, keen-eyed and alert, and all paused in surprise. Lei Tiangang asked, “Comrade An Jing, do you have a different opinion?”

An Jing, after a moment’s thought, shook her head, “No, I agree with Comrade Lei Dong’s assessment. However…”

Lei Dong, watching An Jing’s contemplative demeanor, felt a warmth in his heart. Whether she agreed or not mattered little; simply seeing her serene face, brows knitted in thought, lips moving gently, filled him with tenderness. Especially hearing her, usually gentle and demure before him, address him formally as “Comrade Lei Dong,” he felt both amused and fond.

But he quickly remembered this was not the moment for such emotions. Straightening his expression under her discreet sidelong glance, he listened intently for her insight.

An Jing’s brows remained tightly furrowed as she mused, “I believe Comrade Lei Dong’s assessment is sound; it’s certain that terrorists are involved. But I don’t think that’s the whole answer.”

Her voice, hesitant at first, grew more confident, “Regardless of ordinary terrorists, even if trained in flying, do they possess the ability to make a large commercial airliner vanish without a trace so quickly? And regarding motive, terrorists hijacking a plane would typically make demands, negotiate with governments, or claim responsibility to spread fear and boost their influence. Yet nearly ten hours have passed since the flight disappeared, and no group or individual has responded. This is unlike the usual terrorist modus operandi. I suspect something unexpected occurred during the hijacking.”

An Jing’s speculation was undeniably persuasive. Lei Tiangang nodded, “I basically agree with that assessment. Aiyim Nawal is now fully detained, and Division Three is handling the interrogation. With their technical expertise, answers should come soon—please continue, Comrade An Jing.”

With her initial point accepted, An Jing’s confidence surged, her earlier hesitation vanished. She continued, “So, what unexpected events might have occurred? First, we must analyze who could have targeted the plane and their motives. Firstly…”

She raised a slender finger, “The East Uguchat Organization—already discussed. Second, the ‘Island Independence’ faction from Taihua Island—these traitors see the Republic as their greatest enemy and revere the Minia Federation and the Empire of Jeppen. They have never given up, and their party ruled Taihua Island for eight years, nurturing die-hard members with rigorous espionage training. If they learned of the imminent peace agreement between the two sides, they might target Elder Cao Jingren—one, to seize confidential documents, and two, if the plot was exposed, to throw the executors’ identities into the public, sowing distrust and undermining unification efforts.”

“Third, and most probable,” An Jing spoke with calm yet decisive clarity that resonated through the operations room, “Intelligence personnel from the Minia Federation.”

There was no dispute over this. If the Minia Federation’s intelligence services learned that such crucial classified material was leaked, especially to their chief strategic rival, they would go to any lengths to retrieve it.

“So, our first task is to screen the passenger list for clues.” An Jing looked at Lei Tiangang, her voice steady.

Lei Tiangang’s eyes showed a hint of admiration, and he nodded with a wry smile, “We’ve already contacted the Donisia authorities for detailed passenger lists and boarding records, but as everyone knows, their government is notoriously disorganized and inefficient. We had to resort to other technical means, but the screening isn’t finished yet—please continue.”

An Jing nodded, her clear and gentle voice carrying her reasoning forward, “If all three parties were aboard this flight, what would happen? It’s certain this was not a meticulously premeditated event, but a sudden incident. If there had been ample preparation and planning time, aside from the East Uguchat Organization, both the Island Independence faction and Minia Federation agents would have had better ways to act on the ground. The reality is, everything seemed calm until the plane took off, so my first judgment is that the incident occurred at the airport. The Island Independence and Minia Federation agents, having just received intelligence, found their target had already boarded. Too late for other measures, they boarded as well.”

“Based on these circumstances, I suspect something happened at the airport, or among the boarding passengers someone used fake identity and tickets. Moreover…” An Jing suddenly paused, her brows tightening further, voice laden with worry, “I fear our intelligence personnel in the Minia Federation may have run into trouble…”