"Director Chen, I think you owe me an explanation as to why our movements were so thoroughly leaked. There were almost dozens of people waiting for us, fully armed with sophisticated weaponry, and now two of my people’s lives hang in the balance," An Zhiyuan could not contain his anger.
His suggestions were ignored, leading to the most severe consequences, not to mention the potential intelligence leak! How could anyone remain calm in the face of that?
The instructor felt the collar tighten under An Zhiyuan’s piercing gaze and subconsciously reached up to loosen it, thinking to himself, God, An Zhiyuan’s look is even more intimidating than that of his superiors, it’s downright suffocating.
"There’s nothing much to say! It was our decision-making error, we have already started to vet all the combatants from last night, anyone could have leaked the information. We also didn’t want this to happen, but who could have predicted it? Your teammates are also our comrades, what’s done is done, we should be thinking about how to make amends, after all, the information provided by Sang Ji was not false," Director Chen said, breaking out in a cold sweat.
Getting the words out under An Zhiyuan’s stern gaze was a blessing from heaven.
He understood that getting in An Zhiyuan’s way was perilously risky.
Though An Zhiyuan was decisively resolute, he would not act rashly and harm others, his actions were also thoroughly calculated, and it was because of his informants that they were able to get swift, good-quality information on the case.
But now, they had messed it up.
"We don’t need explanations. This time we will act alone, keep your people away from us. If we discover anyone tracking us, we will view it as a risk of intelligence betrayal and will respond with exceptional measures. Don’t say I didn’t warn you," An Zhiyuan decided it was no longer necessary to be polite, it seems fists were more convenient.
A single concession and courtesy had already cost two of his people, who had families of their own.
Even if their lives weren’t in danger, he was still seething with anger.
"But..."
Director Chen struggled to assert their rights, they were supposed to be in the leading position, why should they be led by the nose by An Zhiyuan?
But he dared not say so.
"I hope you don’t exhaust our patience, we can’t afford any more casualties, if you disagree, then we’ll pull out of the fight. My people won’t be puppets, sacrificed as lab rats for someone else’s experiments," An Zhiyuan said mercilessly.
His success in this field now seemed to be an obstacle to his continued hands-on participation, any higher-level operations meant less real combat experience.
He brought his people here to coordinate with local law enforcement, to gain more practical experience, not to learn from a deadly kind of experience.
That’s a huge difference.
"Alright then, Captain An, we cannot shirk responsibility for the last operation’s failure. Therefore, we agree to let you operate on your own this time. However, if this mission is unsuccessful again, we still demand to take back control," Director Chen of course understood.
"With a few men short, can your team complete the task?" Director Chen couldn’t help worrying about the reduced numbers.
"If I didn’t think our people were capable, I would never let my subordinates risk it. They are human beings, each one a living life," Zhiyuan said firmly.
Director Chen quickly weighed all the factors.
Although their team was down by two members, the leader commanding them was An Zhiyuan, which was more than enough to make up for the shortfall.
Considering all the factors, Director Chen could not think of a better candidate for the job than An Zhiyuan, whose reputation was a golden ticket.