books44 Chapter 726 The Suddenly Generous Gallic Rooster
Chapter 726 The Suddenly Generous Gallic Rooster
"It was delivered by the Gallic Rooster, and this was also delivered along with it..."
Company Commander Tang got up, walked to an inconspicuous locker in the corner of the carriage, opened the door, and took out a small brown leather bag with a somewhat peculiar shape.
Jiang Xia was still immersed in the frustration of his shattered "dream of sleeping in the leader's bed," and he looked rather listless. He mechanically wiped his hands, took the bag, weighed it in his hand, but his eyes were unfocused.
I casually flipped through the bag. The whole bag looked like a short, stout bucket. There was a big, bright yellow brass clasp in the middle of the lid. It had a spring mechanism and would open with a "click" when you pressed it!
There's also a mini padlock hanging next to it, and the key can be pulled out! The brass parts are polished to a shine, engraved with the English words "HERMèS PARIS," exuding sophistication!
Hmm, it looks quite exquisite, but... can this compare to the leader's bed?
"These French have a skewed sense of aesthetics, don't they? They should learn from our military satchels! Adding a shoulder strap would make it so much easier to carry! Just a single, lonely leather handle is uncomfortable to hold! If you put anything heavy in it, it's no wonder your hand will ache from the pressure!"
Jiang Xia swung the bag around and gave it a profound review from a practical standpoint. It was less of a critique and more of a venting of frustration; a chance for close contact had been ruined by the French, and anyone in his shoes would have found a reason to vent their anger.
Well, poor "bucket bags," fresh out of the oven, didn't yet have those two classic straps that would later become iconic. Just a bare leather handle did look rather silly.
The three grown men beside Jiang Xia watched as he went from being elated to dejected, and then to complaining about the bag with some resentment. They all suppressed their laughter and nodded knowingly.
Company Commander Tang suppressed a laugh and reminded him, "Don't just look at the foreskin; the important thing is inside. There's a document there. Take a look quickly!"
"Oh!"
Jiang Xia casually tossed the bag to Lao Wang, as if he were throwing a lump of coal.
Old Wang happily accepted it and began fiddling with the spring-loaded brass buckle that kept making a "click-click" sound, pressing it with great enthusiasm.
Jiang Xia took out the document and noticed that the bag was sealed with a piece of dark red sealing wax, on which a complex emblem was clearly imprinted.
"INRIA? Huh? You didn't even open it? The sealing wax is still there!"
"What are you thinking! How could we possibly demolish something like that!"
"When organizing affairs, rules come first, and integrity is paramount! Since we promised the French that this document must be opened personally by the inventor of the 'China' language, we absolutely must keep our word. Keeping our promises is our style. Opening letters carelessly? That's the business of old warlords and spies, not our rule!"
"Strict!" Jiang Xia gave a thumbs up and casually reached for the sealing wax.
Before his hand could even touch her, Company Commander Tang grabbed it.
"What?"
"Nothing's wrong! The sealing wax is intact. I'll help you remove it! Go sit over there with Old Wang!"
As he spoke, Company Commander Tang took the paper bag, strode to the ventilation area between the two carriages, and then smiled gently at Jiang Xia.
"Before leaving, my father received some information that the CIA under the Bald Eagle and the Lubyanka of the Alliance have recently become increasingly ruthless, giving the impression that they have entered a peak period. The French are in cahoots with them, so they may have learned some dirty tricks as well... Better safe than sorry."
"Uh, that can't be that bad..."
"Absolutely!" Company Commander Tang nodded, then nudged Old Wang with his chin: "You'll have to go back to the hideout for retraining. The enemy's methods are constantly evolving. Cyanide injections and sniping are child's play now. They're using poison pens and mail bombs... If you don't hone your skills, you won't be able to protect your men!"
Ignoring Old Wang's deep reply, Jiang Xia thought of that burly man who suddenly appeared out of nowhere in the cigar country. No, "burly man who suddenly appeared out of nowhere" might be a bit lacking, but "super long standby time" is definitely enough.
This powerful figure, who rose to power in 1959 and died in 2016, outlived 11 U.S. presidents. During that time, he survived countless assassination attempts, with at least eight publicly documented. Each one was meticulously planned by the U.S. military, a sure death sentence for anyone else, yet this bearded man remained alive and well.
What is the basis for that?
Of course, we should be cautious!
So Jiang Xia nudged Old Wang: "From now on, you'll have to go through all my mail and packages first... Company Commander Tang, you too. Maybe you shouldn't retire, Old Wang's too clumsy..."
"How about you don't dismantle it? We can borrow a hazmat suit when we get there. I'm not in a hurry to see it anyway."
"No need, I'm the boss when it comes to dirty tricks." Company Commander Tang chuckled, his fingers already expertly scrutinizing the file folder. Afraid Jiang Xia would get bored waiting, he casually recounted some old stories:
"Back when I was fighting the Bald Eagles over there, in the freezing cold, I used some dirty tricks to take down one of their machine gun positions."
Company Commander Tang paused, looked at Jiang Xia, and seemed to be asking Xiao Dai Mao if he wanted to hear it.
Seeing Jiang Xia nodding vigorously, he continued speaking.
“That place was too tricky, with large blind spots in the fire coverage, and a direct assault would result in too many casualties. I sneaked up to the flank and chose a position that was close enough to him, but also just behind a rock, out of his heavy machine gun's reach. I tied an empty tin can to the rock with a frozen thread. When the wind blew, the thread tightened, and the tin can clattered against the rock wall.”
"That kid heard the noise but couldn't see anyone. Plus, he was scared of our sharpshooters and didn't dare to fire recklessly and reveal his position, so he had to risk peeking out..."
Before Company Commander Tang could finish speaking, he slashed his right hand across his leg, and with a flash of light, he sliced the file bag in half with a "sizzle".
"Bang! One shot and he's down! But I didn't hit a vital spot, leaving him half-dead so he can still howl..." Company Commander Tang paused slightly, looked up at Jiang Xia, his gaze somewhat deep.
"I didn't move either, just waiting for his accomplices to give in and come out to rescue him. For every one they rescued, I'd drop another... and that's how that machine gun position was rendered useless. Tell me, isn't it a dirty trick to 'fish' people out like this?"
At this point, Company Commander Tang stopped what he was doing and stared blankly at Jiang Xia.
Jiang Xia was deeply moved. He nodded vigorously, his voice resolute: "How can this be called 'harmful'?! This is protecting our homeland! This is fighting wolves! This is saving our comrades from bloodshed! It's only right and proper! There's nothing more glorious than this!"
Looking at Jiang Xia's excited and earnest face, a hint of warmth flashed in Tang's eyes.
“You’re easy to talk to, kid. Some people, the moment they hear I’m helping them check something, they go wild like cats with their fur standing on end, tsk…” a steady voice rang out. Before anyone knew it, Squad Leader Ru was standing beside Company Commander Tang, holding several small reagent bottles in his hands.
Company Commander Tang took out a thin cotton swab, and pursed his lips as he listened: "Pah, you can't reason with those damned devils. If you ask me, just ignore them. Every day, they haven't produced many results, and all they do is put on airs. Everyone's achievements are the result of working overtime in the lab, yet they just stay holed up in the office..."
"The other day, the colleagues at the research institute were tinkering with explosives and, by sheer accident, discovered that this reagent can detect more than a dozen hidden poisons, especially those that are colorless, odorless, and deadly if they come into contact with them."
Company Commander Tang explained, deftly using a dropper to draw up a little liquid and carefully dripping it onto the blank edge of the document paper.
What a lucky accident...
Jiang Xia recalled his own experience of working on materials and deeply sympathized:
"I think chemistry and materials science are both theology! Making a formula is like alchemy, adding a few drops of this, mixing a few drops of that, and then 'bang!' Either the lab explodes, or you create something unexpected... The principle? Don't ask! It's all metaphysics!"
"Hey, by the way, this wasn't something that kid Zeshan made, was it? I did prepare a pipette for him too, Old Wang, remember to remind me to send it to him..."
Class monitor Ru was amused by Jiang Xia's sarcasm, and a slight smile appeared on his lips: "Forget about theology and metaphysics, as long as it works!"
Company Commander Tang ignored them and continued to stare intently at the paper until he was sure that there was no discoloration, bubbling or other abnormal reaction where the drop of liquid had been absorbed. Only then did he let out a long sigh of relief and relax his tense shoulders.
He used a clean corner of a cloth to very gently absorb the barely perceptible dampness before handing the document to Jiang Xia.
"It's all set, let's see."
Jiang Xia took the document, and was filled with admiration for Company Commander Tang's meticulous vigilance and professional handling.
He glanced sideways at Old Wang, who then raised his hands in surrender: "I'll go back and pursue further studies!"
Jiang Xia unfolded the document, his eyes quickly scanning the text. "Oh!"
"When did the French become so ethical? The document says this carriage is 'compensation for improper patent leakage'?"
"When did they become so kind? This isn't like them at all... Patent compensation? If they didn't have any real strength, patents wouldn't even be good enough to wipe their butts with..."
The next second, Jiang Xia's gaze swept to the key clauses on the last few pages of the document.
"So that's what they were waiting for! Heh, I knew it... This is probably their real intention in offering this 'compensation', isn't it?"
He slammed the file shut, looked up at the people in the carriage, and grinned like a fox with a hen in its mouth:
"The fish...it's taken the bait!"