Miss Beautiful C.E.O and her system

Tang Ziyi, having just sat beside Ling Qingyu, paused and took out a tablet. The latter also raised her brows, never expecting the country's military to react so fast.

She knew which faction the drones belonged to. Militias and rebel forces couldn't afford such expensive and luxurious arsenals.

From Athena's tone, the drone wasn't a small commercial type but obviously a fixed-wing asset.

Tang Ziyi gave orders quickly without the slightest hesitation. "Kilo 2 and 3, pick the nearest building and head to the top floor. Prepare AA weapons. Stand by for my further orders."

"Clear."

"Understood."

Kilo 2 and 3, staying near the technicals, picked up Stinger missiles, which weren't collected by Ling Qingyu because of Tang Ziyi's words.

The two teams sprinted up the staircase. The holders of the missiles even had excitement in their eyes.

They hadn't had the chance to use them since Ling Qingyu unveiled these weapons. Eliminating the enemy's reinforcement wasn't very appealing.

If they managed to score a hit on a flying aircraft, there would definitely be a plus sign on their CVs. Not that they had any desire to change jobs, but people must have dreams and something to brag about, right?

"All units, be advised. Enemy UAV is heading our way. Establish a perimeter and spread out."

"Roger."

"Copy that."

"…"

Positive replies echoed through the radios. All Kilos maneuvered accordingly. A few operators arranged the people who were meant to be transported alongside them when the convoy returned.

The technicals navigated the narrow streets and avenues as turret gunners swiveled their heads, looking above. Their hands stayed on the .50 caliber machine guns after cracking the bolt to chamber the first rounds.

Yes, Tang Ziyi had asked for more heavy-duty machine guns from Ling Qingyu as she planned the evacuation.

She felt the PKM's effectiveness was too weak if something bad happened while they evacuated. Sure enough, her decision wasn't wrong.

Powerful .50 calibers could also serve as close-proximity anti-aircraft weaponry against flying objects. If the group kept using PKMs, the small caliber wouldn't even pose the slightest threat to the enemy, not even low-flying helicopters.

In fact, the wolf members from the military were stunned when they saw .50 caliber machine guns on the turrets. Although Spirit Fox explained that the source came from the militants here, the wolf members could only pinch their noses and believe the lies.

After all, they were a little in disbelief that the enemies they had crushed before were armed so heavily. With their current equipment, they had doubts about how they managed to win other than through the element of surprise at the beginning.

Ling Qingyu gazed at her partner, amazed at Tang Ziyi's decisiveness. She watched in a daze as Tang Ziyi's domineering aura overflowed and rushed toward her.

If she were able to suppress Tang Ziyi under her body, just the mere thought melted her bones.

Tang Ziyi contemplated her options, and her eyes flashed with ruthlessness. "Kilo 2 and 3, fire when you spot the drone. The rest, prepare to cover in case something goes wrong."@@novelbin@@

"Athena, how long until the drone arrives?"

"Three mikes, Aunt."

"Then notify Kilo 2 and 3 once the countdown nears."

"Yes."

Foreign intervention, which she feared—or hoped not to happen—had come. She didn't hesitate to destroy the drones, even if her actions could offend the other party and jeopardize the evacuation.

"You, if you order an attack, that's a declaration of war," Ling Qingyu stuttered.

"What?" Tang Ziyi asked with a smile. "Are you afraid of a fifth-rate military force?"

Although she sounded condescending, her attitude was never to underestimate others. Fifth-rate military power didn't seem threatening to nations, but Spirit Fox wasn't a country force.

It was a private entity. No single party would win against a country that depended on its population and wealth.

Despite Ling Qingyu's true wealth rivaling that of some small countries and her personal army being comparable to the smallest sovereign nation, they had to buy time for their future.

"Heck, no," Ling Qingyu protested. "Elena can squash this country's army within a few hours by herself. Why must I fear?"

"That's an attitude I like," said Tang Ziyi. "Don't worry, we won't reach that hot stage we hoped wouldn't happen."

"But if you destroy the drone, won't the military rush in?"

"You have a deep misunderstanding of power here. You can't think that everyone always seeks the best benefits," Tang Ziyi paused. "Sometimes, you must know their culture so that you can uncover their despicableness."

"Despicableness?"

"If you read a small history of this land, you'll find out how ruthless the regime is and how low they could go to achieve any goal. The only message they take seriously is war."

"So, you want to blow up the drones to scare the regime? Why?"

"To stop them from snooping around for a while, giving us time to evacuate," Tang Ziyi answered Ling Qingyu patiently, ignoring the oncoming crisis as if the issue wasn't too serious. "Of course, that's a tiny reason. The real reason is when I ask you: what will the drone do if they spot our convoy moving out in a large formation?"

"Emm… Do they really dare to fire at us? Aren't they afraid of misunderstanding and causing a war with the militants? I mean, the militants here are done, but they don't know."

"Why not, seeing a bunch of cars trying to escape?" Tang Ziyi shook her head. "To them, it doesn't matter if a battle or war breaks out because they can afford to provoke the militants and negotiate on other terms again.

"However, if the news or suspicions they have are true, like infighting or the weakening of the militants, they have much more to gain than the consequences. Not to mention, different factions clashed regularly in the past for no reason—intrusions and etcetera, mostly done by the military on purpose."

Ling Qingyu realized the stakes here and understood. They really didn't have sufficient time. "So, in order to buy some time, you want false deterrence to confuse them."

"Bingo. If they see our situation, the military will immediately launch an attack. Our evacuation will be affected, and who knows if they might pursue us and crush us from the air," Tang Ziyi patted Ling Qingyu's shoulder and focused again on the screen.

Although Tang Ziyi's action bought time, Ling Qingyu figured something was wrong. "Wait, can't you use Athena to relay false pictures and create an illusion?"

"Well, that…" Tang Ziyi, who was initially proud and arrogant, wilted and blinked before she confessed later. "I forgot."

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Ling Qingyu slapped her forehead. "Never mind, just do what you already ordered. It doesn't matter."

In fact, Athena's capabilities and talents were mostly forgotten, even by Tang Ziyi, who used to innovate with her niece. The precarious possibilities and narrow window for a response might have blurred her judgment.

"No," Tang Ziyi shook her head and convinced Ling Qingyu. "Blowing up the drone gives us more time than the illusion. But I'll bear in mind not to forget."

Ling Qingyu nodded and thought Tang Ziyi's words carried some truth. Deterrence worked better since Kilo 2 and 3 had engaged a few scouting teams from the military.

If they showed the militants still retained enough power despite infighting, the military might not dare to fully implement their conspiracy, whereas the peaceful illusion might raise doubt and prompt their desire to test the ground.

However, Tang Ziyi and Ling Qingyu hadn't talked for long before Athena's voice interrupted them, and the duo heard a small explosion, then saw a long trail of smoke from a high-rise apartment.

Anyway, Spirit Fox was already engaged. It didn't matter what they were arguing about previously. Tang Ziyi didn't care much.

In the sky, flames lit up and engulfed the fast metallic flying object, which couldn't be seen clearly from the ground, into a large fireball.

Kilo 2 seemed to be cheering as they scored a hit, while others watched their team with envy.

"All units, set out fast. We don't have time."

Since everyone had prepared seamlessly, under Tang Ziyi's order, the disarrayed formation stabilized within a minute, and the snake formation departed toward the border.

Trucks, buses, off-road pickup trucks, and SUVs followed Ling Qingyu's Land Cruiser and the technical ahead.

Each bus and truck carried passengers they rescued and were guarded by two operators—one as a driver and the other as a watchman.

Manpower was spread out so much that each technical only had a driver and a gunner. More than a dozen vehicles belonged to Ling Qingyu—technicals and the Land Cruiser.

The rest were manned by the remaining operators. Statistically, around 80 operators handled the rescued hostages and civilians.

…

Across some distance, passing over mountainous terrain and forest, a man in a military uniform with a major general rank frowned at his subordinate's report of a destroyed drone. He lowered his head in deep thought.

He received news from the units nearby that a battle had definitely been staged in the vicinity. His scouting teams were repelled several times. To confirm his conjecture, he sent over the drone, which was blown up instantly.

The pilot didn't have the slightest chance to record the important sight below. He was totally blind. His gut told him that an opportunity awaited.

Yet, his rationality suggested playing it safe. It didn't matter if time passed too long, but once he made mistakes, more trouble would appear.

Not only the major general, but his adjutant and advisors also argued nonstop regarding whether to send in a platoon. After all, the rebels dared to fire at their drones, and something must be done.

"Contact that stupid warlord to see what he says next about the drone. Ask for compensation," the general requested and turned his gaze toward the intelligence map, standing tall against the wall.

"Yes, sir."

Nobody cared whether they intruded on others' territory because they had the bigger fists. Though the resistance was unexpected, shouldn't the rebels normally telephone them to protest and warn to take action?

Why did they explode before they spoke all of a sudden? Were they preparing to go to war with them or planning something deeper?

A chill shuddered the general's confidence as he gulped at the possibility of being implicated because he created a conflict. No… NO… he had never overreached. Sending in the drone was to confirm his suspicion and ready countermeasures. Yes, everything was to defend against sudden enemy attacks.