1968: Started from breeding

Chapter 353 You have a very serious security vulnerability!

A thin winter fog shrouded the airport in the northern Jiangsu-Anhui Special Economic Zone.

Terminal area.

Alongside the runway, which had been cleaned and simply landscaped, Su Wenchen, Director of the Administrative Committee of the Special Administrative Region, Chen Guodong, Secretary for Protocol, Jiang Dayong, Chief Engineer, and others stood in solemn silence, waiting.

Despite the cold temperature, everyone was in high spirits.

Chen Guodong breathed hot air onto his hands and rubbed them together.

"Old Su, I heard these past few days that our colleagues in Beijing have been through a lot."

"For dynamic security along various routes, they not only proposed that all buildings along the route should have their windows closed and balconies cleared, but even the load-bearing capacity of bridges should be carefully tested."

"The accommodation part is even more outrageous. They directly demanded that the state guesthouse move all the artificial hills in the courtyard, raise the walls, and install nighttime searchlights near the main building."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Dayong, who was standing nearby, asked curiously.

"Why was the artificial hill moved?"

"Does this foreigner not like artificial hills as a type of landscape?"

Su Wenchen thought about it for a moment.

"I think they're worried about safety!"

"The artificial mountains nowadays are all remnants from the past. They are not just a single large rock placed there, but rather a group of artificial mountains with various holes that have been carved and modified."

"They're probably worried someone might be hiding inside and shooting from the shadows!"

Chen Guodong confirmed this in a general manner.

"Old Su, it's exactly what you said. Their explanation is that they're worried someone might hide in there and shoot from the shadows."

"In short, because of the differences in the systems of the two countries, they have deep doubts about our security capabilities, and they have been constantly belittling our security capabilities these past few days."

"The various forms of distrust and nitpicking almost drove the security team crazy."

"We also need to be mentally prepared."

Upon hearing Chen Guodong's words, Jiang Dayong couldn't help but speak up.

"If you don't trust them, why bother coming? Aren't you just asking for trouble?"

Even we ourselves are.

Su Wenchen frowned upon hearing this, but remembering that the other person was from the military, he interrupted directly.

"Jiang Tuan, you should be careful what you say."

Su Wenchen was well aware that both sides had needs in this contact.

The US needs them to continue to withstand pressure from the North and not to be forced to yield to the North.

After all, if they surrender, the north will essentially have an extra blood bank, which will greatly alleviate their economic problems.

This is something the US absolutely does not want to see.

Their country also desperately needs to import advanced industrial equipment from the West to accelerate its development.

After all, relations with the North have soured, and the routes that used to import goods from Eastern Europe have been largely restricted.

Therefore, we could only look for solutions on the Western side, which is why the two sides hit it off immediately.

Upon hearing Su Wenchen's words, Jiang Dayong realized he had said the wrong thing.

He quickly tried to cover it up.

"Director Su, I'm sorry, I misspoke. I was just feeling a bit indignant on behalf of the Beijing security team."

Even when Jiang Dayong wanted to say something more...

The walkie-talkie in Su Wenchen's hand carried a report from the control tower.

"Director Su, the plane has arrived!"

Just a short while after the walkie-talkie stopped ringing.

The deafening roar of an airplane engine from afar shattered the tranquility of the wilderness.

Against the azure horizon, a small black dot first appeared, then gradually grew larger until it transformed into a strikingly painted American C-141 military transport plane.

With its propellers churning the cold air, a massive military transport plane landed smoothly on the brand-new concrete runway and stopped at the designated apron.

The hatch opened, and the first to step out were more than a dozen security personnel from both sides, all with serious expressions.

He quickly and sharply scanned the surrounding environment and the crowd of Su Wenchen and others.

Then a soldier in a U.S. military uniform with brigadier general's epaulets stepped out first, followed by other entourage members in suits, and slowly descended the gangway.

Su Wenchen was somewhat surprised to see that one of the Chinese entourage members was an acquaintance.

However, he and Chen Guodong still led their men to meet them directly.

Chen Guodong spoke first in English.

"Welcome General Haig to the Jiangsu-Anhui Special Economic Zone. This is Comrade Su Wenchen, Director of the Management Committee of our Special Economic Zone."

"Your subsequent security inspection tasks here will be coordinated by Director Su and me."

"If you discover any problems, you can communicate and discuss them with me or Director Su at any time."

When Hague saw Su Wenchen, he raised his eyebrows slightly in surprise, as he had the impression that the officials of the other country were somewhat rigid.

This was the first time he had ever seen someone so young become a governor or regional chief executive.

So he reached out his hand to Su Wenchen with a scrutinizing look.

"Hello, sir, I hope we can complete the work efficiently from here on out."

"We've wasted too much time in your capital, and we hope there won't be too many problems here."

After the accompanying translator finished speaking, Su Wenchen extended his hand in a humble yet assertive manner.

"Your Excellency, we fully understand your strict security requirements and respect the sincerity of both sides in cooperating."

"Although our Jiangsu-Anhui Special Zone is newly established, our special zone team has always promoted all work with the highest standards."

"Every facility and every procedure here undergoes rigorous testing to ensure absolute safety."

"As you can see, the fact that this runway can maintain its optimal condition even in the cold winter is a testament to the execution capabilities of our Special Administrative Region."

"We look forward to both sides working together professionally and efficiently to make this visit a new starting point for demonstrating mutual trust between the two countries."

"If you have any constructive suggestions, we will certainly work together to improve them with an open mind—after all, true security is always built on mutual respect and full communication."

"If one side makes unreasonable demands, I think it will only add unnecessary risks to the security of both sides."

"General, what do you think?"

Upon hearing the translator's words, Hager's eyes sharpened, and he glanced at Su Wenchen with a scrutinizing look.

“You are very different from other people. You are very confident, although I don’t know where your confidence comes from.”

After speaking, he looked at the accompanying inspection personnel who had come with him.

"In that case, time is of the essence. Young men, use your expertise to assess every detail, starting from the airport."

"Remember that safety is our top priority."

"Yes, Sir!"

Accompanied by security personnel and technicians, they dispersed in all directions carrying their suitcases.

Su Wenchen also looked at Jiang Dayong.

"Jiang Tuan, arrange for airport security personnel to follow him. If they encounter other personnel on duty, they can help explain the situation."

"Let them do the inspection however they like!"

When Jiang Dayong saw the various professional equipment that the other person brought with them after they came down, he couldn't help but feel a little uneasy.

Hearing Su Wenchen's words, he immediately agreed.

"Okay, Director Su, I'll arrange for someone to accompany them for testing right away."

After Jiang Dayong made the arrangements
When the local security personnel followed, the more than twenty technicians in military uniforms all gave them a disdainful look.

Clearly, after visiting Beijing, they felt that they were far more professional than those here.

After other technicians began conducting safety checks.

A man in a suit and carrying a briefcase approached, seemingly an official from the White House.

After explaining a few words to Chen Guodong, he also reached out his hand to Su Wenchen.

"Mr. Su, hello. That's just how General Hague is. In his eyes, safety is everything."

"I hope you can understand!"

After Chen Guodong finished translating, he whispered to Su Wenchen.

"He is Ronald Ziegler, the White House Press Secretary."

Upon hearing this, Su Wenchen immediately realized that this person was most likely there to act as a mediator.

Otherwise, given the attitude of the person in charge of the advance team, they might create a lot of trouble before the visit even begins.

Clearly, the other side also knew that, on the one hand, they needed Haig to demonstrate his strength in a tough manner.

By putting psychological pressure on them in advance, you can gain an advantage in subsequent negotiations.

On the other hand, the presence of a lubricant like Ronald is also needed to ease the atmosphere of communication between the two parties and avoid directly falling into a deadlock.

In Su Wenchen's view, this pressure tactic was not bad; it merely demonstrated his own advantages.

Compared to that younger American, our approach to applying maximum pressure is still far from sufficient!
Therefore, when faced with the other party's conciliatory and explanatory words.

Su Wenchen simply smiled and said.

“Mr. Ronald, as the person in charge of security, General Haig naturally needs to make serious arrangements for security issues.”

"Our goals are aligned in this regard. We will do our best to meet any reasonable security requests, so you can rest assured."

Upon hearing Su Wenchen's words, the other party responded with a touch of humor.

"Su, if you think like that, then my job will be much easier."

Then, seemingly very interested in the airport that had just been built on the saline-alkali land, he stomped his foot.

"Su, to be honest, the fact that we were able to build a fully functional runway in such a short time, under such geological and planning conditions, far exceeded our previous estimates."

Then, standing at the end of the runway, looking at the wide, paved road and into the distance, the engineering corps soldiers were nimbly helping to move various equipment brought over by the transport planes.

"I'm surprised," Ronaldo said.

"This is an efficiency rarely seen in my career. Your engineering force... is very professional and efficient."

"I thought your staff were this professional only in the capital!"

“In the past, when we visited other third-world countries, the most outrageous time was when it took us more than 20 hours just to unload the equipment we brought from the plane.”

"They even outnumber you by quite a bit."

Su Wenchen wasn't really surprised to hear this.

"Thank you for the compliment, Mr. Ronald!"

"This airport is also the result of the joint efforts of the People's Liberation Army engineering corps of our two provinces and the people of the special economic zone."

As for the other party's next question, Su Wenchen smiled and didn't say anything more.

Since this involves foreign countries, and they are all third-world countries, he naturally wouldn't step forward to comment or criticize them.

Who knows if there's some kind of trap or something?

Ronald shrugged when he heard Su Wenchen's words.

"Su, your country is really strict. When it comes to foreign countries, why do you all keep quiet?"

Su Wenchen thought for a moment.

"Perhaps in our culture, talking about others behind their backs is not considered gentlemanly behavior!"

Hearing Su Wenchen say this, the other party had no choice but to nod.

"OK then!"

"By the way, may I take some photos of the airport?"

"I'm quite interested in your kind of spacious, makeshift airport."

Su Wenchen nodded upon hearing this.

"Yes, after all, this airport is only a temporary airport built to receive you."

"I believe that if you come back in twenty years, you will definitely see a different scene."

In terms of filming, Su Wenchen's workspace is located outside of the breeding department.

There's really nothing else that needs to be kept secret.

Upon hearing this, the other person took out a camera from their briefcase.

“In that case, I’m even more determined to film it. Once it’s developed further, I’ll come back and film it again.”

"This can be considered witnessing history."

"Oh my God!"

"Just thinking about it makes me think it's so cool!"

Clearly, in his capacity as President Ronald's press secretary, he viewed this area as a newly established special zone in the other country.

It should indeed not be a problem if it develops in twenty years.

Of course, the development he envisioned was not to reach the level of their American cities.

Rather, it was the standard of a third-world city. Although Su Wenchen didn't know what the other person was thinking, he could still sense it from the arrogance that the other person unconsciously revealed.

Seeing that the other person had started taking pictures on their own, he didn't join in.

After all, Chen Guodong might not have felt too bad about such an arrogant tone, but Su Wenchen himself would have felt quite uncomfortable.

When he has nothing to do, he doesn't want to go near them.

So Su Wenchen walked directly to the other side and looked at Lei Boliang, who was directing people to move various mechanical equipment on the plane.

"Uncle Lei, why did you come with me this time?"

"Isn't this a matter for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs? Why is your Ministry of Foreign Trade getting involved?"

Seeing Su Wenchen walking over, Lei Bailiang said irritably.

"What? You're not welcoming me here?"

Do you think there are enough staff in foreign affairs departments right now?

"Moreover, security personnel need to be deployed in all four locations this time. They need to have solid credentials and be knowledgeable in foreign affairs security."

"We won't transfer them from here, we'll transfer them from there."

"Are you suggesting we just pull in raw recruits?!"

Su Wenchen thought about it and felt that it made some sense.

After all, there were few personnel in the foreign affairs department at that time, so transferring some core personnel from the Security Department of the Ministry of Foreign Trade was indeed the most convenient solution.

Seeing that Su Wenchen was still here, Lei Bailiang said irritably.

"Why aren't you with those foreign guests? What are you doing here with me?"

"I'm telling you, watch out, they might cause you trouble!"

"These people are very picky. They would even dig up an ant nest to see if anyone could hide inside."

"Let me tell you, you've been having quite a headache these past few days!"

"These past few days, the people in charge in Beijing have been driven a bit crazy."

Su Wenchen, however, said confidently.

"In terms of security, it's much easier for us to handle things."

"So I'm not really worried about their various problems in this regard."

Lei Bailiang was surprised to see Su Wenchen's confident words.

"So confident? Even the people in Beijing wouldn't dare say that!"

"Where do you get this confidence?"

"Let me tell you, as the president's security advisor, he's definitely got some serious skills when it comes to security."

"They pointed out many potential loopholes in the various evacuation plans and filings."

Su Wenchen smiled and looked at Lei Boliang.

"Uncle Lei, don't worry. I can't say we don't have any loopholes here, but the number of loopholes we've found is definitely much less than in Beijing."

Lei Bailiang remained noncommittal upon hearing this.

"So you're saying your place is even more professional than the one in Beijing!"

"Then I'll wait and see you make a fool of yourself."

"Let me tell you, you're indeed quite excellent in aquaculture, but you're still far behind in security!"

"Alright, I'm not going to argue with you anymore. I still need to keep an eye on them getting all the equipment down!"

This is a highly skilled and discerning advance team.

They also began to pounce on every corner of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region airport like the most meticulous hunting dogs.

However, the anticipated numerous loopholes and heated disputes did not materialize as expected.

The runway? It was a near-perfect, one-piece concrete pour, so smooth that not a single crack could be found, and its strength test results far exceeded the requirements for transport aircraft takeoff and landing.

The engineering team's round-the-clock repair efforts withstood the test of the American side's precision instruments.

An oil depot? It's in a remote location but well-planned, and the surrounding walls are sturdy and stable.

American technicians carefully inspected the fire and explosion prevention measures and the quality of the fuel, but could not find any faults that did not meet the "wartime standards".

The control tower is a temporary prefabricated building? The internal equipment installation is certainly not as impressive as the permanent facilities at American airports.

After all, Su Wenchen and his team didn't have the time or energy to build those cool, permanent facilities.

However, all their necessary communication lines were in good order, various emergency power supplies were on standby at all times, and the engineering soldiers knew the equipment operation procedures by heart.

They even simulated an emergency call in front of the American side, and the process was impeccably smooth.

So when the final airport security check results were compiled and handed over to Hague...

Looking at all the qualified checkmarks on the screen, Hager showed absolutely no joy at the safety measures being in place.

After all, he knew that his advance team had come with a mission.

Of course, these are tasks outside of security, although security is indeed of paramount importance.

But actually, when he saw the other party's comprehensive plans in Beijing, he knew that there was virtually no chance of any problems with their preparations.

However, he still took the opportunity to demonstrate their meticulous security skills.

Therefore, we absolutely cannot afford to mess up at this second stop.

Thinking of this, he spoke directly to the person in charge who came to deliver the inspection report.

“David, I think your examination is completely inadequate. You need to conduct a thorough re-examination.”

After speaking, he seemed to realize that the other person didn't understand, and then put on a serious expression.

"Do you get me?"

Upon hearing this, the other party showed a hint of embarrassment.

"Sir, I understand what you mean, but there's really nothing left to check here!"

"They didn't even install a sewer system!"

He clearly wanted to use this as an excuse to make a fuss, but the situation here was just too simple.

The surrounding area stretched as far as the eye could see, with nowhere to hide.

Various oil depots and dormitory areas were also located at a distance from where they could be fired upon.

The map provided here meticulously marks all the pre-set sentry posts, patrol routes, and cordoned-off areas.

They also tried to come up with several hypothetical "attack routes," but found that without exception, they were all exposed to crossfire in open areas.

The main advantage is that this is an open area with no trees around, and without a large number of people interfering with the view.

Unless they can become invisible or burrow underground, an attack is impossible.

Upon hearing his subordinate's words, Hague looked around at the desolate wilderness, where only a thin mist and cold wind blew, and was speechless for a moment.

This was completely different from Haig's usual approach of relying on technology to meticulously prevent various dangers, yet he couldn't refute it—Beijing could still cause trouble for artificial mountains.

Apart from the empty land and sparse withered grass, what is there here to hide or clear away?
So his face grew increasingly grim, as if a heavy punch had landed on cotton.

I was both amazed by the efficiency and thoroughness of the "saline-alkali land special zone" project, and felt a sense of frustration at being unable to find fault in such an open area.

Even for an outstanding officer like him from West Point, there was no way he could find a firing position in this area!
Finally, after careful observation for a long time, he discovered a small loophole that could maintain the team's morale.

He immediately shouted at Su Wenchen in a stern tone.

"Director Su! You have a very serious security vulnerability here!"

"This protrusion! It must be removed immediately!"

"It interferes with the visual guidance area of ​​the runway extension and does not meet the highest standards of barrier-free safe take-off and landing specifications!"

"Moreover, it provides potential prone sniping positions! Even if there's only a one in a million chance, we can't let that become feasible!"

Upon hearing this, the others around immediately looked in the direction Hager was pointing.

Upon seeing the protrusion, everyone looked on in astonishment.

When Su Wenchen saw the other person pointing to a small natural mound of earth about twenty centimeters in diameter while saying this, he couldn't help but twitch the corner of his mouth.

Such a high mound of earth means that even if you lie down, half of your head will still be sticking out, not to mention they have high observation posts.

If someone actually chooses this kind of place as a sniping spot, let's not even talk about how they managed to get there silently, just the fact that they did get there...

Do they really think all the sentries are blind?
However, seeing this situation, he knew he had to save face for the other party.

So he could only suppress his laughter and turn to look at Jiang Dayong.

"Commander Jiang, did you hear that? General Haig pointed out a major security risk to us—that mound in the saline-alkali land."

"Find someone immediately and level it."

Jiang Dayong was taken aback at first, but then he realized what was happening and immediately agreed.

"Yes! We promise to resolve this potential hazard immediately!"
He turned and shouted to a soldier next to him.

"Erga Zi! Take someone and get a shovel! Go and use the shovel to break up that little mound of dirt in the wasteland!"

"It must be perfectly flat and smooth, without the slightest bump! It must meet the general's highest standards!"

This order made the atmosphere on the scene suddenly seem a bit strange and comical.

Several engineering soldiers immediately suppressed their laughter and ran off to resolve this major safety hazard.

Seeing this, Hague's face showed a hint of awkwardness.

Although he couldn't understand what the other person was saying, he knew that his "nitpicking" had gone too far, and his reason was so far-fetched that it was almost unreasonable.

He could even see their press secretary, Ronald, shrug helplessly beside him.

But with Beijing's "glorious record" in the past, how could his team save face if they returned empty-handed?
He took a deep breath, straightened his back, and tried his best to maintain his dignity as he looked at Su Wenchen.

"Director Su, thank you for your cooperation."

"But our security team's assessments will strictly follow procedures."

"This is just the first stop of the inspection. The real security challenges are in the core reception area and the driving route that follow."

This statement was somewhat of a way for him to save face; he couldn't keep piling up dirt to flatten the place as long as he stayed here!

Su Wenchen maintained a calm smile and nodded.

He gestured "please" while inviting her.

"What the general said is absolutely true."

"Now, let's go to the venue and the tour route."

"However, we also hope that you will not be too worried about major hidden dangers such as 'small mounds' in the future."

"In this regard, we hope you can trust our perimeter security personnel; they are not blind."

Upon hearing the translator's words, Haig immediately lost his temper and didn't want to say anything more.

He simply snorted and took the lead in walking towards the car.

Ronald, who was following behind him, also glanced apologetically at Su Wenchen.

"Su, I'm sorry, I'll explain to our team leader!"

"Perhaps he was under a lot of pressure, so he was a bit too nervous this time."

He clearly felt a little embarrassed about the safety hazard that was being nitpicked at at the end.

As the deputy team leader, he knew the tasks the other side was responsible for, but he felt that this method of undermining the other side's morale was not effective.

It even had the opposite effect.

Because he saw in the smiles of the soldiers around the other side that they were nothing special.

He felt he needed to discuss things with the other party that evening, even if they couldn't find any loopholes, to demonstrate their professionalism and strength.

Nor can we forcibly create false expertise in this way.

Because of the people and soldiers of this country before us.

It's clearly not like a typical third-world country that's so easily fooled.

At least on this makeshift, deserted airport, Fang Tie's iron-like efficiency and extreme pragmatism made their nitpicking so difficult, even laughable.

Su Wenchen looked at the other person with great understanding.

"Now that this matter is over, let's just treat it as a passing episode!"

"However, this time we are extending an invitation to the President with the utmost sincerity."

"We also hope that Mr. Ronald can help us explain to Mr. Haig that we are confident and capable of guaranteeing the president's security."

"Therefore, we hope that in the future, both sides can communicate frankly and sincerely about various issues."

Ronald nodded in complete agreement.

"Su, you're right, I completely agree with you."

"I will communicate with Mr. Haig!"

Upon seeing this, Su Wenchen smiled and pointed to the convoy in the distance.

"Let's go then!"

"Otherwise, General Haig might be getting impatient!"

(End of this chapter)