Starting from South America, speeding through the world

Chapter 348 Taking Over on a Rainy Night

Chapter 348 Taking Over on a Rainy Night
June 5th, night.

Eight hours after the shooting, torrential rain began to fall.

Occasionally, lightning flashes across the sky, a flash of white light followed by muffled thunder.

Several ambulances sped past on the street, their tires kicking up water.

The horn's blare was sharp, short, and urgent, making it hard to breathe.

The Presidential Palace, located on Li Zizhong Street, was brightly lit.

The conference table was piled high with newly delivered reports.

The air was filled with the pungent smell of ink, mixed with the stench of sweat and smoke.

Nguyen Van Thieu leaned back in his chair, staring gloomily out the window.

His fingers tapped against his knees.

Li Mingxuan sat opposite him, with two pages of telegrams spread out in front of him.

The secretaries outside were coming and going, so frightened that they didn't dare to breathe.

Rainwater streamed down the glass, reflecting the rather stiff postures of the two people.

After a long while, Nguyen Van Thieu finally spoke.

"How many have we ultimately confirmed dead?" he asked in a low voice.

"Your Excellency, twenty military police officers died on the spot," Li Mingxuan replied.

"So much so that when the army arrived to provide support, they chose to open fire freely."

"However, because they caused over a hundred injuries, most of whom were civilians."

Nguyen Van Thieu's eyelids twitched violently.

What about the Americans?

"No one on the advisory team died, but two sustained minor injuries."

Li Mingxuan paused, then added, "That's good news."

"good news?"

"No deaths mean we can still talk to Washington."

"They won't turn on us so easily. As long as we can shift the blame."

Nguyen Van Thieu instantly understood his implication and slightly raised his head.

"Who will you dump it on?"

"The military. Fan Wenxiong's troops. They're also on the scene."

“Fan Wenxiong will not sit idly by and wait for his death.”

"That is precisely why you should perhaps take action first."

Li Mingxuan's voice was very soft.

"If Nguyen Cao Ki or Pham Van Hung seize control of the situation first, the US will simply go with the flow."

Upon hearing this, Nguyen Van Thieu remained silent for a moment, then glanced at the pen beside him.

A gift from Americans.

The paint shines brightly under the light.

"Tonight, shall we?" He seemed to be talking to himself. "Tonight, shall we?"

“They must be thinking the same thing.” Li Mingxuan did not give a direct answer.

A few seconds later, Nguyen Van Thieu no longer hesitated.

He glanced at the adjutant at the door and simply gave the order:
"Go and notify the Military Police Command to strengthen the Ministry of National Defense's security and strictly control entry and exit under the pretext of 'investigating responsibility'."

"Then have the internal police set off simultaneously to secretly detain Nguyen Cao Ky."

After saying that, he urged again, "Report to me immediately after you're done."

The adjutant acknowledged and quickly left.

Seeing this, Li Mingxuan felt a little relieved.

He thought for a moment, picked up the documents not far away, and stood up:

"Sir, I will draft a telegram to the American side."

The official statement was that the government had restored order and was investigating the military's responsibility.

Nguyen Van Thieu breathed a sigh of relief.

“The Americans will understand,” he murmured.

"None of them died. At most, they were slightly injured, and we can talk about that."

The room returned to quiet.

The electric fan was spinning on the ceiling.

The lights suddenly flickered twice the next second.

The two of them looked up instantly.

"What's going on?" Nguyen Van Thieu frowned.

The secretary peeked in.

"Sir, it seems to be a power distribution problem. I will send someone to check it immediately."

Nguyen Van Thieu breathed a sigh of relief and waved.

"Okay, go quickly."

The secretary nodded and hurriedly turned to find the person.

Li Mingxuan smiled slightly, trying to ease the atmosphere:

"The circuitry is aging, and the humidity is high on rainy days; it's always like this."

As soon as he finished speaking, the lights flickered twice more.

At the same time, a static-like buzzing sound came from above.

Then, with a "snap," they were all wiped out.

The entire building was plunged into darkness in an instant.

Nguyen Van Thieu was startled and jumped up from his chair.

He rushed to the window in a few strides, his hand just touching the curtains—

"Radio frequency bands are occupied!"

The guard rushed in, drenched in sweat, his voice trembling:
"Sir, we cannot contact the military police command!"

Upon hearing this, Li Mingxuan was immediately terrified.

He completely disregarded any sense of hierarchy and demanded an explanation in a stern voice:
"What do you mean you can't get in touch? Who's hogging the channel?!"

"Ministry of National Defense? Or an external radio station?"

A barrage of questions left the guard bewildered, and he could only stammer:
"I'm not sure, it seems... it seems to be the Ministry of Defense's call sign."

As if in response to this statement, a series of low rumbling sounds came from outside.

It's like a truck engine, or like tracks pressing on a cobblestone road.

The torrential rain approached wave after wave.

In the end, it seemed as if even the floor was shaking.

"Damn it, they made the first move."

Li Mingxuan cursed through gritted teeth.

Nguyen Van Thieu stood there stunned for a moment before he came to his senses:
"What did you say? What are they doing?!"

Li Mingxuan suddenly turned around, his eyes bloodshot:

"Ruan Gaoqi and Fan Wenxiong, they made the first move!"

He practically lunged at the table and grabbed the phone.

The dial spun erratically under my fingertips, the metal clashing together with a crisp sound.

Li Mingxuan was shaking violently, his whole body almost pressed against the table.

"Bring General Westmoreland to me! Quickly!"

After shouting in Vietnamese, he switched to English:
"I am Li Mingxuan, Li Mingxuan of the Presidential Palace. Listen, I—"

“Beep. Beep.”

He was met with a busy signal.

After that, there was utter silence.

Li Mingxuan was unwilling to give up and dialed three times in a row, but the result was the same each time.

"Fuck him! Fuck him, you ungrateful bastard!"

"Fuck the Americans!"

He cursed loudly and slammed the receiver down on the table.

At the same time, a loud bang came from not far away.

Dust fell from the ceiling.

Li Mingxuan subconsciously reached for his waist, but found nothing.

He turned to look out the window; the rain was so heavy it almost submerged everything.
The outside world seemed to have been completely swallowed up by a flood.

“It’s too late.” Nguyen Van Thieu’s voice was extremely hoarse.

He slowly turned around, looked at Li Mingxuan, his face ashen.

"They arrived first. The Americans were very unhappy. Very unhappy."

At this moment, the commotion outside grew even louder.

Chaotic footsteps approached from afar, splashing mud as they trod on the puddles.

A blurry group of people quickly gathered outside the door.

Click!

Thunder exploded.

In an instant, the entire conference room was bathed in a stark white light.

An officer walked in first, wearing a raincoat with water dripping from the brim of his hat.

Behind him followed three soldiers, rifles cocked and held to their chests.

"Your Excellency, please stay and assist with the investigation," the man announced calmly.