Searching for someone in northern Myanmar, and you call that earning tuition fees?

Office of the Security Department, Jiangnan University.

Li Changfeng sat upright in the peeling wooden office chair. In front of him lay a five-thousand-word "Application Form for Work-Related Injury Determination," each character written with great care.

He was waiting for approval from Xishan, waiting for the organization to give an explanation for his crumbling scientific worldview.

This 5,000-word application form was filled with the veteran's accusations against this unreasonable world. In particular, the part about the psychological trauma of "Newton repeatedly trying to open the coffin lid to have an in-depth conversation with him" took up two whole paragraphs. The wording was exquisite and the emotions were sincere. He believed that this was enough to move the entire Xishan area and even alarm the entire military region.

The red encrypted phone on the table suddenly vibrated.

Li Changfeng took a deep breath, straightened his clothes, and picked up the receiver. His voice was low, carrying a sense of weakness reminiscent of someone recovering from a serious illness: "Commander."

On the other end of the phone, the old general's voice pierced through the radio waves, making Li Changfeng's ears ache: "Changfeng, I've read your report. Five thousand words, well-written, very much in the style of those days."

Li Changfeng felt a warmth in his heart, and his voice trembled with emotion: "Commander, what about my vacation, and the psychological reconstruction expenses..."

"I'll give you a damn thing to approve!" The old general's roar could lift the ceiling even through the receiver. "I specifically looked at the funds you applied for! What do you mean by 'Newton's coffin lid maintenance fee'? Newton was British, his coffin lid is under the jurisdiction of the British government. Our country doesn't have this foreign exchange expenditure category. Where do you expect me to get reimbursed for you?"

Li Changfeng opened his mouth, trying to explain: "Sir, that was to describe the shock I experienced to scientific values ​​at the time..."

"Stop talking nonsense." The old general interrupted him, his tone turning serious. "I've seen your medical report. Xiao Wang from the guard company said you were running faster than a rabbit in the villa with a shotgun. Since you're in such good spirits, don't rest. Go on a business trip, to Africa."

Upon hearing the words "business trip," Li Changfeng's eyelids twitched violently. He gripped the phone cord tightly: "Sir, I haven't even shaken off all the sand I brought back from Hainan Island! That kid Su Ming..."

"What a coincidence, this time, it's him who has to handle it." The old general ignored his resistance and continued, "One of our Chinese construction teams aiding Africa ran into trouble in 'Black Soil Country.' There's a warlord there called 'Blood Axe,' who has a bunch of desperados he recruited from who-knows-where. They've detained more than thirty of our engineers without permission, not only refusing to release them but also owing us 500 million RMB in project fees."

Li Changfeng frowned: "Five hundred million is a lot for an infrastructure company, but it involves more than thirty lives, which changes the nature of the matter. Won't the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the peacekeeping forces intervene?"

"The other side is very cunning," the old general said in a deep voice. "That area is a gray area. 'Blood Axe' claims it's a business dispute, saying the construction team's work was substandard and they're demanding a reassessment. If the authorities directly send special forces to force it through, they'll be criticized in international public opinion. The current stalemate is that the other side is shamelessly insisting on negotiations, but whoever goes to negotiate will be detained."

Li Changfeng rubbed his temples: "So, what does the organization mean?"

"The organization thinks that since the other party wants to discuss business, we should send someone who understands business over there." The old general's voice carried a slyness of an old fox. "What is Su Ming's current status? He's a student in the Finance Department at Jiangnan University. Although he's only a freshman, you've already witnessed his accounting and settlement abilities on Hainan Island."

The image of Su Ming rounding up Hassan's "promotion" flashed through Li Changfeng's mind.

He gasped, "Sir, Su Ming isn't going to collect debts, he's going to raid homes and wipe out entire families!"

"That's his skill," the old general said dismissively. "Since it's a financial dispute, it's perfectly reasonable for finance students to step in. As for you, head of security, protecting students going abroad for social practice—that's a flawless excuse!"

Li Changfeng felt a tightness in his chest: "Commander, this doesn't make sense. Is Su Ming from the finance department? He's from the destruction department. He can calculate the enemy's tanks as scrap metal even with a calculator. If I went with him, I'd need to take a whole bottle of nitroglycerin!"

"This is an order," the old general said firmly. "You lead the team and bring the people and money back to me. If that 'Blood Axe' is reasonable, Su Ming will help him with the accounts. If he's unreasonable, I believe Su Ming's physics knowledge can also broaden his horizons. Alright, it's settled then. The relevant information and plane tickets will be sent to your email this afternoon."

The call was disconnected.

Li Changfeng leaned back in his chair as he listened to the dial tone.

"The old general is trying to squeeze every last drop out of this old man," he muttered.

The office door was pushed open.

Old Zhao from the security department walked in carrying an enamel mug. Old Zhao was in his forties, a retired soldier, and he always wore a security guard uniform to patrol the school gate.

He sized up Li Changfeng's face, which was as black as the bottom of a pot, took a sip of tea, and clicked his tongue: "Looks like the workers' compensation application is hopeless. If you ask me, Lao Li, you're just too tense. It's just accompanying a student on a business trip, right? You were scared like you'd seen a ghost after a few days on Hainan Island."

Li Changfeng glanced at Lao Zhao sideways.

Old Zhao was leisurely blowing on the tea foam, his face radiating an air of "life is so good" and a relaxed, retirement-like demeanor.

"What do you know?" Li Changfeng said in a low voice. "That kid isn't an ordinary student; he's a human-shaped natural disaster. Spending too much time with him will make you doubt the scientific nature of this world."

Li Changfeng's heart suddenly skipped a beat. Looking at Old Zhao's confident face, he softened his tone and asked quietly:

"Old Zhao, I heard that when you were on security missions in Africa, you were a tough guy who survived countless battles?"

Upon hearing this, Old Zhao immediately perked up.

He slapped his thigh, his voice rising eight octaves: "That's right! I'm not bragging, but back in the Black Earth Kingdom, what kind of warlords haven't I seen? Gunmen, cannon fodder, camel riders—as long as I stood there, my aura was overwhelming. Those black guys, you had to use this kind of—this kind of intimidation to keep them in check!"

As he spoke, Old Zhao took a deep breath and showed off his not-so-obvious pectoral muscles.

"Deterrence, you know? That's about having a commanding presence." Old Zhao took a leisurely sip of hot tea, then put down his thermos with satisfaction. He waved his hand, feigning modesty, and said, "Ah, a hero doesn't dwell on past glories. This old man of mine now just guards the school gate and helps students find their meal cards. All that fighting and killing is long forgotten."

He glanced sideways at Li Changfeng and earnestly admonished him, "Old Li, you should learn from me more in the future. Stay calm and collected. Don't get so worked up over a few students all the time. There's no such thing as magic in this world. Everything can be explained. That's what it means to have a broad perspective, understand?"

Li Changfeng stared at Old Zhao's full head of black hair that hadn't yet turned white, and then looked at the thermos in his hand.

He smiled, a smile that carried a hint of relief.

Without a word, Li Changfeng grabbed the receiver, got up, and left, closing the door behind him to block out Old Zhao's smug tea-drinking noise. Then, he decisively dialed back the number.

"Sir, I'll go! But I have one condition!" Li Changfeng's voice carried a resolute determination. "I request that I bring Old Zhao from our Security Department, Comrade Zhao Weibing, along! He has extensive overseas security experience and is extremely knowledgeable about the customs and culture of Africa. He is an indispensable core talent for this operation!"