Chapter 493

Chapter 493: The Little Note

Lin Mo had been away on missions for so long that he likely didn’t realize the tremendous changes that had occurred in Gem Valley, located in the mountainous northern Afghanistan. Even the Chinese military base was unaware of how much wealth the similarly named enterprise possessed. While they could see local development and construction flourishing, only the higher-ups at the Dragoon group knew how many retail stores existed both domestically and abroad.

At least very few knew how much Dragoon Group’s total assets could be, certainly fewer than the fingers on one hand.

“It’s your group—Dragoon Mining, Dragoon Jewelry, Dragoon Investment Company. Oh, and they control a new political party and an army.”

Sally said excitedly, hoping he wouldn’t be too disappointed in her. She had worked hard to learn and manage things, continually recruiting talent, enduring numerous hardships to achieve the current situation.

“Mining, jewelry, investment company, plus a political party and an army…” Lin Mo was bewildered. Wasn’t it just a Lapis Lazuli mine? How did it turn into so many other things?

Wasn’t this akin to divvying up the land?

Was this truly the reward he had received?

It must be a dream. Lin Mo set down his knife and fork and slapped his face. He felt the sensation—this was real, not a dream.

“What on earth is going on?”

Lin Mo stared at Sally, trying to find any hint that she was deceiving him. But no matter how he looked, aside from her flushed cheeks resembling an apple, she held his gaze fearlessly. He couldn’t tell she was playing with him in the slightest.

“Yes, I established relations through your contacts and the military…” Sally said, blushing, as she recounted her achievements.

An incredible legend unfolded before Lin Mo. He never expected that a kind fate he had unconsciously formed would yield such astonishing results. Was this the same reward Lin Mo had obtained before?

Lin Mo hardly dared to believe that less than a year after returning to the base, the paradise-like Gem Valley would undergo such earth-shattering changes.

A raw Lapis Lazuli mine, if left unharvested, processed, packaged, and branded, would have a value of at most just over ten million dollars. However, Sally not only developed it, but also expanded it, transforming it into a billion-dollar conglomerate with abundant cash flow. Otherwise, it wouldn’t have been possible to spend over a hundred million dollars on twelve “Super Dodo” airplanes.

Jewelry, drugs, and war were the fastest industries to profit, yet Dragoon eliminated the drugs and took control of the jewelry and war.

Not only Dragoon Group, even the Chinese military base stationed in Gem Valley pulled Lin Mo, who was completely unaware, into their operations, fulfilling their needs as they became the best of partners.

Without Lin Mo’s earlier act of saving the lives of the people in Gem Valley, perhaps the Pashtun would not have cooperated with the Chinese military so wholeheartedly. And the military wouldn’t have taken action to seize such a revolutionary stronghold, based on the property rights agreement, making the most of the situation.

It was like gaining a piece of land for free; the Pashtun fully trusted and supported them, resulting in astonishing benefits for both sides.

Lin Mo might not even recognize how important his role was, despite not having to exert additional effort. No wonder the Chinese military went out of its way to clean up many messes for him. His significant identity likely gave the Chinese government greater influence in Central Asia.

Moreover, the Gem Valley area, which resembled an enclave, was close to Kyrgyzstan and Pakistan, holding considerable strategic significance. Thanks to Sally’s efforts, Dragoon Group’s development speed and strength surpassed the Chinese military’s expectations, even revealing the potential to influence the political situation in Afghanistan.

Perhaps in the future, they could gain control of all of Afghanistan, allowing China to have a neighbor and ally comparable to Pakistan.

What made Afghanistan even more important to Chinese authorities was that all the relevant legal documents for ownership of the Dragoon Group were actually in the hands of the Chinese military, only awaiting signatures.

If Dragoon Group could truly govern Afghanistan, it would essentially mean that China could exert indirect control over Afghanistan—puppet state? Vassal state? Or a newly emerged province? In any case, it stirred limitless imaginations among those in the know.

That was an unfathomable wealth and political capital. Perhaps someone in the Chinese military had thought about coveting those legal documents; after all, they existed only on paper. If it were to provoke the resentment and resistance of Dragoon Group, the disastrous consequences would be beyond what those greedy individuals could bear.

“This, this is amazing!” Lin Mo, who often shocked others, found himself genuinely taken aback by this Pashtun girl today.

Sally’s story left Lin Mo utterly stunned—billions in assets, control over northern Afghanistan, and a bridge to trade with China, reviving the ancient Silk Road and renewing commercial interactions with China.

Was this the same girl who once carried an AK-47, appearing soft on the outside but strong on the inside, striving for survival in chaos? The contrast was too stark.

Her efficiency in making money seemed to surpass Lin Mo’s efforts to grab every opportunity.

Lin Mo gazed speechlessly at Sally, the enormous steak in front of him untouched. Her burning gaze caused the Pashtun girl to shyly lower her head, perfectly embodying the appearance of a submissive little woman.

From Lin Mo’s reaction, Sally knew he surely wasn’t angry; after his surprise, he was likely pleased to see that her efforts had finally borne fruit, filling her heart with joy.

For a woman who believed in Islam, having value and status in a man’s heart was a source of great pride.

When the two of them fell silent, a waiter brought over a glass of red wine, and a melodic violin tune began to echo in the restaurant.

The waiter’s arrival broke the deadlock between them.

Ahem! Lin Mo pretended to cough, trying to mask his embarrassment. It was rare for a Dragon Knight to lose composure like this; it truly felt quite rude.

He shifted his gaze to the red wine that had just been served—a famous Bordeaux wine from France, known as the "Queen of French Wines." This restaurant, which Lin Mo had casually chosen, was quite considerate, even providing a violin accompaniment. Paris indeed lived up to its reputation as the "City of Romance."

However, there seemed to be something unusual under the wine bottle. Lin Mo noticed a corner of a piece of paper protruding from beneath the bottle.

What is this?

It couldn’t be a restaurant’s usual practice to place a small piece of paper under the bottle. There was no need for such a tiny note; this wasn’t a mooncake that required a little paper inside.

Meanwhile, the flustered Sally didn’t notice as Lin Mo picked up the wine bottle and retrieved the small note.

It was written in ordinary black ink with an everyday pen.

Chinese—yes, the note was written in Chinese.

“Major Dragon Knight, the date is over. If you don’t leave soon, you will be in danger.”

In danger if they didn’t leave? Lin Mo frowned, sensing that someone was warning them. He discreetly looked around but didn’t spot any suspicious individuals.

Someone must be watching them. Dammit.

Lin Mo cast a glance at Sally, who still had her head down, feeling a wave of regret. He must have gotten her into trouble.

With unmanned combat aircraft over the South China Sea and assassins on domestic railways, Lin Mo had grown numb to such mysterious attacks long ago.

During his time in the Su Lan Empire, the near-constant attacks on Dragon Knights trained each one to become a master at evading assassins. Lin Mo didn’t care much and remained far calmer than the average soldier.

However, with innocent people around, an unaccountable rage began to rise within him—a bunch of damned bastards.

These guys were terribly bold, and they just wouldn’t quit.

Lin Mo finally felt a surge of killing intent. The note crumpled in his hand, making a squeaking noise and a burnt smell as the battle energy he unconsciously gathered turned the note into dust and ash.

Feeling the suddenly intense killing aura emanating from Lin Mo, Sally involuntarily shivered and looked up, seeing his face cold and his eyes glimmering with a faint light.

What’s wrong with him?

As Lin Mo picked up the note, Abik seemed to receive a call at the same moment. He answered his phone; after listening for just a few seconds, his expression changed.

So it has finally come—the greedy bastards are really trying to force us into submission!

A rush of anger filled Abik’s heart.

He signaled to the bodyguards beside him, tossed a few euros onto the table, and strode toward Lin Mo and Sally from the far corner of the restaurant.

“Boss, we need to go.”

“Abik, you…” Sally’s face clearly showed her displeasure towards Abik, who interrupted her and Lin Mo. But before she could finish her sentence, Lin Mo raised his hand to stop her.

“Enemies! He’s right; we need to leave, now!”

Lin Mo’s tone was firm and calm. The fact that someone had written his code name and military rank in the note meant that only Chinese intelligence personnel would use such a method to warn him secretly.

“These bastards!” Sally’s expression also darkened. Although she had been momentarily dazed by love, her natural cleverness shone through once more, restoring her image as a decisive leader of the corporation.

Offending her was one thing, but ruining the rare time she had with her loved one was absolutely unforgivable. May God punish you all!

If God doesn’t punish you, I will!

As if having battled against bandits before, the tenderness in Sally’s eyes completely vanished without a trace.