Chapter 468

Chapter 468: The Rising Storm in Afghanistan

The hotel booked by National Defense Star was not far away, just a ten-minute taxi ride. However, when Lin Mo arrived, he found that the entire hotel was almost completely taken over by Chinese exhibitors.

A welcoming banner in Chinese hung at the entrance, along with a notice that said the hotel was fully booked.

Chinese soldiers stood at the door, with several police cars outside where French policemen monitored the area around the clock.

Not only did National Defense Star occupy one floor, but Shenyang Aircraft Corporation and Chengdu Aircraft Industry Group also each took a floor, as every room in the hotel had been reserved in advance.

During these days, the hotel resembled a military camp, with Chinese chefs even inserted into the restaurant kitchen to provide Chinese cuisine, ensuring the exhibitors’ staff wouldn’t struggle with Western food and resort to instant noodles.

At the front desk, Lin Mo quickly received his room key. Just as Chen Haiqing said, he only needed to provide his name, show his ID, verify his fingerprint, and he was good to go.

With the Chinese military providing unified security, there was no need to worry about safety in the hotel. Professional security personnel conducted repeated checks, ensuring not even a fly could get in, let alone any listening devices.

The aerospace industry is highly profitable, especially for national-level export projects that earn money faster than robbing a bank. Yet, concerning national treasures, the military always handles such matters with extreme caution to avoid any potential leak of state secrets.

Lin Mo bought a few sets of clothes and a suitcase at a mall near the hotel before he finally changed out of the "Dragon General" tactical armor.

Now, shedding the cold, unapproachable look, he clipped on the exhibitor’s badge and at least appeared as a young person rather than a mere weapon of slaughter.

He turned on the television, randomly flipping through channels, but all he found were chatter in French or German that made him sleepy. He tossed the remote onto the bedside and settled into a comfortable position, ready to take a nap.

Chen Haiqing and the others would take some time to get from the airport, especially since they needed to collect their room keys and drop off their luggage. With so many people, it would undoubtedly take longer. He figured it was best to take advantage of this downtime to rest, as he was already exhausted.

As for the half-bag of military rations left in Sukhoi’s hands, he would retrieve it later; it wasn’t worth much and losing it would be a pity.

To recover from a night without sleep and the fatigue from the long journey across Europe, Lin Mo soon fell into a light snore in the room. With military protection outside, he experienced an unusually deep, sweet sleep.

In this world, Lin Mo had many more chances to rest peacefully than in another world.

The television in the room remained on, with the volume not too low, yet it still couldn’t prevent Lin Mo from drifting into dreams.

As the screen changed, it switched to a news broadcast.

If Lin Mo were awake at that moment, even if he couldn’t understand French, he would be startled awake by a particular news segment.

The footage on the television came from a French news agency reporter interviewing in Afghanistan, revealing that extraordinary changes were currently taking place within the country.

The previously chaotic northern mountainous region of Afghanistan had suddenly seen the emergence of a powerful local force, sweeping through the entire northern Hindu Kush region as if reminiscent of the rise of the Taliban years ago.

However, unlike the Taliban, this force was equipped with astonishing gear and had highly skilled combat personnel. They had an impressive array of light and heavy weapons, including tanks and armed helicopters, with firepower exceeding that of the government forces.

What was even more fearsome was that the fighters of this force used the notorious bandits, terrorist organizations, and anti-government armed groups that plagued the Hindu Kush region as training opponents, continuously deploying troops to eliminate them, gaining control over more territory in the process.

Other armed groups were eradicated, and in turn, this powerful new force honed its military capabilities.

Real combat scenarios served as the best training grounds, allowing it to rival the Afghan government forces. This new power had become a force to be reckoned with in northern Afghanistan and even bordered China, Pakistan, and Tajikistan.

By the time the Afghan government realized the situation, they found themselves powerless. They might be able to destroy this force, but it would leave them severely weakened, potentially benefiting rival factions within the country, which was a definite lose-lose situation.

It felt like the Sword of Damocles hanging over the head of the current Afghan government, leaving them quite helpless. If they could truly resolve the situation, Afghanistan wouldn’t be facing the current predicament.

However, this new force did not intend to sever ties with the government, nor did they seek to overthrow it or establish their own reign. They had their own plans instead.

When a force reaches a certain level of strength, there is no need to resort to political maneuvering dependent on others’ approval; sometimes, the power of intimidation serves as an effective weapon.

For the Afghan government, the only good news amongst the deluge of negative reports coming from the northern provinces was that the emerging force had eradicated the poppy industry rampant in the northern mountainous regions, burning all the poppy fields and replacing them with other quality cash crops at record speed.

Afghanistan, as the world’s largest producer of opium, was not as wealthy as oil-producing countries like Kuwait and Saudi Arabia; instead, it was very impoverished.

It is hard to imagine, but that reality holds true. The raw material processing stages of any industry yield little profit; almost all profits are extracted during further processing and distribution.

This had become a vicious cycle: opium could not be eaten, so the poorer people became, the more they planted, leading to increased poverty.

However, with the eradication of opium, the switch to other agricultural economies, and significant support received, these poppy farmers now saw a glimmer of hope.

As long as they could manage to get a meal, they didn’t care what they grew. They noticeably felt that life was getting a bit better, and the original resentment of the former opium farmers vanished without a trace.

As for the opponents and local armed militants, they had long been completely eliminated, with not even a chicken or dog left alive. This was reminiscent of a scene in Stephen Chow’s movie "Kung Fu," where Feng Xiaogang’s character, the leader of the Crocodile Gang, asked, "Who else is there?"

All that remained was a sea of bodies; no one could express agreement or dissent.

It was harsh, yet it was the best method to cut through the confusion decisively.

After a few operations that shook Afghanistan to its core and showcased their strength, this emerging force finally took the initiative to present its political demands amidst the anxiety of the government.

The Afghan Dragon Party?

That was the name of the new political force emerging in the northern mountainous region of Afghanistan.

The name sounded strange, but it was influenced by Chinese traditional culture and the ancient Silk Road, where dragons also appeared in Afghanistan’s totem patterns. The prolonged historical accumulation had left its mark on Afghan local culture.

Although the name "Dragon Party" seemed odd, it was not entirely outrageous; calling themselves the Invincible Holy War Party would have been truly maddening.

Only a few high-ranking officials in Afghanistan knew that this so-called Dragon Party was intricately linked to the local business giant that had evolved from a mining group into the Dragoon Consortium.

Although neither side had publicly announced this connection, and the thin veil separating them had not been pierced, they were in fact two sides of the same coin.

The leader of the Dragon Party and the owner of the Dragoon Consortium were both shrouded in mystery.

The current head of Afghanistan’s security department was extremely frustrated because the morons in the commerce department had actually approved a corporate ownership document without a signature, which was utterly ridiculous.

Before long, the head of the security department fell silent—not because he was silenced permanently, but because he received a hefty sum that nearly gave him a heart attack as a bribe to keep quiet.

Once again, this validated the saying, "If a problem can be solved with money, is it really a problem?"

One cannot expect much integrity from these Afghan officials, unless there were strong influences from the British and American governments firmly controlling the Afghan administration from behind.

Otherwise, the Dragoon Consortium would have likely used its financial power to take over the entire government, treating the whole country as their private garden.

Many countries and organizations overlooked the fact that, regardless of whether it was the Dragon Party’s armed forces or the Dragoon Consortium’s economic strength, hidden behind the profits of the lucrative mining and jewelry sectors was a powerful support system akin to a gigantic entity feeding the nation.

Like snowflakes dancing through the air, the airdropped parachutes left a deep impression on certain people’s minds…

Reports from the French news agency indicated that the international community had begun to pay attention to the rise of this new force within Afghanistan, a country besieged by conflict.

Many factions were observing whether this force would be short-lived like a fleeting flower or if it would rise to become another Taliban, known for once controlling all of Afghanistan.

It seemed that the situation in Afghanistan had just become even more dramatic.

In the office of the Night Special Forces, Colonel Feng Chenye wore a slight smile as he quietly watched the same news report that Lin Mo’s television was broadcasting.

There were many such news segments, and the reporters appeared to have sniffed out extraordinarily valuable stories, flocking to Afghanistan.

Particularly, some agents, akin to sharks sensing blood, were eagerly jumping around, trying to carve out their share of the profits.

As the footage played, Feng Chenye tapped his fingers rhythmically on a thick document on the table labeled "Third Quarter Afghanistan Intelligence Collection," producing a muffled yet resonating sound.

"Lin Mo! Even when you’re not at the base, you bring us great surprises," Feng Chenye muttered to himself as he pretended to write Lin Mo’s name in the air.