A nation's industrial development begins with junior engineers.

"Boss, are we just leaving like this? Don't we need to... leave someone to keep an eye on them?"

The monkey opened the car door for Mulan and glanced back at the two people in the shack.

"No, they can only follow my lead. Although the Dark Knight's reasons are absurd, politics and public opinion sometimes need precisely a plausible reason that can be presented openly. The truth is not important; what matters is whether people need and are willing to believe this reason..."

"Moreover, the team leader's full name is Jack Adams..."

The Adams family—the first family in the early days of the United States. This family produced two major leaders and possessed extremely deep-rooted influence.

"Boss, I don't care if his name is Jack or Rose..."

The monkey scratched its head: "I'm afraid... afraid they'll be 'dealt with' by someone else, and then that thing..."

He gestured towards the straw shed with his chin: "What if someone else intercepted us halfway? Wouldn't all our efforts have been for nothing?"

Mulan's movement to get into the carriage stopped abruptly, her body stiffening slightly.

"(⊙o⊙)..."

A little awkward...

Yes, the previous elaborate plan had taken into account people's hearts, interests, and the situation, and even took advantage of the other party's scandals and fears, but it overlooked the simplest and most dangerous possibility—an accident on the physical level.

"It was my oversight. I didn't think things through enough. Monkey, you take two men and stay here. Don't get too close. Make sure they can leave here 'safely' with the stuff, at least... before our demonstration starts tomorrow. If anything happens, contact us the usual way."

Mulan straightened up and patted the monkey on the shoulder.

"Yes! Promise to complete the mission!"

Mulan then bent down again and sat in the back seat of the car.

"Girl, you've been busy all day, you must be tired. Go back and rest. I'll deal with the people from the Alliance. I have some experience dealing with them."

It turned out there was another person in the car, the head of the delegation who was worried about Mulan coming out alone.

He spoke casually, but Mulan knew the weight of his words. Back then on the northern battlefield, the Alliance sent an observer known for his toughness and arrogance, intending to hinder them at every turn.

It was this very delegation leader who silenced the other party, who then stormed off in anger and complained to the then-leader of the alliance, becoming a well-known anecdote.

It is indeed most appropriate for him to handle this.

Yes, even though Mulan has made a name for herself on the international political stage through this conference, in the eyes of the older generation, she is still that little girl who never grew up.

Mulan was slightly taken aback, then a warm feeling welled up in her heart. She was indeed somewhat tired, not only physically, but also mentally after a long period of intense tension.

Facing the commander, she didn't need to pretend. She nodded gently and said, "Thank you, Commander. Please take care of yourself too."

Leaning back in her seat, Mulan rubbed her temples, the thrilling scenes from the daytime flashing through her mind again.

Emily... the one who suddenly turned against us.

Although the outcome was in her favor, upon reflection, the whole process always felt somewhat strange to her.

"Commander," Mulan hesitated for a moment before speaking, "There's something I find a bit strange."

She recounted in its entirety, without any subjective speculation, how Emily was provoked by her "Bunny" topic, how she suddenly broke down emotionally, turned around and accused Victor and the team leader, and how the scandal was finally confirmed.

"...The background information I received, while highlighting the special relationship between Dr. Witt and the team leader Jack, and analyzing the true nature of the 'invisible iron curtain' of the Bald Eagle in Europe, did not contain any concrete information about Emily."

"At the time, I just felt that her 'smell' was a bit off, so I tested her a little..."

"I just didn't expect her reaction to be so intense, so... 'just right'."

"Now that I've calmed down and thought about it, the fact that things went so smoothly actually made me a little uneasy. Her behavior was beyond what I expected a female secretary to do."

"She almost instantly abandoned all pretense and, in a near-self-destructive manner, threw all the mud at Witt and Jack themselves, confirming the scandal and completely cutting off her own escape route."

"This...is not normal!"

The commander listened quietly, his face expressionless, but his eyes, which had seen it all, narrowed slightly, as if he were re-examining the actions of those present through Mulan's narration.

"You're right to feel something's not right. But don't worry. I'm going to have a chat with some old friends in the Alliance!"

"Old friend?"

"Yeah, an old geezer I drove away! Hahahaha..."

The team leader changed the subject, his tone now carrying the concern of an elder: "Leave this to me. Your task now is to rest well and prepare for tomorrow's presentation. That's the main purpose of our trip, and the reason you've gone to such lengths to break through. Don't let these underhanded dealings interfere with the important matters on the surface."

Mulan nodded, the slight unease in her heart largely dispelled by the commander's composure and experience.

At the same time, she was relieved that the group leader did not ask her where she got the background information.

Yes, the source of the news is still our Uncle Kim!

You really have no idea how much Uncle Kim (and his ilk) did for us back then. Also, that place you called water earlier was truly…

(Those who are interested can look up who the youngest vice foreign minister in the history of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is.)

This is her story.

As the car pulled into the camp, before Mulan got out, the commander seemed to remember something and casually asked, "By the way, that C language material we gave them... are you really that confident? Aren't you afraid it'll be a waste of their talent, or that they'll figure it out and use it against us?"

Mulan stood outside the car door, her eyes shining brightly in the night. She smiled slightly and whispered, "Commander, Comrade Jinzhen told me privately that what we brought this time is just a 'demonstration version,' or rather... an 'international cooperation version.' The real good stuff is sprouting at home! Let them work out this 'blueprint' first. By the time they figure things out, our even better stuff might already be ready."

Upon hearing this, the regimental commander was taken aback at first, then suddenly realized, and a meaningful smile appeared on his face. He waved his hand and said, "Go and rest, girl. If you keep working non-stop since you arrived, even the strongest person can't keep up!"

"It's nothing, it's what I should do. Luckily you brought Grandma Jiang and her family along!"

"Haha, that's not just one..."

……

Watching Mulan's departing figure, the commander leaned back in his seat and whispered to the driver, "To the Alliance delegation's residence." The car once again silently slid into the night.

The commander closed his eyes. "Heh, old enemies indeed. Razovaev, I never thought you'd manage to infiltrate the Academy of Sciences under a different name?"

"Perfect timing to settle both old and new scores!"

……