Hello, Mr. Major General

Zhou Qiyuan was a man of action. He didn’t talk much, but he followed Huo Shaoheng’s orders unconditionally. He was much more loyal than Yin Shixiong and Zhao Liangze. The moment Huo Shaoheng gave the order, Zhou Qiyuan immediately acted on it. He put the phone down and pressed the button inside the building. “Pass down the order: seal off the encampment’s front gate. Kill whoever tries to break through it on the spot.

“Team one, team two, immediately take some people with you to seal off the headquarters hospital from the east and the west. Team three, team four, immediately take people with you to seal off the north and the south side of the headquarters hospital.

“Team five, team six, team seven, and team eight, follow me inside the building to apprehend all the medical workers.” Zhou Qiyuan put down the phone and grabbed his own Sam Browne belt. Without any expression on his face, he put on the disciplinary committee’s armband emblazoned with a black crest with gold embroidery. He straightened his hat, took four soldiers with him, and went down the stairs to assemble with his team.

“Yes, sir.”

The disciplinary committee had a total of nine teams. Eight of the teams were always on the move. The nine teams were like the head of the dragon god that was always secretive in movement and left no trace. Under team captain Zhou Qiyuan’s command, the eight court martial teams quickly went to the front of the headquarters hospital building.

It was exactly noon. The late autumn rays of sun were not that hot in the imperial capital. The public square in front of the hospital had patients in twos and threes walking in the sun. Some medical workers wearing lab coats had just finished eating and were about to go upstairs. Some had just come downstairs and were about to eat lunch.

When the teams of soldiers wearing black military uniforms with the disciplinary committee’s armbands sealed off the whole hospital, medical workers and patients were all stupefied. They were actually the Special Operation Forces’ backup reinforcement and had never seen this kind of situation before.

“What’s happening?”

“Why is the disciplinary committee on the move?”

“Is someone revolting because Huo Shaoheng is not here?”

“Nonsense! That’s the disciplinary committee’s team captain! Even if the whole world revolted, he wouldn’t.”

Everyone’s tongues were wagging, but they were forced inside the hospital by court martial team members. One doctor was very unhappy and asked in a calm and collected manner, “What is the meaning of this? Are there still any laws?”

“I’m only obeying orders. Please cooperate with the investigation. As far as the law goes, please talk about it with the military tribunal and the judges.” Zhou Qiyuan had a poker face and was expressionless as he waved his hands.

Members of teams five, six, seven, and eight entered in a single file and put head covers and handcuffs on every medical worker in the hospital building. They put them all in the disciplinary committee’s prisoner transport vehicle.

Chen Lie’s office was on the top floor of the hospital building. He had just finished eating lunch and was talking to Ye Zitan about a recent liver transplant operation. “Doctor Ye, what do you think the probability of rejection is?” Chen Lie looked at the surgical patient’s file. He was still in doubt.

Ye Zitan tilted her head and looked at the medical file in Chen Lie’s hands and said as if she were in deep thought, “There probably won’t be rejection. Doctor Chen, your surgical skills are becoming better and better.” There was admiration, respect, and joy with a sense of alienation in her tone of voice.

Chen Lie’s attention was all on the file. He looked at it for a long time and shook his head as he said, “I don’t think it’s that optimistic. We’ll discuss it more after observing it for a few days.”

The moment the medical file was put away, they heard a succession of loud footsteps coming from the corridor. Chen Lie cranked his neck to see. “Ah? What is that sound? Sounds like a troop is coming.”

Ye Zitan was also curious. She turned and walked to the door. The moment she saw a row of people in the disciplinary committee’s black military uniforms, her face turned white. She was a bit panic-stricken and said to Chen Lie, “Doctor Chen, it’s the disciplinary committee.”

The moment she finished saying it, the disciplinary committee’s captain, Zhou Qiyuan, said, “Doctor Ye, sorry about this. Take her away.”

A team member walked to the front and put a black cover on her head without an explanation and took out handcuffs and put them on her wrists. Ye Zitan was so scared out of her wits that she lost her balance as her legs became weak. She fell onto the floor and almost wet her pants.

Chen Lie was dumbstruck as he watched the scene unfold in his office. He stared blankly for a short time. He then frantically crawled over the desk from behind and said loudly, “Zhou Qiyuan! What are you doing?!”

“Doctor Chen, I’m following orders. Please cooperate with our work.” Zhou Qiyuan waved his hand to the back. “Take him.”

Another member of the disciplinary committee came up. This time, it was to cover Chen Lie’s head and put handcuffs on him. Chen Lie was incredulous. He said in a stern voice, “Zhou Qiyuan! Does Huo Shaoheng know you’re doing this? If you do this to me and Doctor Ye, Huo Shao will skin alive you when he comes back!”

“This is on Huo Shao’s orders. Doctor Chen, you can ask him yourself when he comes back,” Zhou Qiyuan said in a composed tone. Then he suddenly smelled a burst of something pungent. He looked down. It was Ye Zitan. She was so paralyzed with fear that she finally wet her pants.

…

When Huo Shaoheng gave the disciplinary committee the order, Zhao Liangze had already been sent to Cuba on an assignment. He immediately went to provide support to Huo Shaoheng.

On the morning of the second day, a large, special plane from the Hua Xia Empire landed at Cuba’s international airport in Havana. After the plane came to a complete stop, Havana rolled out the red carpet. Journalists and television crews were positioned at the back. Only after preparations were complete would the plane’s hatch door open and the important figures come out.

Huo Shaoheng, who was there in advance, took advantage of the interval. Before the airplane opened its hatch door, he slipped onto the plane. When he got onto the plane disguised as a staff member from Cuba, no one knew that he was the important person on the special airplane.

Zhao Liangze was already waiting in the first class cabin alone. The moment Huo Shaoheng walked in, Zhao Liangze stood up excitedly and saluted. “Sir.”

Huo Shaoheng nodded at him and said calmly, “I’m going to change. Go and see how Cuba’s preparations are coming along. Have the television crews arrived yet?”

Zhao Liangze said, “Your military uniform has been prepared. It’s here.” He took a pile of neatly folded military clothing from the suitcase and said, “The person who came is our very own outreach TV director.”

Huo Shaoheng said a simple, “Uh huh,” and started to undo the military jacket. Zhao Liangze walked out and closed the door for Huo Shaoheng and stood outside.

The airplane was a military aircraft. Everyone on the plane including the pilot and the flight attendants were all affiliated with the army. They all had a military rank.

Huo Shaoheng quickly changed into his formal major general military uniform. He put on his army hat, a pair of sunglasses, white gloves, his Sam Browne belt, and his gun holster. The holster had a gun in it. He pulled it out to check it. There were 20 bullets in the clip.

Not long after that, Zhao Liangze knocked on the door. “Sir, everything is ready. Cuba’s head of the department of military affairs has personally come to welcome you.”

Huo Shaoheng stood up, opened the door, and nodded at Zhao Liangze. “Let’s go down.”

“Yes, sir.” Zhao Liangze saluted again as he stood by the door. He then followed behind Huo Shaoheng and walked out with a composed expression.

They stood by the entrance of the cabin for a while. Soon, the cabin door opened. Huo Shaoheng took the first step out. Havana’s sky was so blue, it was translucent. Clouds were floating in the azure sky. It looked like someone’s random brushwork. Cuba’s revolutionary military song was being played in the public square. A bunch of doves fluttered in the sky.

A red carpet was laid from the cabin of the airplane to far beyond the ramp. Cuba’s head of the department of military affairs was wearing Cuba’s revolutionary military uniform. He smiled at Huo Shaoheng as he stood by the ramp. Huo Shaoheng waved and then walked firmly step by step down the ramp.

The television crews and the journalists from the two countries were very taken by Huo Shaoheng in his major general uniform. They all became smitten with him, and one by one, they lifted their cameras and took pictures like crazy. Directors from television stations only aimed their cameras at Huo Shaoheng. Cuba’s head of the department of military affairs’ face only got filmed when he was shaking hands with Huo Shaoheng.

Zhao Liangze was next to Huo Shaoheng. He lamented how the world was a place that only saw a person’s looks. On the other hand, he was proud of how the major general was such an attractive man and had such great military capability that he was at the top of the food chain.