Chapter 153: Heading to Iraq

On the way back to the Lin family villa, Xia Ruoxi was in an exceptionally good mood the entire journey, humming an unfamiliar little tune softly in the passenger seat.

"Heh, you seem very happy tonight. I never expected you to chat so cheerfully with Ling Shixuan, truly beyond my expectations!" Seeing Xia Ruoxi's radiant expression and recalling how reluctantly she had parted ways with Ling Shixuan and Asō Haruko just moments ago, Lin Feng couldn't help but chuckle.

"Hmph, why wouldn't I get along with Shixuan? She's a wonderful person!" Hearing Lin Feng's teasing, Xia Ruoxi glared at him with unconvinced defiance.

Seeing that Xia Ruoxi was acting as though everything she thought previously had magically become completely wrong, Lin Feng could only concede defeat. He learned yet another valuable lesson: never attempt to reason with a woman, for they will never argue using logic.

Upon returning to the villa, only Lin Feng and Xia Ruoxi remained in the house, making things much more convenient for the two of them. With no elders around to keep them in check, they interacted with much greater freedom.

As soon as they entered the bedroom, the sight of her curvaceous, alluring figure caused the internal Qi that Lin Feng had been suppressing all evening to surge up from his Dantian once again. Whether it was due to a recent breakthrough in his internal strength or not, Lin Feng always felt a sudden, uncontainable heat rising within his body without warning.

Feeling the physical change in his lower body, he thought with a strange sense of bewilderment, "Could it be that my internal heat has flared up lately?"

However, none of that mattered anymore. For Lin Feng, the most pressing issue was how to vent the heat building up inside him. Seeing Xia Ruoxi taking off her coat, he could no longer restrain himself. He instantly strode forward, swept her up horizontally in his arms, and ignoring her weak protests, tossed her directly onto the bed. Pouncing on top of her, he soon filled the room with seductive, breathless sounds.

The next morning, Xia Ruoxi left early for work. Because Lin Feng had worn himself out thoroughly the night before, he was still lingering in bed, indulging in a lazy sleep.

"Rings—ring—ring..." The smartphone on the bedside table rang out in a most ill-timed manner.

"Damn it! Who on earth is calling this early in the morning? I should have just turned off my phone last night!" The persistent ringing continued relentlessly. Unable to fall back asleep, Lin Feng rubbed his drowsy, heavy eyes in frustration. Irritated, he grabbed the phone from the bedside table and rudely pressed the answer button.

"Who is this?!" As soon as the call connected, Lin Feng blurted out in annoyance.

"Oh my, such a fiery temper! You couldn't possibly still be sleeping in, could you?" Despite Lin Feng's aggressive tone, the caller clearly possessed an excellent temperament and couldn't resist teasing him in return.

Hearing the familiar voice on the other end, Lin Feng's groggy brain finally snapped awake. Glancing at the caller ID, he realized the call was coming from Elder Xie.

"Haha, Elder Xie, you're up early. I happen to be quite grumpy when I first wake up, so please don't take offense if my tone was a bit loud!" Confirming the caller's identity, Lin Feng apologized with genuine embarrassment.

"Heh, don't I know your tricks by now? If I could be easily angered by you, I reckon my lifespan would have been cut short by several years already," Elder Xie replied without standing on ceremony.

Lin Feng could only offer an awkward, apologetic laugh over the phone before curiously asking, "Elder Xie, is there something you need me for so early in the morning?"

"Nonsense, why else would I call you? Do you remember the terms we discussed yesterday? The first batch of goods is to be delivered initially, followed by the rest in installments. Well, the first shipment of weaponry and equipment is already prepared. I wanted to ask you where you'd like it delivered in Zhanhai City?" Hearing Lin Feng's idiotic question, Elder Xie felt dark lines forming across his forehead before he finally offered a reminder.

"Oh, right! I honestly would have forgotten if you hadn't brought it up. Just have it shipped straight to the docks! I'll arrange for people to go and pick it up!" Surprised that the department head could deliver the first batch of goods so quickly, Lin Feng replied with excitement. By now, he was completely awake and couldn't wait to lay eyes on the equipment.

After exchanging a few more perfunctory remarks with Elder Xie, Lin Feng hung up the phone. He quickly washed up, left the villa, and headed directly to the designated location where Elder Xie's people had stored the weapons and equipment.

Upon seeing the rows of brand-new military gear packed neatly in crates, even someone as worldly as Lin Feng couldn't suppress the surge of excitement in his heart. Men truly were creatures hardwired to love heavy weaponry.

Yet, after gazing at the stockpile for a moment, Lin Feng's head began to ache again. How was he supposed to transport these weapons to Zhao Ze? After all, he didn't have any suitable personnel on hand right now. Thinking it over through various angles, the only feasible candidate left was himself.

"Damn it, I still have far too few elite subordinates!" Lin Feng muttered in complaint. Still, he wouldn't feel at ease if anyone else were entrusted with delivering this cargo. It seemed he would have to make a trip to Iraq himself, which would also give him a chance to check in on Zhao Ze and the other members.

However, the thought of traveling abroad gave him another headache. After all, he had only just returned from Yanjing, and he hadn't mentioned anything about Iraq to Xia Ruoxi. If he suddenly announced that he was heading to a war-torn region like Iraq out of the blue, Xia Ruoxi would undoubtedly become suspicious immediately.

After turning the matter over in his mind and finding no plausible excuse, Lin Feng realized he had no choice but to confess the truth to Xia Ruoxi.

Appearing once again at Future Style Technology Company, Xia Ruoxi looked thoroughly startled by his sudden arrival. "Why are you here? At this hour, you should still be sleeping at home!" she couldn't help teasing as Lin Feng stepped into her office.

Upon entering, Lin Feng turned around and locked the office door behind him. Ignoring her banter, he looked at her with a solemn expression and said, "I have to go out of town again today. This time, I'm heading to Iraq!"

"What? Why on earth would you go to a place like that? Iraq is currently in the middle of a war!" Xia Ruoxi was instantly stunned by the news.

"Well, the truth is, I do have forces established over there, and I plan to go check on them this time. Don't worry, our faction has already gained a firm foothold in Iraq, and with them protecting me, I'll be quite safe. Besides escorting a shipment of supplies over there, I want to assess the situation firsthand. In the future, Iraq can serve as our ultimate fallback base." Although Lin Feng felt guilty for making Xia Ruoxi worry again, he had compelling reasons to make the trip.

Xia Ruoxi had never imagined that Lin Feng was planning so far ahead, even considering a secure retreat for the company's future development. Though she had long known that Lin Feng was far busier than he appeared on the surface, the more she understood about his hidden life, the more her heart ached for him.

"Go if you must, but promise me you'll take care of your safety!" Xia Ruoxi had no reason to hold him back, so despite knowing it was a war zone, she could only plead with him softly.

In response, Lin Feng offered her a resolute gaze accompanied by an apologetic, bitter smile, before turning around and walking out of the company with firm determination.

Far away in Iraq, when Zhao Ze saw that Lin Feng had traveled thousands of miles to deliver the equipment personally, he rushed forward and gave Lin Feng a powerful bear hug.

"Bloody hell, get off me, you brat! It hasn't even been three months, and you've developed such tastes?" Seeing Zhao Ze practically clinging to him, Lin Feng was deeply moved as well, though he couldn't resist throwing out a tease. Perhaps this was simply their unique way of expressing excitement.

"Young Master Lin, how did you end up coming here? This is truly a surprise!" After taking a long moment to calm his emotions, Zhao Ze looked at Lin Feng with puzzled delight and asked.

"You think I wanted to come to this godforsaken wasteland? I only came because I couldn't find anyone else suitable for the job, so I had no choice but to do it myself!" Lin Feng replied with resigned helplessness, though it was nothing less than the objective truth.

Zhao Ze could only chuckle foolishly in response, knowing full well that he had brought all the capable fighters out here with him, leaving virtually no heavy hitters back in the home country.

"Alright, wipe that goofy expression off your face—who are you trying to fool? Hurry up and lead the way back to your base so I can have a look." Lin Feng was far more interested in seeing where Zhao Ze and his men were staying in Iraq, and he urged him onward repeatedly.

Seeing how impatient Lin Feng was, Zhao Ze dropped the chatter and instructed his men to transport the weaponry and equipment back to the base while he escorted Lin Feng ahead of them.

As their vehicle traveled across the Iraqi landscape, the roads were scarred everywhere by the ravages of war, full of potholes that made the entire ride violently bumpy. Witnessing the devastation along the roadside, Lin Feng couldn't help letting out a sigh: "China is truly wonderful after all. At the very least, there is no war, and everyone can live in safety."

"Ain't that the truth? Those who have never witnessed war will never understand just how terrifying it is. I really don't know what those bastards who started the war in Iraq were thinking, tearing this place apart so badly. Rebuilding it later is going to cost an astronomical amount of capital," Zhao Ze muttered in complaint as he sat beside Lin Feng, echoing the sentiment.

The topic felt rather heavy. After exchanging those few remarks, Lin Feng and Zhao Ze both fell silent, neither seeming willing to dwell further on the subject. Despite the long and bone-jarring journey, they finally reached Zhao Ze's base in Iraq.

Stepping out of the vehicle, Lin Feng stood upright and immediately stretched his aching, sore limbs. Wincing slightly, he turned to Zhao Ze and said, "Is this what your daily commute is like? I only rode through this once and my whole body feels like it's falling apart. Don't you guys find it miserable?"

"Haha, Young Master Lin, we're simply used to it! When we first arrived, some of the guys I brought with them were so wrecked by a single car ride that they had to lie in bed for days just to recover," Zhao Ze explained with a chuckle at Lin Feng's grievances.

With that, he took the lead, inviting Lin Feng to tour their Iraqi base. It was only then that Lin Feng realized the heavy fortifications they had just passed were merely the outer gates.

Passing through the heavily guarded main entrance, Lin Feng stepped into what Zhao Ze grandly referred to as their Iraqi base. Listening to Zhao Ze's running explanations on the side, Lin Feng's first impression was that the base was unimaginably vast; his second impression was that land in Iraq practically cost nothing. If this plot of land were located in Zhanhai City, its value would be astronomical.

After walking for half an hour, they finally completed a full tour of the base. Lin Feng's appreciation for Zhao Ze's capabilities reached a whole new level. "It seems that keeping Zhao Ze confined to the position of the leader of the Dragon Ascendant Gang was indeed a waste of his talents," Lin Feng thought, a wave of deep admiration washing over him as he gazed at the sprawling scale of the base before his eyes.