Chapter 759: Steamrolling extremists
Chapter 759: Steamrolling extremists
Ling Qingyu felt her trust in Tang Ziyi drop a little more with every sentence the latter spoke. Still, Tang Ziyi wasn't wrong about testing new weapons and tactics in real combat—especially those new inventions Ling Qingyu had no idea her daughter and Tang Ziyi had been tinkering with.
Despite Athena's outrageously accurate simulation results, there was always a slight chance things could go wrong, even when the data itself was flawless.
Sure, Athena was far more capable and accurate— or rather, nearly always correct—in predicting various future probabilities.
Nonetheless, not all humans responded properly to contingency plans. Sometimes, a single stroke of luck could overturn everything.
"Sister Ziyi, make everything quick. I heard the situation there is dire, even though neighboring tribes that share the same ancestry are rallying to support them. Our first battle must be meaningful. No—every battle must stand on high moral ground and accomplish something worthwhile."
"We won't disappoint you. I can't wait."
"I can tell you've grown bored lately."
"Yeah. If not for daily exercise, my bones would get old and rusty," Tang Ziyi joked. "In fact, although Province N is getting boring, I'm grateful I met you here. After all, the path I seek to become stronger wouldn't exist without you."
"Oh, Athena, record this conversation. This is the first time your aunt has shown sentiment."
"Alas, consider yourself lucky. You'd better pray I forget all of this in the next few months when I see you again."
"Heehee. Sure."
Tang Ziyi felt fortunate they weren't using a video call. Otherwise, the new phone might not have survived. She could already predict Ling Qingyu's expression from her words and tone alone.
"Never mind. I'll get everything done within a week— registration and recruiting teammates. Guess what?"
"What?"
"I can confidently vouch that around a hundred girls are eager to participate."
"Bring as many as you can without compromising Province N's security. Disbanding will take time before Yang Qingyue's forces are ready to take over." Ling Qingyu wasn't too surprised by Tang Ziyi's estimation. In fact, she believed no girls would complain if she gave the orders.
Where in the world they could find the boss who cared deeply about their well-beings and safety beyond her own personal interest?
"You don't need to say more. But tell me—are we directly steamrolling ISIS?" Tang Ziyi asked with faint amusement.
Ling Qingyu also imagined extremists fleeing in terror, crying out in despair—knowing that in their twisted faith, being killed by women meant losing God's reward.
They might hold out for a while, but once Tang Ziyi and the girls' reputation spread, she foresaw a domino of panic.
With proper equipment, there was no ground military force in the world that Spirit Fox couldn't crush head-on.
Of course, the girls would have to pretend to be mortal to remain low-key and avoid triggering supernatural incidents. Even with their strength restrained, dozens of captains could still bulldoze enemies.
After all, while strength and speed could be suppressed, stamina and endurance were inherent.
"You'd better not do that. Although it's easy, it would make our group famous too quickly and draw the attention of powerful forces—contrary to our plan. I don't want connections, only background records we can use to answer questions in the future."
"Alright, what a pity. It seems our role is limited to foreign advisers, like the Green Berets."
"Stop joking. Can my girls even speak the local languages? Please…"
"Hmm, I forgot to tell you—the translation device is already usable. Not the kind that waits for someone to finish speaking. The software genuinely works as a real-time translator. Just a few seconds delay."
Ling Qingyu was left speechless and quickly realized that her girls had effectively graduated beyond Green Berets.
"Can't you stop surprising me with new innovations? I feel like my brain can't keep up with the pace of technology."
"Can't do that. We're in the age of an AI revolution, just like the industrial one centuries ago. It's because we have Athena that we can control the pacing and gain experience before the real change arrives."
Ling Qingyu was immediately alarmed when she thought it through. Fortunately, Athena's products hadn't yet been released to the public and remained exclusive to her personal group.
If the world discovered her girls using technology far beyond the current level, Ling Qingyu dared not imagine the consequences. She reckoned the translation devices alone would certainly attract unnecessary attention.
It seemed she truly had less time to bide, especially once the parties she was vigilant about began to react.
"Speaking of Green Berets," Tang Ziyi didn't care about Ling Qingyu's brief silence—she genuinely feared no one on this planet.
She knew what this bastard possessed and sometimes wanted to knock her on the forehead to clear away those excessive worries. Ling Qingyu cared a little too much about external forces, but in the long run, her path did seem to be the right one.
"Isn't the Kurds supported by Country A here? Why are they suddenly in trouble?"
"There are too many parties involved, especially neighboring regional powers launching airstrikes to support government forces."
"Wait…"
"If you want a history lesson, ask Athena."
"Alright. But wouldn't our participation clash with forces from Country A?"
"Since when did you believe in Country A's alliances? Why do you think their enemies dare to overstep their boundaries?" Ling Qingyu mused. "It's not the first time that unfortunate ethnic groups have been betrayed by them."
"Right. Being an enemy is dangerous, but being a friend means total extinction."
"I don't think your quote is quite right."
"As long as you get the meaning," Tang Ziyi cursed a few more times to silence Ling Qingyu's soft laughter.
The two women expanded on their advisory roles and identified the core assistance needed to change the tide. The embattled ethnicity was filled with warriors and courage.
They merely lacked sufficient logistical support to sustain momentum—and perhaps professional military training, though even that was uncertain, given that Country A had already provided assistance.
Elena could provide fire support in the worst case, deploying electromagnetic cannons and drones while transporting ammunition ranging from MANPADS, anti-tank weapons, and RPGs to mortars and rifles.
Ling Qingyu and Tang Ziyi still remembered Elena's unique trait—functioning as an independent war machine capable of sustaining medium-level conflicts. Even a short campaign of high-intensity warfare was within her capacity.
The industrial scale inside the submarine—from underwater resource mining to full-spectrum manufacturing—surpassed that of medium-sized nations, though mass production was still constrained by upper limits.
Moreover, waste from the mini-factories could be stored and later recycled by Athena, forming a fully efficient closed-loop ecosystem.
"It'd be funny if others discovered QBZ and QBU rifles in the Kurds' hands."
"I'm sure my mother-in-law and her colleagues would puke their eyes out. Just adapt the military styles to their original format. We aren't selling them weapons," Ling Qingyu replied. "Don't stress the elders. I can sense some political turmoil is about to erupt soon in the Capitol given the president's term is about to end."
"Come on, no need to fuss about it. With your media outlets and Athena's hidden hands, it'd be an understatement to say you've completely controlled the political narrative."
"I'm not worried about foul play or tricks. I fear an idiot—someone full of themselves. It's not as if there's no pattern of dictators popping up at an alarming rate. Who's to say someone on the throne isn't admiring the former?"
"Oh—right. You are damn right about that." Tang Ziyi paused, finally grasping Ling Qingyu's meaning, as the latter was visiting a country whose situation closely matched her words. "But you are underestimating Aunt Gu too much."
"Yeah, you're right. Someone who climbs the ladder without muddying on a crooked water must have guarantees and means."
"Exactly."
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