Chapter 32: Departure, Krasa Town!

The moment Angel called his name, Song Heping was almost certain the girl had a screw loose.

He suspected she actually enjoyed the feeling of someone being on top of her, pummeling her. Otherwise, why pick him out of everyone? It wasn't as if there weren't other women in the team—Yulia was right there. She would have been a far more appropriate choice. After all, a personal bodyguard is a close-quarters role. In an emergency, things get physical—you have to pin someone down, and in the heat of the moment, who could say where a hand might end up? Even if it were purely professional, those areas were still sensitive, weren't they? Song Heping was relatively traditional, possessing a certain sense of modesty between the sexes. And besides, the scent Angel wore was just too overpowering.

But in Angel’s eyes, things looked quite different. Choosing Song Heping as her personal bodyguard was, at the very least, a sincere decision true to her own intentions.

First and foremost, Angel’s purpose in coming here was tied to the partisan struggle between the Donkeys and the Elephants back in the United States. She belonged to the Donkey faction; her own aunt was no ordinary person, but the newly appointed Donkey party whip in the House of Representatives. Angel hadn’t risen to the status of a famous journalist through her own extraordinary talent, but rather through family patronage. Any reporter in the American media landscape needed resources—that is, sources of intelligence—and there was no resource more powerful than her aunt, especially now that her aunt was in power and looking to make a big move.

A "big move" naturally required something sensational and earth-shattering. Nothing would be more impactful than uncovering the lies behind the "Kelly Report," negating the necessity of the current "Freedom Operation" in Iraq, and toppling the highest-ranking figures of the Elephant-led administration. For Angel personally, if she could produce an explosive story on the scale of "Watergate," her fame would reach its zenith. Angel had no intention of being just a famous journalist; her idol was her Aunt Nancy, the party whip. Angel’s future lay in politics, and fame and funding were the two most critical resources for a campaign. Thus, it was only logical for Angel, who had been coasting in the comfort of Washington D.C. on family connections, to venture out here.

The "informant" and the mysterious "Mr. J" were not her own resources, but rather those provided by her aunt.

The subtlety of the situation lay right there. The military-industrial complex had always been the stronghold of the Elephant faction. If Angel came here to flip the table, the military brass and the people from Langley certainly wouldn't want her to succeed. Otherwise, hundreds of billions in Iraq reconstruction projects, arms contracts, and Langley’s own funding would go down the drain, potentially dragging down a large group of bigwigs and causing the collapse of the Elephant faction.

Angel didn't trust anyone in the military, not even the people from Langley. The best she could do was hire mercenaries to ensure her own safety; they were far more reliable than using Delta Force or the SEALs. She didn't know who those guys were loyal to, and if they chose to put a bullet in her back just as she was about to succeed, it would all be over.

Angel had conducted a background check on the "Musician" team. Four Russians and one Chinese man. There was no combination better suited to her needs. Especially this Chinese man—that day on the highway under the overpass, he had been decisive and brave in a moment of crisis. He had slapped her a few times when she was on the verge of wetting her pants in fear, and after she regained her senses, he had dragged her out of the vehicle, engaged the attackers in close combat, and killed two of them.

Angel had seen it all and kept it in her heart. After returning, she couldn’t sleep. This Song Heping, who was a few years younger than her, was permanently etched into her mind. Throughout her life, she had never been touched, let alone had someone jump on her and slap her face; she had grown up in elite private schools with lines of boys chasing after her, and in her professional media career, even her superiors spoke to her with the same respect they showed their subordinates.

He actually dared to slap her?!

That was exactly right! It proved that Song Heping wasn't a military plant. Otherwise, if he hadn't saved her that day, he could have just left her in the car, and she would have been killed by the bullets tearing through the frame. This was why Angel had rejected the "Mad Dog" mercenary team, designated the "Musician" team to be responsible for her security, and even agreed to raise their fee to $15,000 a day.

"Zang, we prioritize