"The reason he didn't tell you is because he fears you'd worry," Silver Fox said with a smile. "Have breakfast quickly. I'll take you to the airport before they discover you. You can catch a return flight to our country."

"I'm not going back. I'm waiting here for Lin Chuan's return," Tang Yumeng said resolutely.

"That won't do," Silver Fox shook his head, "Lin Chuan has already said that once he completes his mission, he'll return to the country. He will send the mission result to Everson by email. You should not concern yourself with other matters."

"I..." Tang Yumeng was at a loss.

"Enough, hurry and have your breakfast," Silver Fox said, frowning.

Tang Yumeng hesitated for a long time, seemingly left with no choice but to accept.

...

Afghanistan, the capital city, Kabul.

After more than ten hours of flight, and a brief refueling in London, United Kingdom, the plane continued its journey to Kabul and landed at the capital's international airport. Lin Chuan is never one to dally when he has a task to complete, it must be done promptly. He could spend months, even longer, on reconnaissance, casing, and lying in wait. But it seems that completing the mission only requires that last second of pulling the trigger.

Getting a decent gun in Afghanistan is as simple as buying cabbage at a vegetable market.

Afghanistan has long been embroiled in civil war, which has made it a haven for Al-Qaeda. Al-Qaeda's leader, Bin Laden, had been hiding there until his location was leaked by his followers, leading to his death by American forces. Even though Bin Laden is dead, Al-Qaeda has not disappeared; its leaders have risen once more, launching numerous anti-American terrorist attacks. The recent shooting in Paris, France, was instigated by Al-Qaeda.

Walking out in Kabul, Lin Chuan carried a black canvas bag, and due to his Asian face, he drew a lot of attention everywhere he went. While walking on the streets of Kabul, he felt eyes on him constantly—curious, strange, and even some malicious ones.

On the roads of Afghanistan, a stray bullet could take your life at any moment.

"Mr. Lin," at that moment, a local man from Kabul approached him.

"Are you Abulado?" Lin Chuan asked.

"Correct, that's me," Abulado nodded and said, "Everson has already informed me about you, specifically asking me to meet you."

"Hmm," Lin Chuan nodded, seeing a trustworthy light in the man's eyes. This much, Lin Chuan could ascertain.

Lin Chuan followed the man into a small Tata car made in India, similar in size to the compact Panda cars commonly found back home, with limited space and even worse visibility. But having such a car in Kabul was a luxury in itself.

Squeezing into the car, Abulado took Lin Chuan towards the outskirts of the city.

After twenty minutes of speeding, Abulado led Lin Chuan to a relatively new three-story mansion in the suburbs surrounded by ruins. After years of war, Afghanistan was in a state of poverty, with women and children displaced everywhere. Many children, almost naked, wandered the streets, and occasionally there were incidents of stray dogs attacking them.

Actually, this wasn't Lin Chuan's first visit to Kabul.

So, he was rather familiar with Kabul. Nearby, it wasn't far from Kabul University. Looking around, the area was desolate, with the occasional sight of someone cycling across the road opposite. As for cars, they were much rarer beyond some patrolling soldiers; you had to be near the palace to see a significant number of vehicles.

"Please, Mr. Lin, come inside," Abulado said with a smile.

"Hmm," Lin Chuan nodded and walked in.

The inside of the house was warm, with strong winds and heavy dust outside. It was rare to see women walking outside in Kabul, and even when you did, they were usually covered from head to toe, unrecognizable.

The house's furniture was simple—a fabric sofa on the left, a dining table with peeling paint, and beneath it a woolen carpet. This kind of carpet, a fine handmade craft from Afghanistan, was intricately embroidered and would fetch a high price if sold back home—pure wool products easily outcompeting many domestic sellers. Plus, the sheer handmade nature of the carpet boosted its prestige immensely.

Lin Chuan sat down on the sofa.

At that moment, Abulado came down from upstairs with some documents, saying, "Mr. Lin, these are the documents Everson asked me to give you. Additionally, if you need any weapons or equipment, just let me know. I can provide whatever you require."

"Good," Lin Chuan nodded, "I need a Barrett Light Fifty sniper rifle."

"Do you need anything else?" Abulado asked.

"No need." Lin Chuan shook his head.

Based on the current information, it appears that Al-Qaeda's Number Five is indeed in Kabul. This is why Lin Chuan went straight to Kabul. However, since nobody has seen what he actually looks like, it is difficult for Lin Chuan to track him down. To find him, one must locate where Al-Qaeda's base is. Al-Qaeda has many branches in Kabul, and searching for them one by one would be like looking for a needle in a haystack.

"Abulado, can you help me get surveillance videos from the airport?" Lin Chuan suddenly asked.

"Ah?" Abulado was taken aback, saying, "No problem, but... what do you need it for?"

"Just try your best to get it for me," Lin Chuan said with a smile.

The surveillance video from the airport entrance might be a starting point, but it is not the only direction to break through. Lin Chuan decided to start there. So far, no one knows any information about Number Five, so the only way is to start with the people surrounding Al-Qaeda. And it has to be from the core figures.

Abro is Al-Qaeda's Number Six, and capturing him might lead to the whereabouts of Number Five.

The airport videos could reveal Abro's entry and exit movements. Lin Chuan did not delay for a moment, keeping an eye on the airport footage, watching it at four times the speed, and it took him a whole day to comb through several days' worth of surveillance videos. Only after he finished watching the last day's video did Lin Chuan stretch languidly.

He breathed a sigh of relief.

Abulado had been by Lin Chuan's side the whole time, and he had not spotted anything suspicious.

"Mr. Lin, have you... have you found anything?" Abulado asked curiously.

"Of course!" Lin Chuan replied with a smile: "At least I've determined that Abro is in Kabul. So now, my first task is to find Abro."

"Abro?" Abulado was startled, saying, "I have his current whereabouts!"

"You could've told me sooner." Lin Chuan was immediately frustrated; he had been trying to track down Abro's movements, yet this guy obviously knew Abro's whereabouts and did not tell him.

"You didn't say anything either," Abulado said awkwardly.

"Forget it," Lin Chuan waved his hand helplessly, saying, "Take me to him now."

"Okay," Abulado hurriedly nodded.

Abro's mansion was located near the palace. The area around the palace is a stronghold guarded by government forces, where no armed individuals are allowed near, so Lin Chuan did not carry any firearms. To avoid attracting attention, Lin Chuan deliberately dressed in a Muslim devotee's attire and darkened his face a bit. Walking on the streets, indeed no one suspected his identity.

Once the car reached the vicinity of the palace, Abulado parked it casually by the road and then walked with Lin Chuan towards the nearby mansion area. They went to a hill nearby, and Abulado hastily spoke, "Do you see it? It's that tallest house over there."

"Is Abro inside?" Lin Chuan asked.

"Yes," Abulado quickly nodded, saying, "According to the information passed back by my subordinates, it should be correct. Abro is currently living here with his four wives and twelve children. However, the defense here is very strict; it would be very difficult for you to infiltrate."

Lin Chuan smiled and said, "No problem, I'll find a way."

"Good luck!" Abulado understood Lin Chuan's resolve.

To be able to infiltrate the mansion successfully, Lin Chuan especially wandered around the palace area for an afternoon to prepare for the evening's action. Only by finding Abro would it be possible to find Number Five. At least according to the current situation, Number Five is completely untraceable, and finding Abro is the only chance.

After an afternoon of reconnaissance, Lin Chuan finally decided it was time to act.

Dusk fell, and Lin Chuan ate a bowl of the local special lamb soup noodles. Then he packed up his gear.

After nightfall, Kabul became very dark. Although there is no curfew in Kabul, the streets are very dangerous, so few people come out. Nighttime is high time for robberies and rapes. Lin Chuan walked alone near the palace and quickly headed straight towards the mansion area. The Muslim robe was quite cumbersome, so Lin Chuan simply took it off and put on a set of black night clothes.

Lin Chuan successfully avoided several guards and surveillance cameras, infiltrating the mansion area.

Abro's mansion was among them, and it was the tallest. Inside this mansion area, it was as if in a world of its own. Green lawns were laid out everywhere, along with lush trees, making it seem like an oasis compared to the deserts of Afghanistan. Moreover, the security was strict, with personnel dressed in Muslim police uniforms carrying rifles and patrolling everywhere. Lin Chuan hid in a strip of greenery until the patrol team five meters away left, then he bent down and quickly dashed towards Abro's mansion.

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