Lieutenant Colonel Allen opened his mouth, wanting to say something more, but was forced to hold back by Cole's icy gaze.

As a soldier, following orders is above all, especially for a mission endorsed by both the Navy Staff Department and the Ministry of Defense Combat Center, involving interests far beyond what a lieutenant colonel can meddle with.

"Sir! The main engine is started, requesting permission to depart!" reported the communication officer beside him.

Allen took a deep breath, suppressing his doubts: "Set course for the southern Red Sea, speed 25 knots. Notify the shipborne helicopter to stand by for aerial reconnaissance!"

As the departure order was given, the Duke of York Frigate slowly left the berth...

...

On the other side, upon learning that his cargo ship was hijacked, Harris immediately called the Somali pirate leader to question what it meant, only to be told it was done independently by his subordinates, and he was unaware.

Harris naturally did not believe such a flimsy excuse.

However, he was also very clear that for these pirates, money is the only thing that matters, with no credibility whatsoever, only interested in profit.

"I don't care whether you knew or not, if you can't give me a satisfactory explanation, I guarantee you won't receive another bullet in the future!" Harris was very firm, directly making a clear threat.

The pirate leader was silent for a long time and finally made a concession: "I'm sorry, Mr. Harris, this was our mistake. We are willing to increase the price of the next batch by 30%!"

Under the current strong suppression from various countries, the business of Somali pirates has plummeted, with their survival at risk, and apart from the Harris brothers, others probably wouldn't dare to sell to them anymore.

Upon hearing this answer, Harris' mouth curled into a satisfied smile: "Alright, for God's sake, the cooperation continues."

After hanging up the phone, he immediately dialed Qi Yun's number, straightforwardly saying: "I'm sorry, my friend, I didn't expect such a thing to happen, endangering your people."

"Haha, it's not your fault, those pirates were after my goods," said Qi Yun over the phone courteously, frankly stating the reason.

Even if he didn't say it, the other party could find out what happened, so there's no need for any smart tricks.

"Oh! Qi, thank you for your generosity!" Harris exclaimed exaggeratedly, "Those pirates have already paid for their recklessness, and I'll have their compensation transferred to your account later."

Qi Yun repeatedly refused: "No need to send it to me, there wasn't much loss, you can keep it."

After some back and forth, Qi Yun ultimately declined this kindness.

After ending the call, he sighed and began reviewing today's intelligence reports.

[Current Intelligence Points: 18]

[Today's Intelligence 1 (Red): An hour ago, two suspicious men appeared at the entrance of the Golden Collar Villa, and they belong to the same group that killed Qiu Jiahao]

Upon seeing this report, Qi Yun immediately sat up from the recliner, his nerves instantly tensing.

They finally found him...

Even though he had anticipated this day, he couldn't help but feel a bit worried when they actually showed up, given their deep background.

After contemplating for about ten minutes, Qi Yun extinguished his cigarette and called Niu Da, giving detailed instructions.

"What if they keep their mouths shut?" Niu Da asked.

Qi Yun sneered: "If they keep their mouths shut, knock all their teeth out! Just don't kill them, and after you're done, I'll send others to pick them up."

"Alright, I got it."

"Yes, that's it," Qi Yun said and then hung up the phone.

Although civilians shouldn't fight with officials, they brought knives to him, so naturally, there's no reason to sit idly by.

[Today's Intelligence 2 (Green): A group of thieves stole a Nine-Eyed Celestial Pearl from the Sangye Temple, then entered the region through the Qiangtang No-Man's Land, planning to sell the pearl in the black market of Bird City]

Nine-Eyed Celestial Pearl?

Qi Yun paused, feeling the name sounded somewhat familiar.

He immediately looked it up online.

What he found was astonishing, he never imagined it would be so valuable.

The Nine-Eyed Celestial Pearl is considered a treasure of Tibet, with each Purest Nine-Eyed Celestial Pearl's totem carrying mysterious power, being the most mystical Buddhist artifact, extremely rare, obtainable only by those with deep Buddhist fates.

Historically, there's a saying that one pearl can be exchanged for fifty fine horses.

In the 15th year of the Zhenguan era, or 641 AD, when Princess Wencheng married Songtsen Gampo, she brought a statue from India as part of her dowry, encrusted with various jewels, including three Nine-Eyed Celestial Pearls on its forehead.

Later, something inexplicable happened, and the statue enshrined in Jokhang Temple's Shakyamuni Hall had its pearls reduced from three to one.

There are also public records stating that one of them was bought back by a certain international superstar at a great cost, while the other remains missing.

It turned out to be hidden in Sangye Temple...

Qi Yun stared at the Nine-Eyed Celestial Pearl information on the screen, his fingers unconsciously tapping on the desktop.

He wasn't well-versed in Tibetan culture but had heard of "Sangye Temple", a temple known as one of Tibet's oldest, existing since the Tubo Dynasty of the eighth century.

Legend has it that this was the first monastery in Tibet where monks were ordained.

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