Miss Beautiful C.E.O and her system

"So, I'm curious—do you really abuse this young hero?" Agent Hill asked with great curiosity.

Before the Team One leader could answer, Lin Fan interrupted. Damn, dissing someone right in front of them... what a wonderful experience.

"Situations called for it. It was protocol, and I can understand that," said Lin Fan. "Besides, if I had resisted, this lady would've gotten hurt."

"Hah, a joke. Long before you even moved, your body would've been riddled with bullet holes," Team One leader sneered.

Lin Fan swallowed hard, remembering the abuse he'd suffered that particular night—when he was about to enjoy and devour Lan Xi.

The woman who ruined the night had warned him that every operator under her had skills nearly on par with hers.

Offending this narrow-minded leader wasn't a good idea.

Still, Lin Fan couldn't resist. "At least it's better than your situation—shot in the face. It was pure luck you survived."

"Oh my gosh!" Agent Hill covered her lips and stared at the operator, even though she couldn't see any trace of a wound.

Her concern was genuine. Her expression clearly demanded an explanation.

The Team One leader simply shrugged, though her face darkened.

That incident was one she'd rather forget—even if she had been promoted afterward.

She'd been scared to death in that moment, and the only thing that saved her life was her ballistic visor.

Even now, she could still remember every detail.

And Lin Fan had just poked the wound.

As expected of someone her boss always emphasized and hated, she decided to ignore the taunt and instead focused on befriending Agent Hill.

Of course, not without pouring a bit of oil on the fire—she casually recounted Lin Fan's shameful past, including his history with flirtatious lovers.

Lin Fan rubbed his nose helplessly. Women... never offend them.

Thankfully, his new target—the chief stewardess—wasn't around to hear any of this.

Soon, most of Lin Fan's new partners had gathered around, exchanging information, while security personnel and professionals began tending to the aftermath of the terrorist attack.

Among the civilians, there were bound to be doctors and nurses—or at least people with useful skills.

Spirit Fox operatives helped provide first aid and medical assistance, doing their best while waiting for the Country E government to take over.

The Team One commander conversed with many, but she spoke more with Agent Hill, feeling comfortable around her.

"Is it possible the terrorists' goal was your client?" Agent Hill asked.

Since the commander's team posed as a mercenary security unit, many assumed her protectee must be a high-value target on someone's kill list.

The Team One commander was momentarily stunned.

Everyone's expressions seemed to suggest agreement with Hill's guess.

Where did they even draw that conclusion?

Although the truth was somewhat connected, Ling Qingyu really had no direct ties.

"No, it's impossible. There's no relevance," the commander denied firmly. "Don't overthink it. Politics and national interests, driven by dirty greed, have always affected bystanders."

"Indeed," Lin Fan nodded, with others following, though some still looked unconvinced.

Regardless, her words held a crucial truth—a deeper investigation would be necessary to uncover more.

"I can vouch that we aren't involved," the commander added. "In fact, it was their attack that forced us to defend ourselves."

Even though she knew the real cause, she wouldn't admit any of it.

It didn't matter whether others believed her—what mattered was that she never accepted the blame.

The fault must never land on her boss.

Even if she lacked grand strategic vision, she had enough common sense to know this much—

She and her team weren't going to be scapegoats.

"It's amazing to see so many veterans gathered here today," she added, voice calm but meaningful.

There were implications behind her words:

If you keep tilting the arrows at us, don't forget—you might not be free from the true cause of this terrorist attack either.

No one continued the earlier topic. Instead, they complained about their journey and lamented how fate had brought them all together during this chaotic adventure.

"Interesting," the commander muttered, drawing a raised brow from Lin Fan.

Since she'd spoken in her native tongue, the others didn't understand. Lin Fan glanced back and forth between John and the Spirit Fox commander.

There was something off. The woman was staring at the former Marine Recon with a look far too playful for the current situation—like she'd found a new toy to break.

Even though her face was layered behind a ballistic visor and hood, with only her eyes exposed, Lin Fan caught the glint in them.

He didn't voice his suspicions, but his thoughts turned sharply. Why is Spirit Fox eyeing John like that?

The commander's lips curled ever so slightly.

Unlike others, she was seeing something through the visor that no one else could—information that, if revealed, would cause another shock.

John's outline was highlighted in red—a tag the visor only used to mark enemies.

Just like the terrorist earlier who had tried to slip away in a group of civilians, this situation was no different.

She wasn't the only one who noticed. A few other operators subtly exchanged glances.

The commander casually shooed away the surrounding sisters, keeping only two close, who shifted positions to encircle John from a distance.

It wasn't a direct confrontation. She wasn't aiming to provoke a firefight—just increasing the pressure, subtly.

At first, she had considered whether the intelligence system had made an error, but further data erased that doubt.

Line by line, John's profile came up—past missions, recent assignments.

This man was the undercover asset tied to the terrorists.

A former Marine Recon joining Black Ops wasn't a surprise in itself. But what intrigued the Spirit Fox commander was his behavior during the attack.

That was why she hadn't moved earlier. That, and she had no desire to antagonize Lin Fan's group without solid proof.

Yes, they now had enough to take John down—but exposing him was a different matter altogether.

Revealing how they obtained this intelligence would only bring future headaches. Mishandling the case could create unnecessary risks.

So, she remained still.

Why stir up conflict when people might accuse Spirit Fox of false speculation or staging evidence?

Not to mention—this former Recon had personally eliminated his own teammates without giving away the slightest clue.

That alone impressed her.

She even wondered what Lin Fan's reaction would be if she laid all the facts out in front of him.

Would he feel betrayed? Or relieved?

Did John hate this mission from the start, finding the "dirty work" beneath him?

Black ops had always walked a fine line—heroes to some, criminals to others. Everyone in the game knew this truth.

Maybe John had even considered sabotaging the mission—only to hesitate when he saw a third party like Spirit Fox already involved.

In any case, that bastard was lucky to still be standing in front of Spirit Fox.

She couldn't give her girls the go-ahead to engage—not without a visible, lawful reason, no matter their numerical edge.

Besides, whatever his identity or intent, his actions—taking down the terrorists—deserved recognition.

That alone would give others enough reason to defend him if things escalated.

Meanwhile, John had noticed the subtle triangle of operators watching him.

He played it cool, but his palms were slick with sweat.

Those women's eyes... they weren't ordinary glances.

Luckily, he'd endured enough extreme situations to maintain composure. Still, he couldn't shake the bad feeling forming in his gut.

The commander, meanwhile, ignored his reaction. With a quick, silent signal, she directed the two watching him to maintain observation.

Then, Agent Hill approached, handing her a contact card.

The commander accepted it, but her eyes narrowed ever so slightly.

Why is this woman so eager to connect with us?

She turned the card in her fingers, wondering—Could there be a tracker or surveillance tech hidden inside?

She bore the suspicions and accepted the card, not forgetting to remark—hopefully, she would never need to ping the contact.

Her attention was quickly diverted by incoming reports from her teams and subordinates. A mix of good news and bad.

The good news: a small detachment had successfully secured the VIP and exfiltrated back to the aircraft without drawing attention.

The bad news came from Team 2, who had been tasked with hunting down the sniper.

The target had escaped—with help.

By the time Team 2 reached the sniper's original position, his partner had already picked him up on a motorbike and vanished down the road.

Engaging them at that range risked creating diplomatic issues. So, Ling Qingyu had called off the pursuit.

She wasn't about to hand over political leverage before even speaking with Country E's superiors.

At last, the long-awaited reinforcements arrived—late, as always, just like in the movies.

Military trucks and armored vehicles from Country E screeched to a halt on the scene.

Emergency medical services were a few minutes behind.

Given Country E's infamous corruption, their arrival time wasn't half bad—probably thanks to repeated pressure from higher-ups.

Besides, she had long suspected that the Black Ops terrorists might have allies within the military, deliberately delaying reinforcements to gain an advantage.

So it wasn't surprising if the QRF took their sweet time.