Miss Beautiful C.E.O and her system

Gu Yi, satisfied with a small victory, accepted Ling Qingyu's attempt to change the topic again.

"If the kidnappers were just ordinary criminals, we'd have a good chance of getting them back through diplomatic channels," Gu Yi said. "But our intelligence suggests foreign intervention. It's impossible for regular units in the Middle Kingdom to execute something like this flawlessly, without setting off even the slightest alarm."

"Either that, or your subordinates got themselves into trouble. Maybe they tangled with terrorists or big gangs," Ling Qingyu replied, considering the alternatives.

After all, she had asked Athena to monitor the development of ISIS in the Middle Kingdom. According to her predictions and the original trajectories, the Middle Kingdom should be engulfed in devastation once that extremist organization went rampant.

The time hadn't come yet, but the undercurrents were there—perhaps this was one of those ripples. If terrorist organizations were involved, financial incentives could be a driving factor.

"Well, Qingyu, it seems I underestimated your geopolitical sense. You're right; terrorists are involved. Some evidence suggests their presence."

"You're not asking me and my girls to go in guns blazing for a direct rescue, are you?" Ling Qingyu asked, her expression blank.

"Of course not. That would be the last resort. For now, the relevant departments are negotiating their demands. If it can be resolved peacefully, then that's ideal."

"But…" Ling Qingyu pressed.

"Yeah, but." Gu Yi echoed. "If things go south, I thought I could rely on you. It's entirely your choice; you don't have to do this if you're not willing. But I believe your intelligence network might gather more accurate data than mine."

"Tsk, who doesn't know how to freeload off others and serve chicken soup?" Ling Qingyu scoffed.

All leaders were the same—always offering moral support while subtly manipulating subordinates to be more efficient by painting grand dreams.

Praising her network just to pry information from her? Ling Qingyu wasn't that naive. And Gu Yi knew it too.

Whether it was reverse psychology or just casual banter as family, Gu Yi didn't care.

Who said a minister couldn't joke around with her daughter-in-law?

In any case, Gu Yi achieved her goal. Ling Qingyu's curiosity was piqued. She would indeed investigate after this call and decide whether to act.

"And just a reminder," Gu Yi paused. "The intel we've gathered so far indicates that no criminal organization or terrorist cell could have pulled off this kind of abduction while evading all ISR capabilities. We couldn't locate the victims at all."

"A third party is involved? Is that what you mean, Aunt Gu?"

"It's your call, Qingyu. It would be best to welcome our compatriots home, provided you can ensure your girls don't get endangered."

"I'll say thanks in their stead for your thoughtfulness," Ling Qingyu replied dryly.

Gu Yi didn't seem to mind and laughed coquettishly. "I might have to talk with your mother later to beg for her comfort. After all, I couldn't look after my own subordinates. I need to alleviate my guilt somehow."

"She'll understand. Those at the top are mostly lonely. I'm sure she'd be happy to receive your visit." Ling Qingyu gritted her teeth as she spoke.

A naked threat cloaked in moral obligation—was Gu Yi really blackmailing her mother? When did her mother-in-law become so sly and manipulative?

"I miss her too."

Ling Qingyu's ears perked up at Gu Yi's cheerful tone. "I miss my lover as well. What's Yang Qingyue up to these days?"

Come on, let's hurt each other. Reciprocity is a must.

On the other end of the line, Gu Yi's lips twitched as she glanced at the phone screen, half-wondering if she was really speaking to Ling Qingyu.

But then again, the phone was a gift from Ling Qingyu herself—its specs and privacy settings were certainly secure.

Naturally, sensitive information wasn't stored there, nor was it used for national affairs.

Trust was trust—but caution was necessary. Gu Yi understood that with Ling Qingyu's connections, it wouldn't take much effort for her to access classified information.

But even with that awareness, Gu Yi would never put herself in a position to lose initiative or take the blame easily. That was the mark of a seasoned politician.

"She's doing great. Better than her mother, who's about to lose her hair and turn whatever's left white," Gu Yi complained. "Speaking of which, I have to thank you for your massive sponsorship to cover the CCTT footage for all of Province N. Some people are even chatting about you lightly over dinner."

"That just means I made the right choice. Besides, it's a contract, not a sponsorship."

"A contract—with the lowest cost and the highest quality. That's the mark of an insanely reputable businesswoman."

"It's not like I'm not getting something out of it, Aunt Gu. And how could I wrong my love?" Ling Qingyu replied, entirely unbothered by the gossip circulating among her subordinates.

That group had probably suspected her relationship long ago; they were just waiting for solid evidence.

"Has your mother talked to you about marriage yet?"

Ling Qingyu's vein throbbed. Holy moly, her mother-in-law was no simple character.

Just now, she had tried to sound cheesy and playful, only to be met with a lightning-fast counterattack. Gu Yi's laughter crackled through the line, signaling her victory at Ling Qingyu's stunned silence.

"Seriously, Qingyu. You need to talk to them clearly and set things straight. Don't fidget around with worries and leave things vague. I'm sure the elders will understand. There's nothing unacceptable—even I've given my nod."

"Aunt Gu, it's not as easy as it sounds," Ling Qingyu replied with a sigh, feeling the start of a headache.

"Nothing worthwhile is easy. It's just about whether you're willing to do it. Qingyu, I don't want to hide things from your mother and aunt. Neither does my daughter, and it's not fair to her. I want her to hold her head high without fear or shame." Gu Yi's tone grew serious. "And do you really think everything is perfectly hidden? That no one has noticed anything strange? Don't assume people are dumb. Sometimes, they choose to ignore things for the greater good."

"I'll talk to them when I get back," Ling Qingyu finally relented.

"Good. Have a safe flight. It'll be a great favor if you can save the kidnappees soon. And if you can bring back crucial data on the black ops and evidence of their false flag conspiracy, I'll be even happier. Tut-tut."

Gu Yi ended the call, leaving Ling Qingyu shaking her head bitterly.

She would need to think long and hard before exposing those secrets.

Besides, even if the Country C government received compensation from Country A as hush money, they wouldn't necessarily compensate the victims.

If she did reveal everything, she might not just lose her bargaining chips—she could end up on the receiving end of Country A's wrath, facing even more dangerous challenges.

Right away, Ling Qingyu quenched her curiosity and authorized Athena to begin the investigation. Her "daughter" swiftly compiled every bit of information related to the event—satellite imagery, stored videos from any online-linked devices, pagers, phones, burners... anything connected to the grid.

Filtering out corrupted data and irrelevant history (unhealthy stuff and history everyone knew *wink*), Athena combed through every electronic device, leaving no stone unturned.

The computations did the heavy lifting; it wasn't brute force hacking but rather the artful parsing of accessible data streams.

Only keywords like terrorists, kidnapping, intelligence agencies triggered deeper scrutiny.

The locations of burner phones, their last known signals, and recent movements were all fed into the equation.

Here, every tiny detail mattered, and Athena managed to simulate how the event unfolded, tracing the kidnappers' escape routes.

From there, she cross-referenced the simulation with gathered evidence, sharpening the accuracy of her predictions.

Ling Qingyu didn't have to wait more than a minute before Athena delivered her conclusions.

Even the written report was ready. But Ling Qingyu only skimmed the summaries and Athena's personal assessment; she wasn't one to slog through pages of raw data.

Just as Gu Yi had said, a third party was indeed involved, and the culprits were confirmed to be terrorists.

The victims had already crossed the border and were likely being held at one of the hideouts Athena had marked on the map.

"Athena, keep digging until you've got visual and voice confirmation of the victims. Alert me the moment you get it."

"Understood, Mom."

Ling Qingyu adjusted her glasses, sneaking a glance at Xiao Yue. Her partner was equally engrossed, likely reading the same feed.

Ling Qingyu's eyes returned to the report, her brow furrowing as Athena highlighted the identity of the third party involved.

If Gu Yi weren't her respected elder and potential future relative, Ling Qingyu would have happily flashed her the middle finger—repeatedly.

Mossad.

Not the entire agency, but a small contingent pushing for strategic goals: weakening a neighboring country both financially and militarily.

Hell, she'd already offended Country A, and now she had to offend Mossad?

What kind of cosmic bad luck was this?

If she moved forward with this, there could be no survivors. She couldn't risk exposure.

That felt brutal—hypocritical, even—given how she had just condemned the black ops she so despised.

Her mother-in-law really knew how to toss her massive problems without a hint of a solution.

Ling Qingyu sighed deeply. "Athena, get me the identities of the Mossad operatives involved. I want a list. Quickly."

"Working on it."

One by one, biographies cascaded across the screen—short summaries attached to identity photos, with appearances captured from surveillance outside their operations.