Deng Shiyang was naturally indifferent to this kind of slogan-like statement. He just nodded slightly and said an unenthusiastic "hmm." Keith's reaction was about the same.

Feeling a bit awkward, Harrowby quickly changed the topic, saying, "During the preparation phase, you'll need a base to ensure contact with the outside world."

Keith responded, "I’ve already thought about this. Since most of the materials will be purchased in South Africa, I think it would be more convenient to set up the base there. As for the exact location, Du Preez will have a way to arrange it."

"Once you have chosen a place, find a bank to open an account and send me the account number and name by email," Harrowby paused and continued, "After entering the preparation phase, we won't meet again; we’ll stay in touch only by phone and email."

Keith and Deng Shiyang nodded.

Harrowby got up and went into the bedroom, returning shortly afterward with two burgundy-covered European Union passports. He walked over to the coffee table and placed a passport in front of each of them, saying, "These are your new identities."

Deng Shiyang picked up the Belgian passport, with a lion crest on the cover, and examined it carefully. It was a standard passport, slightly worn to make it look more genuine, with fine creases in some places, and a few drops of what seemed to be either tea or coffee stains if looked at carefully.

The passport was issued by the Belgian Embassy in London, and the holder was named "Josh Bockman Deylek," 27 years old, residing in Hamilton. Although the issue date was July 21, 2004, the signature line was still blank.

Deng Shiyang reviewed the passport from beginning to end, then shook it slightly with a frown, saying, "This guy’s name sounds like a Flemish person with German ancestry, but I can’t speak a word of French, German, or Dutch. Besides, he doesn’t look like me at all."

Harrowby smiled indifferently and replied, "Border checks mainly focus on luggage and documents. For individuals, it’s height, eye color, and signature comparison. And since this passport doesn’t have a biometric chip, having the five-year-old photo look exactly like you might raise suspicion."

Deng Shiyang said nothing further, just nodded lightly. Though Harrowby didn't spell it out, he had roughly guessed the origins of the two passports.

Those in this circle all knew that Belgian passport management had significant loopholes. It was said that since 1990, as many as 19,000 blank passports had been stolen in the country in less than two decades, and that was just the official figure.

In reality, those passports had been taken by corrupt Belgian civil servants and sold on the black market. According to U.S. and U.K. intelligence agencies, at least 45 were sold by the Belgian Consulate General in Strasbourg, while the embassy in The Hague sold over 20. The two Moroccan assassins who killed Ahmad Shah Massoud, the leader of the Northern Alliance, in 2001 used passports from the latter.

Unlike Deng Shiyang, Keith opened his passport and frowned immediately. He glared at Harrowby, his voice filled with anger, "This name is a joke! Which idiot came up with it?"

Harrowby showed an almost mischievous smile and said with satisfaction, "I thought it suited you quite well."

Curious, Deng Shiyang glanced at it—the passport holder's name was "Charles Alfred Thomas Shannon." He couldn’t help but laugh, agreeing, "I think it’s a great name. Don’t you like it? Kitty(CATS)—" He even dragged out the last word deliberately.

"Hahaha!" Harrowby burst into loud laughter.

Keith glared at him and said angrily, "Why don’t you change your career to become a novelist?"

"Thanks for the suggestion! After this job succeeds, I’ll consider it," Harrowby replied insincerely, which made Keith feel quite frustrated.

If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

Once the atmosphere calmed down, Harrowby glanced at his wristwatch and said, "I’ll book your flight tickets for tomorrow night. From now until then, you have a day and a half—I suggest you make good use of the time to prepare. If there’s anyone you need to contact, I’d be happy to help."

Keith thought for a moment and said, "Please contact Du Preez and have him call me by noon tomorrow." He seemed to think of something halfway through and turned to give Deng Shiyang an inquiring look, adding, "...He hasn’t taken any jobs since leaving Bolivia and has been staying in Durban."

Deng Shiyang nodded and replied calmly, "You can decide on things like this."

"Thank you." Keith expressed his gratitude, then turned to Harrowby and said, "After we arrive in South Africa, we’ll rent a PO box at a nearby post office and get a few mobile phones. Then, we’ll send you our communication addresses and phone numbers by email. Does that arrangement work for you?"

"Very thoughtful." Harrowby nodded, then asked, "Anything else?"

"Unless there’s something special, our regular call time will be 8 p.m. each day, and we’ll report the latest progress to you by phone."

"Understood." Harrowby nodded once more.

By the time Deng Shiyang returned to his room, it was already noon. He called room service to quickly take care of lunch, then found a few blank notepads and repeatedly practiced the signature "Josh Deylek" until he was comfortable with it before signing his passport.

Satisfied, he picked up the passport and looked at it for a while before putting it away. Then, he rolled up the used notepads into a ball and burned them in the ashtray, poured the ashes into the toilet, and slowly started packing his bags.

Aside from his involvement in drafting the plan, most of the other work was handled by Keith, the deputy. Compared to him, Deng Shiyang, the supposed director, seemed relatively relaxed. But knowing his own shortcomings in planning and organizing, he was content with taking a hands-off approach.

At 10 p.m., he dialed Thomas Company’s number again.

The agent who answered the call was very attentive, and after a few formal pleasantries, he began to report the latest investigation results: "After those seven brokers took control of 'Diliman Holdings,' they entrusted all shares to a trust company called 'Bormac Investments.' Our investigation shows that this company is registered on the Isle of Man, and the registered legal representative is named Martin Thorpe. Would you like us to conduct a background check on this company?"

Deng Shiyang thought for about half a minute and then answered, "I don’t want to waste more time and money on these shell companies—I’m ending the investigation."

The agent was clearly surprised by his decision and was silent for a moment before replying, "As you wish. Regarding the investigation expenses, I’ll send the bill to your email, so please keep an eye out for it."

After hanging up the phone, he went to the desk, sat down, and logged into his email using his laptop. When he saw the amount on the bill, his heart skipped a beat. Recalling the risks he’d taken with IEDs in Iraq and the income he earned during his year there, he cursed to himself, "Damn it, this is highway robbery."

He leaned back in his chair, looking around the luxuriously decorated but elegantly tasteful suite, then exhaled deeply.

Deng Shiyang paid the bill and transferred an amount equivalent to half a year’s income in Iraq to Thomas Company’s account. Then, he logged into online banking and consolidated all available funds into one account.

The next morning, he left the hotel, took a taxi to Exchange Square Phase 1 on Connaught Road, and took the elevator to the 48th floor to "China Merchants Securities." He stayed there for half an hour, opened a personal investment account, and transferred all his funds into it.

With the payments from his previous two jobs, the advance he’d just received, and his accumulated savings over the years, he had a total of 230,000 U.S. dollars, equivalent to 1.88 million Hong Kong dollars. Considering the current share price of Ruiyuan International at HKD 0.38, this amount could buy roughly 4.9 million shares, about 3.5% of the total equity.

Buying a large number of shares at once would certainly cause price fluctuations and lead retail investors to hoard shares. Considering this, he specifically instructed the broker to purchase these shares in batches over the next eight weeks.

It was already noon by the time everything was done. He had lunch at a nearby restaurant, then found a salon to dye his hair chestnut and curl it slightly. Before returning to the hotel, he took a stroll near Central and bought five 100-dollar traveler’s checks at Citibank.

Upon returning to the hotel, the rigid, expressionless office worker had completely disappeared, replaced by a handsome, vibrant Belgian tourist. Keith, who had gotten used to his previous appearance, nodded repeatedly and even half-jokingly asked if he was interested in joining the "Secret Intelligence Service."

That evening, Deng Shiyang and Keith assumed their new identities and boarded Cathay Pacific flight CX749 bound for Johannesburg.

Annotations:

Charles Alfred Thomas Shannon: Protagonist of the novel *The Dogs of War*. Because the initials of his name are "CATS," his nickname is "Kitty."

Secret Intelligence Service (SIS): The British foreign intelligence agency, also known as MI6.