On the Avanti's side, after hanging up Song Heping's call, he sat in the chair, pondering for a moment before picking up another landline and dialing a number.
The line was quickly connected, and Avanti said only one sentence: "Tell Intelligence Officer Kazimi to see me immediately."
...
Three days later.
The scorching sun over the Persian Gulf poured its relentless molten gold onto the steel and iron bones of Kuwait's Shuweikh Port.
The air twisted in the heat, with the salty, oily, and rusty smell carried by the sea breeze blowing against the bustling crowd on the docks.
The enormous "Marlin Fish" lay quietly anchored in its designated deep-water berth like a fatigued gray steel whale.
Its massive hull was still intimidating compared to the surrounding container ships, with the prominent Military Sealift Command (MSC) insignia and the star-spangled banner gently fluttering in the hot wind on the bridge.
