Chapter 736: Bo Nation's Espionage (Patreon)

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Bo Nation, located in South America, had its actual capital in La Paz.

As Pace disembarked from the plane, he didn't exhibit the impatience of other passengers, rushing towards the runways as soon as they exited. Instead, he turned back, casting an intrigued glance at the Xiangfeng passenger plane he had just disembarked from.

"Is this a regional aircraft produced by Far East? I recall its codename is ARJ21, the 21st-century new First Generation regional jet, right?" Pace examined the plane with a discerning eye, ultimately focusing on the engines.

"Is it equipped with the CF34-10A regional jet engine from General Electric Corporation? I heard that Far East's rapidly advancing regional aircraft uses their asset, the CJ-2000a engine!"

The Xiangfeng had become a star in the aerospace industry in recent years, not because it was exceptionally advanced or had record-breaking sales numbers.

This regional aircraft, approved by Far East in 2002 and only entering the trial production phase in 2006, was relatively smooth sailing compared to its predecessors, the Tenth Generation aircraft. Recognizing the technological shortcomings in Far East's aerospace industry, it had aimed to introduce European and American technologies and supporting services and gradually increase the localization rate during the design phase.

However, despite collaboration with some overseas corporations, the progress was not as rapid as expected, primarily due to pressure from the aerospace giants Boeing and Airbus.

External estimates were conservative, speculating that the first Xiangfeng might not take its maiden flight until around 11-12 years later, with another six to eight years before it would be delivered to the market.

Yet, last year, these speculations were completely overturned. In May 2007, Far East successfully produced the first validation aircraft, and over the following months, at a rate of almost one or two aircraft per month, they increased the number of validation aircraft to fourteen by early this year.

Intensive and extensive test flights, repeated testing in various complex terrains and environments, had garnered significant attention in the aviation industry since the middle of last year.

By the latter half of this year, what would typically take two to three years for many aircraft to complete in terms of testing, the Xiangfeng achieved in just over half a year.

Several major domestic aviation corporations in Far East made high-profile purchases of more than 60 aircraft, with four already delivered, and intent orders exceeding three hundred.

Even though it had yet to be granted an Airworthiness Certificate by European and American authorities, it did not hinder this regional aircraft, which had broken multiple aviation records, from taking to the skies over a certain Far East country.

Bo Nation was the second country in the world, after Far East, to purchase and equip the Xiangfeng.

Typically, this regional aircraft did not possess international air transport qualifications until it received the Airworthiness Certificate from European and American authorities. However, Bo Nation paid no heed to this!

Because, after a military coup last year, Bo Nation's government had implemented a series of policies to nationalize domestic mines and oil wells occupied by European and American corporations. This policy had undoubtedly offended European and American capital, resulting in a barrage of sanctions from various European and American countries, but Bo Nation remained undeterred.

The new Bo Nation president, who came to power through the coup, swiftly visited Moscow and Beijing. The first Xiangfeng regional aircraft purchased and put into operation by Bo Nation was a product of the Bo Nation president's visit to Far East. Bo Nation had purchased a total of eighteen of these regional aircraft.

While the Xiangfeng was indeed a very economical and practical aircraft for a small country like Bo Nation, in the eyes of European and American countries, Bo Nation's decision to equip and put the aircraft into operation after minimal training was not only irresponsible to passengers' lives but also a declaration of intent to challenge Far East, one of the Five Big Bullies.

Of course, their opposition and sanctions couldn't change the attitude of Bo Nation's authorities and its people.

Pace had entered Bo Nation from Brazil and had already visited several major cities within Bo Nation in a tourist capacity. He found that the Bo Nation people had high satisfaction and support rates for the new government that had come to power after last year's military coup.

Under the weight of sanctions imposed by European and American nations, coming to Bo Nation for "tourism" at this particular moment made Pace anything but an ordinary individual.

Officially, he went by the identity of a travel columnist for a Colombian media corporation, but his true role was that of a senior CIA operative.

Individuals like him were abundant in South America.

As far back as 1823, when the United States did not yet possess the ability for external expansion, President Monroe had proclaimed the ambitious Monroe Doctrine, leaving no doubt about the nation's desire to establish dominance over the entire American continent.

Later, with the onset of the Industrial Revolution, the United States developed an insatiable hunger for cheap raw materials, minerals, and markets to sell industrial products. Neighboring countries such as Canada, Mexico, Central America, and South America were considered the United States' own backyard.

After successfully seizing global dominance during World War II, with strong support from the government and military, the United States employed its intelligence agency, the CIA, as its covert hand in the region.

This world's largest intelligence agency, with an annual budget exceeding billions of dollars on paper alone, allocated nearly a quarter of its funds to the Central and South American region each year.

The CIA was even allowed to manufacture and traffic narcotics, smuggle weapons, all to acquire more funds for recruiting and developing more agents, ultimately controlling and influencing South American public opinion and politics.

Pace was one such senior operative developed within the CIA's clandestine operations.

While his homeland was Colombia, he had received a Western education that had instilled in him the values of self-interest from a young age. Consequently, in South America, individuals like Pace, serving the interests of the United States, had covertly acquired green cards in abundance.

His visit to Bo Nation under the guise of tourism this time was just an impromptu cover for a new assignment.

Prior to this, Pace had been dispatched by superiors to execute a mission in Brazil.

Over the past year, conflicts between the government and drug lords in South America's largest country had escalated, in many regions evolving into armed conflicts.

Recognizing Brazil's gradual transformation into something akin to Mexico, the CIA needed firsthand evidence regarding the worsening situation in Brazil and whether other forces were operating behind the scenes.

In the past few months, a large number of personnel had been mobilized from various Central and South American countries to travel to Brazil for this purpose, and Pace was one of them.

The reason he was now sent on a mission to Bo Nation once again was entirely due to the recent significant losses of personnel that the CIA had incurred within Bo Nation.

Bo Nation was not a major player in South America, so until the military coup in Bo Nation last year, the CIA had only two shell corporations operating within its borders.

After the military coup in Bo Nation, the CIA immediately intensified its intelligence gathering efforts in the country, drawing in several batches of skilled agents from neighboring countries.

Everything had been going smoothly until a little over half a month ago when the CIA office in La Paz suddenly lost contact. That's when they realized something was amiss.

Subsequently, all CIA spies within Bo Nation lost contact one by one, and not a whisper had been heard from them before they disappeared.

With the realization that something significant might have occurred there, the CIA couldn't afford to sit still.

Pace was just one of several CIA operatives dispatched to investigate, and for the sake of secrecy, he didn't know the identities of the other operatives, their methods of entry, or how to contact them.

All the operatives involved in this perilous investigation mission could only receive orders through a single channel.

Their mission wasn't just about investigating the missing operatives; it also involved uncovering the hidden mastermind behind their disappearances.

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