The client likely needed time to digest the evaluation report, and progress on the investigation of "Diliman Holdings" wasn''t fast, so the following two days passed very peacefully. Deng Shiyang was once again like a tourist on vacation. He slept until noon every day, had lunch in his room, then spent time at the outdoor pool on the sixth floor or in the fitness center on the fifth floor.


    On the third morning, Harrowby called to inform him, "Keith will arrive in Hong Kong this afternoon, and we hope the three of us can have dinner together tonight."


    The person chosen to assist in planning was becoming clear.


    Unexpectedly, Keith''s welcome dinner was not held at one of the hotel restaurants but was a small gathering in Harrowby''s suite. He had ordered a deluxe seafood set through room service, which included Australian lobster, various shellfish, vegetable salad, fresh fruit, and desserts, filling up the dining table. There was also a bottle of 1995 Salon Champagne in an ice bucket on the table.


    Harrowby personally popped the cork, poured champagne into their glasses, and then raised his glass to make a toast: "First of all, welcome Mr. Brown." He then turned his head to look at Deng Shiyang, saying, "At the same time, I want to thank you again for that excellent report, which allowed us to secure this job smoothly."


    "Cheers!"


    Three slender tulip-shaped champagne glasses clinked together, producing a crisp sound. The golden liquid, filled with delicate bubbles, swayed with the collision, gathering a layer of fine white foam at the rim.


    Deng Shiyang took a small sip of his drink. As the wine, exuding aromas of toasted bread and white flowers, slid down his throat, he gently swirled the glass and said to Harrowby, "It might be a little inappropriate to say this..." He paused and then continued, "A $500 bottle of champagne tastes great, but isn’t it a bit too early for a celebration?"


    "This isn''t a celebration; it''s a reward for both of you." Harrowby glanced at him, then put on an apologetic expression and said, "Actually, I also hoped that you could take a few days off and relax first, but our client wants to get the coup plan draft as soon as possible. Your upcoming days won''t be easy."


    Deng Shiyang frowned in confusion and asked, "What does ''as soon as possible'' mean?"You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.


    "It means you only have a week." Harrowby said, turning his head to glance at Keith, who was standing by the dining table, eating.


    Keith was holding a small piece of lemon and was squeezing lemon juice over an oyster on a plate. He said, "I read the evaluation report on the plane. Regarding the method to attack the presidential palace, my view is the same as JD''s."


    These words drew the attention of the other two to him.


    Keith picked up the lemon-juiced oyster with his fingers, brought it to his lips, and sucked the oyster into his mouth. He put down the empty shell, wiped his hands with a napkin, and then continued, "For Swaziland, which lacks anti-aircraft weapons, a helicopter assault is indeed more effective than a conventional land-based attack."


    He took a sip of water, cleansing his palate, then looked up at the other two and said, "But before making a plan, we need to confirm two things: first, the president, Ndofa, must be inside the presidential palace during the attack. If we can''t eliminate him, the military government can still control the army, and even if we take the presidential palace, we can''t seize power."


    "That''s easy." Deng Shiyang walked to the table, put down his champagne glass, picked up a spoon to scoop up some mussels in white wine sauce, and said, "We just need to pick a day when the president would definitely not be absent. There are two such days I know of—one is his birthday, which is two months from now, and the other is the National Day at the end of the year."


    "It seems we can determine the operation date." Keith nodded and said, "The second thing we need to confirm is where we will set off from. Due to the helicopter''s short range and limited load capacity, we need to establish a forward base, where we can assemble personnel, weapons, and vehicles, which will inevitably attract attention. So, we need to get permission from the local government. I don''t want to end up like Simon Mann."


    Deng Shiyang put down the plate of mussels and responded, "Geographically, the options are only South Africa and Mozambique. But Mozambique is an ally of the Republic of Swaziland, so they wouldn''t openly let us overthrow a government they recognize. So, only South Africa remains. I think the border areas in Mpumalanga Province or KwaZulu-Natal Province adjacent to Swaziland are ideal..."


    "Forget about South Africa." Harrowby suddenly interjected, finishing the champagne in his glass. He walked to the table, pulled the bottle from the ice bucket, refilled his glass, and continued, "Earlier this year, the ANC started legislating to ban PMC operations within the country. Now all our peers in South Africa have either disbanded or relocated, so setting up a forward base in South Africa is impossible."


    Annotations:


    - Mpumalanga Province: An eastern province of the Republic of South Africa, bordering Swaziland and Mozambique.


    - KwaZulu-Natal Province: An eastern province of the Republic of South Africa, bordered by Lesotho to the west, Mozambique and Swaziland to the north, and the Indian Ocean to the east.


    - ANC (African National Congress): The largest political party in South Africa, currently the ruling party.


    - PMC (Private Military Company): A private military or security company.