The sky had already grown dark, and the night market was packed with people as Guo Xuyang drove by. The events of the early morning had done nothing to dampen the spirit of business on the street.
He noticed Zhan Yifang and Xiao Qi, the two young women, at a barbecue stall again. However, this time they were accompanied by two tall, burly young men. One of them looked somewhat familiar. Guo Xuyang couldn't quite recall who it was.
When Guo Xuyang arrived at the hospital, Li Minxi and little Niuniu were sleeping soundly. Wu Jia and Yang Bin were sitting there, looking at their phones and chatting quietly.
"Yangzi, why are you back again?" Wu Jia asked, standing up as soon as she saw Guo Xuyang.
"I can only feel at ease if I'm here to watch over them. Ever since little Niuniu was snatched away last time, I haven't been able to sleep peacefully at home," Guo Xuyang replied.
"Who would have thought someone would be so wicked to snatch a child in broad daylight," Yang Bin commented.
"I'll sleep in the next room. Don't both of you stay here all the time; take turns resting. After all, this isn't something that will be over in a day or two."
"Yangzi, you should go and sleep. Don't worry about us," Wu Jia said.
"Alright. Call me if anything comes up." Guo Xuyang turned and headed for the adjoining room. He had been truly exhausted these past few days, working non-stop, falling asleep the moment his head hit the pillow.
After Guo Xuyang left, Jiang Qixin and his associates were not idle. For Sarah, Jiang Qixin arranged for her to be drugged and quietly sent to a hotel. Given Sarah's capabilities, returning should not be too difficult.
As for Xie Lisha, Jiang Qixin went in to greet her. "Xie Lisha, I'm very sorry. I didn't expect us to meet in this way."
"Jiang? Did you have Guo Xuyang bring me here?" Xie Lisha asked, surprised.
"I don't have that much capability. You brought yourself here through him," Jiang Qixin replied.
"Me? How is that possible?"
"Isn't it? Who ordered someone to take his child? His family is his taboo. Anyone who meddles with his family will incur his wrath. Didn't you see that?"
"I didn't order anyone to take his child," Xie Lisha said, looking quite annoyed.
"Indeed, you didn't directly order it, but your subordinates did. He can only hold you responsible for it."
"Are you saying I'm taking the blame for someone else?"
"Taking the blame? That's not it. Did you order someone to monitor Guo Xuyang? Did you arrange for people to get close to Guo Xuyang? If so, you're creating this situation for yourself. How can you say you're taking the blame for someone else?"
"Mr. Jiang, you know, we each serve our own masters. Guo Xuyang is someone difficult to fathom; he's being personally investigated by the higher-ups," Xie Lisha stated.
"The higher-ups asking you to investigate him didn't authorize you to use his child as leverage, did they?"
"That's unreasonable. If they had other means, why would they resort to taking his child? Wouldn't that mean they were truly out of options?"
"What you're talking about was a dead end from the start. Do you have any solutions now? If you hadn't tried to snatch his child, would you be in this place? Of course, no one can predict what will happen in the future. If you had known this would be the outcome, would you still have had someone try to snatch his child? Of course not, right? But this is good; it gives us an opportunity for closer contact." Jiang Qixin said with a smile.
"Who wants to get close to you? Please don't say such shameless things. Mr. Jiang, I know you have an ancient saying, 'the winner is king and the loser is a bandit,' but please don't insult me," Xie Lisha said.
"I think you've misunderstood. When I say close contact, I mean we can have in-depth discussions on certain issues. For example, Area 51? And your layout within our country? Of course, and some of the high technology you possess?"
"I've already said what I can. If we continue to discuss, I don't think there's anything more to exchange."
"That's where you're mistaken. I've seen what you've spoken of, but it's only superficial information or news materials disclosed by the media. It might impress someone like Yangzi, but for me, it's far from enough. Do you understand what I mean?"
"All I know is what I've learned; I really don't know anything else," Xie Lisha said.
"We've known each other for a long time, and you should know me well. You must be aware of my methods. I'm usually soft-hearted, but only when the other party is honest. For those who are not honest, I have some small tricks. Would you like to try them out?"
"Mr. Jiang, is this how you treat people you know?" Xie Lisha attempted to appeal to their acquaintance.
"Friends? Of course, in public settings, we are definitely friends. But what right do you have to talk about friendship with me now? You just said it yourself, we each serve our own masters. As a friend, I implore you to tell me everything you know. If you do, I will still consider you a friend. Otherwise, 'friend' becomes a joke. Do you agree with my statement?"
"I never thought you were this kind of person. I admit defeat today. Ask whatever you want, and I will tell you everything I know. I hope you keep your word and still consider me a friend after I tell you."
"No problem. Please start by telling me about Area 51. Of course, don't repeat the publicly known, outdated information. Otherwise, it would be a waste of everyone's time," Jiang Qixin said.
"Regarding Area 51, it's quite simple. They mainly research extraterrestrial beings and the crafts they use for transportation."
"That's too simple! What kind of extraterrestrial beings? What kind of crafts do they use? What are the structures of these crafts? What have you discovered or manufactured based on those crafts? You haven't said any of this, so how can I believe you consider me your friend?"
"Those are not things I have access to. You should know my authority is also quite limited," Xie Lisha stated.
"You haven't told me what I want to know. As I said before, I genuinely wish to treat you as a friend. The premise is that you must treat me as a friend too. You're unwilling to tell me about your research achievements; how can I consider you my friend?"
"Their current research achievements are less than one percent of the performance of the aircraft Guo Xuyang brought. It wouldn't be very useful for me to tell you."
"How do you know the aircraft Guo Xuyang brought are effective?"
"Your people have piloted those aircraft into our territory for a stroll. You wouldn't deny that, would you?"
Jiang Qixin knew Xie Lisha was referring to the first spaceship brought over, which had indeed taken a tour over American airspace. However, he wondered how much the other party knew about the subsequent aircraft and robots Guo Xuyang had brought.