Chapter 419: Chapter 339: Unexpected Event (Please Subscribe!) _1 Because Ye Hong could not work the next day, he would definitely be discovered and reported. The special agents could arrive within a maximum of ten minutes. Though this city isn’t a metropolis, it’s home to numerous scientific research institutions and laboratories, and is a key area of focus for the United States’ Intelligence Department. A ten-minute response time might even be considered slow. Without a doubt, news of Ye Hong’s disappearance will circulate not long after dawn. Even if the surveillance of the vehicles and airport is erased, human memory can’t be deleted. Therefore, the command room will not completely eliminate traces of Ye Hong, but rather use misdirection. The command room intends to turn the departure of Ye Hong and his family into a ’grand escape’ within the United States. That’s right, a grand escape. By tampering with surveillance footage, they let a similar empty vehicle to travel about in the United States, causing some incidents. They occasionally show up Ye Hong and his family in the videos to divert the FBI’s attention. Even fabricating some ’smuggling’ footage to Canada isn’t out of the question. Until half a month later. Even if those at the airport are interrogated, they will hardly be able to recall any information about Ye Hong and his family. Only then would the task be considered fully completed. That’s why Tang Qing really didn’t want to undertake such missions. The clean-up work is too difficult, very cumbersome. Especially when repeated many times, the risk of exposure increases. If their domestic intelligence officers discovered something, well, that would be a bad scenario indeed. So, to say these types of missions are a tangled mess is an understatement. If it’s about passing information, he can do it without any hesitation, but dealing with actual people is not easy especially if there are too many of them. At the same time. Back home, they were anxiously waiting. After learning that Tang Qing’s team began their operation, they didn’t leave their computer, constantly sending messages to ask, but the reply was always the same, ’The mission is ongoing.’ This made a bunch of people so anxious that they had to use the restroom many times. They had been watching for most of the day, everyone a bit tired, but no one went to rest. Over the years, Ye Hong had sent a lot of extremely useful information and experimental data to his homeland. His contribution was not insignificant. Plus, he had a family of six to consider, they could not afford to be careless. Most importantly, Ye Hong possessed a value he himself had not realized. A key biochemical research project back home had hit a snag. This project was a part of a large-scale plan, and Ye Hong was an expert in this field. Having Ye Hong might not immediately solve the issue, but he would certainly be a huge help. Otherwise, there would not be so many people from various departments losing sleep over this and gathering here. The atmosphere was very tense. Just when everyone was anxiously waiting. "Ding Dong..." A message came in. They hurriedly moved forward to look. "Your agent in California, USA, known as Qinghu has been suspected and is under surveillance by the FBI. There are two people outside the main entrance at the side of the road watching from a Volkswagen car, please arrange for his rapid withdrawal from the United States mainland as soon as possible." After reading this message, the people present felt their nerves jump, but they weren’t panicking. Another one was discovered? They were quite accustomed to such situations. Many who completed a few missions were sent back home or to other countries. Intelligence departments around world operate on the principle of ’presumption of guilt’ when judging someone. Everyone is a suspect, not just those who were discovered with evidence. Any abnormal behavior found would immediately become a target. Liu Zun was one of them. After carrying out several missions there, something about him was possibly suspected. It was uncertain how much information the other party possessed, whether they intend to investigate or go fishing. However, no matter what, anyone exposed could not continue to stay there any longer. "Thanks for the tip. We’ll arrange it as soon as possible. Do you know where Dr. Ye and his family are?" The ’typist’ asked, whose shoulders carried a large backpack. "The family has boarded a plane. As for which airline and where they are heading, I’m sorry, that’s confidential. You can only know the details of the mission and Ye’s location when we’re sure they’ve reached complete safety." Revealing now would increase risks, and Tang Qing was not going to take this unnecessary risk. "When can we know?" "Twenty-four hours. From now, calculate twenty-four hours later, then you will know the details of this mission and Dr. Ye’s location." In twenty-four hours, Ye family should have reached Singapore. By then, there would be nothing to fear. Twenty-four hours? That was acceptable. At least it was better than not knowing anything earlier. "Alright, it’s twenty-four hours. We’ll be waiting for your good news." "Yes, please ensure the confidentiality of this operation. If it fails due to misconduct from your side, we won’t take responsibility." "We will be cautious." "Goodbye." The communication ended. The few big shots naturally knew what misconduct meant, but anyone who could reach here was unlikely to be a problem. Nevertheless, it required reaffirmation. "Director Chen, have Qinghu retreat immediately." "Yes." "Everyone, please strictly comply with the confidentiality regulations." United States. After the Ye family left, those folks deployed around had to withdraw, either going back to their homeland or lying low elsewhere. It was very dangerous, but for the sake of their country’s interests, they were willing to risk their lives, not fearing death in the slightest. Upon receiving the message from his superiors, Liu Zun quickly got up and packed his belongings after learning that he had been discovered. He opened the window. Liu Zun leapt out, landing lightly. Lucky it was only the second floor. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have dared to jump. Seeing nothing wrong around him, he quickly retreated along the pre-set path. The other team members also began to move. This is the difficulty of being an intelligence officer. It’s just like a foreigner appearing in a crowd in China, sticking out like a sore thumb, making it very difficult to blend in. Just then, something happened that even Tang Qing didn’t expect. As Liu Zun turned a corner and passed through an alleyway. The scene before his eyes left Liu Zun somewhat dumbfounded. "Click." The intense sound of bullets loading echoed around. Liu Zun could do nothing but curse in disbelief. For fuck’s sake, there were two groups doing some shady deals right in front of him. Six outdated vehicles clearly looked suspicious, with at least twenty people pointing guns at him – a mix of blacks and whites. If it weren’t for his strong nerves, he would’ve been on his knees by now. "WHO ARE YOU," asked a hulking figure adorned with earring and nosering. They had just finished checking the goods and out of nowhere, a man appeared, enough to scare not just Liu Zun but them as well. If the cops arrived, they’d have to bend over in the prison shower for sure. Realizing it was just him, and a Chinese at that, the two groups breathed a sigh of relief, but they didn’t drop their guard – after all, there were Chinese cops in the US too. "I was just passing through, I’ll be on my way now," Liu Zun raised his hands showing he was unarmed. "Hmph, you think you can just leave after seeing something you shouldn’t have?" the hulking man sneered darkly. Whether it was for his reputation or for safety, Liu Zun wasn’t going to walk free today. The Command Room’s surveillance only covers areas with cameras. Though the US had extensive surveillance, it was just 2005 and this area was within a building, rather than a roadway. Many corners were without surveillance. Once installed, the cameras were quickly vandalized, and became breeding grounds for crime. Hence cameras were only installed in public areas and high-traffic non-public zones. This led to the danger here going unnoticed by the Command Room. Liu Zun’s face paled immediately upon hearing this. He may have a gun, but he was still outnumbered by twenty or so firearms. Escape was not an option now. His death wasn’t an option either. All those years of grooming by his country, proficiency in three languages, graduating from a prestigious military academy, making a name for himself – it would be all in vain if he died here while fleeing. That would surely kill his teachers too. "I can pay a ransom," Liu Zun could only resort to his last resort – money, not real money, but as a way to buy time and wait for rescue from his team. It was part of the handbook, which he didn’t expect to use today. "Oh? How much?" Upon hearing there was money involved, the big man slightly lowered his gun and became interested. In the United States, money talks, and money could make things easier. "You name it," Liu Zun hurriedly replied. The big man lowered his gun, motioning to his men to move. Two of his men quickly searched Liu Zun, finding him carrying firearms and some miscellaneous items. Looking at the firearms didn’t surprise anyone. The US didn’t prohibit guns, so it was no surprise for them to find one. Upon seeing the passport, however, they realized that he was not an immigrant or a local Chinese. The big man, Thomas, slightly furrowed his brows. He was no fool. A foreigner coming here with a gun, claiming to be a tourist, wasn’t fooling anyone. He had an inkling of what was going on. Should he risk offending a country for some money? Clearly, it wasn’t wise. "What happened, Thomas?" asked the man he was dealing with, a Westerner. Thomas collected Liu Zun’s passport. "This guy is mine. What do you say?" Thomas had already decided. "What are you up to, taking him all for yourself? Want to keep all the money?" the Westerner chuckled coldly. "No, it has to do with the FBI," said Thomas quietly. The man’s face went pale. FBI? The word held tremendous power in America. He didn’t care about the details. He didn’t want to know more, fearing he might be silenced. He didn’t know where Thomas mustered the courage, but he didn’t share the same guts. "I’ll be off," he said, heading out with his men. Only three vehicles remained. Watching the three vehicles disappear into the distance, Thomas chuckled coldly. "STUPID HUMAN." Turning to Liu Zun, Thomas patted his shoulder with a grin, "Brother, let’s discuss the money elsewhere." Liu Zun knew well enough that Thomas seemed to have guessed something, but didn’t reveal it. He wanted to resist. But looking at the people surrounding him, he dropped the idea for now. After all, ’two fists can’t beat four hands.’ A few burly men held him firmly. They also had guns, and no matter how fit he was, he was no use if he couldn’t fight back. Life wasn’t a movie. A desperate comeback? Yeah, right. PS: Two more Chapters today – consider it a make-up for missed updates.