The Caucasian man sat down and raised a hand. The same waiter walked over and asked in English, “What would you like the order, Sir?”
‘A Chinese man with a callous on his index finger and speaks very fluent English. Who exactly is he?’ wondered Xia Lei. He activated his left eye and checked the waiter. What he saw was a very strong body, with eight defined muscles on his abdomen, gunshot scars on both his abdomen and chest. There was also a terrifying tattoo of Medusa on his chest.
The Caucasian man said, “The usual.”
“Alright, please wait for your meal.” The waiter left.
Xia Lei’s gaze fell on the Caucasian man once again, who also had a robust physique. He was covered in scars from gunshots and blades. There was also a pistol with a muffler attached, a voice recording pen and the pin on his tuxedo was actually a pinhole camera. Xia Lei also saw a passport with the name Sperry on it.
Xia Lei thought to himself. ‘Sperry chose to meet here and that waiter is obviously not a waiter. They look like they don’t know each other but I’m afraid that’s not the truth.’
Sperry looked at Xia Lei for a solid ten minutes before speaking up. “What did you bring today?”
“Something good.” Xia Lei patted his briefcase lightly.
Sperry’s eyes shone with excitement. “The new material?”
Xia Lei said, “Xia Lei is very careful. He hasn’t announced the recipe and production procedure for Alloy X to this date. He seems to also be working on a new type of drone, though he hasn’t announced publicly. Even the head of academy sciences, Fan Yiming, doesn’t know of the secrets regarding Alloy X and the drone. How could I get anything?”
“Then what did you bring?”
Xia Lei said, “The blueprint of the Thunder Dragon intelligent lathe.”
“The first or second generation?”
“First,” said Xia Lei. “The second one won’t be easy to get but give me more time and I’ll get the blueprint of the second generation.”
One must put out bait in order to catch a fish. The first generation of the Thunder Dragon intelligent lathe was already in Germany and France. The Germans and the French treated it like a treasure. They wouldn’t share it easily. However, the Americans definitely would have their methods of getting their hands on this technology. Instead of obtaining information through Germany and France, it was easier for ‘Li Youdun’ to give it away. Plus, without the core parts that he produced, the Americans would find it hard-pressed to produce products of identical quality.
A smile appeared on Sperry’s face. “The French and Germans have one Thunder Dragon intelligent lathe each but they aren’t willing to share. Since you’ve got it, you’re likely to be rewarded. Give it to me.”
Xia Lei snickered coldly. “Why?”
The smile on Sperry’s face hardened. “It’s not safe for you to keep it with you. What are you trying to do?”
Xia Lei said flatly, “This was something I risked my life for. You think I’d give it to you just like that?”
Sperry was just an informant, which was frankly just a messenger. In terms of ranking, ‘Li Youdun’s ranking must out-rank him. Right now, as ‘Li Youdun’, Xia Lei did not need to be too polite to this Sperry.
“Do you want to meet the leader of the intelligence base?” said Sperry.
“He’s barely qualified,” said Xia Lei.
“You’re being too reckless. Do not make this mistake, my friend.” There was a hint of malice in his tone.
Xia Lei merely looked at him.
Sperry shrugged. “Alright, you can meet with the Head of Base. But you must tell me, when are you going to get your hands on Alloy X’s recipe and production procedures?”
“It is the most well-kept secret in China. Do you think anyone could take it whenever they wanted? I have a very good plan but I need time and resources.”
“What kind of resources?”
“I’m not talking to you about this,” said Xia Lei.
Sperry’s mouth twitched. He was holding himself back. “What about Thunder Horse’s drone?”
“You’re wasting your time,” said Xia Lei.
“Hehe.” Sperry laughed coldly. “I’ll know, sooner or later. Give me some updates on Xia Lei’s personal life then. That should be fine, right?”
Xia Lei nodded. “What do you want to know?”
Xia Lei said, “He and Liang Siyao held a traditional wedding ceremony yesterday. Based on the Chinese tradition, they were consummating their marriage last night in their bedroom. However, he did not invite anyone to this wedding. I wasn’t able to enter the Peace Mansion so I’m not too sure about the situation inside.”
“Did the Chinese special task force soldiers at the Thunder Horse camp take any action last night?”
Xia Lei shook his head. “None.”
“Are you sure?” The man stared at him intently.
“I’m sure. They were only doing their scheduled rounds around the compound.” Xia Lei added, “I know what your plan is but I’m warning you now. Do not interfere with my work. Compared to retrieving the secrets of Alloy X and the new drone, your mission of killing Xia Lei is of zero importance.”
“You’re wrong. Killing Xia Lei is actually the most important of all. Without Xia Lei, there will be no Alloy X, no more advanced weaponry. He is currently threatening the military powers of the US. He must die.” Sperry’s gaze was intense.
Xia Lei shrugged. “I don’t plan on debating with you. You have your tasks, and I have mine.”
The waiter brought a cup of coffee over and a few cookies.
“Enjoy your meal, sir,” said the waiter.
Sperry said, “I’d like to take a look at your kitchens.”
“Alright, I will inform the manager,” said the waiter as he left.
The odd conversation between Sperry and the waiter made Xia Lei realise something. The CIA’s Beijing intelligence base was here!
So that was why the waiter had such a powerful body with gunshot wounds.
However, there were mostly regular waiters here too. They definitely didn’t know what sort of organisation they were working for. Their Chinese ethnicities and easily-found background information had become the CIA’s cover!
Initially, Xia Lei was worried that him not knowing if Li Youdun had been to the base would be a flaw in his disguise but there was no need for concern now. He believed Sperry wouldn’t ask him about it either. Sperry hadn’t seen through his disguise and was treating him like he was the true Li Youdun. Hence, he wouldn’t ask a question like that.
Sperry picked a cookie up, put it in his mouth and got up. “Follow me.”
Xia Lei took his briefcase and followed Sperry into the kitchen.
After passing through the kitchen, they entered a hallway. There was a manager’s office at the end. The waiter from just now was already in the office. When he saw them enter, he closed the door and walked to the bookcase. He reached for a bible on the shelf.
However, he did not take it off the shelf because the shelf itself was already sliding sideways to reveal a wall.
When the shelf stopped moving, the wall suddenly opened up to reveal an underground tunnel.
Sperry entered.
Xia Lei followed suit. When he entered, the waiter moved the bible on the shelf once more and the metal door disguised as a wall closed up. There were lights in the hallway to illuminate the path. Xia Lei had already seen through the end of the hallway with his special vision.
There was another door at the end. It looked more advanced and sturdier. Upon the silver-coloured door, there was an iris and palm scanner.
They both came to the second door. Sperry stood aside. He didn’t say anything but Xia Lei already knew what he had to do. He put his left eye at the iris scanner, then his left hand on the fingerprint scanner. Three seconds later, there was a light beep.
The metal door opened.
There was an office space behind the door but only one person inside. It was a Chinese man, about fifty years old. He was thin with a sharp gaze. If he were outside on the streets, other people would’ve thought he was a mechanic who didn’t care about his job.
Xia Lei looked at his clothes and saw through his money clipper to read an identity card.
Yang Shan. This was the Chinese man’s name.
This identity card wasn’t a fake, though Yang Shan wouldn’t be his only identity. He also had an identity as an American.
“Mr Li, you’re not supposed to be here,” he said.
“Mr Yang, I have my reasons for being here,” said Xia Lei. Without Yang Shan’s invitation, he sat on the chair opposite Yang Shan.
“I know,” said Yang Shan. “Hand it over and leave.”
Xia Lei furrowed his brows. “This is the heart of the Thunder Horse Group, the Thunder Dragon intelligent lathe. I want to personally give this to Mr William Mussi.”
William Mussi was the person controlling the entire CIA.
Yang Shan’s expression turned cold. “Your request is unreasonable.”
Xia Lei said flatly, “My work requires me to risk my life. Any request I make isn’t unreasonable, especially not requests I make to you.”
Li Youdun looked like a gentleman but was actually a ruthless person. In the past month, Xia Lei had grasped the depths of his personality. His current response was one that Li Youdun would have.
He had already passed the iris and fingerprint scanners so Yang Shan and Sperry would definitely not question his identity. However, he still had to be careful.
“You don’t have to trouble yourself. Just tell me, what do you want?” said Yang Shan.
Xia Lei said mildly, “You can’t provide the things I want. Also, there are some things I need to talk to Mr Mussi myself. You aren’t qualified to make this decision.”
Yang Shan and Sperry looked at each other, their eyes filled with anger and suspicion.
Xia Lei said, “I don’t have much time. I need to hurry back to Thunder Horse Group. Set up a safe channel for me to talk to Mr William Mussi. Neither of you can afford to bear the consequences of causing any delays to my work.”
“Alright.” Yang Shan nodded.