NABC Chapter 96 The Testing Scandal
Chapter 96 The Testing Scandal
Qi Te paused for a moment, looking at the slender figure with slight surprise.
This girl, hailed as a prophetic goddess by netizens, is far more intelligent than he imagined.
The backpack the other person was carrying belonged to the group of bounty hunters. With his sharp eyesight, he could easily tell that it contained a collection box.
Inside the box was the very thing that had triggered this brutal battle at the border—a dragon egg.
The offspring of a perfectly evolved ultimate creature could probably be worth tens of millions. But Qi Te didn't think Jiang Luo wanted to lay down this dragon egg.
If they really wanted to do that, they wouldn't have saved him, the only person who knew where the dragon egg was.
Moreover, the fact that two officers from the First Army Group of Longjun and the 72nd Army of the Eastern Theater Command were accompanying and protecting him meant that his status was definitely not low. How could he possibly be interested in a mere ten million?
Therefore, the real reason the other party took the dragon egg was to help him avoid the Oasis Corporation's inspection.
If it were in my hands, it would undoubtedly fall into the hands of the Oasis.
Even if this collection operation was initiated by Liu Baichuan, all the biological samples collected, including the batch transported back by drones, must be personally confirmed by Liu before the city defenses will allow them to pass.
But if Oasis Company wants it, it has plenty of ways to do it. Even if Liu Baichuan faces immense pressure and completely breaks off relations, he might not be able to protect it.
The other party must have thought of this, which is why they took the backpack.
Therefore, the subtext of staying in touch is, "I'll help you get through this first, then come back to me when you get back to town."
Thinking of the other party's adorable Feixun avatar, Qi Te became even more curious; the contrast was just too great.
However, things were not as simple as they seemed. At the express passage set up specifically for military personnel, three Oasis employees stopped Jiang Luo.
"These are my personal belongings, and you have no right to inspect them," Jiang Luo said calmly.
However, Oasis staff insisted on thoroughly inspecting the backpack in her hand.
"Didn't you hear what this lady said?"
Kyogoku Hiko quickly jumped in to support him, and the rough-looking Hu Zizai next to him even took matters into his own hands, swatting away the detector that the Oasis employee was offering.
"Sir, this is just routine work. Please cooperate."
Another employee stepped forward and bumped right into Yuan Sheng.
"If there are any problems, I will take full responsibility."
A middle-aged man in a dark gray suit came over upon hearing the commotion. After identifying himself as the security manager of Oasis Company's Haicheng branch, he politely but arrogantly stated that everyone must follow the rules.
Qi Te became a little nervous, not because he was worried that the dragon egg would fall into the hands of others, but mainly because he was afraid that Jiang Luo would get into trouble because of him.
At the same time, he also didn't understand Oasis's move. It's true that a top global biotechnology company has deep pockets, but to challenge the military over just a backpack seems like making a mountain out of a molehill.
Just as I was wondering what was going on, a shout suddenly came from ahead.
"Qi, Qi!"
..............................
"Brother Zhang?!"
Qi Te was very surprised to run into Zhang Xiaodao, the soldier who had helped him a lot during the subway incident.
The other party was wearing a breathing mask and the combat uniform of the Haicheng City Defense Army. Qi Te was slightly puzzled, but he was more concerned about Jiang Luo's situation.
Yuan Sheng and Hu Zizai revealed their military ranks, one a major and the other a senior colonel. However, the manager from Oasis Company refused to let them pass and insisted on conducting an inspection.
Qi Te scanned the crowd but couldn't find Liu Baichuan.
I was hoping Old Liu would pull some strings, but he messed up at the crucial moment.
"Investigation is permitted," Kyogoku Hiko said with a malicious smile. "However, if the investigation finds no problems, all of you will have to kneel down and offer the young lady your sincerest apologies."
Headquarters ordered that all people and items returning to the city in fighter jets must be thoroughly investigated, leaving no stone unturned.
The other party adopted an attitude of absolutely refusing to allow any investigation, which made the middle-aged manager even more certain that there must be something extraordinary hidden in that backpack.
So the manager immediately agreed.
"What a nuisance. My young lady was just going to the border to catch a 'UFO Cat' as a pet. What a bunch of idiots."
Kyogoku Hiko took the backpack from Jiang Luo while cursing and opened it right in front of the Oasis employees.
Just as the other party said, the backpack contained a transparent collection box, inside which was an adorable kitten that was entirely black and glowed with a light pink light.
One of the rare species in the border area, it also has the lowest pollution index and is a rare and unusual creature that can be tamed and kept as a pet.
When it gets angry, it becomes invisible, leaving only a pink bubble, which is very cute. Countless wealthy socialites are eager to own this little thing.
Living deep in the rainforest and possessing extremely keen senses, they will hide at the slightest sound. Bounty hunters may not be able to catch one even after a whole winter's work, making them extremely expensive.
Given that they cannot be artificially bred at present, their price has now reached 30 million yuan per animal.
It is indeed a treasure, but there are no problems at all.
Several employees looked at the manager awkwardly, and the middle-aged manager immediately frowned.
"What, trying to go back on your word?" Kyogoku pointed at the detector: "Go ahead and check, why aren't you checking?"
Illusions are child's play for someone skilled in mind manipulation. As for detectors, there's always the Mech Girl.
The middle-aged manager took a step back and bowed slightly.
"Damn it! You actually think you can get away with this? Do you even know how noble my young lady's status is?"
Kyogoku Hiko picked up his glass, and Hu Zizai immediately chimed in, "The world has really changed. These days, companies dare to ride roughshod over the military."
The Oasis staff quickly bowed and apologized, and the manager smiled ingratiatingly, "It's a misunderstanding, a misunderstanding. Sir, as you know, we're just following the rules. Any unusual creatures entering Haicheng are controlled by Oasis."
"According to regulations, the tax on this UFO cat is 20%..."
Yuan Sheng's cold gaze swept over the manager, and he said in a chilling voice, "Others are fighting bloody battles, while you only care about rare and exotic animals. Human life is truly worthless!"
The pressure from a powerful figure is something that even those with professional training cannot withstand, let alone ordinary people.
The manager shuddered and immediately waved his hands repeatedly, "I... I meant, it's alright. I'm very sorry for the trouble I've caused everyone."
To put it bluntly, these are just laborers working hard for the company, and it's pointless to make things difficult for them.
Yuan Sheng picked up his backpack, and the group walked straight through the speed gate and quickly left.
..............................
Seeing Jiang Luo leave with her backpack, Qi Te breathed a slight sigh of relief.
I was just watching Zhang Xiaodao at the speedboat exit when I remembered to ask, "What are you doing here?"
"No, don't tell me you just escaped death at the border."
Qi Te gave a wry smile and nodded helplessly.
"You're so unlucky!"
Zhang Xiaodao couldn't help but sigh. During the subway incident, he was right next to Qi Te and witnessed the college student being brutally beaten by the strong man. That level of injury would have left him badly injured, if not dead, and he'd likely be in the hospital for at least half a year.
Qi Te also felt that he was encountering deadly danger a bit too often, but he could only shrug helplessly.
"Don't take it to heart. There's an old saying that goes, 'When a god descends to earth, he must first endure hardship.'"
Zhang Xiaodao racked his brains trying to come up with some comforting words in a cultured way, but unfortunately, he didn't have much to say.
Qi Te smiled nonchalantly, then noticed the transparent protective suit worn over the other man's combat uniform and asked, somewhat puzzled, "Didn't Brother Zhang retire?"
"yes."
Zhang Xiaodao grinned憨厚ly and said, "I've completed my three-year federal military service, but I don't know anything else besides being a soldier. So, when Haicheng's city defense was temporarily recruiting, I thought I'd give it a try. I was lucky, though, and I was accepted right away."
"With Brother Zhang's skills, he could probably earn more as a security guard for a rich person than this."
Although the two had only met once, for some reason, Qi Te felt as if they were old friends, with a strange sense of intimacy.
"Forget it, I can't do anything about it. With my temper, if I saw those pretentious guys bullying people because they have a few stinking coins in their pockets, I'd punch them in a heartbeat."
Zhang Xiaodao is a kind-hearted and passionate man; otherwise, he wouldn't have helped Qi Te, a stranger, without saying a word on the subway.
Zite nodded in agreement, then looked at the ordinary passageway on the other side.
Dozens of men and women dressed in camouflage and combat uniforms were covered in dust and dirt, looking disheveled and injured.
"Several bounty hunter caravans were flattened by the beast horde."
Zhang Xiaodao leaned close to Qi Te and whispered, "I heard from the commander that, fortunately, a senior officer from the 72nd Army Group called in time to say that the rebels had hacked the defensive towers."
"Otherwise, these hunters would definitely die in the buffer zone."
Of course, there were more than just these few groups of people in the vast border area.
The winter break is the most valuable time for bounty hunters and wilderness adventure bloggers. In addition, there are tour groups that only venture slightly into the edge of the border region.
In short, the impact of this border unrest extends far beyond them.
"The worst off was a senior citizens' tour group, with about two hundred elderly people and thirty-odd mercenaries, plus the tour guide, driver, and so on, all of them are gone."
Zhang Xiaodao sighed and continued, "The commander sent drones and combat robots to search for them. All they found were a few empty car shells and a pile of blood-stained clothes. The cars were covered in blood; the people inside were all eaten by wild animals."
"No trace of the body remains, how tragic..."