With Zhao Qiang and Liu Jia blocking their way, many vendors took the opportunity to pack up their stalls and leave. Seeing the road gradually clearing, the city management officers weren't in such a hurry anymore, but they still occasionally grabbed things and threw them onto their vehicles. Liu Jia cursed from behind, "These are the robbers of our time!"
Zhao Qiang smiled without saying a word. Although he was biased towards the vulnerable small vendors, he couldn't be too lenient with them at this moment. Otherwise, if they set up stalls on the road in the future, would the road still be passable? Of course, the urban management officers' attitude in enforcing the law was also really unacceptable.
The roadsides have quieted down, and it's estimated that the vendors who fled won't dare to come back anytime soon. However, once the city management officers have been gone for a while, they will definitely retake their positions.
"Uncle, you are high-ranking officials who came down for an undercover investigation, right?" A still somewhat childish voice suddenly sounded behind Zhao Qiang.
Zhao Qiang turned around and said, "Little girl, you should go home quickly. We are not high-ranking officials; we are just passersby."
Xiao Ruhai said, "No, I can tell that your auras are different. You must be officials."
Liu Jia was still indignant about the urban management officers' actions, saying, "You wait, I'll get your things back." With that, Liu Jia caught up with the truck that was slowly moving forward.
The little girl didn't seem to care much about the confiscated headdress. She pestered Zhao Qiang, saying, "Uncle, my name is Wang Ping."
Zhao Qiang said absentmindedly, "Ah, Wang Ping, what a nice name."
The little girl said, "A good name? I don't think so. What's so good about it?"
Zhao Qiang said, "It's concise and easy to remember."
The little girl said, "Can this be considered good?"
Zhao Qiang remained silent. He suddenly realized that this girl was quite clingy. Logically, she should be worried and scared after her goods were confiscated, but she was only sad for a short while and was no longer interested in Liu Jia asking for her goods back.
Ahead, Liu Jia was arguing with the urban management officers. Two officers tried to push Liu Jia to stop him from getting on the vehicle, but Liu Jia punched them both away. When the other officers saw the fight, they immediately surrounded him. They didn't know what Liu Jia did, but they were so frightened that they all backed away. Because her view was blocked by pedestrians, Wang Ping hurriedly stood on tiptoe to see.
A moment later, Liu Jia returned triumphantly carrying a bag of hair ornaments belonging to the little girl. The city management officers looked at him fearfully but dared not approach him. Liu Jia returned the items to the little girl and said, "Take these. You can sell them at a proper night market later."
Wang Ping said, "Thank you, Uncle. I left too early today. Actually, they stop checking after eight o'clock, but this is a peak sales period because many people are leaving get off work, and we generally don't want to miss it."
Zhao Qiang called to Liu Jia, "Let's go."
Wang Ping immediately followed, carrying her headdress: "Uncle, where are you going?"
Zhao Qiang said, "Let's go eat. You should go home now."
Wang Ping said, "I'm not going home. How about I treat you to a meal to thank you?"
Zhao Qiang said, "Forget it, it's not easy for you to run a small business."
Wang Ping said, "It's alright. It's no trouble at all to treat you to a bowl of ramen."
Zhao Qiang tried to refuse, but Wang Ping pushed him to sit down by the roadside. It turned out that this was a ramen shop. Seeing that the urban management officers had left, the owner had already started setting up tables and chairs at the entrance. "If the urban management vehicles haven't been inspected, they don't dare to set up tables and chairs outside, otherwise they will be confiscated."
"Boss, three bowls of ramen, and add an extra piece of beef," Wang Ping called out. The boss immediately rushed into the shop and started making ramen.
Wang Ping sized up Zhao Qiang and Liu Jia. "Uncle, where are you from? Your accents don't sound like locals. Are you here in Tiannan City on official business?"
Liu Jia was about to speak when Zhao Qiang gave him a subtle hint. Then, Zhao Qiang glanced at the pen hanging in Wang Ping's shirt pocket. Liu Jia suddenly realized what was going on, stood up, and reached into Wang Ping's pocket. Startled, Wang Ping hugged her chest and backed away, saying, "Uncle, you can't do this, I'm scared."
Liu Jia placed the pen he had pulled out in front of Zhao Qiang, who laughed and said, "Do you really need to record things when you're doing business? Are you planning to record evidence of the urban management officers' crimes to sue them?"
Wang Ping blushed and let go of her arms that were crossed over her chest: "So you knew I was recording all along. Actually, I just wanted to collect some material. Those urban management officers are infuriating. We know that setting up stalls on the street is against the regulations, but they beat and scolded us and confiscated our things. Do you know what happened to those confiscated things in the end? They all became their benefits." Most of them were divided up before they handed them over, and the remaining junk was thrown into the urban management team's warehouse.
Zhao Qiang asked, "You want to expose them?"
Wang Ping asked hopefully, "Can you help me?"
Zhao Qiang replied decisively, "No."
Wang Ping grabbed Zhao Qiang's hand: "Uncle, please help me. I'm just a little girl, it's not easy for me to do things properly. I can tell you're very capable. Please help me with this, and I'll treat you to a big meal after it's done."
Zhao Qiang said, "We still have things to do."
Wang Ping asked, "What's wrong?"
Zhao Qiang thought for a moment and said, "We are looking for a steel object that looks like a robot."
Wang Ping was somewhat taken aback: "You mean a robot? One of my classmates found one!"
Volume 2 [783] Uncle
Liu Jia jumped up, nearly spilling the bowl of ramen he had just placed in front of him. "What? Your classmates discovered a robot?"
Wang Ping rolled her eyes at Liu Jia: "Uncle, please don't get so excited. What's so special about robots?"
Liu Jia said, "Isn't that surprising? Do you know it's dangerous?"
Wang Ping asked doubtfully, "Danger? I didn't see it. I went to see it with my own eyes. Are you trying to scare people on purpose, uncle?"
Zhao Qiang could hear the teasing tone in Wang Ping's voice, like she was talking about an "uncle." This girl didn't seem like someone who was so poor she couldn't afford to eat. Besides, she was secretly recording the city management officers. She might be a second-generation artist with a unique personality.
“Wang Ping,” Zhao Qiang said, straightening his tone and attitude, “tell me where your classmate found the robot.”
Wang Ping picked up her chopsticks and said, "Let's eat first, and talk after we finish our ramen."
Liu Jia glanced at Zhao Qiang, who gestured for him to calm down. Since Wang Ping, who had gone to see the robot, was unharmed, she was probably safe for the time being. So the two of them picked up their chopsticks and began to eat ramen.
Wang Ping ate very quickly, not at all elegant, but deliberately acting rude, which greatly shortened the meal time. Soon, three bowls of ramen were gone. Liu Jia was surprised that a girl like Wang Ping could eat such a big bowl of ramen. He had to re-evaluate her. However, this girl was not very fat, and he wondered how she maintained her figure.
“Okay, I’ll go pay the bill, and I’ll take you there in a bit.” Wang Ping stood up, but Zhao Qiang stopped her, saying, “How can we let a junior like you treat us? Liu Jia, go and settle the bill.”
Liu Jia naturally obeyed the order, but Wang Ping grabbed Liu Jia's collar and said, "No, it's a promise that I'll treat you. If you feel bad about it, you can treat me next time."
Zhao Qiang felt it was difficult to refuse their hospitality, so he said, "Alright then."
Wang Ping said, "But next time we'll find a better place to eat. The beef noodles here have more noodles than beef, and they're not very good."
It was already quite dark, but the streetlights were dazzling. The three of them stood by the roadside, and Wang Ping said, "Come on, that thing is hidden in my classmate's warehouse. I'll show you."
Zhao Qiang asked, "It won't move?"
Wang Ping said, "What do you think?"
Zhao Qiang said, "That's good."
Wang Ping took out a small cell phone from her pocket and started making a call, "Hey, Zhang Xiaohu, come pick me up, I'm going to your warehouse."
Wang Ping put down the phone and said to Zhao Qiang, "It's done. We'll wait here for a while; someone will come to pick us up."
About ten minutes later, a Rolls-Royce sped up and screeched to a halt next to Wang Ping. A boy leaned out and said, "Pingping, you finally took the initiative to contact me. Come on, get in the car."
Wang Ping said, "It's just that my friend is curious and wants to see you. It's not that I want to contact you first. Please ask her to clarify things first."
Zhang Xiaohu chuckled, "It's all the same, get in the car." He didn't even ask who Zhao Qiang and Liu Jia were, which seemed to show that he trusted Wang Ping a lot.
Once in the car, Zhao Qiang was the first to inquire about Zhang Xiaohu's background, "Handsome young man, what does your family do?"
Zhang Xiaohu said, "Uncle, don't you think you're meddling in other people's business by asking this? Just shut up and be a good person. Talking too much can easily hurt people."
Wang Ping sat in the passenger seat and tapped Zhang Xiaohu on the head: "This is my friend! Don't treat him like that."
Wang Ping turned to Zhao Qiang and said, "He's the son of an official, and his relatives are in business. There are some things you shouldn't pry into."
Zhang Xiaohu changed the subject, saying, "Pingping, did you have any luck tonight? Let me tell you, stop meddling in other people's business. Why are you getting so worked up over a bunch of city management officers? Those vendors should be chased away. Last time I drove into the street to look for you, I almost got stuck inside."
Wang Ping said unhappily, "Zhang Xiaohu, I'm in a bad mood right now. If you say another word, I'll beat you up."
Zhang Xiaohu actually shut his mouth obediently. It was unclear whether it was because he was pursuing Wang Ping or because Wang Ping was indeed more capable than him. Zhao Qiang and Liu Jia naturally didn't care about the children's affairs; they were only interested in seeing the robot.
The Rolls-Royce drove out of the main city and finally stopped at a somewhat deserted construction site. This place must have been abandoned for some time, with most of the area overgrown with waist-high weeds. Several unfinished factory buildings stood out abruptly in the construction site. Zhang Xiaohu got out of the car and pointed to the factory buildings, saying, "Inside."
Zhao Qiang asked, "How did you find out?"
Zhang Xiaohu said, "This is a property under my family's company. Because it's relatively remote, we like to come here at night to play some games. We found it by chance. That thing is really something, it's shiny. If it weren't too heavy, we would have moved it."
Wang Ping said to Zhao Qiang, "You guys aren't planning to make a move on it, are you? Let me tell you, you can look at it, but if you're going to make a move on it, you'd better ask me and Zhang Xiaohu first."
Zhao Qiang remained noncommittal and said, "Let's go in first."
The factory was actually new, but it looked dilapidated because it had been neglected for a long time. The door was covered in rust and would probably rot completely in a few years. Zhang Xiaohu pushed the door open and entered. A musty smell hit him, but Zhang Xiaohu and Wang Ping ignored it. It was clear that they were not ordinary second-generation rich kids. Otherwise, they would have covered their noses and stepped aside.
Zhang Xiaohu led the way, "It's just ahead. See that big workbench? When we found it, it was lying on the workbench, but we were afraid of being discovered, so a few of us worked together to move it behind those rows of iron cabinets."
Zhao Qiang pointed to the workbench and Liu Jia walked over. Zhao Qiang then followed Zhang Xiaohu and Wang Ping toward the iron cabinet. He released his energy to block in front of Zhang Xiaohu and Wang Ping, so that they could have some time to recover if there was any danger.
The metal cabinet was originally meant to hold some kind of equipment, but it has probably never been used since it was manufactured. Now it is rusted and looks like it is about to fall apart. Behind the cabinet lies a shiny metal object with legs and arms. It is a standard robot!
Zhang Xiaohu said proudly, "See that? That's it! Wow, it's so cool! It hasn't rusted at all after all these days. I'm going to get my dad to come and take it away. If we can figure it out, maybe it can create a few inventions for my family's business."
Zhao Qiang squatted down to inspect the robot, saying, "Kid, this thing is dangerous and it's a state-controlled object. Not just anyone can own it."
Zhang Xiaohu retorted indignantly, "It's just an inanimate object, what danger could it possibly pose? As for something controlled by the state? Who would believe that? You're not just trying to trick me out of it with some random excuse, are you? Who are you, Pingping? You weren't fooled by that weird old man, were you?"
Wang Ping also began to have doubts. She reached out her hand to Zhao Qiang and said, "Uncle, take a look at your work ID. Don't think you can take advantage of us just because this place is remote. Let me tell you, we are all judo experts."
Zhao Qiang confirmed that the robot was indeed shut down, but to understand the reason further, a more detailed examination was needed. This was something that X-ray glasses couldn't do; the robot's materials couldn't be scanned. Zhao Qiang took out his work ID and handed it to Wang Ping, saying, "We're from the Space Administration."
Wang Ping read it aloud: "Special Affairs Division of the Space Administration? What's that?"
Zhang Xiaohu scratched his head and said, "The Space Administration knows what the Special Affairs Division does."
Zhao Qiang smiled and said, "This is for special matters. This is an experimental item that our space agency lost. We must retrieve it now. Children, thank you for your cooperation."
Zhang Xiaohu said with a straight face, "You're kidding me! Nobody's going to take our robot away!" Zhang Xiaohu made an attacking stance, but Zhao Qiang didn't even glance at his small body, and he was easily knocked down with a single finger.
Liu Jia came over with some things in his hands and reported to Zhao Qiang, "Director, there are a lot of odds and ends."
Zhao Qiang glanced over them and said, "These are from people. It tried to repair itself, but for some reason it failed. Collect them and take them with you."
Zhang Xiaohu panicked. "No, no, no one is allowed to take it without my permission! Wang Ping, I'll stop them, you quickly call someone for help!"
Wang Ping regretted it and said, "Fine, I'll call the police. I should have realized their motives were impure long ago. They're deceiving my naivety."
Zhao Qiang didn't stop them. He turned around and went with Liu Jia to tidy up the odds and ends on the workbench. They were probably some parts of a human body. If they wanted to study it, none of these things could be missing.
Whether it was the high efficiency of the police in Tiannan City or the fact that Wang Ping's phone call had reached an important person, the sound of police sirens soon grew louder and louder. Zhang Xiaohu pointed outside and said, "Listen, the police are here. You two should surrender immediately."
Zhao Qiang said, "Little friend, we're doing serious business, don't cause trouble."
Wang Ping said angrily, "Who is the child? You have deceived my feelings. You promised not to touch it."
Zhao Qiang said, "Wang Ping, I have to tell you, this thing is really dangerous."
Wang Ping asked cautiously, "Is it a high-tech product developed by the space agency? Is it related to the lunar landing program?"
Zhao Qiang also feigned mystery: "Yes, you must keep this a secret for us. If foreigners find out, it will be a huge problem; it's a leak."
At that moment, the factory gate was suddenly pushed down, and dozens of policemen with guns rushed in. The whole city was under martial law recently, and they were on high alert, never letting their guns out of their sight.
"Don't move! None of you are allowed to move!"
Liu Jia walked over with his hand raised: "Don't be nervous, we're one of our own, we have our identification."