This kind of mentality and thinking is perfectly normal, and Xu Zhengyang naturally wouldn't harbor any resentment towards it. He genuinely respected and admired the old man from the bottom of his heart. What a rare good person! It's practically impossible to find any faults in him.
After a warm, relaxed, and comfortable conversation, seeing that it was still early, Wu Guanxian asked Wu An to take Xu Zhengyang and Li Bingjie to the entertainment venues of the Imperial Garden Hotel, and hoped that Xu Zhengyang and his group could stay there for a few days.
Of course, these are just polite words; the main purpose is to help Wu An, Xu Zhengyang, and Li Bingjie get to know each other better.
Wu Guanxian's words fulfilled the duties of a host without appearing overly solicitous or pretentious.
Wu An and his M-country wife, Catherine, set aside their other hotel duties for the day to accompany Li Bingjie and Xu Zhengyang on a tour of the hotel's various entertainment and leisure facilities. Amidst laughter and conversation, they arrived at the observation deck café on the top floor of the main building. Here, one could sip coffee while enjoying panoramic views of the nearby park and lake, and the seemingly within-reach azure sky, through the enormous floor-to-ceiling windows.
Several male and female customers sat by two round red wooden tables in front of the east window of the coffee shop, chatting quietly. When they saw Xu Zhengyang and his group coming over, they simply smiled and greeted Wu An, but did not pay much attention to Xu Zhengyang and his group.
Catherine led Li Bingjie by the hand to a table on the north side, while Xu Zhengyang and Wu An did not sit down. Instead, they stood by the south-facing window, looking out at the bustling Chinatown of Dunsbo and chatting about the local customs and culture of Dunsbo and the United States.
Xu Zhengyang secretly admired Wu An's character and temperament, which were quite similar to those of his grandfather, Wu Guanxian. Wu An spoke with gentleness and elegance, without appearing overly hypocritical or pretentious, yet still giving people a good and kind impression. Wu An's wife, Catherine, was also no ordinary person. She spoke fluent Mandarin and was intelligent and understanding. Even with a girl like Li Bingjie, who was somewhat introverted, Catherine could communicate and converse with her skillfully.
“Zhengyang, I’ll be returning to China next year to manage the affairs of my domestic company. I’ll inevitably be troubling you then,” Wu An said with a smile.
Xu Zhengyang laughed and said, "It's no trouble at all. There's no problem with eating, drinking and having fun. But let me be clear from the start, I know nothing about business. Don't laugh at me, brother. I'm a rough man with little education, haha."
"Zhengyang, you're too modest," Wu An said with a smile. He naturally assumed Xu Zhengyang was joking. As an executive director of Ronghua Group, uneducated? A boorish man? Impossible…
Xu Zhengyang didn't explain, but smiled and said, "I admire you, brother. You've never been to China, yet you can speak fluent Mandarin and have such a clear understanding of the social situation in China. That's remarkable."
“My grandfather and father often taught me that I have the blood of the Chinese nation flowing in my veins, and I must never forget where my roots are.”
Xu Zhengyang smiled approvingly and nodded, recalling a phrase his father often naggarded: "Never forget your roots."
After chatting for a few more minutes, Wu An invited Xu Zhengyang to have a cup of coffee at the table where Li Bingjie and the others were.
Just as the two turned to leave, Xu Zhengyang overheard several people at two tables talking about several recent violent robberies and two shootings in Chinatown.
Xu Zhengyang was secretly taken aback and asked, "Is the security situation in Don Sibo really that bad?"
Wu An smiled wryly and said, "In the past two years, due to the widening government fiscal deficit, the unemployment rate in the United States has been relatively high. However, the businesses of Chinese shops and restaurants in Chinatown have not been greatly affected. On the contrary, several new shops have opened. As a result, some impoverished black people have flocked to Chinatown. It is inevitable that these situations will occur. You know, gun control here is not as strict as in China."
"Damn it..." Xu Zhengyang curled his lip and cursed under his breath.
"However, it's not as serious as you might think. The security situation in Dunsbo is relatively good."
Xu Zhengyang laughed and said, "Is this what you call good?"
As they talked, the two walked to the table and under it, and a waiter immediately brought them coffee.
Sipping his coffee, Wu An said with a smile, "A few years ago, when gang forces infiltrated Chinatown, the security situation was even worse. Basically, someone would die on the streets of Chinatown every month."
"Hmm, life here must be really tough for you. You could get shot even if you're just lying down?"
"Hmm?" Wu An paused for a moment, then understood what Xu Zhengyang meant. He couldn't help but smile and said, "You could say that."
Xu Zhengyang frowned and thought about it. If it were his hometown in the countryside, where every household had a gun, let alone going out to rob and kill, the villagers' fierce tempers would make them dare to use any weapon they could get their hands on.
Goodness, thankfully there's strict gun control in China.
Xu Zhengyang glanced at Qingling and Li Chengzong standing to the side out of the corner of his eye and couldn't help but think that it was fortunate that Li Bingjie had a detached personality and didn't like to play around. If she were like Jiang Huiying, running around and playing everywhere, wouldn't she have exhausted Qingling?
Just then, Xu Zhengyang had a sudden thought, and the ghost messenger Wang Yonggan reported, "Sir, some people on the first floor are saying some unpleasant things. I... I want to teach them a lesson..."
"Huh? What did you say?"
"Discrimination against people from our own country."
Xu Zhengyang frowned slightly, and in his mind he sternly reprimanded, "Don't do anything reckless."
"Yes, I understand."
Xu Zhengyang took a sip of coffee and smiled at Wu An, saying, "I've heard that discrimination against Chinese people is very serious abroad. Is that true?"
“Well, that does happen.” Wu An nodded and said, “However, this kind of discrimination has become less and less common in recent years.”
"Oh, what about the phenomenon of Chinese people discriminating against other Chinese people?"
Wu An paused for a moment, then smiled wryly, "The older generation is alright, but the young people, especially those who grew up here, are inevitably influenced by Western education and environment, and they have some wrong ideas and views..."
Xu Zhengyang nodded and didn't say anything more, but he was wondering in his heart whether he should leave a ghost messenger here before returning to China.
When we were chatting until a little after 11 o'clock, the waiter came up to remind us that the social gathering was about to begin and asked everyone to come downstairs to the main restaurant for the banquet.
The large restaurant on the first floor housed over three hundred guests, all prominent figures from various Chinese community organizations and businesses. There weren't many young people; the majority were middle-aged people over forty, or even those in their fifties, sixties, or older.
In addition, the Western restaurant on the second floor was also filled with banquets today, a place where young people gather for feasts.
At exactly twelve o'clock, deafening firecrackers rang out outside the hotel, instantly raising the festive atmosphere.
Wu Guanxian, president of the Chinatown Association, slowly walked onto the stage to deliver a speech to the guests to celebrate the New Year, which naturally won enthusiastic applause. Afterwards, Mayor Dunsbo and his wife, who came to attend the banquet, went on stage to greet and bless the Chinese community in Chinatown, and thanked the Chinese community for their help in various aspects of Dunsbo's development over the years.
Just as the important figures finished speaking and the banquet was about to begin, a deafening explosion suddenly rang out outside the door, followed by a continuous blaring of alarms.
At Xu Zhengyang's table, Li Chengzong and Qingling had already stood up and positioned themselves on either side of Li Bingjie the instant the explosion rang out.
Volume 5, Spirit Official, Chapter 234: There's a Reason for Everything
Bang bang bang, several gunshots rang out outside.
Several security guards rushed in through the main gate, shouting, "Quick, quick, someone's injured..."
After the initial shock, chaos soon erupted inside the hotel, especially the women's terrified screams, which nearly overturned the entire hotel.
The mayor's bodyguards tightly protected him and his wife as they retreated towards the stairwell; Wu Guanxian's bodyguards did the same. People were in a noisy commotion, some running outside, some running upstairs, some standing against the wall afraid to move, some crouching under the table, and some running around everywhere. It was a chaotic mess of people pushing and shoving each other...
Only Xu Zhengyang remained calm, showing no panic or shouting.
Li Chengzong and Qingling protected Li Bingjie, pushing aside the chaotic crowd and retreating to a table in the innermost corner. They then let Li Bingjie sit down against the wall, standing in front of her and guarding the surrounding crowd with their guns. Liu Ming, on the other hand, crouched under the table in fear.
A sharp, cold glint flashed in Xu Zhengyang's narrowed eyes. In his mind, he had already ordered the two ghost messengers, Wang Yonggan and Yan Liang, to go out immediately and control the shooter and the one who carried out the explosion.
On the street, the crowd was in a state of panic. Nearby shopkeepers closed their doors and windows, peering out through the glass; some pedestrians cautiously retreated to the base of walls or crouched beside their cars, looking around anxiously.
Several police cars roared in, and heavily armed officers jumped out, frantically searching for the criminals. But aside from two officers lying in pools of blood, struggling and shouting to their colleagues to chase after them, where could they possibly find any trace of the criminals? Or rather, who were the criminals…?
Was it a terrorist attack?
This phrase, which has become one of the most familiar terms in recent years, has appeared in everyone's mind.
Outside the Imperial Garden Hotel, in a parking lot filled with cars, a vehicle, reduced to rubble, was still burning and belching thick black smoke. Nearby vehicles were also affected by the violent explosion; one was overturned by the powerful shockwave and landed on top of another. Broken glass, metal fragments, burning materials, and blood littered the ground…
The disturbance inside the hotel finally subsided temporarily after a little over a minute, thanks to the persuasion and reassurance of the hotel staff.
The important figures have all been escorted up to the third floor.
"Miss, let's go upstairs!" Qingling whispered anxiously.
Immediately, Li Chengzong stepped towards the edge of the building, warily watching the terrified crowd standing or sitting inside the hotel. Qingling, holding Li Bingjie's arm with one hand, followed Li Chengzong.
Xu Zhengyang followed behind, squinting as he went. His divine sense had already spread out, covering the entire hotel building inside and out.
Liu Ming quickly followed, his eyes filled with fear as he looked around, as if afraid that a bullet might suddenly fly out and hit him.
Several heavily armed police officers stormed into the hotel, leaving three officers at the entrance. The others quickly ran towards the stairs. They had received word that the mayor and several important figures were on the third floor.
One of the police officers noticed the pistols clutched by Li Chengzong and Qingling, frowned, and then stared at Li Bingjie.
Clearly, with two armed bodyguards by his side, his identity was definitely not ordinary.
In situations like today, besides the police, those carrying guns will definitely receive special attention from the police.
Upon discovering that the four were heading upstairs, the two policemen immediately pointed their guns at them and shouted, "Stop! Throw your guns on the ground and put your hands up!"
Li Chengzong moved, spreading his arms wide, a pistol dangling from his fingertips, his broad body completely shielding Li Bingjie behind him. Qingling also stepped forward, pulling Li Bingjie behind her, coldly staring at her, and said in fluent English, "We are guests invited by Mr. Wu. Please allow us to go up to the third floor."
"Stop saying that, put the gun down, now, quick!"
Xu Zhengyang, who was walking at the very back, said softly, "Throw down all the guns."
Li Chengzong and Qingling were stunned for a moment, then threw their pistols to the ground. However, they did not raise their hands, but remained standing firmly in front of Li Bingjie.
Just then, intense gunfire erupted from the street outside, and two more policemen armed with pistols rushed in, shouting at the people in the hotel lobby: "Crouch down, everyone crouch down, hands behind your heads, quick, quick, crouch down!"
The police were also worried that this was a terrorist attack, fearing that some terrorists might have infiltrated the crowd.
The people inside the hotel crouched down in a panic.
Xu Zhengyang, however, reached out and pulled Li Bingjie to stand against the wall. Li Chengzong and Qingling stood in front of them, not squatting down. Liu Ming obediently squatted down, his hands covering his head.
"What's going on?" Xu Zhengyang shouted angrily in his mind.
"Sir, it was Yan Liang and I who opened fire on them. Oh, damn it, neither of us knows how to use a gun..." Wang Yonggan said with a grin.
Xu Zhengyang was furious: "Who are they?"
"It seems to be some kind of gang, targeting Wu Guanxian and his group." Wang Yonggan said, then suddenly hissed and said, "Sir, something's not right. The impact of the bullets is making me feel pain..."
"Stop fighting, follow them and keep an eye on them!" Xu Zhengyang's heart tightened, and he immediately gave the order.
“Yes, yes,” Wang Yonggan immediately agreed.
In the Chinatown plaza not far from the Imperial Garden Hotel, a chaotic crowd screamed in panic and ran in all directions. Police officers beside two police cars, guns drawn, fired several shots at the criminals from behind the vehicles. They were then momentarily stunned, for they realized a gunfight had broken out between the criminals.
Soon, the gunfight between the bandits stopped, and three bandits lay in pools of blood, groaning in pain.
The others frantically flagged down two taxis, forcing the drivers to flee to the other side of the square. The police quickly jumped into their vehicle, sirens blaring, and gave chase.
Inside the hotel, just as two police officers with guns were about to order Xu Zhengyang and his group to squat down, Wu An and a white man in a suit ran down the stairs. Upon seeing Xu Zhengyang and his group, Wu An quickly ran over and apologized repeatedly, while the white man took out his identification and explained to the lead officer.
The white man was a bodyguard of the mayor, and given Wu An's identity, the police no longer suspected anything and allowed Xu Zhengyang and his group of five to go upstairs.
Upon entering the third floor, one arrives at a spacious room where Wu Guanxian and several elderly members of the Chinese community are seated in the living room.
The mayor and his wife were not in this room.
"Zhengyang, Miss Li, I'm so sorry to have startled you," Wu Guanxian said apologetically.
Xu Zhengyang waved his hand, pulled Li Bingjie to sit on the sofa, and then, ignoring everyone else, squinted at Wu Guanxian and said softly, "They came for you..."
"Hmm?" Wu Guanxian feigned surprise. In fact, he had already had some vague guesses in his mind. If it was a coincidence that they had encountered a terrorist attack, then the bomb would have exploded inside the hotel, and those injured would include the mayor and his wife.
Suicide terrorist attacks generally aim to kill as many people as possible, and the higher their status, the better.
Therefore, if the explosion outside the hotel was an accident, there is only one possibility: a threat.
However, Wu Guanxian was puzzled as to why Xu Zhengyang could say such a thing with such certainty.
Xu Zhengyang didn't say anything more, but instead held Li Bingjie's hand, gently stroking her small hand to soothe her slightly panicked mind. He leaned back on the sofa, his eyes slightly narrowed, his face tilted back, seemingly deep in thought. In reality, he was contacting the ghost messengers Wang Yonggan and Yan Liang.
It appears that the criminals have abandoned their vehicle and successfully evaded police pursuit, temporarily escaping.
However, the police are increasing the cordon around the city and have begun to block and search for the suspects.
Ghost messengers Wang Yonggan and Yan Liang had successfully boarded the bandits' vehicle, but they hadn't reached their destination yet, and the situation was still unclear. Meanwhile, inside the vehicle, several bandits were cursing and swearing, furious that their two damned accomplices had suddenly opened fire on them.