The Chinatown borough president and Chinese community leader, Dunspo Police Department and mayor also protested to the FBI.
Poor Leonard, enraged that his plans had been thwarted, he did this instead of trying to shut Rogers up first. Now, the truth is out. Leonard will have to take the blame for the FBI.
Who says that institutions and departments in Western democracies aren't corrupt?
In any country, within certain special institutions and departments, there will always be many truths that will never be exposed to the light of day.
Xu Zhengyang understood perfectly well, but he couldn't be bothered to pay attention.
However, he was unaware that from this moment on, he had been targeted by FBI agents.
The reason remains the same: they suspect Xu Zhengyang might be a member of a terrorist organization, having discovered some connections between Rogers and the FBI, and thus want to cruelly punish him. Or perhaps, Xu Zhengyang is a spy? Did Rogers and his team inadvertently discover something, leading them to want him dead? After all, this guy has been with that general's daughter all along, yet he holds the position of executive director of a corporation.
It's very strange.
It's... a complete injustice.
Volume 5, Spirit Official, Chapter 237: No Small Matter for High-Ranking Officials
Competition and rivalry between nations. The caution and meticulousness of politicians are beyond the imagination of ordinary people. Every aspect they consider, even the smallest event, is pre-arranged and planned, ensuring that the entire process, from occurrence to escalation and outcome, is entirely within their planning and control.
If an unplanned emergency occurs, it will be covered up as much as possible, resolved quickly, and the news will be nipped in the bud before it spreads, in order to prevent unnecessary and uncontrollable consequences.
To some extent, this can be considered an unspoken rule, something both parties are aware of.
Therefore, many unexpected events, just as they begin to emerge and stir the hearts of the public, vanish without a trace, failing to deliver the expected excitement; or perhaps they will become even more exciting, but they are already just man-made stories.
Therefore, it is clear that Xu Zhengyang's incident was an unexpected event.
Therefore, as the party in Country M, they immediately took the fastest possible response measures to extinguish the spark that could have ignited a prairie fire. At the same time, the other party also urgently notified relevant personnel to remain calm and not to pursue the matter further…
Actually, if it weren't for Li Bingjie's identity, who in the US would care who Xu Zhengyang is?
Even if you personally killed Rogers, the godfather of the Dunsbo mafia, in full view of everyone, the impact would only be a brief appearance in the news. However, this time, although the incident of Rogers being shot and seriously injured caused a great sensation, Xu Zhengyang's role among the people involved in the news was merely that of a nameless passerby.
The public's attention and curiosity were drawn to the undercover story that this case brought to light.
Rogers, whose crimes were utterly heinous, naturally deserved his fate, while Leonard became a disgrace to the FBI, bearing the blame for using any means necessary to gain fame and merit. Superintendent Billy of the Dunsbury Police Department, due to his special relationship with Rogers, became infamous...
This case also created a hero, Jack, the young confidant who shot Rogers.
Wow, this guy is actually an undercover police officer from the Dunsbo Police Department's Special Investigations Unit who infiltrated the Rogers gang.
So, the shooting of Rogers is legalized...
There's always someone with a purpose who can orchestrate a storyline that's full of twists and turns, fraught with danger, and whose wits and courage in the battle between police and criminals are captivating and mesmerizing.
Okay, let's stop here.
On the plane, as Li Bingjie read to him the ins and outs of the story as told in various newspapers, Xu Zhengyang couldn't help but laugh and say, "That's fucking... bullshit."
Sitting next to him, Li Bingjie, dressed in elegant casual wear, smiled and said, "Sometimes, the more public the news, the less credible it is."
"It's a good thing you emphasized 'sometimes' instead of 'all the time,' otherwise I would have argued with you." Xu Zhengyang casually grasped Li Bingjie's soft, boneless hand, his face full of smugness.
Li Bingjie was slightly taken aback, her face flushing. She thought of pulling away from Xu Zhengyang's grasp, but ultimately didn't. She let his fingers move almost imperceptibly in her small hand, wondering to herself, "If we were at home, in front of my parents, would he hold my hand like this?"
But Xu Zhengyang was thinking. Once we're married, I won't have to hesitate every time I want to hold Li Bingjie's hand because there are other people around. He secretly encouraged himself.
Hmm, Xu Zhengyang is very thin-skinned, has a pure heart, is very traditional, and very old-fashioned...
The ghost messenger Yan Liang was indeed left in Dunsbo's Chinatown by Xu Zhengyang, becoming Xu Zhengyang's first branch office abroad. Office? Embassy? Whatever it was, Xu Zhengyang was too lazy to come up with a name to put on a show, since only Yan Liang was there anyway.
As for the office location, it would naturally be the Imperial Garden Hotel, since ghost messengers are not restricted by their place of residence in the human world.
The task is clear: to ensure the basic stability of Chinese residents in Chinatown.
The reason for mentioning basic stability stems from Xu Zhengyang's trip to the US, which left him with some mixed feelings. Although his experience in Dunsbo revealed that even countries with sound democratic and legal systems are often just a facade, with numerous shady dealings operating behind the scenes, Xu Zhengyang had to admit that under such a system, ordinary people generally receive tangible guarantees of human rights, democracy, and freedom.
After the incident with Rogers, Xu Zhengyang left the FBI and had a long talk with Wu Guanxian for two hours.
To recap, during this conversation, Wu Guanxian first expressed his apologies as the host for not being able to ensure Xu Zhengyang's safety. Of course, on the surface, Wu Guanxian's gesture was largely due to Li Bingjie's status.
However, Wu Guanxian had extensive connections and knew some things that ordinary people wouldn't: Xu Zhengyang was receiving protection and pressure from high-ranking officials in the domestic political arena; furthermore, he had assaulted an FBI officer inside the FBI.
This was news that astonished Wu Guanxian.
A foreign national, in country M, assaulted an FBI officer...
In addition, Xu Zhengyang had previously hinted that he would help Wu Guanxian get rid of Rogers, and as a result, Rogers was indeed eliminated.
The shock and confusion in Wu Guanxian's heart can be imagined.
He didn't believe the truth of the matter was just a coincidence, or that Xu Zhengyang was an innocent victim. What kind of coincidence could there be?
Therefore, Wu Guanxian felt genuine doubt, gratitude, and admiration, even a touch of fear, towards Xu Zhengyang. He simply couldn't fathom what powerful force supported this young man, enabling him to act with impunity abroad.
Even if a country were backing him up, it wouldn't just help him deal with a gang leader, would it?
This is like using a sledgehammer to crack a nut. It's a foolish act.
In short, Wu Guanxian couldn't understand it; at the same time, Wu Guanxian was grateful to Xu Zhengyang because Xu Zhengyang had no reason to help him. His motivation stemmed from a shared sentiment with Wu Guanxian: they were of the same ethnicity, sharing the same blood. It was like two brothers; if someone bullied you, wouldn't you fight back?
In Xu Zhengyang's words, "Old Wu, you don't need to be too grateful to me. To put it bluntly, you're a married woman, and if you're bullied by the neighbors, your husband's family won't help you, and your own family won't help you either?"
Wu Guanxian was both amused and exasperated, but he also felt that these words were true.
Unexpectedly, Xu Zhengyang then smiled meaningfully and said, "But your married daughter is a typical shrew..."
Wu Guanxian was taken aback, then smiled bitterly and said, "We have an old saying that goes, 'A good horse is ridden, and a kind person is bullied.' If we hadn't shown some guts and toughness when we came to Dundee back then, how would Chinatown be where it is today?"
“I’d love to hear about your past…” Xu Zhengyang said with a smile.
Indeed, even if Xu Zhengyang could explore Wu Guanxian's deepest memories and thoughts, it would take a tremendous amount of mental effort to unravel his past and thoughts bit by bit. Decades of history are not something that others can summarize in a short time.
Therefore, it is much simpler and easier for individuals to recount their past experiences.
“I’m getting old… I’m too lazy to think about the past, and there’s nothing to say about it.” Wu Guanxian shook his head with a smile, but when he saw Xu Zhengyang’s gentle and calm gaze, he couldn’t help but feel a little awkward. He slowly took a sip of tea, not waiting for Xu Zhengyang to urge him—in fact, Xu Zhengyang didn’t intend to urge him, as if he cared so much about Wu Guanxian’s old, trivial matters. Wu Guanxian himself said, “Actually, in earlier years, or even now, in a capitalist society, behind any accumulation of wealth, behind many large conglomerates, lies a dark, cruel, and bloody past… The soundness of the legal system, while its advantages are obvious, also makes it easy to exploit… Sigh, back when I came here…”
Wu Guanxian recounted how he traveled thousands of miles to this foreign land to develop and survive, but was forced by the harsh realities of life to take an extreme path. He experienced unimaginable bloodshed and brutal violence, undergoing a series of transformations in a seemingly fair but actually dark and naked society. He eventually accumulated a large fortune, laundered his money, and entered high society with dignity.
Now, who can call him a gangster? Who can consider him a bad guy?
From Wu Guanxian's recounting of the past, Xu Zhengyang saw not the dazzling and superficial phenomena of American society, but the sinister and terrifying essence hidden deep within, or certain aspects of that essence, as well as the more obvious and real social reality—competition.
This was very enlightening for Xu Zhengyang.
Therefore, this is why Xu Zhengyang used the ambiguous term "basically stable" after leaving the ghost messenger Yan Liang in Dunsbo's Chinatown. Of course, he explained to Yan Liang seriously that as long as he wasn't a major villain, there was no need to interfere, and as long as Chinatown wasn't subjected to too much oppression, there was no need to worry about him.
People need to experience life pressures, have a drive to strive, and a stubborn, unyielding spirit of self-improvement, rather than expecting something for nothing and only thinking about relying on external forces.
Of course, this was not the main reason for keeping Yan Liang.
The main purpose is something that needs no further explanation.
Well, Xu Zhengyang needs to keep Yan Liang here to draw on people's faith, so that through Yan Liang he can make contact with the deity in the territory under the jurisdiction of the Eastern Heavenly Court, build a bridge, and allow Xu Zhengyang to gain more faith.
As I was lost in thought, the cabin announcement came over the loudspeaker with a gentle voice, informing passengers that the plane was about to arrive in Beijing and asking everyone to fasten their seatbelts and prepare for the journey.
Xu Zhengyang snapped out of his thoughts, smiled, and thought that after getting off the plane, he should say goodbye to the guy who had traveled all the way from Dunsbo to come here and tell him to go back. Otherwise, he would be wasting his time and angering himself, and he would get a bad scolding. What was the point of that?
Well, this guy is innocent; he was just carrying out a mission.
Xu Zhengyang is a very reasonable person. He won't just randomly order people around, and he's even less willing to become mortal enemies with any government agency.
He's not like Harden, who has that kind of fetish.
His motto has always been: I will not offend others unless they offend me; if they offend me...
After disembarking from the plane and exiting the terminal, a car from Ronghua Group was already waiting outside. Li Ruiyu had also arranged for a vehicle to pick up Li Bingjie.
Xu Zhengyang thought for a moment, then instructed Liu Ming and the people from Ronghua Group to leave first, while he would leave with Li Bingjie.
Liu Ming naturally didn't ask any further questions. He simply said, "President Xu, please call me if you need anything," and then got into his car and left.
Xu Zhengyang and Li Bingjie got into a black Audi A8, and Qingling sat in the passenger seat.
Li Chengzhong then got into another car.
As the vehicle drove from the airport into the city and onto the Fourth Ring Road, Xu Zhengyang was surprised to find that the guy who had been following him had stopped.
However, Xu Zhengyang soon discovered that this guy had gone to the US embassy. To Xu Zhengyang's surprise, the embassy actually had a so-called FBI office in Beijing. He couldn't help but curse inwardly: "Damn, so not all agents are hiding in the mud; there are some openly armed guys out there."
Goodness, does that mean they'll soon find out who I, Xu Zhengyang, really am?
Let them do whatever they want. Do you think they can turn the world upside down in this area?
Xu Zhengyang smiled dismissively.
"What are you thinking about?" Li Bingjie asked with a smile.
"Hmm?" Xu Zhengyang turned to look at Li Bingjie, chuckled softly, and said, "I'm thinking about what to say to your dad when we meet him later..."
He paused for a moment, then Li Bingjie blushed and lowered her head, asking in a barely audible voice, "What?"
"About our marriage."
"I said... there's no rush, we have to wait until after the New Year."
"Shouldn't we at least give them a heads-up beforehand?"
"Mmm," Li Bingjie replied in an even lower voice.
The Audi A8 visibly wobbled.
The driver gave an apologetic smile through the rearview mirror.
At this moment, in the scenic villa area of Jingshi Mountain, Li Ruiqing had just arrived by car outside the villa where Li Ruiyu was staying.
He got out of the car and strode inside.
Li Ruiyu remained seated on the sofa without getting up, and said with a smile, "Why did you rush here? It's like we're all waiting for him to come."
“We can’t hide Xu Zhengyang’s situation any longer.” Li Ruiqing sighed without a trace of a smile and sat down on the sofa. “The FBI in the US has also taken notice of him… Many people here have been asking me why I’m protecting Xu Zhengyang.”
Li Ruiyu also fell silent. Yes, how to explain it?
Because of an ordinary citizen, they actually made a strong statement that they would not allow their own citizens to be investigated in that Western power? Not only were the political leaders of that country dissatisfied, but some people within their own country also had doubts. Wasn't this making a mountain out of a molehill?
Are you suggesting that Li Ruiyu should put on airs and say, "This is my son-in-law!"?
Obviously, while this reason is reasonable, it is something that cannot be said openly, especially since the two are not yet married.
Volume Five, Spirit Official, Chapter 238: Unexpectedly Smooth Sailing
Xu Zhengyang was taken away for questioning by the FBI in Dunsbo. He himself was certainly unaware of the enormous impact this would have.
As a result, the top leaders of both countries began to pay special attention to this unknown little man.