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墨書 Inktalez
Chapter Sixty-One: The Facts Are Here
The plane sent by Prince Banan landed at Hong Kong International Airport. Zhang Qiu and the others transferred in Hong Kong for a direct flight to the capital, arriving at the airport two hours later. Azure Hawk immediately opened his phone to contact Bai Jingwei. Ten minutes later, two airport staff members appeared, leading them out through a special passage.
Azure Hawk remained vigilant, scanning the surroundings while the other members of the White Wolf Special Assault Team formed a circle around Zhang Qiu and Lucia, protecting them at the center. A blue Jiangling Truck was parked by the roadside. Azure Hawk led the way over and rhythmically knocked on the truck's compartment. Zhang Qiu and Lucia watched curiously as the compartment door swung open with a loud clang.
Azure Hawk whispered, "Get in, we need to hurry."
Two minutes later, the truck merged into traffic and soon found itself stuck in the evening rush hour. Fortunately, the interior of the compartment had been modified; two rows of incandescent lights were embedded in the ceiling, preventing anyone inside from being plunged into darkness. Soft and comfortable mats were laid over the hard iron floor, making it relatively comfortable to sit on.
However, waiting was ultimately a long process. Zhang Qiu and Lucia leaned against each other, fiddling with their phones. Occasionally, Zhang Qiu looked up and saw that the members of the White Wolf Special Assault Team maintained an upright posture, diligently staring ahead, which made him admire them from the bottom of his heart. He believed he could never do the same.
The truck moved intermittently along its route, and Zhang Qiu had grown accustomed to this rhythm. Suddenly, the compartment door was pulled open from outside with a loud noise that startled Zhang Qiu, causing him to jump up and shoot two sharp glances towards the door.
The person outside was taken aback by Zhang Qiu's reaction and instinctively said, "You can get out now."
Zhang Qiu stared intently at the person outside and sighed in relief upon hearing his words. It turned out they had arrived; he had thought there was an emergency situation.
The members of the White Wolf Special Assault Team jumped out of the truck one by one, followed by Zhang Qiu and Lucia. As soon as he stepped out of the compartment, Zhang Qiu heard Azure Hawk's booming report: "Report to Professor Bai Jingwei: The White Wolf Special Assault Team has successfully completed its mission!"
"Great job, everyone has worked hard. Now that you're back, take a good rest; I will transfer your bonuses to your accounts... Zhang Qiu!" While Bai Jingwei was speaking with Azure Hawk, he spotted Zhang Qiu just stepping out of the compartment and immediately called out to him, walking excitedly toward him as he asked, "Zhang Qiu, how are you? Are you all okay?"
"Very well, thanks to Azure Hawk and his team for protecting me. Thank you, Professor."
Bai Jingwei raised his eyebrows and focused on Zhang Qiu; it was the first time he had heard such sincere gratitude from him.
Zhang Qiu handed a waterproof bag to Bai Jingwei. Holding it in his hand, Bai Jingwei looked at the crumpled pieces of fabric inside and asked, "What is this?"
"It is the clothes worn by K."
Bai Jingwei was stunned, putting away the waterproof bag and pressing it against his chest. He closed his eyes and nodded heavily, saying, "Okay, I will take good care of it."
"The plane exploded, caught fire upon landing, and everything flammable around the wreckage was burned to ashes. This undershirt was blown to the treetops, and the rescue soldiers brought it back. I recognized the letters on it; they belong to K, there’s no mistake." A lump formed in Zhang Qiu's throat as she gently patted herself, recalling her time with K, unable to hold back her tears.
Lucia stepped forward to comfort Zhang Qiu. After Zhang Qiu's emotions calmed down a bit, she said to Bai Jingwei, "Don't forget what you promised, K's family..."
"I will, don't worry."
Bai Jingwei patted his chest in assurance. Zhang Qiu noticed that his eyes were red, which increased her fondness for him.
As guests, Zhang Qiu and Lucia followed Bai Jingwei toward the research institute building. Members of the White Wolf Special Assault Team marched in neat formation under Azure Hawk's lead, heading in a different direction from Zhang Qiu. She stopped at the entrance of the building, turned to look at Azure Hawk's back, and shouted, "Azure Hawk!"
Azure Hawk stopped in place and turned around. Zhang Qiu immediately shouted, "Thank you."
Zhang Qiu saw Azure Hawk wave at her before continuing on. The sound of Bai Jingwei's voice reached her ears: "Come inside."
Zhang Qiu nodded and took Lucia's hand as they walked in. Under Bai Jingwei's guidance, they arrived at a door. Bai Jingwei entered a password on the electronic lock and placed his hand on it; two doors that were about ten centimeters thick opened to the sides. Zhang Qiu was not unfamiliar with this place; when she brought Lucia here for the first time, Bai Jingwei had met them here.
Once the door opened, a long corridor appeared, brightly lit and dazzling to the eyes. Western art paintings from an unknown era hung on both sides of the walls. At the end of the corridor was a room with four cameras aimed at it above the door. Bai Jingwei walked over and winked at the cameras; the door opened automatically.
Bai Jingwei stepped aside and gestured for them to enter with a smile, saying, "No need to be formal; just treat it like your own home."
Sitting down on the sand, Bai Jingwei asked, "Would you like something to drink?"
"Just water is fine. If there’s food available, I could use some; I'm hungry," Zhang Qiu turned her head aside and asked, "What about you, Lucia?"
"Lucia said, 'I'm hungry too.'
Bai Jingwei smiled and said, 'That's right, it was my oversight. You all have traveled a long way and used a lot of energy; you should replenish it. I'll have someone prepare dinner for you right away.' Bai Jingwei picked up the phone on the nearby tea table, pressed a button, and gave a few instructions. Then he looked at Zhang Qiu and Lucia with a cheerful expression and said, 'It's all set. Dinner will be ready shortly.'
'Actually, it doesn't need to be so much,' Zhang Qiu thought simply about filling his stomach, but Bai Jingwei continued to order several dishes. The more dishes there were, the longer they would have to wait.
'You've worked hard on your journey. Tonight, we'll treat you to a feast and prepare several good dishes. Azure Hawk mentioned your situation in Africa; it was quite tough. I imagine you must miss the food from home.'
If there were outsiders present, they would surely think that Bai Jingwei was considering them like an old friend. However, Zhang Qiu understood that what Bai Jingwei referred to as Azure Hawk was something he had to report on. Nevertheless, this did not hinder their cooperation, and Zhang Qiu smiled and said, 'Thank you, Professor Bai.'
The chef prepared the meal faster than Zhang Qiu imagined; half an hour later, someone came to invite them. Bai Jingwei stood up and said, 'Dinner is ready; I'll take you there.'
They walked out of the room along the silver-white corridor and turned left, stopping in front of the second door. A waiter was already waiting there and bowed to greet Bai Jingwei.
Bai Jingwei nodded at them and led Zhang Qiu and Lucia into the dining hall. The dining hall was as large as four classrooms, and Zhang Qiu compared it in his mind to the cafeteria at Beiluan No. 1 High School. If the cafeteria was this big, the entire research institute must have over a thousand people.
Inside the cafeteria were steel tables and chairs covered with uniform tablecloths and cushions. Above the windows on both sides, illuminated advertising boards displayed food offerings. However, almost all the windows were closed for service; only one or two had people eating at them who stood up to greet Bai Jingwei upon seeing him.
Bai Jingwei smiled kindly and chatted with them warmly: 'Working late tonight... make sure to eat plenty...'
Zhang Qiu and Lucia followed Bai Jingwei all the way to the end of the cafeteria when Zhang Qiu stopped and asked, 'Professor, where are you taking us?'
'Of course I'm taking you to eat,' Bai Jingwei replied without looking back as he continued walking. 'We won't eat here; there's no food available at this time.'
Zhang Qiu followed Bai Jingwei around a corner and discovered a separate space divided into private rooms, each with a sign hanging on the door like many restaurants. Bai Jingwei entered a room labeled Listening Bamboo; the waiters had already tidied it up inside and proactively adjusted their seats while serving tea.
Bai Jingwei took out a stack of napkins and placed them on his lap, saying, 'The dishes can be served now.'"
A minute later, the beautiful and graceful waitstaff brought exquisite dishes to the table. It is worth mentioning that the cutlery placed in front of Lucia consisted of a knife and fork.
Once all the dishes were served, Bai Jingwei dismissed the extra people and said, "Come, try the skills of our institute's chefs."
Zhang Qiu was already hungry, and upon hearing Bai Jingwei, he began to eat without hesitation. The taste was indeed quite good. Lucia, who loved Chinese cuisine, couldn't help but praise it as she tasted it. Bai Jingwei smiled proudly and said, "It’s delicious, right? You two are the only commoners dining here."
"What do you mean?" Zhang Qiu asked, raising his head while chewing on half a chicken wing.
"Usually, meals are taken outside; this place is specifically for hosting. Ordinary people don’t eat here; they don’t even know about the existence of the institute. Those who come here for inspections are all leaders and officials who are used to authentic dishes with discerning tastes. Therefore, we have specially hired renowned chefs from the eight major culinary schools: Sichuan, Shandong, Cantonese, Fujian, Zhejiang, Hunan, Anhui, and Huaiyang. How could you not find it delicious? This is also why the meals are prepared in half an hour; the chefs are always on standby."
"So complicated just to satisfy their appetites?" Zhang Qiu frowned. Even with money, this seemed wasteful; saving money could be put to better use. Zhang Qiu thought of a fitting idiom to describe this—extravagance and excess.
Bai Jingwei shook his head with a smile and said, "That's where you don't understand. If you take care of their appetites, they will be willing to spend money. I spend ten million a year on these chefs. When research funding comes through, that’s countless tens of millions. So isn’t what I’m doing quite cost-effective?"
Bai Jingwei looked at Zhang Qiu with a shrewd expression. Zhang Qiu felt speechless; something seemed off, but he couldn't argue against it. The facts were right there; what else could he say?
Lucia didn’t understand Chinese and had no idea what Zhang Qiu and Bai Jingwei were discussing; she only felt that these dishes were better than anything she had eaten before. Zhang Qiu looked at Lucia and was relieved that her Chinese was poor. If Bai Jingwei's words were understood by Lucia, it would be embarrassing across the ocean.
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