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墨書 Inktalez
Chapter Sixty-One: The Facts Are Here
The plane dispatched 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 noise.
Azure Hawk whispered, "Get in, we need to hurry."
Two minutes later, the truck merged into traffic and soon got caught up in the evening rush hour. Fortunately, the interior of the truck had been modified; two rows of incandescent lights were embedded in the ceiling, preventing them from being in complete darkness. Soft and comfortable mats were laid over the hard iron floor, making it relatively comfortable to sit on.
However, waiting was ultimately long. 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 straight postures, diligently staring ahead, which made him admire them from the bottom of his heart. He believed he could never do that himself.
The truck moved slowly 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 toward 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 loud report: "Report to Professor Bai Jingwei: The White Wolf Special Assault Team has successfully completed their 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 excitedly as he walked over. "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’s 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 near the wreckage was burned to ashes. This undershirt was blown up to the treetops, and the rescue soldiers brought it back. I recognized the letters on it; they belong to K, no doubt about it." A lump formed in Zhang Qiu's throat as she gently patted herself, recalling the time spent with K, unable to hold back her tears.
Lucia stepped forward to comfort Zhang Qiu. After her emotions calmed down a bit, Zhang Qiu said to Bai Jingwei, "Don't forget what you promised, K's family..."
"I will, you can rest assured."
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. The members of the White Wolf Special Assault Team marched in an orderly fashion 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 halted and turned around. Zhang Qiu immediately called out, "Thank you."
Zhang Qiu saw Azure Hawk wave at her before continuing on his way. Bai Jingwei's voice rang in 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 room. Bai Jingwei entered a password on the electronic lock and pressed 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 doors 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 from 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 something to eat, I could use some; I'm hungry." Zhang Qiu turned her head to one side and asked, "What about you, Lucia?"
"Lucia said, 'I'm hungry too.'
Bai Jingwei smiled and replied, '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 a meal for you right away.' Bai Jingwei picked up the phone from the tea table beside him, 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. Just wait a moment, and we can start eating.'
'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 more dishes for you to enjoy. Azure Hawk has mentioned your situation in Africa; it must have been tough. I imagine you 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 part of the report he had to make. Nevertheless, this did not hinder their cooperation, and Zhang Qiu smiled and said, 'Thank you, Professor Bai.'
Zhang Qiu imagined that the chef would prepare the meal quickly; after half an hour, someone would come to invite them. Bai Jingwei stood up and said, 'The food is ready; I'll take you there.'
They walked out of the room along the silver-white corridor and turned left at the second door where they stopped. 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 accommodate thousands of 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, with one or two people sitting at a couple of windows eating; upon seeing Bai Jingwei, they all stood up to greet 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 until they reached the end of the cafeteria. 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 signs hanging on the doors 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. Notably, the cutlery placed in front of Lucia was a knife and fork.
Once all the dishes were served, Bai Jingwei dismissed the extra people and said, "Come, try the culinary skills of our institute's chefs."
Zhang Qiu was already hungry, and upon hearing Bai Jingwei, he unceremoniously picked up his chopsticks and began to eat. 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, isn’t it? You two are the only commoners dining here."
"What do you mean?" Zhang Qiu looked up with half a chicken wing in his mouth.
"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 high-ranking officials who are accustomed to authentic dishes and have discerning tastes. Therefore, we specifically hired renowned chefs from the eight major Chinese cuisines: 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, such extravagance seemed wasteful; saving money would be better. He 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 is approved, that amounts to 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 wasn't good. If Bai Jingwei's words were understood by Lucia, it would be embarrassing across the ocean.
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