"Thank you, leader." Yao Yuzhong bowed deeply, still maintaining a calm demeanor.

"Don’t think about playing tricks again, just stay in there obediently, and maybe you’ll have a good end." Qi Yun advised.

"Yes, I understand."

At night, the plane landed at Beijing Airport.

Qi Yun asked Brother Quan to send Old Yao back to the Northeast prison, while he himself went to meet Xiao Hanguang.

It was still in the family compound of the Cultural Relics Bureau, Xiao Hanguang opened the door and looked at Qi Yun with surprise, "You kid, what are you here for again?"

"Haha, I’m here to handle some business and thought I’d drop by to see you." Qi Yun grinned and changed into slippers.

Xiao Hanguang pursed his lips and casually sat back on the sofa, "Make your own tea."

Not wanting to bother, Qi Yun took a bottle of mineral water from the fridge and sat opposite.

"Leader, there’s something I can’t manage myself, so I brought it here for you to handle." As he spoke, he took out the box with the Jade Pendant and placed it on the tea table in front of Xiao Hanguang.

Xiao Hanguang gave him a skeptical look before turning his attention to the box, "What is this?"

"You’ll know when you look at it."

Xiao Hanguang sat up, opened the box, and with just a brief look, could tell that the Jade Pendant was extraordinary, "Where did you get this?"

Qi Yun didn’t hide anything and recounted the whole story.

"The Jade Pendant of King You of Zhou!? Such things are indeed rare."

Xiao Hanguang marveled, "Although the museum has several jade artifacts from the Western Zhou period, this quality of Jade Pendant is making its first appearance... and it’s dragon-shaped too..."

"Yes, I’ve had it appraised, and it’s indeed from the Western Zhou period. I’m not sure how to handle it, so I’m leaving it in your care."

Qi Yun blinked and added, "Not many people know about this."

Xiao Hanguang turned his head and said with a smile, "Are you hinting at me? Trying to bribe me?"

"You put it that way, but I never do anything against regulations!" Qi Yun hurriedly waved his hand in denial, "I just thought this item was too precious, and I feared the local Cultural Relics Bureau might mishandle it, so I specifically brought it to you."

Xiao Hanguang glanced at him sideways but said nothing more, his gaze returned to the Jade Pendant in his hand.

As for Yao Yuzhong and his deeds, no one mentioned them, nor were they important.

Seeing that the other was quite intrigued, Qi Yun did not disturb further and got up to take his leave.

After leaving the family compound, Qi Yun originally intended to visit Fu Wentao, but since he wasn’t in, he summoned Li Yaohua and made proper arrangements.

...

In the middle of the night, as Qi Yun was sound asleep, he was suddenly awakened by a phone call. He picked up the phone from the bedside table, and Zhong Rui’s name was displayed on the screen.

"Boss, there’s trouble at the gold mine." The first sentence brought bad news.

Qi Yun frowned and asked urgently, "What happened?"

"A local gang came to extort us, but Brother Wei drove them away. They were armed, and during the scuffle, two of them got injured, so the sheriff took Brother Wei away."

Zhong Rui briefly explained what happened and then added, "I just tried to offer them a hundred thousand USD to smooth things over, but they made an outrageous demand of two million."

"The lawyer I hired told me that the local sheriff is in cahoots with the gang and that they’re eyeing our mine. Even if we pay the two million, they’ll still come back."

Qi Yun immediately lost all sleepiness upon hearing this, his brow furrowing tightly.

"How’s Brother Wei now?" he asked gravely.

"He’s still detained at the sheriff’s office. The lawyer has seen him; he hasn’t suffered much, but the situation isn’t good." Zhong Rui’s voice was anxious, "The lawyer said that under the local law, they could definitely charge him with assault with a weapon, for which Brother Wei could be sentenced to three to five years."

"Two million USD... quite the appetite." Qi Yun’s eyes turned cold as he pondered briefly, "Pay the money, have the lawyer bail him out, and I’ll head over first thing in the morning."

Relieved upon hearing that Qi Yun would come over, Zhong Rui replied, "Okay, boss, I’ll handle it immediately."

After hanging up the call, Qi Yun wiped his face and dialed Li Yaohua’s number.

A few minutes later, Li Yaohua appeared at the door, looking fatigued.

"What’s happened? At this time of night?"

Qi Yun ushered him in and explained what had happened.

"I’m not too familiar with the United States; how is something like this usually dealt with over there?"

Li Yaohua rubbed his temples to clear his mind, "Such things aren’t uncommon in the United States, especially when it involves Chinese people. In those desolate places, networks of power are deeply entrenched, with sheriffs, prosecutors, and gangs all colluding."

"To resolve this matter, there are essentially two options: the first is to accept it, pay for peace;

but this time, they’re asking for two million USD, clearly intending to slowly swallow your mine, and once you’ve opened this door, it’ll never end."

"The second is to go through legal channels. The Fu Group has top-notch legal teams in New York, but the problem is, the local judicial system has likely been infiltrated by them, dragging the case on for ages and employing various delaying tactics..."

"Or... you could try unconventional methods."

Qi Yun frowned, "Unconventional methods?"

Li Yaohua lowered his voice, "Make those pesky gang members meet their maker. They’re all bullies who are easily intimidated. Once you show enough strength, they won’t dare trouble you again."

"I can introduce you to a PMC. They specialize in handling these types of situations, and we’ve worked together in Africa before."

"You mean... mercenaries?" Qi Yun’s pupils slightly contracted.

Li Yaohua nodded, "More accurately, professional security contractors. In the United States, such companies legally exist, handling a wide range of services."

"The company I know is called ’Iron Shield International’, headquartered in Texas, specializing in overseas corporate security affairs."

"They also take such dirty jobs?"

"Of course." Li Yaohua chuckled, "The line between mercenaries and security contractors is very blurred, entirely dependent on how much clients are willing to pay..."

Qi Yun silently lit a cigarette, took a deep drag, and his eyes flickered uncertainly.

If he really needed to resort to force, he trusted his own team more; hiring those people might leave a trail.

"I’ll head over to check out the situation first and contact you if necessary."

"Whew~" Li Yaohua lit a cigarette as well and nodded, "No problem. The boss is also friends with a certain senator in New York. While his influence might not reach a godforsaken place like Alaska, he can ensure your safety if you go to New York."

"Yes, I understand." 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢

...

Alaska is the largest state in the United States and the world’s largest exclave, located at the northwest edge of the North American continent.

This land was purchased by the Americans from the Russians in 1867 and initially was synonymous with harshness and remoteness.

Later, in the mid-20th century, as more oil and mineral resources were discovered, the area gradually developed, though it remained the most sparsely populated, climatically harshest region in the United States.

The gold mine Qi Yun bought is located in Anchorage, Alaska, more precisely, about thirty kilometers northeast of Anchorage, in the mountains.

This is a very common terrain in Alaska, where the city outskirts quickly turn into wilderness, and civilization and the wild are only a line apart.

When the plane landed at Stevens International Airport, it was noon in Alaska. Although it was only November, the temperature had already dropped to minus ten degrees Celsius.

All around was a snowy expanse.

"Boss!"

At the exit, Zhong Rui waved and quickly walked up to take Qi Yun’s briefcase.

Qi Yun patted his shoulder, then looked at Chen Wei beside him, "Brother Wei, you didn’t suffer in there, did you?"

Chen Wei shook his head, "No."

"Alright, let’s go, get in the car first." Qi Yun called out.

Four SUVs left the airport; except for those remaining at the J Province base, all combat power was mobilized.