Finally, his body collapsed powerlessly.

Then, he saw an Asian face appear before him, a man with a stern expression and piercing eyes.

The man was holding an MP5 submachine gun, with faint smoke still rising from the muzzle, clearly indicating that the lifesaving shots just now came from him.

Brother Quan glanced at the bodies on the ground, then lowered his submachine gun and extended a hand to the security team leader: "You are welcome."

With his experience, just by looking at the positions of these bodies, he could roughly deduce what had happened. A fight in such a confined indoor space is where one's true nature is revealed, so he had some respect for the foreigner's skills.

The strong respect the strong.

The security team leader was stunned for a moment, then quickly reacted, using his right hand to stand up. Even though it strained his wound, he gritted his teeth without making a sound.

The gunfire outside also completely stopped, indicating the fight was over.

"Tommy, Albatro..." the security team leader called into his earpiece, but there was no response.

No response meant...

He frowned, not going outside to check the situation but instead picking up a weapon from the ground and entering the previous storage room to check the employer's condition.

Fortunately, Seth was merely knocked out by the impact of the earlier grenade, with no other injuries, and after being called a few times, he slowly regained consciousness, though still dazed.

"Tap, tap, tap."

Footsteps sounded outside again, and within the security team leader's line of sight, seven or eight other Asian faces surrounded a young man as they walked in.

"Is it him?" Qi Yun asked Chen Wei, eyeing the bewildered Seth.

The latter nodded slightly.

Confirming that these people were here for Seth, a sense of despair rose within the security team leader. He felt a strong sense of pressure from them; dealing with even one might be difficult, but now there were nine.

Nevertheless, he still gripped the rifle he had just picked up, the muzzle slightly drooping without clearly aiming at anyone, but his finger was on the trigger guard.

His stance was clear; he was still going to do his job.

Brother Quan frowned and whispered a few words to Qi Yun.

Qi Yun swept his gaze over the security team leader's bleeding right shoulder, then landed on the frightened Seth behind him, and finally met the wary eyes of the security team leader.

"Let my people help you treat your wound; I need to have a talk with your boss."

The security team leader stared intently at Qi Yun. He knew he had no leverage to bargain but still did not immediately agree, instead looking to his employer Seth.

Seth, by this time, had fully awakened and saw the situation clearly.

"Who... who are you? What do you want?" His trembling voice betrayed his nerves.

"Mr. Seth, you can call me Qi. As for my purpose, you should have already guessed it."

"You want to steal my research too!" Seth's face turned even paler.

"No, no." Qi Yun chuckled and shook his head, "I'm not a bandit, though my people did just save your lives, and I could indeed do as you suggested."

"But I still choose to trade for what I want."

Seth remained silent.

"Let's leave here first; those people might receive reinforcements," Brother Quan reminded.

Qi Yun nodded and said to Seth, "Mr. Seth, you heard that. If you stay here, the next wave of attacks could come at any time, and you might not be so lucky then."

"If I go with you, how can I be assured?" Seth asked hoarsely, filled with extreme distrust, "How do I know you're not another Hede Company?"

"Proof?" Qi Yun slightly raised his eyebrows, "I don't need to prove anything. The choice is yours. If you don't want to come with us, I won't force you."

"However, you should pray that your God will continue to protect you in the next attack."

With that, he waved his hand and led his people away.

After leaving the villa, Qi Yun started counting silently in his heart, 1, 2, 3...

Of course, he wouldn't give up so easily; he was merely putting on a show before.

If not for wanting the other party to be willing, he would have had his men tie the guy up directly.

Before counting to ten, Seth's voice came from behind, "Wait! Qi! Please wait!"

Qi Yun stopped in his tracks, his face expressionless, and turned around.

Seth, supported by the security team leader, stumbled out: "I... I'll go with you!"

"But you must guarantee my safety! And... my daughter! You must help me find my daughter!"

Qi Yun looked into his eyes, and after a few seconds, nodded, "Okay, get in the car."

Without further unnecessary words, An Zai stepped forward to help him into the car, while the security team leader did not follow. He searched among the corpses for his teammates.

"This guy's got good qualities, a true warrior, probably more reliable than Miller and Jackson," Brother Quan noted in a low voice to Qi Yun after glancing at him.

Qi Yun understood his meaning, as it was the first time hearing Brother Quan recommend someone.

"Then go and have a talk with him."

Brother Quan nodded and walked towards him.

"Our people checked; there are no survivors." Brother Quan's voice was calm in the cold wind as he stopped beside the security team leader.

The latter stood silently in place.

"You're quite skilled. My boss wants to offer you a job, with better compensation than before. Are you willing to join us?"

....

An hour later, in a hotel suite in the Westward City District.

Seth took the hot coffee Qi Yun handed him, the tension slightly easing.

"Who are you people?"

Qi Yun sat down on the sofa, lighting a cigarette: "Phew~ I'm from Huaxia, a businessman, of course, with some other identities, enough to ensure your safety."

Seth's eyes flickered, understanding the implication of "other identities."

"I can give you the materials, but you must bring my daughter back first."

Qi Yun shook his head: "Rescuing your daughter is not a problem, but I want more than just your materials. I want to take you to Huaxia."

"Take me to Huaxia?!" Seth was stunned.

"Why?" He put down the coffee, his eyes once again alert, "I can give you all my research data, including all experimental results. Why must I go personally?"

Qi Yun flicked the ash from his cigarette and said unhurriedly, "Your research on nuclear energy desalination is cutting-edge technology that can change the energy landscape."

"That Hede Company you mentioned, I've understood their background. They want to seize this technology to monopolize and earn huge profits. But I..."

He paused, calmly looking at Seth, "I am not in it for profit. This technology, if placed in a safe, stable location capable of truly applying it on a large scale, can bring greater value and benefit more people."

"Huaxia is such a place."

"And only if you go personally can we ensure the technology's integrity and continuous research and development."

"The data is lifeless, but you are not. Hede Company can kidnap your daughter; they could come up with other ways to threaten you. Only by completely leaving their sphere of influence can you and your daughter be truly safe."

Seth remained silent.

Qi Yun's words were logically impeccable, and he seemed to have thought it all through for him.

But this thoroughness gave him a deep, unavoidable feeling of being controlled.

This wasn't just a deal; it was about completely changing the course of his life.

"What... what can I do in Huaxia? Continue my research?" Seth's voice was somewhat hoarse.

"Of course, we'll provide you with the best labs, ample funding, a completely free research environment, and... absolute personal safety."

"For your daughter, we'll also make every effort to find her and bring her back safely, so she can start a new life in Huaxia."

"Isn't that much better than continuing to hide and run under Hede Company's shadow?"

Qi Yun launched into his persuasive mode, knowing that compared to the nuclear desalination technology, the knowledge and experience in this guy's head were priceless.

Today, he could achieve nuclear desalination; tomorrow, he could develop other groundbreaking innovations.

Such a genius scientist can't be evaluated with money or short-term gains; he must be taken along with his mind.