"But before anything else, Mr. Greenfield, I want to confirm if what you say represents the party behind you?"

This was a very crucial question.

Qi Yun needed to know how much power the person sitting opposite him truly had, if the forces behind him were indeed capable and willing to execute the deal.

Faced with the questioning, Greenfield didn't get angry, he crossed his legs, "Before I came, I already communicated with the party leader about this, so you absolutely don't have to worry about this. The will I bring is from the top echelons of the Democratic Party."

"The incident on Seagull Rock Island was your doing, wasn't it?"

"We have the ability to make the FBI and the Texas government give up their investigation into the Seagull Rock and the Barnes kidnapping incidents. Even concerning your business in Alaska, we can ensure, for the next few years, special federal care."

He paused, his tone slightly softened, "But all this is contingent on you handing over Barnes to me."

"Also, the contents in your possession must be destroyed, with no copies circulated, and no subsequent... blackmail."

"This is a one-time deal, Mr. Qi. We help clean up your mess, you hand over what we want, then we're even."

"You can go back to Alaska and continue your business while we return to Washington and do what we need to do."

These words were straightforward and blunt.

Qi Yun flicked his cigarette ash, his face revealing nothing.

"Sounds like a fair deal."

"But," Qi Yun shifted his tone, staring at Greenfield, "how do I know that after handing over Barnes, you won't backtrack?"

"Or to seal the leak, deal with me too?"

"After all, it would be more secure for you."

Greenfield laughed, crossing his hands on the table, sincerely: "Mr. Qi, I completely understand your concerns."

"Politics is indeed dirty, but please believe me, my coming here to negotiate with you, rather than letting agents come in armed helicopters, is itself a statement of our attitude."

"The troubles you face are a trivial matter to us; we want to solve problems, not create more."

He pointed outside at the soldiers, "They are only here to ensure my personal safety and that this negotiation isn't disrupted by other forces."

"But this does not mean we intend to resolve matters with force; that would have no benefit for us, only turning something that could have been handled discreetly into a potential risk."

Qi Yun squinted, leaning back in his chair: "I admit you're right, but I lack trust in you."

"I need some more practical assurances."

Assurances?

This implies he doesn't believe what is being said...

Greenfield's face twitched slightly, just as he was about to speak.

Suddenly, Xiao Wu, who was standing outside the door, moved.

He rushed inside at extreme speed, tackling Qi Yun to the ground, while his right foot kicked the table, propelling it into Greenfield's chest, knocking him to the ground as well.

Just as everyone was still processing what happened.

"Bang!"

A muffled gunshot sounded almost the moment Xiao Wu tackled Qi Yun, the bullet pierced through the wooden wall from where Greenfield had been sitting!

An unexpected turn of events!

The two guards at the door initially thought Xiao Wu intended to harm Greenfield, they charged into the room, only to hear Xiao Wu shout: "Sniper!"

The two guards hesitated for a moment, but upon hearing the sniper warning, they immediately abandoned their intention against Xiao Wu. One of them dove towards Greenfield on the floor, using his body to shield him tightly in the corner.

The other quickly moved behind the door, shouting into the intercom: "Sniper! There is a sniper!"

Outside on the open ground, Brother Quan reacted the instant he heard the gunfire, instinctively glancing in the direction of the shot, and charged towards Qi Yun's location while shouting into his earpiece: "Deploy! Protect the boss!"

No sooner had he spoken than the doors on both sides of the street were kicked open, and An Zai, Bingzi, and Da Pao rushed towards the wooden house.

Simultaneously, the soldiers that Greenfield brought also mobilized, quickly running in that direction.

The scene was chaotic.

Brother Quan stormed into the house, just as one of Greenfield's guards attempted to block him from approaching, but was punched in the temple, unable to react, knocked into the wall, and passed out.

The other raised his gun, but he was too slow, already having Brother Quan's gun pointed at his head.

"Don't you fucking move!"

They couldn't yet confirm if the sniper was a hostile force, so his first move was to control the situation.

Outside, swords were drawn as well.

An Zai and the other two had already reached the door, pointing their MP5 submachine guns at the soldiers trailing behind them.

"Stop!"

Though they were injured, their aura was anything but weak.

These soldiers, numbering nearly twenty, seeing there were only a few they faced, naturally didn't want to back down, pressing forward with AKs.

"Don't move!"

"Put down your guns!"

Chinese, English, and Spanish, each side shouting in their own tongue, the atmosphere was intensely tense.

However, each side maintained a sliver of restraint, no one dared shoot without regard.

At such close range, any firing would mean neither side could avoid casualties.

"Buzz! Buzz! Buzz!"

At this moment, the roar of engines from afar rapidly approached, breaking the tense standoff outside the wooden house.

Dozens of modified pickups and SUVs skidded to a halt on both sides of the street, kicking up clouds of dust.

The car doors slammed open, and four or fifty armed men, dressed in assorted outfits and bearing weapons, jumped out, surrounding the soldiers brought by Greenfield, aiming their guns at them.

Leading the charge was a man with a bullet shell necklace around his neck—it was Kubi.

"Put your fucking guns down!" Kubi angrily cursed in the local language.

On his turf, even government forces didn't have sway!

The soldiers brought by Greenfield exchanged glances, somewhat flustered, not expecting the appearance of so many reinforcements all at once.

Moreover, their firepower was formidable.

The armed pickups were equipped with old M2 heavy machine guns, the large muzzles intimidating.

Getting hit by those would definitely leave a mark...

Inside, Greenfield regained his senses from the shock.

He was merely a politician playing mind games in an office, not a soldier, so it was understandable to be frightened by the sudden turn of events.

He forced himself to sit up, glancing at his unconscious guard and the one already disarmed by Brother Quan, then turned to look at the chaos outside, finally resting his eyes on Qi Yun, who was now standing and dusting off his clothes.

"The sniper wasn't arranged by me."

Qi Yun kept a stern face, staring intensely at him.

"Catch every last one of them! Go find the shooter!"

Brother Quan tucked his handgun behind his waist, intending to find the sniper.

"Let me," Xiao Wu shouted from the back.

He acted preemptively earlier because he had seen a flash of light from across the building.

Brother Quan nodded: "Alright, An Zai and the others go with you."

The group quickly set off, heading towards the five-story building in the distance.

Outside, the government troops had all been disarmed, everyone obediently lying on the ground.

Kubi entered the house, relieved to see Qi Yun unharmed, then said apologetically: "I've got personnel stationed at the town entrance, he can't escape."

"Hmm." Qi Yun dusted his clothes, gazing at the large hole in the wall left by the bullet.

"This shooting angle... it's not like it could hit oneself... it was Greenfield sitting there just now."

Could it be... that it was targeting this guy?

But this was merely a theory; everything would become clear once they caught the shooter.

Greenfield did not further attempt explaining, also fixating on the bullet hole, his face reflecting mixed emotions, pondering deeply.