Luckily, Xiao Wu noticed it in advance...

After a moment of silence, Greenfield spoke with a bitter smile, "Mr. Qi, I'm sorry for getting you involved. Now it's clear that we've all been played."

"The assassin's target was me, but the people behind obviously want to drag you down as well, making you the scapegoat."

"You don't need to tell me that." Qi Yun's voice was cold, "The trouble was caused by you, and my people just saved you."

"Yes, I'm very grateful, and I will remember this."

Greenfield didn't deny this, and after a pause, he said very solemnly, "I'm a politician; I don't have much money, and you probably wouldn't care for it. However... I have a lot of resources at my disposal..."

"I owe you a favor, and if you need it in the future, I will repay it."

"Additionally, I will find out who is behind this and make them pay the rightful price, also giving you an explanation."

Qi Yun was somewhat satisfied with his attitude, and his expression slightly softened.

It's not realistic to ask them for a few billion US dollars in compensation. As mentioned, Greenfield, as the third-ranking member in the Democratic Party within Congress, holds considerable power in determining whether important bills can be passed.

With this favor, there will be many opportunities to make money in the future.

However, the premise is that this guy needs to keep his word... And credibility is exactly what these hypocritical politicians lack the most.

But he has no choice now; he can only tentatively believe him.

"I hope you remember today's promise."

"Of course, even the promises I made to the voters back then, I have never forgotten." Greenfield looked upright and righteous.

"Alright, Mr. Qi, since the misunderstanding has been resolved, let's return to the previous topic."

"I need to make a deal with you as soon as possible and then return to Washington to make some preparations."

Qi Yun nodded slightly, "I can hand Barnes over to you first, but I need to keep a copy of the video. Once you settle that matter, I will destroy the video I have."

"Additionally, there's another condition. After you use Barnes, I don't want to see him alive."

Greenfield frowned; he had earlier requested Qi Yun to destroy the video to prevent it from being leaked beforehand, which would spoil the plan.

However, he had no better solution to persuade Qi Yun, so after thinking briefly, he finally agreed to this condition.

"Let's do as you say."

Without further ado, Qi Yun took out his phone and dialed Harris's number, asking him to bring the person over.

....

Meanwhile, a Gulfstream G700 pierced the night, landing at a certain joint airport.

On one side of the runway, four black Red Flag cars were parked, with a group of people in black suits standing by the car doors.

As the stairs slowly descended, Xiao Hanguang, wrapped in a windbreaker, stepped forward.

The first to get off the plane was Chen Wei, followed by Dr. Seth and his daughter.

Xiao Hanguang had seen Chen Wei before and smiled, patting his arm, "Was the journey smooth?"

Chen Wei nodded and then introduced the two people behind him, "This is Dr. Seth and his daughter Elena."

"The boss asked me to hand them over to you."

"Alright, thank you." Xiao Hanguang nodded solemnly, then turned his gaze to Dr. Seth and his daughter, extending his hand proactively, "Dr. Seth, Miss Elena, it must have been a hard journey."

"Welcome to Huaxia, I'm Xiao Hanguang, responsible for your reception and safety. Rest assured, you are absolutely safe here."

His tone was gentle, very different from his usual attitude toward Qi Yun.

Dr. Seth looked at the friendly Huaxia official before him, and his tense heart eased a little.

He held his daughter's hand tightly and nodded, "Thank you, Mr. Xiao, and thank your country for providing us refuge."

The old man's words were also quite tactful, portraying himself as a persecuted person who fled here.

"Dr. Seth, no need for courtesy; it's our honor." Xiao Hanguang made a gesture of invitation, "The car is ready, let's leave the airport first."

"I've arranged a temporary residence for you; it's comfortable and safe. We'll talk in detail about future arrangements tomorrow."

Dr. Seth thanked him again, and under the guidance of Xiao Hanguang's subordinates, he and his daughter got into the middle Red Flag sedan.

"Head straight home." Xiao Hanguang instructed as soon as he got in the car, with barely concealed excitement in his tone.

The driver acknowledged, and the motorcade slowly started, heading out of the base.

More than forty minutes later, Xiao Hanguang's car drove into a heavily guarded compound.

After getting out of the car, Xiao Hanguang took a deep breath, adjusted his collar, and quickly walked towards the small building ahead.

The study was brightly lit.

An elderly man with a lean face was sitting behind the desk, flipping through documents.

He heard a knock on the door but didn't look up, "Come in."

Xiao Hanguang opened the door and respectfully called out, "Uncle."

The old man put down the documents and took off his reading glasses, looking at Xiao Hanguang with a questioning gaze, "Did you bring them back?"

"Brought them back, already arranged under our care."

"Hmm." The old man nodded, remaining serious, "Next, you will personally be responsible for his settling and subsequent work. Remember a few principles: First, absolute confidentiality."

"Second, provide the highest level of courtesy and respect, making sure they're at ease."

"Third, quickly organize a group of top experts to verify the technology, be fast!"

"Yes, I understand!" Xiao Hanguang could sense his uncle's urgency, evident in the importance given to Dr. Seth and his nuclear-powered seawater desalination technology.

"Additionally..." The old man paused, looking deeply at Xiao Hanguang, "How's your little protégé doing? Does he need help?"

"That kid is very clever; if he encounters difficulties, he'll call." Mentioning Qi Yun, Xiao Hanguang unconsciously straightened his posture; this time, he truly earned him face.

The old man nodded slightly and reminded, "Get him to return to the country soon; don't let him be trapped there once those financial groups realize."

"Alright, I'll call him later."

"Hmm, you go ahead."

....

It must be said that Greenfield's efficiency is quite high. That night, Harris got someone to check around, and the Texas police department canceled the special task force initially set up to investigate Barnes's kidnapping.

No reason given.

Although there are no insiders at the FBI, it's guessed that the situation is likely the same.

Even though the reward notice hasn't been withdrawn, it's all surface-level.

This shows that despite being an opposition party, the Democratic Party still wields considerable power.

Upon learning this, Qi Yun breathed a sigh of relief; as long as the government stops pursuing, the business in Alaska is preserved, given that the gold mine holds three tons of gold; it would be quite a pity to give it up just like that.

That evening, Qi Yun expressed gratitude to Cubby for his help over the past few days and generously donated ten million US dollars to improve the residents' living conditions.

This money actually came from Barnes.

Before letting him go, An Zai managed to extract more than thirty million virtual coins from him.

By rights, as the boss of Hede Company, he should have had more money, but actually, Barnes was just a proxy pushed to the forefront by those behind the scenes; the shares did not belong to him.

The next day, under Cubby's escort, Qi Yun and his team left the Guatemala border and re-entered Mexico.

Qi Yun had already arranged a charter flight, planning to fly directly to the treasure island from Juarez.

Over at Evergreen Shipping, Zhang Wei sent news that the equity transfer had already been approved by the board, and he and Fu Wentao could come over to sign the agreement.

As for the matter of the emerald mine, it had to wait for now, providing a chance to avoid the spotlight and observe the government's subsequent reactions over the next couple of days.

On this return trip, only Brother Quan, Xiao Wu, An Zai, and the old eagle were brought along; the others stayed with Niu Da to recuperate.