Liu Xinyao was overthinking it. Lunchtime wasn't long, and Professor Yan had a keynote speech in the afternoon, so Chen Yang definitely wouldn't be able to drink freely. Fang Xu knew this too, so he didn't push anyone to drink. Everyone drank as much as they wanted, and the atmosphere at the table was very harmonious.
"Chen Yang, after we get back to Rongcheng, I'll introduce you to some friends," Fang Xu said, clinking glasses with Chen Yang. "We have a big business deal coming up, and I'll give you a share!"
Chen Yang knew perfectly well what Fang Xu meant by "friends" and "big business deal." In his previous life, Fang Xu had fallen victim to this very "big business deal" around the same time, almost landing himself in jail. Even someone of Fang Xu's status almost got involved, showing how serious the matter was. In the end, it was only through the intervention of Old Master Fang that Fang Xu narrowly escaped punishment. However, he was immediately summoned back to the capital and confined for a whole year, not even allowed to leave the family compound.
Of course, Fang Xu was completely manipulated by his so-called "friends" in this matter. Although Fang Xu appeared carefree and irresponsible, he wasn't inherently bad; he was just too loyal to his friends. Those people exploited this, spending a long time getting close to Fang Xu, all to use his status as a powerful family member to facilitate their actions.
But that's a story for later. Chen Yang naturally wouldn't reveal it now, simply nodding with a smile and saying,
"Great! Brother Fang's friends are definitely not ordinary people!"
Even if Fang Xu didn't say it, Chen Yang wanted to meet those people. In his previous life, Fang Xu was the one among his many family brothers who was most compatible with Chen Yang's temperament. Now that he knew about this matter, he certainly couldn't stand idly by.
"Haha! Then it's settled!" Fang Xu laughed.
In his view, Chen Yang was a friend worth making, especially since Chen Yang was a direct disciple of Master Baiyan, and had considerable ties to his family. Therefore, he spared no effort in considering Chen Yang's best interests.
Because everyone had other commitments in the afternoon, especially Professor Yan who needed to make final preparations for his speech, the meal ended around 1 PM, with both hosts and guests enjoying themselves.
...
The hotel corridor was quiet at noon. Before entering his room, Chen Yang caught a glimpse of two cleaning staff at the end of the corridor, which reassured him slightly. It seemed his attempt to leverage their influence had worked; Zheng Zuxin and his organizing committee had indeed taken it seriously.
Chen Yang could immediately tell from the way the two cleaning staff walked that they were definitely highly trained military or police personnel.
At the same time, in the room of Lopez, the head of the Bero delegation and Deputy Minister of Justice, Sanchez, along with several entourage, was giving Lopez a final report.
"Minister, we are all ready," Sanchez said with a respectful expression. "The Chinese side should be completely unaware; everything is proceeding smoothly according to our plan."
Lopez said solemnly:
"We must ensure absolute success! Sanchez, remember, this is a war without gunfire! If we can successfully use this forum to attract public attention and sympathy for Bello's plight, China will inevitably be much more restrained. Therefore, the success or failure of this war directly relates to the highest interests of the nation! Understand?"
"Yes! Minister! We will do our utmost!" Sanchez quickly stood up and nodded heavily. "Hmm! Very good!" Lopez was satisfied with Sanchez's attitude. He patted Sanchez on the shoulder and said kindly, "We also need to prepare the return trip plan in advance. Once this afternoon's events succeed, China will be full of danger for us. The government is unlikely to act against us, but there are still quite a few extremists among the civilian population, so we need to be prepared. As soon as tomorrow's meeting ends, we will immediately return to Bello. The itinerary must be kept absolutely secret!"
"Yes! Please rest assured, Minister, I have already booked the return tickets. I personally arranged them through a domestic travel agency in Bello, and there will absolutely be no problems!" Sanchez replied confidently immediately. "Excellent!" Lopez was quite satisfied with Sanchez's work, then asked, "Who was arranged to interrupt Yan Jun's speech this afternoon? This person is very important; they must be absolutely reliable and also have a certain international reputation."
"Minister, my choice is Professor Payes, Dean of the Law School at Bello University," Sanchez replied. "Professor Payes is an internationally renowned legal expert. His rebuttal of Yan Jun's speech will definitely have a surprise effect. Then, several other experts will occupy the podium, and we can quickly distribute leaflets in the media section during the chaos, catching China completely off guard!"
Sanchez paused, then continued:
"To avoid arousing suspicion from the Chinese side, we haven't contacted Professor Payes since yesterday. This afternoon, the professor will sit in the front row; he will stand up and interrupt Yan Jun's speech." "Stop him! All actions will be signaled by Professor Payes standing up!"
"Excellent!" Lopez said with satisfaction. "Sanchez, your work is very meticulous. I will definitely report this truthfully to Minister Asan when I get back! I hope it will help your promotion assessment at the end of the year!"
Sanchez immediately showed an expression of flattery and said gratefully:
"Thank you, Minister! I will do my best, everything for Bero's benefit!"
Lopez's face also showed a solemn expression, and he nodded heavily, saying:
"Everything for Bero!"
...
The afternoon meeting started at 2:30. Around 2:10, the delegates and experts began to leave the room one after another. Sanchez, carrying a bulging briefcase, came out. He exchanged glances with the others who came out at the same time, nodded slightly, and walked calmly towards the elevator.
From their room to the elevator lobby was a long corridor, and after turning a corner, they arrived. Sanchez and his four companions walked slowly forward, a barely suppressed tension and excitement churning within them. Success or failure hinged on this moment!
Sanchez, leading the way, appeared calm on the surface, but his hand holding his briefcase betrayed his inner turmoil. He gripped the strap tightly, his knuckles turning white from the force.
As the five reached the end of the corridor, several heavily armed SWAT officers suddenly appeared around the corner, blocking their path.
Sanchez's heart skipped a beat. Forcing himself to remain calm, he asked in broken Chinese:
"Officer, we are delegates to the International Law Forum, citizens of the country of Belo. Why are you stopping us?"
The leading superintendent, his eyes sharp as a hawk's, stared at Sanchez's face, a practiced smile playing on his lips. He said calmly:
"Mr. Sanchez, please don't be nervous. It's just a routine check."
The superintendent glanced at Sanchez's briefcase and continued:
"I am Huang Jian, a superintendent from the Ministry of State Security of China. We have received intelligence that hostile elements intend to carry out a terrorist attack on the International Law Forum. We have been ordered to conduct a thorough check on every delegate entering the venue. We ask for your understanding."
The information has been leaked! Sanchez's face paled instantly. He didn't believe Huang Jian's so-called "terrorist attack" intelligence. The international law forum was attended by dignitaries from various countries; Sanya was already on high alert, the air force conducted daily combat patrols, naval vessels were deployed at sea, police presence in cities had tripled, and military special forces were involved in security—it was practically impenetrable.
This sudden routine check could only mean one thing: their afternoon's plan had been leaked!
"Superintendent Huang, your professionalism is truly admirable," Sanchez forced a smile, "but we five are representatives of the Bero Kingdom. I am a staff member of the Bero Kingdom's Ministry of Justice; this is my identification. We can't be terrorists. I think… let's skip the check!"
Sanchez spoke while pulling out his identification and handing it over. Huang Jian didn't reach out to take it, his face still bearing that stiff smile, and said:
"No need to see identification. I know you are Deputy Director Sanchez of the Legal Affairs Department of the Ministry of Justice of the Belo Republic. The inspection is just a routine procedure, and we hope Mr. Sanchez will cooperate with us."
Huang Jian, of course, had come prepared.
After speaking, Huang Jian gave a wink to the officers beside him. They understood and stepped forward, carrying various testing instruments, including metal detectors and radiation detectors.
Sanchez's face darkened, and he coldly snorted:
"Please hurry up, don't delay our meeting!"
Huang Jian slightly pursed his lips in annoyance, and the officers immediately stepped forward to check Sanchez and the other four. The inspection was quickly completed; the leaflets Sanchez carried were all paper documents, so the instruments naturally couldn't detect anything.
Sanchez's heart had just begun to relax slightly, but it quickly leaped into his throat again. Huang Jian himself approached, pointed to the briefcase in his hand, and said in a calm but unequivocal tone:
"Mr. Sanchez, please open the briefcase!"
Sanchez's face flushed red, revealing a hint of anger, and he protested loudly:
"Superintendent! What you're doing is illegal! The briefcase contains confidential documents of my country, Bello. You have no right to view them!"
Huang Jian shrugged and said:
"This..." "This is on the territory of my country, China. I am a police officer of China, exercising my duties according to the powers granted to me by Chinese law. Mr. Sanchez, this has nothing to do with your country!"
Sanchez clutched his briefcase tightly to his chest, staring fiercely at Huang Jian, and said:
"Superintendent, please watch your words and actions. This is a serious diplomatic incident. We reserve the right to lodge a strong protest with your country!"
"Of course, that's your prerogative!" Huang Jian said nonchalantly, then appeared before Sanchez without warning. Sanchez only felt a blur before his eyes, and a strong force was applied; the briefcase was already in Huang Jian's hand.
"You…" Sanchez was both shocked and furious, his face immediately turning deathly pale, because he saw Huang Jian open the briefcase without hesitation and reach inside. "Mr. Sanchez, may I ask... is this what you call confidential documents?" Huang Jian waved the stack of leaflets in his hand with a mocking expression, and said with a serious face, "I'm afraid you won't be able to attend the meeting this afternoon. Take it away!"