Chapter 1177
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Chapter 1177 Who Are You People, Really
The vehicle drove onto the outbound road, steadily approaching the suburbs.
Suddenly, a figure rushed out from the roadside, blocking the vehicle’s path!
Screech—!
The stretched Lincoln braked quickly, the inertia causing everyone inside to sway, as they looked up through the window. When they saw the figure clearly, everyone was stunned.
It was an elderly man, sweating profusely, with a slightly bent back. His wrinkled face looked at the vehicle in front of him, his eyes filled with determination.
“Director Liu?” Baili Pangpang exclaimed in surprise, “What’s he doing here?”
“It seems he came after Wu Quan.”
An Qingyu looked back and saw that Wu Quan was also stunned in the car, staring blankly at the figure in front of the vehicle.
“But how did he know where we were going?”
“There’s only one road out of Linjiang, he must have come here early to wait,” the secretary explained timely.
In front of the car, Old Liu stepped forward, his gaze penetrating the windshield to see Wu Quan, Li Xiaoyan, and Qian Cheng sitting in the back. His weathered face showed an expression of “just as I thought.”
“You all… kept me in the dark so well,” Old Liu smiled bitterly.
In the sky, the dark clouds that had almost dispersed began to gather again.
Lin Qiye looked at the figure in front of the car, remained silent for a moment, then turned to look at Wu Quan whose lips were tightly pressed:
“It seems we can’t avoid this encounter…”
Wu Quan took a deep breath, “I’ll get out.”
He opened the door and stepped onto the road, with Li Xiaoyan and Qian Cheng following closely behind. Their previously rigid faces suddenly became animated, their eyes sparkling with life.
“Grandpa Liu!” Li Xiaoyan shouted, rushing forward and throwing herself into Old Liu’s arms.
She looked up at Old Liu, her rosy cheeks and eyes somewhat evasive, “Grandpa Liu… why are you here?”
Old Liu said sternly, “Hmph, if I hadn’t come, who would know what you’re up to?”
Old Liu’s expression was gloomy, but the anger and resentment that had built up in his heart dissipated by nearly half the moment Li Xiaoyan threw herself into his arms.
Partly because of his instinctive softness toward the children, and partly because Li Xiaoyan’s gesture conveyed a message to him.
See, the children still care about me!
Old Liu held Li Xiaoyan and looked at Wu Quan and Qian Cheng, “You two, don’t you have anything to say?”
Wu Quan was silent for a moment, “I’m sorry, Grandpa Liu… but we must go.”
“Go? Go where? Don’t tell me you three kids who haven’t even grown up properly want to join the military like that kid Shen?”
Wu Quan was speechless.
The military excuse probably wouldn’t work anymore, but he couldn’t exactly tell him that he was going to prison for killing someone, could he?
As Wu Quan was struggling with this dilemma, the car door opened again, and Lin Qiye got out, saying gently:
“Director Liu, these three children indeed have something to do, but the specifics involve national secrets that can’t be disclosed for now.”
“National secrets… hmph.”
Old Liu looked at Lin Qiye, his gaze growing increasingly complex,
“After that inexplicable fire years ago, Shen was always secretive, and later when he said he was joining the military, there were many suspicious points.
When you all came to visit, it was the same. I was surrounded by those thugs, and the next day they came begging for mercy with missing limbs. The Li Corporation tried to force us to move, and before dawn they were all wiped out.
Shen went with you people and hasn’t returned in four years, and now you want to take these children away too…
Are you trying to kill me?!”
Old Liu became increasingly agitated as he spoke. He raised his trembling hands and slammed them heavily on the Lincoln’s hood.
Bang—bang—!
His face was full of confusion and pain!
He stared at Lin Qiye, opened his cracked lips, and hoarsely asked:
“Tell me… who exactly are you people?!”
Old Liu’s voice echoed in the air, and everyone in and outside the car fell silent.
After a long while, Lin Qiye finally spoke,
“Director Liu, our identity is a national secret, which I cannot disclose…
But we are certainly not bad people. We are indeed soldiers, just protecting this country in a way that ordinary people cannot understand.
Shen Qingzhu is also one of us, and everything I told you about his achievements is true, and in fact, he has done far more than I described.
Perhaps, when the war ends and our existence can be made public, you will naturally understand.”
Old Liu’s brows furrowed tightly. He pointed at Li Xiaoyan in his arms, and at Wu Quan and Qian Cheng in the distance, saying:
“What about them? They’re just fourteen or fifteen-year-old children. Are they also going to do those things? It’s too dangerous! I don’t agree!”
“Their situation is special. They don’t need to do the same things we do, nor do they need to risk their lives. And the place they’re going to is very safe,” Lin Qiye said seriously.
Hearing this, Old Liu’s expression relaxed somewhat.
His gaze swept over Wu Quan and the others, and he spoke with complex emotions:
“Can we talk to them alone?”
Lin Qiye glanced at Wu Quan, “Of course.”
Old Liu took the three of them to the roadside, speaking seriously about something. Wu Quan occasionally turned his head to look at Lin Qiye and the others.
Cao Yuan lowered the car window and asked in a low voice:
“Qiye, will that kid use Director Liu’s presence as an opportunity to refuse going to the Zhaijie Institute with us?”
Before seeing the memories of the fire from four years ago, Lin Qiye couldn’t have been sure of the answer, but after seeing that memory, he had gained some new understanding of Wu Quan’s character.
This child grew up with Shen Qingzhu and would never betray his word. He had promised not to cause trouble along the way, so he wouldn’t try to escape by other means.
“He won’t,” he shook his head.
Just as Lin Qiye predicted, Wu Quan and the others soon walked back to the car. Old Liu slowly approached, looking as if he had aged several years, and spoke resignedly:
“Since they’re determined to go with you, let them… Please take good care of them, I beg you.”
Old Liu, hunched over, bowed deeply to Lin Qiye.
Lin Qiye supported him and spent quite some time persuading him before he finally left.
Lin Qiye watched Old Liu’s lonely retreating figure, his heart filled with mixed emotions.
These children, though not Old Liu’s biological children, were dearer to him than his own flesh and blood. Watching one child after another leave him was undoubtedly painful.
But what was more admirable was that he could respect each child’s choice.
Wu Quan watched Old Liu leave, then calmly turned around and voluntarily opened the car door and sat inside.
“Let’s go.”
Lin Qiye nodded, and the vehicle started again, speeding toward the military airport in the suburbs.
