raknovel Chapter 156 An Unexpected Gift
Chapter 156 An Unexpected Gift
Chapter 156 An Unexpected Gift
With a roar of engine thrust reversers, the Boeing aircraft left two long trails of water on the runway, slowly slowed down, and came to a stop in Washington, D.C., the heart of American politics.
Outside the porthole, the once empty tarmac now resembled a sea of red and blue.
The overcast, rainy sky was torn apart by police lights, and the piercing sirens pierced the cabin windows, like needles pricking the passengers' ears.
Dozens of black and white airport police cars and several black bulletproof SUVs with the word "FBI" printed on them surrounded the passenger plane that had just come to a stop.
"Bang!"
The hatch opened, and a gust of wind mixed with cold rain poured into the warm cabin.
The fully armed SWAT team rushed in, their dark gun barrels darting back and forth.
The lead officer's voice boomed through the loudspeaker: "Everyone! Hands behind your heads! Remain seated! No unnecessary movement!"
To prevent other terrorist accomplices from hiding among the passengers, the airport police issued the highest level of quarantine order before the plane landed.
Several shuttle buses were already parked at the foot of the gangway. All the ordinary passengers, still in shock, were asked to put their hands on their heads and were escorted into the shuttle buses by special police officers. They were then transferred directly to a closed waiting hall, cutting off all communication with the outside world.
Zhou Ruofei dragged the unconscious white robber like a dead dog and threw him at the feet of the SWAT officers who rushed in.
"Target under control, disarm." He raised his hands, took the initiative to unload the magazine from the pistol at his waist, and placed it on the seat next to him along with the gun.
The other nine security guards followed suit, disarming themselves in unison, raising their hands, and calmly looking at the SWAT officers around them who seemed to be facing a formidable enemy.
The team leader looked at the ten strange passengers: all of them were of Asian descent, and his expression grew increasingly grim.
"You say you're from the Secret Service?" He glanced at the robbers on the ground, then at the row of uniform large-caliber pistols on the chairs, and barked, "All of you, get down! Now!"
Faced with these Asians of unknown origin and with formidable firepower, he simply did not believe the nonsense that "the Presidential Secret Service was carrying out a secret counter-terrorism mission."
This group of people is very likely an accomplice of the robbers, but they just staged a scene where the thief cried "stop thief!"
Zhou Ruofei did not resist. Having spent many years on the streets, he knew very well that in such a tense standoff, he could not explain himself with words alone.
He gave his team members a look, and the ten elite Han soldiers obediently lay down in the corridor, letting the special police handcuff their hands behind their backs.
As the "leaders" of this group, Qin Han and Fred were naturally not spared either.
Both men had their arms roughly tied behind their backs and were put in cold, heavy steel handcuffs.
"Go! Behave yourself!"
Pushed around at gunpoint, the group was treated as dangerous suspects and escorted off the plane, heading straight to the airport police station's interrogation room.
"Bang!"
A deafening roar came from an interrogation room at the end of the corridor.
"You bunch of idiots whose brains haven't even fully developed! Morons! Do you even know who I am?!"
Fred Weintraub's roar nearly cracked the walls of the interrogation room.
This Warner Bros. producer, who wields considerable influence in Hollywood, appears quite disheveled at this moment.
His suit and tie were ripped and twisted, his chubby wrists were handcuffed, and he was frantically spitting at the two interrogating officers in front of him.
"I'm a producer at Warner Bros., and the cash I handle in a year is enough to buy your entire police department! How dare you treat me like this—"
Are you going to handcuff me here like a drug dealer on the street?!
His eyes were bloodshot, like an enraged bull, and his chest heaved violently: "I'm going to call my lawyer! I'm going to sue this lousy police station into bankruptcy! I'm going to make you all take off your uniforms and go sweep the streets!"
Compared to Fred's hysterical rage in the next room, Qin Han's room was much quieter.
The airport police chief was personally overseeing the situation, his hands pressed on the iron table, facing him in a cold standoff.
"What Presidential Secret Service? Do you think I'm some rookie who just put on a police uniform for the first time?" His voice was laced with undisguised mockery. "When did the Secret Service start recruiting so many Asians?"
He walked around the table to Qin Han, attempting to force him to speak through threats: "Tell me your true purpose! Are you accomplices of the hijackers? Trying to sneak into Washington by playing the victim? Who's behind you?!"
Faced with the bureau chief's spittle and threats, Qin Han slightly raised his head, listened to the cursing coming from Fred next door, and gave the bureau chief a somewhat pitying smile.
Then, he raised his voice and shouted at the wall, "Fred, save your breath. The Hollywood aura doesn't work here; these guys are completely brainless."
The shouting and cursing from next door stopped abruptly, leaving only Fred's heavy breathing.
Qin Han withdrew his gaze and calmly looked at the bureau chief who was standing close at hand: "Sir, you must be thinking right now that you've caught a group of terrorists who wanted to attack the capital, and this will be the most glorious achievement in your career, right?"
"Your job is to protect airport security, so being cautious is perfectly understandable, and I fully comprehend that."
"However, you are not qualified to investigate who we are or what mission we are on."
"Give me a phone. It will only take a minute to prove our identities to you."
"Otherwise, if your stupidity causes you to delay important matters, I guarantee your badge will be removed before sunset today."
The director's facial muscles twitched violently a few times.
Having spent half his life on the fringes of power in Washington, he had met all sorts of big shots.
Although the Asian youth in front of me was locked to a chair, his composure and the sense of entitlement when giving orders were not feigned.
Then, recalling the fat man next door shouting and cursing with such confidence, a sense of unease suddenly flashed through his mind.
What if—what if the other party really is some special department that can't be brought to the light of day?
"Call him." The chief gritted his teeth and winked at the officer next to him.
Although it was against the rules, the police officer dared not disobey the chief's order, so he immediately picked up the phone on the table, handed it over, and unlocked half of Qin Han's right handcuff.
After stretching his aching wrists, Qin Han picked up the receiver and skillfully dialed a very long string of numbers.
After the operator transferred the call several times, a deep voice came from the other end of the line.
"I'm Bill, who is this?"
Without wasting words, Qin Han spoke under the director's gaze: "General, I am Qin, and I have just arrived in Washington."
"We happened to catch the sniper who had slipped through the net at the port on the plane, but now, due to some misunderstanding, he has been detained by the airport police."
"Come pick them up."
After saying that, Qin Han threw the receiver back onto the landline, making a crisp "click" sound.
A deathly silence fell over the interrogation room.
The bureau chief stared at the phone, then glanced at Qin Han, who was resting with his eyes closed, and suddenly let out a sneer: "That's it? General? You think you can just give out any name and walk out of here?"
Before he could finish speaking—"Beep beep beep!!!"
Suddenly, a shrill, altered voice came through the walkie-talkie at his waist: "Chief! Chief, where are you? Connect me to your office line immediately! Hurry!"
The bureau chief's expression changed, and he hurriedly left the interrogation room and returned to his office.
Before he could even speak, a series of angry roars erupted from the receiver, making his eardrums ring.
That was the voice of his immediate superior, the Washington, D.C. Police Chief: "You brainless idiot! Who exactly did you detain at the airport?!"
"Immediately! Right now! Release all ordinary passengers on that flight without any conditions!"
"Get those mysterious people you just dragged into the basement off the interrogation chair right now!"
"Remove their handcuffs, give them hot water and food! If they lose a single hair, you can expect to be court-martialed!"
"The Pentagon people are already on their way! You idiot!"
The bureau chief, who had been thoroughly scolded, broke out in a cold sweat.
A phone call that consisted of only three sentences actually alarmed his top superior and even drew the attention of the Pentagon!
He sat blankly in the chair, his legs suddenly going weak.
Did I just almost offend a military black ops group?
If he had used torture to extract a confession—the bureau chief dared not think of the consequences—he probably wouldn't even know how he died today.
He stumbled and scrambled back into the interrogation room: "Mr. Qin—"
His attitude made a complete 180-degree turn. He rushed forward, his hands trembling as he pulled out the key and frantically unlocked Qin Han's handcuffs.
"I'm so sorry, sir. It's all a misunderstanding—you were doing this to protect national security, and I—I was completely blind."
He stammered an apology while shouting hoarsely outside, "Quick! Go next door! Release Mr. Weintraub! Return all the distinguished guests' weapons intact! Make coffee! The best coffee!"
The police station was instantly thrown into chaos.
Less than twenty minutes later, a loud engine roar came from outside the door, and several military Humvees painted in camouflage drove up to the entrance of the airport police station.
As the car door opened, fully armed U.S. Army soldiers lined up in two rows to form a welcoming formation.
General Bill, dressed in military uniform, strode into the police station with a swift and decisive air. The shining star on his shoulder made the chief of police not dare to breathe too loudly.
Seeing this high-ranking military official personally come down to take people away, I was filled with endless fear.
"General, everyone is inside, unharmed—" the bureau chief reported incoherently.
General Bill didn't even glance at him, and walked straight through the corridor to the reception room.
When he saw Qin Han sitting leisurely on the sofa with a cup of coffee, he finally showed a friendly smile: "Qin, you little rascal, you've made such a fuss over your trip to Washington."
"Hey Bill, you're being unfair! I'm still here!" Fred complained from the side.
"Ha ha, Fred, my old pal! I'll treat you guys to a welcome-back dinner tonight!"
Night falls on the outskirts of Washington, D.C.
This is a private military club located in an oak forest.
There were no signs, no neon lights, only heavily armed sentries and a few fierce military dogs patrolling in the rain.
The atmosphere inside the club's private room was completely different from that in the police station interrogation room just a few hours earlier.
Fine pine wood burned in the warm fireplace, emitting a faint pine scent.
On the heavy walnut dining table, there was an exquisite tomahawk steak and several bottles of Bordeaux red wine.
Zhou Ruofei and ten other security guards were arranged to enjoy a sumptuous dinner at a restaurant outside, while only Qin Han and...
Fred and General Bill were the three of them.
"Cheers! To the safety of America, and to our wonderful destiny."
General Bill raised his wine glass, downed the red wine in it, and looked at Qin Han with a look full of emotion.
"Fred, old friend, when you introduced this kid to me, I thought he was just a Chinese director with a bit of cleverness."
He turned his gaze to Fred, who was still cutting his steak and trying to calm himself down: "But look, it's only been a few months, and the mess he's made is astounding, even to someone like me who's spent most of my life in the military."
Fred gave a wry smile and put down his knife and fork. "Bill, don't even mention it. A few hours ago at the Los Angeles airport, when he said he was taking me to Washington to write a script for a disaster movie about terrorist hijacking, I really thought he was crazy."
"6
"It seems now that the world is the one that's gone mad, while he, as always, is a 'prophet.'"
Bill burst into laughter, a hearty and loud laugh.
He put down his wine glass and looked at Qin Han with sincere eyes: "Qin, putting aside today's unexpected events, there is another very important matter that I invited you here today."
"On behalf of General Samuel, who is far away in Hawaii, I would like to express my deepest gratitude to you."
Qin Han immediately sat up straight and listened attentively: "Bill, don't say that. Without his help, I'm afraid I would have died in Hawaii long ago."
"It's different. Those veterans were General Samuel's greatest concern in his life. When they returned to their homeland, they were met with unemployment, ridicule, and even homelessness."
General Bill's voice tightened slightly: "It was you who gave them a decent job. Not only did you give them generous pay, but more importantly, you helped them rediscover their value as soldiers."
"You allowed them to continue serving their country on American soil, protecting this nation. We, the men in uniform, will never forget this kindness."
Faced with the olive branch extended by the military high command, Qin Han raised his glass and earnestly replied, "General, you flatter me. This is a mutually beneficial arrangement. The veterans provide me with top-notch security, and I pay them the compensation they deserve. It's a win-win situation."
He lightly clinked glasses with Bill and said meaningfully, "I just didn't expect that such an unexpected trip would bring you such a wonderful gift."
Setting down his wine glass, Qin Han glanced at the room next door, which was a secret interrogation room.
"After the port attack, in order to ensure the safety of myself and my master, I had the security team hide in the shadows and follow us around."
"I never expected that a flight I took on a whim would lead to him trying to hijack a flight bound for the capital."
"If you can get him to talk and find out his true purpose, it will be another great achievement."
General Bill nodded, a ruthless glint in his eyes.
"Don't worry, the people next door are all top-notch agents from the Military Intelligence Bureau. Even if it's a rock, they'll have to talk. I believe we'll have results soon."
Just then, "knock, knock, knock," someone knocked urgently on the soundproof door.
A lieutenant with the rank of major pushed open the door to the private room, his face looking rather grim.
He brought in a file bag stamped with "Top Secret": "General! The interrogation report is out! I'm here to give you an urgent report!"