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墨書 Inktalez
Jack did not respond or acknowledge my words; perhaps he thought that being mentally unstable did not count as a skill. My earlier state had indeed been quite erratic.
"What happened to you just now? You must be hiding something from me. This isn't fair!"
I was surprised that the American Guy was talking to me about fairness. Throughout my interactions with AE, fairness had never been present; if anyone should be crying foul, it should be me, not the other way around!
"Yes, unfair." My face felt hot, but my heart gradually calmed down. "In every step you took while using me, there was no sign of fairness. Especially when you stole my model data. I don't know how much you paid Boss Song to sell out my model data, but you should know that it belongs to me. Aren't you all about protecting intellectual property? What does this count as? Where's my ownership?"
Jack's face flushed slightly. "You only have residency rights; all other rights are fake."
Damn, how did this guy learn to be so obstinate? Wasn't he always at odds with Fatty? When did he pick up this skill?
"Then don't talk to me about fairness! Get real. What exactly is the reason you have to go down to Lop Nur and the Underground Passage?"
"Is there a passage below?"
I slapped my own mouth. Loose lips sink ships. It seemed that drinking those two large glasses of red wine had negative effects; my mind was still clear, but my mouth had run away with itself. It looked like I needed to revert to my old strategy: ask less and listen more.
To ease my embarrassment, I filled Jack's glass and raised mine for a toast. "Cheers!"
This time, I didn't foolishly down it all in one go. I took a sip and placed the glass back on the bar. Instead, Jack took a big gulp. It seemed his mood was more complex and tense than mine at that moment.
The light above the bar was dim, but the advantage was that it illuminated both of us equally; neither of us could hide our faces here. Jack wasn't one to put on airs either; while not all his emotions were written on his face, he couldn't hide significant emotional shifts from me. In this regard, he was even less adept than I was.
Of course, this was relative. In front of Fatty, both of us were just natural actors.
Honestly, I had only recently realized Fatty's pretentious nature. I had always thought he was being genuine. I was wrong and had been punished for it; the most direct punishment was losing my lovely wife. Just thinking about it brought tears to my eyes.
I pulled myself together and didn't follow his topic but continued with mine, adhering to my principle of asking less. "Why?"
After a moment of eye contact across the bar, he must have sensed my determination. Jack lowered his gaze and gave up on maintaining eye contact.
"I can provide you with some information, but not unconditionally." Jack lifted his eyes to look at me.
I nodded. "Your terms."
"First, you cannot disclose this information to anyone else."
"I can accept that."
Jack gave a wry smile, and I chuckled as well. This was originally his prerequisite for sharing information, and now I had added another condition, making it feel like two diplomats engaged in nonsense.
"Alright, I accept your terms." Jack made a helpless expression. He knew my conditions; he understood that I wouldn't hide anything from Fatty. "And one more thing. The information I give you must be exchanged for your information; you cannot refuse or withhold anything. I require all of your information. All of it."
I fell silent. I really needed to think this through. I had no intention of keeping the information about Lop Nur and the Underground Passage from him. Even without today's conversation, I would tell him at the appropriate time. Not because he would eventually go down there and see it, but because letting him know early could potentially save his life.
I couldn't guarantee that we would stay together once we descended, just like last time when many unexpected events caught me off guard. It was always possible for us to be separated. If he got lost and knew nothing about Lop Nur, it could cost him his life in a very short time.
However, I wouldn't easily divulge the matter of the Antimatter Bomb to anyone else; I told Fatty because I trusted him completely. I knew he would never betray me under any circumstances. As for Jack, if my actions conflicted with his goals, I believed he would stop me, even using the most despicable and resolute means. He was not someone who easily compromised.
"I agree, except for one thing."
My response clearly did not satisfy Jack. I saw him furrow his brow and ask, "What is it?"
I slowly shook my head, speechless. How foolish of me to fall for this again.
"Hmph." Jack glared at me in dissatisfaction. "It's about Lop Nur, isn't it? You just want to play tricks!"
Now it was my turn to be amused and exasperated. What kind of person did the American Guy think I was? Did he really believe I was that manipulative?
"No, regarding Lop Nur, I will tell you everything I see and know. Of course, the premise is that you don't withhold anything from me."
"And what about the other matter? Is it more mysterious than Lop Nur?"
I shook my head at him. "Deal?"
"Deal!" Jack nodded vigorously.
"We are known as ae. We have no government background, which means we don't receive much assistance or funding from the United States Government during our operations. However, this also means we won't face significant obstacles when dealing with countries that are at odds with the United States Government.
Our activities extend beyond China; we also have a presence in Asia, Australia, and Europe. ae is simply the name of our Asian division. However, our discussions will primarily focus on ae; I won't introduce the situations of other divisions."
Mysterious events have been occurring all over the world, some of which local governments cannot fully cover up, while others can be concealed. Even when they cannot be hidden, governments will provide vague explanations and will never reveal the truth of the matter.
Honestly, I don't see anything wrong with this approach. Every mysterious event that happens on Earth is backed by terrifying and fearsome truths, much like what we encountered in the Underground Cavern of the Hakka People. Although we have yet to uncover the truth, it is foreseeable that the reality will not be easy for either of us to face.
If these frightening truths were to spread, I believe the world would change as a result. Not for the better, but rather into chaos and disorder; many might think they are facing an apocalyptic disaster.
Let's focus on AE and narrow down our scope to make it easier for me to concentrate.
The research and investigation direction of AE is different from Area 51, but they complement each other, so we do have cooperation.
"Does Area 51 really exist? Are extraterrestrial civilizations, spaceships, and even alien specimens real?!"
Jack furrowed his brows tightly, his eyes squinting. It seemed he regretted his words; he had just leaked a significant secret!
To Be Continued...
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