Chapter 135: Crisis of Epic Proportions

Just as Du Qiu took out the crystal pillow from the box to place it on the bed, preparing to lie down and rest, the voice of Star Ocean suddenly sounded in his ear.

“Sir, I’ve just discovered some information on a news network in the United States.”

“What’s the content?”

At this moment, the information Star Ocean discovered must be very important, otherwise, it wouldn’t be so urgent to inform him.

“The United States has decided to put both Sir and Dream Technology on the sanction list and is requesting that the government of Tang Country punish you.”

“What? Have the Americans gone mad? Neither I nor Dream Technology have directly impeded American interests. Why are they targeting me?”

Du Qiu was baffled, even though he had developed an ultra-high-precision machining center and a new production process for carbon fiber, the impact on the United States was still very limited.

Why would the United States sanction him?

“Sir, the reason the United States is doing this is because they found out that you provided 5,000 new centrifuges for nuclear fuel purification to the Goryeo country.”

“When did I ever provide centrifuges?”

Du Qiu’s heart was in turmoil. This was so sudden, and the key point was that he was still in the United States; wasn’t this like being meat on the chopping block?

“Sir, I checked and the 5,000 units of environmental waste processing equipment that Kim Zhenan purchased seem to have been modified into centrifuges by the Goryeo country.”

“If they modified it themselves, why is the United States billing me for it?”

Du Qiu was really on the verge of tears. It was like selling kitchen knives; who knew whether the buyer would use it to chop vegetables or to stab people.

“In that instant, there could be a million possibilities…”

At this moment, the phone suddenly rang.

Du Qiu picked it up and saw that it was Ning Shuangshuang calling. He immediately answered.

“Du Qiu, you need to find a way to get to the Los Angeles Consulate right away, don’t stop for a moment!”

“Do you know about the Americans sanctioning me?”

“You know too? Then don’t delay, leave the hotel immediately and rush to our Los Angeles Consulate as quickly as possible. Once you’re in the Consulate, I believe the Americans wouldn’t dare to mess with you.”

“Are the Americans really going to openly arrest me?”

“Of course, you are in the United States now. Since they are sanctioning you, naturally, they will arrest you and fabricate charges against you. This time it is an action taken by GIA.”

“So, am I supposed to stay in the Consulate forever?”

“We will figure out a way to get you back to the country,” Ning Shuangshuang’s voice was very determined.

“What about the staff of my company who are participating in the exhibition here?”

“The Consulate has already sent personnel to Las Vegas. Tell your staff to stay in the hotel and wait to meet with Consulate personnel.”

“What if the Americans take coercive measures against them?”

“They shouldn’t, after all, you are their target. If… if they really become so unreasonable, tell them not to resist! The Consulate personnel will stand up for them.”

“Okay, I’m leaving right now.”

“Du Qiu, you… be very careful!”

“I know, don’t worry, good people have their own aura of protection!”

After hanging up, Du Qiu immediately instructed Star Ocean, “Immediately mobilize the relevant satellite systems, even if they’re detected, I need complete control over those satellites. I need them to provide real-time ground imagery of my surroundings, Star Ocean, you must alert me in real-time to any abnormalities, I absolutely cannot fall into American hands.”

“Sir, rest assured, I will now ensure the safety within a 5-kilometer radius and immediately plan out the best route to the Los Angeles Consulate.”

Du Qiu quickly took a waterproof backpack out of the box, packed in the crystal pillow and some essentials, then changed his clothes.

Many of the items in the backpack were prepared by Du Qiu before he came, initially for that artificial intelligence, fearing that there might be some tracking action. Unexpectedly, it was now him who would be tracked by the Americans.

Du Qiu sent a voice message each to Lin Siyu, Zhang Wenliang, and Wu Xinghuo, briefly explaining the situation and instructing them to unite and safely bring the company staff back to the country.

He explained that Consulate personnel had already come and told them to stay in the hotel and wait for the meeting with Consulate personnel.

If the American side were to take coercive measures against them, they must not resist.

No matter how the Americans trouble them, as long as they ensure their safety, everything including the “Xiaobai” robot sample could be discarded.

After sending the voice message, Du Qiu had already left the room and was riding the elevator downstairs.

Du Qiu had already instructed Star Ocean to clean up the employees’ phones after reading the messages as a precaution against the Americans confiscating them.

“Sir, I’ve found a fleet of vehicles rushing out of a parking lot 2 kilometers away heading towards the hotel. I’ve intercepted their communications; they are GIA personnel, and they are clearly coming for you.”

Just as he stepped out of the elevator, Du Qiu received Star Ocean’s warning.

Du Qiu put on a pair of glasses. At this point, he already had a different appearance. The glasses were also a type of smart glasses, with a microdisplay on the lens.

Through the display on his glasses, he could see the route Star Ocean had planned for him.

Du Qiu believed that there must be GIA personnel watching the hotel entrance, and if he didn’t change his appearance, it would be difficult to escape the gaze of the Americans.

Following the directions on his glasses, he quickly left the hotel and moved swiftly along the street.

Las Vegas is a city that never sleeps. The streets were still crowded, and Du Qiu easily disappeared into the crowd.

When he was hundreds of meters away, the fleet had already charged to the front of the hotel, where a group of people in black suits got out of the cars.

They quickly took control of all entry and exit points of the hotel.

A middle-aged man with brown hair got out of one of the cars and looked up at the hotel building, a smug smile on his face.

A man emerged from the side and approached the brown-haired man, saying, “Director, Dr. Du has not left since returning from the exhibition.”

The brown-haired man nodded and turned to a subordinate behind him, “Sog, remember all the requirements before the action. When you see Dr. Du, don’t scare him.”

Sog, a big guy about 1.95 meters tall, nodded and said assuredly, “Don’t worry, I’ll approach Dr. Du with a smile.”

After finishing his words, the big guy Sog quickly rushed into the hotel entrance first.

The brown-haired man walked into the hotel with a satisfied expression. Although getting approval for that sanction took a lot of effort, it finally came through tonight.

He really had to thank Du Qiu for releasing a staggering product at the exhibition today; otherwise, those above wouldn’t have made up their minds.

Although the 5,000 units of environmental waste processing equipment were indeed sold to Goryeo by Du Qiu, Goryeo remodeling them into centrifuges for nuclear fuel purification was not on Du Qiu’s head.

Du Qiu had also sold thousands of them to the United States.

But the appearance of the highly realistic robot had some interest groups nervous; these had been their coveted treats for years.

If Tang people sold these like their unmanned drones, at bargain prices, then all of the years of R&D investment would go down the drain.

Now, the United States can directly claim that Du Qiu packaged the centrifuges as environmental equipment, intending to violate international laws.

The brown-haired man was Lagia, the Director of the GIA’s Tang Country Affairs Bureau.

“Director, there’s no one in Du Qiu’s room!” Sog’s voice suddenly came through the communication channel.

Lagia was taken aback and immediately said, “Search all the rooms of Dream Technology’s people, see if he’s in other rooms, I’ll come up right away.”

After saying that, Lagia ran towards the elevator and took it straight to the floor where Du Qiu and others were staying.

Since there had been no approval for sanctions above earlier, Lagia naturally did not keep a very close eye on Du Qiu.

He just arranged for someone to tail Du Qiu at the hotel entrance, after all, as long as Du Qiu was in the United States, GIA always had a way to find him.

As soon as the sanction news was announced, he immediately asked for the Director’s approval and came personally leading the team.

This was a big and important case for his new department this year, he couldn’t afford any slip-ups.

Upon reaching the floor Du Qiu stayed on, Lagia heard a noisy argument; the staff of Dream Technology were protesting loudly.

Lagia frowned and walked over, “Sog, did you find Du Qiu?”

The big guy Sog stepped aside and said, “No, we’ve searched; Du Qiu is not here. These people keep on protesting, what should we do?”

“Who are you guys? How dare you search our rooms? The United States is a country of laws. How can you invade our privacy like this?”

Zhang Wenliang saw that Lagia seemed to be the leader of these people and spoke out indignantly.

He, Lin Siyu, and Wu Xinghuo had just received Du Qiu’s message and had yet to discuss a plan when these people arrived.

As soon as they learned that Du Qiu was not in the room, they immediately signaled everyone to make noise, hoping to stall them so that Du Qiu could get further away.

With a cold expression, Lagia said, “Dream Technology has committed acts that violate international law and U.S. law. As the controller of Dream Technology, we need to take Du Qiu back for investigation.

As company employees, you also have a certain responsibility. Until we find Du Qiu, you’ll have to stay here and can’t go anywhere.”

Then he turned to Sog and instructed, “Confiscate their phones and communication devices, station someone here to watch this place, and do not allow them to leave this floor.”

“Yes, Director.”

Lagia turned to the communication channel and said, “Stark, block all the roads out of the city, check the passing vehicles, we can’t let Du Qiu escape.”