There was a group of soldiers stationed at the French Foreign Legion AZ14 Military Base. Soldiers of various skin colours could be seen at this base, and they came from all over the world. There were people from Eastern European countries, people from Africa, and people from Asia, as well as from the Americas. So many non-French soldiers, giving their lives for France. This was undoubtedly a miracle in the military world.
There were also a lot of tanks, armoured vehicles, cannons and military helicopters. Their weapons and equipment were also very advanced.
Not long after Xia Lei’s arrival, a French officer gathered the soldiers and led them to the shooting range. The entire process took just three to five minutes; it was very quick.
Xia Lei followed Jacqueline Eva to the shooting range. It was a very large shooting range, for various firearms as well as for the firing of cannons.
Other than the soldiers and officers of this military base, Xia Lei also spotted people in civilian clothing. There were men and women, and he knew none of them. However, he could guess that there were people from the French Equipment Department in that group, and maybe even important people in the French government. Since the French would be acquiring the production lines for Thunder Horse Group’s XL2500, Gust and h.e.l.lhound One-soldier Cannon, they were sure to come in person to see the capabilities of these weapons.
Xia Lei swept his gaze over them, and rested it on a woman’s face. It was a very special face. She had the blue sapphire-like eyes of a woman of the West, but the delicate features of a woman of the East. She was a mix of East and West, 50% Asian, 50% European. Her mix also resulted in her succubus-like body, and she was almost 180cm tall.
The half-half woman also looked over, and she paused when she saw Xia Lei.
Xia Lei’s heart did a tiny skip. ‘Is she that Beryl whom Jacqueline Eva spoke of?’
The woman only glanced at him and looked away. She seemed disinterested in Xia Lei’s handsome looks, and his merman-like body. This really was a rare occurrence. After his body had started evolving, his body, facial features, and even his aura had become more and more perfect. Practically all women were unable to escape his attractiveness, but this woman was apparently not one of those attracted to him.
“How about a bet with me, Xia?” Jacqueline Eva nudged Xia Lei with her elbow.
Xia Lei looked curiously at her. “What do you want to bet on?”
Jacqueline Eva quirked her lips at the woman. “Go ask her for her phone number. I bet she won’t give it to you. Let’s bet big. How about 100 euros?”
Xia Lei shook his head. “I’m not that lame. I’m here — why has no one come to greet us? When does it start?”
“Aren’t I taking care of you right now?” Jacqueline Eva smiled. “I told you that I’m fully in charge of this. The higher-ups won’t interact with you.”
For some strange reason, Xia Lei abruptly thought of a Chinese idiom — Cover one’s ears while stealing a bell.
The French att.i.tude right now, and what they had done, was a perfect example of covering ears while stealing a bell. They wanted Thunder Horse Group’s weapons technologies but were afraid of offending America. In actual fact, with America’s intelligence network, them knowing about it was just a matter of time.
n.o.body came to greet Xia Lei. The group of people in civilian clothing did not come over to exchange pleasantries either. Xia Lei chatted idly with Jacqueline Eva while watching their every move. He used his X-ray vision on them, and got information on them from looking at their identification doc.u.ments. The woman was indeed Beryl. He had seen it on her access pa.s.s, hidden in her neckline.
‘She became the main a.s.sistant of Lockheed Martin’s CEO, Ms. Fosen, at such a young age. With her job status, she must be highly capable, and also the confidence to be haughty,’ thought Xia Lei. However, he was not in awe of this beauty at all. *
Just then, a military transport vehicle arrived at the shooting range. It carried several weapons. There were also several people dressed in the workclothes of Lockheed Martin, with the logo on display. Their work clothing was a dirt yellow, and the people were also quite burly. They did not look like ordinary workers, but like soldiers with rich battle experience.
The vehicle came straight to the cannon testing grounds. The employees of Lockheed Martin began to set up the equipment after the vehicle stopped, and they worked at a steady pace.
Another military-use transport vehicle arrived at the shooting range, and it also carried weapons. The boxes had “Thunder Horse Military Factory” printed on the sides in Chinese. The boxes contained the XL2500, Gust, and h.e.l.lhound.
The second vehicle did not carry any Thunder Horse Group employees. An officer sent some soldiers over to unload the vehicle after it came to a stop. The soldiers quickly unloaded the weapons, and Beryl started walking towards Xia Lei and Jacqueline Eva as the soldier went to report back to the officer.
“You are Mr Xia Lei, correct?” asked Beryl in English. Her tone was expressionless.
“Yes, I am.” Xia Lei kept his manners and courtesy as a man. “And may I ask who you are, Miss...?”
“Beryl,” said Beryl. “I am from Lockheed Martin. I am Ms. Fosen’s a.s.sistant.”
Xia Lei stretched out a hand and put a smile on his face. “h.e.l.lo, Miss Bai. Nice to meet you.”
Beryl did not stretch her hand out. “I am not surnamed Bai, and I am not Chinese. My father is j.a.panese, and my mother is American. Please do not use your Chinese habits to call me by a surnamed you a.s.sumed was mine.”
Xia Lei retracted his hand and the smile disappeared from his face. n.o.body liked being given the cold shoulder like this, and he was no exception.
“I have a j.a.panese name — Hattori Mei. My father is Hattori Masao.” Beryl stretched out a hand to Xia Lei after introducing herself.
She first gave Xia Lei the cold shoulder, then was warm to him. This woman’s personality sure was weird.
Xia Lei did not extend his hand this time.
The atmosphere turned awkward right away. Under normal circ.u.mstances, a man would not reject the handshake of a woman, much less a beauty of mixed heritage like Beryl. However, this awkward atmosphere had not been the fault of Xia Lei, but Beryl. **
A look of annoyance flashed in Beryl’s eyes when she saw that Xia Lei was making no sign of reaching out his hand. She put her hand down, then turned her head to look at a middle-aged man in the group. The middle-aged man gave her a slight nod.
Xia Lei’s gaze went to that man, and he abruptly discovered that that man was fairly similar in appearance to Beryl. His heart thumped. ‘Could that man be Beryl’s father, Hattori Masao? What is a j.a.panese person doing here?’
This discovery made suspicions spring in Xia Lei’s heart, and he grew wary.
“Let’s begin, Mr Xia.” Beryl walked off towards the firing range after saying that line. She was in black office-lady attire, matched with a short black skirt and black stockings and high-heeled shoes. Her long legs and perky b.u.t.tocks added to the imagery, and her back view was very s.e.xy.
Xia Lei’s left eye twitched, and a pervy smile appeared in the corners of his lips.
“What a haughty woman,” said Jacqueline Eva in a soft voice. “Let’s go. We can leave as soon as we settle things with these people.”
Xia Lei walked with Jacqueline Eva as he said softly, “Eva, how much do you know about this Beryl?”
Jacqueline Eva gave him a look. “What do you want to know?”
Xia Lei glanced at the middle-aged man out of the corner of his eye. “Beryl’s father, Hattori Masao. That Asian man to our left.”
Jacqueline Eva glanced at the middle-aged Asian man too, and her voice grew even softer. “How do you know that he’s Hattori Masao?”
“I have my ways,” said Xia Lei. “I know you must have information on him. Tell me — what does he do? Why is he here?”
“This…” Jacqueline Eva looked troubled.
Xia Lei put on a look of nonchalance. “Oh, never mind. I can find out on my own. Take it as I didn’t ask if it troubles you.”
I’ll owe you a favour if you tell me, but we won’t even be friends if I go find it out myself — this was the hidden meaning in Xia Lei’s words.
“Don’t tell anyone that I told you.” Jacqueline Eva drew close to Xia Lei’s ear. “This Hattori Masao is a high-ranking officer in the ground troops of the j.a.panese Self-defence Force... a Captain.”
A Captain! That was equivalent to a Lieutenant General!
A Captain of the land troops of the j.a.panese Self-defence Force had actually turned up here to observe the weapons testing of Thunder Horse Military Factory! What sort of situation was this?
“He really is a high-ranking one. But what is he doing here? Who invited him?” asked Xia Lei probingly.
Jacqueline Eva smiled wryly. “I don’t know much, and I can tell you even less. My advice to you is to not bother so much about it. Let these guys observe the testing, and leave this place.”
“Thanks.” Xia Lei did not ask more.
Jacqueline Eva was a member of the French National Security after all, and she had her difficulties. She was already bending the rules for him by telling him Hattori Masao’s ident.i.ty. If she leaked other secrets, then she would be in serious trouble. He couldn’t count on her giving up everything for him just because they had slept together.
He did not ask, but he had his own guesses. ‘The father is the Captain of j.a.pan’s land-based Self-defence Force, and the daughter is a high-level employee of Lockheed Martin. There can’t be nothing going on with this father-daughter pair turning up here. What are the j.a.panese trying to do?”
In front of them, Hattori Masao glanced back at Xia Lei.
Xia Lei pretended not to have noticed, and deliberately turned his gaze to Beryl’s b.u.t.tocks.
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