Chapter 999: Chapter 969:
Ye Chen didn’t dampen his brothers’ spirits. Once they arrived in Fukuoka, they indulged in a feast. Everyone drank to their heart’s content, avoiding immediate worries, taking one step at a time. When the noise subsided, Ye Chen stood outside Fukuoka, observing the calm world, as if it had nothing to do with him.
“Brother Chen, what are you worried about?” Feng Zhixiao asked curiously beside him.
“Heh, there are plenty of things in this world for us to worry about!” Ye Chen replied with a cigarette in his mouth, “The higher you stand, the more concerns you have, but our hearts must be equally broad. We must see some things in broader terms!”
“Yeah!” Feng Zhixiao nodded, “That’s indeed the case!”
The two stood talking in the cold wind for a long time. Jianghuai City was already in warm spring, yet Fukuoka remained chilly. This is largely due to Fukuoka’s geographical location. Fukuoka is after all located farther north, on a similar latitude to Shanghai, making the February weather indeed quite cold.
The next day, Da Hei sent news from Ottawa: the negotiations had collapsed. Shortly after Da Hei’s message, Ye Chen received a call from Obama. Obama hoped Ye Chen could make a trip to the United States. Faced with Obama’s invitation, Ye Chen agreed without hesitation.
“Brother Chen, are you really going to the United States?” Li Tieniu asked curiously.
“Yes!” Ye Chen nodded, “The root of the issue lies with Obama. If that guy doesn’t let the Ottawa Government relent, we can never break through this bottleneck, and things will continue to deteriorate!”
“Big brother, why do I feel this is a Hongmen banquet?” Da Xia frowned deeply.
“Exactly, if we just go like this, problems might arise!” Feng Zhixiao quickly agreed.
“Don’t worry, those Americans don’t dare to play tricks in front of me!” Ye Chen smiled and continued, “This time, when I go, I will definitely return with gains, so you should also prepare appropriately to go to Ottawa.”
“Yes!” Feng Zhixiao nodded, trusting Ye Chen the most.
Early the next morning, Ye Chen took a flight to Washington. The more than ten-hour flight was extremely bumpy, making Ye Chen uncomfortable even in first class, forced to sit quietly for over ten hours. Sometimes, Ye Chen pondered, why must people rely on airplanes to cross oceans? Lost in thought, Ye Chen quickly fell asleep.
Upon arriving in the United States, it was already nighttime. The early evening lights of Washington blazed brilliantly. As Ye Chen descended from the plane, he felt particularly alert and quickly noticed two black-clothed men approaching. They skillfully weaved through the crowd, their eyes locked on Ye Chen, advancing step by step. Ye Chen met their gaze without hesitation.
“Mr. Ye, the President invites you!” The two black-clothed bodyguards slightly smiled at Ye Chen.
“Let’s go!” Ye Chen, appearing well-prepared, replied.
Following the two black-clothed men, Ye Chen boarded a black Ford car, heading straight to the White House. Sitting in the car, the bumps aggravated Ye Chen’s discomfort, having already endured a day’s flight.
At the President’s Mansion, Obama had already instructed the servants to prepare a dinner to welcome Ye Chen. By this time, Ye Chen was famished, having only had breakfast and lunch on the plane, but not dinner. Moreover, the plane’s food didn’t suit Ye Chen’s palate, and he barely tasted it.
“Haha, Ye Chen, you’re finally here!” Upon seeing Ye Chen enter, Obama and Mrs. Michelle immediately approached, their friendliness catching Ye Chen off guard. He still remembered a year ago when he promised in the White House to eliminate the Church Court within a year, yet it still existed, even growing stronger. So, Ye Chen assumed Obama wanted to settle accounts.
“Mr. President, I truly apologize for keeping you waiting!” Ye Chen bowed slightly.
“Please come inside, the dinner has been well prepared!” Obama said with a calm smile. Ye Chen nodded and followed the President and the First Lady into the hall. While the White House appeared mysterious to many, it had always been the soul of the United States. Its internal decor wasn’t lavish, just simple renovation, with only necessary banquet halls and some meeting rooms slightly better decorated than ordinary homes.
Ye Chen, Obama, and the First Lady entered the banquet hall. On the dining table lay a variety of delicacies, from roasted beef to steaks, chicken chops, pork chops, onions, various pastries, and wines… everything was available.
Instead of immediately devouring the food upon seeing the feast, Ye Chen didn’t rush in. As someone educated with noble etiquette, politeness is the minimum respect for others. The Obama family and Ye Chen dined together.
During the dinner, Mrs. Michelle and the two children soon left the banquet hall. The dining table then had only Ye Chen and Obama. Setting down his fork and knife, Obama smiled, “Mr. Ye, you promised me something here a year ago. You haven’t forgotten, have you?”
Upon hearing this, Ye Chen instantly knew the main topic had arrived. He also set his utensils aside, smiling, “Ye Chen certainly hasn’t forgotten, but mundane affairs held me up this past year, delaying this matter. I hope you’ll forgive me, Mr. President.”
“Really?” Obama’s eyes gleamed sharply, “But how is it I found you had the leisure to build cities and houses in Ottawa?”
“Building cities and houses is also a way to combat the Church Court, is it not?” Ye Chen wiped his mouth with a napkin and faced Obama’s deep eyes seriously, “The Church Court is gradually spreading to America. My men have blocked their forces in Asia, preventing them from breaching our defenses, hence forcing them to spread towards America.”
“Hmm?!” Obama nodded, signaling Ye Chen to continue.
“How can we stop the Church Court’s spread in America?” Ye Chen drew a line on the table with his hand, “By constructing fortifications and roads! I must transfer all my forces to North America, build a city near Ottawa as a springboard to block the Church Court’s force!”
“Excuses!” Obama’s mouth tilted slightly, softly uttering two words.
“How is that an excuse?” Ye Chen chuckled, “You might not know, Mr. President, but Church Court members have already infiltrated Ottawa Government. Without my Sunset City, America might become their next target. There’s not much free space left in the world. America remains one of the few major countries!”
“Ye Chen, you’re fear-mongering!” Obama snorted coldly.
“Mr. President might not believe it?” Ye Chen lightly hummed, “I believe you’ve connections with the Ottawa Government and an intelligence system. There should be related reports? If your intelligence system hasn’t received such reports, I can only say either your system is incompetent, or its members are concealing the truth. If it’s the former, that’s one thing; if it’s the latter, then there must be Church Court moles within your intelligence system. So, be cautious, Mr. President!”
Ye Chen’s earnest advice indeed made Obama somewhat moved. In fact, Obama hadn’t received related intelligence; otherwise, why would he target Ye Chen? Frowning, Obama said, “Impossible!”
“Don’t believe it? How about we play a little game, then?” Ye Chen smiled lightly.
“What game?” Obama was taken aback.
“Come, let me tell you…” Ye Chen leaned closer, Obama listened intently as the two whispered. Once Ye Chen finished speaking, Obama doubted whether such a method could expose internal moles. But, since Ye Chen wanted to try, let him. It’s best to catch them; if not, it means Ye Chen has issues.
The next day, news from the President’s Mansion announced Obama’s decision to cooperate with Ye Chen again, promising a large supply of arms, ammunition, and trained instructors to train the Luo Sijue family’s forces. This news left many congressmen incredulous, denying its authenticity. However, upon confronting Obama, they found out it was true.
In secret, Ye Chen had organized a batch of the Luo Sijue family’s skilled technical personnel to monitor Obama’s subordinate intelligence department, with Obama’s cooperation, making it easy for Luo Sijue family members to acquire opposing intelligence codes.
On the third day following the news, good news arrived—they found the number connected to Ottawa Government. Obama was astonished by the Luo Sijue family’s technicians’ prowess in quickly uncovering his intelligence department’s information. Unbeknownst to him, he had provided some of the codes himself.
After obtaining that number, Obama personally compared it, promptly identifying it as the intelligence department’s number.
“Now, Mr. President, what do you think?” Ye Chen asked with a calm smile.
“No, that doesn’t prove anything!” Obama retorted, shaking his head, “I’ll have him arrested immediately and interrogated to see what he says!”
Soon, Obama ordered the arrest and interrogation. The official, who was practically family, was caught sleeping in bed when agents blew open his door and seized him directly from his bedside.