"Sailor's House" hotel, room 205. Pen × fun × Pavilion www. ｂｉｑｕｇｅ。 ｉｎｆｏ

"This is it." Harry. Thomas looked at the number on the door and breathed a sigh of relief, glad that his pathetic errand assignment had finally come to an end, and secretly wondered how he was going to fix the bastard who had been hiding in this room for two hours after it was over.

"Zhang Biao!" He gritted his teeth and called out the bastard's name, clenched his right hand into a fist and knocked on the door hard, continuing to shout, "I know you're hiding here." Open the door! ”

There was no response, so Thomas came again, adding a little threat. "Open the door, Zhang Biao, otherwise I'll kick the door!"

There was no doubt that the threat always had an effect, first with the sound of heavy but hurried footsteps, and then with the door to the room opening. "Which bastard is out there...... "A face full of anger poked out, and then all expressions turned to consternation," ...... Captain Thomas? ”

"Who else could it be?" Thomas's face was full of anger. "Bastard", the word did not escape his ears.

"Uh...... I'm sorry, sir. Almost in a hurry, Zhang Biao stood upright, saluted him, and apologized, "I didn't know you were outside...... What's the matter with me, sir? ”

"Boss......" Thomas stopped suddenly. Things were a little wrong, first, it wasn't the time to rest, but Zhang Biao was only wearing a pair of shorts, second, his head and body were covered with sweat, as if he was doing some kind of intense physical exercise before he came over to open the door, and third, after the door of the room opened, there was suddenly a faint smell of perfume in the air.

Something is very wrong.

"What are you doing?" He asked, curious.

"Didn't do anything, sir." Zhang Biao quickly replied, "It's just...... Motion. Yes, just sports. ”

"Really?" Thomas was skeptical, "but I smelled women's perfume." ”

"Yes...... From the next room, sir. Zhang Biao continued to deny, "There are no women in my room......"

Completely out of place, a woman's voice came from the room. "Zhang, who are you talking to?"

and another woman's. "Send him away."

"Ahh A look of abrupt realization appeared on Thomas's face, and then he grinned, raised his right hand and made a gesture of "victory". "Man, maybe I should congratulate you. Sincerely. ”

"It's a misunderstanding, s......ir," Zhang Biao tried to justify, but his move was just a pointless attempt - because no one needed his explanation.

"Alright, soldier, we can wait until later." Thomas suddenly reverted back to a stern officer. He put away his smile, his voice stern and his tone indisputable, "You have ten minutes to shower and put on your clothes." The boss wants to see you. ”

The last sentence, rather than Thomas's sudden change of attitude, left Zhang Biao in a momentary distraction, and, even though he quickly returned to normal, he still felt incredulous. "Boss? Want to see me? Right now? Zhang Biao thought it might be a problem with his sense of hearing.

Qin Lang rarely directly asked to meet with one or several mercenaries by name - not at all, but very few, and what made Zhang Biao feel frustrated and unbiased all the time was that the glory that the vast majority of mercenaries dreamed of never fell on his head, not all at once. So, when good fortune really came, he felt that it was not real enough, like an April Fool's joke.

However, it's not April Fool's Day, and Thomas doesn't want to joke with him. "Yes, soldier. So you'd better move fast and start acting now! ”

Before Thomas's words fell, Zhang Biao had already rushed back into the room. It only took five minutes for him to take a shower, shave off his beard and put on the black uniform of the Umbrella Company, and then it took another thirty minutes for him to walk into Qin Lang's office and salute him and Yi Shui.

"So," Qin Lang turned his face sideways and exchanged glances with Yi Shui, then looked at the person he wanted to see, "You are Zhang Biao?" ”

"Yes, sir." Standing upright, leaning on his legs, holding his chest straight, and straightening his body, Zhang Biao tried his best to make a deep and good impression on Qin Lang - but now, Zhang Biao is still not clear, in fact, Qin Lang's understanding of him is not as simple as the question just now, but the things he understands are not all good.

Of course, soon, he will understand this.

"You're here because of one thing." Qin Lang said, his fingers knocking on his desk as always, "The company has a task that requires a few strong, fierce, scary enough mercenaries, and experienced Chinese mercenaries, and Lieutenant Colonel Harrington thinks you are the right person." ”

"Qin and I checked your file," Yi Shui continued, picking up a document and opening it, "You are one of the first Chinese mercenaries hired by the company, and you have participated in military operations in Abyssinia, Vietnam, and the Philippines. Your commanders and colleagues have always had a high opinion of you, and we agree with them. ”

"Thank you very much, sir." Zhang Biao said loudly.

"Don't rush to say thanks, I haven't finished my words yet." Yi Shui glanced at him, then turned his gaze back to the file, "In a way, your performance is excellent, but I still don't think you're the best person for the task. According to your records," he accentuated, "in Vietnam, you shot civilians four times......"

A bad sign. Even though he still appeared calm, Zhang Biao still became nervous. "Sir, I can explain—"

Yi Shui interrupted him without hesitation, and reprimanded him harshly: "Soldier, you can explain when I or Qin allow you to explain, but for now, keep your mouth shut and listen quietly." After a pause, he continued: "You killed thirty-nine civilians in Vietnam, including eleven women and four children, and in the Philippines, you have two more rape records." That's why your level is still E-4. ”

He paused again, threw the paper on his desk, and concluded: "In my personal opinion, the company should prohibit mercenaries like you, who are keen to use indiscriminate force and inflict violence against unarmed civilians, from participating in operations - especially rape, which must not be tolerated." Unfortunately," glancing at Qin Lang, Yi Shui softened his tone, "Qin appreciates your excellent performance and insists on letting you participate in the action, so I have to reluctantly agree to put your name on my list." However, you have to remember that if you make a violation of the rules again while on a mission, I will kick you out of the company forever. ”

"I'll take your warnings to you, sir." That's exactly what he meant. Even if Mr. Zhang was somewhat unimpressed by Mr. Yi's accusations, he didn't want to offend the warning—it was foolish to offend Mr. Yi's authority, unless someone was going to lose their job at Umbrella. Of course, for a Chinese, this also means that he has to leave the United States forever, or one day people will find him in a quiet concrete lying on the bottom of the sea - although this is just a legend, no one really sees it as a legend.

Thinking of the consequences that he was by no means willing to see, Zhang Biao became even more nervous and uneasy, so much so that his breathing and heartbeat accelerated.

"Relax, soldier." Qin Lang smiled. He had been cautiously following all of Zhang Biao's reactions, letting Yi Shui play to his heart's content, and now, it was his turn to speak. "Aside from a little extra impulse, you're one of the company's best mercenaries, and I'm sure you're up to the task."

"Thank you very much for trusting me, Mr. Qin." Zhang Biao shot a grateful gaze at him, and this did not escape Qin Lang's keen eyes. He knew why, and his gratitude was not because of trust, but because he had described those crimes in such a light way - the unjustified killing of thirty-nine civilians, the two rape records, which was not "a little superfluous impulse" - but he just erased them.

So this mercenary was grateful to him—however, this was exactly what Qin Lang expected and expected. He laughed again.

"Since you are exactly the one I need, I have decided to temporarily upgrade your rank to E-6 as a battalion sergeant in the expeditionary force on duty. As for whether your level will be permanently boosted, a decision will be made after the mission is over, based on your actual performance and Mr. Yi's evaluation report. What is your opinion on my arrangement? He asked.

"No, sir." Zhang Biao replied loudly. He really didn't have any opinions, one promotion, and two levels, even if it was only temporary, was enough to make him feel comfortable and happy for a while.

After all, this was the first time since leaving the training camp that he had attained the same rank as Moon's heir and held a higher position. Before that, Zhang Biao always thought that he could mix better than Wen Desi, because he was more fierce than him, knew more and liked to kill, and was more suitable for his current job, mercenary; He should have a higher rank and more authority, not a small character who can only obey orders.

Although Zhang Biao never showed his disappointment and resentment at the contrast between reality and dreams, that doesn't mean they don't exist.

However, his good fortune finally came.

But at this moment, he couldn't show the joy in his heart, because he was still in his boss's office, face to face with the two bosses. Zhang Biao endured and continued to straighten his body, waiting for Qin Lang's next sentence.

He didn't have to wait long.

"Before the expeditionary force departs, you have a mission, Zhang Biao." Qin Lang said, "I authorize you to select ten mercenaries who are as good as you, but more importantly, as loyal as you, able to keep secrets, and smart. I'm sure you know what I mean. Remember, you only have two weeks. ”

"Yes, sir, I will strictly follow your requirements and complete the task within the stipulated deadline, sir." Zhang Biao promised.

"Good." Qin Lang nodded and turned to Yi Shui, "Do you have anything to add?" ”

"Nope." Yi Shui shook his head and shrugged his shoulders - but soon, he remembered again, "There is one thing, from now until the expeditionary force departs, you must stay in the company's camp and cannot go anywhere. Of course, you have an hour to say goodbye to the two Miss Santos. Do you understand, soldier? ”

At this moment, Zhang Biao only had one feeling: there were countless beads of sweat coming out of his forehead and back, it was cold sweat. Yi Shui actually knew the name of the woman he was fooling around with—of course, Qin Lang must have known it too—which Zhang Biao had not expected at all in advance, and in fact, he even thought that the two bosses didn't know about it at all. It was only his private business, and he had only been fooling around with the two women for three days, without telling any of his friends or being touched by any acquaintances.

Except for Harry. Thomas, no one in the company should know, and even Thomas doesn't know their names and doesn't have a chance to report them.

However, Qin Lang and Yi Shui just knew. Zhang Biao immediately remembered another legend among the mercenaries: the boss always knew any secret they wanted to know. This legend has been circulating for a long time, and the vast majority of people believe it to be true, and a joke has been created as a result.

"The boss is watching you."

Zhang Biao's body shuddered slightly, which brought him back to normal, and noticed that Yi Shui was staring at him, waiting for an answer. "Understood, sir." He shouted loudly, hiding the panic in his heart.

"Now you can leave." Qin Lang fell back into the chair and waved his hand. Zhang Biao immediately saluted him and Yi Shui, turned around, and walked out of the office with the fastest pace. Yi Shui kept staring at him until his back was blocked by the closed door, and then turned to Qin Lang.

"Do you really think we should put such a guy in the expeditionary force?" The opposition is obvious, "I think he is only suitable for missions outside of China." ”

"A figure like him, perfect for special tasks." Qin Lang bit the word "special" very hard. Yi Shui knew what he meant, and before Zhang Biao entered the office, they were discussing that special mission: in addition to the investigation team they planned to send, there were also some foreign adventurers and archaeological experts operating in the Northwest Region, but Qin Lang wanted them to disappear from this world.

In any industry, competition is brutal, and casualties are inevitable.

Of course, this is only Qin Lang's logic, and perhaps Rachel and O'Connor's logic - if they know it - but not Yi Shui's logic. He agreed to Qin Lang's plan only because of another reason, a reason that anyone who knew him could guess, so he was not willing to give the task to Zhang Biao and the mercenaries he had chosen.

A guy like Zhang Biao who likes to break the rules is always very dangerous, and he is also very smart, so he is even more dangerous: stupid people always inadvertently leak secrets, and Zhang Biao will use secrets as a trump card to avoid punishment; And, because he likes to break the rules, any attempt to make an agreement with him is just wishful thinking.

"I don't believe in him, and the people he elected." Yi Shui said.

"Oh, if you mean keeping secrets, that's not a problem." Qin Lang waved his hand, "If they can't keep it a secret, we'll help them keep it a secret." ”

"I mean, one day one of them might use secrets as a weapon to blackmail us."

"Then Mr. Fisborne has something to do." Qin Lang said with a smile, as if he didn't care about Yi Shui's worries at all—and that was exactly what happened. Why worry? If this low-level method can really succeed, then Morgan, Rockefeller, Mellon, and other conglomerates have been blackmailed countless times...... They may have been blackmailed, but the end of those stories must have been tragic - for the blackmailers.

In the real world, an individual is never an opponent of a group.

"Instead of worrying about this pointless question," Qin Lang continued, "Yi Shui, you should concentrate more on our plans. You know, it was even more successful than I expected. "It's only been a week, but I've had more than three hundred people here applying to join the expedition, most of them America's leading historians and archaeologists, as well as adventurous billionaires." ”

"A lot?"

Qin Lang shrugged. "Not enough, but more than I expected. You know, whether it's a message, a letter, or a telegram, it takes time to deliver. We'll see where more applications I will receive. ”

"But we don't need that many people for our mission." Yi Shui said, "A hundred, a maximum of one hundred and fifty people, that's enough." ”

"That's true."

"And how are you going to reply to these applicants?"

"Whoever pays the highest price will get the opportunity." Qin Lang turned his face sideways, avoiding Yi Shui's stunned expression, "This is the only fair and reasonable way to choose at the moment. Of course, we also take into account the academic attainments of the applicant, and only those with qualifications can make a bid. ”

Ridiculous. Yi Shui pursed his lips. "It's not like an academic expedition at all."

"Yes or no, it just depends on the way we look at it. Rachel, for example, sees it as a mere business. Qin Lang stopped and took a sip of Coke, "She's looking for sponsorship for our expedition. ”

"What!"

"It's easy. Museums, universities and wealthy people who are interested in the murals of the Mogao Grottoes are willing to sponsor our investigations. He went on to say, "One of the clients whose name I can't name for the time being has paid a $25,000 deposit for a mural he fancies......

"Wait!" Yi Shui interrupted him—every word he said was out of his mental preparation. "I thought the operation was a salvage excavation. You said ......"

"I didn't." Qin Lang denied Yi Shui's accusation in an unquestionable tone, "I never said that this operation was a rescue excavation activity, that is your own opinion-it is you who tell yourself that since there will always be Westerners going to Mogao Grottoes to dig up the treasures there, it is better for us to do it, and in this way, we can at least protect most of the treasures." ”

Attack right in the bull's-eye. Yi Shui's body shook a little. Qin Lang was right, but it also made him even more annoyed. "Don't you think so?"

"I'm just in business." Qin Lang took another step forward, "In fact, you have always understood, but you just refused to admit it. ”

"You ......" Yi Shui was angry and had a lot to say, but Qin Lang didn't give him a chance. If you're going to protect the precious artifacts of the Mogao Grottoes, that's great, but it's up to you to do it yourself - using the resources at your disposal while the operation is still under your command. ”

"But you and Rachel are labeling everything!"

"It's just the murals and sculptures, the most valuable part of the cultural relics in the Mogao Grottoes, but at the same time, the most worthless part."

The most valuable, and at the same time the least valuable? Yi Shui barely knew what Qin Lang was talking about. "I don't understand."

Qin Lang knew that he had to give a reasonable explanation, which was a bit difficult, because his own understanding was quite limited-in fact, Qin Lang didn't even know why he knew about it-but with the part he knew, he could at least calm down Yi Shui temporarily.

"You must understand," he said slowly, contemplating his speech as he conceived his speech, "the most valuable of the cultural relics in the Mogao Grottoes are the scriptures and documents, which are the key to the study of the culture and history of the Dunhuang region, an extremely important key. Without them, no institution or individual would have been able to study Dunhuang in depth. In contrast, murals and sculptures are nothing more than superficial things. ”

"So...... As long as I keep the books and documents, does that mean that there is no treasure lost? "If that's the case, that's acceptable.

But it's not that simple.

"No, to ensure that no treasure is lost, you must bring the scrolls and documents back to our museum in their entirety - they must be intact." Qin Lang emphasized that word again. "Instruments are valuable only if they are complete and well-preserved, and if they are just a bunch of broken, incomplete, incorrectly numbered and numbered things, they are nothing."

He paused for a moment, and then, as if still worried that Yi Shui didn't understand enough, he added: "You must understand that for archaeology, the content itself is the key to the full value, and there is not much difference between whether the content is genuine, a transcript or a film. This situation is markedly different from that of ordinary collections, where only a scarce number of genuine copies are of value to collectors and dealers of antiquities, for which they can destroy ninety-nine out of a hundred. ”

"It's easy to do." Yi Shui thought for a moment, "I'll keep an eye on those archaeologists." ”

Qin Lang shook his head. "It's not our historians and archaeologists who really need to be on high alert, it's the officials of the Qing government, and the caretakers of the Mogao Grottoes. Only they understand the value of the instrument, if not all, then only they will carry out sabotage. ”

"You're confusing me." Yi Shui said, "Why are they doing this? ”

"Because ......" Qin Lang opened his mouth, a very unfamiliar sentence suddenly popped up in his mind, and then blurted out logically, "...... If he doesn't know how to do it, he will spoil it; If he knew it, he would have stolen it. ”

"So?"

"So, they're going to break the papers, so we can't sort them out in order, and of course, it's impossible to find out what they're stealing."

"In that case, I'll let Zhang Biao keep an eye on those guys, after his mission is completed." He paused and continued to think about it, "Still, what did you just say...... Send those documents to our museum? The one that Tsinghua University is building? ”

"Of course."

"Why there?"

"Because I think Tsinghua University is too science-oriented at the moment, and my plan is to build it into a world-class comprehensive university." Qin Lang explained that "sending the texts and documents from the Mogao Grottoes to its museum was only one of the important steps in the overall project - they could put the university at the forefront of the study of Dunhuang history and culture, they could raise a lot of money for the school, they could make huge profits by selling the film of the documents, and finally, if necessary, they could sell some of the unimportant ...... to the Chinese government at a high price."

"Sounds like business." Yi Shui snorted. "You and Rachel can always turn anything into business."

"It's business, it can also bring fame, and there is an added benefit to having the paperwork at Tsinghua University." In fact, this benefit is not extra, but planned: "In the impression of the vast majority of the Chinese public, it is a Chinese university, and putting the paperwork there creates the illusion that they still belong to China, and can reduce the hostility and pressure we will face - of course, in theory, it is indeed a Chinese university, as if all Chinese are Chinese." Then our allies can act and steer public opinion in other directions. ”

"Do you think the public would be so easily fooled?"

"There is no doubt that they will." Qin Lang spread his hands, "You know, Duncan just appointed a few Chinese managers and factory directors, and let the people treat the few textile factories he recently opened as national enterprises. In contrast, Tsinghua University's Chinese background is a little stronger. ”

Yi Shui understood what he meant. The vast majority of Chinese still do not know the connection between United Textile Technology and Umbrella, and it is still impossible to figure it out in the future, but many know that the founder of Tsinghua University in Zhanjiang is a Chinese named Qin Lang.

Yi Shui sighed. "Sometimes, I feel like reality brings me nothing but sadness."

"For your age, this idea is too early to appear." Qin Lang stretched out his hand and gently patted Yi Shui's shoulder, "You should be glad that you still have the ability to do something." ”

"At the same time, I should be sad that if you were in charge of these things, the process would undoubtedly be easier, and the results would be significantly better." He sighed again, "Qin ......"

"I don't think there's any need for us to discuss that issue anymore, Yi Shui." Qin Lang interrupted him, then raised his right hand and glanced at his watch, "That's it for today, I have other things to deal with." ”

"What is it?" Yi Shui asked casually, ready to walk to the office door, "Browning's new machine gun, or Claude's mortar, or Caterpillar?" ”

"No, it's Morgan."

"Morgan?"

"He made Jack. Morgan asked me if I was planning to get the right to build a railroad from Beijing to Lanzhou. Qin Lang shrugged his shoulders again, "It looks like our archaeological plan has made him smell fishy." (To be continued, if you want to know what will happen next, please log in to the www.qidian.com, more chapters, support the author, support genuine reading!) (To be continued.) )