Chapter 291 Take Away

"But, what exactly is going on here?"

Liu Jianguo stood dumbfounded in front of the constantly blaring scanner, feeling as if his entire world had collapsed in that very moment.

Striking alarm lights flashed alternately across his bloodless face, the frequency so rapid it made his heart numb.

The previously relatively relaxed atmosphere around him had now become incredibly severe.

Those loud, continuous "Beep! Beep! Beep!" sounds felt like they were striking directly against his nerves with every beat.

And behind him, just outside the perimeter instantly cordoned off by the Special Agent,

his wife, Wang Shufen, and daughter, Liu Yiyi, were also completely stunned.

Wang Shufen, in particular, was gripping the sun hats that had just passed security, her entire being seemingly frozen in place. Her mouth was slightly agape, and her eyes were fixed intently on the black rod case being carefully extracted by two Special Agents wearing anti-nuclear and chemical protective gloves.

They couldn't fathom how this trip, which had been planned for three months and was supposed to be filled with sunshine, beaches, and laughter, could suddenly turn into a disaster straight out of a counter-espionage movie in just a few short seconds.

The scene fell silent.

Apart from the machine's relentless alarm, no one's breathing could be heard.

Liu Jianguo's youngest daughter, Liu Yiyi, who had just started middle school this year, was staring wide-eyed at her father's back.

In her little head, after the initial blankness, she instantly completed a grand, logically self-consistent brainstorm.

'So that's why... no wonder Dad was so eager to apply for vacation this time?'

'In the past, it was harder than ascending to heaven to get him to spend a weekend with me, yet this time he proactively submitted a request and even wanted to take the whole family abroad?'

'And that Fishing Rod... He never cared about gear when fishing, yet this time he guarded that black box like a treasure, even making Mom sign some unequal treaty just to take it out.'

'Plus, what was that machine shouting just now? Level 1 Control? Strategic Material? Top Secret?'

Liu Yiyi felt her heart pounding rapidly in her chest, and an unprecedented sense of fear, coupled with the absurdity of the truth being revealed, instantly engulfed her.

'Oh my god! My dad... he's actually a spy?!'

Once this thought popped up, it couldn't be suppressed.

She recalled her dad's usual mysterious meetings and those confidential phone calls that rang in the middle of the night. She used to think he was working hard for the country, but now it seemed... that was clearly him meeting his contacts!

The way Liu Yiyi looked at Liu Jianguo changed completely.

From admiration and affection, it instantly turned into disbelief.

This fear made her hair stand on end, and she subconsciously took a step back.

Just that one step.

Although it was only a short dozen centimeters, in the eyes of Liu Jianguo, whose sensory sensitivity was amplified to the extreme at this moment, it was no less than a devastating earthquake.

Although Liu Jianguo had his back to his daughter, his keen perception, or perhaps his intuition as a veteran military industry worker, allowed him to capture that subtle movement behind him.

'You brat, are you serious about taking that step back?'

This thought emerged in Liu Jianguo's mind.

He only felt speechless.

That thoughtful little "padded jacket" he was usually so proud of and always praised was now leaking air worse than a sieve!

That step back was like delivering another backstab to his already battered heart.

Just as Liu Jianguo was preparing to turn his head to explain.

Liu Yiyi seemed to have finally fully reacted from the huge shock of her family's misfortune.

Although she was terrified by the truth that her dad was a spy, her "post-2010" brain wiring caused her, amidst the fear, to develop an incredibly absurd and righteous sense of heroism.

That was her own father!

Even if he really was a spy, he was still the father who had raised her for over a dozen years!

She felt that as a member of the family, and as her dad's only heir, she absolutely could not be a coward at a time like this!

She had to stand up!

Even if it meant sacrificing her own future, she had to protect this family!

And so.

In the second before the surrounding Special Agents were about to step forward to enforce mandatory measures on Liu Jianguo.

"Stop! Everyone stop!"

Liu Yiyi shouted, suddenly breaking free from Wang Shufen's grip, and miraculously rushed past the first cordon line.

She spread her arms, like an angry little hen, blocking tightly between Liu Jianguo and those Special Agents.

She shouted loudly:

"Don't arrest my dad! Don't arrest him!"

"I'll talk! I'll confess everything!"

"This... this Fishing Rod is mine! It was me who leaked state secrets!"

The scene instantly fell into another, even more unusual silence.

The Special Agent team leader's hand was already on his waist, but his movement stopped, and he stared blankly at the young girl who hadn't even reached his shoulder height.

Liu Jianguo was completely shattered on the spot.

He felt his temples throbbing non-stop, and his blood pressure was skyrocketing.

"Yiyi... what nonsense are you spouting?"

Liu Jianguo asked, his voice trembling.

However, Liu Yiyi was already completely immersed in the script she had written to save her father.

She had even quickly calculated everything in her mind.

'Isn't this how it's played on TV? As long as I take the blame, Dad can get a lighter sentence for inadequate supervision. Besides, I'm still young, so the law will definitely be lenient with me. If I go in for a few years now, I'll only be around twenty when I get out. By then, I'll still be a flourishing Young lady, and I'll have a long life ahead! Trading a few years of my youth to save Dad's life—that's a good deal!'

Thinking of this, a look of death-defying determination appeared on Liu Yiyi's face as she shouted at the Special Agents:

"That's right! I did it!"

"I secretly copied those data files from my dad's computer and sold them to that manufacturer!"

"My dad doesn't know anything; he's just an old fool who always thought this was just an ordinary Fishing Rod!"

Liu Jianguo's complexion turned darker than the bottom of a pot in that instant.

He wasn't angry because he was being slandered by his daughter.

It was because he realized with horror that his precious daughter, who usually loved reading CEO romance novels and mystery thrillers, had just been so emotionally excited that she blurted out every single word of the internal monologue she had been calculating deep in her brain!

That line, 'I'm still young, I'll be young when I get out,' and that assessment of him being an 'old fool,' echoed so clearly in the quiet security checkpoint.

These heartfelt words certainly sounded warm and were full of touching familial affection.

But in reality...

This was pushing him deeper into the fire pit!

Originally, Liu Jianguo was just a suspect for allegedly carrying prohibited items, but now, thanks to his own daughter's shouting, it was confirmed beyond doubt.

He, Liu Jianguo, didn't even know what was going on himself!

He just wanted to take a Fishing Rod to go fishing!

"Stop talking."

Liu Jianguo finally couldn't take it anymore.

He desperately needed a quick-acting heart-saving pill right now, preferably a whole bottle!

But Liu Yiyi didn't back down at all; she thought her dad was intentionally being harsh to protect her.

The young girl's eyes were red, but she replied with a firm face:

"Dad, stop trying to act tough!"

"I know you're good to me, but one must take responsibility for their own actions!"

"Just push it all onto me, really, I'm not afraid!"

"I've already thought it through. I'm young, so after staying in for a few years, I'll still be young when I come out, and I'll still be a good person."

Speaking of this, Liu Yiyi seemed to recall an even more convincing reason, and her voice rose a few decibels, carrying a sense of liberating joy:

"Besides! I don't like school anyway!"

"As long as I can save you, even if I get locked up and can't go to school, I'm willing!"

Her previous statement about saving her dad was sincere.

But the latter part about not liking school was absolutely from the bottom of her heart—it couldn't be truer!

To avoid exams and endless practice problems, she even felt that going in there for some "further studies" wouldn't be so bad.

...

Liu Jianguo felt his vision go dark; he felt that the way the Special Agents were looking at him was gradually becoming strange.

Liu Jianguo was utterly speechless.

He opened his mouth, wanting to explain something, but realized that all his experience was nothing but a joke in the face of such a "dad-sabotaging" little padded jacket.

What could he say?

...

Meanwhile, on the other side of the cordon.

Comrade Wang Shufen finally came back to her senses.

She looked at her daughter, who wore a look of righteousness, and then at her husband, whose face was so dark it could drip ink.

In her eyes, an emotion known as "the greatest sorrow is the death of the heart" gradually emerged.

Wang Shufen closed her eyes and let out a deep sigh.

"Take him away."

The Special Agent team leader had also completely lost patience with the continued entanglement.

"Team One, secure the target!"

"Team Two, take the family members away!"

"Seal the classified physical evidence and send it to the highest-level laboratory for emergency assessment!"

Several stern orders were issued.

Liu Jianguo stopped struggling; as if his spine had been pulled out, he allowed the agents to take him into the black car.

The vehicle sped away.