Chapter 292 This has nothing to do with Factory Manager Li!

A bulletproof commercial vehicle sped along the wide road.

There was not a sliver of light inside the cabin.

Liu Jianguo sat in the middle of the back row, with a burly, expressionless Special Agent sitting on each side of him.

These two people were like statues, sandwiching him firmly in the middle and leaving him no room to move.

Liu Jianguo's hands rested on his knees, his palms already slick with a fine layer of sweat.

His mind was a mess right now.

Although the car was driving smoothly, his heart felt like a small boat tossed about in a raging storm, bobbing up and down.

His mind was filled with the scene that had just unfolded in the special security channel at the airport.

That piercing, highest-level alarm.

Those flashing red warning lights.

And the identification result ruthlessly announced by the machine—Level 1 controlled strategic material, top secret.

Of course, what made him feel the most frantic was his dear daughter's "stepping up" at that critical moment.

'I don't like school!'

That slogan, full of relief and determination, lingered in his ears.

The corner of Liu Jianguo's mouth twitched violently.

He was truly speechless to the extreme.

By now, he had finally realized what was going on.

He, the father, was about to be executed on the spot as a spy selling state secrets, yet this girl was only thinking about how to legally and reasonably avoid doing her homework.

'This disappointing daughter of mine; if I had known, I wouldn't have brought her on this trip.'

Liu Jianguo groaned inwardly.

However, setting aside his daughter's absurd train of thought, the current situation was indeed severe to the extreme.

The vehicle drove for an unknown amount of time before finally entering a heavily guarded underground base.

The car door opened.

Liu Jianguo was "invited" out by the two Special Agents.

Just after getting out of the car, he saw two other vehicles carrying his wife, Wang Shufen, and his daughter, driving toward different passages.

...The family was completely separated.

Although Liu Jianguo was worried, he did not panic.

After all, he had been in this system for many years and knew the rules here very well.

As long as the matter had not been investigated, the safety and basic living needs of family members were absolutely guaranteed.

The only thing he needed to consider now was how to explain that damn Fishing Rod.

Not long after, Liu Jianguo was taken alone to a highly confidential waiting room.

The walls here were covered in thick soundproofing material; there were no windows, only a cold, white ceiling light emitting a glow.

"Director Liu, my apologies."

A security officer in charge of the inspection walked forward.

Liu Jianguo cooperatively spread his arms, letting the other person scan him back and forth with a high-precision metal detector.

Subsequently, the preliminary procedure began.

He was required to hand over all his personal belongings.

His belt, watch, and even his shoelaces were taken away and placed together into a transparent evidence bag.

As the dignified head of a military industrial unit, he was usually the one sitting in command to investigate others; when had he ever received this kind of "suspect" treatment?

He looked at his slightly ill-fitting leather shoes, speechless.

'What is this all about?'

'I just wanted to go on vacation and do some fishing, how did it turn into this?'

He paced back and forth in the waiting room.

Wasn't it just a Fishing Rod made by a Netizen?

Although that Netizen said it was made according to the high standards he had requested, he had admitted himself that it was a reduced-spec version and didn't fully meet the requirements at all.

How did it become a top-secret material just by going through security?

Could the detector be broken?

Or was that machine allergic to carbon fiber?

Just as he was utterly puzzled, the heavy iron door of the waiting room was pushed open.

"Let's go, Director Liu."

Two Special Agents stood at the door, making a gesture of invitation.

Shortly after, Liu Jianguo was brought back to the General Armament Department.

Passing through a long, dimly lit corridor.

He was taken to a high-level conference room in the General Armament Department.

As soon as he entered, an intense feeling of oppression washed over him.

The atmosphere in the conference room was serious to the extreme.

Several people were already seated around the large, oval conference table.

Sitting in the main seat was the highly respected Old General from the General Armament Department.

Beside the Old General sat several grim-faced heads of the special service departments.

What caught Liu Jianguo's attention most was not these big shots.

It was that object lying quietly in the center of the conference table.

That black Fishing Rod that had caused all this turmoil.

It had been taken out of that exquisite wood-veneer box and was lying there all alone.

Under the bright lights of the conference room, the black rod body reflected a cold, almost eerie luster.

The dragon scale patterns on the rod were clearly visible.

Perhaps it was just psychological, but as Liu Jianguo looked at this Fishing Rod now, he actually felt it exuded a kind of high-tech murderous aura.

Liu Jianguo was taken to a solitary chair in front of the table and sat down.

His hands rested on his knees, and his palms began to sweat again.

He felt uneasy.

He knew that facing the Old General in a conference room of this level was equivalent to facing the highest-spec internal review.

He knew that if he didn't explain things clearly today, he might spend the rest of his life in some secret base.

The Old General sat opposite him, hands crossed on the table.

His sharp, hawk-like eyes were fixed intently on Liu Jianguo.

The Old General offered no pleasantries and no extra nonsense.

He tapped the table and asked directly:

"Speak."

"Why, when Factory Director Li produced this kind of carbon fiber, did you still want to take it abroad?"

Hearing this question, Liu Jianguo, who was originally in a state of high tension and preparing to deal with all kinds of tricky interrogations, was stunned on the spot.

He stared blankly at the Old General, his eyes filled with confusion.

Factory Director Li? Produced carbon fiber? What is all this about?

Liu Jianguo's mind raced at that moment.

He tried hard to recall the ins and outs of the matter, attempting to sort out the logical relationship within it.

'This Fishing Rod was given to me by that Netizen named Fishing Rod Manufacturer.'

'That is a Netizen I have never even met in person.'

'Although that guy's craftsmanship is good, what does this have to do with Factory Director Li?'

'This is completely unrelated.'

Liu Jianguo recalled Li Jiajun's recent situation again.

He clearly remembered that just a few days ago, he had asked Li Jiajun on WeChat about the progress of the Fishing Rod development.

That kid's reply was still fresh in his mind.

Saying something about encountering technical bottlenecks. Saying something about researching reverse-thread plying. Saying something about having no clue at all, and not even having drawn the blueprints for the Fishing Rod clearly.

How could a half-baked amateur who hadn't even figured out how to make a Fishing Rod produce this kind of top-secret carbon fiber that could trigger the highest alarm on security machines?

This is absolutely impossible! The two things don't match up at all!

'I understand now.' 'The Old General and his team must have made a mistake.'

This thought surfaced in Liu Jianguo's mind. He felt that he had seen through the truth of the matter.

The special service department must have tracked the shipping information and found that the shipping origin of this Fishing Rod was Baishui City.

And in Baishui City, the most famous place in the military industry circle right now was undoubtedly Li Jiajun's Li Family Toy Factory.

Therefore, the Old General and the others must have formed a preconceived notion.

Once they saw a high-tech gadget sent from Baishui City, they subconsciously assumed it was made by Li Jiajun.

Thinking of this, Liu Jianguo felt more at ease.

He felt that this was simply a huge misunderstanding.

At the same time, a sense of responsibility to protect Li Jiajun rose in his heart.

Although that kid Li Jiajun had a weird destiny, although the toys he made always veered toward military weapons, and although he had angered him enough to make him take quite a few quick-acting heart-saving pills.

But in all fairness, the kid wasn't bad at heart.

He was an honest person with a patriotic heart.

He just wanted to be a peaceful toymaker for the people, just wanted to earn some clean money.

This Fishing Rod project was also something he had painstakingly persuaded him to do in order to get him on the right track.

Now, before the guy had even figured out the research, how could he just watch him be unjustly saddled with the huge blame of "developing top-secret materials and attempting to leak them overseas"?

If this charge was confirmed, that kid would be finished.

No. Although I, Liu Jianguo, am not some great hero, I am not the kind of petty person who would shift blame onto a junior to save myself.

I will take responsibility for my own actions!

This Fishing Rod was obtained by me from a Netizen; it has nothing to do with Factory Director Li, and I absolutely cannot implicate him!

In a very short time, Liu Jianguo completed a touching set of self-convincing.

He felt that his image at this moment instantly became taller.

Therefore, he took a deep breath and straightened his back.

Facing the Old General's sharp gaze, he did not flinch, his tone firm, and he said loudly and very loyally:

"General Manager! This matter! Has nothing to do with Factory Director Li!"

As soon as these words were spoken, the high-level conference room, which had been full of pressure, suddenly went quiet.

Even the air seemed to stop flowing.

The hands of the several Special Agents holding pens, ready to record, froze in mid-air.

A trace of imperceptible astonishment flashed across the Old General's dignified face.

A few seconds later, Liu Jianguo raised his head.

He did not see the "sudden realization" expression he had expected.

On the contrary, he saw the Old General and the surrounding Special Agents looking at him with extremely strange expressions.

That look, it was as if they were looking at a terminally ill idiot.

Or as if they were looking at an unlucky fool who was sold and still helping count the money.

Liu Jianguo felt uneasy under these gazes; he swallowed and asked somewhat puzzled:

"This... is there something wrong with what I said?"