400: The nature of the incident has been determined.

Zhang Jun was still at Yang Qi's house drinking tea with Yang Qi and his father. Upon receiving this news, the group was beyond furious.

"What a complete bastard! Blinded by greed, using any means necessary to achieve his goals!"

Zhang Jun couldn't help but curse out loud.

Yang Limin and Yang Qi's faces also turned blue with rage.

"How black-hearted! This corrupt official wants to commit highway robbery! I won't give it to him. If he tries to use force, I'll fight him to the death!"

"Uncle, there's no need for that! Calm down. Since we know about this in advance, we can find a way to deal with it."

Seeing Yang Limin trembling with rage, Zhang Jun quickly tried to comfort him.

"I'll call Tang Long to feel him out and, while I'm at it, report this matter up the chain. With his second uncle there, I'm sure the higher-ups won't tolerate such a person terrorizing the local area."

"The most important thing right now is to see how the higher-ups characterize this matter. As long as the top leadership recognizes Yang Qi's great merit, you won't just be safe from worrying about the remaining items; you'll definitely be rewarded as well."

After saying this, Zhang Jun called Tang Long.

"Hey! A-Jun! Let me tell you, Yang Qi did a beautiful job! My second uncle took it very seriously this morning."

Tang Long sounded very happy on the other end. For him, seeing his friend achieve merit was a source of pride by association!

"ALong! I'm currently at Yang Qi's place. An unexpected situation has cropped up, and it's quite disgusting!"

Zhang Jun had the call on speakerphone, so Yang Qi and his father could both hear.

Tang Long's voice clearly rose several notches in pitch.

"What unexpected situation? It's not that the stuff is fake, is it? Don't mess with me! This matter might have already reached the highest levels; this is no joking matter!"

"It's definitely not that. There's no problem with the authenticity of the items. It's just..."

Before Zhang Jun could finish, he heard Tang Long let out a long sigh of relief on the other end, saying:

"Don't take such long pauses when you talk, man. You scared the life out of me... Since there's no problem with the items, what kind of accident could there be?"

"Don't interrupt me when I'm speaking. I hadn't finished yet, and you cut me off yourself. Who else can you blame?"

Zhang Jun grumbled a complaint and then continued.

"The situation is like this: the local Maritime Safety Administration Director..."

After Zhang Jun finished explaining the situation, Tang Long's voice immediately erupted in curses over the phone.

The noise even startled Bai Xue and Mother Yang, who were preparing lunch, and they both came into the living room to listen in.

"Holy crap, this guy is too much of a piece of work. He's truly lawless, actually wanting to commit highway robbery! Fuck!"

"I've got it. I'll tell my second uncle immediately. The higher-ups will definitely give him a proper lesson. I'm hanging up now!"

Tang Long was about to hang up after speaking.

"Don't be in such a hurry, don't hang up yet. Can you go feel them out? Ask about the higher-ups' attitude and how they've characterized this matter."

Zhang Jun hurriedly stopped Tang Long.

"When my second uncle received my call this morning, his exact words were: 'Your friend has done a great deed for the benefit of the country and the people!'"

"Alright! I get what you mean. I'll go ask about the final characterization given by the organization. Is that all now? If so, I'm hanging up!"

After confirming there was nothing else, Tang Long hung up the phone.

At this very moment, in a certain meeting room in central Beijing, big shots were gathered. Several sets of photos were playing on the LED screen on the front wall, while the left side displayed photos and personal profiles of Yang Qi and Bai Xue.

These photos were precisely the ones Yang Qi had sent to Tang Long.

Present were leaders from the State Council, the Ministry of National Defense, the Ministry of Public Security, the National Nuclear Safety Administration, the Ministry of Agriculture, the Ministry of Energy, and other departments. They were all staring solemnly at the photos on the large screen.

Tang Long's second uncle, Tang Bangqiang, was among them as one of the first people informed. Feeling his phone vibrate, he pulled it out to see a message from Tang Long. After reading it, his face turned ashen.

After the group finished looking at the photos, experts from the National Nuclear Safety Administration first analyzed the photos of the Highly Enriched Uranium-235. Ultimately, the experts concluded that there was over a 95% probability they were authentic.

Furthermore, those ores were also specimens of certain precious metals.

A Vice Premier of the State Council presiding over the meeting immediately issued an order for a naval unit from the Southern Theater Command to proceed to the coordinates provided by Yang Qi for a secret verification.

Next, Tang Bangqiang, as the one who first knew the situation, was asked to recount the process of how he received the information.

Tang Bangqiang recounted everything Tang Long had told him that morning in great detail. Finally, he took out his phone and said with a cold smile:

"Just now, that boy of mine sent another message. He mentioned that the local Maritime Safety Administration Director wants to fish in troubled waters, believing that the young man should hand over everything, otherwise he will be processed for the crime of stealing national resources."

"He also mentioned that his friend wants to know how the state characterizes what he has done. He's afraid of having his home raided!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the State Council leader presiding over the meeting spoke with a powerful, resonant voice:

"This is simply absurd! The coordinates of that shipwreck are clearly in Philippine waters. A secret verification will prove its authenticity; it's not like a shipwreck can run away. How could this possibly be the crime of stealing national resources?"

"This young man named Yang Qi and his wife overcame countless difficulties and went through great hardships to bring back these resources and a large number of treasures from abroad for the country. This is a great service to the nation and the people."

"Yet some of our local officials, for the sake of the official hat on their heads, act without distinguishing right from wrong and use any means necessary. They are even prepared to kill the donkey once it has finished its work on the mill—to commit highway robbery. This is simply lawless!"

"When such a good young comrade has already made such a great contribution, can the state still allow his heart to grow cold?"

"Issue an order for a thorough investigation of the officials involved. There will be absolutely no leniency! The credibility of our Party must never be tarnished by these vermin."

"One piece of rat droppings spoils the whole pot of porridge."

The State Council leader paused for a moment, took a sip of tea, and continued:

"I am now clearly stating my attitude here: in this matter, the two young comrades, Yang Qi and Bai Xue, have performed a great service!"

"These two young comrades have proven with facts that they are noble-minded, patriotic, and Party-loving youths. They should be commended, but because this matter involves quite a lot, I suggest it be done privately."

"Comrade Tang Bangqiang will be responsible for overseeing the handling of this matter!"

Meanwhile, ever since they made the call, Yang Qi and the others had no peace of mind, feeling constantly on edge.

Director Zhang Long was also dragging his feet. He waited until it was time to start work, yet he still hadn't gathered his personnel to go to Yang Qi's house.

In the basement of the Maritime Safety Administration office building, the Director got out of his car with a glowing face, walking with a swaggering, arrogant gait as he entered the elevator of the office building.

If this matter was handled well today, he estimated that being promoted another level would be no problem at all.

He was just a mere Fisherman. As long as Zhang Long went over and gave him a few casual scares, the guy would probably be so terrified he'd wet his pants and obediently do as he was told.

As long as he got his hands on all the treasures salvaged from the sea, wouldn't that show his capability? Wouldn't the merit be even greater then?