When the entire meeting was finally done, it was past noon and everyone had departed almost immediately from the meeting venue. Despite what the Defence Minister had said, He Fei was also in a rush but he had not forgotten what he promised Jin.
“Jin, do you have time? If yes, follow me.” He Fei said which both Jin and Kraft quietly followed the Defence Minister.
“Any luggage you need to check out?” the Minister asked which the duo replied with a firm no. “I guess that’s the perk of teleporting at the very last minute. ”
“Yea, my friend here is a whiz when it comes to teleporting. He was the one who help create those teleport gates,” Jin patted Kraft’s back and the latter knew it was a ruse to shift any eyes towards him.
“Ah, so you are the one I should thank for those teleporting trucks.” He Fei said as they were once again in that dreaded lift. He Fei extended his hands to thank and congratulate Kraft for his ‘achievement’ but subsequently realised what Jin was pushing for.
A firm physical contact with the Defence Minister of China.
“That Jin, he can be quite devious at times. So proud of him.” Kraft said while smiling widely right in front of the Defence Minister. Just that second was all that was needed for the crafty devil to break into He Fei’s mental barriers and access information which all the Royal Zodiac Heads combined would never have collected.
It was not to say that he did not have any barrier but it was rather that Kraft’s devilish techniques to gain access were terribly efficient. The recent months working with Jin had been a big jump to his repertoire of skills that he believed no man alive was able to stop him from accessing their memories.
The only drawback was that he needed at least some physical contact with the said person. And that was a done deal when Jin had finally allowed Kraft to shake hands with He Fei. “Pleasure to meet you as well, Sir.”
“Ah, this chi. It’s the very same one that we all had experienced before having the pleasure to meet you. For you to be able to clash with Kong Rong head on is quite a remarkable feat. It’s good to know that the Panda Lord has such a dependable ally.”
“You too.” Kraft wanted to not say much but it seems he wanted to drag the physical contact even longer by placing his other hand on top of the ones they were shaking. “However, I am truly honoured to finally meet you. It’s not every day we are able to meet a high government official and have a face to face chat and even more, have a proper handshake.”
He Fei was a bit uncomfortable by Kraft’s shaking as the chi he eluded was somewhat a little threatening. The bodyguards eventually interfered and stop the handshake as they thought that he was about to do something out of the ordinary towards the minister but Jin immediately pulled Kraft back and placed his hand on Kraft’s neck in order to push it downwards.
An apology bow with Jin loudly stating within the lift that Kraft was too much a fan of his. Minister He Fei was no doubt shocked by the revelation as he did not expect himself to have such a ‘fervent fan’. He quickly told the bodyguards to step down and allowed Kraft to explain himself.
“Yes, yes. I apologise for the long handshake. I was holding my thoughts and excitement throughout the entire meeting. Anyways, you were talking about teleporting trucks? We can strike a deal with obviously the Panda Lord giving you a decent discount as a way to path our friendship?” Kraft continued to pretend his role given by Jin.
“Hmm, I will no doubt consider it.” He Fei said as they finally got out of the lift and people were already making way for the Defence Minister to get into his car. The other two shamelessly followed him and the guards still felt it was uncomfortable for them to sit in the same vehicle as the Defence Minister.
“I only have one space if my bodyguards are in here. So what about it?” He Fei asked and even though the answer was obviously Jin, the Panda Lord decided to let Kraft sit with the Defence Minister. “You sure about this?” Kraft was obviously acting and Jin magnanimously allowed his companion to take the seat but Ran Ran stepped in and gave a firm no.
“We do not have your credentials. Only Jin is able to enter the car from this point forward. I suggest you stay at the hotel until his return.” The main bodyguard for the Defence Minister said and Jin step backwards instead of listening to the bodyguard’s orders.
“Sorry, Minister. I am afraid that if I am the only one going into that car, my employee would hate me for life…so we shall politely decline this follow up meeting. The rewards can wait. I have enough to get by anyways.” Jin said and He Fei sighed.
“Make an exception this time around, Ran Ran. I am sure that they meant me no harm. It is rather bad manners for the government to not properly reward the person who had the biggest hand in solving the recent incidents. Besides, Kong Rong seems to allow that fellow to walk into the room full of Zodiac Clan Heads without any trouble. I am sure we will be fine.” He Fei said and Ran Ran shook his head.
“Understood, Sir. Fortress, we are changing the details a little…” Ran Ran had spoken through his intercoms and the guard inside the car came out, allowing Kraft to enter alongside Jin.
Ran Ran took the steering wheel while Jin sat at the front with Kraft and He Fei able to talk more about the ‘teleporting trucks’. It seemed that the Defence Ministry was willing to purchase up to a hundred of them as an experimental phase but Kraft said that they could at most produce twenty for the first production run after the revisions had been made.
“We need to make sure they are of the highest quality as teleporting people is as dangerous as making sure an aeroplane lands safely with their passengers intact. And the timeline given is rather tight especially when most of it is made with in house expertise. After all, it’s still a trade secret which Jin’s store and SeaMesh company are not willing to part it out yet.” Kraft said and He Fei understood where he was coming from.
“In any case, it seems we have been ignoring you. Jin. Once you reach my office, we will be able to furnish you a cheque and a few weapon relics which could be useful in the fight against the Banned Emperor.” He Fei said but Kraft decided to interrupt him.
“Rather than weapons and money, we would prefer connections and contracts if that’s possible. Jin is still a growing asset, it’s best we get the right people for the right job if we wish to eradicate the terrorist organisations. I wonder if you aid us in getting the contacts instead.” Kraft suggested, which made He Fei laugh loudly.
“Indeed, in this modern time and age, connections could be more powerful than money and resources. I see what I can do in giving you a few recommendation letters especially when I had too many people wishing for their favours to be repaid.” He Fei said and Kraft once again extended his hand for another handshake which the Defence Minister reciprocated.
