Xiao Luo was flattered. Even he didn’t know when he had become such an important figure.
“You don’t need to be too surprised,” Gu Zhanguo seriously said. “I didn’t say anything too surprising. It was you and Bai Ling who blocked the aggression of the foreign hostile forces. It was a long-planned war. Once we lose the fight, our country’s network will be encroached upon and chaos will reign. That will be followed with social riots, horrific terrors, and a loss of control with no order at all, eventually shaking the very foundation of this country.”
Xiao Luo glanced at the apple that he had been handed. He took it and said, “Isn’t what you’re saying too serious?”
“Serious?”
Gu Zhanguo shook his head. “When everyone’s bank account has been emptied, traffic lights are randomly changed, and all the satellites in space get disconnected, the whole country will fall into chaos and panic. It will involve too many things at once. No one country could withstand such chaos, especially our motherland, which is undergoing a rapid development.”
Xiao Luo did not speak. Instead, he took a bite of the apple and slowly chewed.
As far as he was concerned, all he had done was block a hacker-initiated war. He never thought of defending the motherland because the implication of the word “defend” was too heavy and brought with it too much responsibility. In his heart, those bloody sacrifices and brave revolutionary martyrs were the only ones deserving of that word. What was he? He was just an ordinary person who accidentally got ahold of a high-tech system.
“Actually, we have been noticing you for a while now.”
After speaking, Gu Zhanguo clapping twice. The door of the ward was pushed open. A man and a woman walked in.
Xiao Luo was taken aback when he saw the two people. They were none other than An Huanhuan and Song Jianan from Huaye. They were wearing their NSA professional suits, which game them an aura of capability and unspeakable coldness.
“Hero Luo, long time no see.”
An Huanhuan greeted Xiao Luo with a smile. Compared with her previous school uniform, she looked even more beautiful wearing the suit. She was like a rose blooming steadily in the night.
Song Jianan did not speak. He merely looked at Xiao Luo with a friendly smile on his face.
Gu Zhanguo said, “These are my soldiers from the NSA. The purpose of their disguise in Huaye was to observe whether Bailing was actually Bai Ling from Huaye. During that period, they were disguised in the form of lovers until you appeared.” He momentarily caught his breath before continuing, “The strength you demonstrated attracted their attention. In order to test your true strength, Song Jianan gathered all the members of Huaye’s mixed martial arts club against you. At that time you did not use all of your strength.”
Xiao Luo smiled but did not speak. He continued to chew on the apple. He had not expected that he was under a state agency’s observation. The identities of An Huanhuan and Song Jianan, in particular, were unexpected. No one would have suspected the truth.
Gu Zhanguo looked at him. He smiled and said, “After you left school, you took over a company that was close to bankruptcy. Within two months, it was brought back to life. You were then deeply rooted in Jiangcheng’s fight with the Dragon Gang like a tumor and finally put an end to the reign of the secret society. Your capability made me very sure. That was when I knew you were Mie. I am so excited that I can’t describe it with proper words. Do you know that you are a genius? You are a genius without an equal!”
A genius without an equal?
He wasn’t sure why but whenever Xiao Luo heard these four words, he couldn’t help but want to laugh. He quickly ate the remainder of the apple and threw the core into the trash can next to him. With a playful and perky tone, he said, “You speak so highly of me, building my ego up like this, so I’m guessing you want me to join the NSA, right?”
“Of course. I need a talent like you in the NSA.”
Gu Zhanguo spoke with a wide smile. He didn’t even try to deny his intentions. He looked at Xiao Luo with a relaxed expression. It was like he had settled on getting Xiao Luo.
“I don’t want to be bound by all these rules and regulations,” Xiao Luo calmly said. “What I want is freedom, not shackles.”
Gu Zhanguo shook his head and sincerely said, “There is no such thing as absolute freedom in this world. When a person is born, one must abide by the laws of this world. Otherwise, all that’s waiting for a person is destruction.”
That statement resonated with Xiao Luo and made him think.
What is freedom? Is it freedom to live in the present, continue working, and live repetitively day by day?
“You killed people, which is an indisputable fact,” Gu Zhanguo said, throwing out a heavy topic. “When you go to court, the presiding judge will sentence you to death for intentional homicide. You still have family members and friends. Do you want them to bear the fact that you will leave forever?”
Visions immediately entered Xiao Luo’s mind. He saw his father, mother, grandfather, and grandmother. It was almost New Year, and they were all waiting for him to come back.
“As long as you become a member of my NSA team, that will not happen to you,” Gu Zhanguo said. “You will still be a law-abiding citizen and the owner of Luo’s Workshop. There will not be any stain on your personal records. Everything you did in Jiangcheng will be considered as nothing but you performing your tasks.”
From those words, Xiao Luo was able to deduce the position of the NSA. If even him, a criminal who killed and was captured by police officers on the spot could be saved, then their authority was sure to override the police system.
“Do you still need to consider it?” Gu Zhanguo asked.
Xiao Luo snorted lightly and asked, “Do I even have a choice?”
Gu Zhanguo laughed loudly and said, “It’s an honor to serve the country. You should not feel like you’ve done any wrong.”
He laughed, which made Xiao Luo do the same.
“By the way, I just want to ask, what is your relationship with Gu Qianlin? The two of you have similar vibes, and your surnames are Gu…”
“I am her father.”
Gu Zhanguo raised an eyebrow and jokingly asked, “Do you have a crush on her? Should I be a matchmaker and introduce the two of you?”
“If it’s her, forget it, but I could consider your younger daughter,” Xiao Luo said, chuckling lightly.
“Oh? Really? I guess I’ll have to call her and see what she thinks about it.”
Gu Zhanguo immediately took out his mobile phone and dialed Gu Qianxue’s phone. Xiao Luo looked on in disbelief as he asked, “Darling Qianxue, Xiao Luo asked me if you would like to be his girlfriend.”
What?! @#￥%…
Xiao Luo opened his eyes widely and cursed non-stop. He didn’t expect the old man to ask that on the spot, especially in such a straightforward manner. He had just been kidding.
This was the first time An Huanhuan and Song Jianan saw Xiao Luo lose his cool. Neither of them could help but start laughing.
The content of the call between Gu Zhanguo and Gu Qianxue was also very interesting.
“Xiao Luo and I are already friends.”
“No, no, no. I am asking if you would like to be his partner.”
“I don’t understand.”
“Let me rephrase and ask again. If he touched you, would you be angry?”
Gu Zhanguo knew that his younger daughter was like a little girl who was not well adjusted to the world, so he made the question straightforward and easier to understand.
Xiao Luo’s expression turned into one of fright. He was beginning to wonder if this old man was really the highest in command in the NSA or if he was just an old gangster.
“I wouldn’t!”
Gu Qianxue immediately replied. She was thinking of Xiao Luo patting her forehead, which she would not be angry about.
“OK, I got it.”
Gu Zhanguo hung up the phone and looked at Xiao Luo with an unexplainable strange expression.
