As the assistant busied himself with the arrangements for moving the laboratory, Major General Tommy smiled and called him back.
“Speaking of which, since you’re arranging the move, how are you handling the funding?”
The assistant blinked. Since it was a military matter, the funding would naturally come from the Weapons Research Department under Major General Tommy’s command. Was he expected to report to the government and request an appropriation from Capitol Hill? If they went through Capitol Hill, the entire process would likely take half a month or more.
“I plan to submit a report for funding from our Weapons Research Department!” the assistant said, looking somewhat bewildered at Major General Tommy.
“Look at you, being foolish again,” Major General Tommy chuckled. “This is a favor for Marshar, so how can our Weapons Department foot the bill? It doesn’t make any logical sense. Here’s what you do: prepare a budget. I estimate it will cost around 800 million. Exaggerate it a little, keep it within 1.2 billion, and then fax it to Marshar. Let him pay for it.”
“The extra 400 million, take 100 million to give bonuses to the high-ranking officials involved in this laboratory relocation project, including yourself. The rest goes into my personal fund.”
Good heavens. Major General Tommy really knew how to make money. A mere laboratory relocation project directly netted him 400 million. However, the remaining 100 million would be distributed among them. As his personal secretary, he could expect to pocket a million US dollars. That was already ten years’ worth of income for an average American. Following Major General Tommy had its perks; any benefits were shared.
“Understood, Major General Tommy.”
“I’ll get right on it.”
…
For the next week or so, Meng Hao was plagued by a pounding headache from the constant construction noise. Numerous cargo planes flew in from the US mainland to Australia. Countless trucks transported brick, tile, and concrete to both sides of Meng Hao’s villa. Then, like assembling building blocks, a laboratory building spanning the size of four or five of Meng Hao’s villas was completed. As pre-fabricated equipment was lowered from the top of the unfinished laboratory, a magnificent research facility stood ready before sunrise on the eighth day.
“Damn.”
“Quite the undertaking.”
“This laboratory must have cost nearly a billion to build.”
Even though Luna had witnessed the US government’s attention to Meng Hao, she couldn’t help but express her awe as the laboratory rose from the ground. Of course, what equally amazed Luna was the fact that the secret agents who had been monitoring Meng Hao in the shadows had now stepped into the light. They had changed into US military uniforms and, along with a large contingent of arriving US soldiers, had established a lockdown zone stretching several kilometers around Meng Hao’s villa, making it impenetrable by land or water. Naturally, the US already had a mutual defense agreement with Australia, which essentially allowed the US to station troops there. Adding another military outpost wouldn’t attract any external attention or suspicion.
…
Inside Meng Hao’s villa, many of Luna’s personal belongings had been packed. The villa had been requisitioned by the US as a military base. Meng Hao, who was about to officially begin his work, would be separated from Luna for a period.
“Honestly, my dear Meng, I’m going to miss this place so much.”
Meng Hao scratched his head. What kind of masochistic personality was this? After being detained for nearly a month, she had developed an attachment to this damned place?
“After all, we met here, and I became your woman here…” Luna, still in her pajamas, lay on her side next to Meng Hao, gazing at the ebb and flow of the tide. Her heart was filled with reluctance.
“Oh?”
“If you’re that reluctant, why don’t I have a word with Major General Tommy and have this villa dismantled? We can pick a spot and have it reassembled for you.”
Truth be told, if Meng Hao had made such a request, Tommy would have absolutely gone through with it. They had already paid 1.2 billion US dollars for the laboratory relocation; moving a villa would be no big deal. Besides, it was Marshar footing the bill, so he wouldn’t feel the pinch.
“Never mind that.”
“No matter where we move it, it will still be under US surveillance. It’s better to let the memories remain here forever!” Luna said with a sigh. Indeed, the US side would never agree to pack up and ship the villa to China for reassembly. Furthermore, knowing Meng Hao, she was certain he would seize this opportunity of developing new energy vehicles to escape. As for how he would escape, or what methods he would use to bypass the coastal and land surveillance, that was not Luna’s concern. She only knew that her man was omnipotent, capable of anything.
“Besides, wherever you are is the most eternal memory!” Good heavens, Luna was becoming so romantic she was practically a poet.
“Is that so?” Meng Hao chuckled, glancing at Luna and taking a sip of his red wine. “Speaking of which, I should thank you.”
“To compensate me for the loss of the villa, the US government gave me 30 million US dollars… That’s far too much. With that money, I could buy an identical villa in the extremely expensive city of New York.” Thirty million. This was actually a thank-you payment to Luna. Otherwise, this seaside villa in a non-core city of Australia would be worth at most 500,000 to 600,000 US dollars.
“Here, take it.”
“They have plenty of money anyway.”
“As for thank yous, we don’t need to be so formal between us!” Meng Hao said with a smile, setting down his wine glass. His gaze roamed unreservedly over Luna. “If you really want to thank me, it’s not impossible… you know what I mean!”
Amidst their playful banter, Luna willingly responded.
Dawn broke, and the sun shone brightly. Luna, who had been indulging in unrestrained passion on the floor all night, had dark circles under her eyes. She truly couldn’t understand why this Eastern man, Meng Hao, possessed such incredible stamina.
“My dear Meng,” Luna, stifling her weariness, packed Meng Hao’s personal belongings and changing clothes, acting like a devoted wife seeing her husband off on a journey. “Where should I wait for you after I leave?”
“First, go find Zhang Xijin… the girl who passed you those little notes… and then quickly contact the Chinese military. I suspect there are warships patrolling near Australia. Then, you two should leave immediately. Otherwise, when the US discovers I’m gone, they’ll definitely detain you as leverage.”
Luna nodded silently. The moment of separation was upon them, and a palpable sense of melancholy filled the room. Soon, someone in a US military uniform approached.
“Mr. Meng.”
“The laboratory you require has been completed.”
“Would you prefer to continue residing here, or move to the research facility?”
Meng Hao rolled his eyes. Of course, he would go to the research laboratory. Staying here would be like openly inviting the US to monitor him.