Chapter Sixteen: The Enigmatic Reappearance (Three)

  "And even if someone were to attack me, I absolutely wouldn't be able to send out a distress signal." Longyi said this, and even Zhang Fan had to admit that he was right. Li Lan had mentioned before that the equipment on Longyi's body at the time had a distress signal that only needed to be lightly pressed to send it out, and the launcher was installed in a very secret place, unless one lost consciousness in an instant, otherwise, even if the whole body was tied up, they could still press it.

  "What exactly happened to you here?" Zhang Fan continued to induce, trying to see if he could recover a little bit of memory. It's worth noting that from the time he lost contact until now, just thinking about it would make one realize that Long Yi's experiences during this period must have been quite important, and might even be the key to finding Professor Ouyang. "Did you go somewhere else again?"

  "Somewhere else?" Long's hands slowly inserted into his hair, and his head also started to slowly lower down, apparently trying hard to recall. However, it was clear that despite his deep thinking, he still couldn't come up with a reason, and in the end could only shake his head and give up.

  "If you don't mind, I can try to hypnotize you and see if that helps you remember?" Zhang Fan suggested, seeing that he was really at a loss.

  As expected, no sooner had the words left his mouth than Longyi's face changed! —— These special agents have too many secrets in their hearts, and many of them are related to national secrets. How can they let people hypnotize them casually? Moreover, these people have undergone very strict anti-hypnotic training. Even if they agree to let Zhang Fan hypnotize them, unless they absolutely cooperate from the heart, it will be a futile effort.

  However, Zhang Fan obviously didn't plan to actually hypnotize him either. Joking, he was a superpower holder in terms of mental strength control, did he still need something as low-level as hypnosis? But if they didn't make things clear with Long Yi from the start, it might lead to endless trouble later on, and there would definitely be knots in Long Yi's heart.

  "No way." Long Yi gave Zhang Fan a stern look and flatly rejected him.

  "Huh, won't do?" Zhang Fan's face twisted into a bitter smile, but his expression didn't change in the slightest. "Do you know how long it's been since you went missing? You should be clear about Professor Ouyang's importance to our country. He's been missing for so long, and if we can't find out what happened to him soon, do you not understand what the consequences will be? You refuse to cooperate, fine, it's not like I'm the one who has to deal with the fallout! By now, the National Security Bureau is probably in an uproar."

  Zhang Fan's words were indeed casual, but to be honest, if it weren't for the enormous amount of money involved and Professor Ouyang's disappearance being a huge deal, he wouldn't have had any intention of taking on the case. Even if the matter dragged on or remained unresolved, Zhang Fan would not have been the most anxious one - in fact, the government was much more anxious than him! Professor Ouyang was not only an authority in the scientific community but also a national idol and a source of pride for the entire country due to years of intense promotion by the government. If his mysterious disappearance were to spread, the impact on the public's perception would be even greater than that in the scientific community.

  Moreover, when Zhang Fan received the task that day, he also vaguely heard Li Lan say that Professor Ouyang seemed to have some latest research materials in his hands. If it were to be leaked out, it would even cause a sensation internationally! However, Zhang Fan had always been uninterested in such technical things and directly handed them over to Xiaoxue to take charge of. So after hearing about it, he didn't have any impression and simply threw it to the back of his mind.

  He knew this and believed that Longyi also knew. So he was not afraid of Longyi's refusal, because on this matter, the national security system is absolutely more important than him.

  Upon hearing his words, Long hesitated for a moment and his attitude did relax somewhat: "I'm sorry, Mr. Zhang Fan, this matter is indeed of great importance, and I really can't agree to it without consulting my superiors first. Why don't you try to get in touch with my superiors and obtain their consent?"

  Upon hearing this, Zhang Fan was so angry that he almost kicked him directly! These special agents were indeed donkeys! He suppressed his anger and knocked Long Yi unconscious with a single punch, then used his spiritual power to probe his thoughts. With a bitter smile, he said: "Ha! You think I'm like you, equipped with top-notch national security gear, able to contact headquarters from any corner of the globe? I'm just a private detective, do you know what that means?! By the end, Zhang Fan's tone had become somewhat menacing: "The impact of this matter is clear, and I believe you understand it better than me! Now it's obvious, the key lies in the time you went missing! Although your mind may have suffered some damage and forgotten certain things, now we can find clues through this one lead. You're still being so wishy-washy, I might as well let go!"

  "Didn't you accept the commission from Commissioner Li Lan...?" Long Yi's voice actually carried a hint of weakness, which surprised Zhang Fan. Weren't these top-notch agents supposed to have absolutely solid mental quality, each and every one of them being the type who wouldn't bat an eyelid even if Mount Tai were to crumble before their eyes? How come this ace in front of him seemed somewhat weak?

  But thinking again, he also understood that it was probably the influence of the damage to Longyi's spirit before, which caused a slight change in his personality. Confirming this, his heart settled down, as long as you loosen your mouth, everything will be easy!

  "Entrustment? What's the big deal about entrustment? As a private detective who isn't particularly well-known, even if I fail to complete one or two cases, it's not like it's the end of the world. And with this case, up until now, I still haven't found any leads. They say a clever woman can't cook without rice, but I'm at my wit's end - am I supposed to conjure up an Ouyang Professor? I'll just rescue you and consider it a favor to Li Lan, as for what happens next, sorry, that's for your national security system to handle! I'm washing my hands of this!" By the time he finished speaking, even he himself couldn't help but feel a bit bitter - wasn't he just being lazy? When did he start resorting to such tactics?

  "But don't you have any sense of patriotism? How important Professor Ouyang is to our country, isn't it clear yet? How can you just let him go?" As soon as Longyi finished speaking, Zhang Fan finally understood: his personality had indeed changed, and it was a huge change! This kind of talk, even an ordinary agent wouldn't dare say it out loud, and his own words that were almost like cheating, even a rookie agent wouldn't fall for it, but Longyi, this top-notch agent, actually believed it!

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  There is still one more chapter tonight.