Chapter: 2668
“Do you know what the report means? It means your fellow Americans have no idea you’re captured!”
“So your army won’t even think about sending troops to rescue you. The opposition and your embassy asked for an 80 million ransom, but it was turned down. Do you really expect them to send help? Do you think your father is as rich as Warren Buffett or Bill Gates?”
“I don’t believe it!” Several young Americans shouted back, “You must be lying!”
Just then, an Indian boy turned to He Zhiqiu and said loudly, “Zhiqiu, you need to watch out for this guy. I really suspect he’s with the opposition! There’s no way he could have made it here so quickly unless he was one of them. Don’t forget, there are still one or two thousand opposition soldiers around. If he wasn’t one of them, he wouldn’t have made it in alive! Look at him! He’s wearing their clothes and carrying their weapon. He has to be a member of the opposition!”
He then glared at Charlie Wade and said coldly, “This guy is here to trick you and slander our country. I don’t know what his intentions are! Maybe the opposition knows you’re Chinese American, so they sent him to mess with you. Don’t trust him!”
Charlie Wade felt a mix of anger and amusement at the boy’s words. He replied, “If you’re so sure I’m with the opposition, why act tough in front of me? Aren’t you worried I might use this AK-47 I’m holding?”
The Indian boy looked a bit nervous but tried to sound strong, saying, “I… I’m not afraid!”
“How dare you attack me?” he shouted. “Your group captured us with great effort, right? It was just to negotiate with our home country, wasn’t it? If you kill me, what will you use to negotiate? And if our country decides to retaliate, it will be your end! Just a few missiles could destroy this place!”
Charlie Wade replied sarcastically, “Out of the eight of you, one is just a schoolmaster with better grades. What about your family background? Do your parents have money? Any one of you could become an American politician or even a state assemblyman.”
“You want money, but you have none. You want power, but you have none. Are you just waiting for the SEALs to save you? You think someone will use missiles to get revenge for you? I’m not belittling you, but even a small missile costs millions. Surface-to-surface missiles start at tens of millions. Do you really think you’re worth such an expensive weapon?”
The Indian boy looked upset. He wanted to respond but couldn’t find the words.
Then, another boy of Chinese descent spoke up, “Stop confusing everyone. We all know the U.S. values the safety of its citizens. All eight of us are important to society. The country will rescue us no matter what. You’re just trying to brainwash us into attacking our own country. I see through your tricks. Every time Americans criticize the U.S., you get so excited that you can’t sleep. You can’t wait to share that video with the world!”
Charlie Wade’s playful smile faded as he looked seriously at the young man with the Chinese heritage. “Let me ask you, are you American or…?”
“Chinese?”
“Of course I am an American!” the boy quickly replied. “You took my passport! If you look at it now, you’ll see that I’m a citizen of the United States!”
Charlie Wade felt a wave of disappointment wash over him, especially towards this boy of Chinese descent. Even though what the boy said was true, it made Charlie feel uneasy.
He kept his tone calm and distant. “Well, in that case, wait for your country to save you.”
Then he turned to He Zhiqiu, speaking earnestly. “Miss He, I won’t ask you the same question again. Your father asked me to rescue you. No matter which country you think you belong to, if you’re willing to come with me, I will take you back to China.”
“But if you really don’t want to come with me, I, Charlie Wade, will never force anyone. Can you please record a video saying you don’t want to go? I’ll take it back to your dad as an explanation.”