In the presidential suite, Fu Wentao was on the phone arranging domestic affairs. Fu Group’s business is spread across the globe, requiring him to remotely handle many tasks.

When Qi Yun came in and saw he was busy, he sat on the sofa by himself. After Fu Wentao finished his call, Qi Yun spoke about the intelligence matter.

"I got some information from that broker friend of mine, you might find it interesting."

"Oh?" Fu Wentao put down his phone and looked at him with interest. "What information? Tell me."

"There’s an agent..." Qi Yun briefly informed him of the situation.

After listening, Fu Wentao showed a hint of amusement: "A Hollywood agent... That indeed seems possible, Hollywood is just a playground for those big shots."

"Has your friend contacted him yet?"

Qi Yun shook his head: "Not yet."

"Hmm..." Fu Wentao pondered slightly, "I’m meeting that fellow from the Defense Department later, and Hans and the others have other arrangements."

"Take a trip there and see if what he has is of value. If it’s about money, contact Yaohua directly. He’ll help you sort it out."

"Alright, I’ll check it out." Qi Yun agreed decisively without hesitation.

Back in his room, Qi Yun dialed the agent’s number.

Once the call connected, he straightforwardly said, "I know you have some items for sale. Let’s choose a place to chat."

The other person was stunned and asked warily, "Who are you?"

Qi Yun calmly responded, "Someone interested in your ’collections’ of secrets and able to help you resolve some troubles. You know what I mean." 𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖

"It’s hard to explain over the phone; let’s meet somewhere safe. You decide the location."

After a few seconds of silence, the person didn’t ask further and instead provided an address.

An upscale club in Manhattan, New York, scheduled at seven in the evening.

"Alright." Qi Yun noted down the address and promptly hung up.

Washington is close to New York, and it was still early, no need to rush.

Qi Yun changed his clothes and called Brother Quan and the others to drive to the pawnshop, intending to get hold of the "Westward Expansion Guide" first.

The car drove down the bustling and majestic Pennsylvania Avenue, the heart of United States’ power, with the White House, Congress Building, and FBI headquarters all located on this road.

After about half an hour, the car turned a corner and stopped in front of an old building.

Qi Yun opened the car door, surveying the faded sign in front of him—Pawn Shops.

The origin of pawnshop culture can be traced back to ancient Huaxia about 3000 years ago, known as ’pledge,’ evolving into private ’pawnshops’ during the Song Dynasty.

Over time and due to historical context, Europe developed similar pawn activities, which later spread to North America with the wave of colonization.

Compared to early pawnshops, today’s pawn businesses are undoubtedly more extensive, accepting nearly anything of value, even real estate.

Qi Yun signaled Brother Quan and others to wait outside and proceeded into the pawnshop alone.

A fat man wearing a floral shirt and a cowboy hat was dozing on the counter. Hearing the noise at the door, he groggily raised his head, revealing a bearded face.

"Hey, buddy, need anything?" The fat man yawned, his voice muffled, evidently not fully awake.

"I’ll have a look around." Qi Yun replied casually, his gaze sweeping around the room.

The shop’s area was about seventy to eighty square meters, with an old-fashioned decor. The walls were embedded with dark wooden shelves filled with various items.

Old clocks, oil paintings, oddly shaped silverware, and even Huaxia ceramics were all openly displayed.

The pawnshop wasn’t entirely stocked with antiques; the display cases at the front housed relatively modern items like Rolex watches, Tiffany jewelry, and branded bags.

Qi Yun’s gaze moved over the shelves one by one and finally landed on the enormous bookshelf against the wall at the back of the room.

The bookshelf nearly touched the ceiling, packed with a variety of books.

He walked directly to the bookshelf, searching for the "Westward Expansion Guide," but after scanning around, he realized there were too many books, densely packed, making his eyes tired.

Rubbing his dry eyes, he scanned book by book, and after ten minutes, he spotted a familiar glimmer.

"Let me see this book." Qi Yun pointed at the shelf and shouted towards the fat man.

The fat man was scrolling through something on his phone. Upon hearing Qi Yun’s call, he reluctantly looked up and slowly walked over.

These old books weren’t worth much, so his enthusiasm had waned since Qi Yun walked towards the bookshelf.

"Which one do you want?" He glanced in the direction of Qi Yun’s finger, which pointed to the mid-right section of the shelf, where ordinary books like the "Bible" and "Washington Post" were placed.

"That one, with the yellow cover."

Qi Yun’s English was barely sufficient; he didn’t know how to translate "Westward Expansion Guide" precisely into English, so he described it to the other person.

The fat man pulled over the nearby ladder, took down the book from the shelf, fanned the dust in front of him, briefly flipped through it, and tossed it onto the counter.

Qi Yun reached out and picked up the book, lighter than expected. The cover was a dull yellow, textured cardboard, with heavily worn corners, and the paper inside was yellowed and brittle.