Qi Yun glanced at the flyleaf for a couple of seconds, then flipped directly to the last page of the book.

Sure enough, at the bottom of the last page, there was a series of numbers written in dark brown ink, unrelated to the main content of the text, which must be the cipher mentioned in the intelligence.

Qi Yun showed no expression as he casually turned a few pages forward and found that the book was indeed about western expansion, detailing how to find and extract gold mines, and so on.

"How much for this book?" Qi Yun looked up and asked the fat man.

The fat man, without looking up, was polishing a silver cigarette case with a cloth: "Two hundred bucks."

Upon hearing the price, Qi Yun immediately pulled out two hundred US Dollars in cash, laid it on the counter, and took the book to leave.

Back in the car, he used his phone to take a picture of the numbers on that last page and then deciphered it using the method provided in the intelligence.

Page 47, Page 89...

A few minutes later, he obtained an address, a place called Gold Mountain.

Qi Yun opened the map to search and found that this Gold Mountain was located in Virginia City, Montana.

Historically, this place was indeed famous for the gold rush, experiencing a brief boom in the mid-19th century, but as the gold mines were depleted, it rapidly declined, and today it remains a tourist spot with a Western style.

Montana was to the west, over two thousand kilometers from Washington, and with things to attend to tonight, there was no way to go now.

Qi Yun put the book in his bag and instructed Brother Quan to drive to New York.

...

The car left Washington, racing north along Interstate 95 towards New York.

After three hours of driving, the car entered Manhattan, New York.

As the top GDP city in the world, this place was filled with skyscrapers, a steel jungle unlike Washington’s solemn and dignified atmosphere.

The air here was thick with the scent of money and desire, mixed with a fast-paced tension.

The car weaved through the congested traffic and finally halted at the entrance of a five-star hotel in Manhattan, opposite which was the ’Hausen Club,’ where the broker scheduled to meet Qi Yun.

Qi Yun and company checked into the hotel, and soon after, the doorbell rang, revealing a well-dressed Black man outside, wearing a pair of gold-rimmed glasses with an air of dignity.

Xiao Wu stepped aside to let him in, while Qi Yun rose from the couch to greet, "Senator Middle, hello, I am Qi Yun."

This was the Fu Group’s contact in New York, a city councilor, who had seen considerable investment from the Fu Group over the years.

"Mr. Qi, welcome to New York."

Middle beamed with a warm smile, without a hint of arrogance, for the young man before him represented his financial backer, "Mr. Fu has already informed me to fully cooperate with you, whatever you need, please don’t hesitate to ask."

"Thank you for your courtesy, Senator," Qi Yun said as he invited him to sit down on the couch.

"Go ahead," Middle gestured slightly with his hand.

"I’m going to meet someone at the ’Hausen Club’ across the street in a moment, and the meeting might involve some sensitive transactions. I want the meeting to be absolutely safe and free from any unnecessary interference."

Qi Yun’s aim was simple: he needed someone to act as a bodyguard.

As he mentioned, the transaction was sensitive, potentially involving some big shots, and having a city councilor present could significantly reduce unforeseen risks.

The United States is a federal country, and local politicians such as mayors and councilors have substantial influence within their jurisdictions.

While Middle might not wield power in Washington, here in Manhattan, his words certainly carried weight.

"No problem," Middle quickly grasped the meaning behind Qi Yun’s words and agreed without hesitation, "I will ensure your safety."

With the local power player’s assurance, Qi Yun felt considerably more at ease.

He checked the time; it was nearly twenty minutes to seven, and he invited Middle along.

The group left the hotel and walked across the street to the Hausen Club.

The club owner was rumored to be part of the Squid Clan, who held an unparalleled status in the United States, and hardly anyone dared to cause trouble here, hence the broker’s choice of location for the transaction.

Inside the club, Qi Yun initially intended to have the host arrange a relaxing spot for Middle while he discussed business; however, Middle declined the offer and seamlessly headed toward the wine cellar.

Qi Yun was happy with this, signaling Brother Quan and the others to wait downstairs while he and Xiao Wu followed the staff’s guidance to a room on the third floor.

"Sir, if this is your first visit, I need to remind you that all areas of the club prohibit photography and recording; I hope you understand..."

Qi Yun merely nodded in acknowledgment without further comment at the staff’s reminder.

Throughout the walk, there was not a single surveillance camera in sight, attesting to the place’s privacy.

The elevator arrived on the third floor, which was noticeably quiet, and the staff led Qi Yun and his companion to the room at the end of the hall before departing.

Qi Yun stepped forward to ring the doorbell, and shortly after, the door opened from the inside.

An approximately forty-year-old white man with a bushy beard answered the door; it was the Hollywood agent, Craig.

Upon seeing Qi Yun, he appeared taken aback, seemingly surprised to see an Asian face, then craned his neck to look down the corridor, visibly relaxing upon seeing only Xiao Wu.

"Come in."

Qi Yun entered the suite with Xiao Wu, which was luxuriously appointed with a classic style and spacious layout.

A large leather sofa dominated the center of the living room, with a small bar beside it, and beyond the floor-to-ceiling windows lay Manhattan’s dazzling nighttime skyline.

Craig walked behind the bar, poured himself a whiskey, took a long swig, then finally turned his gaze to Qi Yun: "You’re the guy from the phone? Younger than I expected."

Although his tone wasn’t particularly courteous, Qi Yun couldn’t be bothered to haggle with a dead man walking; once the material in his possession leaked, the big shots involved would surely tear him apart.

"Let’s see the stuff," Qi Yun bypassed his comment, his gaze sweeping the room calmly before sitting on the sofa.

Craig was slightly taken aback by Qi Yun’s dismissive attitude, feeling an inexplicable pressure.

"How much are you willing to pay?"

"Snap~"

Qi Yun lit a cigarette and nonchalantly replied, "As long as the stuff is valuable enough, I’ll give you a price you can’t refuse."

Craig furrowed his brow, set down his glass, and turned to the back room.

A few beeps later, he emerged holding a hard drive, then retrieved a laptop from a briefcase, connected the hard drive, and placed it on the coffee table in front of Qi Yun.

"This is just a part of it."

Craig picked up his glass again and sat down on the sofa opposite Qi Yun, "If you’re interested, we can discuss pricing and follow-up."

Qi Yun opened the laptop, revealing a screen displaying numerous categorized folders, each named after a person, containing multiple video files and a heap of photos.

Casually playing a video, the view was somewhat dim with low resolution, evidently clandestinely recorded.

It showed a room with two men engaged in something.

One of the men seemed familiar, like a face seen in movies, likely a Hollywood star with a tan and muscular build, holding a whip-like object.

The other man was unfamiliar, a bald middle-aged figure, shirtless except for a pair of red boxers, kneeling on the floor with a look of ecstasy.

Unwilling to view further, Qi Yun swiftly closed the video, glanced at Craig, then took out his phone to search the names labeled on the folders, prompting a search result.

The bald middle-aged man turned out to be a city councilor from Los Angeles, often appearing in the media with a tough image, known for lambasting the president as an ineffectual leader, but unexpectedly, he had such deviant inclinations in private...