The elder Ouyang tapped his fingers on the solid wood desk, producing a rhythmic clacking sound.
Since it was a meeting, dissenting voices were naturally allowed to exist.
Moreover.
What that participant said was not wrong.
Currently.
All advantages lay with the United States.
Whether it was the deployment of two aircraft carrier fleets near Australia or the intention to establish an economic bloc, the reasons were all directed at Meng Hao.
Even so.
The reasons for doing so were all based on the premise that Meng Hao had been abducted by the United States.
And up to now.
Although Meng Hao had not appeared to declare his stance.
But based on the existing evidence, Meng Hao had indeed "willingly" joined the US side.
In this way.
Da Xia had no reason to accuse the United States.
However.
Once it was proven.
That Meng Hao was indeed forcibly abducted and detained by the United States.
Then, everything Da Xia had done would be justified, and they would hold the moral high ground.
But.
Where could they find evidence now that Meng Hao was forcibly abducted and held captive by the United States?
Moreover, it had been over four months since Meng Hao's disappearance.
Even if he was truly abducted.
The United States would likely have had enough time to coerce and entice Meng Hao into joining them.
"Elder."
"This is the latest intelligence."
A high-ranking official responsible for intelligence work handed a thin sheet of paper to Elder Ouyang.
The paper had no header and no signature.
Only a few lines of text.
[Meng Hao is ready to return to Da Xia. No more news can be received from the research center and military base!]
Clearly.
This message must have been sent back by Zhang Qianjin, who was in Australia.
For the past four months.
William, in his eagerness to please Meng Hao, had arranged for cruise ship visits every ten days to half a month.
While Meng Hao was "having fun," he had also passed on a lot of information through Zhang Qianjin.
"Everyone, what are your thoughts on this message?"
The attendees were all high-ranking officials from various departments of Da Xia.
Therefore, Elder Ouyang was not worried about their loyalty.
The crowd glanced at the message on the paper, whispered amongst themselves for a while, and quickly reached their conclusions.
"Elder, can you guarantee the message is true?"
"Elder, if this is another scheme by the United States, we will be in a very passive position."
"Elder, Meng Hao has been missing for over four months. How could the United States possibly let him send messages?"
"Elder, if this is indeed a message from Meng Hao, and we do not rescue him, it will break his heart."
"..."
Indeed.
If this message was truly sent by Meng Hao.
And they did not react in any way.
It would surely disheartened Meng Hao.
Moreover, Meng Hao was an extremely important figure to both Da Xia and the United States.
"I've decided, we'll take this gamble."
"If we win, this will be a turning point for our nation's destiny."
"Give Meng Hao a certain period of time, and he will surely lead Da Xia to completely surpass the United States."
Elder Ouyang narrowed his eyes slightly and finally made a decision.
He also knew.
That his decision, whether correct or not, would be recorded in history.
Either it would be glorious for a thousand years, or infamous for ten thousand years.
...
Stone Forest.
A certain intensive care unit.
This was a deserted ward building of a former hospital.
It had been suddenly put into use some time ago.
And the residents were Meng Hao's parents.
Despite the online vilification of Meng Hao's parents due to the alleged treason,
And the official silence, under Elder Ouyang's instructions, Meng Hao's parents were still brought to this ward for recuperation.
"Honey, what are you looking at?"
Meng Hao's mother.
That benevolent middle-aged woman.
These days.
Worrying about her son's whereabouts had added a lot of white hair to her head.
She tremblingly carried a cup of water and walked to Meng Hao's father.
"Watching the news."
"It says the United States is going to conduct joint military exercises to drive away our country's two aircraft carrier fleets near Australia."
"And they also want to take this opportunity to block the financial circle we are trying to establish."
Huh?
Meng Hao's mother was not very knowledgeable about national affairs.
Her first reaction to this news was.
If Da Xia's aircraft carrier fleets near Australia were driven away, wouldn't the chances of finding her son become even slimmer?
Ever since they were arranged to stay in this sanatorium far from people,
Elder Ouyang had sent them a message.
Saying that the news of Meng Hao's betrayal was likely a conspiracy, and they should rest well, and the country would never give up any opportunity to find Meng Hao.
"Oh, didn't I tell you not to work?"
"The country has hired several service staff for us. Your body hasn't fully recovered yet. If your son comes back one day and sees you looking so frail, wouldn't he be heartbroken?"
Meng Hao's father, who had been solely focused on the television news, finally noticed his wife bringing two cups of hot water. He quickly reprimanded her with concern.
"If my son can come back."
"What if I faint again?"
"It's just, can our son still come back?"
Yes.
Can Meng Hao still come back?
Pretending not to have heard his wife's question, Meng Hao's father, suppressing tears from the corners of his eyes, continued to focus on the television.
...
Huarong Technology.
Once a bustling place, Huarong Technology was now eerily quiet.
A large number of employees had resigned after hearing about Meng Hao's defection.
However, Cheng Hua and Qin Muyan were still holding on.
They did not offer much explanation to the resigning employees, only giving them severance pay.
They still insisted that Meng Hao would never betray them.
They wanted to preserve Huarong Technology, so that when Meng Hao returned, he wouldn't find his hard work completely gone.
The factory area was desolate.
Some old employees with extremely high loyalty, like Cheng Hua and Qin Muyan,
Did not believe that, given their boss Meng Hao's character, he would commit treason.
Regarding the significant decrease in orders.
They still persisted in their labor and delivered on time.
Even though the orders had plummeted and the number of workers had decreased, they were busier than ever.
...
Soon.
The Da Xia government finally responded to the news that had been circulating online.
"First, Da Xia's two aircraft carrier fleets are conducting military exercises in the international waters near Australia and have not violated any United Nations announcements."
"Second, the United States' military exercises are their right. As long as they do not conflict with Da Xia's fleet, then both countries conducting military exercises in the same sea area is merely a coincidence."
"Third, Da Xia's establishment of a regional financial circle is a symbol of national sovereignty and is not subject to the United States' interference."
"Fourth, it is hereby ordered that the United States immediately release Mr. Meng Hao, a citizen of Da Xia and the owner of a private enterprise, who has been forcibly abducted!"