Fine.
Setting aside how this bowl of noodles... well, the cuisine of Great Xia, as Luna called it... was prepared.
The girl's transcendently resolute confidence remained unwavering.
An ordinary bowl of 'da lu mian' was, by her description, elevated to the level of a royal banquet.
If she were to truly taste the finest cuisine of Great Xia, one could only imagine how astounded she would be.
As for Luna's declaration of wanting to learn more cooking from that recipe book, Meng Hao had no major objections.
After all, the raw materials were being procured by those agents tasked with monitoring the villa.
In a country like Australia, obtaining authentic Great Xia ingredients would be quite difficult.
Indeed.
Those agents were likely to grumble endlessly from all the running errands.
While Meng Hao was darkly imagining the agents, who should be "accomplishing great deeds," being forced into the role of errand boys buying groceries, finding it rather amusing.
The villa's front door opened.
Huh?
Didn't they say they wouldn't interfere with my life?
Why would Charles enter without announcing himself?
Luna's reaction was clearly more pronounced than Meng Hao's.
She quickly cleared away the bowls and chopsticks, the 'da lu mian,' and put on a serious expression... after all, Charles had assigned her the task of closely monitoring Meng Hao.
"Hmm."
"Smells good."
"Living quite a comfortable life, aren't you!"
The speaker was an old man who appeared amiable and harmless.
"You, you must be Meng Hao."
"Allow me to introduce myself, Director of the United States Arms Research Bureau, Lieutenant General Tommy!"
"It's a pleasure to meet you."
Oh, ho?
A Lieutenant General.
It seemed.
The United States' commitment to Meng Hao was more than just a little bit.
From Charles's respectful demeanor accompanying him, Meng Hao could discern.
This Lieutenant General was definitely a figure of authority... a Lieutenant General in charge of arms research would certainly carry more weight than one from a combat unit.
"Hello."
A smile begets a smile.
Even though he felt a strong aversion towards Tommy, Meng Hao still offered a calm greeting.
"I've heard about what happened before."
"Charles was also on a mission, and if he could have coerced you into joining the United States through intimidation, I believe he would have gone further."
"However, it's clear you're no pushover... so, I apologize on behalf of Charles for his earlier recklessness."
Meng Hao raised an eyebrow.
He was curious what this Tommy, who presented himself as so gentle and refined, was truly up to.
Tommy, however, was quite sociable.
"Alright, alright, everyone sit down."
"We're here to discuss matters with Mr. Meng Hao, and this stern atmosphere is hardly hospitable."
"And this beautiful young lady, you are Luna, aren't you? You've worked hard looking after Meng Hao these past few days."
It was clear.
Tommy had received intelligence.
Right up to the point where Luna seemed on the verge of developing something with Meng Hao.
For someone of Tommy's caliber, the means were unimportant as long as the objective was achieved.
Therefore, "honey traps" were just one of many tactics in his view, and not particularly surprising.
Unlike Meng Hao's composure.
Luna was somewhat nervous.
"Esteemed elder, would you like something to drink?"
"Coffee, black tea, or plain water?"
Tommy shrugged.
He glanced at the burger and cola in front of Meng Hao, and with a smile, pointed to the cola.
"Although my family doctor advises me that high-sugar beverages aren't ideal for someone my age."
"However, I believe when discussing matters with young people, one should try their beverages."
"A glass of cola, and make sure it's with ice!"
This old fox.
He was trying to ingratiate himself right from the start.
However.
Meng Hao was entirely unfazed by these small gestures.
"Hmm."
"I imagine you didn't travel all the way from the United States to Australia just for a glass of cola."
"So, tell me, what is your objective?"
Meng Hao turned the tables, preempting Tommy.
He was getting straight to the point so quickly?
Tommy was slightly taken aback by Meng Hao's ability to control the situation.
However, he still suppressed his smile and became serious.
"Honestly, dear Meng Hao."
"When I first saw the intelligence report, I almost suspected our intelligence department had made a mistake."
"You, so young, yet you were able to extract F-35 technology using a scrapped F-35 shell; you were able to redevelop and manufacture brand new lithography machines using ones that had their cores removed; and using the hull of a nuclear submarine, you could reconstruct a highly functional actual nuclear submarine..."
Seeing Luna hand him the iced cola.
Tommy took a few sips.
His brows furrowed.
"To be honest, I am truly getting old."
"When I was young, I particularly loved these iced beverages."
"...Truly, after learning of your god-like operations, I even suspected you might be an alien civilization... If your home country, India, hadn't already known your coordinates and known you were 'invited' by our United States, I would have wanted to cut open your skull to see if you were an alien."
One moment, he was discussing cola like a friendly old man...
The next, he was casually discussing the bloody act of cutting open Meng Hao's skull...
This Tommy was practically a demon.
Seeing that Meng Hao remained unfazed.
Even when discussing cutting open his skull, Meng Hao didn't bat an eye.
Tommy shrugged, appearing somewhat disappointed.
"Heavens, even that didn't startle you."
"Of course, I was just joking."
"You are our esteemed guest in the United States, how could we possibly harm you?"
Joking?
Meng Hao sneered inwardly.
He had no doubt.
If cutting him open would achieve their goal.
This seemingly harmless US Lieutenant General would unhesitatingly chop him up into dumpling filling.
"You flatter me."
In response to Tommy's praise.
Meng Hao still replied slightly.
However.
This calm and indifferent response, how did it sound so much like a boast?
"For our United States, this is indeed not a minor matter!"
"After all, this is the culmination of countless years of our accumulated technological advancement."
"However, to my knowledge... Great Xia in the past, whether it was fighter jet engine technology, optical technology, or a series of high-end technologies, had not broken through."
Tommy then changed the subject.
"I am very curious."
"Has our intelligence made a mistake?"
"Are you, in fact, not acting alone, but are backed by an entire team, funded by the Great Xia government?"
"If not, then it is truly terrifying. To challenge hundreds of years of human technological development single-handedly... If that is the case, then compared to you, Newton, Galileo, and Einstein, all become insignificant figures."
Listening to the old man ramble on for so long.
Meng Hao was getting annoyed.
"I say, old Mr. Tommy."
"You've been flattering me for nearly ten minutes!"
"How about you be more direct and get to the point, shall we?!"