Chapter 949: Volunteering for the Task

Seeing this, He Yuzhu naturally would not allow the other party to cause trouble.

He narrowed his eyes, sneered in his heart, and with a thought, the Zhen Ma Cao powder prepared in advance in his space drifted out silently, landing on the exposed skin of those dozen or so burly men.

As soon as the fine grass fuzz touched their skin, the medicinal effect took hold instantly.

The group of burly men had only rushed forward a few steps when their movements stopped in unison; they uncontrollably raised their hands to scratch their necks, arms, and cheeks frantically. The more they scratched, the itchier they became, and their intention to intercept the crowd vanished in an instant.

He Yuzhu feigned surprise, walked slowly into the crowd, and once again activated his ability to store and retrieve items from thin air, scattering a large amount of Zhen Ma Cao powder from his space into the center of the crowd.

In just a few dozen seconds, the hundreds of protesters all lost their footing and, just like the group of burly men earlier, raised their hands to scratch their bodies incessantly.

The previously uniform shouting turned completely into wails of pain one after another; various placards scattered all over the ground with a clatter, and the crowd at the scene fell into chaos.

The police on duty nearby were suddenly thrown into a panic, and the officers closer to the protesters were also affected by the medicinal powder, their bodies itching unbearably. However, they were still clutching their duty equipment and could not spare a hand to scratch.

A police officer shouted loudly, "Someone is scattering unknown medicinal powder! Search immediately!"

The group of police officers could no longer care about protecting the safety of the delegation and hurriedly split up to check who had spread the unknown powder.

The passage in front of the hotel instantly became empty and clear.

He Yuzhu looked calm, raised his hand to straighten his collar, and led the team straight into the hotel.

He Yuzhu and his party entered the hotel and, in accordance with the arrangements made in advance by the embassy, successfully completed the check-in procedures.

Even though there was personnel from their own side coordinating the accommodation matters throughout, he did not dare to relax in the slightest—he inspected every guest room, carefully checking every corner, not letting go of even the slightest detail.

Sure enough, he successively found hidden eavesdropping devices in two suites; it was obvious that the M Country side had not stopped there and was still setting traps in secret.

Director Li saw this from the side and shook his head with a helpless sigh: "Factory Director He, if it weren't for your keen eyes, these 'little gadgets' would probably be hard to detect. The staff responsible for docking here still didn't consider things thoroughly enough."

He Yuzhu replied in a calm tone: "These kinds of methods are the handiwork of M Country agents. It is impossible for the staff to guard the guest rooms around the clock, so this matter cannot be blamed on them."

Director Li smiled and said: "Then in the future, Factory Director He will have to take more trouble to look after everyone."

He Yuzhu smiled faintly: "Lao Li, if you don't mind, I will call you that from now on."

"We have known each other for a long time, so calling me Lao Li is perfect."

"Don't worry, Lao Li. Protecting everyone is my duty. With me here, these bugs in the gutter won't get any advantage."

"Now I can finally sleep soundly." Lao Li let out a long sigh of relief, his expression relaxing.

The next day, the negotiations officially began. As soon as it started, the group of M Country representatives were arrogant, and the various demands they put forward were completely unreasonable.

During lunch, Director Li rushed back to the hotel to find He Yuzhu, his belly full of anger with nowhere to vent: "Factory Director He, you have dealt with M Country people many times. Tell me, why are these people so unreasonable? After sparring with them for so long, how should we deal with them?"

He Yuzhu said in a deep voice: "In my opinion, we cannot give an inch in this negotiation. Once we concede, they will only push for more."

Returning to the negotiating table in the afternoon, the atmosphere at the scene was indeed completely reversed. The Huaxia delegation maintained a tough stance throughout, and the several core clauses thrown out by the US side—opening up finance, telecommunications market access, and equity reform of state-owned enterprises—were all pushed back by Director Li one by one; regarding the issue of tariff reductions, our side also argued on strong grounds and did not give an inch.

The two sides went back and forth, the sound of arguing getting higher and higher, and in the end, they directly slapped the table in confrontation. The interpreter on the side could barely keep up with the rapid speed of both sides.

Continuing to stalemate like this was ultimately not a solution.

After consultation, both sides decided to adjourn for two days to ease the tense atmosphere.

The M Country side took the initiative to extend an olive branch, sending an invitation to watch a match—the local annual professional Boxing match was reaching the final stage, and the US side invited the Huaxia delegation to watch the match on-site.

Director Li knew in his heart that this was a move by the other party to release a signal of relaxation, so he took the opportunity to accept the invitation.

But the problem followed: the other party only gave five spots for watching the match, and the security personnel were also included in these five spots.

The delegation had many accompanying personnel, and with limited spots, a proper arrangement had to be made for who would go and who would stay.

Director Li found He Yuzhu and stated his purpose directly: "Factory Director He, the M Country side invited five of us to watch the Boxing match, and I have already accepted. How do you think the spectators should be arranged?"

He Yuzhu was holding a teacup and drinking tea. Hearing this, he put down the cup and asked: "How many of our leadership team plan to go?"

"Me, Deputy Director Shi, Deputy Director Long, and an interpreter, exactly four people." Director Li counted on his fingers, "There is one spot left, and it must be arranged for security personnel to accompany."

He Yuzhu smiled slightly: "As for security, it is enough for me to go alone."

Director Li looked troubled and hesitated for a moment before speaking slowly: "Actually... Bureau Chief Zhang's idea is to let Comrade Li Xiaohua accompany. That young man is young, and his skills are also very outstanding."

After hearing this, He Yuzhu did not answer immediately. He naturally knew Li Xiaohua's background: special forces background, worked as a personal bodyguard for more than ten years, and his Kung Fu was considered top-notch within the system.

Logically speaking, he was just an accompanying Consultant and should not have competed for this accompanying security job.

But Secretary Liu's instructions before departure suddenly appeared in his mind—"Zhuzi, the safety of everyone in this delegation is entrusted to you entirely; not only must you protect everyone's safety, but the face of our Huaxia must never be lost!"

He Yuzhu's heart sank. It was not that he did not trust Li Xiaohua, but he felt in the dark that this match was by no means a simple leisure activity, and there might be other schemes behind it.

He looked at Director Li, his tone not heavy but full of certainty: "Director Li, how about this, you call Comrade Li Xiaohua over. If he can knock me down within thirty seconds, this accompanying security job will be his."

Director Li was stunned and turned to look at Deputy Director Shi and Deputy Director Long on the side: "Do you two think this method is feasible?"

Deputy Director Long was straightforward and immediately slapped his thigh: "Since Factory Director He took the initiative to propose a competition, then let's do as he says. Martial artists have always spoken with strength, which is very fair."

In his heart, he actually wanted to see He Yuzhu's true ability with his own eyes; he had a good personal relationship with Secretary Liu and had heard many rumors about He Yuzhu, so he had some doubts in his heart.

Deputy Director Shi nodded slightly without saying any extra words, indicating his agreement.

Not long after, Bureau Chief Zhang led Li Xiaohua into the conference room.

This young man was not outstanding in height, only 1.67 meters, but his shoulders were broad and his back was thick. Standing there, he looked like a small iron tower; his eyes were sharp and his steps were steady. One could tell at a glance that he was an expert who had been in actual combat and had seen blood.

He Yuzhu looked him up and down, stood up, and took the initiative to speak: "Comrade Li Xiaohua, I'm really sorry. Logically, I shouldn't compete for this job, but the situation is special this time. I have been entrusted by others and am afraid that accidents will happen at the scene, so please forgive me for any offense."

Li Xiaohua was straightforward and immediately cupped his hands in a salute: "Old He, you don't have to be polite. We martial artists never look at seniority, only at real Kung Fu. If you want to spar, I am ready to accompany you at any time."

The two moved to the open space in the conference room, and the leaders in the room all held their breath, watching quietly.

He Yuzhu bowed slightly, his posture loose and relaxed, seemingly without any regular starting stance.

But Li Xiaohua's eyelids jumped suddenly at a glance—he felt a heavy murderous aura from He Yuzhu. Only those who had blood on their hands would possess such a daunting aura.

Li Xiaohua was hot-blooded and never willing to admit defeat. He gave a low shout, rushed forward with a stride, and his right fist, wrapped in a gust of wind, smashed straight at He Yuzhu's head.

He Yuzhu only tilted his head slightly, and this heavy punch missed, brushing past his ear.

Li Xiaohua changed his moves extremely fast, his elbow pressed down, hitting straight at He Yuzhu's neck.

He Yuzhu leaned slightly to the side, sweeping forward half a step like a light lotus leaf.

Cold sweat slowly seeped from Li Xiaohua's forehead—he had practiced martial arts for more than ten years and had never seen anyone with such agile skills.

When He Yuzhu sparred with him, the whole process was like an eagle playing with a chick, obviously deliberately holding back his strength and not using his real skills at all.

Li Xiaohua did not dare to hesitate in the slightest; she quickly raised her leg, and a fierce, swift side kick went straight for He Yuzhu's ribs.