Chapter 1517: The Closest Friend

"The one who just flew away..."

Petrov looked vertically 90 degrees up at the sky; the clouds were dense, just like his future.

"Hey, you haven't told me your name yet."

"Slap—"

Sweet girl was truly polite; a slap landed on his face. If this was also a reward, Petrov should be happy.

That's right, he was so happy his face was swollen.

"Are you trying to delay time for him?"

Sweet girl looked over the bruised Mao man, narrowed her eyes, and questioned: "Or should I suspect that you are truly on the same side?"

"Hehe—" Petrov's hands were handcuffed together, and he couldn't help but shake his head because of the pain. "Even if I tell you now, are you sure you can catch up to him?"

"I said it before; you don't need to teach me how to do things."

Sweet girl knelt on Petrov's chest, looked up and glanced around; these bandits had all been subdued.

"If you don't cherish the opportunity I gave you..."

"Bang—"

Sweet girl only felt a heat by her ear, and then her face was covered in "watermelon juice" that exploded out; the taste was a bit salty.

She could clearly feel that the body under her knee had lost its strength, like a balloon that had leaked air.

No, it wasn't just leaking air.

"Lie down! Hide—"

After a burst of gunfire, the scene instantly became chaotic; the Stasi police officers who followed sweet girl Anna to the scene found cover nearby.

As for those captured bandits, who cared about them at this time? The road was wide, let them die further away.

The only one standing at the scene was Anna, who had just stood up in anger; she couldn't believe at all that the other party dared to take action under the Stasi's nose, and was so arrogant.

"Captain! Hide—"

"Get lost—"

Anna pushed away the squad leader who had pounced over and followed the direction of the gunfire.

She knew that even if she chased over, it would be in vain; the other party had likely already gone far.

But—she wasn't reconciled—

"Protect those people well—"

Only having time to give one instruction, Anna ran away in her leather boots. The squad leader greeted the others to get up quickly, while he himself tried hard to catch up.

He wasn't at ease; the captain going over alone might be in danger.

As for the scene, with so many people there, what else could happen? What else could be more exaggerated and worse than now?

Since the establishment of Stasi, they had never encountered such an intense sneak attack. What kind of background did the other party have? Could it really be the opposite side?

"Bitch-raised—ha—"

It was very clear that Anna came late; only one shell casing that was too late to be taken away remained on the top of the seven-story building, and...

"Captain, look here—"

The squad leader rushed to the rooftop and saw only the captain on the rooftop, so he immediately started the search work.

If it were said that the GFJ were all castrated cowards, Stasi still had two tough guys.

They had them, but not many; they even relied on women to support the facade.

Who let Anna's father be the deputy chief of the GFJ? That was a truly big figure.

Anna had received high-intensity training and systematic education from her father since she was a child. She should have gone to the army for experience, but by mistake, she entered the Stasi, this intelligence department.

If it were said that relying solely on relationships could lead to a high position, then this sentence was not enough to describe Anna's toughness.

Being able to make a name for herself in a nest of men, she didn't rely on two breasts, but on real knives and real guns.

She had reached today by relying on strength and achievements, but it was precisely today that she encountered an unprecedented crisis.

"Who exactly did it—"

Anna's anger burned, and paired with the red and white "disguise" on her face that was about to air-dry, she looked like a hell messenger coming to claim a life.

"Could it be killing to silence?"

The squad leader heard and saw that the captain was anxious, so he analyzed: "From the scene, the murderer shouldn't have arrived long ago."

He pointed to the clothes drying on the rooftop, as well as some daily necessities; clearly, someone visited here often.

If considering it this way, it was impossible for the other party to squat here for a long time; it must have been a sudden attack.

"He didn't spit it out." Anna suddenly turned her head, looked at her subordinate, and emphasized: "But he was about to spit it out."

"Perhaps precisely because of this—"

The squad leader looked at her hesitantly and reminded: "Next, those bandits... shouldn't be able to ask anything."

"Truly damn it—"

Anna had nowhere to vent her anger and kicked the guardrail hard, making a "clanging" sound.

They weren't criminal police; there was no need to investigate the case to the bottom; as long as the target was determined, they could execute it by any means necessary.

The key was that they neither knew who the one flying in the sky was, nor were they sure who the one who just fired the shot was.

Perhaps these two things were done by one person?

He can fly a plane, use a sniper rifle, and escape unscathed from a siege of over a dozen people... Has God arrived?

"This kind of bullet seems to be..."

The squad leader took the shell casing from Anna's hand and frowned: "Seems to be the SVD just equipped by the Soviet side?"

"Are you sure?" Anna restrained her emotions, glanced at the squad leader, took the shell casing back from the other party, and observed it carefully as she asked: "Have you used that kind of rifle?"

"Saw it in the training camp; it's a very good precision shooting rifle." The squad leader explained earnestly: "Because I couldn't touch that gun, I observed the shell casing it threw out carefully."

"Go, return to the scene." Anna didn't want to waste time here and waved her hand, walking quickly down the building.

"Notify the local police, check suspicious personnel and vehicles; don't let the other party run away so easily."

Anna didn't know what kind of mood she should have when returning to the scene, because the Peter Petrov she just met really died.

Nonsense, the head was shattered; could the person still be alive?

It was just that her curse on the other party came true so quickly, making Anna somewhat at a loss.

Even when the squad leader reminded her to wash her face, she was in a daze and didn't hear it.

"The tavern bartender and tavern guests can prove that a scarred foreigner drank two large bottles of brandy and committed this case."

When they rushed back to the scene, the team members left here had performed the procedural work very well.

Other team leaders shrugged and said: "They unanimously believe that the other party was acting crazy from drinking."

"Two large bottles of brandy?" Anna frowned: "Did they drink too much and talk so absurdly?"

"I asked many people about this question." The person in charge spread his hands helplessly: "But the facts are just like this."

"The bartender said a group of black-haired foreigners walked in and met a local, and then the guy who was just headshot walked into the tavern to find trouble with the other party."

"And then? The two sides had a firefight?"

Anna pushed the person in charge away, stepped toward the tavern door that had been affected by the explosion, wanting to go in and take a look.

"No, they just drank together."

The person in charge explained while following Anna: "The bartender said the guy who was just headshot lost, left a harsh word, and then left."

"You just said they were foreigners."

Anna looked back at the person in charge and asked: "What language did they speak?"

"Chinese; I have already confirmed it."

The person in charge shrugged: "So the bartender doesn't know much about the content of their conversation."

"I know what background those people have."

Anna turned her head, pushed open the tavern door and walked in; the bartender was being interrogated repeatedly, his face full of horror and fatigue.

"Listen to me, buddy." She pressed both hands on the table, looked into the bartender's eyes and said: "I need you to tell me what that scarred foreigner did."

"Don't know, didn't see." The bartender was always a smart person and also knew he was just a small person.

He explained very frankly: "I have always been inside the bar counter; the range I can see is limited."

"But I know that after that scarred foreigner went out, an explosion and shooting occurred outside."

Just when the sweet girl captain in front of him narrowed her eyes and prepared to get angry, the bartender added very sensibly: "He walked in holding an AK-47, and also said something to the accompanying guest."

He introduced what he saw and heard very rigorously; he didn't guess about what he didn't know, and wouldn't talk nonsense.

"You are sure it was an AK-47?" Anna looked at him suspiciously: "Have you used this kind of gun?"

"Haven't used it, but have seen it."

The bartender shrugged again: "You should be able to see that I am just a waiter."

"And then? What did they do?"

Anna asked impatiently: "They borrowed the phone here?"

"Yes, before this, they borrowed our phone and called the police station, saying that this place was attacked."

The bartender frankly introduced the scene at that time, as well as the situation after those people left.

"You said you didn't know what happened later?"

Anna was a bit unable to hold back her anger; the annoying things encountered today were already enough, and she still had to talk nonsense with this kind of person.

"Of course, fireworks outside—I don't hide under the bar counter, do I follow them out to watch the fun?"

The bartender said as a matter of course: "I only saw him walk in holding a rifle; I don't know how he went out at all."

"In other words—" the squad leader frowned and questioned: "As soon as you saw the rifle in his hand, you ran?"

"Didn't run; this is my position."

The bartender was truly poor; he pointed to the bar counter and said: "This bar counter has been specially treated; ordinary bullets can't penetrate it."

"All nonsense, not a single useful thing."

Anna stood up straight and said to the several persons in charge under her: "The only thing that can be determined is that the scarred man participated in the battle."

"Where did this person go?" The squad leader frowned and asked: "If he got in a car, why didn't those people chase?"

"In the sky." Anna pointed to the top of her head and said: "This scarred man is very likely the one who flew away."

"This—how is it possible—"

The squad leader asked suspiciously: "Isn't he the one who was besieged? Why would he take the initiative to call the police for us?"

"Isn't it precisely because we helped him out of the siege?"

Anna walked out, saying as she walked: "Go, I know where to find him; I believe that after finding him, all problems will be solved."

"You mean—" the two squad leaders followed, and one of them asked: "Is it that scarred man who manufactured the car explosion incident? These were all planned by him, right?"

"Wrong; the scarred man only has this suspicion."

Anna pointed to her subordinate's chest before getting in the car and reminded: "This is not a simple case, so don't be impulsive, and don't act rashly; the other party's identity is very troublesome."

"How troublesome?" Just before the squad leader helped Anna close the car door, he asked: "Is there still trouble that we Stasi can't solve?"

"Hehe—" Anna looked at him coldly, pulled the car door, and said to the driver: "Go, go to the Dresden City Garden Hotel."

"What kind of background does the other party have?"

Three police cars rushed to the Dresden Hotel; it was as calm as a sleeping baby, without a ripple.

The squad leader asked the captain Anna who had just jumped out of the car with curiosity; he was eager to make a contribution.

"Do you know where the motorcade that left the scene went?" Anna looked back at the squad leader, and seeing the other party shake his head, she lowered her eyelids helplessly and said: "I don't know either."

"Even I don't know the other party's destination, yet I have to ensure their safety; you say whether their identity is complicated or not?"

Saying this, she had already led people into the hotel lobby, but this appearance of theirs scared the waiter.

"Sorry, this is the City Garden Hotel."

The duty manager soon stopped them and reminded: "We have our own security department."

"I am the captain of the action team of the Stasi Dresden Branch." Anna showed her certificate, but it made the duty manager frown, because Anna was still wearing makeup.

"Captain, you go wash your face first."

The squad leader very sensibly handed over his credentials while softly expressing concern for the high-ranking official with the deep background.

Anna had already noticed the strange look of the duty manager at this time, seemed to remember something, and then retched, almost vomiting on the smooth marble floor.

When looking at her running to the bathroom, the duty manager and others looked at each other: am I that disgusting?

Or... is this female comrade pregnant?

"We are looking for a scarred man."

The squad leader explained with gestures: "We have enough evidence to suspect that he participated in a serial explosion case."

"Please cooperate and tell me where he is."

"Scarred man?" The duty manager looked him over and also confirmed his certificate, but didn't loosen his mouth.

Watching the duty manager hand his certificate to others and whisper something in his ear, the squad leader was so angry his hands were shaking.

"He is a very dangerous guy; if you delay time and cause serious consequences..."

"This is the City Garden Hotel."

The duty manager emphasized stubbornly and arrogantly: "We have our own security department and can ensure the safety of the hotel."

"You will pay the price for this sentence."

The squad leader pointed at him, narrowed his eyes, and made a harsh threat.

At this time, the head waiter ran over, handed over two books of certificates, and whispered something in the duty manager's ear.

Watching the duty manager look at himself again, the squad leader also turned his head away proudly, not wanting to look at him.

"How is it, is there a result?"

Anna walked back with a pale face, bloodshot eyes already visible; clearly, she had just experienced a psychological torture.

The squad leader raised his chin, signaled the duty manager opposite, and said: "Just finished verifying our certificates."

Just when Anna frowned and prepared to get angry, the duty manager didn't pay attention to the squad leader who didn't speak well, but handed the certificate to Anna and emphasized very earnestly: "We do have a guest here who matches your description just now."

Before the squad leader could rush forward, he tilted his head and said: "But I am sure that gentleman cannot do the things you said; this is too absurd."

"Whether he can do it or not is not up to you."

Anna reached out and patted his shoulder unceremoniously, saying: "Lead the way, take us to find him."

The duty manager tilted his head and looked at the shoulder that had just been patted by the other party, frowning slightly.

The City Garden Hotel wasn't a place where any cat or dog could make trouble, but according to regulations, he had to cooperate with the other party's action.

"Please this way."

The duty manager led them toward the elevator entrance with cultivation, and reminded them: "Please pay attention to your words and deeds; don't affect the rest of other guests in the hotel."

"What kind of good people can live here—" The squad leader clearly didn't have a good impression of the rich in Democratic Germany.

But his words drew the disdain and contempt of the duty manager.

Anna didn't say anything; she also knew that she needed the other party's cooperation now, and even less could she make trouble here.

If there was a case, it wouldn't matter how they made trouble, but now it wouldn't work.

"You wait here; we determine that he carries extraordinary weapons." Anna patted the duty manager's shoulder again, advised him to stay here, and prepared to go up herself.

The duty manager stopped them first, frowned and reminded: "I just said, don't do anything out of line."

"Here, I have the final say; otherwise, I will report to the hotel management and question the purpose and qualifications of this action to your Stasi headquarters."

"Good, if you aren't afraid of death, what am I afraid of."

Anna scratched her eyebrow; she just wanted to see that scarred man now and see what kind of goods the other party was.

So she didn't care what the duty manager said, as long as she saw the target person.

Seeing that they were no longer reckless, the duty manager walked to the door and knocked gently.

Originally, the squad leader wanted to kick the door, but was reminded by the waiter who followed behind: "The door here is worth 3,000 marks."

"Is it inlaid with gold?" The squad leader put down his right foot in embarrassment under the duty manager's angry glare.

"Hmm, who is it?" A voice came from the room, slightly dissatisfied; it was a man, saying something they couldn't understand.

The duty manager changed to a respectful expression, explained in French through the door: "Mr. Li, several comrades from the local Stasi branch want to learn about some situations; may I ask if it is convenient to open the door?"

Before the person in the room could answer, he added: "If you have already rested, I can ask them to come back tomorrow."

Click—

The door opened, and Li Xuewu walked out in plaid pajamas, sleepy-eyed, looking somewhat confused, "What Stasi? What is Stasi?"

"Don't pretend..." When the squad leader saw the scar on his face, he was about to speak, but was poked by Anna, and the rest of the words were swallowed back.

The hotel's tolerance was limited; continuing like this would be very unfavorable for himself.

Even if he could get the leader's investigation procedures, he would have to wait until tomorrow; by then, the day lily would have withered.

"Hello, sir; I am the captain of the action team of the Stasi Dresden Branch." Anna introduced herself to Li Xuewu in fluent French, and also looked at his condition.

He looked like he was truly asleep; yawns came one after another, and there was dissatisfaction at being woken up.

"I hope you haven't forgotten your experience in the Gray District tonight, and the two large bottles of brandy you drank."

"I didn't understand what you were saying."

Li Xuewu frowned, looked at her confusedly and asked: "Two large bottles of brandy? Are you talking about me?"

He scratched his head with full confusion and explained: "I think you have misunderstood; I have always been resting in the hotel."

"Hehe—" Anna was laughed at by his words, tilted her head and said: "Mr. Li from China, you really like acting; but is this interesting?"

"You know I am Chinese?"

Li Xuewu looked the other party over and said: "What is the matter with you coming to find me? I don't know about the so-called Gray District and what two large bottles of brandy."

"Do you need me to remind you?"

The duty manager observed Li Xuewu for a while, then looked at Anna and reminded: "This gentleman doesn't look like he drank two large bottles of brandy at all; he doesn't even have a hint of alcohol on him."

Did he need his reminder? Anna had long discovered this point.

However—

When the bartender was recording the statement, other words were very vague, only the two large bottles of brandy were spoken of as if they were magical.

He even showed them the empty bottles in the cabinet, and the drunks who were found back also guaranteed with their lives that it was indeed the case.

But now the scarred man in front of them matched, but where was the wine?

The hotel couldn't provide evidence of the other party entering and leaving the main door, and even less could guarantee that the other party had always been in the room.

Just like what the duty manager said, the other party, whether on his body or in his breath, didn't have a hint of alcohol.

Even if he ate some fruit, or some food, even if he poured down a large bucket of water, he couldn't cover up the alcohol caused by two large bottles of brandy.

Furthermore, the words that one person could use a beer glass to drink two large bottles of brandy in succession also couldn't stand up.

So, was the scarred man spoken of by the drunks and the bartender true or not?

"If there is nothing else, I want to rest."

Li Xuewu looked at the duty manager with slight dissatisfaction and said: "If there is anything like this again, please contact my secretary."

"Terribly sorry, sir—"

"Wait—" Before the duty manager could finish his sentence, Anna pressed on the door that was about to close, stared into Li Xuewu's eyes and asked: "Don't you care about your colleagues at all?"

"What do you mean?" Li Xuewu narrowed his eyes slightly, looked at the sweet girl in front of him and asked.

"If it weren't for our protection." Anna stared at him as if competing and emphasized: "Those people won't let them go."

"I don't know what you are talking about."

Li Xuewu shook his head slightly and said: "If you want to find my colleagues, please contact my secretary; he will handle these well."

While they were arguing, Sha Qizhi had already brought the translator over and blocked the door in front of Li Xuewu.

"Sorry, I will handle this here."

Sha Qizhi also stared at the duty manager with dissatisfaction and emphasized: "At the time of check-in, you guaranteed that this is the safest and best-serviced hotel in Dresden."

"Terribly sorry, comrade."

The duty manager almost bent his waist into ninety degrees, and was even more patient to the limit toward Anna and these people.

"I will report tonight's matter to the hotel management in its entirety, hoping to get an explanation from Stasi headquarters."

He threatened Anna seriously, helping Sha Qizhi and others isolate Anna and them, ensuring Li Xuewu could close the door.

Even so, Anna still didn't want to let Li Xuewu go, and she reminded him loudly: "The person in charge of the squad that blocked you at the tavern has been assassinated. You only have the option to cooperate with us..."

"Sorry, please leave this place!"

The hotel's security personnel rushed up, surrounded Anna and her companion, and firmly put a stop to her shouting.

"Don't escalate the conflict—"

The squad leader reached out and swatted away the security guard's hand, pointing at the other party as he warned: "Stasi business, who dares to block us!"

"I've reminded you already, this is the City Garden Hotel, and we have our own security forces."

The duty manager was thoroughly fed up with her; he frowned and instructed the security guards: "Escort these two out first. Do not let them back in without an investigation cooperation document."

"Understood." There were many security guards, and they all carried weapons at their waists; Anna and her companion had no room to resist.

Besides, they weren't crazy; they knew where this was.

"Let's go back first; this matter isn't over."

Anna didn't wait for the security guard's "invitation"; she shook off her hand and strode toward the elevators.

The squad leader pointed his finger at the numerous security guards, and wisely left without saying anything harsh, following his captain away.

Next, it was the duty manager's turn to apologize incessantly to Sha Qizhi and the others; this concerned the hotel's reputation.

If guests staying here were disturbed at will, who would ever choose the City Garden Hotel again?

Sha Qizhi's expression wasn't good, but his tone was very friendly; this contrast made the duty manager feel even more pressure.

After making a long list of guarantees, he even deployed security forces directly to all entrances and exits on this floor.

Sha Qizhi knew what he was thinking, but he didn't stop him, tacitly accepting this two-way guarantee.

Since the Stasi claimed this Mr. Li went out and drank two large bottles of brandy while he was supposed to be sleeping, and then went on a killing and arson spree, the hotel had to ensure Mr. Li wouldn't continue "sleepwalking."

This was also a form of support for the Stasi, and it ensured the Red Star Steel Group wouldn't be harassed.

There are old hands everywhere who can handle things in every aspect, leaving others with nothing to say.

But, no matter how well-prepared he was, the other party still had to appreciate it.

What was certain now was that the Red Star Steel Group from China was already extremely dissatisfied, and the Stasi wouldn't be grateful to them either.

Early the next morning, the duty manager was reminded by the head waiter that those Stasi agents who came last night were back again.

This time, Anna was prepared; she brought authorization from the bureau and was executing official duties according to procedure.

Once the duty manager confirmed the legitimacy of the other party's law enforcement, he didn't interfere anymore; this was already beyond his job scope.

As for upstairs, he still emphasized that disturbing other guests' rest was not allowed.

In other words, he wouldn't let them go upstairs.

Anna didn't intend to go upstairs either; she just found a sofa in the lobby and sat down, waiting very patiently for the other party to come down.

Li Xuewu got up very early; he had worked out for a while in the hotel's gym before coming downstairs for breakfast.

Of course, breakfast was on the second floor, and he didn't see Anna and the others; they didn't truly meet until he was ready to head out.

"Mr. Li—"

When Li Xuewu, dressed in a suit and a high-end wool coat, walked out of the elevator with the inspection team, Anna led her people to meet him.

The hotel security team, having been prepared for a long time, kept their eyes on this side; as soon as a conflict broke out between the two sides, they would step in to stop it.

Fortunately, the Stasi side didn't have the fully armed, aggressive posture of last night, and their attitude was much more peaceful.

Li Xuewu looked the woman in front of him up and down, raised an eyebrow, and asked: "I forgot to ask your name last night, Miss."

"Annabella von Hohenzollern." Anna looked at the scar-faced man, who was in a different state than last night, and introduced herself: "You can call me Captain Anna, or Ms. Anna."

"Hmm, what is it you want with me? Comrade Anna." Li Xuewu didn't address her according to her introduction; he raised his hand to check his watch and said: "I'm in a hurry and have work to do. I hope you won't affect our itinerary."

"Of course not, I'm just here under orders to protect you." Anna's mouth curled up, and she looked at Li Xuewu with a smile: "My colleagues and I will protect you at all times."

"You also know that something very bad happened last night. You might not know that the two key figures in that case last night boarded a plane at Frankfurt Airport and flew away."

She raised an eyebrow and looked at Li Xuewu: "You wouldn't want another dangerous accident like that to happen in Dresden, would you, sir?"

"What are you talking about? I don't understand."

Li Xuewu led his team toward the outside, saying: "And we don't need your protection."

"No, you do." Anna followed Li Xuewu's footsteps and reminded him: "You've provoked people you shouldn't have."

"Who? God?" Li Xuewu walked out of the lobby, and just as his secretary opened the car door for him, he looked back at Anna and asked with a smile: "How many divisions does your God have?"

"Do not blaspheme God; you are not that lucky."

Anna narrowed her eyes slightly; clearly, she wasn't fond of his words, which also proved she was a devout believer.

"Believe in yourself, or believe in someone who couldn't even save himself?" Li Xuewu shrugged his shoulders, stepped into the car, and said with a smile: "Do you want to believe in our country's gods?"

"If you want to get rich, you can believe in the God of Wealth; if you want to stay safe, you can pray to Guan Yu; if you want to pray for a child..."

Li Xuewu looked her up and down and raised an eyebrow: "Judging by your introduction just now, you're still single, right?"

He pulled the car door shut, rolled down the window, and looked at her: "How about a drink tonight? See if I can really drink two large bottles of brandy?"

"What a master of courting death—"

Watching the luxury sedan leave, Anna curled her lip, pulled open the door handle of the car her colleague had driven over, and got in.

"Let's go, follow them, keep a close eye on them."

"They're following us."

Sha Qizhi discovered the tail behind the motorcade in the rearview mirror; it wasn't just one car.

"Doesn't matter, ignore them."

Li Xuewu still had some aftereffects from last night; he knew why Anna was hounding him.

The smell of alcohol could disappear and be hidden, but the smell of gunpowder couldn't be washed away; it would linger on the skin.

If you can't understand, think about how when you set off firecrackers during the New Year, even if you didn't light them yourself, the smell of gunpowder on you would be strong for a while after walking past; that's the principle.

He was sure he had showered after returning to the hotel and had changed his clothes, but this kind of gunpowder smell would still linger.

But it didn't matter; the Stasi couldn't afford to provoke the KGB, and they didn't want to destroy the hard-won cooperative relationship either.

He hadn't attacked ordinary people; even if there were casualties, they were those outlaws on the other side. What did East Germany have to complain about?

Furthermore, East Germany probably couldn't understand how he had escaped, and they weren't even sure if it was him.

It was dark; anything could happen.

Besides, the only people who had seen him were drunks; how could what those people said be brought to the table as evidence?

Therefore, the Stasi couldn't control the KGB, and they didn't want him causing trouble, so they had to stick their noses in the middle to annoy both sides.

"The other side already knows our people have left." Sha Qizhi reminded him: "Will they take other actions?"

"East Germany? No, they won't."

Li Xuewu flipped through the documents in his hand regarding the development and technical aspects of the steel industry in the Dresden region, explaining: "They only lost an insignificant little character; how could they make a big fuss and affect the current cooperation?"

"Is that Peter really that important?"

Sha Qizhi frowned in doubt: "We looked into the development status of East Germany's photolithography technology, and there are many problems."

"Their photoresist is heavily dependent on imports, and production is often forced to stop due to embargoes."

He leaned to the side and reported to Li Xuewu: "Not to mention production capacity; the things produced by their crude methods only have 20% of the capacity of West German products, with absolutely no comparability."

"And their brain drain is severe; they hardly value the chip industry here at all. It's a very contradictory relationship."

"That's East Germany for you—"

Li Xuewu smiled and said without looking up: "A country forced into division, what great prospects can it have?"

"But we can't be too arrogant."

He tapped the document in his hand and emphasized to Sha Qizhi: "Even if it's not as good as Western capacity, we don't have photolithography technology either. I don't have the ability to go to West Germany and get a set."

"Yes, you're right."

Sha Qizhi smiled and said: "If we can really cultivate our own photolithography technology achievements, maybe we can make a breakthrough in the chip field."

"That is my greatest wish."

Li Xuewu looked at the ancient buildings outside the car window; hadn't this place been bombed? Were the Allied planes blind?

If you asked Li Xuewu to talk about photolithography technology, he could speak eloquently because Shangguan Qi had popularized this knowledge for him.

Actually, the principle of photolithography technology is very simple; electron beams and light reach the same destination by different routes, both having wave-particle duality.

Alright, that's enough; one more word would be nonsense.

Peter could provide the research and development principles and solutions from beginning to end for the technology he didn't understand, and the research institute didn't lack such technical personnel and equipment; all that was needed was the road to success.

Now that the road was there, whether it could be achieved depended on how much the group was prepared to invest; he didn't plan to seek sponsorship for this project.

People say drone technology holds a market worth hundreds of billions, but in Li Xuewu's view, photolithography technology is more worth keeping private than drone technology.

This thing is very easy to cause technology leaks, but it's a different matter from drones; drones are sold externally, can photolithography machines be sold?

Anyway, the Red Star Steel Group definitely wouldn't be selling photolithography machine products in the short term; isn't selling chips good enough?

Today, Li Xuewu's itinerary was very tight; first, he went to steel enterprises in Riesa, Gröditz, and other places in the Dresden district to inspect steel pipe production technology, and he also had to listen to the evaluation reports of the accompanying experts.

If the technology really had aspects worth learning, he could start negotiations on the spot, because the places he was visiting today weren't just the steel industry, but also Dresden's mechanical industries such as electrical machinery, electronics, and instrument manufacturing.

Photolithography machines couldn't be sold, but CNC machine tools could still make a lot of money; East Germany's CNC development wasn't that fast, at least the Soviets had reservations, or rather, the Soviet CNC development was also very slow.

The Soviets are just rash; in this kind of precision technology, they just can't compare to the Japanese, who are petty and lack integrity.

Actually, today's inspection didn't have a specific focus; it was completely a case of "since we're here, let's cast a wide net."

He had already taken the photolithography technology he wanted; now it was just a matter of "killing two birds with one stone," anyway, he had to finish visiting today.

He only had a few goals in coming to East Germany, in order: shipbuilding industry, automobile manufacturing industry, optical electronics industry, and mechanical industry.

If there was time, he also wanted to get technology for the chemical industry and food industry through cooperation.

For example, the Beijing Chemical Industry that he had pushed all the way to the Northeast; this was a very easy-to-fool "Big Brother."

"Don't stop, follow them in."

Anna waved her hand to signal the driver to ignore the security guards in front and follow the motorcade into the factory area.

Unexpectedly, the other party's motorcade was really here to inspect industrial projects; she had thought they were running away.

"Leader, they followed us in."

After Sha Qizhi got out of the car, he discovered that the tail behind them had also followed into the factory area, and they also got out and followed them over.

Li Xuewu stood by the car, looked back, and waved with a smile.

Anna didn't understand his behavior; she raised an eyebrow, but still walked over.

"What, realized the importance of safety so quickly?"

Her mouth curled up slightly, and she asked with a smile: "Do you need us to provide any help?"

"How much do you know about this place?"

Li Xuewu signaled to the factory manager who had walked over and asked softly: "Can you help me investigate their background and production situation?"

"..." Anna looked up speechlessly, wondering what kind of confidence this shameless man had to dare to make such a bizarre request of her.

Li Xuewu, however, didn't care; he smiled and reached out his hand to the other party, greeting them politely: "Hello, I am a representative of the Red Star Steel Group, sorry to bother you."

"Welcome, welcome, friends from afar."

The factory manager was very polite and really treated them as comrades; his handshake was very firm, it seemed he was from a worker background.

Li Xuewu didn't treat the sweet Anna as an outsider either; he raised his hand and signaled: "To ensure the safety of this trip, I have invited the person in charge of the Stasi in the Dresden region, who is also my closest friend, Ms. Anna."

Wait a minute—

Anna's eyes widened; when did she become his closest friend? Introducing her like this was a bit ambiguous!