Jon slowly alighted from the sedan, and the guard unloaded the rifle slung over his shoulder, pointing it at Jon, frightening him into instinctively hugging his head.
"What are you trying to do? I am a foreigner; you can’t do this to me. My country won’t allow you to treat me !"
Despite feeling panic, foreigners are best at talking about human rights and reasoning. Even in the face of danger, they insist on defending their rights.
Titus Zane also got out of the car and cautiously asked the guard, "May I ask what crime we’ve committed to have a gun pointed at us?"
The guard glanced at her indifferently, his serious face showing no excess emotion.
"I suspect he’s attempting to steal the geographical location of where Country C’s leader resides, to facilitate terrorist activities!"
Hearing this, the guard sternly ordered Jon, "Come with me!"
Both Titus Zane and Jon were dumbstruck; this accusation was more serious than that of a spy, and if proved true, it could be a matter of life and death.
"Hey, it’s a misunderstanding, all of this is a misunderstanding! We’re here to meet someone!" Jon urgently explained, knowing that if he was branded a terrorist, it would disgrace his family and the Lady would never let him off.
"Whether it’s a misunderstanding or not, we’ll find out soon!" The guard pushed Jon towards the compound, and Titus Zane also followed closely behind. Everything had started because of her, she couldn’t just abandon Jon, and even though following them might not help, it seemed to bring some peace of mind just to stay with them.
"Abigail, what’s going on here?" An army SUV pulled up in front of them, and the rear window rolled down to reveal Abigail Zimmerman peeking out, glancing at Titus Zane with no particular expression, then turning to the guard holding the rifle.
"Report, Madam! This person’s behavior is suspicious; he’s been pacing back and forth outside the compound gate!"
Seeing someone he recognized, Jon hurriedly sought support.
He rushed to Abigail Zimmerman, clinging to the car door in urgency, "Madam Zimmerman, you must explain to him that this is a misunderstanding. We came to find you and couldn’t enter, so we could only wait outside."
Abigail Zimmerman looked helpless and turned towards the guard again, speaking kindly, "Young Xiao Zhang, these two are distant relatives from my hometown. It’s their first time in the capital, and they don’t know the protocols."
"Madam, my apologies then!" The guard shouldered his rifle and nodded slightly to Abigail Zimmerman.
"No harm done, you didn’t know. Carry on," Abigail Zimmerman said with a smile, and the guard saluted her military-style before answering, "Yes, Madam," then turned and ran back towards the gate with a perfect military posture.
He hadn’t run far when Abigail Zimmerman called out to him.
"Hey, Xiao Zhang, come back here!"
Xiao Zhang halted, turned around, and trotted back to Abigail Zimmerman.
"May I ask if there’s anything else, Madam?"
After looking around, Abigail Zimmerman instructed Xiao Zhang, "Don’t report my relatives’ visit to the superior officials."
Xiao Zhang paused for a moment and then saluted Abigail Zimmerman, "Yes, Madam! If there’s nothing else, I’ll go back to my post."
"Go ahead, off you go," Abigail Zimmerman dismissed Xiao Zhang, then invited Titus Zane and Jon into the vehicle. Inside the army SUV with its dedicated driver, Abigail Zimmerman glanced at Titus Zane beside her, sighed without saying a word, took her hand and held it in her own, gently tapping it reassuringly.
"Madam, earlier you mentioned my mother is..."
"Xiao Wang, I won’t go shopping myself, you go. Make sure to buy all the groceries that the elder has listed, then give me a call," Titus Zane’s sentence was cut off by Abigail Zimmerman, who squeezed her hand forcefully signaling her not to continue, and then leaned forward to give instructions to the driver.
After the driver acknowledged, Abigail Zimmerman, like she did with Xiao Zhang, told him not to mention this to her husband or the elder.