Just as Qiao Jing was about to open the door, the red alert lights of the research institute suddenly flashed, plunging the entire institute into a sea of red accompanied by the urgency of an alarm sound.
Seeing this commotion, Qiao Jing immediately knew that her escape had been discovered and prepared to turn the door handle directly.
But just as she was about to open the door, an iron gate descended rapidly from above the exit, intending to block her path.
To avoid injury, Qiao Jing had no choice but to retract her hand and then stood still, waiting for Mr. John and his team to come over.
Actually, she wasn’t worried that Mr. John and the others would lay hands on her, since she still had the identity of Professor Qiao; firstly, these people wouldn’t dare to harm her, and secondly, they still needed her help with some matters.
Therefore, if her attempt to escape failed, the most that would happen was an increase in the intensity of her surveillance.
At this moment, Mr. John was rushing over in a hurry, and only when he saw that Qiao Jing hadn’t managed to escape did he let out a sigh of relief.
He sized up Qiao Jing’s attire and then frowned, asking,
"Professor Qiao, what is this supposed to mean?"
Qiao Jing pursed her red lips, looking at Mr. John with an expressionless face.
"Nothing much, just needed some fresh air. Are you saying I’m not even allowed that?"
She knew that they couldn’t do anything about her, so she could say this outright. Furthermore, she indeed felt quite suffocated inside; the lab had nothing but bottles and jars.
Besides, she had no intention of helping Mr. John with the experiments. Staying inside, she had nothing to do but idle her time away in boredom.
Upon hearing this, Mr. John worried that Qiao Jing might not be happy and thereafter refuse to continue with the experiments, so he dared not contradict her.
He could only say politely,
"Of course you can, but our research is quite urgent. Once you help us succeed, we will naturally arrange for someone to take you out for fresh air. The environment outside is also very nice; you’ll definitely like it."
He was no fool, of course he knew that Qiao Jing wanted to escape. When he heard that she had managed to flee, he couldn’t believe it at first.
After all, in a place full of guards and tight security, he thought it impossible for a woman to manage an escape. Yet Qiao Jing did just that.
As he hurried to the door, he saw his men scattered and lying on the ground, which was a huge shock!
All these men, so many of them, had been knocked out by just Qiao Jing herself!
Hearing Mr. John’s words, Qiao Jing lightly raised her finely arched brows and retorted,
"Oh? So, if I don’t complete the research, you won’t let me out for fresh air?"
She knew that they had brought her here to conduct experiments and that they definitely wouldn’t let her leave easily; it was very likely that after one experiment, they would want her to do another.
But if she could only go out for fresh air after completing the experiments, then she might never get that chance before she left. She had no intention of helping the people of M country with their experiments.
However... she noticed something odd about Mr. John’s words. She could go out for fresh air after completing the experiment? These people weren’t ignorant of her capabilities; as long as they let her out, she was confident she could escape.
And what did he mean, the environment outside is very nice?
Before Qiao Jing could understand, John spoke up.
"How can that be? Professor Qiao, everyone in our institute has great respect for you. It’s just that this project is so urgent, so important for us, that we need you to help us complete it first. Please return to the lab and continue working?"
Qiao Jing looked up at John, silently staring at him for a moment before taking the initiative to walk towards the lab.
Although John’s question was phrased as an inquiry, his tone was assertive. In the current situation, even if she didn’t go back on her own, these people would forcibly take her back.
Plus, with John and the others around, she definitely wouldn’t be able to leave today. This attempt at leaving was just to familiarize herself with the terrain for a future opportunity.
At this moment, John was still immersed in the feeling of their recent eye contact. As he looked into those deep, stagnant eyes, he felt as if he were frozen in place, unable to move.
"Mr. John, I think we need to strengthen security. Professor Qiao is truly formidable."
After snapping out of it, John inexplicably felt intimidated by Qiao Jing’s gaze, his breathing growing somewhat difficult.
He closed his eyes to calm himself until the strange feeling in his heart disappeared, then he responded to Frank’s suggestion.
"Arrange for two people to stay in the lab with Professor Qiao. Let them step out when the professor rests."
This was the first time he had encountered such an impressive woman. It was one thing for her to have made significant contributions to the agricultural world, but her combat skills were also exceptional.
When Frank mentioned over the phone that their team of well-trained members had been taken down by Qiao Jing alone, he didn’t believe it at all. Not until he saw his injured subordinates return did he dare to believe it.
Meanwhile, Qiao Jing went back to the research room.
She went straight to the sofa, sat down, and looking at the meal she hadn’t yet had time to eat, she picked up the chopsticks and started eating while planning her next escape.
Tonight might be a good opportunity. After dark, she could hide in the shadows when fleeing.
She couldn’t stay in this institute for too long; she had to leave as soon as possible.
She wondered how Zhan Qipei and the others were doing now...
In the faraway empire, Zhan Qipei finally found a clue.
He had searched the entire capital without finding Qiao Jing. With no other choice, he reviewed the surveillance footage once more, zooming in on the backs of the blond guards who had appeared.
After analysis, these men were definitely not from the empire. Instead, they looked like Americans because their builds were uniformly robust, including the shoes they wore and the clothes on their bodies, which were all made in the USA.
This reminded him of what Zhan Nanqing had told him, that Qiao Jing was going to see Wu Xirui for a medical consultation today.
Zhan Qipei’s face darkened at a visibly alarming rate, his aura chillingly intense, as if the end of the world was near.
He took the keys and drove directly to Wu Xirui’s company. The only person linked to Americans was Wu Xirui, so it was very likely his doing.
While Zhan Qipei was driving, he received an unexpected call.