Chapter 1776 - 1366: Eyes in the Shadows (Part 3)

The three sat down opposite Song Heping.

The middle-aged man was in the center, the young woman on the right, and the elder on the left.

"Mr. Song Heping." The middle-aged man spoke, his voice calm but with an undeniable authority: "My surname is Li, I'm the deputy director of the XXX department. These two are my colleagues. We invited you here to understand some situations."

Song Heping looked at them, saying nothing.

"Understanding requires this?" He pointed at the door: "I thought I was arrested."

"Just assisting with an investigation." Li Chu smiled slightly: "You just assaulted a police officer, grabbed a gun, we'll talk about these things later. First, let's talk about your situation overseas."

"I do engineering business abroad, operating legally."

Song Heping said, his voice equally calm.

"What kind of engineering?"

"Construction, infrastructure, oil equipment installation, oh, and also security services."

"Specifically which countries?"

"Iligo, Siria, Libya, and some other countries in the Middle East and Africa."

"What's your company's name?"

"Peace International Engineering Co., Ltd. Registered in the Cayman Islands, legal and compliant."

The young woman was recording something on her tablet, her fingers sliding quickly.

Then she looked up, her gaze sharp like a needle: "According to our information, this company is registered in the Cayman Islands, the actual controller isn't you, but a Greek named Odemans, and its business scope goes far beyond engineering. In the past five years, sixty percent of the company's funds went to arms manufacturers, private security companies, and some... sensitive areas."

"Nowadays, how many real bosses have you seen acting as the legal person themselves?" Song Heping looked at her, sneering: "However, you've investigated thoroughly, not bad, not bad, you found all this."

"That's our job." Li Chu said: "Mr. Song, since we invited you here, we've grasped some information. Let's be frank and save each other's time."

The elder opened a folder, pushing over a few photos.

First photo: Song Heping meeting with Abu You in Elbil.

The photo was taken indoors, with a concealed angle and clear quality.

Abu You was smiling, patting Song Heping's shoulder, while Song Heping nodded slightly.

The background showed the Kurd flag and Iligo's national flag.

Second photo: Song Heping's security team in Baghdad.

The photo was shot from a high place, possibly a drone.

An armored car was parked roadside, and bodyguards fully armed in camouflage surrounded Song Heping, with the weapon models clearly visible.

Third photo: A blurry photo of Song Heping shaking hands with Naxin, commander of the Persian Revolutionary Guard's "Holy City Brigade".

The background is a desert, both dressed in civilian clothes, but the Iranian officer's facial features are very distinctive—thick eyebrows, a big beard, and a scar on the left cheek.

Fourth photo: A batch of munitions seized at the border of a Central Asian country, wooden crates opened, inside were brand new AK-47s, and the text next to it identified it as goods from the company registered in the Cayman Islands.

"How do you explain these?" The elder asked, tapping on the photos: "Especially the last one. Munitions, Mr. Song. This is not engineering equipment."

Song Heping's expression didn't change, he even slightly smiled:

"Doing business in the Middle East, it's normal to have contact with various forces. You should know, in that place, without protection from the military or local armed forces, no engineering can be done. As for the munitions..."

He shrugged: "I don't know. Maybe someone is misusing my company's name, or maybe some of my employees are acting on their own. My main business is engineering, you can check the contracts for that."

"Mr. Song."

Li Chu leaned forward, hands crossed on the table.

This posture was very imposing.

"We are not fools. We have all your entry and exit records over the past ten years—multiple entries into Iligo, Siria, Libya, as well as Persia, Afghan, Wild Gate... all places involved in wars. Would a normal person do that?"

"You frequently travel to war-torn countries, staying for long periods each time, ranging from two weeks to half a year. Although your company is nominally an engineering company, the cash flow is huge and complex. Your possession of private arms in Iligo is an open secret. Half a month ago, during the coup in Elbil, what you claimed as 'engineering teams' were present on the front lines, which certainly wasn't for road construction."

Song Heping remained silent.

The information the opponent held was more than he expected, but not to the core level yet.

They knew he had influence in Iligo but might not be aware of the specific extent.

"We know what kind of person you are."

The young woman continued, her voice cold: "An arms dealer, or to put it more accurately—a private military contractor. You have your own territory in the northwest of Iligo, controlling the passage from Mosul to the Syrian border, and have connections with Kurd people, Iranians, and even Americans. What's your purpose for returning this time?"

"Returning home for a family visit." Song Heping said: "I'm from here, I haven't been back for ten years."

"Just a family visit?" The elder sneered, adjusting his glasses: "To our knowledge, you have several enemies overseas, including international crime syndicates and certain national intelligence agencies. At least three departments of the CIA are investigating you, and the Russian Foreign Intelligence Agency is also interested in you. Aren't you afraid of leading them into the country?"

Song Heping's eyes sharpened: "Are you threatening me?"