Firstly, his skills seemed decent, and if they really had to fight, he could be a decent force.
Secondly, a group of three would always make some careful people vigilant. Even if their appearances were different, who knew if their identities would be exposed in some detail? Having one or two more people traveling together would reduce the chance of exposure. Those people probably wouldn't think they could find companions at a time like this.
"What did your companion say just now? Just about the bounty?" Roy remembered the whispering from the person earlier.
"What? You still don't think much of a $500,000 bounty?" Xiao Ye chuckled twice. "This is South Africa, $500,000 can set you up for life." Thinking back to the information he had received before finding them, he was also a bit curious. "By the way, did you really get that thing?"
Roy's gaze darkened, and he remained silent.
Xiao Ye rolled his eyes. "Come on, Laila has already vouched for me, hasn't she? Do you still think I would harm you?"
Roy snorted and sat back on the comfortable sofa, closing his eyes to rest. He wouldn't casually mention something so important. While Laila's assurance was trustworthy, who could guarantee that he would remain true to himself after seeing that item?
If he were to be quietly eliminated here, all it would take is a random excuse to make them disappear forever. He would be stupid to put himself in danger like that!
"You really..." Xiao Ye was speechless. Hadn't he seen plenty of good things? He had handled countless valuable items. Just the national treasures he had recovered were numerous. Did he really think he was so eager to see what was in his hands?
Fine... he was genuinely curious.
"Don't know how to appreciate kindness!" He pounded his chest and stomped his feet, a look of being let down by the world. "It's a shame that I hid it for you, and you won't even let me take a look."
"What did you hide for me?" Roy glanced at him, feeling like there was more to his words.
"What else?" Xiao Ye huffed. "You've been to Russia, Australia, South Africa... Laila asked me what you were doing in those places, and I didn't tell her!"
Roy's gaze darkened. "You know what I'm after?"
"Of course!" Xiao Ye looked smug. "Russia, Australia, South Africa... these countries have a very obvious commonality, don't they?"
Before Roy could reply, he exclaimed, "Diamonds! Of course, it's diamonds! Many people think that only South Africa has diamonds, but in fact, there are many places in the world where good-quality diamonds are produced. Like the countries you've visited."
Seeing he seemed to want to say something, Xiao Ye continued, "Don't try to deny it. These countries, whether developed or impoverished, definitely have diamonds as a common factor. And before finding you, I also got some information that someone stole a very good quality diamond, which was bought by two foolish Americans."
Roy didn't respond, unsure of what to say. He continued to pretend he didn't know what Xiao Ye was talking about.
Xiao Ye just wanted to see what kind of diamond could make so many people interested. Who knew Roy was so cautious, refusing to talk.
"Brother, let me see."
"... " Roy continued to play dead.
Xiao Ye raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure you won't show me? Don't forget, that's a diamond and a big one. Do you think you can easily take it out of this country? Believe me, when you leave with the diamond, it's the time you'll be arrested as a smuggler. Do you think those people aren't in cahoots with the authorities? By then, whether your people can survive and return is hard to say."
Roy finally opened his eyes. Right, he had forgotten about this. At the time, he was just excited to finally buy something he wanted, but he hadn't thought about how to get it out of the country. After all, his way of obtaining it wasn't legitimate. If it were confiscated, he couldn't even protest.
Seeing his expression soften, Xiao Ye sat down beside him with a smile. "I just want to see what kind of diamond can make people offer a $500,000 bounty. With Laila vouching for me, what are you still worried about? And I promise to help you bring the diamond back to the United States. It's a good deal, right?"
Roy was reluctant, but he also knew this was probably the only way. After thinking for a few seconds, he reached into the pocket close to his chest and took out a small bag about the size of half a palm.
Seeing his movement, Angelo and Leonardo also came over.
Especially Angelo, he only got to know them after the two were chased, only knowing that they were being chased because of diamonds, but he had never seen what kind of diamond it was.
Although Leonardo had seen it before, he was still very interested in the diamond that almost got him caught.
Seeing Roy take it out, how could the two of them miss the opportunity to see it?
Xiao Ye took the bag and carefully opened it, pouring out the diamond into his palm.
"Is this it? Doesn't look that good." Angelo was a bit disappointed. He had originally expected to see a huge, shiny diamond being brought out, but it turned out to be a seemingly ordinary transparent stone. It wasn't even that big, and it didn't shine as much as he imagined. Was it because of this little thing that they had to hide and run for so many days?
Xiao Ye gave him a disdainful look. "What do you know? This is an uncut diamond!"
"Uncut?"
"Of course, you don't think the diamonds mined for jewelry are that nice when they're dug out, do you? After the rough diamond is mined, it has to go through cutting and polishing processes before it can become so shiny."
Angelo suddenly realized, "Then how much can this one sell for?"
Xiao Ye looked at it for a while, and shrugged, "I don't know, at least $6 million or more."
"6 million?" Angelo gasped. Just this small stone was worth six million? It took him one or two years to make a project that sold for tens of millions of dollars, and now a small stone could equal his year's hard work.
He subconsciously measured it against his earning speed, but he didn't realize that his speed of earning money was also at a freakish level. It could be said that the vast majority of people on Earth couldn't afford this diamond even if they worked their entire lives!
"Alright, I'll keep it for you. I'll return it to you when we get back to the United States." Xiao Ye said, putting the diamond back into the bag and then casually into his pocket. His attitude was as if he was not carrying a diamond worth millions, but an ordinary small stone.