"So this is Mr. Chen."
The team leader was filled with respect upon hearing that the young man before him was Chen Chuan.
The battle in the Defensive Zone had a significant impact, and information about Chen Chuan had now reached the desks of every contractor company and even their clients.
They didn’t want to, nor did they dare, dig too deep into the origin of the military-grade Implant on Scarface. However, Chen Chuan, who could go head-to-head with a user of military Implants, had drawn their particular attention. So companies were even thinking of recruiting him.
But Chen Chuan had been invited by Wei Chang’an. The two were partners, not in a subordinate relationship. Moreover, they were both alumni of Wuyi Academy, which ant he was beyond their reach.
Fortunately, in a year or two, the academy would allow him to do an internship. They could afford to wait that long. So even thought they should send soone to make contact with him in advance.
It was simple: strength was the ultimate pass.
He naturally had to be polite to such a person.
He said apologetically, "Mr. Chen, my apologies. My young master doesn’t like to see strangers. Mr. Wei may go in, but I must ask you to wait outside. I’m truly sorry."
Wei Chang’an said to Chen Chuan, "Junior, wait for . I’ll go in, ask a few questions, and be right out."
Chen Chuan said, "Alright, Brother Wei."
The man imdiately stepped aside, clearing the way, and said, "Please."
Wei Chang’an walked inside and, led by the man, went straight to a hastily cleared-out office. A man in an ochre-colored foreign suit, his hair slicked with pomade, was leaning back on a sofa with his legs crossed, filing his nails. An assistant was bent over the desk, signing and drafting docunts for him.
Seeing him enter, the man said with so impatience, "Mr. Wei, what is it now?"
Wei Chang’an said, "Mr. Hu, I’d like to ask about the specific operational arrangents. As a mber of this operation, I believe I have a right to know, don’t I?"
Hu Shiguang didn’t speak to him. He just kicked the assistant at the desk. The assistant straightened up, adjusted his glasses, and said to Wei Chang’an:
"Mr. Wei, to ensure success, the operational details must be kept confidential. There’s no need for you to trouble yourself with them. Just follow the previous arrangent and guard the intersection. Once the mission is complete, rest assured, your na will be on the contract."
"You hear that?" Hu Shiguang said, as if it were perfectly obvious, swinging his crossed leg. "Mr. Wei, the operation is about to start. Can you just stop making trouble for us?"
Wei Chang’an gave Hu Shiguang a long, hard look, then left without another word.
At that mont, his resolve to strike out on his own hardened. It wasn’t just about the low pay; it was the suffocating feeling of being constrained by others.
He went out, found Chen Chuan, and they headed toward the intersection the company had assigned him to guard. But he knew perfectly well that Hu Shiguang was just using it as an excuse to get rid of him. If Tong Qianjiang really showed up, he wouldn’t make it this far.
A few hundred yards later, they arrived at the location. It had once been a factory park, with slides and climbing fras welded from steel rebar for exercise and children’s play. But ti had passed, and now everything was covered in rust, the ground around it overgrown with weeds.
The two of them found a dilapidated bench. Wei Chang’an took out a newspaper he had prepared, spread it over the seat, and sat down. "I couldn’t get the mission details," he said. "Hu Shiguang assigned us to the periphery. He clearly doesn’t want us involved in the operation."
Chen Chuan didn’t sit. He leaned against a tree and said, "I can’t really comnt on your company’s affairs, Brother Wei, but I imagine this isn’t the first ti you’ve dealt with sothing like this. The long night before the dawn is always the hardest to endure, but once you get through it, things will be fine."
Wei Chang’an said, "You’re right, Junior, but that’s not what I’m worried about." He glanced back toward the factory. "Hu Shiguang has no experience and loves to act clever. I’m afraid he’ll screw things up. Not only will no one benefit, but who knows how long it’ll take to capture Fang Dawei and his crew."
Chen Chuan said, "Since he ca all this way, surely he must have brought so experienced people with him?"
Wei Chang’an said, "That would be the logical thing to do, yes. But you have to understand, there’s a rumor going around the company lately. It says that Hu Shiguang is nothing without his father, the boss, and can’t do anything without soone helping him."
"It’s the truth, but the truth hurts the most. And he’s desperate to show off. I’m just worried he’ll get a hot head, ignore good advice, and insist on doing things his own way."
Chen Chuan thought, ’I get it. This guy Brother Wei is talking about must be one of those classic cases of all ego and no skill.’
The ti quickly reached eight o’clock. Since they weren’t involved in the actual capture, the two had nothing else to do but chat about other things.
Just then, Wei Chang’an said, "Junior, did you know? Around this ti of year, that instructor from Central City usually cos to the academy. He might even be there now. With your outstanding performance, he might co looking for you."
Chen Chuan was a little surprised. "Didn’t you say he only teaches Recomnded Students, Brother Wei?"
"That’s what they say, but who he teaches and how he teaches them is ultimately up to him. If soone’s performance is particularly exceptional, they’re more likely to catch his eye." He looked at Chen Chuan. "I heard he has a way to take people to Central City, and it doesn’t even use up a recomndation slot."
"Without using a recomndation slot?"
Chen Chuan’s interest was piqued. He thought for a mont and said, "I’m afraid it’s probably not that simple."
Wei Chang’an nodded. "This is all just hearsay. He might not co looking for you at all. I’m just ntioning it, so don’t get your hopes up."
’If there was sothing so beneficial with no downsides,’ Chen Chuan reasoned, ’everyone would be fighting for it. It would never be my turn.’
After that topic, they moved on to other things. However, when Chen Chuan brought up the military-grade Implant, Wei Chang’an clearly didn’t want to discuss it in depth. He warned Chen Chuan not to be too curious, because that business ran far too deep, and he should never get involved.
He added, "As soon as Scarface was interrogated, he was taken away by people from the Administrative Affairs Hall. No one knows where he is now, so don’t count on getting any more leads from him."
He looked toward the intersection ahead. "We can only hope this operation succeeds. That way, Fang Dawei and his crew can harm fewer people."
The two chatted idly. They waited until about eight-thirty when they suddenly heard the sound of rapid footsteps. A man, clearly from the contractor company, ran over, beaming, and said to them, "Mr. Wei, we got him! We got him! The man’s been caught!"
Wei Chang’an shot to his feet. He said to Chen Chuan, "Let’s go!"
Chen Chuan followed.
The two quickly returned to the factory building. Inside, they saw a man in a face mask pinned to the ground, his baseball cap lying to the side. Hu Shiguang stood there, looking smug, surrounded by a crowd of people.
Wei Chang’an looked at the man on the floor. Sothing felt off. Seeing that no one else was speaking up, he went forward and asked, "Wait a minute. How are you sure this is Tong Qianjiang?"
Hu Shiguang snorted and gestured. "Identify him."
Soone imdiately went up, yanked off the mask, and revealed a generic-looking face. The man looked closely, hesitated for a mont, and said, "Young Master, this... doesn’t look like Tong Qianjiang..."
"What?"
Hu Shiguang was shocked and furious. He pointed and demanded, "Then who is he?"
The captured man was terrified. Under questioning, he couldn’t speak a word, only managing to force out puffs of air from his throat.
Soone realized what was wrong. "It’s a Silencing Potion. Give him a Voice Recovery Pill." Silencing Potions were common drugs in contractor companies, usually used to prevent people from making unexpected noises during an operation.
After he took the pill, a mont later, the man could finally speak. He shouted, "It wasn’t ! It has nothing to do with !" He wailed, "I was forced to co here! He held a knife to my wife and kid’s throats! I had no choice, I was forced..."
Wei Chang’an shook his head. The situation was clear. Tong Qianjiang had been cautious and sent soone to scout the path for him. He might have been hiding nearby just monts ago, but he was likely long gone by now.
It wasn’t a particularly clever tactic; anyone with a bit of experience at the company wouldn’t have fallen for it. But now, the mission was a failure.
He glanced at Hu Shiguang, who was grabbing his assistant by the collar, yelling and cursing. He turned to Chen Chuan and said, "Let’s go, Junior. This capture operation has failed."
Chen Chuan also glanced at Hu Shiguang, nodded, and the two of them left.
Back at the factory, despite the failure, Hu Shiguang seed unwilling to give up. He dispatched a large number of n to search the surrounding area, apparently hoping to find Tong Qianjiang. But naturally, it was all for naught.
They toiled until midnight. After everyone was exhausted, Hu Shiguang finally gave up. And before the teams had even fully regrouped, he drove off by himself. When the others returned and found out, they were speechless, and a round of cursing at his back ensued.
Hu Shiguang rode all the way back to his mansion in the affluent district of South City. The mont he stepped into the living room, the look of dejection and mania vanished from his eyes. He waved away the maid who ca to help him with his shoes, walked over to the telephone, picked up the receiver, dialed a number, and said, "Father, I did exactly as you asked."
A voice ca from the other end of the line: "Second son, you’ve been wronged. I know that. You’ve actually always been very capable."
Hu Shiguang gave a self-deprecating laugh. "What’s the use of being capable? I know that as long as my older brother is around, it’ll never be my turn. It’s better for to seem incapable. That way, he won’t see as an enemy in the future. But about this matter, Father, why did you do it this way?"
"This business runs deep. It’s best to let it end here. Don’t wade any deeper."
"Can’t you tell ? I went through all this trouble, after all. I even staked the company’s reputation on it."
"You are not the eldest. There are so things you don’t need to know. This is for your own good."
Hu Shiguang scoffed. "For my own good? I just don’t want to get dragged down with you. I don’t want to miss out on the rewards but still have to share in the losses."
"I have this matter under control. Know your place, and your older brother won’t give you trouble." With that, the line went dead.
Hu Shiguang irritably loosened his tie and muttered to himself, "Old man, I hope you really do have this under control."
...
...
User Comments
0 comments from readers