"What if there are casualties?" Ling Chen retorted, "Elder Tong, have you considered this problem? Once there are casualties, we definitely can’t shoulder such responsibility. By that ti, the Martial Arts Association will be condemned by everyone."
Before Tong Zhentian could speak, Su i and Qi Yong, who were walking ahead, had already stopped in their tracks.
"Mr. Ling, Elder Tong should have ntioned this to you, right?" Qi Yong said, "We are between a rock and a hard place now. Whether we cancel the Martial Arts Tournant or continue, we will have to bear the losses. However, troubleso as it may be, it’s not without a solution."
"So, Mr. Qi has thought of a solution?"
Qi Yong nodded and said, "The Martial Arts Tournant is in five days. As long as we can confirm the accuracy of the intelligence within these five days and eliminate the threat, the tournant can proceed smoothly. You’re in charge of the venue’s security, so this matter will be hard on you. Rest assured, no matter who those people are, we will unconditionally support you."
After hearing this, Ling Chen didn’t imdiately respond but turned his gaze to Su i and asked, "Master Su, what do you think?"
"I agree with Sect Leader Qi; eliminate all threats before the Martial Arts Tournant. If you need any assistance, just say the word, and the hundreds of people in Heavenly chanism Pavilion are at your disposal."
Ling Chen glanced at Tong Zhentian beside him, thought for a mont, and nodded slightly, "Alright. Since you all say so, I’ll do my best."
Returning to his place, Ling Chen sat on the sofa with a phone in his hand, montarily dazed, unsure where to begin. Su i and the others ant for him to investigate and identify the potential threat. However, all he had was one uncertain piece of intelligence, without any material to work from, which left him at a loss. Thinking of this, Ling Chen couldn’t help but feel a headache coming on.
If he had known it would be like this, he would have cited a health issue and pulled out early, not getting involved in this ss.
Night fell.
Nanrong Wanqing ca back from the company, bringing so takeout along as their dinner. During the al, seeing Ling Chen looking troubled, Nanrong Wanqing couldn’t help but ask, "What’s wrong? Did you encounter so problem?"
"It’s nothing." Ling Chen forced a smile, diverting the topic, "Is everything going well?"
"I’m fine, everything is going smoothly. Changlong Technology has already moved into a new building, and the laboratories will reboot in the coming days to catch up on the lost progress."
"How about Qu Guanying, the one you ntioned to before, how’s his tech company doing? Are you still going to acquire it?"
Nanrong Wanqing shook her head, lightly sighing, "Qu Guanying has already received investnt from a foreign venture capital firm, so acquisition is hopeless. We can only compete with them directly."
Upon hearing this, Ling Chen couldn’t help thinking of the intel provided by Zhu Hong, "Do you know who invested in Qu Guanying?"
"I’m not sure, only know it’s a foreign venture capital firm. Such matters will be dealt with by Changlong Technology, and there’s no need for to ddle." With that, Nanrong Wanqing glanced at Ling Chen, curiously asking, "Why are you suddenly interested in this?"
"Just asking casually."
Right then, the phone on the dining table suddenly rang. Glancing at the caller ID, Ling Chen answered, asking, "Elder Tong, what’s up?"
"Half an hour ago, Qi Yong was ambushed on his way ho and is seriously injured. He’s at the hospital now."
"What?" Ling Chen’s expression changed, and he stood up abruptly, asking in a deep voice, "Do you know who did it?"
"Not sure. Apart from Qi Yong being seriously injured, all the personnel accompanying him were killed; there’s not a single survivor. Qi Yong is a master ranked on the Earthly List, and for him to be seriously injured, those people must not be simple. If you have ti, it’s best for you to get to the hospital imdiately; now only Qi Yong knows who those people are."
"Alright, I know." Hanging up the call, Ling Chen couldn’t bother to finish his dinner, grabbing a coat and rushing out.
Sitting in the car, Ling Chen recalled his conversation with Tong Zhentian. Just today they ntioned a potential threat, and by night Qi Yong got attacked, this clearly wasn’t a coincidence. It seems the intelligence intercepted by the Heavenly chanism Pavilion was real; soone intends to cause trouble at the Martial Arts Tournant.
Not long after, Ling Chen arrived at the hospital. At this mont, outside the intensive care unit, Tong Zhentian and Su i were already there, sitting on the bench in the corridor, patiently waiting.
"Master Su, Elder Tong, how is Sect Leader Qi?"
"Still unclear, the doctor is conducting an examination inside." Just as Tong Zhentian finished speaking, Su i interjected, "Elder Tong, Sect Leader Qi’s results won’t be out for a while, why don’t you take Ling Chen to the mortuary to have a look first."
"Alright."
The mortuary? Ling Chen blinked, feeling puzzled, yet he still followed Tong Zhentian’s footsteps. Shortly, the two arrived at the hospital’s basent mortuary. As the door opened, a wave of cold air rushed out.
"These were the people accompanying Qi Yong, all dead when we arrived." Speaking, Tong Zhentian pulled back the white cloth, revealing four male corpses.
Ling Chen examined them carefully and noticed each corpse had a very fine needle mark. If it was one, it might be a coincidence, but all four bodies having needle marks was evidently abnormal. Moreover, the skin around the needle marks was a bluish-black color, seemingly poisoned.
"Elder Tong, did they all die from poisoning?"
Tong Zhentian nodded, "Correct." With that, Tong Zhentian retrieved a small cloth bag from his pocket and handed it to Ling Chen.
Upon opening the bag, there were four needles, each about the length of a finger, with blood on the tips.
"These murder weapons seem nothing special," said Ling Chen. In the martial arts world, using needles with poison to kill was not unheard of, so this thod was not surprising.
"At a cursory glance, indeed nothing special. However, these needles are anything but ordinary, sothing the naked eye struggles to see clearly."
Hearing this, Ling Chen’s interest was piqued. He was eager to know what was special about these needles. Leaving the mortuary, Ling Chen found a bottle of mineral water, then placed it over the needle, using it as a magnifying glass to examine closely.
Soon, Ling Chen discovered the needle’s unique aspect, noticing many patterns and texts on its surface.
This is... rice carving!
Ling Chen was secretly astonished. Rice carving is an intricate craft, carving patterns and texts on grains of rice. Evidently, soone had applied rice carving techniques to the needle. It must be said, the maker of these needles was truly remarkable, with patterns and texts impressively clear.
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