Chapter 236: The 232nd Mysterious Man

"You don’t need to thank me, because your operation this time is bound to fail."

Hearing this, Zhu Hong showed a puzzled expression and asked, "Why?"

"You’ve been around me long enough to understand my character; I always strive for stability. You have the ability and courage, but you lack experience. Do you really think I’d casually let you manage such a big operation? The task assigned to you, aside from being a training exercise, was also meant to create a smokescreen to draw the attention of the Ghost Base, facilitating other plans. Even if you hadn’t exposed yourself, I would have taken measures to make the Ghost Base suspect you. However, even though the outcome is predetermined, it doesn’t change my disappointment in you. According to my initial plan, you should have been able to hold off the Ghost Base for at least half a year, but now only two months have passed, far from meeting my expectations."

"I’m sorry!"

"In front of me, you don’t need to say sorry. You are young, and it’s normal to make mistakes."

"But, that safe inside..."

The man waved his hand and said, "All the information you have was given by me. Knowing that you would be targeted by the Ghost Base, do you think I would give you truly important intelligence? Like I said, those were just smokescreens, meant to attract the attention of the Ghost Base; we had to sacrifice something. Those labs being destroyed don’t impact us significantly. Also, I just received the news that Zhang Xueli has been captured by the people from the Ghost Base."

"What?" Zhu Hong looked startled. "What should we do?"

The man said with some dissatisfaction, "How many times have I taught you? Don’t panic when things happen; maintain a calm demeanor. As someone in a higher position, you must learn to keep your composure and not let others guess your thoughts. Zhang Xueli is just a pawn; her fate isn’t important. Moreover, if she can disclose our secret bases in East Sea City, that would also be beneficial."

"How could that be beneficial?" Zhu Hong asked, confused.

"The plan I’m currently preparing will take another month to complete. I had hoped you could stall for some time. Since you’ve been exposed, we can only pin our hopes on Zhang Xueli now, using those secret bases to hold off the Ghost Base, keeping them too busy to focus on other matters."

"Those secret bases have hundreds of members; don’t their lives matter?"

"To achieve great things, one must not be soft-hearted. You need to learn to look at issues from a different angle. They are sacrificing themselves for the organization’s greater cause, not because we aren’t rescuing them. Alright, let’s not discuss this further; go abroad for a while to avoid trouble. Once this blows over, come back; I still have many things I need your help with."

"Yes, take care. I’ll be leaving now." After saying this, Zhu Hong turned and walked toward the exit of the study.

At the doorway, the man suddenly spoke up, stopping him. "There is one thing I think it’s necessary to tell you."

"What is it?"

"That young man named Ling Chen is actually not dead. Not only is he not dead, but he is also alive and well, still lurking in East Sea City. The troubles you’ve encountered these days are probably all related to him."

Zhu Hong abruptly turned his head, his eyes filled with hatred and his face turning ashen. "He... really isn’t dead?"

"Believe me, I wouldn’t lie to you; this is information I obtained from inside the Ghost Base."

"I see." Zhu Hong gritted his teeth, furious. The last time he stayed with the Nanrong family, he wanted to help Nanrong Wanqing resolve their troubles. Initially, everything was going well, but suddenly overnight, Nanrong Wanqing’s attitude towards him changed drastically. He had always been puzzled by the reason; now it seems, it must be because of Ling Chen.

"Don’t let hatred blind you," the man said indifferently. "He is just a minor character, not worth your hatred. Once you have grown stronger, people like him can be easily dealt with by you at any time."

Zhu Hong nodded, suppressed the anger in his heart, and forced a smile. "I will certainly bear your teachings in mind."

"Good. Besides, there is another matter, the most important thing: without my permission, you are not allowed to touch Nanrong Wanqing. If you don’t heed my warning, even though I have personally mentored you, I won’t give you any more chances. Did you hear me clearly?"

"This..." Zhu Hong hesitated.

"Hmm?"

Feeling the man’s coldening tone, Zhu Hong grit his teeth and nodded. "Yes, I understand."

"Alright, you can go now."

After Zhu Hong had left the study, the man picked up a cup of tea, leaned back in his chair, and muttered to himself, "Don’t blame me for being too harsh on you. You’re not yet qualified to marry my daughter."

...

Two days passed.

News came from Ghost Base: Zhang Xueli disclosed four secret bases located in East Sea City. Tang Yuan was leading a team to apprehend them all in one fell swoop.

With the threat in East Sea City temporarily mitigated and Zhu Hong gone missing again, Ling Chen suddenly found himself at a loose end, not knowing what to do.

"Old bachelor."

Returning to East Sea City, the first thing Tang Yuan did was excitedly rush to Ling Chen’s residence.

Ling Chen pushed away Tang Yuan’s approaching arms and said gruffly, "Enough, what’s there to hug between two grown men?"

"I’m just happy to see you," Tang Yuan said with a broad, cheerful smile. "Last time, I really thought you were dead. I bought many paper dolls to burn for you, so you could enjoy your next life."

"Get lost! I’m definitely tougher than you. Hey, you don’t need my help for this operation?"

"No need; I have enough manpower. The General said you’ve worked hard recently, so he’s giving you some time off to rest properly."

"Really?"

"Of course, it’s true. I wouldn’t lie to you. If you want, you can return to the Nanrong Family anytime. The General wants you to continue staying by Miss Nanrong’s side to protect her. The military’s collaboration with the Nanrong Family has just begun, and he doesn’t want any mishaps with Miss Nanrong. You know what I mean."

"I understand." Ling Chen nodded. There was still one enemy of the Nanrong Family left to deal with — the Snake King. Given that he now knew the true identity of the Snake King, he naturally couldn’t let his guard down.

"Right!" He switched topics, asking, "Has there been any resolution regarding Nanrong Hao’s issue?"

"He will be released in a couple of days. Zhang Xueli has already confessed that it was Zhu Hong who instructed her to covertly transport contraband and frame it on Hongyu Group, including the set-up against Nanrong Hao. The General has already issued an order that will soon be communicated to the city police."

"That’s good."

Checking the time, Tang Yuan said, "I’ve got other things to handle; I’ll catch up with you some other time."

"Mm, take care."

After seeing Tang Yuan off, Ling Chen stretched lazily and then went back to his room to pack his bags. Since everything had been settled, there was no need for him to stay any longer.

Closing the door, Ling Chen carried his luggage and sighed quietly to himself. Although this case had concluded in the way he had anticipated, he still felt a twinge of disappointment. He had secretly infiltrated East Sea City to gather evidence and intelligence to confront Zhu Hong, but Zhu Hong had left prematurely, rendering his efforts futile.

However, thinking of Nanrong Wanqing immediately brightened his mood. Regardless, the endeavor wasn’t entirely fruitless; at least it had clarified the relationship between him and Nanrong Wanqing.

Before leaving, he made a phone call to Hu Fei. He owed much to Hu Fei’s help during this period and naturally wanted to express his gratitude properly.