The senior official continued slowly, “In the historical records of our National Security Bureau, there is a little-known secret related to this matter. Three thousand seven hundred years ago, that is, 1,600 BC, during the pre-Shang period, a major event occurred in the largest city of Shang, west of Luoyang. According to historical records, a strange stone fell from the sky on the western mountain outside Luoyang. General Qiu Yuan of Prince Tang led a hundred men to lift the stone. After splitting it open, they found a rare treasure, about the size of a sparrow's egg, which shone brightly for a hundred meters. Qiu Yuan was overjoyed and prepared to present it to Prince Tang. However, overnight, hundreds of thousands of people and livestock in the entire city perished, with no survivors. Prince Tang, fearing that it would cause panic throughout the country, ordered a censorship order and sent thousands of people to dig a tunnel a thousand meters deep west of Luoyang to bury the strange stone and the pearl underground. At the same time, all the dead and valuables in the ancient city were also buried there. A prosperous and bustling ancient city was completely wiped out. Prince Tang also ordered that it be strictly forbidden to record or spread this story, with violators facing execution of their entire family. Therefore, later generations did not know about this event!”
The old man and Wei Haihong listened in a daze, but they had never heard of such a thing before. Was he telling a story?
Lan Gao smiled bitterly and said, "Old man, you probably find this hard to believe, right? I don't believe it either, but it's right in front of us now. That ancient city that disappeared underground not only had that strange stone that destroyed the city, but also countless treasures throughout the city. But no matter what happens, it's impossible for it to remain completely unknown. Many people in later generations have been searching for the whereabouts of this ancient city, hoping to find its treasures. Tomb raiders throughout the ages have racked their brains to find it. From the clues we've obtained, this miniature coffin village may be something we obtained from that ancient city. And the middleman who traded with Cheng Jing was from Henan. This middleman had the closest contact with three or four tomb raiding gangs. Seven people from two of these gangs, along with this middleman, are now dead, presumably because they came into contact with the miniature coffins."
"What's most worrying right now is," Lan Gao said, frowning, "that those tomb-raiding gangs have found the location of the ancient city and are greedy for the antiques and treasures inside, so they've stolen the strange stone pearl that destroyed the city. Although it's just a legendary account, we still have to be careful. What if it's really true? That would be a disaster!"
At this point, Lan, the senior executive, looked at Wei Xiaoqing and shook his head, saying, "Ms. Xiaoqing, through the community's surveillance footage, we already know that you participated in your gathering with your classmates. But what I don't understand and find strange is why you are all perfectly fine without any problems?"
Faced with questions from the higher-ups at Lan, Wei Xiaoqing, who had been listening to the story-like narration, was momentarily stunned and blurted out, pointing at Zhou Xuan, "It was him! He cured me!" To find out what happens next, please log in to Ji Can for more chapters, support the author, and support genuine reading! Just finished training Yang… 8. o… Yushu Bar offers a different experience!
Volume 1, Chapter 89: The Mysterious Blue High-Level
Zhou Xuan glanced at him and immediately sensed an extremely imposing aura emanating from this high-ranking official. He hadn't noticed it before, perhaps because he was weaker in front of figures like the old father and son.
While Zhou Bin was sizing up the Blue executives, the Blue executives were also assessing him.
Since this is Wei Haihong's villa, Zhou Xuan is obviously related to Wei Haihong, and therefore also to the old man. So, he can't possibly follow the usual procedures.
After a moment's thought, the senior executive said to the old man, "Old leader, haha, I think this matter will require your intervention!"
The old man said calmly, "Tell me, don't try to set a trap for this old man!"
"Hehe!" Lan Gaozhang chuckled and said, "I'm from your place, would I set a trap for you, sir? I was thinking," he said, pointing to Zhou Xuan, "that I'd like to borrow him from you for help!"
"Me?" Zhou Xuan pointed to himself, then quickly shook his head. "No, no, I'm already half dead. One more person and I'll be done for!"
Last night, saving Wei Xiaoqing caused Zhou Xuan to faint and vomit. Even now, his ice energy has only recovered to 30%. If he were to save another person, he might really lose his life. It's not that he doesn't want to save people, but he will only do what he can, not risk his life to save others, unless that person is a relative, in which case there is no need to even mention it.
Before the old man could speak, Lan Gaoren quickly interjected, "Young man, you've misunderstood. I've invited you because of something. The fact that you were able to save Miss Xiaoqing at least shows you have some knowledge of that kind of thing and the ability to protect yourself. I don't know how you saved her, but judging from your tone, it's clear that saving someone can be harmful to yourself, so naturally I won't force you. I'm only inviting you to join our investigation team. It will increase our chances of success in investigating this matter. If this historical legend is true, then your help will be a contribution to the country. As for the temporary exposure to radiation from the miniature coffin…"
The Blue executive smiled and said indifferently, "Hehe, that's none of my business. Throughout history, every major event has been paid for with the lives of countless people!"
Although these words sound indifferent and cold, they are the truth.
The old man stared at Zhou Xuan, pondered for a moment, and then asked, "Xiao Zhou, Xiao Lan was a soldier I trained in the army, so you could say he's one of my men. The reason I'm telling you this is to ask for your opinion. If you're willing, then help me with this. If you're not, then just pretend I didn't mention it. Think about it!"
The old man's brows were deeply furrowed. Although he had retired, he still couldn't let go of anything that really happened. Although he said those words, his meaning was clear: he still hoped that Zhou Xuan could help with this matter.
The old man understood Zhou Xuan's abilities perfectly. With someone as special as him lending a hand, the safety and success of the matter would be greatly enhanced.
Zhou Xuan bit her lower lip, hesitating in her heart. She looked at everyone one by one. The old man and the senior executives of Lan had earnest looks in their eyes, Fu Ying was worried, Wei Haihong frowned, and Wei Xiaoqing had a strange expression.
Wei Haihong reached out and gently patted Zhou Xuan on the shoulder, saying, "Brother, don't force yourself. Just do what you want. No one will force you!"
Zhou Xuan suddenly sighed, pondering for a moment. Was he really going to completely depend on Wei Haihong from now on? It wasn't that Wei Haihong had treated him badly, but having to rely on others for help with every little problem was extremely unwise. Although he trusted Wei Haihong would never harm him, entrusting his family's safety to someone else was dangerous. What if something happened to Wei Haihong one day? The old man was so old; it was entirely possible he would die of old age at any time. If the old man passed away, the Wei family's future might not be so smooth. Rather than placing his family's safety in someone else's hands, he'd rather build his own foundation.
This high-ranking official was clearly no ordinary person. If I could do something for him, as long as it was within my power and wouldn't endanger my safety, I would do it. This way, I would have made friends with a powerful figure, and I would have someone to talk to about my affairs in the future, so I wouldn't have to ask for favors.
After thinking for a while, Zhou Xuan looked up at the Blue executive and said, "Okay, I agree!"
The senior executive smiled and extended his hand, saying, "Thank you for your agreement, and it's a pleasure to meet you!"
Zhou Xuan shook hands with him, and then said, "However, I also have a few conditions!"
The old man breathed a sigh of relief when Zhou Xuan agreed. He coughed and said, "Xiao Lan, I can trust you, but you still have to promise me that no matter what, you must ensure Xiao Zhou's safety first and bring him back to me safely!"
"Don't worry, sir!" the senior executive said with a smile. "Just tell me what conditions Xiao Zhou has."
"
Zhou Xuan thought for a moment before saying, "Alright, I'll say it then. First, I will only do what I can do, and I won't do what I can't. Second, I will not join your National Security Bureau. Once this is over, I will return to my original position. Third, after this is over, you must keep all my affairs and whereabouts confidential for me. You cannot record, report, or disclose them. In other words, I'm just going with you for a short trip. Can you agree to that?"
The senior executive chuckled and said, "These are not problems at all. I thought you would bring up something more difficult. Hehe, many people's first condition is compensation. Have you considered that?"
"Reward?" Zhou Xuan chuckled. He wouldn't go with them for the sake of reward. With his ice energy abilities, making money was a piece of cake. Making money no longer excited or inspired him.
"Forget about the reward, I have no interest in that. Hmm, when does this start?" Zhou Xuan asked him, guessing he should go home and prepare, bring some clothes and such. In his imagination, going into the upper echelons of the National Security Bureau to do business would mean being cut off from all communication, and being under 400 blockades would be almost like being in jail.
"The time to start is now." The Blue executive stood up as he spoke. "This matter is extremely urgent and cannot be delayed. You come with me now. You don't need to prepare anything. We will prepare everything you need."
Wei Haihong asked in surprise, "Now? You were prepared all along?"
Lan Gaozhang then smiled and said, "Old man, third son, I'm telling you now, in fact, there's already a plane waiting for us at the Beijing Military Region Airport!"
The old man slammed his fist on the coffee table and cursed, "You little brat, you really did set a trap for us... Get out of here right now!"
Fu Ying frowned, clearly unhappy. Zhou Xuan took her hand and whispered in her ear, "Yingying, there's no escaping this, but don't worry, I won't do anything dangerous. You go and have some fun with my mom and sister. I'll call you when I have the chance. I'll be right back."
Fu Ying bit her lip and remained silent, her expression strange, neither agreeing nor disagreeing.
Outside Director Hong's villa, a black Audi was parked. Senior Executive Lan led Zhou Xuan to the car, opened the door, and said, "Xiao Zhou, please."
The car windows were all opaque dark glass, making it impossible to see inside. After Zhou Xuan got in, he saw that there was only one person sitting in the front, the driver, and no one else. Then, after the senior executive Lan got in the car, he made a hand gesture, and the man in the front immediately started the car.
Now that there was no one else around, Zhou Xuan looked at Senior Manager Lan and said, "Senior Manager Lan, I think you came prepared, didn't you? I'm just wondering, how did you know about me?"
The senior official from the Blue team chuckled and said, "What are we National Security officers good for? Hehe, actually I don't know you, but we know that Xiaoqing is perfectly fine, so there must be a reason. And the key person must be here, so I came directly here."
Zhou Xuan sighed. There was no way to resist such a huge organization. He sighed again and asked, "High-ranking Lan, what is your position? How high is it? What are your responsibilities?"
"Hehe!" Lan Gaozhang laughed. "Actually, my position isn't that high. I just manage a special department within the National Security Bureau. My surname is Lan, and the title 'Lan Gaozhang' is just something my colleagues like to call me. You can think of me as someone who watches elevators, the very, very high-rise elevators!"
Avoiding the question, Zhou Xuan didn't bother to ask further, and Ao Po drove off in an unknown direction. About twenty minutes later, the car stopped.
Zhou Xuan got out of the car and looked around. It was an underground parking garage, and he couldn't tell where he was at all. Lan Gao walked to the elevator, pressed the button, and turned to Zhou Xuan, saying, "Please."
Inside the elevator, as it slowly ascended, Zhou Xuan found the Blue Tower increasingly mysterious and unfathomable.