“These veterans are no ordinary people. It’s amazing that you were able to recruit them.” General Zeng’s tone softened. Talking about the military made him feel good. “Even if you compare the military skills of my soldiers with your company’s security team, they would definitely lose. It’s a waste to have them do security work.”
Lin Yao chuckled but didn't respond; this was a difficult topic to discuss.
"I'm meeting with you today for two reasons. First, to express my gratitude for your help," General Zeng suddenly changed the subject, his expression turning serious. "Second, to question you about the methods you used to gather evidence, which included gambling. Of course, gambling is understandable, as it was a way to lure Li Gennong out, but we need to discuss the amount of money involved."
Lin Yao glanced at General Zeng and knew that the other party's goal was the money he had won this time. Originally, this money was illegal, and he had no intention of taking it.
Before General Zeng could continue speaking, Lin Yao turned to Ge Yong and instructed, "Captain Ge, have them hand over the cash checks that haven't been cashed to General Zeng. By the way, one million should be deducted; this is our own capital and can't be considered embezzled funds."
"Xiao Lin is truly decisive." General Zeng stood up and extended his right hand to Lin Yao. "I still have things to attend to here. You are welcome to visit Chongqing in a while. I will personally take good care of you."
Lin Yao admired General Zeng's efficient and decisive work style and had no complaints about him or the action team. After shaking hands with General Zeng, Lin Yao nodded goodbye and left, without considering bothering the major general again on his next trip to Chongqing.
After leaving the action team's office, I ran into Zhang Zheng downstairs. Zhang Zheng had already gone to the hospital and had his chest bandaged, making him look like a big dumpling, which made him look a bit bloated.
"Xiao Lin, we don't need to call you Gu Nan anymore. You guys have done a great job this time." Zhang Zheng was clearly in a good mood. His eyes were bloodshot from staying up all night, but he was in high spirits.
"Director Zhang, what are you doing here?" Lin Yao asked, somewhat puzzled. Normally, someone who has been shot should be lying in a hospital bed, and moving around would be detrimental to the healing of the wound.
"I came here to give you a work report, and I didn't expect to run into you all. It seems we are destined to meet." Zhang Zheng laughed heartily, then grimaced after tugging at his wound. This is a classic case of joy turning to sorrow.
"Why aren't you in the hospital resting?" Lin Yao asked directly, thinking that even if he had removed the bullet, the fracture in his back was no joke, and lying on his side was necessary.
"The branch office has too much to do. Being hospitalized at this time would affect my work. Let's talk about it in a few days. It's just a minor injury," Zhang Zheng said casually.
Zheng Ming, who was standing next to him, chimed in, his tone tinged with resentment, "Director Zhang has been temporarily appointed as the acting director of the branch office, but he refuses to be hospitalized at this critical moment."
"Hehe, congratulations, Director Zhang. You were already a second-level police inspector, so it's only right that you become the branch chief. I reckon you'll be promoted to third-level police supervisor afterward." Lin Yao congratulated him with a smile. He greatly admired the policeman who risked his life to save him. "However, you should avoid strenuous activity due to your fracture, otherwise it may leave lasting effects. Here's a pill. Take it after you've fully recovered. Take it on an empty stomach after you wake up in the morning, and then don't eat for four hours."
"Oh? It must be something good. Minhong Pharmaceutical specializes in producing good products. I've heard all about it." Zhang Zheng didn't stand on ceremony and took the jade bottle from Lin Yao, putting it in his pocket.
"A good thing? That's an extremely good thing, worth at least a million, and there's nowhere else to buy it with that kind of money." Standing to the side, Banan stared intently at the small jade bottle, thinking that he wished the boss would give him another "Dragon Tiger Pill" someday. Tiger, who had regained his senses and started adaptive training, didn't have such a good thing.
Zhang Zheng, a former reconnaissance soldier, noticed Banan's expression and immediately knew that what was in his pocket was extraordinary, coveted even by Lin Yao's bodyguard. Without saying much, he invited Lin Yao to visit Chongqing in the future, then took his leave to go upstairs to report on his work.
When Lin Yao returned to Chengdu, he was escorted by the armed police. During this critical period, General Zeng was worried about his departure. Even though a group of veterans accompanied him, they might be at risk because they were not equipped with weapons. So he mobilized several vehicles and a dozen or so soldiers with live ammunition to escort Lin Yao away. He thought that only with guns could those veterans exert greater combat power if they really encountered danger.
Lin Yao didn't take General Zeng's arrangements seriously, feeling that he was being overly suspicious. He didn't really understand the situation of the underworld in Chongqing, but he still cooperated and enjoyed the treatment of being escorted by a Hongqi sedan. However, the driver was changed to Ge Yong, and only Banan and himself were in the car.
"Boss, Tiger will recover soon. Would you like to give him a 'Dragon Tiger Pill' too?" Banan finally couldn't suppress his desire and made the request directly in the car. His earnest expression made Lin Yao feel a little reluctant.
"The 'Dragon Tiger Pill' is not very useful to you. The raw materials are very rare and precious, so the security guards don't even have them. I gave it to you before because I didn't know about the Yi family's raw material situation at the time. I didn't expect that they also had a hard time collecting these medicinal materials." Lin Yao thought for a moment and still refused Banan. Compared to the effect of the "Dragon Tiger Pill" on the Yi family members, giving these pills to the security guards would be a waste.
"I gave it to Zhang Zheng just now because he saved my life. This is to repay a debt of gratitude. Even though I would have been fine if he hadn't tried to save me, I still have to repay this favor. After all, we're not related, but he still decisively saved me. I appreciate his kindness." Lin Yao continued, explaining his actions. He couldn't help but think that he was a boss who lacked authority and always had to explain himself to his subordinates.
"Oh." Banan replied with some disappointment, then fell silent and stopped bothering Lin Yao.
Upon hearing Lin Yao's words, Ge Yong, who was driving, was taken aback and understood Lin Yao's attitude. For Zhang Zheng, who had also squandered the "Dragon Tiger Pill," Lin Yao's decisive act of giving away a pill and explicitly stating that it was to repay a debt of gratitude showed that Lin Yao's attitude towards people and things had changed. He was no longer blindly offering help, but rather acting according to the person's character.
The security team members, including myself, did not make any irreplaceable contributions to Lin Yao and Minhong Pharmaceutical. Apart from the rescue of Lin Yao's father, Luo Jimin, which I and Qingying helped with, the other team members did not do that important work, which could be done by many people in society.
Shen Ruohua's previous act of demanding pills out of gratitude was clearly a lack of self-respect. He himself owed Lin Yao an immeasurable debt of gratitude, let alone Shen Ruohua and the others who had not made any contributions worthy of praise.
It seems I need to adjust my attitude towards the security team and myself from now on. Although this younger brother, whom I've become sworn brothers with, keeps calling me "big brother," do I really have the ability and skills to deserve being treated like a big brother?
Thinking about this, Ge Yong began to seriously consider how to position the security team. They didn't even know they had passed a highway toll station and were driving on instinct. Fortunately, the Hongqi sedan with military license plates was not stopped by the toll station staff.
Lin Yao, whose mindset had changed, was considering the security team's future role. Logically, he didn't need bodyguards anymore, but he kept Ge Yong and Banan around to reassure his parents. Ge Yong had a lot to manage, and with Shen Ruohua gone, he needed to take on more responsibilities; it was time for them to leave.
As Lin Yao was thinking about these things, he suddenly felt his phone vibrate. It was a text message, followed by several MMS messages. The text message only had a few sentences: "Brother Yao, I saw you were very interested in sinkholes yesterday. I'm sending you a picture of an even more amazing sinkhole in the center of Guatemala City."
Lin Yao smiled, thinking that Gou Xiaogou was quite conscious, efficient, and attentive to his work.
Lin Yao's pupils contracted sharply as he casually opened the image.
A horrifying sinkhole has been discovered in Guatemala City. Over thirty meters in diameter and seemingly bottomless, the vertical shaft is perfectly cylindrical. The smooth, clean surfaces of the walls suggest it was excavated using state-of-the-art equipment. However, such a deep and large hole is beyond the capabilities of modern excavation equipment. Furthermore, where did such a massive amount of excavated soil and rock go? Could it be that the entire city is completely unaware that such a large hole has been secretly dug beneath its feet?
The tiny people and cars, no bigger than sesame seeds and ants respectively, in the picture highlight the astonishing size of the sinkhole. It can no longer be described as a sinkhole; it is more like an entrance to an abyss, which is terrifying.
"Little grass, if it's a ghost tree, would it have such a huge iron spout? Its mouth is over thirty meters in diameter?!" Lin Yao felt a chill run down his spine; the scientifically inexplicable scene in the picture was truly unsettling.
"I don't know. The largest iron ore I've ever seen could only dig a hole three zhang wide. I'm not familiar with what you're describing. Maybe it wasn't done by the Youren." Xiaocao was also very surprised. She could already perceive the images and colors on the screen, but seeing this incredibly large hole, she couldn't provide any more information.
"How did Shi Nian resolve the Youren tribe's attack? Logically speaking, it's difficult to defeat a race that comes from underground and can migrate at any time." Lin Yao continued to explore history.
"Shi Nian relied on a plant to stop the Youren from digging tunnels and attacking in human settlements. That plant is called the Earth-type Flower. Within a three-thousand-foot radius around where this Earth-type Flower is planted, the Ci Iron will not dig tunnels because they are afraid of the aura emanating from the roots of the Earth-type Flower. This aura will weaken or even kill them." The little grass has a good memory; it can still remember the name of the Earth-type Flower after tens of millions of years.
"Where can we find this kind of earth-elemental flower? Let's go get some." Lin Yao was overjoyed. Three thousand zhang is ten kilometers. Planting one of these flowers can ensure that sinkholes and craters will no longer appear within a circular area with a diameter of twenty kilometers. It's best to have this method under our control first.
"I don't know. The Earth Flower is an ancient plant that transforms upon entering the soil. Its form is not visible on the surface. It only protrudes when it blooms, producing ugly mud flowers. I didn't sense any of them where you walked. Otherwise, this flower would be a rare treasure and would be very helpful to me." The little grass gave a disappointing answer rather irresponsibly, leaving Lin Yao speechless.
"Forget about them. Maybe it's a strategic tunnel deliberately dug underground by a foreign superpower, exposed by global tectonic movements." Lin Yao made another assumption, burying his head in the sand. He thought that superhumans, Spider-Man, or Batman would be fine too. He was just a 22-year-old about to graduate, with no house, no car, no wife, and as for his baby, he only picked one up and hadn't even received his diploma yet.
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Chapter 166 Celebrating the Victory
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The trip to Chongqing achieved its intended results. The mastermind behind the kidnapping turned out to be Ning Qingfan, a seemingly humble gentleman whom they had only met once in Beijing. Nicknamed "Smiling Tiger," he was always polite and courteous, but he was also ruthless and cruel.
I obtained some information about Ning Qingfan from Li Gennong. This princeling, who is meticulous and ruthless, would never do bad things himself. However, almost everyone who has suffered losses knows that he is the one who is behind it. But they only come to this conclusion after suffering great losses. Moreover, once he takes action, the person who is attacked has almost no chance to turn the tables. They don't even dare to reveal this information, which allows him to continue to be a gentleman.
"Smiling Tiger" is merely a nickname given to him by young people of this caliber in Beijing. It contains an element of mockery, because those who can use this nickname have never suffered at his hands. Those who have been schemed against by him will no longer call him that; they will only say that he is a venomous snake, a venomous snake that is very well hidden.