Old Master Raccoon squatted in the alley, facing Ah Bai and talking about information age tactics.
Ah Bai nodded in agreement, already imagining in his mind a phone call that would summon a swarm of strategic bombers. All he needed to do was to raise his head proudly like Old Master Raccoon, hands on his hips, to create an incredibly cool scene.
"Oh, right!"
"Come over here again, I almost forgot, there's another call I need to make."
After explaining the importance of summoning in the information age to Ah Bai, Ansheng seemed to remember something, raised his paw to beckon the Malinois, and picked up his phone again.
Ansheng looked at the phone screen, thought for a moment, canceled Lin Ying's number, and entered Lin Bingyun's number instead.
Last night, Grandmaster Lin was hospitalized because of a fight. Lin Ying was probably taking care of her and might still be sleeping now.
"Hello? Hi..."
Seeing an unfamiliar call, Lin Bingyun, who was handling discharge procedures at the hospital, paused for a moment, then politely answered.
"It's me, Old Master Raccoon." Ansheng began to tell Lin Bingyun about the assassination attempt he experienced, asking her to check with Lin Ying later.
The assassination incident, combined with what Grandmaster Lin said last night about a traitor in the Xia Country Lin Clan.
And considering his past offenses against the Longevity Club and the European Forest Wolf Organization, Ansheng was ninety percent sure that the so-called assassination was orchestrated by the Lin Clan.
"Is there really such a thing?" Lin Bingyun was startled.
"I just found out myself. I'm not worried about the assassination itself, but they threatened Ah Qing, and dragged other innocent people into it, which makes Old Master Raccoon unhappy!"
Ansheng told Lin Bingyun.
"Alright, I'll inform Miss Lin now." Lin Bingyun thought for a moment and then replied.
"Okay, I'll be going back for lunch soon, so I might not be able to use my phone until two." Ansheng said.
After saying goodbye to Old Master Raccoon, Lin Bingyun hung up the phone and headed toward the VIP ward of the international hospital.
The international hospital in Jiule City, as the name suggests, is a privately run hospital, not suitable for Grandmaster Lin's situation to be in a public hospital.
"Miss..."
Lin Bingyun knocked on the ward door, pushed it open, and looked at Lin Ying, saying: "There are some things that need your attention."
"Hmm?"
Lin Ying, sitting on the sofa in the ward, rose slightly puzzled and walked towards Lin Bingyun at the door.
Grandmaster Lin, wearing Lin Zhe's guise, sat cross-legged on the bed, holding his phone while playing a game, slightly raising his eyelids to look at Lin Bingyun, smilingly asking:
"Was it a call from the fox?"
Once Grandmaster Lin spoke, a subtle wave briefly crossed Lin Bingyun's expression at the door, but she remained silent, merely looking at Lin Ying with a questioning gaze.
Lin Ying was momentarily stunned and then turned to look at Grandmaster Lin.
"I don't have the ability to read minds or eavesdrop, but considering the time, it should be about now."
Grandmaster Lin said, multitasking as he controlled the shooter in the game: "Before returning to the country, I already knew that some members wanted to make a move on the fox. There's an Old Witch who claims to be the Queen of Dining, offering a five hundred million US dollar bounty for his extract..."
Grandmaster Lin slightly raised his head, revealing a hint of murderous intent in his eyes:
"After all..."
"Until last night, I always thought it was none of my business, so I stayed out of it, but now, the whole affair has blatantly crossed my bottom line repeatedly..."
"What a joke! To bind our Lin Clan Sacred Beast for juicing! I'll take a dump into a cup later and shove it down her throat!"
Having experienced Old Master Raccoon's power, Lin Qi understood very well the strength level of Old Master Raccoon.
Although he'd taken a beating, he was still delighted. Lin Ying has the capability to bring over a [Sacred Spirit Level] little monster to protect the Lin Clan's home in Xia Country, which is quite nice.
The whole situation was supposed to be very joyous, but the thought of someone eyeing the fox made Lin Qi feel as if he'd swallowed something unpleasant.
Lin Ying looked at Lin Bingyun.
With permission, Lin Bingyun proceeded to explain the whole ins and outs of the matter to Lin Ying and Grandmaster Lin.
"Oh! A local despot!"
"Quite a grand posture, commanding winds and clouds in Xia Dong, and no one dares defy his orders? Issuing a manhunt directive."
Having listened to Lin Bingyun's account of what the mastermind aimed at Old Master Raccoon, Grandmaster Lin immediately gave a faint cold smile, joking with a touch of mockery.
The hunting of the White Fox, anyone would realize, wasn't to kill Old Master Raccoon but to use the crowd to find him.
If the crowd could kill it, then it surely wasn't a Spirit Beast.
If Old Master Raccoon turns the tables, the mastermind will gather information and then track and locate Old Master Raccoon through technical means, transforming vague image tracking into precise positioning.
To accomplish such a feat, clearly, intervention at the traffic management system level is necessary. The mastermind boasts considerable power in Xia Dong, extending influence to official realms.
Intervening in a city's traffic management and security bureau is the domain of a select few.
"So, as they say...our ancestors had it right, even if it sounds crass."
"If you don't remove the roots, they grow back with the spring breeze."
"Just knowing some things, yet ambition can't be suppressed, so dissatisfied with the current situation." Grandmaster Lin unknowingly put his phone down, the screen showing the glaring red word 'failure,' reflecting his mood.
The reason for not informing Xia Country Lin Clan about the Spiritual Particles is fundamentally to curb their ambition, facilitating the Xia Country Lin Clan patriarch in managing the clan, eliminating at the root means to exploit their power and overseas resource access to cause major troubles.
But after the passing of Lin Ying's grandfather and father, in the transition period before Lin Ying took over the Lin Clan.
It allowed not only those opportunists in the Longevity Club to exploit openings but also fostered undue ambitions even among the clan members of Lin Clan.
Lin Qi was almost laughing with anger.
He'd just agreed with Li Wenkang to gradually divide overseas resources between Xia Country and America.
And the Xia Country Lin Clan turned their backs to directly side with the Longevity Club.
Initially, with bets on both sides, even when ultimately outmatched, one could always roll up the resources and data, return to Xia Country, and live as a wealthy elder in peace.
But.
Someone demolished his retirement home, also cutting off the retreat path for other overseas Lin Clan members.
"Order all Lin Clan members within Xia Country to return, saying Grandmaster will select the patriarch on the night of the Mid-Autumn Festival, inviting all listed in the family tree to come back...." Grandmaster Lin's eyes gradually narrowed, plotting something seemingly dreadful.
Seeing the shift in Grandmaster Lin's demeanor, Lin Ying, who had been learning with the Grandmaster for over ten years, keenly perceived the scent of blood in the ward's air.
The Lin Clan of Xia Country bears the Lin surname.
But it doesn't strictly have to be those bearing the Lin surname.
The Lin Clan serves as a generic term for the clan, and over so many decades of development, there exist a large number of non-Lin surnames, although top management has always adhered to the inheritance system. Unless committing an unforgivable sin, no one gets expunged.
Once expelled, it's a physical disappearance.
......
Contrasting with the murderous atmosphere in the hospital ward, Ah Qing, having finished her nap, sat in the car driven by Chen Zhiyu, cheerfully responding to little questions from her livestream audience while heading to the foster home.
"No, not really! Xiaolan may seem particularly aloof, but in private, he's incredibly snuggly, especially when scratching his fox's belly, he gets so exuberant...."
"This works with other foxes too, just flip them over to check their underside, then scratch them, and they'll be beside themselves with comfort...."
"Eh? You say Xiaolan's name is strange? It's not just 'An,' he does have a full name, the whole name is 'Safe Travels,' because, when I first met Xiaolan, he was holding a 'Safe Travels' sign in his mouth...."
The little fox hung his head, face adorned with black lines.