Chapter 1036 - 1035: Uncovering the Mastermind
"Chen Tianlong, how come you have time to come over today? You didn’t even give us a heads-up." Li Jingwen was excited to see Chen Tianlong since it had been a while since she had spent quality time with him.
"Haha, this is a surprise inspection. I’m worried you might mess up the company, so I came to check." Chen Tianlong joked.
"Hmm, you underestimate us. With me and Bingshuang here, how could things go wrong?" Li Jingwen pouted, speaking in frustration.
"Exactly, with me as the vice president, the company couldn’t possibly fail." Li Bingshuang said with a proud smile.
"Really?"
Chen Tianlong said as he led the two girls into the elevator. Once they were settled, Chen Tianlong broached the main topic: "I heard most of the medicinal raw materials in South Sea City have been monopolized recently. Is that true?"
Upon hearing this, the two lowered their heads. Li Bingshuang spoke first; she used to be an influential CEO, and they thought they could handle it without bothering Chen Tianlong. But a week had passed without new supplies. Thankfully, Elder Tan had stockpiled a lot.
"Yes...yes, but I believe we will overcome the difficulties and soon find new sources." Li Bingshuang said confidently.
"Hmm, I trust you all." Chen Tianlong nodded, and soon the trio arrived at the pharmaceutical research center. At that moment, Master Tan Tian was researching a new type of medicine reminiscent of the Great Rejuvenation Pill, which could be used by both ordinary people and practitioners. If successful, it would be immensely valuable.
Seeing Tan Tian, Chen Tianlong quickly walked over and called out, "Master, long time no see."
"Oh? Haha... So it’s you, Tianlong. You’re such a busy man; how come you have time to visit me today?" Tan Tian was clearly surprised.
"Hehe, I missed you." Chen Tianlong shamelessly said.
"Oh, you missed me, probably more like missing Liu Ting. What’s the point of missing an old man like me?" Tan Tian joked, making Liu Ting blush.
Liu Ting had always silently supported Chen Tianlong, helping manage the company. He naturally kept her efforts in mind.
"Tianlong, I guess you’re here because of the medicinal raw materials issue, right?" Tan Tian said directly.
"Yes, this matter is indeed tricky." Chen Tianlong nodded, and the two got to the main topic.
"Actually, there are only two possibilities for those targeting our South Sea City pharmaceutical company: insiders from South Sea City or outsiders with strong ties to someone here." Tan Tian reminded.
Upon hearing this, Chen Tianlong frowned. If the master says so, he must have suspected something. He directly asked: "Master, are you saying someone from the Han, Wu, or Xu families is causing trouble?"
"Why not someone from abroad?" Tan Tian said unhurriedly.
"You mean, the Black Alliance?"
"No, strictly speaking, it’s someone from the Black Alliance, closely tied to South Sea City, who’s stirring up trouble!" Tan Tian said.
"Are you saying the Mo and Hao Families?" Chen Tianlong finally understood. With ties to the Black Alliance, those two major families came to mind; however, the Mo Family had declined significantly, likely lacking the capability, so Chen Tianlong focused on the Hao Family.
Hao Shuai?
This persistent person must be dealt with, or South Sea City won’t have a peaceful day.
With this information in hand, Chen Tianlong began investigating the Hao Family. Returning to the villa, he dialed a mysterious number, and on the other end was none other than Xu Wei.
"Hello, Chen, what do you need?" Xu Wei, now Chen Tianlong’s informant, reported situations at any time.
"Help me check if there’s been any unusual activity from the Hao Family recently, like Hao Shuai’s whereabouts." Chen Tianlong instructed directly.
Xu Wei quickly agreed. Just as Chen Tianlong was about to hang up, Xu Wei suddenly said, "Chen, wait, I remembered something. Recently, a stranger snuck into the Hao Family’s residence at night. Do you know where he went?"
"Damn, don’t beat around the bush, just say it." Chen Tianlong was speechless.
"Haha, okay, he entered Hao Jian’s room, slept there for a night, and left early the next morning. Here’s the key point: before leaving, Prophet Xu also entered the room. They talked about something, then he left again."
"And then? What are you trying to tell me?" Chen Tianlong wondered if they were discussing business, so staying a night in Hao Jian’s room might not be an issue.
"Chen, you might not know, but the elder usually hates anyone going into Hao Jian’s room. He once said the room is only for Hao Jian, even if Hao Jian never returns, they must keep it." Xu Wei explained.
"Oh?" Chen Tianlong seemed to understand, "Are you saying that person is Hao Jian? So, he’s out of prison?"
"Haha, I’m just guessing. If Hao Jian is out, I reckon South Sea City wouldn’t be so calm. The Hao Family still hasn’t acted, which feels odd." Xu Wei shared his thoughts.
Upon hearing this, Chen Tianlong frowned. He suddenly thought about the recent medicinal raw materials issue.
Could it be that Hao Jian is manipulating things from the shadows?
However, Chen Tianlong absolutely didn’t believe Hao Jian had the capability, so he immediately thought of another person, Hao Shuai. Since that encounter in Ice City, Hao Shuai vanished without a trace, likely finding a stronger backing.
After pondering for a while, Chen Tianlong, feeling a bit overwhelmed, chose not to continue thinking.
These days, he often felt dazed, as if life was missing something, though he couldn’t pinpoint it immediately.
Mo Jing cried all night following Lin Wushuang’s persuasion, finally cooperating with her.
Time flew by to Saturday. That day, Li Bingshuang finally had a break. Recognized as his beloved, Chen Tianlong hadn’t properly taken her out to have fun. With some free time, he decided to take her and Mo Jing out for leisure.
"Where do you two want to go? Any suggestions for fun places?" Chen Tianlong smiled.
"Brother, Liu Ting said there’s a Hidden Sword Manor open for tourism recently. There are swords, and I want to learn martial arts." Mo Jing said, waving her little fists and smiling joyfully.
"....."
Chen Tianlong was initially speechless but soon understood Mo Jing’s intention—to learn martial arts so she could help him fight the bad guys.
Ruffling Mo Jing’s hair, Chen Tianlong said, "Alright, I don’t mind. What about you, Bingshuang?"
"Ah?"
"Wherever you decide to go, I’ll be with you." Li Bingshuang said with a gentle smile.
Though she spoke lightly, it moved Chen Tianlong inexplicably; whether due to recent sensitivity or some other reason, he felt like crying.
Chen Tianlong chuckled and said, "Alright, let’s head to Hidden Sword Manor!"