Katou Takasuke had disappeared and no one could contact him.
But Katou Takasuke’s disappearance did not affect Hanwu Weapons’ production. From Ye Kun’s perspective, Hanwu Weapons would make no loss even if Katou Takasuke was killed by terrorists in the Middle East, but get the deposit of USD 5,000,000 with no strings attached. The Shenwu assault rifles Hanwu Weapons would produce would draw orders from not just the military, so there was no worry of no demand. Additionally, if something did happen to Katou Takasuke, then Ye Xiaoqi would become his exclusively. What was there for Ye Kun to worry about then?
China Industrial Group was manufacturing some of the parts for Hanwu Weapons, and Hanwu Weapons manufactured the rest of the parts and assemble them. The Shenwu assault rifles came off the production line one by one at an astonishing speed.
A similar situation was happening in Thunder Horse Military Factory; their production line had started for the Gust assault rifle. Thunder Horse Military Factory’s production capacity could not be compared to Hanwu Weapons’, especially since China Industrial was helping to produce some parts. The Thunder Horse Group had two other manufacturing plants supplying it with parts too but its production capacity definitely could not be compared to China Industrial Group.
However, though they had the same drawings for the same gun, the gun Hanwu Weapons was producing was missing a key feature – shock-absorption. Only Xia Lei and Shentu Tianyin knew about this.
One week later, night time.
Xia Lei finished his dinner and stood. “Let’s go out for a bit, Tianyin.”
“It’s late. Where do you want to go? Back to the factory? If you’re going back then I’ll go with you,” said Shentu Tianyin.
Shentu Tianyin wanted to stay with Xia Lei the longer they were together.
“Go on, go on, you don’t have to bother about home,” said Shentu Ren as he ate at the table.
Xia Lei thought for a bit. “All right, let’s go. Give us a call if anything happens, Father.”
“Go, go. What can happen to me? Nothing,” said Shentu Ren with a laugh.
Xia Lei went out with Shentu Tianyin and she moved to get the car but he stopped her. “No need to drive. Let’s get a taxi.”
“You drive, and I drive too. Why call for a taxi?” asked Shentu Tianyin in puzzlement.
Xia Lei put his arm around her shoulders and walked towards the gates of the neighbourhood. “I’m not actually going back to the military factory. I’m going to do some things.”
“Some things? Is it okay if I go too?”
“It’s been a week since Thunder Horse Military Factory started manufacturing the Gust assault rifle. Hanwu Weapons has also started production for a week now. There’s something I have to do now, or the trap I’d dug earlier will get filled up.”
“Didn’t you sign an agreement with Ye Kun?”
“We signed, but he has only one foot in the trap. I need him to plunge into it.”
Shentu Tianyin gave him a light hit. “Geeze, can’t you tell me your plan all in one go and save me the trouble of guessing. I’m so anxious and here you are chuckling.”
Xia Lei laughed. “All right, see, a gun needs to pass various tests before it can come off the production line, like ballistics, rate of fire, range and so on. These tests usually take a week. Hanwu Weapons took my company’s drawings and is producing the Shenwu assault rifle now, which lacks the key shock-absorption function so it’s fairly unstable. The first and second tests will be no problem but the third will definitely have problems. I’m guessing that their technical department just did the third test today and they had problems.”
Shentu Tianyin was a smart woman and she guessed what Xia Lei was thinking right away. “You’re afraid that Ye Kun would stop the production of Shenwu rifles once he knows about it?”
Xia Lei nodded. “This is the problem I’m going to solve.”
“How are you going to solve something like that? They will surely know that they’ve been had when they find problems in testing,” said Shentu Tianyin. “Ye Kun is a sly person, and Mu Jianfeng even more so as his teacher. You’ve laid this trap and it’s impressive enough that you’ve made them step in it. How are you going to shake Hanwu Weapons and China Industrial Group? They’re both large government-backed corporations.”
“Wait and see. I’ll get them to fall completely into my trap,” said Xia Lei.
Shentu Tianyin was not satisfied with that and she pinched Xia Lei’s waist. “You’re doing that again. Bully.”
Xia Lei just laughed and walked through the neighbourhood gates with his arm around Shentu Tianyin.
The taxi zoomed on the road. Shentu Tianyin put her chin on Xia Lei’s shoulder and looked quietly at his face with a sweet little smile on her lips. She was happy – this was Xia Lei’s first time taking her along to do “bad things”. She was excited and curious, yet not worried at all. She felt like the safest woman in the world by Xia Lei’s side.
About half an hour later, the taxi stopped in front of a hotel. Xia Lei paid the fare and they alighted.
A motorcycle immediately zoomed over from the middle of the street to come to a sudden stop before Xia Lei and Shentu Tianyin. The motorcycle’s front wheel stopped just millimetres from Xia Lei’s trousers.
The motorcycle rider hopped off the motorcycle and the helmet was taken off. The face revealed was one that was more beautiful than most women. Right below this face, however, was an obvious Adam’s apple – he was a man.
The motorcycle rider was Qin Xiang.
Qin Xiang removed the backpack from his back and threw it to Xia Lei as he greeted Shentu Tianyin. “Good evening, Sister-in-law.”
“Hello, Qin Xiang.” Shentu Tianyin knew the important people close to Xia Lei.
Qin Xiang rolled his eyes at Xia Lei. “Really? Why would you bring your wife along for things like this?”
“I’m bringing her as a distraction from myself. Besides, it’s just a regular person and no danger.” After a pause, he asked, “Right, has the target appeared yet?”
“Just went in,” said Qin Xiang with a wicked smile.
“Keep watch outside. I’ll go in with Tianyin.” Xia Lei went to the hotel lobby with Shentu Tianyin.
Qin Xiang watched them go in, then muttered after a while, “I was supposed to play the role, and now it’s changed to Shentu Tianyin. Is he trying to train her up to form a husband-and-wife duo? She’s a rich young lady – is she suitable for it?”
Shentu Tianyin didn’t hear a word of what he said.
A few minutes later, Xia Lei and Shentu Tianyin took the lift up to the eighth floor. Xia Lei took out a room card from the backpack and opened a room door with it.
This room had been pre-booked and a notebook computer sat at the bedside table.
Xia Lei opened it up and tapped it out of sleep-mode. A video feed of another room appeared on the display screen.
Shentu Tianyin’s pale cheeks grew red with embarrassment when she saw what was on the screen. She turned her back on it and stopped looking.
The screen showed an overweight man on top of a young woman, and they were doing a shameful act.
This man was Xia Lei’s target. He was Zheng Xu, the person in charge of gun testing in the technical department of Hanwu Weapons. He was one of the department directors in Hanwu Weapons.
The young woman was beautiful and had a seductive figure. Her name was Zhang Yingying and she was good at pleasing men. Qin Xiang had found her.
When Zhang Yingying had met Zheng Xu a week ago, their meeting was like kindling to flame. They had checked-in to this hotel on the first day they’d met. This room had been booked by Zhang Yingying, of course. Her role was simple in Xia Lei’s scheme. She was to seduce Zheng Xu, sleep with him, and make a video of their acts.
“You…” Shentu Tianyin’s back was to the notebook computer but she looked at Xia Lei with surprise. “You planned all this a week ago?”
“Not a week. Two weeks ago,” said Xia Lei.
Two weeks ago – that was after Xia Lei had discovered the spies which Hanwu Weapons and China Industrial Group had bribed. He needed a perfect plan to fight back. He had registered a company in the UAE, and “sold his body” on top of spending money to get Ye Xiaoqi, while using a beautiful woman to seduce Zheng Xu, the director of gun testing. His schemes didn’t end there. He had things planned for possible future scenarios too, and countermeasures. This was a huge and complicated scheme but with his brain now, this sort of planning was as complicated as writing an essay; it was as easy as pie.
Shentu Tianyin stared blankly for a bit, then laughed. “You’re too clever. It’ll be great if our children have your smarts.”
“How’s that possible?” said Xia Lei.
“Huh?” Shentu Tianyin pursed her lips. “What do you mean by that?”
Xia Lei laughed and said, “I’m smart and you’re smart, so our children will be smarter than us.”
Shentu Tianyin laughed too. She would have started on the process of making these clever children of theirs right then if Xia Lei didn’t have something important to do.
On the display screen, Zheng Xu was finished and he lay tiredly on the bed.
Zhang Yingying pulled the covers over herself and Zheng Xu as she said sweetly, “Xu, darling, when are you going to divorce your wife? You’re not lying to me, are you? If you’re lying then I’ll go to your home to jump off the building. I’ll die right before your eyes.”
Zheng Xu said tiredly, “What the hell. It’s not going to be so quick. Give me more time. I’ll definitely divorce my wife.”
“Then write me a guarantee. Guarantee that you’ll divorce your wife.”
“What guarantee?”
“You’re not going to write it? I’ll go to your home and jump. Watch me die.” Zhang Yingying spoke fiercely, and casually brought out a pen and a piece of A4 paper from the bedside table.
“I mean… Why write a guarantee? Wait for me to get my salary for the month, and I’ll buy you a gold necklace. How about that?”
“Boohoohoo…” Zhang Yingying started crying. “You can say anything when you want my body. I believed you and slept with you, and you’re not even willing to write a guarantee? I.. I don’t want to live anymore! I’ll die right not! Watch me die!”
Zhang Yingying moved to get out of bed.
Zheng Xu hugged her and relented. “Okay, okay, I’ll write it, okay?”
Zhang Yingying wiped her tears away. “Then write it.”
Zheng Xu forced himself to write a guarantee that he would divorce his wife and be with Zhang Yingying on the paper provided.
Zhang Yingying took the guarantee and gave Zheng Xu a smacking kiss on his fat face. “You’re the best, Hubby.”
“I’ll rest for a bit before I take another pill.” Zheng Xu had a lascivious smile on his face. “We’ll play again.”
Zhang Yingying pointed a finger at Zheng Xu. “Were you born in the year of the pig? You can’t seem to eat your fill.”
In the other room, Xia Lei opened up the backpack and took out a silicone mask.
It was his turn to make an appearance now.