Chapter 393

Chapter 393: Action Preparation

Without a doubt, El instantly recognized that person.

Even though the individual’s face had become blurred for some reason, both their style of action and gentle demeanor made it easy for him to understand who was standing in the corner.

Strangely, it seemed that only El noticed Dr. Lin’s arrival among the crowd.

The applause and cheers gradually faded, and only then did El realize that his subordinates had become somewhat dazed without his noticing.

They seemed to be under some kind of spell; after exchanging simple greetings with El, they all walked toward the exit, as if in a hypnotic state.

Eventually, the spacious room was left with just El and Lin Qingliu.

“You did very well; it seems you’ve found your own path.”

Pulling out a chair and sitting down, Lin Qingliu directly praised this special disciple.

El was the youngest among all his subordinates. Following the principle of not overworking child labor (except for [Skydome]), Lin Qingliu rarely assigned him specific tasks, mostly observing him instead.

He wanted to see how far El could grow, and after witnessing the current developments, Lin Qingliu felt a sense of satisfaction.

El settled into another chair, sitting up much straighter than before. After a moment of thought, he said,

“I realized that ordinary gangs cannot survive long in the outer city. Even if some of them have very powerful backers, their actions will always provoke resentment from the locals.

“Given this premise, I feel that if we want to survive long-term, it is necessary to change our approach.”

Lin Qingliu nodded in satisfaction, continuing to listen to the young man express his thoughts.

“I discovered that the main reasons most residents dislike us are twofold: on one hand, we are all unregistered residents who don’t work, and on the other, the gang fights common among us do greatly affect their lives.

“So, the new main business of the ‘Ashen Gang’ is to help nearby residents solve troubles they cannot handle, while we only charge a small fee for our efforts in the process.”

At this point, Lin Qingliu understood the stage where El and his subordinates currently stood.

Due to the public safety and moral issues in Hope City, not everything could be properly resolved.

This left a very suitable ecological niche for gray occupations, and El had already set his team on the path to legitimacy. Even though they were still the “Ashen Gang” for now, it wouldn’t be long before they would transform into the “Ashen Security Company”…

El had expressed a lot in one breath and finally looked at Lin Qingliu:

“Do you have a new task for me?”

Lin Qingliu felt that El spoke with much familiarity this time. Upon reflection, it seemed that El had probably said similar things while accepting commissions recently.

Suppressing his inner amusement, Lin Qingliu nodded and stated,

“There is something I need you to do that overlaps significantly with what you’re currently doing.”

“Oh?”

A puzzled expression appeared on El’s face. He didn’t understand how Lin Qingliu’s task related to what he was already doing…

“First, if any factory employees seek your help for various reasons, you must accept their requests immediately and keep a record for the case.

“Second, have your subordinates investigate who has been oppressed and deceived by factories over the past ten years, and also record this information.

“You can resolve what you can, and for what you can’t, deliver the materials to me after some time.”

El’s expression gradually moved to one of surprise. He had always known that the person before him was not simple, whether from a doctor’s perspective or as a preacher.

But now, the fact that Lin Qingliu was willing to involve himself in these matters was shocking, as if a hidden master suddenly decided to manage the mundane affairs.

“There’s nothing to be surprised about. The [followers] are planning a major operation soon, and your task is part of it.”

Lin Qingliu smiled and added,

“After this, your existence will no longer be a secret.”

El, who had originally gained some clarity, fell into thought again.

Can something like this really be achieved with just one operation?

He couldn’t imagine it yet, but he had already begun to look forward to it.

A confident smile appeared on El’s face:

“I’ve heard many people mention the factory’s bad reputation. Just wait and see!”

—

“Knock, knock.”

“Come in.”

The wooden office door opened, and a serious-looking young man walked in.

Zhuang Mian, sitting behind the desk, glanced up and nodded at him:

“Xiao Chen, what’s the matter?”

“Captain… no, Director, a gentleman just arrived at the Ministry of Internal Affairs, saying he needs your cooperation for official business.”

“From where? Are the documents complete?”

“Everything has been checked. His name is Yan Ming, sent by the spire.”

The spire.

Zhuang Mian’s heart skipped a beat, instinctively thinking that something related to her previous matters with Tang Qing had caused the other party’s forces to come knocking.

But upon further reflection, if they truly had evidence, they would undoubtedly choose to directly seize her or deal with her in a dark corner rather than go through such trouble.

After pondering for a moment, Zhuang Mian concluded that this was indeed official business.

She didn’t hesitate for long, as that would only make her appear suspicious.

After considering the timing, she looked up and ordered,

“Let him in. I have time now.”

The former team member obeyed the order, quickly bringing the man into the office.

The door closed, and the room fell silent.

“What official business do you need my help with?”

Zhuang Mian maintained a calm demeanor as she looked at the middle-aged man sitting across from her.

He appeared well-built, around thirty or forty years old, and his clothes seemed either brand new or rarely worn, not fitting perfectly.

He also had some stubble on his face, as if he had hurriedly groomed himself not long ago.

Zhuang Mian examined him closely and began to wait for his response, while the man seemed to be sizing her up as well.

Seeing the young woman who had become the Director of the Ministry of Internal Affairs Clean-up Team, Yan Ming heard a whisper from his own blood:

“This person… is not simple.”

Not simple… Yan Ming reflected on this description and soon understood the meaning conveyed by his blood.

The person across from him was likely a superpowered individual, though ordinary people would never be able to tell.

All of Yan Ming’s abilities were concentrated in his blood, granting him some level of enhanced perception.

As expected, the person Arthur had specifically asked for was definitely not an ordinary individual…

Yan Ming looked at Zhuang Mian and smiled.