Chapter 79
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Chapter 79: Business Negotiations
El entered the inner city through the trunk, leaving no trace of his existence in the records.
Wang Xiao’s actions were disguised as those of a lost country bumpkin from the outer city, wandering aimlessly on the commercial street of the inner city after the investigation.
Ji Yongxing was quietly returned to a corner of the Department of Life Technology, joining the ranks of the unconscious researchers.
As for Zhuang Mian, her excuse was that she had been stopped by security at the entrance of the research institutes until the sixth squad arrived to save the day.
As for Paster, no one knew or cared to inquire about his whereabouts.
Zhuang Mian, with the composure she had cultivated over years in her dream world, suppressed the twitching of her face and the irregular beating of her heart. She glanced up from the document, first at her teacher, then back at the report.
After repeating this a few times, she finally convinced herself that he wasn’t lying in wait with a battalion of assassins ready to strike, and she let out a sigh of relief.
“What’s wrong? You seem a bit surprised?”
Wayne’s eyes narrowed slightly, resembling an old fox eyeing its prey in the snow.
Zhuang Mian clicked her tongue and said with a hint of embarrassment,
“Teacher, this direction isn’t what I expected.”
She had already prepared her excuse during her earlier glances and spoke earnestly,
“I thought we were following a lead related to the suicide incidents, but according to the report, this organization doesn’t seem to have any clear malicious intent. It feels like it contradicts our intended investigative direction.”
Wayne’s lips curled into a knowing smile,
“Not quite, my student, not at all.”
He cleared his throat and continued in a playful tone,
“It seems you’re not as rigid as I thought. You understand that the existence of this organization might not be entirely bad for Hope City.
“But for us, it’s a different story.”
The old man tapped the table, his expression turning serious,
“The Ministry of Internal Affairs exists to ensure everything remains under control.
“Whether good or evil, it’s only a matter of time before we catch them by the tail.
“The investigation of The Sect will be handed over to your squad for now. We’ll revisit the matter once we have more leads.”
Zhuang Mian nodded bitterly. After her divine enlightenment, she had begun to confront her own desires and ambitions, but investigating her own organization felt like biting off more than she could chew.
Objectively speaking, the strength Paster had displayed would already place him among the top ranks of the superhero team’s elite divisions.
Perhaps, aside from the exceptional first, second, and third squads, none of the other squad members could match him in a one-on-one fight.
With this thought, Zhuang Mian looked at her teacher with a pained expression:
“Teacher, is there a time limit for this task?”
Wayne shook his head:
“There’s no specific deadline for long-term investigation tasks, but you must submit a monthly report to me and ensure that your six team members continue to grow.
“If any urgent tasks arise later, they may still be assigned to your squad.”
Hearing this, Zhuang Mian exhaled deeply. Since it was a long-term task, managing the reports would be straightforward.
No matter whether she was writing inflated battle reports while serving as a general during divine enlightenment or composing over-the-top reflections as a student in school, Zhuang Mian had plenty of experience.
As for training her team members, that was even simpler.
With just a few seconds of thought, Zhuang Mian had already figured out the focus of her report.
As long as she emphasized the growth of her team members, along with their performance in emergency tasks, it would be enough to handle Wayne in the short term.
However, in the long run, she still needed to consult with that “Eye of God,” Dr. Lin, to prevent any unfortunate incidents involving friendly fire.
Thinking of this, Zhuang Mian accepted the task and earnestly made her resolve before turning to leave.
Watching his student’s back, Wayne couldn’t help but nod in satisfaction.
This student had been good at everything, except she was too stubborn.
Indeed, the environment could shape a person; she had been out in the field for just a few months and had come back knowing a bit about everything.
The Clean-up Team needed talents like this, those who could go from friendly to apprehending someone in a second.
—
In the eastern part of the outer city, in the backyard of a hardware store, the visitor brought here was watching the guy with his legs crossed nearby.
“Did you kill ‘Scar Tiger’?”
He asked the man.
“It was me! I traveled a long way just for this!”
“Why?”
“Why else? He was too stingy; my brothers couldn’t stand it, so they pushed me to take care of this as the boss.
“Look, now I’m the big brother, and everyone has what they need, right?”
Saying this, the man shrugged, and one of his underlings immediately handed him a cigarette, while a young subordinate respectfully lit it for him.
The visiting man remained noncommittal, watching the man finish an entire cigarette before continuing with his questions:
“What’s the name of your new gangs?”
“Ashes.”
The man answered while casually flicking off the last bit of ash.
“Alright, do you or your small team have an interest in striking a deal with me?”
Hearing this, the leader of Ashes broke into a warm smile.
He tossed the cigarette butt aside and looked at the man, asking:
“Let me guess, is it a deal like the one in the southern district?”
For the first time, the visitor’s expression changed; he quickly regained his composure and said:
“It seems someone has let slip some details, and you’ve learned some insider information.”
The man sitting in a chair shook his head:
“Their lips are tightly sealed; it’s just that I have some people among their ranks.”
He hinted at his mystery and continued:
“So, you need us to help you clean up?”
“Not to catch people, but to clear unemployed individuals.”
“Right, right, unemployed individuals. What’s that saying? When there’s something going on, they’re Hope City citizens; when there’s nothing, they’re unemployed individuals, right?”
“Stop wasting words. This matter benefits you; it’s not a disadvantage. So, are you in or not?”
“Deal, deal then?”
The leader of Ashes still wore a mocking expression, as if pitying the person across from him.
“But I have one condition.”
The visitor, who thought they had struck a deal, froze:
“What condition?”
“There can’t be more than two organizations cooperating with you in the eastern district.”
Li Rui from the southern district had recently gathered information and learned that the unemployment recovery plan in the southern district was already showing results, leaving only three or four main players.
But he clearly hoped that there would be even fewer left in the eastern district, which also aligned with the interests of the inner city.
“Alright.”
“Great, then it’s settled!”
The man relit another cigarette and said,
“Gray Fur, see him out.”
“Right away, boss.”
The young subordinate eagerly complied, then bent over and approached the visitor, awkwardly mimicking polite gestures to lead him out of the backyard of the hardware store.
Sitting in the chair, Li Rui looked around at his newly gathered subordinates:
“Get ready, everyone; there will be major movements soon.”
