Chapter 303: Operation
Chapter 303: Operation
On April 17th, Chen Chuan left the Xuan Gong Mansion early in the morning, drove out of the Central City, and headed north along the national highway. He then arrived at a remote highway checkpoint far from the mother insect.
At this point, the Biological Field had lost its effectiveness, and the Boundary Vessel had completely fallen silent.
He did not pass through the checkpoint. Instead, he stopped the car and walked to a roadside public telephone booth.
Entering the booth, he picked up the receiver, inserted over ten coins, and dialed a phone number. After a short wait, a voice on the other end answered, "May I ask who you're looking for?"
Chen Chuan said, "Is this the Chang Family Inn? I'm looking for Big Brother Chang." He paused and added, "I'm Chen Chuan."
"Oh, it's Little Brother Chen? I remember you," the voice on the other end seemed to belong to a server who had met Chen Chuan before. She said, "Little Brother Chen, please wait a moment, I'll call the boss."
After a short wait, there were shouts and quick, light footsteps approaching the phone. The moment the receiver was picked up, Chang Ba's voice came through.
"Little Brother Chen, is that you? Haha, what made you think of calling me? I remember you wrote last year that you went to the Central City? Are you still there? How are you doing now?"
Chen Chuan smiled and said, "Big Brother Chang, I'm in the Central City, and everything is fine."
"That's good to hear," Chang Ba said with a mix of admiration and envy. "The Central City, it's really something. I haven't had the chance to go there yet. They say it's different from the outside. What do you think?"
Chen Chuan said, "If I have to give an honest evaluation, in the Central City, everyone's neighbor is like a sleeping devil. Sometimes people turn into devils, and sometimes devils turn into people."
Chang Ba's eyes widened in surprise, and he exclaimed, "Is it that extreme? But I also feel it isn't. Sigh, if the Central City is like you say, then why does everyone want to go there?"
Chen Chuan said, "Maybe because there's a ladder leading to the sun here."
Chang Ba thought for a moment and said with a serious tone, "I understand."
"However, not everyone wants to go. You, Big Brother Chang, don't want to go, right?"
"Of course not, I definitely don't want to go, hahaha..."
After laughing for a while, Chang Ba cleared his throat and asked curiously, "Little Brother Chen, why did you call? Is there something you need?"
Chen Chuan said, "Is Teacher He around?"
"Uncle He? Yes, he's here. You're looking for him? I'll call him, wait a moment."
Chen Chuan waited patiently. After about ten minutes, the receiver was picked up, and He Xiaoxing's deep voice came through, "Student Chen?"
Hearing the voice, Chen Chuan could imagine the tall and imposing figure with disheveled hair behind the receiver. He said, "Teacher He, it's me. I plan to take action against Zhao Qian soon."
He Xiaoxing didn't ask for the reason but asked in a serious tone, "What do you plan to do?"
Chen Chuan explained his ideas and the general execution plan. Some parts were quite complex, so he provided more detailed explanations. Finally, he said, "I still need a key piece, Teacher He. I need a photo of Senior Shen."
He Xiaoxing said in a deep voice, "I'll send it to you in the next couple of days. Remember, once you've made your decision, send me the specific date and time of the action via telegram."
Chen Chuan felt a stirring in his heart, saying "Alright," and ended the call. He understood He Xiaoxing's meaning; it seemed he wanted to be involved in this matter.
However, among those involved in Shen Zheng's death, only Zhao Qian, who was directly involved, was still out in the open. It was time to put an end to this matter.
Leaving the telephone booth, he returned to the Gader car, started the engine, and headed back to the Central City. Fifteen minutes later, as the Central City emerged from the sea mist, the Boundary Vessel began to recover. He contacted Gao Ming, who was waiting for the news, and said, "Gao Ming, we can start now."
On April 20th, in the Lianwei Heavy Control Corporation building.
Zhao Qian was in a business meeting with a client. Suddenly, an urgent communication came through, sent by his assistant. He was very displeased and apologized to the client before asking, "What is it?"
His assistant's nervous and hurried voice came through the line, "Sir, the internal audit team has arrived. They are heading to your office."
Zhao Qian's expression stiffened. What are they here for?
The internal audit team was a review group dispatched by the headquarters to the Jibei Dao Central City, responsible for recording, reporting, and monitoring. They would only appear in front of him in extreme cases, such as...
Outside, his female assistant's hurried voice could be heard trying to dissuade them, followed by footsteps. The office door was pushed open, and three people in dark company uniforms walked in. Two men and one woman, all with prominent lines on their faces, expressionless.
One of the men approached him, legs slightly apart, standing in front of the desk. Once he stood up, the man spoke in an official tone:
"Manager Zhao, this morning, the company received an investigation letter from the Processing Bureau, accusing you of the murder of a candidate for the Processing Bureau. We represent the headquarters and are here to question you. Please provide a reasonable explanation."
Zhao Qian's heart skipped a beat. His face showed no change as he responded in a deep voice, "I apologize for the disturbance to the headquarters, but it is a complete slander."
The woman immediately recorded his response, while pressing her Boundary Vessel, seemingly communicating with someone. This added an invisible pressure.
The man continued to look at him, expressionless, and asked, "The Processing Bureau requires you to accept their summons within two days for interrogation. Do you have anything to say to the company?"
(End of chapter)
Zhao Qian solemnly said, "Please convey to the company's directors that I will handle this matter promptly and ensure it does not affect the company's operations."
The man replied, "We will relay your message to the directors, and the company will evaluate your work performance. They will also assess your handling of the situation, and the evaluation form will be sent to you within two days."
Zhao Qian responded, "I will comply with the company's arrangements."
The man said, "The inquiry is complete, Zhao Supervisor. Director Xing has a task for you. Please pay attention to your communication and expect a call later. Farewell." After saying this, the three of them left without looking back.
As soon as they were gone, Zhao Qian's expression turned somber. He wondered where things had gone wrong and how he had been exposed. How much information did the Processing Bureau have? Logically, his request should have been made through the platform, ensuring his anonymity.
But thinking about it now was pointless; he needed to find a way to handle this situation.
He immediately contacted Director Xing, who was the nominal head of the Central City branch but rarely worked there, preferring to stay at the headquarters.
When the call connected, a frustrated recorded message played: "Zhao Qian, whether or not you did this, resolve it quickly. The company's escort mission for this month is approaching, and during this time, I don't want to hear any more similar messages."
After the message ended, the call abruptly disconnected.
Zhao Qian, with a cold expression, contemplated for a moment. He walked to the window and contacted someone. When the call connected, he asked, "How's the investigation going?"
"Boss, there's no new information for now. His daily routine is very regular, and I haven't seen him meet anyone special. The only exception is that once a month, he visits Mo Tie Mountain.
I looked into it, and it seems the Processing Bureau assigned him a teacher there, but the internal security at Mo Tie Mountain is tight, so I haven't been able to identify the person yet."
Zhao Qian spoke in a low voice, "Since there are no results yet, let's hold off on the investigation for now. We'll resume when I have more information."
"It seems you have something going on, Boss. I'll listen to you and stop for now."
Zhao Qian took a deep breath. For the time being, he couldn't hand over the task to Chen Chuan, as the Processing Bureau had made this matter public. They would undoubtedly keep a close eye on him, and any slight movement would trigger more significant trouble.
Just as he had settled the previous troubles, the Processing Bureau was now targeting him again, which was enough to make those within the company who had their eyes on his position restless once more.
He had to handle this situation promptly.
After careful consideration, he finally contacted someone using the Boundary Vessel. The call was answered quickly, but no sound came from the other end. However, he knew the person was listening, so he said, "Help me once more."
After a while, a soft, feminine voice responded, "What do you want?"
Zhao Qian calmly said, "The company's quarterly evaluation is approaching, and I need to successfully complete the last escort mission of this quarter. After that, I will request a transfer away from the National Highway, vacating this position."
Seeing no response from the other end, he continued, "I know you dislike me, but I'm important to you. Right now, you don't have a single person you can trust outside. Even if you hate me, I can still be your eyes and ears out there."
After a long pause, the girl's voice sounded again, "Okay."
After ending the call, Zhao Qian's gaze remained cold and fixed on the front. The matter was not yet over.
Two days later, on April 22nd, Zhao Qian left the Union Heavy Drive Company and arrived at the Processing Bureau with several private solicitors in private vehicles.
Since the demise of Mo Lan Corporation, he had been here several times, and this time, the Processing Bureau was still unfriendly. During the inquiry, they even asked him to present the Boundary Vessel for inspection.
However, his private solicitor rejected this request on the grounds of potential company secret leaks and demanded that the Processing Bureau provide real evidence of the accusations instead of intimidating his employer.
The Processing Bureau officials only presented some ambiguous evidence, but their words implied that if Zhao Qian cooperated, they would not bother him during this period and in the future.
Zhao Qian understood what the Processing Bureau wanted from him, but agreeing to their demands would be a poor choice. Without his company management position, he held no value to the Processing Bureau, making it easier for them to manipulate him. On the other hand, if he persisted, he could protect himself. So, he chose not to respond.
The Processing Bureau didn't expect him to yield immediately, and they made him wait at the bureau for twelve hours before releasing him, asking him to return for further inquiries the next day.
At that moment, Chen Chuan had already received the results from Ni Qianqian and informed Gao Ming, "As expected, the Processing Bureau doesn't plan to take action."
Gao Ming replied, "It's within our expectations. A mid-level manager in charge of major affairs is of great value. The Processing Bureau won't give up easily. If they dealt with Zhao Qian, they would lose a valuable connection. Fortunately, he's now in the open, and they can't take action against your cousin for now."
"Even if it's necessary, they'll have to wait until he's outside. If he's away, and someone attacks your cousin, he can clear himself of suspicion and ensure that the Central City on the National Highway won't pursue him for the time being."
Chen Chuan calmly said, "He won't have that chance. At that moment, a nervous and excited voice came from the Boundary Vessel, "Brother Chen, he's out of the Processing Bureau."
Chen Chuan said, "Good, Brother Wu. I'll leave the rest to you."
...
...
(End of Chapter)
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