Chapter 33: Loose Ends

The satellite phone rang three days later while Lu Xin was busy in the office.

A sharp ringing cut through the air, and everyone in the office suddenly turned to look at Lu Xin, silent and tense.

Lu Xin calmly pulled the phone out of the light brown bag he carried and walked out of the office.

He’d seen this kind of reaction before.

It had been the same three days ago after he’d handled that special pollution incident.

Back then, when Chen Jing hadn’t contacted him again, Lu Xin assumed the matter was closed. So the next day, he went back to work at the company as usual, only to be greeted by strange looks and a suddenly very quiet office.

Lü Cheng, bruised and swollen, peered over the partition, looking at Lu Xin like he’d seen a ghost.

“What’s wrong?”

Lu Xin, carrying his newly bought bag, looked curiously at the others. “Is something the matter?”

With a sudden rush, everyone immediately scattered, pretending to be absorbed in their work as if nothing was wrong.

Seeing this, Lu Xin ignored them and returned to his cubicle to handle his usual tasks. He was preoccupied with a new project he’d taken on: sourcing suitable rough-processed fiberglass filter cloth from the Second Satellite City and shipping it via Sifang Transport Company to Bogu Technology in the Main City. It was a big order, and the commission would be substantial if he did well.

A full half-hour passed before the Director approached Lu Xin’s cubicle and tentatively asked, “Little Lu, care for a smoke?”

Lu Xin looked up at the sweaty Director and said, “Sure!”

Even though he had a lot of work, the man was the Director, after all…

They went to the stairwell landing. The Director quickly offered Lu Xin a cigarette and even lit it for him personally.

“Little Lu, I heard that yesterday at Sifang Transport Company…”

The Director, struggling to stay calm, asked tentatively, “You ran into some trouble?”

“Yeah!”

Lu Xin sounded apologetic. “I’m really sorry, Director. Those guys were too rough. They beat up Xiao Qing and Lü Cheng…”

He added sincerely, “But we didn’t lose out. I beat them up too!”

“Hey… don’t say that! It wasn’t for us…”

The Director nearly jumped out of his skin, trembling as he hastily denied it.

Realizing he’d lost his composure, he carefully asked, “So, uh… you fired a gun… and you’re okay?”

Lu Xin looked puzzled. “I’m fine!”

The Director’s face twisted. “The Security Hall didn’t come looking for you?”

Lu Xin thought for a moment. “Actually, I did go to the Security Hall yesterday…”

The Director grew tense. “And you…”

“I had a cup of coffee and came back!”

Lu Xin took a drag from his cigarette, looked at the Director, and said, “Their coffee is better than ours!”

“Right, right…”

The Director nodded repeatedly, looking like he was about to cry.

He really couldn’t understand how, in a satellite city with such strict gun control, someone could shoot people and just get away with having coffee at the Security Hall. What he understood even less was how such a person ended up being his subordinate. And what baffled him most was how this guy had worked under him honestly for two or three years, always seeming so meek and unassuming.

“Director, you don’t need to worry!”

Lu Xin saw what the Director was thinking and looked at him sincerely. “I have connections!”

“Of course, I could tell you have connections…”

The Director forced a smile that looked worse than crying. “I just didn’t realize your connections… were this powerful!”

Looking at the Director, Lu Xin felt quite happy inside. He knew his work life would probably be smoother from now on.

From that day on, Lu Xin returned to his tedious but motivating (because he got paid) job. That day, although Princess Xiao Qing and Lü Cheng had taken a beating, they had managed to secure the contract, and the terms seemed quite favorable. So, Lu Xin’s remaining task was simply to ensure the order was completed successfully.

Of course, Lu Xin didn’t know how Chen Jing and her team had handled the Sifang Transport Company matter. All he knew was that the company closed its doors for two full days, then suddenly reopened on the third day and resumed business as if nothing had happened.

Furthermore, in subsequent dealings, no one ever mentioned Qin Ran again, almost as if they had completely forgotten about him.

Doubts were doubts, business was business. Lu Xin knew how to keep them separate.

He meticulously handled the order and even picked two people from the office to help him.

One was Sister Sun, who, apart from being a bit gossipy, a bit greedy, and a bit petty, didn’t have any major flaws.

The other was Brother Zhang, who had no major faults besides being a bit lazy, enjoying a drink, and shirking responsibility.

Princess Xiao Qing hadn’t come to work for days because her face was swollen from the beating. Lü Cheng, however, showed up despite his injuries. Initially, he wanted to stick with Lu Xin and see the order through. After all, he’d already taken the hits, the project was getting on track, and Lu Xin clearly had powerful connections—maybe this was a chance to latch onto someone important. How could he not seize this crucial opportunity?

The only problem was that sometimes the way Lu Xin looked at him felt… off.

He always felt like Lu Xin was intentionally or unintentionally looking behind him.

Other times, he’d be sure Lu Xin was watching him, but when he secretly turned around, he’d find Lu Xin absorbed in his own work.

This feeling always made Lü Cheng uneasy.

He could barely tolerate this, but then one day, as Lu Xin picked up his bag, a gun suddenly fell out.

With a *clatter*, Lü Cheng completely lost it right then and there.

After much deliberation, he finally couldn’t take it anymore and voluntarily withdrew from the project.

Lu Xin thought he was quite perceptive.

If he hadn’t withdrawn on his own, Lu Xin would have kept worrying about what his sister might do to him…

…

…

Because of the events of the past few days, this time when Lu Xin’s satellite phone rang, everyone in the office just stopped sharply, glanced at him, and then went back to what they were doing, seemingly having developed some resistance to strange occurrences.

“Hello, Mr. Lu Xin. This is Han Bing from the Information Analysis Team of the Special Pollution Cleanup Department!”

“I’m calling to inform you about the handling and analysis results for Special Pollution Source 041!”

When he answered the phone, Han Bing’s somewhat soft, timid voice came through.

“Hello, hello! Please, go ahead!”

Lu Xin ducked into the stairwell, holding the phone, also being very polite.

“Okay, okay!”

Seeing his politeness, Han Bing became even more courteous, her voice gentle. “Actually, this is standard procedure. After handling a mental pollution incident, a corresponding analysis and processing report is always generated, and the results must be communicated to the special handling personnel involved!”

Lu Xin quickly added another polite remark, “Thank you, thank you! Sorry for the trouble. Please continue!”

“No trouble, no trouble, it’s just part of the job…”

Han Bing exchanged a few more pleasantries before continuing, “Currently, the handling result for Special Pollution Source 041 is as follows: Special Pollution Source 041, meaning the bodies of Qin Ran and Cui Wang, have both been transported to the Qinggang City Special Pollution Source Containment Center for sealing!”

“The area where Qin Ran’s body was found showed no residual mental power upon re-testing, but it has still been sealed off according to regulations. No living beings will be allowed to enter that area for one year. Also, the three members of the previous Special Investigation Team stationed in the Second City have undergone a series of tests and psychological evaluations. They’ve been confirmed to show no signs of pollution and are currently on leave to rest and recover!”

“Oh, right! They asked me to convey their gratitude for saving their lives!”

…

“Uh… they’re too kind. It was nothing!”

Lu Xin thought for a moment and asked, “Wasn’t that pollution source destroyed?”

Han Bing replied, “Further research is needed. But please rest assured, some controllable pollution sources with low threat levels are selectively transported to the special containment center for sealing. They have the most professional facilities there to ensure pollution incidents don’t happen again!”

“Oh, that’s good then!”

Lu Xin didn’t dwell on this issue and instead asked about what concerned him most:

“So, how exactly did this whole thing start?”