Chapter 593: Renovation Troubles and Mysterious Deals

Principles are indeed very important—the one thing Lu Xin has always stuck to.

But what does it have to do with going out for a meal?

So, considering that CEO Xiao had promised to help renovate his house, he decided to give him that face.

In truth, he never quite understood why CEO Xiao showed so much interest in him—almost as if he were trying to get on his good side.

On further thought, it was probably because the higher-ups had slightly loosened the strict control over mental pollution notices. These people had anticipated some terrifying changes, so they felt a closer bond and dependence on a professional cleanup expert like himself.

After dinner was set, CEO Xiao cheerfully left the office to make some calls, not daring to disturb Lu Xin’s work.

Taking advantage of the moment, Lu Xin pulled out an envelope and began opening it piece by piece to check the amounts inside.

This was just too amusing.

No wonder so many people loved coming to work—they even volunteered to stay overtime every day.

……

By the time the workday ended, CEO Xiao was already waiting at the office doorway. Under Manager Liu’s envious gaze, he and Lu Xin descended the building together.

But just as they were about to get into their respective cars, a young secretary in high heels hurried after them, clutching a photocopy of Lu Xin’s renovation list and gasping, “CEO Xiao, something seems to be wrong.”

“Hmm?”

CEO Xiao stepped into the car, then quickly pulled his foot back, asking, “What’s the problem?”

Lu Xin noted that CEO Xiao’s old secretary had been replaced—the previous one had been transferred after being discharged from the hospital.

“None of these renovation materials can be found anywhere…”

The secretary, both anxious and puzzled, quickly caught up to CEO Xiao to consult, “Could it be that there’s an error with the order?”

“What?”

CEO Xiao paused and frowned, “Are you saying you can’t even handle such a trivial matter?”

“No, no—it really can’t be found…”

The secretary explained, “I’ve personally contacted all the major building material markets. Many of these materials are so obscure that hardly anyone has even heard of them. I asked around, including some of the top experts in the industry, and only two or three types are familiar to people…”

CEO Xiao’s deputy, who had been listening from a short distance, felt his pride wounded.

He cut her off, “Then just buy these few types for now. We’ll figure out the rest later.”

“No… that won’t do.”

The secretary said awkwardly, “One of them is a prohibited item—only available on the black market.”

“And the others are just… too expensive…”

……

CEO Xiao was beginning to be incredulous—his own secretary actually had the audacity to mention that something was “expensive”?

The secretary, stamping her high heel in frustration, leaned in close to whisper something in his ear.

CEO Xiao’s impatience shifted to surprise and suspicion as he blurted, “What the heck is that?”

After confirming with the secretary several times, he took the list and walked over to Lu Xin.

Mumbling hesitantly about the company’s recent cash flow issues—after all, they weren’t a building materials firm—and suggesting that Brother Lu might need to hire professionals or perhaps swap out some materials for more practical ones.

“How can you swap these out?”

Lu Xin caught the underlying message and shot him a disbelieving look.

What else could this boss possibly do?

This renovation order was something his Mom had specifically saved for him, with strict instructions to follow it exactly. Still, sensing CEO Xiao’s predicament, he smiled sympathetically, “It’s fine, I’ll find someone else.”

He had vaguely caught the secretary’s earlier report about some of the materials being unusually hard to procure.

Besides, if these materials were indeed so pricey, it’d be better to rely on someone even more trustworthy.

With that, he stepped aside and called Han Bing.

“Mr. Single Soldier, hello…”

Han Bing’s voice sounded languid and distant, devoid of energy.

“Hello, hello…”

Lu Xin chuckled, “What are you up to?”

Han Bing replied, “Just lounging on the sofa, doing nothing—and not really in the mood to do anything…”

“Oh? And why’s that?”

“My back’s killing me…”

“That bad? How did it come to be so sore?”

“I’ve been driving non-stop from Heichao City to Qinggang for days…”

……

“Um…”

Lu Xin suddenly found himself at a loss for words, feeling a bit guilty.

“Hehehe, just kidding. It’s not that serious. So tell me, Mr. Single Soldier, what’s your instruction?”

Han Bing’s tone cheerfully shifted as he laughed, “Just get the house renovated. Do you have any specific plans?”

Lu Xin replied hurriedly, “Not really—I just plan to renovate my house. It seems some building materials are hard to come by.”

“And what’s the big deal about that?”

Han Bing laughed, “As long as the renovation turns out well, it’s all good. Or do you have your own ideas?”

“If I only wanted a quick fix, I’d just call my uncle…”

“But if you have your own ideas, just send the order over and I’ll consult my uncle for you.”

……

“See? My uncle is actually the one who gets things done reliably!”

Instantly, a wave of relief washed over Lu Xin as he got Han Bing’s fax number, then quickly went back upstairs to send it to him.

“Such an expensive project settled with just one call from Brother Lu?”

Meanwhile, CEO Xiao, who had been watching the entire process, felt his respect for Lu Xin deepen further.

Ever since he learned about the Special Pollution matter, he’d been digging deeper through his connections. The more he found out, the more terrifying the phenomenon became—and he started to suspect Lu Xin’s true identity. Judging from this ordinary renovation order, it suddenly seemed that Lu Xin was far more mysterious than he’d imagined.

Not to mention, look—he only went out once and came back with an SUV…

…And that SUV looked more like it had been modified by the military—built specifically for battlefield skirmishes.

With a few mounted machine guns, it could easily roll into the wasteland and hijack an entire convoy.

His own sports car, which always drew attention no matter where it parked, paled in comparison to that rugged, grimy yet robust, oil-slicked Steel Monster. It was as if a pampered Pomeranian had encountered a pit bull.

He silently mused that he’d better warn those friends: one should never cross someone like that lightly…

……

……

By the time Lu Xin set his mind at ease and met up with CEO Xiao’s deputy, Han Bing had lazily scanned through the renovation list.

He had planned to immediately fax it to his uncle but, after looking it over, he suddenly felt something was amiss.

After pondering for a moment, he forwarded it to Tie Cui, someone he was closer to, asking her to take a look.

A few minutes later, Tie Cui called. Han Bing’s face grew solemn and she stood up.

Washing her face as quickly as possible, changing clothes without even doing any makeup, she dashed to the Special Cleaning Department Headquarters. There, someone led her to Professor Bai’s office, where several people were already seated, including the head of the Special Weapons R&D Department and a few staff members.

Moments later, the screens nearby flickered to life, and Mr. Su’s round face appeared on one of them.

“Did Mr. Single Soldier send you this list?”

After reviewing some materials, Professor Bai frowned slightly and looked over at Han Bing.

In the eyes of every employee in Qinggang Cleanup Department, Professor Bai was a deeply respected figure.

And Han Bing was no exception.

She immediately stood at attention and replied clearly and promptly, “Yes. Mr. Single Soldier called me twenty-seven minutes ago about the renovation. His tone was so casual that he didn’t seem to think there was any problem with the list, and it didn’t even look like a disguise.”

“Moreover, I asked him then, and he was absolutely certain that the renovation would follow this list.”

“……”

“No need to be so nervous.”

Professor Bai waved his hand and added, “By the way, was there anything strange during the Heichao City mission?”

“I’ve already detailed the entire process in my report,” Han Bing said, her brow furrowed in concentration.

She continued, “But as I mentioned in the report, when handling the special pollution in Heichao City, the psychic power involved was overwhelmingly massive, and Mr. Single Soldier even seemed to… almost lose control at one point. Many of the details were beyond my ability to see or understand. And if I were to name the most bizarre points of the mission…”

After a thoughtful pause, she answered, “Firstly, there was a moment when Mr. Single Soldier and I were dragged into the Abyss by an Ability User from Changhu City who was under control—Mr. Single Soldier saved me, though I never really understood how.”

Secondly, during the mission, a mysterious ghost-type appeared, directly provoking Mr. Single Soldier and leaving something behind.

“This ghost-type was apparently female and seemed acquainted with Mr. Single Soldier.”

“And then, Mr. Single Soldier accepted a commission from the Ability Users from Central City—a matter we had no part in…”

“And then…”

In one breath, she recounted all the suspicious points she had noted. Finally, with a frown, she voiced her greatest concern, “The Ability User from Central City named Xia Chong seemed intent on luring Mr. Single Soldier over to Central City, and he…”

“…fell for it?”

“…”

“What?”

A nearby Special Weapons expert gasped, asking, “What kind of offer swayed him?”

Han Bing replied gravely, “A house in Central City.”

……

……

Everyone in the office was left speechless.

After a moment’s contemplation, Professor Bai smiled and waved his hand, “None of this matters now.”

Picking up the faxed copy of the renovation list, he continued, “The important thing is, do you know what’s on this list?”

Han Bing looked surprised and admitted frankly, “I only recognized part of it.”

Professor Bai nodded slightly and said, “I can pretty much guess which part you recognized. But what I can tell you is that most of these materials are both expensive and rare. Some of them are even advanced materials freshly developed in high-grade labs, not yet mass-produced, found only on the highest-level black markets.”

“And when all these materials are put together, it reminds me of one thing…”

He paused before saying, “The creation of a parasitic device.”

……

“What?”

At Professor Bai’s words, not only Han Bing but several other experts were startled.

One couldn’t help but object, “No… that seems impossible…”

“Even if he wanted to create a parasitic device, why would he need so many materials?”

……

Professor Bai remained calm, softly adding, “Perhaps this suggests that he is indeed crafting a truly remarkable parasitic device.”