Chapter 854: Return to Qinggang

Gurgling…

The helicopter, its rotors churning with a suppressed fury, headed straight for Qinggang.

Inside the cabin, the atmosphere was heavy. Neither the students returning with Lu Xin nor the security team guarding them said much during the flight. Beneath the calm exterior, a burning tension simmered.

Qinggang was a familiar place, one that always gave Lu Xin a sense of security.

But this time, uncertainty gnawed at him. He didn’t know what awaited him on this return.

…

…

After a day, the helicopter entered Qinggang’s airspace.

Instead of flying directly into High-wall City like before, it landed at a rendezvous point twenty kilometers north of Qinggang—a spot already under Qinggang’s control, serving as an outpost.

When the helicopter’s rotors slowed to a stop on the helipad, Chen Jing was waiting beside a black Jeep in the distance.

“Let’s go!”

She wore a sharply tailored black suit and sported black sunglasses on her face.

Having been notified in advance, she neither expressed surprise nor curiosity at the less-than-perfect appearance of Lu Xin’s companions. Instead, it was clear that this mission had cast a long shadow over her.

After all, she had already received the security team’s report and knew exactly where the issues lay.

“Hello, Section Chief Chen.”

Lu Xin greeted her with a smile, then introduced her to the students beside him, “This is my leader.”

He also introduced Number Three and Number Five to Chen Jing.

Chen Jing was momentarily taken aback, then greeted Number Three and Number Five with a friendly handshake, welcoming them to Qinggang.

“Do we still need to investigate outside?”

Lu Xin glanced around the rendezvous point and asked with a smile.

“No, that’s unnecessary.”

Chen Jing shook her head and replied, “Everything I needed to arrange before your flight back has already been taken care of.”

She lightly nodded her chin as she pointed toward another individual sitting in the Jeep.

Everyone craned their necks toward the car window, surprised to see a tense, silent man seated in the compartment. He clutched a sniper rifle in his arms, his expression a mix of nervous innocence and pity.

At his right, he gripped a black suitcase so tightly that not even the confines of the car allowed him to let go.

“This is…”

Number Five and the others looked on with growing curiosity.

“The spy I arranged,” Lu Xin explained matter-of-factly. “On the road, he tried to assassinate me, but his skills were lacking, so I captured him. I then had him infiltrate the hitman group to gather intelligence and identify those who want me dead.”

As he spoke, he looked at Chen Jing and asked, “The information he brings, is it valuable?”

Chen Jing paused briefly before nodding firmly, “Indeed it is.”

The hitman in the car shuddered as if about to speak, then chose to remain silent.

“Jiu Ge is something else—so calculating…”

Nearby, Number Fourteen looked rather surprised, showering Lu Xin with praise.

Little Nineteen gazed at Lu Xin with almost reverential admiration.

Only the Sister tilted her head slightly, an unmistakable hint of doubt in her eyes.

“With concrete evidence and solid intel, this matter shouldn’t be too troublesome, right?”

Lu Xin’s mood lightened as he smiled at Chen Jing.

“It was never meant to be troublesome,” she replied with a nod. Taking a deep breath, she added, “Let’s head back to Qinggang.”

…

…

Chen Jing had arranged three vehicles. She rode in the first one with Number Three and Number Five.

Lu Xin sat in the middle vehicle alongside the Veteran Hitman.

Little Nineteen rode in the third vehicle with Number Fourteen.

The Sister chose one of the three car roofs.

As the Jeep left the outpost and headed toward Qinggang, Lu Xin sighed softly. He turned to glance at the Veteran Hitman, who sat stiffly like a statue with his back barely touching the seat behind.

“Swish!”

At the sound of Lu Xin’s gaze, the Veteran Hitman trembled and quickly turned, offering him the suitcase.

Lu Xin accepted it with a smile, then his expression shifted into surprise, “This light?”

“Only… only 200,000,” the Veteran Hitman stammered, his throat dry with nervous tension. He paused before continuing, “The intel wasn’t easy to sell…”

“By then, the news of your exit from Soda City had already spread like wildfire. It seemed someone was deliberately publicizing it.”

“So, no one paid much attention to your departure.”

“Just this 200,000—I even had to strong-arm a few amateurs to scrape it together…”

“But now…” he couldn’t help but sigh, “it’s turned out to be false intel.”

“Because the time you left the city and returned to Qinggang doesn’t match the intel I sold…”

“…”

At that, he looked a little dejected, as if his reputation in the underworld was ruined, but he dared not speak up while staring at Lu Xin.

After all, in their world, he was just a freeloader. What reputation could a freeloader possibly claim?

“I guess that’s alright…”

Lu Xin reflected a moment, realizing the fault was partly his own, and he couldn’t really blame the man.

Yet, he couldn’t help but feel a twinge of regret.

This was a project worth one billion. And I only managed to make 200,000…

Just the price of a watch…

“This deal is off…”

Lu Xin set the suitcase to his side and sighed, glancing at the increasingly tense Veteran Hitman. He then smiled, “But you have another mission now. You’ll know what to do soon enough, right?”

“Understood…”

The Veteran Hitman’s voice trembled even more, “But I already told the truth to that Mrs. Chen just now…”

“Don’t worry,” Lu Xin replied with a smile, “she’s my leader. You can trust her.”

The Veteran Hitman finally nodded, a look of grim resolve on his face.

Lu Xin paused after his words. Indeed, Chen Jing was someone he could trust—a subconscious certainty.

And it wasn’t just her. There was Professor Bai, Mr. Su, Minister Shen, Doll, the Drunkard, and many more…

His instincts allowed him to distinguish who was trustworthy and who wasn’t at a glance.

Even someone like Mr. Su, who might come off as a sly old fox, was reassuring in his own way.

That sense of security was truly rare.

So, who was now shattering that feeling?

…

…

“We’re finally back in Qinggang…”

The Jeep, having crossed the Steel Drawbridge of Second Satellite City, entered High-wall City, and soon Lu Xin and his group, escorted by Chen Jing, boarded a High-Speed Train specially cleared for them to head to the Main City. Although burdened with concerns, even Number Five and Number Three couldn’t hide the flicker of emotion in their eyes as they looked out the window at the slightly aged yet reviving city.

They all grew up at the Red Moon Orphanage, and for each of them, Qinggang held a special meaning in their lives.

As the High-Speed Train entered the Main City, the group disembarked via a special exit.

Immediately, they were escorted by a team of security personnel arranged by Chen Jing to a nondescript building.

Along the way, Lu Xin noticed that the entire Main City had become tense. Although there were no obvious changes, armed vehicles had gathered at every major thoroughfare near the train exit.

Even the electromagnetic cannons mounted on the high wall had slightly shifted their angles.

It seemed as if they could pivot their barrels to target the interior of Qinggang at any moment.

These subtle changes had plunged Qinggang Main City into a state of guarded alert.

During the ride, Number Five shot Lu Xin a mocking look, as if offering a silent warning.

But Lu Xin only nodded to signal that there was nothing to worry about.

Once inside the building, all security personnel were stationed at the ground level to keep watch.

Chen Jing then led Lu Xin and his group up the fire escape—not by elevator—to the seventh floor.

Pushing open the door, they entered a spacious, empty office.

Inside were only three people.

One was Mr. Su; the other, a man in a dark gray suit with a stern expression.

Behind that man stood another in a black trench coat, looking like his secretary.

…

…

Mr. Su acknowledged Lu Xin’s arrival with a slight nod, but he said nothing.

It was evident that he was a bit overheated, beads of sweat constantly appearing on his forehead.

The meticulous Mr. Su going into such a dangerous situation in person was truly remarkable.

“Mr. Lone Soldier, my name is Zhang,” said the man in the dark gray suit as he stood up and nodded at Lu Xin.

Due to the distance between them, a handshake wasn’t necessary; Lu Xin simply returned the nod. Although he hadn’t met this man before, his unique introduction revealed his identity—Qinggang only introduced the highest-level personnel by their surnames.

As an operative for the Qinggang Special Pollution Cleanup Department, Lu Xin was most familiar with Mr. Su.

But there were a few other gentlemen in Qinggang—equally high-ranking, all of whom held the fate of Qinggang in their hands.

The man surnamed Zhang controlled Qinggang’s security and protection systems.

Strictly speaking, even Minister Shen was one of his men.

“The investigation you requested now has results,” Zhang announced after briefly greeting Lu Xin.

Without delay, the man behind him retrieved a document that had been prepared well in advance.

Not even glancing at it, he slid the document across the glossy conference table until it stopped just ten centimeters from Lu Xin.

Before Lu Xin could reach for it, Chen Jing snatched it up.

She flipped it open, skimmed its contents, then quickly closed it and tossed it into the trash can by the table.

“This isn’t enough,” she declared.

“Swish!”

Chen Jing’s action immediately changed Mr. Zhang’s expression, even catching Mr. Su slightly off guard.

A flash of anger passed over Mr. Zhang’s features as he coldly admonished, “Colonel Chen, watch your language and actions!”

“Mr. Zhang,” Chen Jing replied evenly, meeting his gaze head-on, “now is not the time for formalities. You are not dealing with people who can be placated with empty rhetoric.”

“So, please, adopt your most sincere tone and speak with me directly.”

“I represent the Special Cleaning Department. Professor Bai and everyone in our department entrusted me with this matter.”

“Do you know why Professor Bai didn’t come in person?”

Her tone grew colder, “Because he believes there’s no need to discuss such matters.”

“This isn’t about someone framing another. It’s about someone betraying Qinggang.”

“At this point, did you really think a few scapegoats could cover this up?”

“…”

“But…”

Under Chen Jing’s aggressive scrutiny, Mr. Zhang grew visibly nervous.

Even the mysterious man behind him, with his enigmatic presence, couldn’t provide him with a sense of security.

After a brief pause, he faltered, “But after all, we must act according to our rules and laws, right?”

“Even an investigation like this must not overstep its bounds,” he continued, “The result I provided you was strictly derived from the highest-efficiency protocols…”

“…”

“Rules…”

Lu Xin furrowed his brow, “I believe you did follow the rules to derive this result.”

Chen Jing then looked directly at Mr. Zhang, her voice softening a bit, “But I also believe that person has the capability to sever all these leads. So rather than bickering over fragile details, why don’t we meet face-to-face?”

“After all…”

She turned, glancing at the black suitcase in Lu Xin’s hand, her voice imbued with newfound confidence, “Not only are you investigating, but we are too.”

“He can use Qinggang’s regulations to cut off vital leads, making it impossible to trace him.”

“But you know, our people in the Special Cleaning Department are skilled in a few tricks. We too can employ efficient yet unconventional methods to secure undeniable evidence. Do you think I should just lay this evidence out in the open?”

“Or even take it directly to court and let all of Qinggang bear witness?”

“…”

With Chen Jing’s unwavering gaze, all eyes in the conference room abruptly fixed on Lu Xin’s suitcase.

“What’s inside that case?”

“…”

The atmosphere in the meeting room grew palpably tense. A shiver ran down everyone’s spine, as if tiny needles were brushing against the chilly air.

Mr. Zhang’s eyes locked onto Lu Xin’s suitcase. He seemed desperate for Lu Xin to reveal the evidence, but faced with Chen Jing’s posture and the oppressive aura emanating from Lu Xin’s group, his confidence faded. After all, he knew he should not involve himself in such matters, especially when the Special Cleaning Department already held the evidence.

Slowly, he slumped down and waved his hand, “You all may proceed; he’s already waiting for you.”