Chapter 334

The manager lowered his head, and no one could see his expression at this moment.

The hand hidden in his sleeve gripped tightly, nearly sinking into his flesh.

The secrets involved in these few intermittent words from Xuanyuan Qing were far beyond the Liu family's previous estimates.

This muddy water was bottomless and could poke a hole in the sky.

But it could also... be a monstrous wealth sought in danger.

He walked rapidly to the communication panel on the wall, pressing a string of commands on the encrypted channel urgently.

Into the built-in microphone, his voice was pressed extremely low, nearly inaudible, rapidly spitting out a few words: "YA-001... shell... key... multiple parts... Dr. Xuanyuan... possibility of official intervention..."

On the other end of the communication, there was a silence even longer than before.

In the secret room, there was only the low hum of the instruments and the heavy, suppressed breathing of everyone.

Liu Chengfeng stared blankly at all of this.

He looked at the woman on the stretcher who could stop breathing at any moment, yet was tied to a monstrous secret.

He looked at Lin Yu in the corner, who had terrifying methods, yet was now so weak he seemed to collapse at a touch.

And then he looked at the silly-looking kid beside him who had inexplicably become part of some "key."

For the first time, he felt that his previously proud Liu family identity and the bragging among his friends were simply a joke in front of these people and these events.

He silently picked up the cigarette box he had dropped on the ground, squeezed it in his hand, but lost the mood to light it.

Finally, a voice, old yet as steady as a mountain, came from the communicator, giving only two words.

"You decide."

The manager responded in a low voice into the microphone: "Understood."

He turned around and faced Lin Yu.

The posture was still respectful, but the underlying meaning of that respect had completely changed.

"Mr. Lin, the family head's meaning," the manager's voice was steady without a ripple, "the Liu family... cannot have a direct conflict with the authorities. But the Liu family will never push friends out. Now, we must think of a... two-fold method."

He paused, adding: "From now on, you are not a guest. Whatever you need, the Liu family will provide."

Lin Yu nodded slowly, lacking the strength to speak.

The Liu family's ship had finally completely entered the water.

For the desperate situation before them, this was the only path to survival.

But this breath hadn't been fully released yet.

Hum—hum—

The communication panel flashed urgently again, emitting a piercing warning sound.

The manager knitted his brows tightly and answered.

"Manager!" An anxious, distorted voice exploded from inside, accompanied by constant static interference: "Emergency! Zhou Minghui... that Zhou Minghui has mobilized the City Security Bureau! He used the name of a 'major national security incident'! He issued an investigation notice, specifically naming that we must immediately hand over... hand over Lin Yu and Xuanyuan Qing!"

The hand holding the communicator tightened violently.

The distorted, panicked voice from the communication panel still echoed in the secret room, hitting the cold alloy walls and bouncing back, drilling into everyone's ears.

Zhou Minghui... City Security Bureau... national security incident... hand over Lin Yu, Xuanyuan Qing...

The veins on the back of the manager's hand holding the communicator bulged, his knuckles turning white from excessive force. He slowly put down the communicator, his movements stiff.

The air in the secret room seemed to freeze instantly.

The lingering fear on Liu Chengfeng's face hadn't dissipated, and was now covered by a layer of unbelievable rage. He stood up with a "whoosh."

"Zhou Minghui? That dog-day guy who manages hygiene? What kind of thing is he? Since when is it his turn to call the shots in the Security Bureau?" Liu Chengfeng's voice rose sharply, piercing and manic, full of the irritability of someone whose sore spot had been stepped on. "What does he want? Does he want to snatch food from the Liu family's mouth?"

The manager ignored Liu Chengfeng's roar.

He walked to the wall again, connected to the encrypted communication, this time a direct line to the head of the Liu family.

He lowered his head, speaking into the built-in microphone with extreme speed, his voice pressed even lower than before, reporting the latest changes, along with the fragmented information Xuanyuan Qing had revealed about "YA-001," "key," and "several pieces."

On the other end of the line, there was a suffocating silence.

Only the faint "hissing" of current remained, like a snake flicking its tongue, teasing everyone's nerves.

This silence was colder than any roar. The Liu family was deeply rooted in Haicheng and had considerable energy, but that was only in their own territory. Once official power, especially under the banner of "national security"—which meant death to anyone who touched it—entered the fray, the nature of the matter changed completely.

Resist head-on? That would be openly opposing the entire system; the Liu family's ship, no matter how big, couldn't withstand this kind of wind and waves.

But hand them over... the Liu family had just declared they would "spare no cost," and turning around to admit defeat would not only waste the manpower and resources invested earlier, but the Liu family's foundation for standing in the underworld—their face and reputation—would be completely gone.

Moreover, the secret involved in Xuanyuan Qing, its potential value and the risks that came with it, had already far exceeded their initial imagination.

Lin Yu leaned against the cold alloy wall, every breath tugging at the tearing pain on his back. He listened to the manager's suppressed report, Liu Chengfeng's futile roar, and that heart-chilling silence.

His body was weak to the extreme, but his brain was clearer than ever before.

Zhou Minghui's move was fast, accurate, and ruthless, directly strangling the Liu family's throat.

This Zhou Minghui was probably not just for Xuanyuan Qing, but wanted to use the official blade to drag the Liu family into the water, or even... crush them once and for all.

Xu Xiaochuan leaned against the wall, the wound on his leg throbbing with pain. He looked at the manager's tense back, at Liu Chengfeng pacing like a trapped beast, and his heart was also a mess.

The mark on his back continued to burn, the scorching heat making him restless.

He vaguely felt that things weren't that simple. That Zhou Minghui, and that "Ouroboros," must be involved with something even more terrifying behind the scenes.

Finally, the old and dignified voice came from the communicator again.

It was still two words.

"You decide."

The manager responded in a low voice into the microphone: "Yes."

He turned off the communication and turned around.

His face returned to that calm, but beneath the calm were surging undercurrents.

He walked up to Lin Yu.

"Mr. Lin, the family head's meaning," the manager's voice didn't show any emotion, "the Liu family... cannot have a direct conflict with the authorities. But the Liu family will never push friends out. Now, we must think of a... two-fold method."

Lin Yu raised his head, meeting the manager's gaze.

He understood that this so-called "two-fold method" was no different from dancing on the tip of a knife.

"Golden cicada shedding its shell." Lin Yu spat out four words, his voice hoarse, but every word exceptionally clear.

"On the surface, the Liu family 'cooperates' with the investigation, and the people can be 'handed over.' In secret, we transfer immediately."

The manager's brows moved imperceptibly: "A body double? Time is too tight, where can we find a suitable one? The Security Bureau's people won't be slow, their informants have probably already surrounded the perimeter of the Liu residence."