Chapter 633: Threat

The group of people stood in stunned silence, looking at the map in the box, then at Lin Sicheng, and then at He Youhan.

A Zoumaling flashed through their minds, replaying the scene of Lin Sicheng hoodwinking He Youhan just moments ago:

"General Manager He, try putting yourself in my shoes: this is a Tree Bark Pot; you wouldn't be wrong to call it paper-mache, so besides this one, where else in the world could there be a second? So-called unique pieces or one-of-a-kind items are just like this."

"The key point is: this is an imperial vessel used by a Liao Dynasty emperor; no matter which dynasty it's placed in, it's a priceless treasure, yet someone actually dismantled it into pieces?"

"Not to mention dismantling it, they then put it back together, and so exquisitely? So, General Manager He, it certainly wasn't someone with too much time on their hands; if things go south, there might be something hidden inside this pot—"

When Lin Sicheng said that at the time, it wasn't as if no one had suspected: was there something inside?

After thinking about it carefully later, they all felt the possibility was slim, and instead felt it was more likely that Lin Sicheng was just hoodwinking He Youhan.

Even He Youhan himself thought so.

But the facts slapped everyone in the face: they had all been judging a gentleman's heart with the measure of a petty person.

Look, wasn't there something hidden in the pot?

The key was the appearance of this thing: a military map hidden inside an emperor's vessel—what else could it be but top secret?

The more they thought about it, the stranger it felt, and the group stared straight at Lin Sicheng: he said there was something inside, and there really was something inside.

He said it was a military secret, so it was a military secret?

Are the fortune tellers on the pedestrian bridge even that accurate?

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They were astonished, but He Youhan was even more astonished than them: even ten minutes ago, he had been suspecting that even if Lin Sicheng wasn't trying to trick him into breaking the pot into a damaged piece or scrap, he was definitely trying to use this pot to practice his skills.

But who could have foreseen that something would actually be dismantled out of it?

Was his word law, his judgment infallible?

Unable to figure out the logic for the moment, they could only attribute it to Lin Sicheng's accurate intuition.

Compared to that, what astonished He Youhan even more was the initial plan and the final result of how things had developed:

He had originally come to cause trouble for Lin Sicheng, and this item was something he had meticulously designed as a trap for Lin Sicheng. He had never imagined that Lin Sicheng would return good for evil and actually help him so much?

Could it really be as Liang Shiya said: Lin Sicheng is a gentleman, both in his character and in his actions?

He Youhan intuitively felt that was impossible, but he couldn't figure it out for the moment: why would Lin Sicheng help him?

Little did he know, at this moment, Lin Sicheng was regretting it so much his guts were turning green, and he even felt like slapping himself twice.

If he had known it was this kind of thing inside, would he have been out of his mind to help He Youhan take it out?

But it was already taken out.

Sighing inwardly, Lin Sicheng pointed at the map: "General Manager He, would you like a more comprehensive and in-depth appraisal?"

He Youhan was startled: "Can General Manager Lin appraise it?"

Of course he could.

As long as he was given some time, he could even translate this map.

But right now, Lin Sicheng would absolutely not admit it—

"General Manager He, I apologize, please forgive my limited ability: this is written in Khitan Script, and I can't read a single word!"

After replying, Lin Sicheng changed the subject, "Although I cannot, there are those who can: Museum Curator Tang has been researching the history of northern grassland peoples, the Xianbei, and the Liao and Jin periods at the museum for nearly thirty years; she is the most authoritative scholar in the country regarding grassland ethnic history and archaeology, bar none—"

"Teacher Zhang is a top student of Dean Yang, specializing in artifacts, and has very deep research into northern nomadic artifact craftsmanship, Liao and Jin relics, and Liao and Jin social history—"

"General Manager He, I can say this: if you were to hire someone else, their level of professionalism might not even be as good as Museum Curator Tang and Teacher Zhang—"

Lin Sicheng's words were very subtle: it wasn't "might not," it was "definitely."

First of all, He Youhan couldn't hire such people: this had nothing to do with whether he had money or how wide his connections were. It was because the current climate was one of extreme tension and fear.

Museum Curator Tang was a bit better off, as she had a job and a position; if the leadership gave the order, she would have to come even if she were unwilling. But Zhang Wenguang had already retired, and no matter who it was, or which leader it was, as long as they dared to let him participate in a private appraisal activity, he would dare to report it: "What, do you want me to learn from my teacher and appraise another Gold Thread Jade Suit?"

Therefore, even if an Expert dared to come, the leadership wouldn't dare to send them. Even if some leader lost their mind and dared to assign such a task, the Expert sent would absolutely be just going through the motions.

Because the example was right there: of the five Experts involved in the Gold Thread Jade Suit case, Director Shi (Shi Shuqing) had already passed away, and the remaining four couldn't even leave Beijing. Every day they were either on their way to the Public Security Bureau to give statements or on their way to the Ministry of Culture to write reports.

But it was a different story with Lin Sicheng: the Porcelain Research Institute had cooperative projects with Lin Sicheng, and the two sides were partners. Although the leadership hadn't explicitly stated it, they basically tacitly allowed it: they could appropriately utilize the institute's human resources to exchange for some project shares with Lin Sicheng.

Otherwise, it would have been impossible for Tian Rulong to call these two over with a single phone call.

Secondly, they were only analyzing, not appraising. No matter how certain they were, they would absolutely not say it directly; at most, they would just drop a hint.

Others might not understand, but Lin Sicheng would certainly understand; as for how he translated it for his guest, that had nothing to do with them—

In an instant, He Youhan understood the key to it, and his eyes lit up: "Thank you, General Manager Lin, whatever conditions you have, just name them!"

Lin Sicheng nodded: "General Manager He, I'll be direct: both Shoubo and the Forbidden City are short on funding!"

He Youhan was stunned, then laughed: it was indeed direct enough.

He didn't care at all: "That's easy to handle, the two Experts can rest assured!"

Museum Curator Tang and Teacher Zhang exchanged a look: given General Manager He's status, since he dared to promise, it would certainly count; it was merely a question of how much he would donate.

It wasn't as if no one was thinking: since He Youhan let Lin Sicheng set the conditions, why didn't he let He Youhan turn a blind eye to the technical project matters?

For example, Zhang Yuanqiao, and Zhang Yuanfan.

Because Lin Sicheng knew very well: even if he asked, He Youhan wouldn't agree. Even if he agreed now, he would go back on his word the moment he stepped out of this door.

This was a matter of stance, and even more so a matter of principle, having nothing to do with character.

Since it couldn't be done, it was better not to say it.

Unable to speak directly, Lin Sicheng just smiled and whispered a few more words to the two Experts.

After all, it was a unique piece, and even more so a one-of-a-kind item; such an opportunity was hard to come by, not to mention that He Youhan had promised to fund the research expenses.

Museum Curator Tang and Teacher Zhang had already decided to use their full twelve points of expertise.

Of course, they were only looking: the results of the appraisal would only be told to Lin Sicheng. As for how Lin Sicheng told General Manager He, that had nothing to do with them.

The two of them braced themselves and stood on either side of the box. The others stood a little further away, focused and fully attentive.

Only Wang Qizhi and Zhao Xiuneng were secretly watching Lin Sicheng: Lin Sicheng said he didn't understand Khitan Script?

However, they remembered very clearly: the winter before last, several leaders from Tongchuan came to Xijing, and because they could not get in touch with Lin Sicheng, they had to take a roundabout approach and first make contact with Lin Zhangqing.

At that time, they brought three items for Lin Zhangqing to appraise, and among them was a piece of Cultural Relics from the Liao Dynasty:

At the time, in order to send this group of people away, Lin Sicheng performed a perfunctory appraisal, saying that this was a command token used by the founding emperor of the Liao Dynasty, Yelu Abaoji, to issue orders to high-ranking generals, also known as the Nine Dragon Gold Medal.

He even translated the dozen or so characters on the back: Heavenly Years, Virtue and Fortune, Longevity and Divine Ten Thousand, Father State's—

After these people left, Lin Sicheng told the two of them: the Nine Dragon Map on the back of the gold medal was a secret military map of the Khitan: the raised parts were mountains, the sunken parts were valleys, and the connected parts were roads—

Compared to that, the map before their eyes was countless times simpler than that gold medal, so why did Lin Sicheng suddenly not know how to appraise it?

Thinking of this, the two exchanged a glance: what kind of personality did Lin Sicheng have?

If you respect me by a foot, I can place you on an altar. If you don't know what's good for you, I will make you regret it until you cry for your parents.

So how did he have a change of heart, knowing they were enemies, yet treating them like friends?

Thinking this secretly, the two looked away from each other.

On the other side, He Youhan held up his phone and took a few photos; it was unclear who he sent them to, but he received a reply almost instantly.

The content was just two words: Zoom in!

He Youhan raised his head: "General Manager Lin, lend me a Magnifying Glass, one with a higher magnification!"

Lin Sicheng paused for a moment and had Fang Jin fetch one.

Sun Jingzhou took it and pressed it close to the top of the box, while He Youhan took a series of "Click, click, click" photos.

Afterward, he hit send.

He stepped aside and made a gesture of invitation, and the two Experts set up their formation: each with a Magnifying Glass in hand, they began to analyze the map.

They even specifically had Lin Sicheng take a small notebook to follow along and take notes.

Museum Curator Tang pointed his hand upward: "Teacher Zhang, look at these three thickest lines, don't they look like three rivers? And these thin lines beside the rivers, do they look like three roads?

A main trunk runs through the entire map, leading to two branches, connecting many circular markers along the way—visually, don't these dots look very much like the marching nodes of a large army advancing step by step?"

Teacher Zhang nodded: "In ancient times, marching necessarily followed water. When nomadic peoples went on expeditions, they would drive large numbers of cattle and sheep as military provisions, making water even more indispensable. If these three are rivers, the large number of side branches along the way should be secondary routes for dividing forces to outflank or for scouts to explore the path.

As for the mountains and rivers, this is easier to understand: only mountain passes, defiles, valley entrances, road junctions, and mountain ridges that would hinder the march are drawn; everything else is omitted—"

Halfway through, Teacher Zhang paused: "Of course, this is just a guess; it would be better if these characters could be translated."

Museum Curator Tang sighed: "Unfortunately, they are all Khitan Large Script; I can recognize at most one-tenth."

"I am even worse than you; I don't recognize a single one—"

Teacher Zhang mocked himself, then followed Museum Curator Tang's line of thought: if the three black lines were rivers, then not far from the rivers, these circular dots of varying sizes should be encampments.

If the largest one was the main military tent, then the second largest beside it should be the main force's camp. The rest would be branch encampments and outer garrison camps. The remaining small, scattered dots should be sentry posts and scout stations spread along the edges of the mountain ridges.

Furthermore, the thin lines surrounding the outer sides of the large circles were very likely the trenches of the encampments, the outer walls of the fortifications, or even anti-cavalry walls.

Going a step further: the dense short marker symbols on the local mountain ridge lines were very likely beacon towers and their arrangements; of course, they could also be trees.

After looking it over, Zhang Wenguang pointed to the characters on the map: "Museum Curator Tang, which ones can you translate?"

"This—" Museum Curator Tang pointed to the side of the river valley in the upper left, "There are two in the upper left, three in the middle right, and two more slightly to the right. There are four more around the river course and the first fork—put together, it should mean 'River valley passage, lush with water and grass, can accommodate ten thousand cavalry'—"

"And here, in the more open area on the outer left side, the meaning of these characters is: 'This valley can accommodate a large army'—"

"These in the middle left mean 'Old territory of the Xi Tribe, take water here'—the upper right is 'Front pass, garrison road, can reach behind the mountains'—and the vertical row on the right: 'Mountains have many trees, suitable for camping'—"

"And the foot of the mountain at the bottom right: 'Mountain gorge, dangerous road, scouts can pass'—and at the end of the river at the bottom: 'Follow the water to enter, can reach the heart of the mountains'—"

The more Museum Curator Tang translated, the brighter Zhang Wenguang's eyes became: just based on these Khitan characters, who would dare say this is not a military map?

Going a step further: it is a map of the marching route and encampments for a large army's expedition—more likely, it is a field marching map for an emperor's expedition.

But although he thought this in his heart, Zhang Wenguang did not rashly say it out loud, and the same went for Museum Curator Tang.

Because there were even more points that didn't make sense—

The two spoke very carefully, and Sun Jingzhou listened even more carefully, while simultaneously comparing it to the map: where the rivers were, where the roads were, where the camps were, and where the sentry posts and scouts were.

To tell the truth, the more he listened, the more confused he felt, and the more he compared, the more he felt everything was self-contradictory.

First, the entire main marching line was deep in the mountains, and it even disappeared halfway through: there was no starting point, no destination, and no specific direction.

Second: the entire map had no enemy fortifications, let alone front-line positions. In fact, all the marching routes were within the uninhabited deep mountains, never once leaving the mountains.

Third: the camping.

If those dots were encampments, they were either in the valleys or under the ridges, and many were even in dead-end locations.

For example, the two largest circles were exactly wedged in the middle of a valley, surrounded by high mountains on both sides, with an extremely narrow space.

If the enemy army laid an ambush here, this would be the perfect pocket formation: one unit ambushing on the mountain, specifically for sneak attacks. One unit ambushing at the valley entrance, specifically to cut off the retreat.

And besides these, there was the most illogical point of all: when was this map hidden inside this vessel?

At the time of its creation? That would be equivalent to voluntarily leaking the marching route and camping locations to the Song Dynasty.

Just because modern people don't recognize Khitan Large Script doesn't mean people in the Song Dynasty didn't—

Then was it after the Northern Song Dynasty's Imperial Manufactory finished making it and sent it to the Liao Dynasty as a state gift?

The problem arises again: how did the Craftsman of the Liao Dynasty manage to perfectly take the vessel apart, hide the map inside, and then perfectly put the vessel back together?

But if it wasn't a military map, how could the Khitan characters translated by Museum Curator Tang be explained?

Just as Sun Jingzhou was thinking until his head ached, two "buzzing" sounds came from beside him, and he turned his head subconsciously.

He Youhan was staring at his phone, his eyes widening bit by bit, filled with indescribable shock.

Sun Jingzhou was stunned: having known him for so long, this was the first time he had seen such an expression on the face of General Manager He.

In his surprise, he tilted his head, purely subconsciously, without even seeing a single character.

He Youhan suddenly turned his head, squinting his eyes, with a cold glint flashing in his pupils.

Sun Jingzhou felt a shock in his heart and pulled his head back.

He Youhan continued to look, back and forth several times, and not knowing what he was thinking, he handed the phone over.

"Mr. Sun, you take a look too!"

Sun Jingzhou did not understand the reason, and carefully took the mobile phone.

It was all text, one long paragraph after another:

General Manager He, I don't know Khitan Script, but I understand military maps; this one of yours is definitely not one: whether it's rivers or roads on this, they are all in the mountains, and what's more, deep in mountains surrounded by mountains on all four sides.

Especially those three rivers: either passing through the mountains or running alongside them; even if there were roads by such rivers, they would only be goat paths that mountain porters could walk, completely impassable for an army, let alone a national army driving cattle and sheep.

As for setting up camp, that is even more impossible: and whoever dares to set up camp in such a place, one can give them two words directly: courting death.

I have researched it and made a bold hypothesis; first, let's assume the details on this map: the black lines represent river valleys, or perhaps the main route of the person who drew the map.

Those lines along the river valleys are not the march routes of an army, but rather navigation benchmarks marked for those who come later. Those dots are the destinations for those who come later.

Combining the two: only by advancing along these lines can one arrive at each target in sequence.

Look again at those thin lines; each one branches off from the main river valley, with the end stopping inside a mountain col, and the terminal point must connect to a dot marker.

Let's hypothesize again: only by walking to the position corresponding to the main river valley and then turning into this small path can one arrive at the target location.

Then look at those even smaller ones: the small dots scattered at the foot of the mountains or the edges of the valley mouths—could they be stones, mounds of earth, or perhaps ground reference points used for calibrating orientation?

As long as one sees these markers, one can confirm that the orientation has not gone astray——————

Those are the general details; now let me talk about the text on it: the Experts at the Forbidden City have basic professional ethics and wouldn't lie; even if the translation isn't one hundred percent accurate, the general meaning shouldn't deviate too much.

For this reason, I consulted another scholar in a relevant field, and those characters are indeed related to "marching," "camping," "scouts," and "vigilance."

So, at the beginning, I was also puzzled: if understood according to these characters, this is a military map.

If it weren't for an Expert with considerable knowledge of military affairs, ninety-nine percent would draw this conclusion. For example, the scholar I consulted thinks exactly this way.

But if someone who understands military affairs looks at it, they would feel it is utter nonsense and self-contradictory.

Afterwards, I had a sudden inspiration: what if those characters were intentionally used to mislead people?

For example, it was the Khitan people intentionally misleading the Song people, making the Song people who understand Khitan Script think this is a military map.

There must have been knowledgeable Song people who could see through it at a glance and wouldn't be fooled. But what if the Khitan people had a second objective: to use a stratagem against a stratagem?

Because there is too little information, I don't know what it is at least, but we can change our perspective: set aside those characters and look only at this map. Without a doubt, this is definitely not a march map, and even less likely a camp map.

But without a doubt, this is definitely a map.

Then let's hypothesize again: what if this is a guide map left for future generations, letting them follow the marked routes and landmarks to find those dots hidden deep in the mountains?

As for what purpose the dots have, or what is hidden inside, I don't know either; this is something General Manager He needs to think about himself.

After all, this pot is an item for the personal use of the Liao Dynasty emperor. And this map is hidden so deeply and so ingeniously.

Finally, remember the reward you mentioned————

The information stopped abruptly, and Sun Jingzhou suddenly raised his head.

To put it without exaggeration: his whole person was numb.

In fact, from the very beginning, he had one hundred percent adopted the perspective and angle of the analyst, and by the time he saw the end, he already one hundred percent agreed.

Especially one point: setting aside those characters intentionally used to mislead, and treating this map only as a guide map, only then can all the logic be self-consistent, and all the contradictions cease to be contradictions.

And the reason his scalp felt numb was because of that last sentence:

This is an item for the personal use of the Liao Dynasty emperor, and this map is hidden so deeply. If the dots represent something, or hide something, what would that be?

Therefore, this is likely a Treasure Map————

Thinking of this, Sun Jingzhou suddenly gasped: A Treasure Map of the Liao Dynasty emperor?

Then what should be hidden among those dots?

In his astonishment, he stared straight at He Youhan.

He Youhan did not speak and silently took back the mobile phone.

If one were more rational: this is just a hypothesis; although the person who hypothesized knows quite a bit, it is just a bold guess without any substantive corroboration or basis.

Or even more, even if those dots are treasure, what if what is hidden is armor and grain for starting an uprising? Placed in the present, it would be no different from a pile of scrap metal.

But then again, it is better to be safe than sorry: what if this map is truly a Treasure Map, and what is hidden inside is gold and silver treasure; how valuable would it be in the present?

He is indeed very rich, but who would complain about having too much money?

Thinking of this, He Youhan raised his head and stared at Lin Sicheng.

Lin Sicheng also stared at him, his expression very realistic: carrying a bit of curiosity and a bit of questioning, as if wondering what strange thing was in He Youhan's phone that could scare Sun Jingzhou like this?

Yet in his heart, he was sighing: it must be that He Youhan's friend saw the mystery of this map and stunned Sun Jingzhou.

Sure enough, there are experts everywhere in the world, as numerous as crucian carp crossing a river.

But thinking about it, they only saw the first step, not a complete deciphering.

Otherwise, He Youhan would not be this calm, but would have grabbed the map and left————

The two just stared at each other like this, one scrutinizing, one curious.

After a full minute, He Youhan gave up.

He was only basing this on his most fundamental understanding: Lin Sicheng is the most professional, sharpest-eyed, most technically comprehensive, and broadest-knowledge Expert in appraisal among the younger generation he has ever met.

The key is that Lin Sicheng is very, very smart.

And as it happens, this friend he just consulted is also such a person.

Based on this, He Youhan wanted to judge whether Lin Sicheng also already knew the mystery in this map?

But unfortunately, he could not tell————

Sighing, He Youhan waved his hand.

Three subordinates had been waiting outside, and one of them walked in.

There was no conversation, but the two had a tacit understanding; He Youhan just gave a signal, and the subordinate took a checkbook out of his suit pocket.

He Youhan took it and "swish, swish, swish" wrote a few times: first two checks, one for the Forbidden City, one for Shoubo, each for two hundred thousand.

After filling them out, he handed them to Museum Curator Tang and Teacher Zhang: "Two Experts, thank you for your hard work!"

At first glance, two hundred thousand is not considered much; like General Manager Chen Yangyan, a single donation is millions.

However, Museum Curator Tang and Teacher Zhang had only said two sentences each, and hadn't even finished the appraisal.

Even if He Youhan didn't write this check, they wouldn't have been able to say anything.

Without waiting for the two to thank him, He Youhan wrote a third check: a full one million!

After filling it out, he pushed it forward: "Thank you, General Manager Lin, for today!"

Lin Sicheng took a look, appearing slightly surprised: "General Manager He, that's too much!"

The two had never discussed what the price for an appraisal here would be; He Youhan hadn't asked, and Lin Sicheng hadn't brought it up.

If following the Center's fee standards: instrument testing is charged by the item, while Expert appraisal is charged based on the item, plus an additional 0.5 to 2 percent of the estimated value.

Lin Sicheng's highest rate is 3 percent.

Of course, if it is a fake, then naturally there is no such fee.

And no matter how much Lin Sicheng might compromise his conscience or tell lies with his eyes open, it was impossible to value this pot of his at thirty or forty million—

"General Manager Lin, it is not high!" He Youhan said with a serious face, "Because I have a request!"

Lin Sicheng paused: "Please go ahead, General Manager He!"

He Youhan pointed around with his finger and said straightforwardly: "I would like to ask General Manager Lin to do me a favor. As long as it is information related to this pot and this map, including all surveillance footage, photographs taken, and all written records, delete them all—"

Lin Sicheng acted as if he didn't understand: "General Manager He, we are a legitimate company and will not infringe upon a client's privacy. These photos I took and the information I recorded would naturally be handed over to the client in the end as part of the basis for the appraisal report—"

"I know, and I naturally trust General Manager Lin's character. But if the people below handle things poorly and there is an oversight, it won't be good for anyone!"

He Youhan thought for a moment, "General Manager Lin, let me be direct: this check is my apology to you. What I mean is, could you let my Assistant check the cameras, video recorders, and notebooks in the hands of the assistants present, as well as your Center's surveillance room—"

Lin Sicheng let out a "Heh."

He Youhan said he trusted his character, but every word clearly implied: Lin Sicheng, I just don't trust you.

Of course, if he were He Youhan, he wouldn't trust him either.

But He Youhan was not being aggressive, nor was he using his status to pressure others; instead, he was throwing money at the problem, and on this point, Lin Sicheng was quite supportive.

After all, it was the first order since opening; the more he earned, the better the omen—

Seeing him not speak, He Youhan thought he didn't agree.

It wasn't just one person who had told him how eccentric Lin Sicheng's personality was: when he was easy to talk to, he was as obedient as a rabbit. But when he was stubborn, nine oxen couldn't pull him back.

But the check couldn't be filled out any further; filling it out more would be a bit insulting. However, the traces related to this item had to be cleaned up. He Youhan thought very seriously: "General Manager Lin, I have actually been here for a while, probably right after you finished holding the auction. Then I used this time to investigate many things, and originally planned to report to the United Association after some time—"

【Line 205 is a continuation of 204 in the source text】

"General Manager Lin, how about this: I will try my best to advance the schedule, strive to declare it this week, report it truthfully, and simultaneously carry out the implementation of the project plan—"

"But because I have some private matters recently and need to return to the United States, the work of supervising the project's execution can only be handled by Director Liang for the time being—this time will not be short, at least two weeks—"

The others were confused: Is He Youhan—making conditions for Lin Sicheng?

But reporting to the United Association is your job anyway; even if Lin Sicheng didn't agree, you would still do it, so what is there to talk about?

And what about the latter part: returning to the United States for two weeks—what does that have to do with Lin Sicheng?

Even if you aren't here, Liang Shiya and those two women are; could you really count on them to go easy on Lin Sicheng?

But Lin Sicheng could understand: He Youhan was indeed negotiating terms with him.

The point lies in "truthfully" and "as soon as possible": He Youhan doesn't even need to fabricate anything; as long as he omits one or two necessary conditions regarding the source of those three billion in funds, the United Association will inevitably expand its investigation.

This time could be one or two months, or it could be half a year, or even a year. How long exactly depends on whether He Youhan wants to drag it out.

And the reason he specifically mentioned he would be leaving for half a month also lies here: according to normal procedures, these half a month can

completely pass the capital audit.

To put it bluntly: I can refrain from causing trouble regarding this capital audit and give you an extra half-month of leeway; you hurry up and get it done.

From another perspective: if you say He Youhan is threatening him, that wouldn't be wrong either.

He wasn't exactly angry, but Lin Sicheng's impression of He Youhan dropped another level.

Of course, he certainly couldn't refuse: because this was a free half-month.

Lin Sicheng feigned deep thought: "General Manager He, I might be forming a research team within these half a month!"

He Youhan paused and sighed: "General Manager Lin, your progress is a bit fast!"

Lin Sicheng was expressionless: "There is indeed some: but time waits for no one; every day it drags on, the money spent flows away like water—"

"Very well—then General Manager Lin, please prepare, and we will audit when I return—" He Youhan thought for a moment, "But I don't think General Manager Lin will be able to find an ideal candidate—"

This sentence was also a threat: even if you recruit someone, if they don't suit my wishes, I can still have you fired—

Lin Sicheng smiled: "Human effort can achieve anything!"

He Youhan also smiled: "Then I wish General Manager Lin success!"

"I'll take your kind words, General Manager He!" Lin Sicheng put away the check on the table, "And many thanks for your support, General Manager He!"

The two were at loggerheads, more like they were speaking in riddles.

But at least the others knew one thing: Lin Sicheng had agreed to He Youhan's request.

First it was Fang Jin and Li Zhen; those deleting photos deleted photos, and those deleting videos deleted videos.

Afterwards, in front of He Youhan, all the written records were put into the shredder, and all the paper scraps were packed up and handed over to He Youhan's people.

Finally, Lin Sicheng personally took He Youhan to the surveillance room and deleted all footage related to the Tree Bark Pot and the map.

After having his subordinates check it once to confirm there were no errors, He Youhan extended his hand: "General Manager Lin, my apologies!"

"You are too kind, General Manager He!" Lin Sicheng smiled, shaking hands with one hand while pointing to his temple with the other, "General Manager He, aren't you afraid that I might have memorized that map in my head?"

He Youhan shook his head: "I know General Manager Lin has a very, very good memory, but there is an old saying in China: a miss is as good as a mile—"

Lin Sicheng smiled without a word: Let us wait and see—