Chapter 41: Investigating Luosha

"Knock, knock, knock." The sound of knocking on the door interrupted Lu Chen's train of thought.

He sighed, took another deep look at the envelope with the wax seal; the fine fuzz on its edges was clearly visible in Lu Chen's eyes.

He put the letter back into the wooden box and closed it.

He placed it back together with the wooden box containing the Silver Coins.

Only then did he exit his personal space and open the bedroom door.

"Sir, they are waiting for you in the conference room."

Butler Wang bowed slightly, his gaze not once drifting into the room, his tone remaining respectful.

"Let's go."

Lu Chen took a deep breath, straightened his suit, and walked toward the conference room.

Butler Wang followed silently behind Lu Chen until they reached the door of the conference room.

"Butler Wang, don't leave; I have something for you to do."

Before walking into the conference room, Lu Chen glanced at Butler Wang, who was standing at the door, signaling for him to come in as well.

"Very well, sir."

Butler Wang was stunned for a moment, paused slightly, and then walked into the conference room.

He did not sit down, but instead walked silently to a corner far from the center of the meeting and stood still.

His face remained serious, but he seemed to have no intention of listening to Lu Chen speak.

"Sit here."

As Lu Chen passed the seat next to Liu Xiaofeng, he patted it.

He signaled for Butler Wang to come over and sit.

Then he sat in the head seat, took out a Cigar, tossed the cigar box onto the table, lit one, and swept his gaze over the three of them, signaling them to help themselves.

Not until he had preheated the Cigar, taken a few puffs, and exhaled the smoke did Lu Chen reveal a grave expression, his hoarse voice sounding out.

"You all know about Luosha, right?"

Lu Chen paused and swept his gaze around at Li Xuanhua and the other three in the conference room.

He took another puff of the Cigar, let the smoke linger in his mouth for a few seconds, and then continued to speak.

His other hand tapped lightly on the tabletop.

"I want all information on her. Use your respective channels; by tomorrow morning, compile all the information you can find, whether it's rumors or things you've asked around for. Secretary Shen, you are in charge of organizing it."

Lu Chen ignored the expressions of the few, only looking deeply at Butler Wang.

He stood up, walked to the door, and paused before exiting.

"There is no budget limit, but time is short. Hurry."

After closing the conference room door, he walked through the dim corridor and took a pot of hot coffee from a servant.

He arrived in the study, picked up a newspaper, and waited silently.

During this time, the Buick in the parking lot went in and out, and the sound of footsteps on the second floor was constant.

Even in the living room, one could faintly hear the various sounds of Li Xuanhua's conversations.

Lu Chen flipped through the newspaper absentmindedly, his body shifting from time to time; several times he wanted to check his watch, but subconsciously he only lifted his wrist without pulling back the sleeve that was blocking it.

From time to time, he would stand up with some agitation and look out the window.

In the silent woods, rustling sounds could be heard occasionally, and one could even faintly see the bright lights of Victoria Harbour.

Just as Lu Chen was pacing the study in agitation, he heard an extremely faint gunshot, which made Lu Chen stand up from his seat instantly.

The anxious look he originally had suddenly became grave.

His fists were clenched tight; after several minutes, he sat back down, downed the now-cold coffee in one gulp, lit another Cigar, and took several deep puffs before he managed to calm down.

After a long time, the Zhuangyuan seemed like a machine that had been activated; the sound of servants walking in and out startled Lu Chen.

Lu Chen looked down from the second-floor window, but couldn't see clearly...

He could only see that there seemed to be someone in a white coat among them.

Lu Chen took a deep breath, sat back in his seat, took the envelope out of his personal space again, played with the Small Box silently for a while, and then switched to a Zippo lighter.

Until the Zhuangyuan gradually quieted down, leaving only the faint sound of Li Xuanhua and messy footsteps.

Slowly, only the sound of high heels remained, gradually becoming clearer in Lu Chen's ears.

"Knock, knock, knock."

Lu Chen suddenly raised his head, put the letter directly back into the drawer, and tossed it into his personal space.

Even his handgun was taken out by Lu Chen, though his hand was blocked by the desk.

"Enter!"

The hoarse, low voice sounded like a broken accordion as it issued from Lu Chen's throat.

Even Lu Chen himself was stunned for a moment, but he raised his voice again: "Come in."

"BOSS, the information has been organized."

Shen Wanyu's hair was a bit messy, and there were even some stains on her suit.

Her tone carried a hint of exhaustion and faint panting.

She was clutching a document bag tightly to her chest, which seemed to have a trace of dark red on it.

"Sit down first, have a cup of coffee."

Lu Chen stood up, poured a cup of coffee from the thermos, and placed it on the desk.

As he passed by Shen Wanyu, he seemed to smell a hint of a metallic scent that didn't belong to her.

This made Lu Chen's pupils shrink suddenly, but his face still wore a calm expression.

He sat back down behind the desk and put the handgun from the half-open drawer back into his personal space.

He silently lit a cigarette, and only after waiting for Shen Wanyu's breathing to return to calm did he open his mouth to ask a question.

"Who is injured?"

"It is one of Brother Liu's... underlings."

Shen Wanyu's eyes carried a trace of fear, awkwardness, and what seemed to be something difficult to speak of.

"Is the injury serious? Does he need to be sent to the hospital for treatment?"

Lu Chen took a deep look at Shen Wanyu, and after taking a deep drag of his cigarette, he spoke, his hoarse voice making him seem much more somber.

"A penetrating wound; Doctor Zhang has already performed emergency treatment, and he should be recuperating in the Zhuangyuan for the latter half of the year."

Shen Wanyu took several deep breaths before she spoke intermittently.

She slowly placed the document on the table.

The wax seal was still intact, but there were several holes on the document bag, as well as dark red stains.

This made Lu Chen's pupils constrict again, and following Shen Wanyu's breathing, Lu Chen also silently adjusted his own.

"Let him recuperate in the Zhuangyuan, use only the best things for everything, and ensure no lingering effects are left; if the conditions in the Zhuangyuan are insufficient, have Li Xuanhua find a way to send him to Piaoliang Guo to recuperate."

After Lu Chen took a few deep breaths, his tone finally steadied again.

It was just that his voice was a bit more somber.

His eyes drifted toward the handwriting on the document bag that had been blurred by the dark red color.

The entire study seemed to be surrounded by a faint smell of rust.

"Understood, BOSS. I will go organize the other materials first; I will bring them to you in about an hour."

Shen Wanyu took a deep breath, and when she stood up, she stumbled slightly, steadying herself by holding onto the chair before she regained her balance.

Lu Chen wanted to reach out, but he sighed and said in a low voice, "Alright."

Only then did he turn his gaze back to the document bag.