Chapter 72: Purge

"Bang, bang, bang."

Lu Chen, who was in the middle of a call with Chairman Shi, felt a flash of surprise in his eyes.

Steward Wang wore a look of anxiety on his face, but he did not enter the study.

Lu Chen looked up at Steward Wang and nodded slightly.

"Chairman Shi, let's continue our discussion about the board meeting when we meet tomorrow. I'm terribly sorry, but something urgent has come up."

After chatting with Chairman Shi for a few more sentences, Lu Chen hung up the phone.

"What's wrong?"

Lu Chen took the telegram handed over by Steward Wang.

His expression grew increasingly grim.

"Call Chen Mo over. Send a telegram to Xuan Hua and tell them to take the earliest flight back. Hand over everything to the people recruited over there."

After a few seconds of silence, Lu Chen's tone carried a hint of chill.

He did not touch the Cigar box, but lit a 555 cigarette instead. After taking two deep puffs, a fierce glint flashed in his eyes.

Steward Wang nodded, and after walking quickly out of the study, the thumping sound of footsteps could be heard.

"Boss."

A few minutes later, Chen Mo knocked on the study door and walked straight inside.

"Take a look. I don't care how you do it."

Lu Chen took a deep drag of his cigarette, his voice raspy as if he had swallowed a knife.

"I hope you can get things handled before Xuan Hua and the others land tomorrow morning."

Chen Mo took the telegram, the fierce glint in his eyes growing more intense.

"Understood."

He looked up and spoke in a somewhat raspy voice.

He stood up and walked straight out of the study.

Before long, Zhao Chenhui knocked on the door, his face showing signs of fatigue.

"Boss, what happened? Do you need us to coordinate on this end?"

Lu Chen silently pointed to the sofa beside him, and just as he was about to speak, he heard the sound of a car engine starting outside the window.

Along with the sound of the iron gate opening and closing.

"Take a look at this and investigate. If it has anything to do with us, shut down all payment channels."

Lu Chen lit another 555, took two puffs, and then continued.

"You can ask Steward Wang; he should be able to figure out those messy connections in the shortest amount of time."

"Understood."

Zhao Chenhui nodded, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes.

He put away the telegram and tucked it into a file folder.

"Boss, I'll go do it right now."

"Xuan Hua and Xiaofeng are coming back tomorrow morning. Notify Wanyu and Ya Qin; have them go to pick them up as well."

Lu Chen said in a raspy voice, calling out to remind Zhao Chenhui before he left the study.

"Understood, I will coordinate the arrangements. If Steward Wang's intelligence is accurate, everything can be handled by tomorrow."

Zhao Chenhui paused, turned around, and bowed slightly.

Lu Chen nodded slightly and took two more puffs of his 555, feeling no sleepiness at all.

He took the telegram out of the file folder again, placed it on the coffee table, and watched it silently.

He took the Small Box out from his personal space and began to fiddle with it unconsciously in his hands.

After a long while, he finally stood up, returned behind his desk, and dialed a number.

"I'd like to speak to Miss Luosha."

"What is it?"

After a long time, a cold female voice sounded on the other end of the line.

"Xianggang is not very peaceful tonight. I hope it won't disturb you."

Lu Chen sat in his chair, fiddling with the Small Box, a fierce glint in his eyes.

He waited silently for Luosha's reply from the other end.

"Who has provoked Mr. Lu? And what if I don't agree?"

The cold voice seemed to carry a hint of teasing.

"Then I'm sorry, but I must do this."

Lu Chen's tone was calm and devoid of inflection.

His hand, which had been fiddling with the Small Box, suddenly stopped, and he gripped the box tightly.

"My dear Mr. Lu, you only told me you were going to act, but you didn't tell me how you were going to act or what you were going to do. What good is my agreement?"

After a long silence on the phone, Luosha's cold voice finally came through.

Her tone carried a hint of coquettishness, yet also seemed to hold a sense of helplessness.

Lu Chen remained silent for a long while before explaining in a raspy voice.

After receiving Luosha's approval, he let out a sigh.

He turned off the study light and sat silently by the window.

He lit another 555 and looked at the faint, shimmering Victoria Harbour in the distance.

"A dark, windy night indeed."

A long time passed, and even the moon in the sky seemed to have covered itself with dark clouds.

At the entrance of the study, Steward Wang, carrying a trace of exhaustion, knocked lightly on the door.

"Sir, President Li and President Liu have both boarded the plane back; they should arrive around 7:00 AM. How would you like us to arrange things?"

By the dim light of the hallway, Steward Wang looked at Lu Chen sitting on the window ledge, a trace of surprise appearing on his face.

But he did not walk into the study, instead reporting from the doorway.

"I will go personally."

Lu Chen did not turn his head, still looking out the window, silently taking a drag of his cigarette.

In the long night, a few faint gunshots seemed to ring out from near the Zhuangyuan.

Oppressive, faint, yet seemingly real.

Early morning, the sun had not yet risen, but the sky was already beginning to brighten.

Victoria Harbour was still brightly lit, and Lu Chen had sat by the window all night.

The gate of the Zhuangyuan let out a creak, breaking the silence of the night.

A Buick that seemed covered in dents drove in.

Lu Chen's pupils constricted slightly; he climbed down from the window and stretched his somewhat stiff body.

"Steward Wang, let Chen Mo come up. No need to wash up; just like that. Later, come with me directly to pick up Xiaofeng and the others."

"Very well."

Steward Wang, who had stood outside the door all night, answered with a hoarse voice, then moved, walking toward the first floor with a somewhat stiff gait.

After a while, Steward Wang walked into the study carrying a tray: a glass of milk, a sandwich, and a peeled egg.

However, what made Lu Chen frown was that although Steward Wang smelled of soap, there seemed to be a lingering scent of gunpowder.

"Thank you. How is Chen Mo? Was he injured?"

"No, I just dealt with a few people who wanted to leave."

Lu Chen nodded slightly and shrugged his shoulders.

"Don't let the little girl feel scared. Have her eat in her room today, then go straight to school. Don't let her cross paths with us, especially Chen Mo."

"Very well."

Lu Chen glanced at his watch.

6:20.

Only then did he look up and nod slightly at Steward Wang.

"Let's go."

He stood up, stretched slightly again, and walked out of the study first.

Steward Wang nodded silently and followed behind Lu Chen.

When Lu Chen went downstairs to the reception hall, all the members at the Zhuangyuan had already silently put on their suits and were sitting on the sofas.

Even Chen Mo had already changed into a suit.

Shen Wanyu stood up and walked forward to Lu Chen's side.

Lu Chen let Shen Wanyu work, until Shen Wanyu stood straight again and retreated behind Lu Chen.

Only then did he look at everyone who had stood up and spoke softly.

"Go."

Although his hoarse voice was not loud, in the reception hall, it seemed to become steady and somewhat penetrating.

Everyone followed Lu Chen's footsteps out of the reception hall.

"Chen Mo, don't drive your car; ride in the same one as me."