Chapter 1463: Dead or Alive, I Want to See Them

"He called me the King of War!"

Art emphasized with some pride, "I have never understood my ideals so clearly."

"Is this f***ing your ideal?"

Ji Wang Weidong looked at him speechlessly, wanting to remind him to pay attention to his money bag, but didn't know where to persuade him from.

Art was finished; he had fallen into Li Xuewu's trap and couldn't extricate himself, poisoned by the drug of self-importance.

Art didn't care whether this ideal was his or not; he only felt it was good that someone understood him.

"You don't understand him at all, really."

"I don't understand him at all? Haha?"

Ji Wang Weidong widened his eyes and looked at Art suspiciously, saying, "Are you sure you know what you're saying?"

"He f***ing returned to civilian life not long ago, and we've known each other for over four years."

He gestured with four fingers and emphasized, "We used to hang out together every day; you've only known him for a few days, and you're telling me I don't understand him?"

"Ji, you're still too superficial."

Art shook his head slightly and said, "Li's exposition on war, as well as his thorough understanding of the changes and evolution of the international arms trade landscape, is very transparent."

He didn't care about Ji Wang Weidong's surprised gaze, stood up, walked to the window, and looked at the moon outside, saying, "I must face my future squarely, determine what I want, and put in the effort for it."

"Only then can I have purposeful development and progress; Li taught me this; he is my teacher."

"I warned you, Art."

Ji Wang Weidong raised his hand helplessly to support his forehead and said tiredly, "You can come, but don't talk to him about ideals and life."

"You are here to purchase weapons, not to find a spiritual mentor."

"No, Ji, you're wrong."

Art turned around, looked at Ji Wang Weidong, and said firmly, "You will always encounter noble people on the road of life."

"Do you mean Li Xuewu is a noble person on this part of your life's journey?"

Ji Wang Weidong looked at Art in astonishment; he hadn't expected Art to see Li Xuewu as so important; were they going to become godson and godfather if they continued to associate?

"Then this noble person of yours is really f***ing 'noble'!"

At this moment, Ji Wang Weidong was more like a biological father, and Art was like a naive girl, talking about the goodness of the yellow-haired Li Xuewu and denying the misunderstanding of his biological father, Ji Wang Weidong.

"Li told me he is not my noble person; the thoughts and realizations I have at this moment are."

At this moment, Art was especially like a philosopher, or could be called a madman in the secular world.

He raised his head slightly, looked at the starry sky at a 45-degree angle, and said faintly, "In other words, I, who have realized life and ideals, am my own noble person."

"Oh my—you've come up with something new!"

Ji Wang Weidong finally understood why his painstaking persuasion hadn't broken Li Xuewu's smoke screen; it turned out that the Tao was one foot high, and the devil was ten feet high.

He persuaded Art not to be superstitious about Li Xuewu's words, and even more so not to believe Li Xuewu's ideological indoctrination.

Most importantly, not to worship Li Xuewu.

And the result?

Li Xuewu changed his approach; he didn't use enlightenment to induce Art to worship him, but changed to inducing Art to worship himself!

How the f*** is this game to be broken!

If Li Xuewu were fond of being a teacher, bluffing Art into kowtowing, he could still crack it.

Now Art is overly confident, worships himself, and sets himself up as a king (King of War).

At this time, any effort he makes to persuade him is a direct attack on Art's self-esteem and arrogance.

No wonder the harder he tried to persuade him, the more Art resisted his efforts; silently, Li Xuewu's "four ounces of force to move a thousand pounds" actually put him and Art in opposition.

What a Li Xuewu—

"Let's not mention the King of War for now; I ask you, what did you buy from him?"

Ji Wang Weidong looked at Art seriously and emphasized, "Don't forget, you came with a mission."

"I naturally know this."

Art walked back to the sofa and sat down, took out a document from his briefcase, looked at it, and after confirming, handed it to Ji Wang Weidong beside him.

"This is just my purchase intention; the final decision still depends on Li."

"You are the purchasing party, and you still have to listen to him?"

Ji Wang Weidong glanced at him, didn't want to say anything else, and took the document to read.

It was just that the long list of individual and squad-level instant food catalogs in the purchase intention list stunned him.

"What are you buying so much of this stuff for?"

Ji Wang Weidong pointed to the items on the list and asked Art, "You are here to purchase weapons."

"The best strategy is to attack the enemy's strategy; Li said that sometimes food is more powerful than weapons."

Art had an "you don't understand" expression, shook his head slightly, and emphasized, "I must take this nutritious military food to North Africa; it will be a hit!"

A hit? This wasn't the first time Ji Wang Weidong had heard such strange vocabulary from Art's mouth.

These words were easy to understand, but they definitely weren't something Art could think of.

It must be Li Xuewu; this is establishing an invisible gap in rhetoric.

Since he came to Steel City, he had shown a positive side towards Art.

He believed Li Xuewu could see that the attitude he expressed was the Investigation Department's concern for Art, and also concern for West Asia and North Africa.

He didn't say it clearly, and Li Xuewu also played dumb; the two began a hidden contest.

Art was right here; who could influence his thoughts depended on oneself.

He wouldn't appear when Art went to see Li Xuewu, and Li Xuewu wouldn't appear when he came to see Art; the contest unfolded under fair conditions.

It was just that Ji Wang Weidong gradually discovered that he seemed to be falling into a disadvantage; Art was floating.

Li Xuewu's bluffing method was truly powerful; first cognitive reconstruction, then cultural invasion, and on this basis, inducing Art to complete cognitive construction.

"Have you ever thought that taking these foods across the ocean to North Africa, without the guarantee of powerful armed force, you will lose everything."

"I naturally thought of it—"

Art shook his head, pointed to the items on the list, and said, "I won't just be God solving hunger."

"These are all the latest models of products from the Red Star Weapons Factory, which have never been sold abroad."

He looked at Ji Wang Weidong and pointed to the items on the list, emphasizing, "Li guaranteed it to me; I am the first person to purchase abroad!"

"You are naturally the first person—"

Ji Wang Weidong bit his back teeth; this Art was really eaten to death by Li Xuewu.

What's the use of being the first person? Can it be discounted or eaten as a meal?

"Have you seen their arsenal?"

He pointed to the list and emphasized, "Don't say I didn't warn you; these models are not on our general assembly procurement list."

"As far as I'm concerned, I haven't seen these models of weapons and equipment."

"So Li said these are new equipment."

Art took out the promotional brochure, opened the photo album-like picture book, pointed to the weapons and equipment on it, and introduced them one by one corresponding to the list.

"This f***ing—"

Ji Wang Weidong looked at the weapon models and introductions in the picture book, then looked at the list in his hand, and almost cursed.

Let's not talk about the 66-6 sniper rifle; this one was too famous, and Art had already purchased it long ago.

But what the hell are the Type 67 light and heavy machine gun, Type 68 60mm light mortar, Type 68 120mm mortar, and Type 68 anti-aircraft machine gun!

As far as he knew, the weapon equipment in the pictures looked very similar to the models he was familiar with from their appearance.

But he dared to bet Art's head that these weapon equipment were absolutely not starting with 67.

"Wait a minute! Let me see—"

Ji Wang Weidong reached out and took the picture book to study it carefully, searching his memory, comparing the weapons and equipment in the pictures one by one, and really saw some clues.

This f***ing isn't—

That's right, Type 53 heavy machine gun... Type 54 anti-aircraft machine gun...

They were too f***ing similar, and yet had some differences.

Just from the picture book, he couldn't see too much, but what Ji Wang Weidong could determine was that these weapons and equipment Li Xuewu was selling to Art were absolutely not any f***ing new equipment.

If he had to say they were new equipment, he could only say they were modified versions, or self-modified products of the Red Star Weapons Factory, which hadn't been assigned tasks by the General Assembly, and were weapons researched and modified on their own; and he dared to take them out to bluff?

"Listen to me, Art—"

Ji Wang Weidong pointed to the weapons and equipment in the pictures and gave him an explanation one by one.

It was very clear, telling Art that comparing these equipment with the already equipped equipment, one could see obvious features, and they were fundamentally not new equipment.

"This one, Type 55 120mm mortar, the features are obvious enough, right?"

Ji Wang Weidong pointed to the picture and emphasized to Art, "Where is it Type 68? I can tell you very responsibly that the General Logistics Department hasn't issued any new weapon research and procurement tasks in recent years."

"So to put it bluntly, these things Li Xuewu showed you are all new modifications of old equipment."

He put the picture book aside and said frankly, "If you believe me, I can introduce you to a factory that produces equipped weapons and equipment for procurement; they are absolutely the most authentic superior products."

"However—" Art hesitated and said, "Li shouldn't be deceiving me."

He thought for a while, took out a few newspapers from his briefcase and handed them to Ji Wang Weidong, saying, "Li said there is evidence in the news to support the combat effectiveness of these weapons and equipment."

"How is that possible—"

Ji Wang Weidong widened his eyes and emphasized, "He must be bluffing you..."

He only said half of this, and his face became strange and embarrassed.

The content published in these newspapers was all about the battle with the Northern Fur, and there was a detailed exposition of the combat scene, and there was even an explanation of the weapon models, with the big head on the helicopter.

It was just that models like Type 67, Type 68, etc., were all classified as experimental weapon equipment, and were introduced together with the Tantu car.

This was very embarrassing; could he tell Art that these newspapers were fake?

Or could he tell Art that he was ignorant?

"Li said, admitting one's ignorance won't make one more backward, but is a manifestation of progress."

"Li Xuewu is almost becoming a great immortal."

Ji Wang Weidong curled his lips and glanced at Art; what is called a good word is hard to persuade a ghost that is going to die.

Art wanted to run to the end of the road, especially after getting the export-type helicopter from Steel Flying, he trusted Li Xuewu even more; whatever he said was just a villain talking too much.

However, speaking of which, this time Art's purchase list in the mainland was really a long one.

What made Ji Wang Weidong pay attention was that whether it was weapons and equipment, cars and planes, or even food and medicine, these procurement items all came from the Red Star Steel Group's own brands.

Never ignore this point; the Red Star Steel Group should be the only one in the country that can independently complete procurement reporting and achieve supply of its own products.

Just look at the list; from small things like needle and thread kits, medical kits, multi-functional lunch boxes, water bottles, to big things like cannons, cars, and planes, they are all on the production list; you say, is the Red Star Steel Group scary or not?

Besides the KH-4 attack and reconnaissance helicopters that made Art stubborn, the secret product of Steel Auto, the Tantu terrain vehicle, was also on the export list.

According to what Ji Wang Weidong understood, the General Assembly and the General Logistics Department had been paying attention to several products of the Red Star Steel Group, including individual rations, helicopters, and Tantu cars.

A while ago, he also heard that Beijing Auto "borrowed" a Tantu from a certain department and took it back for research.

Rumor has it that Beijing Auto and the Red Star Steel Group had fought several times openly and secretly, and the situation of competing for the top chair of the Beijing circle car industry couldn't be more obvious.

Of course, if you want to talk about scale and history, it has to be Beijing Auto; this is a key automobile enterprise.

But if you want to talk about the revolutionary subversion of the automobile industry, the car company that completed the second transformation of automobile production, Steel Auto, not only possessed a complete industrial supply chain but also had the ability to produce and research more and larger car models.

Steel Auto wasn't just using the Hongxing Lingyang to challenge Beijing Auto; the simultaneously produced car products had already penetrated the whole country.

Especially the Red Star Steel Group's own sales and warehousing channels, which made its hardware, chemical, automobile, and other products sell well nationwide.

Being able to possess increasingly mature production conditions and even more solid mass feedback foundations, the General Assembly and General Logistics Department choosing the Hongxing Lingyang car was no longer just a possibility.

The biggest variable was in the Tantu car; this was a tactical modular terrain vehicle, and unlike the 212, this car was completely researched and designed for combat.

Ji Wang Weidong had seen the design concept of this car from Li Xuewu two years ago, which completely subverted his cognition of cars, especially combat cars.

It could only be said that Li Xuewu, this non-typical car designer, still had some ways.

Even within the Red Star Steel Group, there was a universal cognition; no one would doubt Li Xuewu's design level and thinking.

Of course, the title of "Soul Designer" was also spreading, and it was the object of ridicule in the design institute.

That Art could get this car model made Ji Wang Weidong feel both surprised and reasonable.

As early as March this year, the Tantu car made its first appearance on the northern battlefield and achieved astonishing results.

After half a year of precipitation and summary, the Tantu, adjusted according to battlefield performance, went abroad again to obtain more test feedback.

The only reason Ji Wang Weidong could think of for Art getting this car was this.

Only after being tempered and tested by war can a new car model prove to be excellent and advanced.

The Tantu car had already shown excellent potential in the country; if it could shine abroad this time, Beijing Auto's 212 status would definitely be lost.

A car with excellent mobility that could mount anti-aircraft machine guns and mortars; just thinking about it felt astonishing.

Therefore, he had to talk to Li Xuewu.

It couldn't be said to be a showdown, but it couldn't go on like this either, otherwise, both sides would be hurt, and the one who would lose would be the organization.

"Sister Zhou, you're at home."

Zhou Changli entered the courtyard and, seeing Zhou Wang Yamei coming from the backyard, quickly greeted her with a smile.

Zhou Wang Yamei had come from the backyard precisely because she saw him enter the courtyard.

"You two came just in time; I have some work here and was worrying about no one to help."

She pointed to the weeds in the garden and the vegetable garden that had finished its season with a smile and said, "You haven't seen such a desolate garden, right? You've gained some experience today."

"Hehe—" Zhou Changli gave a strange laugh, walked up, and said, "I'll help you; Old Four still has work to report to Li Ge."

"It's not that urgent; your Li Ge has guests now; help me with this part first."

Zhou Wang Yamei only explained this one sentence, then waved her hand without allowing any refusal, signaling to Zhou Changli and Zhao Lao Si how to clear the weeds and vegetables in the courtyard.

"Don't want any of them, but don't let the grass seeds fall, otherwise, it will really be abandoned next year."

She emphasized, "It's already late to tidy up the garden at this time; some grass seeds have already matured."

"Who is Li Ge seeing?"

Zhou Changli glanced into the room from the back window, but the living room was a bit far from here, so he couldn't see clearly.

He had heard Li Xuewu's voice, but couldn't hear clearly what they were chatting about in the room, only knowing the other party was a woman.

"I thought about it all night and didn't know how to face you, really."

The person talking to Li Xuewu in the living room was Wu Shuping, who had rushed over from Tianjin.

After seeing Lai Jiasheng, she gathered her courage and called Li Xuewu, and then came to Steel City.

Li Xuewu's expression was very flat, without the anger she had imagined, and even less reproach for her.

To put it bluntly, she and Lai Jiasheng were repaying Li Xuewu for his protection of her and the child.

They slept in the same bed; it couldn't be said that it was for a long time, but there were some feelings.

This feeling was unclear and indescribable, but Wu Shuping could guarantee she hadn't polluted this feeling.

Even in her conversation with Lai Jiasheng, she firmly emphasized her loyalty.

Loyalty to love.

Although this loyalty appeared worthless after Lai Jiasheng suddenly appeared in Tianjin.

However, at least she and Li Xuewu were innocent.

Therefore, she could gather the courage to appear here and bravely face Li Xuewu's questioning.

But Li Xuewu didn't; he just looked at her with a gentle attitude and listened to her conversation.

"I don't know if I still have the qualifications to apologize to you on his behalf."

Wu Shuping looked at Li Xuewu and said earnestly and frankly, "If I had known earlier that he would be so stubborn, I definitely wouldn't have hesitated until today."

"Even for the sake of the child."

"Hmm, I can understand you."

Li Xuewu could see the bitterness behind her strength, especially the shame of Lai Jiasheng's betrayal.

"Lai Jiasheng is Lai Jiasheng, and you are you."

He raised his hand to signal the chrysanthemum tea just brought by Zhou Wang Yamei on the coffee table and invited Wu Shuping to drink.

"You and I have been together for so long; many things don't need to be said too clearly; you understand, and I understand."

Li Xuewu nodded slightly and continued, "Even for Lai Jiasheng, I don't resent him."

Wu Shuping raised her head in surprise and looked at him, very surprised to hear Li Xuewu say this.

"A man, suffering the pain of missing his wife and child who are trapped in hardship day and night, is very painful."

Li Xuewu sighed lightly and said, "It's also my fault for not making good arrangements, making things difficult for you."

"No, please don't say that."

Wu Shuping shook her head, bit her lip, and said, "If you say that, I really will be ashamed."

"If you hadn't reached out to save me in the beginning, I would have long ago... I remember everything."

She hadn't thought she would cry when coming to see Li Xuewu, and she hadn't shed a single tear for Lai Jiasheng.

But hearing Li Xuewu's self-blaming statement, her heart felt like it had been grabbed.

Tears couldn't stop falling, and her mouth emphasized Li Xuewu's care for her and the child even more.

"I can't compare what I've done for you with what you've done for us; I must say these things."

"No need; you know I trust you."

Li Xuewu nodded firmly and looked at Wu Shuping, saying, "I haven't told anyone about this, except for those involved, including my sister-in-law."

"Thank you, thank you—"

Wu Shuping covered her face and cried, sobbing, "I used all my courage just to come to Steel City to see you; I have no more courage to face Yafang."

"I believe Sister-in-law is the same as me and won't blame you, not even half a bit."

Li Xuewu looked at her and said, "Agreeing to let you come to Steel City is also for this purpose."

He pulled out a few tissues and handed them over, "It's a very difficult thing to ask Mr. Lai to come to the mainland to see you, but I'm still willing to take this risk."

"Li Xin calls me Dad, so I have to be worthy of your mother and child's trust."

"Wuwu, wu—"

Wu Shuping bowed her head on her knees, her voice revealing despair for life and disappointment in her lover.

Li Xuewu put the tissues beside her on the sofa and continued, "No other purpose, just want Mr. Lai to know the actual situation of you and the child."

"Similarly, also let you know Mr. Lai's real thoughts; you are a family."

"Thank you for your sincerity, but this is really too cruel for me—"

Wu Shuping raised her head, looked at him with tearful eyes, and said, "I would rather he hadn't come this time."

"But I can't be your villain."

Li Xuewu nodded and said, "It's good for your whole family to reunite; you can't always be thousands of miles apart; anyone would have ideas."

"I've already felt guilty enough."

Wu Shuping shook her head slightly and said while crying, "Please don't say any more."

"I was afraid you would think that way, so I let you come on this trip."

Li Xuewu smiled slightly and said, "Mr. Lai's work and contribution in Hong Kong are something I am very grateful for and admire; I don't mean to blame him."

"This time it was my lack of consideration; the losses and impact caused by him will be borne by me."

He gradually became more serious and said, "If you have any ideas, I will arrange for you to withdraw from the construction company as soon as possible, fade out of this identity, and arrange for your whole family to go to Hong Kong."

"Go to Hong Kong..." Wu Shuping couldn't care about crying, raised her head and asked him, "Then your plan... I..."

"I've already missed once, and I can't continue to be wrong; you can retire early."

Li Xuewu closed his eyes and nodded, then said, "While Li Xin is still young, the contradiction between you husband and wife is mainly caused by distance."

"Go to Hong Kong; return to your previous living environment and find back the lost love."

"Love?" Zhou Changli took the opportunity of weeding and turned to ask Zhao Lao Si beside him, "What is love?"

"You f***ing ask me? You already have a wife—"

Zhao Lao Si also heard the conversation faintly coming from the living room; it was only after it became quiet that he heard it.

"I f***ing have a wife, but it has nothing to do with love." Zhou Changli turned his head back and muttered, "Until now, I haven't tasted what love is."

"If there is no love between you and Er Ya, then I really don't know what love is."

Zhao Lao Si responded, "But I can be sure that the good sisters you had before definitely didn't have love."

"What are you two muttering about—"

Zhou Wang Yamei wasn't far from them, straightened up after tidying up a piece of vegetable garden, and said amusedly, "There is a watermelon cooling in the kitchen bucket; do you want to eat it?"

"There is still watermelon in this season?"

Zhou Changli straightened up in surprise and said, "Where did you buy it, Sister Zhou?"

"Not bought, brought from home." 【146

Zhou Wang Yamei explained: "I went back to my parents' house the day before yesterday; they grew them themselves, a late-ripening variety."

"That really is—" Zhou Changli said with a smile, "I wanted to eat some that day, but when I went to ask, I found out the garden had already been cleared. It's almost October now."

"Didn't expect to still be able to eat watermelon, right?"

Zhou Wang Yamei smiled and gestured toward the kitchen, saying: "Go on, whichever one of you goes to cut the watermelon, send some over to your Li Ge, and divide the rest among yourselves to eat."

"That would be too embarrassing, we only helped with a small favor." Zhao Lao Si joked: "How about I go back and call a few more people to help you turn the soil in the garden?"

"It's autumn, why turn the soil?"

Zhou Wang Yamei gave him an amused glare, waved her hand, and said: "Hurry up, once you've tidied up the garden, your Li Ge will be calling you for a talk."

The watermelon Zhou Changli ate today was truly large and sweet, and he even caught a glimpse of the woman in the living room while he was at it.

She really wasn't a stranger; he had seen Wu Shuping in Beijing a few times. Although they hadn't really spoken much, he could be certain that she was also working for Li Ge.

"You'll stay here tonight. It just so happens that Yamei is back from her hometown, so you two can have a chat."

Seeing Wu Shuping remain silent, Li Xuewu advised: "Whatever thoughts you have, you can tell me once you've sorted them out. If it's inconvenient, tell Zhou Wang Yamei."

"Li Ge, Sister Zhou asked me to come cut the watermelon."

Zhou Changli walked into the entryway, very afraid of disturbing their conversation, especially the topic of "love."

He first offered a greeting, and after seeing Li Ge nod, he then went to the kitchen.

By the time he came back out, Wu Shuping, who had just been sitting on the sofa with tears streaming down her face, had already gone upstairs.

"Li Ge, please have some watermelon."

Zhou Changli held the plate, glanced toward the stairs, and asked: "Should I send a portion upstairs?"

"Forget it, we'll talk about it at dinner."

Li Xuewu picked up a piece of watermelon, tasted it, and nodded, saying: "It's alright, quite sweet."

"It's the last harvest; I didn't even expect to have watermelon to eat at this time."

Zhou Changli smiled and gestured toward the back of the house: "Lao Si and I came together. We were just helping Sister Zhou tidy up the garden; I'm going to go swap him back now."

"Mm, go ahead, do a bit more work."

Li Xuewu smiled slightly and said: "Your Sister Zhou spent more than half a year in Beijing, and she nagged me for a full half-year just because the garden had been left to go to waste."

That's just how a vegetable garden is; if you don't tend to it for a week, it won't do, as the weeds grow incredibly fast.

Zhou Changli agreed and went out, still carrying the other plate of watermelon; before long, Zhao Lao Si came in.

"Li Ge, I'm here to report to you about the affairs in Fengcheng."

Zhao Lao Si appeared very cautious. Although he didn't kneel down as readily as last time, he was still very polite when seeing Li Xuewu, with more awe than before.

"Sit, have you had any watermelon?"

Li Xuewu waved his hand, signaled for him to sit on the sofa, and said: "Try some, it's quite sweet."

"I just had a piece, Sister Zhou gave it to me."

Zhao Lao Si offered a polite remark, then cautiously glanced at him and reported: "News came from Yingcheng saying that a group of people was caught. The other side confessed the entire process of Xi Yongzhong's disappearance, as well as the reason."

"Mm, has Yongzhong been found?"

Li Xuewu already knew the general outcome; at this moment, he furrowed his brows slightly, closed his eyes, and leaned back on the sofa.

His exhaustion wasn't just from being unable to rest on a Sunday; he also had to deal with these trivial matters, though in truth, it was more about his responsibility toward his family and friends.

There were too many people relying on him to survive, and too many entanglements; Li Xuewu was very careful with every step he took.

Zhao Lao Si was adept at reading people's expressions; seeing Li Xuewu's expression, his heart also did a somersault.

"Found... found, he has been found."

He looked timidly at Li Xuewu and explained in an increasingly soft voice: "It's just that he wasn't found in one piece."

"Have you clarified who the mastermind is?"

Li Xuewu still kept his eyes closed, his voice equally low as he said: "I'm talking about the person pulling the strings from behind the scenes."

"It's a man called Third Master Zhang."

Zhao Lao Si reported softly: "I've heard of this person, but I've never had any dealings with him."

"He is a somewhat well-known businessman in Fengcheng. Later, when the environment for doing business disappeared, I don't know how, but he became a wanderer of the underworld."

He paused here, fearing Li Xuewu wouldn't believe his investigation, and detailed a few more circumstances.

Li Xuewu knew as soon as he heard it; what kind of "underworld wanderer," it was nothing more than moving from the light into the shadows.

He used to do legitimate business, but later, when he wasn't allowed to do that, he set his sights on the prosperity of the black market and started engaging in speculative, capital-punishment-worthy trades.

He had the brains and the capital, so naturally, he could thrive in the Fengcheng territory.

The situation Zhao Lao Si introduced was just like that. The reason this Third Master Zhang dared to call himself "Master" was because he wasn't young; hearing him say it, he must be over sixty.

To still be mixing in the underworld at such an age, and to actually have the audacity to move against someone from the recycling station.

"According to the confession Seeing Gelin investigated, this Third Master Zhang first invested in two ships, but later both met with accidents. He got a bit desperate and wanted to probe our true strength."

Zhao Lao Si explained: "I've checked those two ships of his; he shouldn't have earned little from them."

It's very normal for ships from the Northeast sailing the Bohaiwan to engage in smuggling to have accidents. Even without natural disasters, there were still the man-made ones that Old Biaozi had once arranged.

Those who wouldn't listen, those who bit the hand that fed them, and those who flipped the table after getting full were all targets of Old Biaozi's strikes.

Even without the arrogance of these people, Old Biaozi would have gradually eliminated those old ships.

Let's put it this way: a ship couldn't run for three months, otherwise, the Northeast wouldn't be able to hold such people.

Renting ships from Dongfeng Shipping would naturally be fine, because there were large ships anchored in the Bohaiwan, so they didn't need to run too far. It was just earning a little less, hard-earned money.

This difference created a hot shipping investment market and also caused many young people who dared to take risks to lose their lives.

Weren't Li Xuewu's eldest brother-in-law and eldest sister tempted by this situation, wanting to invest in a ship?

Third Master Zhang was a traditional old-timer who wasn't very keen on this emerging trade at first.

It wasn't until foreign goods constantly impacted the local market that the quality of goods in the black market gradually became competitive.

Third Master Zhang had no choice but to follow the trend, unless he wanted to wash his hands of it and exit the circle.

Who would complain about having too much money? Third Master Zhang wished he could work until he was in his coffin; it was impossible for him to relax for a single day.

So he arranged for two nephews to go to Yingcheng, acquired two ships at once, and started running supply channels along a gradually maturing route.

The two nephews were responsible for importing goods, while he was responsible for selling them; they cooperated quite tacitly.

It's just that this kind of independent operation affected the efficiency of the recycling station and also caused more people to cast their eyes on the market.

Li Wenbiao had already thought of this when he designed the plan; it had to be separated.

That is to say, those running ships at sea don't go ashore, and goods must change hands once they reach the shore. You can't have the same person loading and selling the goods; that would definitely lead to trouble.

Investigating one leads to a whole line, and pulling one up brings up a whole bunch.

So Third Master Zhang's two nephews were chased everywhere by the "Prawn" ships, and in the end, one died and one was caught.

The outcome for the one who was caught was no different from death; this kind of trade always carries heavy sentences.

Third Master Zhang was naturally dissatisfied with this result, and the other side also wondered if someone was playing tricks.

He was an old hand in the business world, an old thing that had survived that era; what kind of conspiracies and schemes hadn't he seen?

The first thing Third Master Zhang thought of was Dongfeng Shipping, which sold and maintained ships.

Why would renting ships from Dongfeng Shipping not lead to trouble, but when they ran their own ships, accidents would happen?

It could be said that Dongfeng Shipping had large ships, but they couldn't be that unlucky, with two ships having accidents one after another.

Third Master Zhang wasn't a good person, and he didn't use unscrupulous means, otherwise, he wouldn't have a name in the underworld.

"Xi Yongzhong knew him; the two had dealings and were friends, a friendship across generations."

Zhao Lao Si explained: "After Xi Yongzhong came to Fengcheng, he encountered trouble in the market, and it was Third Master Zhang who solved it, and that's how they became acquainted."

"According to those people, they were all workers raised by Third Master Zhang, usually responsible for the visible distribution and delivery of goods, and sometimes they would also do some bad things."

"Xi Yongzhong was tricked by Third Master Zhang. The two had chatted a few times before. It might be that Xi Yongzhong was tight-lipped, and the other side couldn't pry any information out of him."

Zhao Lao Si paused, looked at Li Xuewu's expression, and then continued reporting: "After his two nephews met with accidents, the goods in the market were cut off. His days weren't easy, and he was preparing to buy new ships."

"It should be that we provoked him, especially when Zhou Changli and I took over part of the market business with our people, which aroused the other side's vigilance."

He explained: "This Third Master Zhang has a very strong sense of territory. Our appearance made him feel that this was a trap, a premeditated plot set long ago."

"That is to say, we first attracted young people in Fengcheng to run ships, then took away most of the hard-earned money from running the ships, and then attracted more young people to take risks."

"Once the bold young people in the Fengcheng territory were reduced, it would be convenient for us to enter."

In fact, Zhao Lao Si wasn't wrong; that was exactly what Old Biaozi had thought at the time.

"Third Master Zhang tricked Xi Yongzhong away, intending to use force to find out who was really standing behind Dongfeng Shipping."

"He wanted even more to know how much our arrangements in Fengcheng had to do with Dongfeng Shipping."

Zhao Lao Si rubbed his hands and said: "Xi Yongzhong was very resistant at first and firmly refused to speak. Later, Third Master Zhang had his men take action, and only then did Lao San fail to hold out and tell everything."

Li Xuewu naturally understood Xi Yongzhong's loyalty; he could understand him spilling the beans under extremely harsh conditions, after all, this wasn't about faith or ideology.

"This Third Master Zhang was also careless; he didn't expect that what Xi Yongzhong spilled would be so terrifying."

Zhao Lao Si said helplessly: "He was afraid the matter would be exposed, so he demanded they finish off Xi Yongzhong and scatter him in pieces."

"Where is the person?" Li Xuewu didn't know when he had opened his eyes, and he questioned with a cold, indifferent murderous aura: "Where is this man called Third Master Zhang?"

"He ran away; he ran away the day Xi Yongzhong went missing." Zhao Lao Si said helplessly: "The reason Seeing Gelin was able to track those people in Yingcheng was because they were afraid the matter would be exposed and ran away in advance."

"Third Master Zhang interrogating Xi Yongzhong was purely asking for trouble. Knowing he had poked a hornet's nest, wouldn't he run away overnight?"

He shook his head slightly and sighed: "I also feel that Xi Yongzhong was wronged and that it wasn't worth it. The one who lured him was a friend of the same age who was on good terms with him under Third Master Zhang."

"And Xi Yongzhong... it was this friend who did the deed, saying he was too jealous of him."

Xi Yongzhong didn't have much power within the Fengcheng recycling station system, but his status was special.

Sometimes he could even drive out to handle affairs himself, so he appeared very impressive.

"I don't need to understand the complexities."

Li Xuewu closed his eyes, thought for a moment, sighed softly, and said: "Tell Seeing Gelin to handle it according to underworld rules; don't bring trouble upon yourself."

"And another thing, this Third Master Zhang."

He suddenly opened his eyes, looked at Zhao Lao Si, and emphasized: "I want to see the person if he's alive, and see the corpse if he's dead."

"I told you that you have to listen to me."

Zhou Changli came out of the villa courtyard and said to Zhao Lao Si, who had a bitter, resentful face: "Let's prepare the list first. Once Seeing Gelin and the others return, we'll carry out targeted removals."

"I'm too lazy to deal with these people anyway; it's too sluggish."

He said indignantly: "Anyone who sticks a feather in their cap dares to pretend to be a phoenix. This place is shallow water with turtles, where everyone is a 'Big Brother'."

"Since Li Ge has already spoken, then we'll handle it according to underworld rules and wash away the filth of the trading market."

Zhao Lao Si looked at Zhou Changli, who was afraid the matter wouldn't be big enough, and sighed slightly: "Have you ever thought that after this time, we will be standing in the public eye?"

"What of it? Li Ge is giving us an opportunity to train; don't you want that?"

Zhou Changli frowned and looked at Zhao Lao Si, asking: "Why are you still so worried?"

"Do you think being in the public eye is a good thing?"

Zhao Lao Si glanced at him helplessly and then said: "This might be Li Ge's punishment for us."

"Punishment? Haha, there's such a good thing?"

Zhou Changli said amusedly: "Promoting us to the top, does that count as a punishment in your book?"

"You don't know a damn thing—"

Zhao Lao Si gave him a glare of frustration, then walked toward the car and said: "Go back and think about this matter carefully."

"No need to think; anyone who dares to set up a stall in Fengcheng will be pulled out. This time, we are going to be arrogant."

Zhou Changli said domineeringly: "In any case, I won't allow anyone more awesome than us to exist in Fengcheng."