After Xu Que and Shen Mengchu left the rooftop, Liang Jinyu smiled and turned to Murong Xuann'er.
"Well, it seems you've gained quite a bit of stature in his eyes."
Murong Xuann'er responded with a slight smile, as if contemplating her own words. "Is such status really that important?"
Liang Jinyu understood the implication behind Murong Xuann'er's words, but some things simply happened as they did. It was like when she had once suspected the mysterious Shen Yin after sending Xu Que that particular letter. Who would have imagined that it would evolve into such a situation?
Murong Xuann'er continued, "Alright, now let's discuss who the mole inside the Qianjing Building is."
"You and I have already sent everyone from both our companies out, and the people from the Zhatian company are also stationed outside. Isn't it obvious by now?" Liang Jinyu replied.
"Are you truly certain it's Shen Yin?" Murong Xuann'er asked.
"Whether or not I am, I believe Xu Que has already made up his mind," Liang Jinyu said thoughtfully. "Though I still find it hard to believe, if tomorrow's ambush turns out to be Shen Yin's doing, then it's clear—it's time to cleanse the ranks."
Murong Xuann'er looked at Liang Jinyu as if seeing her for the first time, scrutinizing her from head to toe. She couldn't believe that these words were coming from someone like Liang Jinyu. What was more, Murong Xuann'er didn't realize that in Liang Jinyu's mind, as long as it didn't touch on her own reputation, she would remain indifferent.
As Xu Que led Shen Mengchu toward the northern suburbs, he sent messages in their group, though he still found it hard to fully believe his own deductions. But the facts were clear.
The Shen Yin of his previous life wasn't what he had initially thought. Everything Shen Yin had done seemed linked to foreign capital, with the Chazefield family involved at the core.
"Ah, those ten years of my past life, what a waste. How did I not see this?" Xu Que muttered, cursing himself.
It was not surprising that he would feel this way. In his previous life, no one ever suspected the Shen Yin company. They had once protected the people of Z Country. But when it came to dealing with foreign capital, their stance had always been ambiguous. Or perhaps it was just that Zhou Qingyun himself was fundamentally flawed!
With the additional clues provided by Duan Jiude in his past life, Xu Que was now 60% certain he had pinpointed Shen Yin as the culprit. However, he still needed to be absolutely certain. He decided to give Shen Yin one more chance the next day. If his suspicions were right… then some companies from his previous life would no longer be allowed to remain!
"Zhou Qingyun, I hope you don't disappoint me. Otherwise, you will be the first of the top ten to fall."
By the time Xu Que and Shen Mengchu arrived at the second military outpost in the northern district, two soldiers stopped them.
"Excuse me, but this is a restricted military area…"
Before the soldiers could finish, Shen Mengchu flashed her officer credentials. "We are from the Operations Command Center, and there is an urgent military matter to attend to."
The soldiers took the credentials, checked them, and then saluted. "Please wait, I need to report for verification."
When Xu Que heard that they were going to report for verification, he had no intention of allowing them the opportunity. After all, he was here to apprehend Fang Xiu. If the soldiers found out, the consequences would be disastrous.
Just as Xu Que was preparing to make a move, Shen Mengchu suddenly spoke. "You can verify with the Command Center, but not with the base commander. We have a special mission."
The two soldiers exchanged a glance, immediately realizing the gravity of the situation.
Before they could turn to leave, Shen Mengchu's phone rang. Seeing that it was a message from Elder Peng along with a military warrant, she immediately called the soldiers over.
"Hold on, take a look at this."
When the soldiers saw the contents of the message, they were stunned. The warrant listed the name of the highest-ranking officer at the base—Fang Xiu!
"Please cooperate with us and take us to Fang Xiu," Shen Mengchu said solemnly.
"Yes, ma'am." The soldiers saluted, turned, and headed inside.
At the same time, a helicopter was dispatched from the Operations Command Center, with Elder Peng and Shen Tianhe aboard.
Elder Peng couldn't help but feel anxious. After all, Fang Xiu had been one of Old Shen's men. If Xu Que was correct, Old Shen's reputation would be in tatters.
What surprised Elder Peng even more was Shen Tianhe's calm demeanor. It was as though the situation had nothing to do with him.
Meanwhile, inside an office at the second military outpost, Fang Xiu was writing a report. He seemed perfectly at ease, no different from any other day.
"Report!"
"Come in," Fang Xiu said, looking up at the door.
"General Fang, good day." Shen Mengchu said, her expression unreadable.
"What brings you here?" Fang Xiu smiled, but his smile froze the moment he saw who was standing beside her. It was Xu Que.
"Hello, Fang Xiu. Please come with us," Xu Que said, his tone firm.
"Where to?" Fang Xiu put down his pen and glared at Xu Que.
"This is a warrant from the Command Center," Shen Mengchu said, holding up her phone and showing him the document.
When Fang Xiu saw the signed warrant, his heart skipped a beat. A bad feeling began to take root in him.
"Fang Xiu, let's go," Xu Que said in a deep voice.
"Can you give me five minutes? I need to call my wife," Fang Xiu asked.
Just as Shen Mengchu was about to agree, Xu Que stepped forward and said coldly, "No."
"Why not?" Fang Xiu stared at Xu Que, "I believe I have the right."
"Right?" Xu Que sneered, and before Fang Xiu could react, he raised his hand and slapped him across the face.
*Slap!*
The sound of the slap was deafening, leaving both Shen Mengchu and the soldiers stunned.
Before Fang Xiu could say a word, Xu Que spoke again, his voice icy. "How much did the Chazefield family give you to treat your countrymen like lab rats?"
"What are you talking about? I don't understand!" Fang Xiu shouted, clutching his face in anger.
"Injecting bloodlines!" Xu Que's eyes burned with fury. "Don't tell me you just stumbled upon it by accident. The odds of that happening are one in a million!"
Fang Xiu froze at the mention of bloodline injection. It hit him like a hammer. He knew Xu Que was right; even if he refused to admit it, it wouldn't matter, because the plan had been his own.
Shen Mengchu understood too. The special training camp had been created because of a proposal Fang Xiu had submitted, and it was after Xu Que revealed the company's true value that the military had stopped the absurd experiment.
"Don't think that staying silent will keep you safe," Xu Que said, grabbing Fang Xiu by the collar and grinning. "I know exactly what Leixi wants to do."
Fang Xiu's heart sank. At that moment, he finally realized who truly held the power at Zhatian Hunters Company.
"I don't know what you're talking about," Fang Xiu replied coldly.
"Is that so?" Xu Que loosened his grip on Fang Xiu's collar and placed a hand on his shoulder. "I may not know your code, but I'm sure someone will tell me."
Fang Xiu stared at Xu Que, his mind racing. What had gone wrong? Where had the leak happened?
What he didn't realize was that Xu Que had pieced everything together from the clues about the special training camp's bloodline injections, along with the researchers' comments. Xu Que had locked in on Fang Xiu.
In his past life, bloodline injection experiments hadn't appeared in any other country. But in Z Country's military? That was different. Combined with the words of Lu Ang and Bell, Xu Que was able to deduce who the mole was within the military.
With that deduction, Xu Que was nearly certain that the ones behind these schemes were tied to foreign powers.
Just as Xu Que prepared to take action, the door to the office suddenly swung open with a loud crash.