102: Who is behind Zhao Yi?

Wan Qingshan raised his head, his face contorted with pain, and squeezed out a grimace that looked worse than crying.

“Ye Chen... you think you've won?”

“The roots of the Azure Dragon Society go deeper than you can imagine!”

“The person behind Master Zhao is an even more colossal entity that you can't afford to provoke!”

“Even if you kill me today, you'll...”

“You'll what?” Ye Chen interrupted him, bending down to pick up the dropped high-explosive grenade from the ground and weighing it in his hand. “Wait for endless retaliation? Zhao Tiangang said that, and your grandson Zhao Yi said it too.”

He paused and stuffed the grenade into Wan Qingshan's wide-open mouth, which was gaping in fear, cutting off his remaining words.

Wan Qingshan's eyes bulged, and his entire body froze, not daring to move an inch.

Cold sweat instantly soaked through the back of his shirt.

“I ask, you answer.”

Ye Chen's voice was very soft.

“Any more nonsense, or if I feel like you're lying...”

“I'll shove this thing up your ass and pull the pin for you.”

“Trust me, the scene will be quite ‘brilliant’.”

Wan Qingshan trembled violently, and a dark wet patch quickly spread across his crotch.

The stench of urine permeated the air.

He had completely broken down.

The young man before him was not a character who played by the rules of the underworld at all.

He disregarded rules, trampled on bottom lines, and his methods were so simple and brutal they were appalling!

Trying to play tough with this kind of person?

He couldn't win!

“I... I'll talk!”

Wan Qingshan whimpered indistinctly, his face a mess of tears, snot, and cold sweat.

“The Azure Dragon Society... has three more secret strongholds in the Provincial Capital. The people in charge are...”

Intermittently, he spilled everything about the Azure Dragon Society's remaining forces, hidden assets, and even some shady secret trade chains, like beans pouring out of a bamboo tube.

Ye Chen listened quietly, occasionally asking one or two key questions.

Meanwhile, the phone in his hand had long since been set to recording mode.

Finally, he asked the question he cared about most.

“Who exactly is behind Zhao Yi?”

Wan Qingshan's eyes flickered, flashing with deep fear.

“It's... it's the ‘Hidden Sect’.”

“An ancient, mysterious organization with deeply entrenched influence.”

“Master Zhao... Zhao Tiangang was just a spokesperson they placed in Fujian Province.”

“Zhao Yi was chosen by them, seemingly... related to Bing Lan's constitution. I don't know the specifics; only Zhao Tiangang knows.”

“Now that Zhao Yi is dead, they will definitely not let it go... they'll come for you sooner or later!”

Hidden Sect?

Constitution?

Ye Chen's brow furrowed slightly.

That word again.

Jin Meiting had mentioned it, and now Wan Qingshan was saying it too.

It seemed... Bing Lan really did harbor some secret that he hadn't yet detected, one that had attracted the covetous gaze of a hidden and massive power.

“Where is the Hidden Sect? How do I contact them?” Ye Chen pressed.

“I... I don't know!”

Wan Qingshan shook his head frantically. “They only initiate one-way contact with Zhao Tiangang. They're elusive. Someone of my level can't get in touch with them at all!”

Seeing that he didn't seem to be faking, Ye Chen didn't press further.

He took Wan Qingshan's phone, unlocked it with his fingerprint, pulled up the contact list and recent call logs, and quickly scanned through them.

Then, he dialed Officer Bai's number.

“Officer Bai, south of the city, old industrial zone, abandoned warehouse number three.”

“The remaining leader of the Azure Dragon Society, Wan Qingshan, and his cronies are all here. They are suspected in multiple bombings and attempted murders.”

“Additionally, I have a recording regarding the Azure Dragon Society's remaining strongholds and evidence of their crimes. I'll send it to you shortly.”

On the other end of the line, Officer Bai was clearly stunned for a moment.

She never expected... such a massive achievement to just fall into her lap like a gift from heaven.

She snapped out of it and immediately responded solemnly, “Understood! We'll be there right away! Ye Chen, stay safe!”

After hanging up, Ye Chen sent the recording file over.

Once that was done,

He glanced at the limp, puddle-like Wan Qingshan and asked,

“By the way.”

“You said earlier you were going to send bombs to the people I care about?”

Wan Qingshan's whole body shuddered.

Ye Chen smiled.

“Fortunately, you didn't have the chance yet.”

“Otherwise...”

He pointed at the grenade in Wan Qingshan's mouth. “Where I'd be stuffing it now wouldn't just be your mouth.”

The fear in Wan Qingshan's pupils almost overflowed, and the wet patch at his crotch expanded another circle.

He looked at Ye Chen in terror, unable to utter a single word... Oh.

That grenade was still blocking his mouth.

Ye Chen ignored him.

The reason he chose to contact Officer Bai instead of Li Yao was that Ye Chen had his own considerations.

Bai Wanqing had acted as a bridge before, letting him earn a favor from the Zhang family, which was a help.

Handing over a big fish like Wan Qingshan and the intelligence on the Azure Dragon Society's strongholds to Officer Bai now was a way to return her sister's favor, conveniently handing her a major achievement.

Official matters were sometimes just this kind of back-and-forth.

Besides, Officer Bai was vigorous, resolute, professional, and efficient. Handing it to her to handle saved him trouble.

Before long, the dense sound of police sirens came from outside the warehouse.

Red and blue lights flickered through the gaps in the damaged rolling shutter door, cutting through the dim light and shadows inside the warehouse.

“Attention to those inside, you are surrounded!”

“Drop your weapons and put your hands behind your heads!”

The cold female voice from the loudspeaker echoed in the empty warehouse.

It was indeed Officer Bai.

Ye Chen turned and walked toward the warehouse entrance.

As he passed Wan Qingshan, he didn't stop, only leaving behind a faint sentence.

“In your next life, remember not to touch my people.”

Wan Qingshan trembled violently, and the light in his eyes completely faded into gray.

Outside the warehouse doors, fully armed SWAT officers quickly secured every entry and exit. Officer Bai, in her crisp police uniform with her ponytail tied neatly, was holding her service pistol, pointing it into the doorway with a vigilant expression.

When she saw Ye Chen walk out alone and unharmed, her heroic eyebrows rose slightly.

Could it be... it's over?

She made a gesture, and the team members behind her flooded into the warehouse like a tide, quickly controlling and handcuffing the suspects scattered inside.

“Ye Chen.”

Officer Bai put away her gun and walked up to Ye Chen. “You're not hurt, are you?”

“I'm fine.” Ye Chen shook his head and pointed inside the warehouse. “The main culprit is Wan Qingshan. I stuffed his own grenade in his mouth, so handle him carefully. The others are just small fry. The recording and the information on the phone should be enough.”

Officer Bai's lip twitched.

Stuffing a grenade in his mouth... this style of doing things was truly... unique.

“Alright, we'll take it from here.”

She nodded. “Thank you for the lead and for... controlling the scene.”

Ye Chen waved his hand. “You're welcome. I'm leaving now.”

With that,

He turned and left the warehouse area, his figure quickly disappearing... After Ye Chen left, several bomb disposal SWAT officers dragged the limp Wan Qingshan out.

He was still biting down hard on that grenade, his whole body shaking like a sieve, his crotch soaked, and a foul smell emanating from him.

Officer Bai frowned, glancing at him with disgust, and instructed the officers beside her, “Take him away. Search him thoroughly; don't miss any clues.”

Then she walked to the side, took out her phone, and called her sister, Bai Wanqing... When Ye Chen returned to the Shuyue Group, the fire in the cafeteria had been extinguished. A section of the outer wall was blackened by smoke, and the smell of burning still lingered in the air.

Cordon tape was up, and several firefighters and police officers were still investigating the scene. Employees were gathered in the open space downstairs, talking amongst themselves, their faces still showing signs of alarm.

Bing Lan and Li Qin stood at the front of the crowd, speaking in low voices to several group executives about the situation.

Seeing him return, Bing Lan looked up and breathed a sigh of relief.

Li Qin hurried over and lowered her voice: “Younger Male Cousin, are you okay? Did you catch that bastard who set the bomb?”

“Yeah, handed him over to the police.” Ye Chen glossed over it simply and looked at Bing Lan. “Leave things here to them. Should I take you two back first?”

Bing Lan nodded, gave a few instructions to the Secretary-General, and then got into Ye Chen's car with Li Qin.

It was already evening by the time they returned to the Number One Courtyard villa.

As soon as Li Qin entered, she flopped onto the sofa, sighing deeply. “Today was way too intense... Sister Bing Lan, it looks like we won't need to specifically postpone the meeting tomorrow.”

Bing Lan took off her coat and hung it up without saying anything.

Ye Chen rubbed his nose, just about to say something... suddenly,

The phone in his pocket vibrated.

He took it out to see the caller ID—

Bai Wanqing.

Ye Chen narrowed his eyes and answered.

“Madam Bai.”

On the other end of the line, Bai Wanqing's gentle voice came through.

“Mr. Ye, I just heard about the warehouse from my sister.”

“You went out of your way to give her the credit...”

“Is it because you want to wipe the slate clean regarding that meal I owe you?”

Ye Chen smiled helplessly. “Madam Bai, you're overthinking it. It was just convenient; there's no talk of wiping anything clean.”

“Convenient?”

Bai Wanqing said playfully.

“This ‘convenience’ of yours, Mr. Ye, really did my sister a huge favor...”

“But since it's not about wiping the slate clean, then we have to have that meal as agreed.”

“How about tomorrow at noon? You pick the place.”

Ye Chen scratched his eyebrow, feeling a bit put on the spot.

“Tomorrow probably won't work.”

“I have to head back to my hometown. There's some stuff at home; I expect to be delayed for a few days.”

“Back to your hometown?” Bai Wanqing was silent for two seconds before slowly saying, “Alright then, I'll wait until you get back.”

Ye Chen breathed a sigh of relief. “Thanks for understanding!”

The two chatted for a few more moments before Bai Wanqing hung up.

She sat in her office chair in the manor's study, casually pulling out a file from the desk.

On it,

Was remarkably Ye Chen's information.

She suddenly broke into a sweet smile and murmured to herself.

“If you think you can shake off my favor that easily, that won't do...”

“A divorced man in a small town... going back, I'm afraid people will gossip about you, won't they?”

She looked up toward the sunset outside the window, light and shadow flowing in her eyes, rippling with a hint of craftiness.

“Well then...”

“I'll have to go and help you save some face.”