389: Chapter 389 Spying, Could it be her?

The April evening breeze brushed against his cheek, bringing a pleasant touch of coolness.

Xiao Sa leaned lazily against the guardrail at the corner of the street, a cigarette butt dangling from the corner of his mouth, blending into the bustling crowd.

This was one of the most bustling commercial districts in Dongdu City.

Young men and women dressed in light spring clothes walked by in twos and threes, and the smell of alcohol and perfume mingled in the air.

A few months ago, Xiao Sa would never have set foot in a place like this.

But today, he wore a brand-new jacket and sneakers, hands tucked into his trousers pockets, bouncing his leg every now and then.

With this outfit and his cynical, nonchalant demeanor, he looked every bit like a trendy city guy who had just snuck off work to pick up girls and hit a bar to party.

His gaze swept casually over the street, seemingly indifferent.

In reality, however, his eyes were like a hawk's, quietly observing every subtle movement around him.

Countless unfamiliar faces passed by him. Laughter, phone ringtones, and car horns intertwined into a noisy urban symphony.

Xiao Sa suddenly raised his hand, his fingertips lightly touching the miniature earpiece hidden in his ear canal.

His eyes then drifted to a subordinate standing a dozen meters away, who was also disguised as a passerby.

Leaning against a wall, the man noticed his glance, shook his head slightly, and moved his lips to convey the message "everything is normal."

Xiao Sa understood, calmly looking away as if the two were merely strangers passing by each other.

Ever since Chen Chen successfully convinced the higher-ups of the Noah Organization three days ago to entrust the perimeter security of Noah Pharmaceuticals to the Red Tiger Gang...

...he had been completely overwhelmed with work.

Gone was his past lifestyle of slacking off at work, drinking tea and chatting with Chen Chen, and wandering around after work to scout venues and manpower for the President.

However, Xiao Sa had no complaints whatsoever; in fact, he thoroughly enjoyed it.

He knew full well that this was not only the first real combat task assigned by the President, but also a prime opportunity for him to gain a firm foothold—and even become a core member—in the newly established Illuminati.

To ensure the smooth completion of the mission, he voluntarily requested to join the patrol team dispatched from the Red Tiger Gang.

He even lied to his mother, saying the company assigned him a business trip for a few days.

In reality, he had rented an apartment nearby overlooking the entire street to use as a temporary stronghold.

During the day, he summarized and analyzed intelligence, reporting regularly to the President. The rest of his time was spent leading several squads in turns to patrol the surrounding blocks.

For days on end, his sleep was compressed to less than five hours a night, leaving faint dark circles under his eyes.

Although exhausting, this kind of life was far more fulfilling than hanging around at the bottom tier before; he was bursting with energy.

However, the fatigue from working nonstop finally caught up with him at this moment.

Xiao Sa forced himself to perk up, brought the last glowing tiny ember of the cigarette butt to his lips, and took one last hard drag.

The harsh smoke lunged into his lungs, briefly dispelling his tiredness.

He casually put out the cigarette butt and flicked it into a nearby trash can.

Lifting his eyes again, he looked toward the skyscraper standing tall in the night across the street, his gaze flickering slightly.

After monitoring for so many consecutive days, the target remained like a pool of stagnant water, without a single ripple.

Yet Xiao Sa didn't doubt the President's intelligence in the slightest; on the contrary, the opponent's calm made him even more vigilant.

An organization capable of pulling tricks right under the President's nose was certainly no small fry; any slip-up could bring fatal consequences.

"Haaah—"

Lost in thought, Xiao Sa couldn't help opening his mouth and letting out a yawn.

Just then, an all-too-familiar voice suddenly echoed in his mind.

Like an invisible electric current, the voice instantly cut through the noisy background noise, causing him to shudder all over.

It was the President!

Xiao Sa straightened his back almost reflexively.

His former slacker posture vanished without a trace, his gaze becoming focused and respectful, like a soldier awaiting inspection.

"President, are you looking for me?"

He hurriedly responded silently in his heart.

Fang Cheng's consciousness had already descended, currently residing inside Xiao Sa's body.

He could clearly feel the fatigue this guy was desperately trying to hide, to the extent that Xiao Sa hadn't even heard his initial question clearly.

However, Fang Cheng didn't scold him, merely repeating the question:

"Xiao Sa, is there any movement over at Noah Pharmaceuticals?"

"Yes, reporting to the President!"

Xiao Sa immediately focused his mind, quickly entering work mode, and organized his words systematically in his mind.

"Today is April 12th. Regarding the internal situation of Noah Pharmaceuticals, according to our observations, there have been no further break-ins in the testing area, and the alarm System has remained silent."

"In the surrounding blocks, brothers from the Red Tiger Gang are patrolling and keeping watch 24/7. Everything is currently under control."

"From 8:00 AM today until now, several suspicious individuals entered the Noah Building. Here are the details..."

Although by custom the daily summary should be submitted the following morning, Xiao Sa didn't dare be slack in the slightest. He was always prepared for the President's pop-quiz questioning, answering in a clear and orderly manner.

Overall, it was much the same as the previous days—no special changes, unnervingly calm.

Though doubts lingered in Fang Cheng's mind, he nodded slightly, signaling Xiao Sa to continue.

Over the past three days, through daily routine reports, Fang Cheng had gained a general understanding of Noah Pharmaceuticals' current state.

As for those patrolling around the Noah Building, they were sharp individuals carefully selected by Chen Chen from the Red Tiger Gang.

They might not be great fighters, but their minds were sharp, and every one of them possessed excellent acting skills.

In groups of three or five, disguised as passersby, street vendors, and drunks, the team of over a hundred formed an invisible net, completely covering the area surrounding the Noah Building.

Even the newly hired security guards in the lobby on the first floor were the Red Tiger Gang's own men.

On the surface, they were monitoring certain malicious, mysterious forces for the Noah Organization.

In secret, however, they were Fang Cheng's eyes and ears planted here.

However, the Red Tiger Gang was only responsible for outer perimeter surveillance, so what they could observe was limited.

Most of it was just personnel coming and going.

For instance, to strengthen defense, the Noah Organization provided personal bodyguards for key researchers, transporting them daily via dedicated shuttle buses to live in exclusive apartment buildings under Noah Pharmaceuticals, implementing semi-militarized closed management.

Though trivial, these pieces of intelligence indirectly confirmed that the Noah Organization was not as calm as it appeared on the surface, but rather filled with an atmosphere of tension and alert.

"Also, something rather strange happened today."

After finishing the routine report, Xiao Sa's tone suddenly turned grave.

"Around eleven at noon, Chen Chen received another call from Noah's executives and was summoned to the Noah Building for a meeting, supposedly to discuss the organization's work plan for the second half of the year."

"However, after he went in, he hasn't come out even now, nor has any news leaked out."

The scene in Fang Cheng's field of vision moved slightly, as if Xiao Sa turned his head to look toward the brightly lit skyscraper.

"Furthermore, before Chen Chen went in, he specifically instructed Secretary Liu and me to keep a low profile and not make any rash moves before he returns."

Xiao Sa paused and added, full of confusion:

"That old fox Chen Chen usually has a sharp sense of smell. I guess he must have noticed something."

"Later, I felt a bit uneasy, so I specially asked Secretary Liu and found out some inside information."

"He said that it wasn't just Chen Chen summoned to the meeting; several other cadres from the Noah Organization's Dongdu Branch also entered the Noah Building one after another around noon, and not a single one has come out either."

"Around six in the evening, Secretary Liu tried calling Chen Chen several times, but it kept indicating that his phone was powered off."

Speaking up to this point, Xiao Sa sounded uneasy, also sensing that something was amiss.

"Why are you only reporting this now?"

Hearing this, Fang Cheng frowned slightly.

Not a trace of emotion could be heard in his voice, yet it impressed an invisible pressure upon Xiao Sa.

"President, it was my oversight."

Xiao Sa hurriedly explained, his tone filled with regret:

"I originally thought that it was normal for big shots like them to have long meetings."

"Chen Chen mentioned before that after meetings, Noah's executive cadres sometimes like to throw a party right in their internal restaurant, drinking wine and socializing."

"I originally planned to wait until after dinnertime, around seven or eight, when Chen Chen should be out, and after finding out the specific meeting contents, report to you immediately."

This reason was reasonable enough.

After all, Xiao Sa was just a street punk by background, with a limited perspective.

He couldn't imagine why a meeting at that level would last so long, nor could he understand the abnormal methods of those lunatics in the Noah Organization.

Fang Cheng remained silent for a moment.

With only this information, he couldn't determine the Noah Organization's true intentions either.

Let alone figure out whether Chen Chen, that fence-sitter, had been exposed or even met with foul play.

After all, turning off phones during an important meeting was standard practice, but under the current circumstances, it seemed exceptionally suspicious.

After a moment's thought, Fang Cheng changed the question:

"What about the official side? Any movement from the Special Investigation Team?"

"No, President."

Xiao Sa answered immediately. Since this was what the President cared about most, he had put in a lot of effort:

"The cops are very quiet. Our guys turned the surroundings upside down these past few days. Forget the Special Investigation Team, we haven't even seen an extra uniformed patrol officer—just the usual old faces."

"We also sent guys to test those suspicious secret lookouts around here. They're all the Noah Organization's own men, tough nuts to crack and not to be messed with. A few brothers pretended to be drunk to stir up trouble, and they almost got slapped silly."

"Good work, A-Ren."

Fang Cheng spoke again, his tone softening a bit:

"Work needs to be done, but make sure to rest too. Don't ruin your health."

The sudden concern warmed Xiao Sa's heart, instantly dispelling his previous nervousness and anxiety, replaced by a surge of devotion to die for one who truly appreciated him.

"Thank you for your concern, President! My body's in great shape. Back when I was hustling in the underworld, I could stay awake three days and nights straight and still be as full of energy as a dragon!"

He puffed out his chest and responded loudly in his heart, even carrying a touch of boastfulness.

"Besides, hehe, doing big things with you now, President, I have endless energy!"

After sucking up to Fang Cheng a bit, Xiao Sa pledged with typical underworld passion:

"Rest assured, President, the brothers keeping watch here are all people I trust. With my current status in the gang, all it takes is one word and they'll scramble to do the job for me."

"If there's any movement at all, I'll report to you at the first moment. I guarantee nothing will go wrong."

"Mm."

Fang Cheng grunted in response and said no more.

Xiao Sa didn't dare say more either, standing quietly in place, awaiting the President's next instructions.

Fang Cheng's consciousness, like an observer with supreme authority, scanned all the sights before him through Xiao Sa's pupils.

In the process of highly concentrating his Mental Energy, he took in every single detail in his field of view.

Around him was a bustling commercial area.

Neon lights outlined the city's contours of desire, and the street was filled with fashionable young men and women laughing and chatting.

Everything seemed so normal, full of urban vitality and noise.

Yet beneath this prosperity, dark undercurrents were already surging.

Fang Cheng's gaze swept across the streetscape. Just as he was about to withdraw his consciousness, he was drawn to a scene across the street.

A luxury bus emblazoned with the "Noah" logo was currently parked in front of the Noah Building.

At the same time, a group of employees wearing blue or white uniform workwear walked out of the building in an orderly manner, queuing up to board the bus.

According to Xiao Sa's earlier report, this was likely the shuttle bus transporting research personnel back to their apartments.

Fang Cheng's eyes swiftly scanned the crowd.

Suddenly, his sight paused, locking onto a figure.

It was a slender woman with waist-length jet-black hair, wearing a pair of refined black-rimmed glasses and a white mask on her face.

Dressed in a blue researcher's uniform with a work badge hanging on her chest, she was walking toward the bus alongside the others.

With half her face covered and her head kept slightly lowered, she seemed to want to completely fade into the crowd.

However, her cold, detached temperament, which clashed with her surroundings, made her stand out distinctly in the crowd instead.

Fang Cheng's heart stirred, his eyes suddenly turning sharp.

Could it be her?

Due to Xiao Sa's current standing angle, he couldn't see the name on her badge clearly.

"A-Ren."

Fang Cheng's eyes narrowed, and his voice sounded again, this time with a tone of command.

"Do you see that bus directly in front of you? Look at that long-haired woman wearing a blue uniform and black-rimmed glasses."

Xiao Sa was taken aback for a moment, then obeyed immediately, quickly locking his gaze onto the target.

"I see her, President. Is there something wrong?"

"Follow her. Get a few steps closer, but don't let her notice."

Xiao Sa got the message immediately, releasing his hold on the guardrail and casually strolling forward as if nonchalant.

Just as the female researcher stepped onto the bus stairs, Fang Cheng's line of sight suddenly widened.

The name on the work badge on her chest clearly entered his view—

"Choi Suyoung."

In the pitch-black living room, Fang Cheng's eyes shone brightly as he murmured to himself. (End of Chapter)