271: The two were public

Qin Zhan did not speak.

He simply watched his most capable subordinate calmly, observing his expression as if the sky had fallen.

Then, Qin Zhan's gaze shifted slowly, scanning everyone present.

Old Shi, who was shaking like a leaf in the wind.

Director Wang, whose brain had completely stalled and whose face was drained of all color.

Yan Xing and Black Shadow, caught in a tangle of extreme fear and fanatical worship.

And the Young Man who had stood outside the storm from the very beginning, without making a single unnecessary movement.

The atmosphere had frozen... with that thought, Qin Zhan moved.

He stepped forward, walking unhurriedly to the center of the area.

He first glanced at Zhong Huai, then at Director Wang, who was nearly collapsing to the ground.

"One person makes it private; two make it public."

Qin Zhan's voice wasn't loud, yet it reached everyone's ears clearly.

"Zhong Huai has checked; that counts as one."

His gaze finally settled on Director Wang.

"Director Wang, you are the head of Customs and represent official regulations. This second person should naturally be you."

What?

Director Wang shuddered violently, almost thinking he was hearing things.

"Me... let me check?"

A chill shot up from his tailbone to the crown of his head, instantly dousing the tiny spark of hope he'd felt after Zhong Huai's breakdown with a bucket of ice water, leaving not even a wisp of smoke.

What kind of sick joke was this!

Who was Zhong Huai? An elite of the Fangs Special Operations Team, the 'Qilin Son' of the Zhong Family! His knowledge was vast!

Even he had been terrified into such a state!

What was he compared to that?

With his meager Spiritual Power, he feared he would turn into an idiot the moment he tried to probe it!

He valued his life! He valued it very much!

"No, no, no..." Director Wang shook his head like a rattle, backing away repeatedly, his speech stuttering. "Captain Qin... you... you do it! You're the most suitable! I... I don't have the rank; I'm not qualified!"

Director Wang, who had just been preaching about things being 'reasonable, fair, and legal,' now only wanted to shove those rules up his own backside.

Face? Rules?

In the face of his life, those were all bullshit!

Qin Zhan seemed to have expected this reaction.

He ignored the director, who had become a complete laughingstock, and turned to Zhong Huai instead.

"Hold the body cam steady."

Zhong Huai jolted, finally snapping out of that terrifying sea of numbers. He instinctively grabbed the device with the flashing red light from Director Wang, holding it with both hands and aiming it at Qin Zhan.

"Boss..." Zhong Huai's Adam's apple bobbed.

"I'll do it."

Qin Zhan said only those two words before taking the black storage ring from Yan Xing.

In that instant, the air in the entire industrial park seemed to be sucked dry.

Everyone's breath hitched at that moment.

Everyone's heart leaped into their throat.

They stared fixedly at Qin Zhan.

Waiting to see what kind of horrified expression the Commander-in-Chief of Fangs, this military god of slaughter, would make upon encountering that terrifying truth.

Old Shi was so nervous that every muscle in his body was tensed.

He both hoped Qin Zhan would be shocked senseless—to prove his own breakdown wasn't due to cowardice, but because the truth was too staggering—

And feared that he actually would be. If this god of slaughter lost control and triggered a cataclysmic conflict here, then his old life... Under everyone's gaze, Qin Zhan closed his eyes.

His Spiritual Power probed inside.

One second.

Two seconds.

Three seconds.

The scene was deathly silent.

Zhong Huai's hands trembled as he held the recorder. He knew that what his captain was seeing now was the same terrifying sight he had just witnessed—a sight capable of overturning global civilization.

Fifty million sub-rings.

Five point three trillion top-tier potions.

It was a miracle of such magnitude that it could utterly destroy the very concept of 'value'.

Could the captain... hold up?

However,

The expected horror did not manifest.

The expected loss of composure was nowhere to be found.

Qin Zhan stood as straight as a spear piercing the heavens, without the slightest tremor.

There was no change on his weathered face.

It was as if he weren't inspecting an arsenal capable of collapsing the world, but rather a basket filled with potatoes and cabbages.

Ten seconds later,

Qin Zhan opened his eyes.

His movements were crisp as he handed the ring back to the bewildered Yan Xing.

Then, he turned to Zhong Huai and the still-running body cam.

"Upon inspection,"

Qin Zhan's voice was as steady as a mountain, without a single ripple of emotion.

"This batch of goods contains no contraband."

"It is a small-scale transaction that complies with trade agreements. Once Director Wang has completed the supplementary paperwork..."

"Clearance is granted."

Boom!

These few sentences were like decrees of amnesty, striking hard against everyone's hearts.

Director Wang was completely stunned.

He stared blankly at Qin Zhan, then at the pale Zhong Huai beside him, his brain turning into total mush.

"No... nothing's wrong?"

The thing that had scared Zhong Huai out of his wits had become 'clearance granted' in Qin Zhan's hands?

What the hell was going on?

"Could... could this kid Zhong Huai be playing me?"

Old Shi let out a long, long sigh of relief, his body going limp with exhaustion. He felt as though he had just returned from the gates of hell, his back already drenched in cold sweat.

Regardless, the matter had been suppressed.

He had survived.

Yan Xing and Black Shadow exchanged a glance, both seeing an even deeper level of awe in the other's eyes.

If Zhong Huai's breakdown had made them realize the terrifying extent of Mr. Lin's wealth,

Then Qin Zhan's composure led them to form unimaginable conjectures about Mr. Lin's background.

To have someone of Qin Zhan's caliber help cover things up without batting an eye... it was truly extraordinary.

Only Zhong Huai, after a brief moment of daze, suddenly understood something.

He looked at Qin Zhan's calm, unruffled face, and an indescribable feeling welled up in his heart.

So that's how it is.

The captain... it wasn't that he wasn't shocked.

It was that the level he stood at was already different from his own.

While he was still reeling from the figure of 5.3 trillion, calculating how many markets it could destroy and industries it could overturn... what the captain saw was likely something on an entirely different plane.

Realizing this, Zhong Huai felt a wave of shame.

His own... perspective was too narrow.

"A misunderstanding! It's all a misunderstanding!"

Director Wang finally snapped out of it, immediately putting on a fawning smile. He scurried over to Yan Xing and gave a ninety-degree bow.

"Mr. Yan Xing, I am truly sorry! It was an error in our work; we failed to recognize your greatness! Please, accept my apologies!"

Qin Zhan glanced at him coldly.

"Director Wang, I will report today's events truthfully. As for how you explain it to your superiors, that is your business."

Director Wang's body stiffened, the smile on his face looking more painful than a sob.

Qin Zhan ignored him and turned to walk toward the Young Man who had been quietly observing from start to finish.

The atmosphere became subtle once more.

Everyone held their breath.

Having settled this disturbance, what would the Commander-in-Chief of Fangs say to Mr. Lin?

Qin Zhan gave Lin Yu a slight nod, his manner still solemn.

"Mr. Lin, it's a pleasure to meet you. I am Qin Zhan."

"I apologize to you for my subordinate's recklessness and the trouble caused by the Customs department."

Lin Yu looked at him, then at Zhong Huai behind him, who was still questioning his own existence.

"It's fine."