158: Chapter 158 Little Thoughts

Director Li took a deep breath and abruptly turned his head.

Chen Zhi was just about to pull Lin Ning aside and explain in a low voice that those three people had special identities and were temporarily unrelated to the training base case, but Director Li had already grabbed his arm, his fingers digging in tightly. His voice squeezed out from between his teeth, kept extremely low, yet wrapped in sharp anger: "Who let you in?"

Chen Zhi was stunned for a moment, unable to react for a second.

"Do you have any sense of organizational discipline left?" Director Li's tone sank further, every word sounding like a nail. "The work has already been arranged, what business is this of yours? You just needed to wait outside, why did you have to barge in and cause trouble?"

Lin Ning stood to the side, confused.

He remembered this Director Li. When they last met, the aura above this man's head was gold mixed with red, which had left a deep impression on him.

Comparing this to the red-mixed-with-gold of the three people from earlier, where the gold looked like a tiny flame ready to extinguish at any moment, Lin Ning felt that his previous guess about Director Li might have been wrong. He even thought this old man who had acted so brazenly was actually quite decent.

But in the blink of an eye, he had turned hostile and started scolding people; he was truly fickle.

As Chen Zhi's "loyal little brother," Lin Ning felt he should step in and smooth things over.

He took a step forward, intentionally changing the subject, his tone serious: "Director Li, those three people from earlier really have issues; you had better investigate them."

Director Li turned his head, his gaze landing on Lin Ning, as complex as a pot of stew.

Then he glared fiercely at Chen Zhi and spat out two words through gritted teeth: "Get out!"

Chen Zhi glanced at Lin Ning, didn't say much, and reached out to grab his arm, walking him outside.

As Lin Ning was pulled out the door, he couldn't help but glance back at the corner of the venue, muttering to himself: This old man's temper is too explosive.

After walking out of the convention center and standing on the steps at the entrance, Lin Ning finally couldn't help but complain: "Why is your director scolding people for no reason? Did he eat gunpowder or something?"

Chen Zhi's brow carried a hint of helplessness.

"You really have it tough." Lin Ning patted his shoulder and sighed, "It seems that even after passing the civil service exam, leaders are still crazy if they're crazy, and employees still get scolded; it's not as respectable as imagined at all."

Chen Zhi opened his mouth, but in the end, he didn't say anything.

Inside the venue, Director Li stood in place, silent for a few seconds.

He raised a hand to summon his secretary, his gaze landing on the three directions Lin Ning had pointed out earlier, his tone grave: "Those three people—Ma Lin from the Science and Technology Commission, Chao Zhifeng from the Ministry of Finance, and Li Aiqin from the Foreign Liaison Department—investigate them."

The secretary was stunned for a moment and looked in the direction of his gaze, his face full of confusion. Those three were all veteran leaders who performed their respective duties; why would he suddenly want to investigate them?

But he dared not ask more and immediately nodded in response: "Understood, Director Li."

Half an hour later, Director Li led his people out of the convention center, where the motorcade was already waiting at the entrance.

He sat in the back seat, sitting side-by-side with Chen Zhi; Lin Ning remained in the passenger seat, his mask already removed, a nonchalant smile on his face as if the small episode in the venue had never happened.

Director Li glanced at him from the back seat.

Lin Ning sensed the gaze, immediately turned his head, and grinned at him, revealing a mouthful of white teeth.

Director Li retracted his gaze, looked at the passing scenery outside the window, and said nothing.

The motorcade slowly started and drove in the direction of the training base.

The training base was in the further suburbs. After driving for nearly two hours, they finally saw the orderly complex of buildings—at the gate, Armed Police soldiers stood guard with live ammunition, the security tight. Upon entering the gate, rows of training grounds, teaching buildings, and dormitory buildings were arranged in a staggered, orderly fashion, the air filled with the faint scent of gunpowder and the fragrance of grass and trees.

Lin Ning followed behind Director Li and Chen Zhi, head held high and posture upright. At first glance, he looked like a dutiful bodyguard, but behind the sunglasses on his face, his eyes were like scanners, rapidly sweeping over everyone they passed.

On the training ground, some were running, some were practicing shooting, some were practicing combat, their shouts shaking the sky; below the dormitory buildings, some were coming and going, some were chatting, some were carrying thermoses to get water, a scene of order; inside the teaching buildings, some were giving lectures, some were listening, some were leaning on the corridor railings smoking, their expressions relaxed.

Lin Ning's gaze swept over them inch by inch, but doubts gradually welled up in his heart—

Green names, green names, still green names... Occasionally, there were a few light gold names, which were also the base's instructors and core personnel, clean to an absurd degree.

He suddenly remembered what Chen Zhi had said: they had already conducted three comprehensive inspections of the base, yet they hadn't found any problems. It stood to reason that those who had even the slightest suspicion, or even just a tangential connection, had already been investigated and removed.

The three of them walked into a teaching building and went up the stairs to the third floor.

At the end of the corridor was a large classroom with the door half-ajar, from which the sound of a lecture drifted out clearly.

Lin Ning followed Director Li and Chen Zhi inside, his footsteps extremely light, afraid of disturbing the people inside.

In the classroom sat dozens of people with darker skin and deep-set features, wearing uniform training gear, their postures varied—some were bowing their heads to take notes seriously, some were staring at the blackboard listening intently, some were flipping through the textbooks at hand, and some were quietly whispering to each other, yet they always maintained a low profile.

These must be the trainees from the Middle East.

Lin Ning quietly stood in the corner of the classroom, his gaze sweeping over the tops of their heads one by one.

This time, he was no longer surprised—aside from deep red names, there were names of red mixed with gold, which could be called "all high-risk."

However, on second thought, these were all international friends. He had seen even more "colorful" scenes at the technology venue last time and had long understood that their red names didn't necessarily mean they had broken the law in China, and it wasn't under this side's jurisdiction. Moreover, considering the true identities of these people, such "high-risk labels" were actually reasonable.

His gaze landed on the faces of these people. Watching their focused expressions, an absurd thought suddenly popped into his mind: The Middle East is as chaotic as Africa, and the Middle East's foundation is even better, yet those trainees from Africa ended up doing quite well after returning, their achievements far exceeding those of this side in the Middle East. Could it be that they are studying so desperately now because "one's own failure is shameful, but a neighbor's success is even harder to accept"?

Lin Ning suppressed the complaints in his heart, withdrew his gaze, and silently followed Director Li and Chen Zhi out of the classroom.

Classrooms, dormitories, training grounds, canteens... After checking the whole circle, they still found nothing.

It was too clean, so clean that it was somewhat abnormal, abnormal enough to make one's heart panic.

After a farce of deliberate arson, the base could actually be this clean; either the other party was hiding extremely well, or they had investigated in the wrong direction.

It wasn't until they walked to the teacher's living area that the atmosphere eased up slightly.

This area was much quieter than the training grounds and teaching buildings. The sides of the road were planted with greenery, and several small buildings were arranged in a staggered layout. They were inhabited by the base's instructors and staff. Occasionally, there were a few bird calls, making it appear exceptionally secluded and quiet.

Lin Ning was walking forward when his footsteps suddenly stopped, and his eyes instantly became sharp.

Downstairs of the dormitory building in front, a man and a woman were walking side-by-side, talking in low voices about something.

The man was about fifty years old, wearing black-rimmed glasses, looking refined and gentle, dressed in a dark jacket with a scholarly temperament; the woman was in her early forties, with neat short hair, a plain face, holding a few books in her arms, her expression gentle.

The two walked very closely, shoulders brushing against each other. When they spoke, they would subconsciously turn their heads to look at each other, their eyes carrying a natural intimacy.

Lin Ning's pupils shrank slightly, and his fingertips quietly clenched tight.

Above their heads—

Deep Red [Professor Li Ke]

Bright Red [Wang Min, Data Administrator]

Lin Ning subconsciously poked Chen Zhi's arm from behind, signaling him to look over.

Chen Zhi didn't stop walking, but his body leaned slightly. His peripheral vision swept over the two people, and his pace also subconsciously slowed by half a beat.

Director Li, walking at the very front, seemed to have sensed the anomaly behind him. His pace also slowed, but he didn't turn his head, only calmly paying attention to the movement behind him with his peripheral vision.

Lin Ning was about to speak, but a thought suddenly flashed through his mind, and his footsteps stopped again.

His ability could be called heaven-defying in "human society."

This caused Chen Zhi and the others to always harbor probing and misgivings.

Now that his ability had upgraded, he would only become stronger in the future. Would they always let him roam free and unrestrained?

He couldn't let Director Li and Chen Zhi think that he was a person with "unlimited ability."

This kind of person makes people feel respect, fear, and high regard—but also makes people wary.

If the ability had a flaw, or even a flaw that was bad for him personally...

They would probably be more at ease, right?

How could his weak appearance with blood flowing from his seven orifices not count as showing weakness?!

He took a deep breath and activated his Eye of Insight.