88: Chapter 88 Turbulence

Walking out of the Police Station, Lin Ning recalled Officer Yang Jun's behavior. Could he have taken a liking to that young female officer named Yang Jie?

If that was the case, she wasn't giving him a hard time on purpose; he had been dragged into this because of Officer Yang Jun!

Still, this guy was interesting. He would ask Officer Li Feng about him later.

He needed to expand his territory; otherwise, if he picked Officer Li Feng's jurisdiction clean, he couldn't just "go out of business."

Setting aside the issue of bonuses, even leveling up his Golden Finger required a certain number of people.

Ever since his body had grown stronger and his Psychic Power could be manifested and controlled, he had been looking forward to the second upgrade. Would he be able to use his Eye of Insight more easily? What other new skills might appear?

Standing by the side of the road, he called Coach Chen Hu.

"Brother Hu, Zhu Qi was arrested for intentionally spreading a virus through casual hookups. I asked around, and according to his confession, he didn't do anything untoward at the Fighting Gym."

Coach Chen Hu was silent for a long while. "I understand. Thank you. I'll do a thorough disinfection over the next two days and open the doors the day after tomorrow."

When someone you know is involved in such a disgusting affair, the feeling is complicated. Neither of them was in the mood for small talk, so they hung up after discussing the main business.

Everything had gone smoothly today, and the bonus from the morning had arrived.

Lin Ning couldn't help but think of his previous plan. After a moment of hesitation, he called Lin Jing.

"Xiao Ning, have you eaten?" Lin Jing's voice was gentle as the call connected.

Lin Ning felt helpless. Why were his sister and mother always so worried that he wasn't eating enough?

"Sis, I've eaten." Lin Ning paused, then continued, "The heating should be off by now; is it cold at home? Tell Mom not to skimp on using the electric heater. If her leg acts up again, the medicine will cost more than the electricity bill, not to mention the suffering."

"I've made money. I can pay off all my debts this time and still have quite a bit left over, so don't save money. And you too, stop washing dishes at that small restaurant."

"Is it... is it still from bonuses? Didn't I tell you it was too dangerous?" Lin Jing's voice lowered as she questioned him.

"I just make a report call whenever I see someone who doesn't look like a good person; there's really no danger!" Lin Ning felt a strange chill down his back and quickly changed the subject. "I'm going back to my hometown in a while. Send me an electronic copy of your ID card. I want to buy a car and drive back to shut those people up, and then I'll leave it for you to use."

"If you want to buy a car, use it yourself. Why give it to me? We're right at home and don't need a car." Hearing that it was to shut people up, Lin Jing swallowed her objections to buying the car, but she absolutely wouldn't accept it for herself.

Not wanting to bicker over the phone, he said, "I don't have a Beijing household registration, and I haven't been here long enough, so how the hell could I buy a car? Just send me your ID card; I have other things to do. Also, don't tell Mom beforehand. I can't stand her nagging."

After hanging up, Lin Ning called Lawyer Zhang Qi. "My early debt repayment still isn't finished? Lawyer Zhang, you've lost your touch."

"If you're so capable, you do it!" Lawyer Zhang snapped back, disgusted. "I've settled with five, but there are still three that refuse to waive the previously agreed-upon interest, though they will waive the penalty fees. What are you rushing for?! Did you make money again? You can't keep a secret to save your life."

"Hehe." Lin Ning gave a sheepish laugh.

When he returned home, Wang Qiao was already up.

Seeing Lin Ning enter, he stared at him with an unfriendly expression, saying nothing.

"What are you doing?" Lin Ning asked, feeling puzzled.

"Did you kick me this morning?" Wang Qiao asked.

"No! How could that be? Why would I kick you?" Lin Ning shook his head innocently. "Were you sleeping in a daze?"

Seeing Wang Qiao's suspicious expression, Lin Ning quickly said, "Come on, come with me to look at cars. I want to buy one to drive back to my hometown in a while."

Not giving Wang Qiao time to react, he dragged him out the door.

"Damn, is the Asian Auto Market that far? Is the manager you know reliable? If not, we're going to waste our time." Lin Ning looked at the GPS on his phone.

"He's reliable. Brother Li is a great guy." Wang Qiao promised as he turned the steering wheel. "Besides, aren't you just going to take a look today? The Asian Auto Market is the biggest in Beijing; no other place has such a complete selection."

"Plus, there's a really delicious Cantonese restaurant over there. Their roast meats are definitely the best in Beijing. Let's go eat first, and then Daddy will accompany you to look around properly. Hahaha..."

Meanwhile, inside a private room at the Cantonese restaurant, the air was filled with the mixed scent of cigars and aged whiskey. Two men with very different styles sat on either side of a round dining table.

The young man, who clearly had an Asian face but was full of foreign mannerisms, smiled elegantly. "Chief Li, the food here is quite good. Although it lacks the refinement of Western cuisine, it is worth a try."

The man addressed as Chief Li was a middle-aged man with a stern face and an upright posture. Even in such a private meeting, he maintained the decorum of someone who had been immersed in the bureaucracy for many years.

He listened to the young man's pleasantries expressionlessly, though a hint of disdain and mockery flickered in his eyes.

"Have you verified the information I gave you?" Chief Li didn't want to hear any more nonsense.

The man, interrupted, maintained his smile. "It is extremely valuable. The headquarters is very..."

Chief Li continued to cut off his flattery, his tone becoming increasingly aggressive. "Then why the rush to meet?"

The young man paused. He hated being scolded and questioned to his face like this, but he suppressed his dissatisfaction and said, "Recently, our arrangements and personnel here have been frequently exposed and gone wrong in a short period. Headquarters wants to know why this is happening and if there is a situation we are unaware of, for example, the failure of the Ou Jiarui project. Our design was seamless, yet we failed repeatedly. Have you heard anything within the system?"

Chief Li frowned deeply and said with dissatisfaction, "We have a cooperative relationship. The value I provide is enough to pay for your sincerity; I am not your spy!"

"But if there really is some new screening method that we don't know about, the loss won't just be our people; it could also threaten your safety! Your safety is the cornerstone of our cooperation." The young man looked full of concern.

Chief Li sneered inwardly. What new screening method? He didn't know of any. It was just an excuse to make him investigate the reasons for their mission failure.

He showed a hint of difficulty on his face. "That line... does not fall within my scope of responsibility. If I force an inquiry and it raises suspicion, the risk to me is immense."

He paused and looked at the young man meaningfully. "If you want to access core information of this level, your sincerity is not enough."

The young man's eye twitched, and he cursed inwardly: Greedy! Shameless! Thinking of the price he had paid to turn him, he was so filled with hatred that he nearly crushed the glass in his hand.

This old fox was raising the price again!

He took a deep breath, recalling the strict order from back home: obtain critical intelligence at any cost. And this annoying guy in front of him was one of the most valuable "assets" they could currently reach.

"As long as the intelligence is true and effective, payment is never a problem." He squeezed this sentence out through his teeth, feeling like a poor wretch being bled dry.

He stopped playing the elegant gentleman and said coldly, "But you must also understand that our patience, like our resources, is not infinite."

Chief Li nodded slightly in satisfaction, completely unbothered by the other party's change in demeanor. It was just a transaction, after all. "I will do my best regarding the Ou Jiarui series, but it will take time. I hope that in the future, it will be better for me to contact you, since, as you said, my safety is the 'cornerstone' of our cooperation."

He stood up, adjusted his unwrinkled lapels, nodded slightly to the other party, opened the private room door, and walked out.

The young man watched the closed door and smashed the wine glass in his hand against the untouched food on the table.

Suppressing the rage in his heart, he took out an encrypted communicator and reported briefly in code: [ "The Officer" is raising the price, but he does have the channels. Need additional resources. ]