174: Chapter 174 Zhao Lintai, worried about being watched by the police, Ye Ziming unexpectedly encounters Qin Yi at the Hilton Hotel.

On the other end of the line, Wang Ming frowned, his expression slightly uneasy as he responded, "Boss, the informant isn't too clear on the specific situation yet. I just heard that two people died at the scene, but it's not clear who they are. The Jingan Branch is being very tight-lipped, and no news has leaked out at all."

Hearing Wang Ming say this, Zhao Lintai's face instantly darkened. He had waited all afternoon only for this result; how could he not be furious? Thus, Zhao Lintai shouted angrily at Wang Ming on the other end of the phone, "Damn it, that useless trash can't even find out a single piece of news! What am I paying him for?! Tell him to go investigate immediately! Tell him that I don't care what method he uses, he must find out Xiao Dao's current situation! He knows too much about our business. If he's alive, he's a ticking time bomb for us. We must make him shut up forever!"

Hearing this, Wang Ming's heart skipped a beat. He naturally understood that if Xiao Dao fell into the hands of the police, it would only be a matter of time before they were implicated. But Wang Ming felt that this whole thing was a bit strange, so he took a deep breath and responded, "Boss, don't be in a hurry. Don't you think this whole thing seems a bit off?"

"What's off about it?" Zhao Lintai was currently blinded by rage and didn't think much of it, simply following Wang Ming's words with a counter-question.

Wang Ming frowned and thought as he responded, "Think about it. If the police were really going after the Underground Bank, they should have mobilized forces from the City Bureau. From what we knew before, the City Criminal Investigation has always been following the Underground Bank case. How could the Jingan Branch be the ones showing up? The most likely possibility is that the Jingan Branch went after Xiao Dao because of what happened at the Nightlife Bar last night. But there's another question here: how did they know where Xiao Dao was hiding? Besides, if we go by what our informant said, two people died at the Underground Bank—that would definitely be big news. Why hasn't the police leaked any information at all? Even our informant can't dig up any more useful information. No matter how I think about it, this feels suspicious."

Zhao Lintai was no fool. The reason he was so angry and impatient earlier was mainly because he was worried that if Xiao Dao fell into the hands of the police, he would be implicated. After all, through his accumulation in the Jingnan and Modu Underground Banks, he had already made a fortune. Although the ledger for the Jingnan Underground Bank was missing, fortunately, Chen Hu, who knew the inside story, was already dead. Even if Chen Hu's body was eventually found, it would have nothing to do with Zhao Lintai. In any case, dead men tell no tales; even if the other party had the ledger, they couldn't do anything to him. But the situation with the Modu Underground Bank was different. Although he had the ledger in his hands, if Xiao Dao was caught alive by the police, he would eventually enter the police's sights. He had been working for so long and finally got his business in Modu on the right track; he couldn't let it sink because of Xiao Dao.

After hearing Wang Ming's analysis, Zhao Lintai began to slowly calm down, though his brow remained furrowed as he asked, "Then what do you mean?"

Wang Ming paused for a moment, thinking as he spoke his thoughts, "Boss, I think there are only two possibilities for why the police are acting so strangely today. First, Brother Mo hasn't taken the initiative to contact us, which means something might have really happened to him—he's either been arrested or is already dead. The police might have already discovered Brother Mo's identity, which is why they've sealed off the news so strictly. After all, Brother Mo is from Hongmen, and Hongmen is a significant threat to the police. I imagine the police need to report to their superiors before they can decide how to proceed. Of course, there's another possibility: the police might have already gathered clues about the Underground Bank and want to use them to wipe us all out. However, my analysis is that they likely don't have conclusive evidence pointing to us yet. Otherwise, considering how long it's been since Brother Mo went missing, if the police were prepared to move against us, they should have taken action long ago."

Zhao Lintai's face grew increasingly ugly as he listened to Wang Ming's analysis. He asked worriedly, "If it's really as you say, aren't we in danger?"

Wang Ming continued his analysis, "Boss, if the situation is truly as I suspect, you must not act rashly. Our informant also needs to go into hiding for the time being. At a time like this, whoever sticks their head out might become the police's target. Moreover, if the police are clear about Chen Mo's identity, it won't just be a matter for the police anymore; I'm afraid National Security will also get involved. So, for now, our best course of action is to stay put and wait and see."

"Mhm," Zhao Lintai agreed with Wang Ming's view. He nodded slightly but continued, "You're right. I was too impulsive just now. However, we still have to find out whether Chen Mo is dead or alive. If he's dead, the remaining three from Hongmen definitely won't let it go!"

"Boss, to be honest, if Brother Mo is really dead, it's actually a good thing for us. After all, only dead people keep secrets forever." Wang Ming's voice carried a hint of coldness.

"Mhm, I understand what you mean." Zhao Lintai also agreed with Wang Ming's words, but he was still a bit worried and continued, "That being said, Chen Mo is a member of Hongmen after all..."

"As for Hongmen, I don't think you need to worry. Compared to Chen Mo, the higher-ups of Hongmen value you more, Boss. Chen Mo was just a pawn placed by Hongmen at your side to protect you, or rather, to monitor you, and to help you resolve some matters that were inconvenient for you to handle. No chess player cares about the loss of an individual pawn on the board. Besides, if the Hongmen higher-ups really cared about Chen Mo, they wouldn't have used his family as leverage to force him to stay undercover in the country for so long. So, even if the remaining three from Hongmen are unwilling, they won't dare to openly go against you, Boss. After all, you have the support of the Hongmen higher-ups behind you."

"You have a point." Zhao Lintai nodded and sat back on the sofa. After a moment of silence, he ordered, "But we still need to find out A-Mo's situation as soon as possible. As for Xiao Dao, if he isn't dead yet, we must find a way to make him shut up forever!"

"Understood, Boss!" Wang Ming replied.

"Alright, that's all then. Notify me immediately if there's any news." After Zhao Lintai finished speaking, he hung up the phone, his brow still tightly furrowed as if he were deep in thought.

...

On the other side, after Ye Ziming settled his sister, Ye Qingcheng, at the police station's guesthouse, he drove to the Hilton Hotel on the Bund.

Coincidentally, just as Ye Ziming was about to step into the hotel lobby, a taxi came to a steady stop in front of him.

The Hilton Hotel doorman immediately went forward and opened the car door for the passenger in the back seat.

Qin Yi stepped out of the car, then turned around, went to the other side, opened the door, and dragged out the already passed-out drunk Wang Tengfei.

Seeing this, the doorman also hurried forward to help support him.

Ye Ziming didn't expect that the person getting out of the taxi would be Qin Yi. He was stunned for a moment, then blurted out to Qin Yi, "Young Master Qin?"

Hearing someone call him, Qin Yi looked up toward the sound. When he saw the person's face, a flash of doubt also crossed Qin Yi's eyes, but he immediately recognized him. Wasn't this the second young master of the Ye Family of the Capital with whom he had a brief encounter in front of the Nightlife Bar last night? Thus, Qin Yi also smiled at him and greeted, "Young Master Ye, we really are fated to meet again."

"Yeah, what a coincidence." Ye Ziming responded with a smile, then looked at Qin Yi and Wang Tengfei, asking curiously, "What are you doing?"

"Heh, this buddy of mine drank too much tonight. It's too much trouble to send him home, so I brought him here to stay for the night." Qin Yi explained. As he spoke, Wang Tengfei smacked his lips, muttered something unintelligible, tilted his head, and continued snoring.

"I see. It just so happens that I'm staying here too. Let's go in together; I'll help you." Ye Ziming said, reaching out to help support Wang Tengfei.

[part:gemini-3.1-flash-lite]

Qin Yi waved his hand hurriedly. "No need, Young Master Ye, I can do it myself." As he spoke, he draped Wang Tengfei's arm over his own shoulder, supported Wang Tengfei's waist with one hand, and walked straight into the hotel, as if Wang Tengfei had no weight at all. The doorman nearby was also shocked, following closely by Qin Yi's side.

Watching this scene, Ye Ziming thought to himself: My sister was right after all. This guy really is a martial artist. Someone with such a large build, and he's supporting him like it's nothing.

Entering the hotel lobby, Qin Yi first settled Wang Tengfei on the sofa in the lounge area to rest, while he followed the doorman to the front desk to check in.

Ye Ziming stayed by Wang Tengfei's side, secretly pleased with himself. He quickly took out his phone, and seeing that Qin Yi was talking to the front desk and not paying attention to him, he stealthily took a photo of the lying Wang Tengfei and another of Qin Yi.

Afterwards, Ye Ziming opened WeChat and sent the photos along with a text message to his sister, Ye Qingcheng.

"Sis, I told you to come stay at the hotel with me, but you weren't willing. Look, guess who I saw? That person checking in is Qin Yi! The other guy is with Qin Yi; he drank too much and is sleeping like a pig." After sending the message, a cunning smirk tugged at the corners of Ye Ziming's mouth.

Waiting for a moment, he saw no reply, but Qin Yi started walking toward the lounge area. Worried that Qin Yi might notice something amiss, Ye Ziming hurriedly put his phone into his pocket, smiled at the approaching Qin Yi, and asked casually, "Young Master Qin, is the room ready?"

Qin Yi nodded and replied, "Yeah, it's all set. Young Master Ye, would you like to come up and sit for a while?"

Ye Ziming glanced at the snoring Wang Tengfei, smiled, and waved his hand. "Forget it. It's getting late today; I won't disturb Young Master Qin's rest. Oh, right, I wonder if Young Master Qin has any plans for tomorrow?"

Qin Yi raised an eyebrow slightly and asked curiously, "Why, does Young Master Ye have something in mind?"

Ye Ziming laughed. "Actually, it's nothing much, just what we discussed earlier—I wanted to visit and see those limited-edition cars of yours, Young Master Qin. If you're busy, never mind."

"Sure, I'll call you when I head back tomorrow," Qin Yi agreed readily.

Ye Ziming was secretly delighted and took the opportunity to suggest, "How about we add each other on WeChat? It'll be easier to contact each other in the future."

Qin Yi didn't overthink it. After all, in his impression, Ye Ziming's favorability toward him was 60, so there shouldn't be any ill intentions. Plus, they were both members of the Flying Dragon Supercar Club, so adding each other on WeChat was normal.

Thus, Qin Yi took out his phone and displayed his WeChat QR code. Ye Ziming also hurriedly took out his phone to scan it and added Qin Yi as a friend.

Ye Ziming had intended to take the elevator up with Qin Yi, but learned that he had booked a presidential suite, which was not serviced by the same elevator as his own. Ye Ziming could only click his tongue in secret, exchanged a few polite words with Qin Yi, and then they parted ways.

Watching Qin Yi and the other person get into the dedicated elevator, Ye Ziming silently complained in his heart: "Damn, two grown men staying in a presidential suite? This Young Master Qin's tastes are truly a bit heavy..." Afterwards, he turned and took another elevator.

As soon as the elevator door closed, Ye Qingcheng's WeChat message came back: "What a coincidence? Who is that guy with Qin Yi?"

Ye Ziming quickly typed a reply: "Not sure, but it looks like their relationship is quite unusual. Otherwise, why would two grown men book a presidential suite? However, I've already added Qin Yi on WeChat. I just checked, and there's nothing in his Moments; he's very low-key."

"Hmm, you did well, kid. Continue following him and see what he usually does and who he comes into contact with," Ye Qingcheng's message came through again.

Ye Ziming pursed his lips and replied: "I know, I'll keep an eye on him. Oh right, Sis, I just made plans with Qin Yi to go see those cars he bought tomorrow. If there's anything you want to know, tell me in advance so I can take the opportunity to ask around for you."

"Alright, I'll let you know if I think of anything. Also, I'm warning you, keep your guard up when you're with him and don't let him notice anything. If it's inconvenient to contact me, wait until you're alone to report his situation to me," Ye Qingcheng instructed.

"Got it, don't you worry!" Ye Ziming replied full of confidence.

While they were talking, the elevator had already arrived at his floor. Ye Ziming put away his phone and stepped out of the elevator.

At the same time, Qin Yi had also helped Wang Tengfei back into the presidential suite. The butler for the presidential suite was a young girl with a professional smile. Seeing that both Qin Yi and his companion smelled of alcohol, she thoughtfully prepared a hangover drink for Qin Yi. Qin Yi nodded slightly to show his gratitude and then closed the door.

His gaze fell on Wang Tengfei, who was lying on the bed and already fast asleep. After confirming that the other party was fine, Qin Yi turned and walked into the bathroom.

Ten minutes later, Qin Yi finished washing up and walked out of the bathroom. He glanced at the wall clock; it was nearly 11 PM. He suddenly remembered that he still had one very important thing left to do.

Since Wang Hongtai was delusional enough to try and have a lawyer deal with Su Mo and splash dirty water on him, he didn't need to be polite to him anymore. Thinking this, Qin Yi walked into the study, locked the door behind him, and sat down at the computer desk.

The computer configuration in the presidential suite was quite good, and it was set to restore on reboot, so there was no need to worry about leaving any usage traces. But even if it didn't restore on reboot, Qin Yi wouldn't be worried. With his 'God of Hackers' skill, did he need to fear being tracked?

Qin Yi's fingers tapped rapidly on the keyboard. Having gained experience from last night's exposé, Qin Yi's leaking process this time seemed even more effortless. The cursor on the screen flickered constantly. The dirt on Hongtai Construction, along with the secret footage captured by the Miniature Bionic Tracker over the past two days, went through a series of processes like blurring and editing by Qin Yi, and he quickly compiled an eye-catching bombshell.

As the final character was typed, Qin Yi slowly exhaled, a cunning smile appearing on his face.

In this post, Qin Yi still chose not to expose the backer behind Wang Hongtai, 'Vice Mayor Qian', but Vice Mayor Qian's secretary would definitely not be able to escape this time.

As for what kind of reaction Vice Mayor Qian would have after seeing this post, Qin Yi had no way of knowing.

Qin Yi's purpose in doing this was, firstly, to muddy the waters and make them suspicious of each other—dogs biting dogs was exactly what Qin Yi enjoyed seeing. Secondly, it was to give Vice Mayor Qian a warning!

As the saying goes, 'Once, twice, but not a third time.' If this post were to be banned again, then the next time he leaked any information, the content related to Vice Mayor Qian might not be blurred!

Qin Yi reviewed the draft once, and after confirming there were no issues, he retrieved the small tool he had stayed up late to write last night from his email. After opening it, he uploaded the article.

As Qin Yi clicked the 'Confirm' button with his mouse, the tool's progress bar displayed the publishing progress for various domestic web portals.

When the progress for all web portals showed 100%, the time had exactly reached midnight.

Qin Yi stood up from the computer desk, satisfied, and stretched. Thinking that it was already a new day, he wondered if he should try a lucky draw. Ever since he got the System, he had always drawn after waking up; he didn't know if drawing before sleep would be any different.

Thinking of this, Qin Yi said to the System in his heart: "System, you're not asleep, are you? Let's draw a bit earlier today; start the daily lucky draw!"

As soon as Qin Yi's words fell, the lucky draw wheel appeared before his eyes. Immediately after, the lucky draw wheel began to spin rapidly. Qin Yi stared blankly at the wheel, looking forward to today's reward.

Immediately after, the System's notification sound rang in Qin Yi's mind.

[Ding! Congratulations to the Host, today's lucky draw has yielded a special skill—Firearms Proficiency (Elementary)!]