Hello, Mr. Major General

Huo Shaoheng received news on the evening of December 31st that the comatose man who was intentionally placed at the general hospital as a decoy has passed away. It was written clearly in the medical report provided by the hospital that the death was caused by organ failure.

He had been in a vegetative state for many years and would have passed on much sooner than he did if not for the sustenance of the life support machines. His current death from organ failure was but an ordinary death.

Naturally, the hospital also recorded in detail what transpired during the day and acknowledged responsibility on its part. Both the ward doctor and nurse (who had been pushing the surgical stretcher at the time) were punished.

Huo Shaoheng frowned at the report for some time before calling back members of the Special Forces who had been keeping the hospital under surveillance. “What happened with Gu Yanran’s father?” Huo Shaoheng glared at the Special Ops officer in front of him. He was scrutinizing the officer, examining his manner of speech. This, too, was a way to tell truth from lies.

The officer replied bitterly, “He was under our surveillance at all times, even up until this morning. It’s just that we were caught off guard by a group of youngsters who started a fight outside the ward over a surgical stretcher.”

By the time they rushed into the ward, they discovered that the power supply had already been cut off. As a result of the power loss, the medical equipment stopped working, the patient’s organs deteriorated rapidly, and he died soon after.

“Youngsters?” Huo Shaoheng furrowed his brows even more. “Have someone do a thorough check on them.” He paused then continued, “Try asking the Police Headquarters for information on them first. They might just have some.”

After hearing the description of the youngsters, he was certain that they were the sort of problematic youths who often got into trouble with the law, the type to frequent the police station as if it were their home.

“Yes, Senior Official.”

Due to this unexpected incident, Huo Shaoheng worked overtime from New Year’s Eve until the early dawn of the new year. He stood up from behind his desk, walked to the window, and lit a cigarette. He took a deep drag, and the tobacco’s biting taste woke his mind up instantly. It all appeared coincidental from the video footage he saw earlier in the day. Those youngsters were simply tagging along with their family for a visit while the other youths followed them.

Everything was a blur when they fought. It just so happened that the ward doctor brought along hot-headed male interns who couldn’t tolerate any injustice. They all rolled up their sleeves and were ready to go at it the moment they saw the nurse being bullied.

As the proverb goes, “A fire at the city gates is also a calamity for the fish in the moat.” Here, Gu Yanran’s father was the fish of the proverb. Foul play was indiscernible as the cause of death. However, Huo Shaoheng refused to believe that this was all a coincidence, given the status of Gu Yanran’s father.

He had already laid a trap in advance, one that no one could escape from. What was unexpected, however, was the fact that it was not sprung by anyone directly. If this was all a coincidence, then they were just too unlucky. If it wasn’t, then the person who orchestrated all this was extraordinarily shrewd, indeed. The plan was well-executed and carried out without a single mistake. One couldn’t even think about filing a lawsuit. There wasn’t even enough evidence for the police to open a case.

…

In front of the Japanese-style courtyard in the Yu Shan Villa District, Ishihara Taro, clad in a black double-breasted suit, walked in once more. This time, he stood with confidence and didn’t look as anxious and afraid as he had before. After succeeding twice, his confidence increased tremendously and so did his status. His followers couldn’t wait to put him on a pedestal.

“Master Taro has arrived.” A middle-aged woman in a cherry-patterned kimono opened the doors to let Ishihara Taro in.

“Is grandpa up yet?” Ishihara Taro asked with a smile as he put on wooden clogs.

The woman nodded. “He’s waiting for you.”

Ishihara Taro nodded back and walked in reverently. He came to the sudden realization of just how old his grandfather had gotten as he stood in front of him once more. It had only been a few days since they last met, but his grandfather’s once bright and animated eyes now appeared dull and tired. “Grandpa, did you not sleep well last night?” Ishihara Taro sat down beside the old man and instinctively helped with the tea brewing.

The old man nodded. “The wind on the mountain yesterday was really strong, so I was worried that it would snow today. It hasn’t yet, so I keep thinking about it.”

Ishihara Taro chuckled as he poured the old man a cup of tea. He held it out above his head with both arms. “Please have a taste.”

The old man accepted the stone teacup and smiled as he took a sip. He set down the teacup and stroked Ishihara Taro’s head. “A student that can be taught, a student that can be taught, indeed! I’m finally relieved. Taro, you are better than your father.”

With his grandfather’s compliment, Ishihara Taro thought that the hard work he had put in during the past few years had not gone to waste. “I have to thank you, grandpa, for giving me two more chances. I wouldn’t have been able to prove my algorithm without a hitch if not for that.” Success gave him confidence and courage. He was no longer the defeated and dispirited youth.

“That is the result of your hard work.” The old man retracted his hand and came to his point of discussion. “Since you have succeeded twice, have you ever thought about doing something more serious?” In other words, dealing with Gu Nianzhi.

Gu Nianzhi had hired a lawyer from America’s largest law firm to help her with her case in the Japanese court. That was a brilliant move, indeed. While Japanese judges were not fearful of criticizing their own politicians, they were afraid of the Americans. It could be said the the Japanese’s obedience to the Americans was deeply entrenched in them, like it had been engraved in their bones.

Under the persistent pressure of American lawyers, the Japanese courts were about to pass the verdict. Once the verdict was out, they would have no choice but to return the $15 billion that Gu Yanran had previously donated. In addition, Gu Nianzhi demanded recovery of the profits that the foundation earned from the $15 billion for the past seven years, including but not limited to interest, dividends, investment returns, and so on. This demand was the gravest, as it left them no means for survival.

Ishihara Taro nodded solemnly and said, “I’m already planning, but I have not come up with the best solution yet because there are just too many uncertain factors surrounding Gu Nianzhi. Please wait patiently, grandpa.”

The moment he heard the words “wait patiently,” the old man grew anxious and suddenly started coughing. Ishihara Taro quickly rubbed the old man’s back and continued until he finally managed to calm him down.

“Grandpa, is it really that urgent?” Ishihara Taro could tell that his grandfather wasn’t emotionally stable.

Initially, his grandfather hadn’t planned on letting him in on too many details because he didn’t want to give him any unnecessary stress. However, as the matter now stood, he had to say it. “Taro, you do know about our lawsuit in Japan with Gu Nianzhi, right?”

Ishihara Taro nodded gloomily. “She won’t win! How can she take back what she has given away?!”

“She can have it back, and she will surely win this.” The old man looked at Taro Ishihara with a complicated expression. “So you have to plan for the worst and find the best way as soon as possible.”

For Ishihara Taro to find the best algorithm, he would need sufficient intelligence data. For his first task, he was only able to cause Marketing V to “die by car accident” by collecting a lot of information about him, including information on everyone in the community that Marketing V was living in.

That was how he was able to learn about the old woman in his neighborhood who inevitably came out for a walk at a certain time, as well as the bus station, and where Marketing V parked his car.

For his second task, he received even more intelligence data. This was because Gu Nianzhi’s comatose father was also one of the people they had been secretly spying on. The information enabled him to learn the personalities and habits of the doctors, interns, and nurses of the hospital like the back of his hand. Furthermore, they had information about the patients and their families down to the last detail.

His algorithm would only work if he had all the information he needed.

As for Gu Nianzhi?

There was simply too little information about her.