Chapter 176 - Chapter 176: True Love Kills
Chapter 176: True Love Kills
Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation
Gu Ci touched her earlobe, feeling a bit embarrassed. “Brother, did you come to find me because there’s something?”
Jiang Junlin didn’t beat around the bush, implying, “Ziyu is still young, let him go on fewer field assignments.”
Gu Ci hesitated, “How did you know?”
Jiang Junlin said calmly, “Recently, someone at a dinner mentioned a conflict with Chen Liangdong. He made an exception to recruit a child, so I paid attention. Add to that, Lu Shijie was sentenced to death. He deserved it, but his crime didn’t warrant death. This matter isn’t hard to investigate. If the child isn’t at home this late at night, besides a field assignment, what else could it be?”
A jolt of apprehension surged through Gu Ci. If Ziyu wasn’t home at night, they always said he was at the Ministry of State Security. She believed Ziyu and never doubted it. But if he was really going on field assignments, she wasn’t happy.
He was too young, powerless, and no matter how clever he was, he couldn’t withstand a bullet – the force of an adult’s fist.
“I understand!”
Restless, Gu Ci wanted to call Ziyu, yet feared disturbing him. Jiang Junlin had already laid it out. Coincidentally, when Gu Ci saw Jiang Junlin off, she encountered Ziyu returning.
Chen Fei had brought Ziyu back, close to midnight. Ziyu hadn’t expected Jiang Junlin to be at home.
“Brother…”
Seeing Ziyu safe, Jiang Junlin breathed a sigh of relief, ruffled his hair, and said, “Kid, go to sleep earlier. You won’t grow tall if you don’t.”
Ziyu didn’t reply.
Are all adults like this? Lu Zhiyuan, Gu Ci, Ji Chi – they’ve all said the same. Even Uncle says this too. Do I really look like a short winter melon?
Ziyu asked Chen Fei with confusion, “Am I taller than people my age?”
Chen Fei straightforwardly affirmed, “Yes!”
Jiang Junlin left with a smile. Gu Ci politely bid farewell to Chen Fei, then took Ziyu inside. “Ziyu, did you go on a field assignment? Why are you back so late?”
Ziyu had intended to come up with an excuse, but his shoes were muddy. Just returning from a thrilling naval battle, he didn’t hide it from Gu Ci. “I’ve been with the old man all along, and Chen Fei was protecting me. It was safe.”
Gu Ci said, “You work with information. There shouldn’t be a reason for field assignments, right?”
“The old man hopes 1 gain more experience, see the world.”
Gu Ci was speechless.
He couldn’t divulge the specifics to Gu Ci. Even if Ziyu wanted to tell her every detail, he still remembered the confidentiality agreement of the MSS.
“Mom, don’t be mad. This won’t become a habit!” Ziyu tugged at Gu Ci’s sleeve, acting spoiled.
Gu Ci shook her head. “I’m proud of Ziyu, not mad. I’m worried about your safety.”
“I understand!” Ziyu held Gu Ci’s waist, sensitively thinking that his mom had always believed in him. She never doubted his field assignments. What did Uncle say?
Or maybe Uncle found out something?
“Mom, did Uncle say something?” Ziyu had learned to be honest with Gu Ci. When he was confused, he asked. Mom would never hurt him. He had to remember this.
“Uncle said you’re young, so you should go on fewer field assignments.” Gu Ci said, “He knows about your identity and is concerned.”
Ziyu nodded. “But he knows my identity. How come it’s so coincidental? Our information is kept absolutely secret. We only receive the mission code on the way. 1 only learned about the field assignment on the way.”
Gu Ci was taken aback. “Maybe Uncle has better sources of information.”
Just as Jiang Junlin arrived home, his phone rang. “Master, the goods are secured, no casualties.”
“And the MSS?”
“No casualties there either.”
Jiang Junlin nodded, greeted the old lady upstairs, and waved to his grandmother with a smile. His voice remained unchanged, “Everyone stay silent and wait for my message.”
“Yes!”
At the Black Hawk headquarters, Ji Chi and Lu Zhiyuan were reporting the news from the high seas.
“All three boxes of gold are missing?” Lu Zhiyuan raised an eyebrow, equally surprised.
Ji Chi said, “Three hundred kilograms of gold, lost at sea. They say it was pirates in international waters, but there can’t be pirates in that area of the high seas.”
“If three hundred kilograms of gold went missing right under MSS’ nose, Chen Liangdong won’t escape blame,” Lu Zhiyuan mused as he sipped his strong tea. “With so many personnel implicated, he’s offended too many people.”
The upper echelons of power in the country were tangled and complex, and naturally, some were protecting Chen Liangdong. It wasn’t possible for him to act alone. With such a massive case, City A was in for a major shakeup.
“We must find out the whereabouts of this batch of gold,” Lu Zhiyuan said. “This is M Country Bank’s gold reserve. They lost a total of five tons of gold reserve. We can only trace the entire gold reserve if we find this batch.”
Ji Chi couldn’t fathom how, right under their noses, MSS could lose this gold. They had sent out a large group of people, so who had such extraordinary powers to intercept the shipment?
“We don’t even know who took it. It’s like finding a needle in a haystack,” Ji Chi said.
“This batch of gold has distinct markings. It can’t be circulated. Chen Liangdong will dig it out even if he has to turn the earth upside down. Have your people tail him,” Lu Zhiyuan asked, “What’s the situation with the Triads?”
“Pei Qiuying sent a message. They’re not involved. Three senior executives of the Triads were apprehended. She’s quite stressed,” Ji Chi replied.
Lu Zhiyuan nodded. “When Chen Rushi wakes up, lay the blame on him and let him handle it. Everyone should be removed from the equation. Since he was doing business with the Triads, he will have left a backdoor. Don’t let MSS focus on Black Hawk again. With Ziyu there… Black Hawk has always been a thorn in MSS’ side.”
“Understood!” Ji Chi said, “Such large gold bars can’t just vanish into thin air. They must still be in City A. They have special markings, so they can’t be distributed. They’re either hidden or melted down again.”
“If they’re in a hurry to dispose of them, they’ll be melted down again,” Lu Zhiyuan narrowed his eyes.
Ji Chi exchanged a glance with Lu Zhiyuan. “I’ve already dispatched people to monitor all the gold processing factories in City A. If there’s any movement, we’ll receive information.”
“I think there’s a more suspicious place,” Lu Zhiyuan pondered.
Ji Chi’s intuition caught on, “The bank!”
“Exactly, with this much gold, only a bank could surreptitiously transport and store it,” Lu Zhiyuan said.
Ji Chi’s jaw tensed slightly, his heart rate quickened, and he inexplicably thought of the scene where Jiang Junlin was waiting for him by the shore. He was dressed in Ji Chi’s favorite suit, wearing the tie Ji Chi had given him.
Ji Chi poured a glass of wine and downed it. The spicy liquid slid down his throat. He suddenly smiled.
“Why are you laughing?”
“Just thinking… of something amusing,” Ji Chi shook his head, “It’s impossible!”
“Do you suspect someone?” Lu Zhiyuan asked coldly.
Ji Chi was resolute, “No!”
Lu Zhiyuan said, “I’ll find a way to get the Banking Association to re-register the bank’s gold reserves. We’ll act from both ends. This gold is related to Black Hawk’s reputation. We need to return it to MSS intact.”
“Understood!”
After Lu Zhiyuan left, Ji Chi sat by the floor-to-ceiling window, downed the remaining wine in his glass, and a shadow of cunning flickered in his beautiful eyes. Tonight, why did he go to the high seas?
It began with Jiang Junlin suddenly asking about Chen Jing, igniting a sinister fire in him. So, he went to torment Chen Jing. Chen Jing was someone he and Jiang Junlin knew from before. If Jiang Junlin hadn’t mentioned him, he wouldn’t have remembered that Chen Jing was locked up on a cruise ship.
Was it unintentional or deliberate?
If it was a deliberate trap, he should’ve waited for MSS’ people to arrive and capture everyone in one fell swoop. Why did Jiang Junlin remind him at the last moment, making sure he retreated to a safe area? It couldn’t be that Jiang Junlin suddenly softened toward him and found him a suitable bed companion, right?
Ji Chi crooked his finger, summoning Nick over. Ji Chi said indifferently, “I want all the information on Jiang Junlin from childhood until now. Focus on…”
Ji Chi paused, “Focus on his time studying abroad and these recent assassination attempts.”
“Yes!”
Nick took a few steps, then Ji Chi stopped him, “You know about this, I know about it. Understand?”
“Understood!”
Ji Chi leaned back, taking another drink.
Back when Chen Jing drugged him, why did he coincidentally encounter Jiang Junlin? His head had been clouded by the rush of a reunion after a long separation, and he had never suspected anything. In retrospect, every detail seemed peculiar.
The best hunters often appear in the guise of prey.
Ji Chi burst into laughter. “Did I really read him wrong, big brother?”
Oh, how adaptable he was..