Chapter 117: The Four Major Doubts

Number 88 leaned back slightly on the sofa. “There is a case we have entrusted to Detective Lin for investigation. Mr. Lin, ask whatever you need to ask.”

That was authorization.

It meant that Lin Xiaosu had officially entered the game.

It also meant that no matter how much Li Changsheng disliked him, he would still have to answer his questions.

Lin Xiaosu lifted his teacup and leaned forward slightly. “Chairman Li, I came here today mainly to investigate the suspicious aspects of Huang Chengwang’s defection case, which occurred during the early days of the Everlife Group.”

“Suspicious aspects?” Li Changsheng also raised his teacup and gently blew across the surface.

“Yes. Don’t you think Huang Chengwang’s defection case is riddled with inconsistencies?”

“Sorry, I’m not a detective. I can’t see what a detective sees as suspicious.”

“If you can’t see them, I’ll tell you.” Lin Xiaosu said, “After Huang Chengwang defected, the Everlife Group underwent a series of abrupt changes. There are four major points of suspicion.

“First, Huang Chengwang originally had the opportunity to detonate the chip in Zhou Yibo’s brain ahead of time, thereby concealing the fact that he had used an alien species of spider to commit murder. But he didn’t. Do you know why? Because he wanted to use Zhou Yibo’s testimony to focus the police’s attention on himself, thus protecting the true master behind him within the Everlife Group.”

Shen Yinchuan was stunned.

Even Number 88 was shocked.

They had not thought of this possibility either.

The teacup in Li Changsheng’s hand suddenly stopped. A ripple spread across the tea. He raised his eyes in surprise. “He has another master within the Everlife Group?”

Lin Xiaosu smiled faintly. “The second point of suspicion: Huang Chengwang has already been confirmed as a member of Hydra. So what kind of person is the master behind him?”

Number 88 was shaken.

Given his position and experience, ordinary words could not easily move him. But the name Hydra was different. In the eyes of the Hidden Dragon members, Hydra was their lifelong nemesis.

Wherever Hydra appeared in Great Xia, that place became a battlefield where the Hidden Dragon could decide between life and death.

Could the Everlife Group truly be one of Hydra’s branches in Great Xia?

Li Changsheng did not speak this time. Perhaps he felt that if he spoke and Lin Xiaosu refused to respond, it would make him look foolish. Or perhaps the news was simply too explosive.

Lin Xiaosu set down his teacup and raised a third finger. “The third point of suspicion concerns someone Chairman Li has recently placed in a position of trust: Technical Director Tong Yadong.

“As everyone knows, the Everlife Group is a biotechnology corporation. It relies heavily on technical expertise. Its technical director should possess outstanding professional ability or have made unique achievements in some particular field. Yet, regrettably, aside from the fact that this man studied in Ropa Prefecture, I have seen nothing remarkable about him. So let me ask you, Chairman Li: Do you trust this man himself, or do you trust the organization behind him?”

A storm raged through Number 88’s heart.

The Everlife Group’s technical director?

Now there was a clear target.

This man had studied in Ropa Prefecture, the place where Hydra’s activities were most rampant.

Could he really be a member of Hydra?

Shen Yinchuan’s heart was pounding as well. Of course he knew about Hydra. It was the Hidden Dragon’s mortal enemy. Even he, the chief of the criminal investigation brigade, was not qualified to become Hydra’s opponent.

Yet this audacious detective had directly pointed to the technical director of the Everlife Group as a member of Hydra.

Although he had not said it outright, who could fail to understand the meaning behind his words?

“Do you trust him personally, or do you trust the organization behind him?”

Wasn’t that an outright accusation?

Li Changsheng’s expression changed. “What exactly do you mean? Are you saying he belongs to an overseas organization? What evidence do you have?”

“Evidence? Heh…” Lin Xiaosu smiled faintly. “Do you really think it’s impossible to uncover his secrets, Chairman Li? Yes, perhaps the River City police are too limited by their circumstances to investigate the matter. But do you really think Great Xia has no higher authorities capable of doing so?”

That was a direct reference to the Hidden Dragon.

Li Changsheng’s heart truly began to race.

His earlier surprise might have been feigned, but now his reaction was entirely genuine and impossible to suppress.

Lin Xiaosu raised a fourth finger. At some point, Li Changsheng had begun to feel a sense of dread whenever those fingers appeared before him.

“The fourth point of suspicion lies in the Everlife Group’s strategic planning,” Lin Xiaosu said. “I once happened to meet a section chief from your market expansion department at Dell. His name was Sun Yingxian, and he wanted to negotiate a partnership with Dell.

“Dell has already been confirmed as a pharmaceutical company controlled by Hydra. Its fundamental purpose is to carry out genetic modification at the source of the pharmaceutical supply chain, thereby achieving its criminal goal of controlling the medical lifelines of a billion people in Great Xia.”

Li Changsheng abruptly raised his head. “When we contacted Dell, we had no idea what kind of company it really was. In fact, we only made preliminary contact with them and never reached a substantive cooperation agreement.”

“That’s only because we moved quickly in Phoenix City,” Lin Xiaosu replied. “But Chairman Li, Dell was not the first company you traded with. No genuine deal was reached with Dell, but you did complete transactions with several other companies. For example, Nanyang Pharmaceuticals in South Yangtze Province, Huimin Pharmaceuticals in Southern Sichuan Province, and Dongting Pharmaceuticals in West River Province.”

Li Changsheng drew a deep breath. “The Everlife Group is engaged in the biotechnology industry. Cooperating with pharmaceutical companies is entirely legal.”

“Of course. We live in a modern, law-based society now. No matter how filthy a transaction may be, doesn’t it always wear a legal coat?” Lin Xiaosu smiled faintly. “Then let’s see whether our methods are capable of tearing that coat away.”

Li Changsheng held his teacup for a long time. The turbulence in the tea slowly settled beneath his gaze.

At last, he raised his eyes. “Two leaders, can this detective’s baseless speculation be used as legal evidence of a crime?”

“Of course not. I already said that this is merely an investigation.” Number 88’s voice was indifferent. “Mr. Lin, is there anything else you wish to ask?”

Lin Xiaosu rose and smiled. “No. Let’s go.”

Number 88 and Shen Yinchuan stood at the same time.

They left the office.

Li Changsheng still intended to shake Shen Yinchuan’s hand, but Shen did not notice.

After they had gone, Li Changsheng’s hand remained extended into the air. He held it there for five seconds before slowly withdrawing it.

A deathly silence filled the office.

The car leaving the Everlife Group was just as silent.

The ride to the hotel was equally quiet.

Shen Yinchuan adhered to the basic principle that if the leader did not speak, he absolutely would not ask questions. He drove the entire way, taking Number 88 and Lin Xiaosu to a luxury suite at the River City Hotel.

The two men entered the room, and Shen Yinchuan left.

Once the door had closed, Number 88 activated his Dragon Eye and swept his gaze across the room, confirming that there were no surveillance devices.

“Sit.”

Lin Xiaosu sat down.

Number 88’s eyes slowly shifted toward him. “Although we had an agreement beforehand and I should cooperate with you completely today, I still think you made a mistake.”

“You mean that alerting the enemy is a grave military taboo?”

“Yes.”

When dealing with an old fox like Li Changsheng, every word and action had to be handled with caution.

Especially when one had allowed him to catch a whiff of danger, caution became even more important.

Had they truly shaken Li Changsheng today?

They had done far more than that.

They had jolted him to the very roots of his hair.

Lin Xiaosu had revealed every one of the four suspicions he held, without concealing anything.

Even if he and Number 88 had discussed those four points in an absolutely private setting, they would have been astonishing enough to shake the world.

And he had revealed them in front of Li Changsheng.

How could Li Changsheng fail to become vigilant?

“What happens when you alert the enemy?” Lin Xiaosu asked.

“He will destroy the evidence and seal every loophole,” Number 88 replied.

“Destroying evidence or sealing loopholes—either way, he’ll have to act. I’m not afraid of him moving. I’m only afraid that he won’t.” A mysterious light flashed in Lin Xiaosu’s eyes.

Number 88 was momentarily stunned.

Lin Xiaosu rose, pressed the button on the electric kettle, and leaned against the wall. “Li Changsheng is an old fox. He has spent decades dominating the business world. The fact that he was able to build the Everlife Group from a tiny partnership of three men into a nationally renowned corporation proves that he is no ordinary man. If we search for evidence of his crimes by conventional means, it will be extremely difficult to find anything.”

“Yes.”

“But today is different. Today I deliberately exposed your identity as a member of the Hidden Dragon, allowing him to feel an extreme threat. Then I told him all four of the major points of suspicion. He will inevitably be forced to act.” Lin Xiaosu said, “As long as he acts, he will leave traces.”

“Are you confident you can find the traces he leaves behind when he acts?” Number 88 asked.

“That is my field,” Lin Xiaosu replied.

Number 88 stared at him for a long time. “You’re gambling. You’re betting that your detective skills can break through his operations.”

“Yes.”

Number 88 exhaled softly. “I don’t know how to assess this behavior of yours. Young people need confidence, but excessive confidence can easily turn into arrogance.”

From Li Changsheng’s point of view, if he wanted to accomplish something, he did not need to appear personally.

He could arrange everything from a place no one could discover, using methods of absolute secrecy. Who could possibly track such a chain of actions?

Number 88 began to wonder whether the young man before him had become a little too full of himself.

“Success or failure will be clear tomorrow,” Lin Xiaosu said. “Come, have a cup of tea to ease this inexplicable unease, and let’s properly arrange tomorrow’s itinerary.”

That night, River City was very quiet.

That night, the Yangtze River was quiet as well.

That night, no one knew what the two men in the hotel had discussed.

That night, no one knew what arrangements Li Changsheng had made.

The shareholders of the Everlife Group were more than a little surprised.

The shareholders’ meeting had been cut short halfway through.

The greatest storm in the history of the Everlife Group had already begun to reveal its signs. The fangs Li Changsheng had bared toward Ding Lizhong glinted with cold light, but midway through the meeting, the chairman had been summoned away.

Half an hour later, his secretary arrived and announced that the shareholders’ meeting had been postponed.

The storm had not truly erupted, yet the suffocating tension was even worse than the storm itself.

At least, that was how Ding Lizhong felt.

He stood alone on the roof of his villa by South Lake, gazing into the distance.

The image of Li Changsheng’s face flashed before his eyes, from their youth all the way to the present.

The Li Changsheng of those years had been full of youthful ambition. He possessed the proud conviction that even if he were an ordinary man today, no one could say whether he would still be ordinary tomorrow.

He had possessed a brilliant tongue and painted magnificent blueprints. During the early days of the Everlife Group, the three of them had held meetings in a basement, smoking cheap cigarettes and drinking beer. Though they had never known whether they would survive from one day to the next, though trouble had constantly been breaking out at home, and though countless people—including their own relatives—had questioned their reckless impulse, they had carried within them an unstoppable drive.

They had fought until the company had taken shape.

They had fought until it had become a major corporation.

They had fought until it was listed on the New Third Board.

And they had fought until all three of them had become billionaires.

Yet the face Li Changsheng had shown today was utterly unfamiliar to Ding Lizhong.

Why?

Could it be that a man who had spent his entire life studying science, who could decipher the most complicated mysteries of genetics, was ultimately incapable of deciphering human nature?