Chapter 935: Chapter 940: Ren Qing (1)
Ling Chen squinted at Mr. Zhang and asked, "When did you start paying attention to me?"
"Mr. Ling, you are an elite of the Ghosts, and although you have left the Ghosts, you have never really left, always fighting on the front lines to resist the invasion of the God Organization. Back then, whether it was Qiao Zhen or Pang Jiulin, they mentioned you in their submitted reports, indicating that you were the source of the intelligence. From that time on, we began to keep an eye on you, including the research base you established, as well as other matters, which we are fully aware of. However, we have always remained in an observational state, never revealing ourselves so as not to cause unnecessary misunderstandings."
Mr. Zhang paused, then continued, "Do you remember Yang He?"
Ling Chen nodded. How could he forget Yang He? That old guy collaborated with the God Organization, secretly funding them. Last time, Ling Chen kidnapped him and obtained evidence of his collusion with the God Organization. Yet, the authorities did not pursue Yang He, and instead released him. Ling Chen was very angry about this.
Mr. Zhang smiled and said, "Regarding Yang He’s situation, I believe you have grievances about how we handled it. However, we released Yang He not out of compromise. The true purpose of releasing Yang He was to not alert the snakes. Besides, we wanted to convey a message to the Ling Family, indicating that the government had not interfered in their matters nor suspected them. In fact, shortly after releasing Yang He, we started a secret investigation of the Ling Family. To gain in-depth understanding, we established a special team specifically responsible for Ling Family affairs. This special team is directly led from above, and fewer than ten people know they exist, not even the Lonely Wolf. It’s not that I don’t trust Lonely Wolf’s people; it’s just safer if fewer people know."
"Now you’re telling me all this, do you really trust me?" Ling Chen asked.
"It’s not about trusting or not trusting. To be honest, I know very little about you, nowhere near enough to say I trust you. But I’ve read your files, and you are an elite cultivated by the country, serving the nation for many years. As a soldier, I believe you’re someone willing to contribute to the country. Additionally, there’s an important reason, which is that now you are a thorn in the God Organization’s side. With deep animosity on both sides, even if I didn’t appear, you’d still fight them to the death. Given this, I might as well invest in you, hoping for a substantial return. Mr. Ling, as far as I’m aware, your friends have all been captured by the God Organization. If you want to rescue them, you’d better decide quickly. If you’re willing to cooperate with us, I believe you won’t be disappointed."
After hearing Mr. Zhang’s proposal, Ling Chen couldn’t help but fall into deep thought. There’s no denying he indeed lacks manpower and resources at the moment. Although Xia Mutong has promised to help him find the whereabouts of Qiu Yong and others, the police have limited resources, and he doesn’t hold much hope.
After pondering, it seems that currently, besides cooperating with Mr. Zhang, there doesn’t appear to be any other way forward.
Qiu Yong and the others’ fate is uncertain, and if delayed too long, who knows what could happen to them.
Thinking of this, Ling Chen looked at Mr. Zhang and said, "Cooperation is possible, but I want complete autonomy and won’t be commanded by you. If you can’t accept this condition, then there’s no need for us to waste words."
"Haha!" Mr. Zhang laughed and said, "Mr. Ling, you are indeed straightforward. Rest assured, I will absolutely not interfere with your work. Whenever you need something, I will do my best to cooperate."
After speaking, Mr. Zhang instructed the driver, "Let’s go!"
"Where to?"
Mr. Zhang smiled and said, "Your research base was destroyed, wasn’t it? Now you’re short of manpower and don’t have a suitable place, so I arranged everything for you in advance."
Amid their conversation, the car drove for over twenty minutes and finally arrived at a residential area.
Ling Chen followed him out of the car, looked around, and saw that the surroundings were full of single-story houses without any tall buildings. Judging by the area, it seemed to be an older residential district.
With Mr. Zhang leading the way, Ling Chen passed through several alleys and arrived at a residential house.
Walking through the front door, Ling Chen was taken aback by the surprise. He initially thought this place was small, but unexpectedly the interiors of these houses connected together, forming a spacious workspace covering more than three hundred square meters.
At the moment, dozens of staff members were busy at their computers, and several rows of machinery and equipment were placed along the walls.
It appeared that this workspace was established some time ago.
"Mr. Ling, this is the temporary command center, and starting today, you’ll be fully in charge of this place." Saying this, Mr. Zhang waved to a woman busy working, who promptly ran over with a folder.
"Mr. Zhang," the woman greeted politely.
Ling Chen examined the woman in front of him, in her twenties, with a delicate appearance, could be considered pretty. In simple professional attire, her smooth hair fell to her shoulders, and her bright eyes conveyed a capable aura.
While Ling Chen was looking at her, the woman was also observing Ling Chen. However, she only shot a couple of glances before quickly retracting her gaze, quietly standing in front of Mr. Zhang, waiting for instructions.
"Qing, let me introduce you." Mr. Zhang pointed at Ling Chen and said with a smile, "This gentleman is Ling Chen, whom I’ve mentioned to you. From today onwards, the temporary command center needs to fully cooperate with Mr. Ling’s work; by no means should there be any slack. Do you understand?"
"Rest assured, Mr. Zhang, we will certainly strive to do our jobs well."
"Excellent." Mr. Zhang nodded with satisfaction, looking at Ling Chen and said, "Mr. Ling, this is Ren Qing, the chief manager of this temporary command center. Despite her young age, she is, like you, selected from many elite candidates with very strong work capabilities. You’re new here, and there are many things you may not understand, so I’ve assigned Ren Qing to your side as your capable assistant. If you have anything unclear, feel free to ask her. I hope the two of you will cooperate well and complete the task swiftly."
Ling Chen smiled slightly, stretched out his hand, and said, "Miss Ren, I’ll be counting on you from now on."
"Mr. Ling, you’re too kind. We’ll need to rely on you more in the future. Mr. Zhang says your abilities are very strong and can help us dismantle the God Organization’s power; I hope you’re truly as capable as he said."
Hearing this, Ling Chen’s lips slightly curled, and a glimmer flashed in his eyes.
From this girl’s tone, one could discern a clear sense of antagonism.