I built an armada.

"Yes!"

As he quickly buttoned up his suit jacket, he whispered to a security officer in the driver's seat, whose face was also tense.

"Level 2 Contingency Plan: Once the target enters, immediately lock down nearby passages, maintain communication silence, and prepare for an immediate assault!"

"Let's go."

Su Dingping gestured to Guo Xueyun and Qin Mingzhu, who looked slightly surprised.

As soon as the three of them entered the brightly lit and warm lobby of "Golden World," a warm breeze mixed with fragrance, food, and human warmth wafted over them.

On weekend evenings, during peak hours, well-dressed men and women, parents pushing strollers, and noisy young people create a vibrant scene of everyday life.

"Oh, Director Su, I told you long ago that there was no need for all this trouble! My dad hates these formalities the most; his presence is more important than anything else!"

Qin Mingzhu waved her hand repeatedly beside her.

"Etiquette must not be neglected."

Su Dingping spoke casually, but his sharp gaze swept across the surroundings.

"After all, this is the first formal visit."

Wanlong pressed close to his side and behind him, his body slightly hunched forward, like a cheetah poised to pounce. His hawk-like gaze pierced through the crowd, quickly scanning all suspicious signal points within his field of vision.

An old man carrying a large bag walked alone, a few young men and women leaning against the courtyard railing in the distance seemed to be chatting idly, two children chasing and running... His muscles were taut like a fully drawn bowstring, and every pore was capturing the slightest malice in the air.

They walked into an exquisitely decorated boutique that specializes in imported porcelain and high-end art. Under bright spotlights, rows of shimmering porcelain and crystal artifacts were displayed quietly.

Wanlong suddenly stopped! It was only a fraction of a second of hesitation, but his entire aura changed!

Those eyes, which almost never revealed any emotion, instantly narrowed to pinpoints—

More than 20 meters away, at the edge of the open circular passageway on the second floor of the mall!

A man wearing a loose, light gray hooded tracksuit, head bowed as if admiring a shop window below, had an overly stiff and relaxed posture! Against the backdrop of the bustling crowd around him, his deliberately crafted "harmlessness" was the most unusual thing! Under the cover of the wide sleeve, his right hand, resting on the railing, made an extremely subtle forward "pushing" motion on the inside of his forearm!

A thunderous roar erupted from Wanlong's throat.

"Director!! Get down—!!!"

This roar was a pure, primal scream! As Wanlong's body slammed into Su Dingping's back like a cannonball—

"puff!"

A strange, muffled cracking sound, completely different from the explosion of firecrackers, faintly rang out amidst the clamor! A gilded enamel vase, over a meter tall, beside Su Dingping shattered with the sound! Fine, sharp porcelain shards mixed with decorative colored powder sprayed out like shrapnel!
Su Dingping was slammed to the ground by Wan Long's immense force, his back hitting the smooth marble floor tiles hard! The impact caused a sudden, sharp pain in his chest! His glasses flew off! Shards of porcelain and dust rained down from above, a few sharp fragments grazing his forehead and leaving small, bloody scratches!
Almost at the same moment!

"Target! 2 o'clock!"

Second floor! Make the arrest, alive!

Wanlong's roar had already exploded through the throat-vibrating communicator!

His body covered the fallen Su Dingping tightly, and his right hand flashed out from under his ribs with the short and powerful submachine gun. The dark muzzle instantly locked onto the right arm of the gray figure on the second floor, which had already been put back into his sleeve!

Guo Xueyun let out a short scream! But instead of backing away, she tried to lunge at the fallen Su Dingping! Qin Mingzhu, who was standing next to her, was also terrified and covered her mouth in horror!
"do not move!"

Wanlong shouted sternly!

Everything happened in the blink of an eye!

The mall fell into a deathly silence!
Then came a tidal wave of screams and chaos!

Less than five seconds after the chaos erupted!
"catch him!"

Several muffled thuds and sharp shouts erupted from the second floor!

Several elite security guards, disguised as shopping couples, cleaners, and even parents with children, pounced on the gray-clad figure like ghosts!
A nimble female team member delivered a precise sweeping kick to the back of his knee on the side where he was holding the gun!
"Crack!"

A sickening cracking sound rang out! The man in gray screamed and fell to his knees! The teammate next to him swiftly locked his neck and twisted his other intact arm!

Wanlong's tense body relaxed slightly, but the muzzle of his gun remained firmly pointed towards the second floor.

He looked down and quickly examined Su Dingping.

"Director! Where are you hurt?!"

Su Dingping had a small scratch on his forehead that was bleeding, and his glasses were nowhere to be found. His eyes were as cold as the ice cap of the Arctic Ocean. He pushed Wanlong away and got up, panting.

"fine!"

He suddenly looked up towards the second-floor railing!
The gray-clad attacker, pinned to the ground, suddenly convulsed violently! Thick, blackish blood and foam gushed from his mouth, nostrils, and eye sockets! His eyes rolled back sharply! From his tightly clenched teeth, which had been forcibly pried open, came a final, incomprehensible gasp...

"Report! The target has taken poison! It's...it's cyanide! There's no saving him!"

A hoarse, cold shout came through the walkie-talkie. A pungent, bitter almond smell filled the mall.

Death came so suddenly and decisively.

Su Dingping looked at the body that had been curled up and convulsing like a frog whose spine had been broken, before finally stiffening completely. A glaring red line of blood slowly slid down the temple of his head. His breathing was rapid and heaving, and his heart in his chest paused briefly.

"Boom!"

"Boom!"

"Boom!"

It struck his ribs violently.

A chilling fear, carrying the stench of death, suddenly gripped his limbs and bones like vines. If it weren't for Wanlong's superhuman reaction and desperate lunge... he would probably be another warm corpse beside the pile of enamel shards on the ground right now.

"Peace be restored!"

Guo Xueyun's fingertips were icy cold and trembling almost imperceptibly as she tightly gripped Su Dingping's arm and pulled him away from the shocking pool of blood and debris.

Her face was even paler than the color of her dress, and her eyes were filled with lingering fear and apprehension.

Qin Mingzhu leaned against the counter next to her, barely managing to stand. Her lips trembled so much she couldn't speak, and her carefully styled temples were damp with cold sweat. Her eyes, as she looked at Su Dingping, were filled with lingering fear.

"Captain Wan... Captain Wan."

Su Dingping's voice was a little hoarse, and he took a deep breath to calm himself down.

"Could you please have someone help me choose a suitable gift as soon as possible?"

Choose the safest, most respectable one that doesn't require time to select.

His gaze swept over the mess on the ground and the gruesome corpse being wrapped in a body bag in the distance, then he looked at the two terrified girls beside him.

"We...must leave here as soon as possible."

Wanlong's eyes burned with rage and a deep sense of self-reproach.

He gritted his teeth and growled at the arriving team members, "Execute the order! Go and pick them! Finish them in three minutes!"

His gaze swept over Guo Xueyun's hand, which was tightly gripping Su Dingping's arm, and he added, his voice as hard as iron.

"Engineer Guo, please help the director walk this way by holding onto the car door."

Qin Mingzhu followed behind, feeling lost and disoriented. Looking at Su Dingping's tall but seemingly heavy-footed figure ahead, and at the glaring bloodstain on his forehead, a strong sense of self-reproach and guilt overwhelmed her like a cold tide.

Her voice was broken and choked with sobs.

"Director Su... I'm so sorry... It's all my fault... I insisted on inviting you to dinner... If it weren't for this..."

The car door closed beside me, shutting out the piercing sirens and chaotic noise outside.

Su Dingping sat in the soft leather seat, finally feeling a little relaxed, though a slight stinging sensation came from the wound on his forehead.

"It has nothing to do with you."

He leaned back on the headrest, his voice regaining its usual calmness, though it sounded somewhat tired.

“Does the fact that Zhang Mingzhu and Li Mingzhu are not allowed to help me go out? If the 'Longxing' cavity cannot be manufactured, I may have to go to other factories to discuss equipment. Since the enemy sees me as a thorn in their side, as long as I keep walking on this road and dodge the bullets here, there will be more traps and snipers later.”

He paused, his gaze fixed on the still dazzling city outside the window.

"You can't just stay in bed all your life for fear of being hit by a car while walking."

His tone was calm, yet it carried a sense of composure and unwavering resolve, as if he had seen through life and death.

Wan Long, who was sitting in the front row, suddenly turned around, his face ashen, and his tone resolute.

"director!
This attack was exceptionally well-organized, deeply infiltrated, and swift in its response! From our last-minute change of plans to enter the mall, to the gunman's positioning, and then to his rapid ingestion of poison… every step was meticulously planned and executed! Only our own people knew the route and destination!

His gaze swept across Qin Mingzhu's tear-streaked and guilty face, sharp as a knife.

"Your movements are known to a very small number of people outside of our core security team and some personnel in the laboratory! Mr. Qin, what's going on with you..."

He didn't finish his sentence, but the heavy doubt had already crashed into the cramped space of the carriage like a lead weight.

The air froze! Qin Mingzhu's tears welled up in her eyes, and her pupils contracted sharply due to shock and immense grievance!
She looked at Wanlong in disbelief.

"You...you doubt me?! Captain Wan! How could I possibly..."

Her voice trembled with anger, and her face flushed instantly.

"Ten Thousand Dragons!"

Su Dingping's voice was not loud, but it carried an unquestionable sense of authority, instantly suppressing the impending conflict.

"Don't make wild guesses! Manager Qin has no reason to harm me, let alone any motive to cooperate with hostile forces."

This is an absolute disaster and destruction for Mingzhu Heavy Machinery, for her personally, and for the Qin family! The enemy may be lurking in any corner we can't imagine, perhaps through communications eavesdropping, or perhaps through temporary location tracking... Locating the Eagle Tribe is the direction of the investigation!
Without evidence, any unfounded speculation about our partners is just creating chaos!

This is an order!

His last words were delivered with resounding force.

Wanlong's Adam's apple bobbed violently a few times, his lips clenched tightly, forcefully suppressing his frustration and wariness.

The convoy restarted, this time with an even more somber and oppressive atmosphere.

Qin Mingzhu bit her lip tightly, her body trembling slightly, and tears fell silently down her cheeks.

The car drove into a quiet villa area filled with towering sycamore trees and stopped in front of the gate of a dignified Chinese courtyard-style house.

A small plaque hangs above the doorway—"Jingyi Garden".

Under the cover of night, the lights in the lobby shone like warm topaz on the steps.

The heavy courtyard gate had already been opened.

A tall, thin old man, dressed in a dark gray cloth jacket and leaning on a mahogany cane, stood quietly at the edge of the halo of the hallway lights. It was Qin Baichuan.

His face, etched with the marks of time, lacked the slickness and affluence of a businessman, possessing only the calm and sharp gaze unique to a top engineer, carrying a sense of power that had settled upon him after a profound understanding of life's vicissitudes.

As he saw the convoy approaching, his gaze was fixed on the lead modified off-road vehicle, his sharp eyes piercing through the one-way glass.

As soon as Su Dingping opened the car door and stepped onto the cobblestone floor below the steps, he heard a warm yet penetrating voice coming from ahead.

"Young friend Dingping, you've arrived?"

Qin Baichuan actually walked slowly to the top of the steps to greet him!

"Old Qin!"

Su Dingping strode forward, showing no trace of the shock and turmoil he had just experienced. The small wound on his forehead was not noticeable in the dim light of the courtyard. He bowed slightly.

"I feel really bad for disturbing you so late at night, and for troubling you to personally greet me."

"Haha, it's alright!"

Qin Baichuan laughed heartily, his eyes flashing like searchlights across Su Dingping's slightly weary yet unusually bright brows. Finally, his gaze lingered for less than a fraction of a second on the tiny scar on Su Dingping's forehead. Without asking any further questions, he simply patted Su Dingping's arm warmly and firmly.

"I've heard Mingzhu mention your name a few times on the phone! Today I finally get to meet you! You are indeed sharp and cunning, a truly formidable young man! I am overjoyed!"
This person is…

His gaze shifted to Guo Xueyun, who was supporting Su Dingping's arm, with a gentle smile befitting an elder.

"This is my colleague and also a core researcher on the project, Guo Xueyun."

Su Dingping explained.

Guo Xueyun bowed politely.

"Hello, Mr. Qin."

"Okay! Okay! Come in!"

Qin Baichuan's eyes were clear, as if he had seen through the world inside and outside the door.

He glanced at Wanlong and the several tall, spear-like figures hidden in the night behind him, but didn't mind. He simply made a graceful gesture.

"Let's have a family dinner today, a casual chat. Please!"

The restaurant was decorated in a low-key and elegant style, and several exquisite home-style dishes were steaming hot, which finally eased the atmosphere a bit.

Qin Mingzhu's eyes were slightly red, and she tried to keep up her spirits as she greeted them, but she was clearly distracted, her eyes occasionally glancing at the small wound on Su Dingping's forehead that had been simply treated with a band-aid.

During the meal, Qin Baichuan chatted and laughed, seemingly unaware of the chaos in the city center and the faint sound of police sirens. He only talked about old stories of Jiangdong and occasionally asked about Su Dingping's experiences during his studies.

Su Dingping's answer was concise, frank, and neither humble nor arrogant.

Despite their significant age difference, one was a seasoned veteran of life's storms, possessing a profound and insightful mind; the other was meticulous and sharp-witted, with a boundless vision within. Surprisingly, they shared a unique understanding, and their conversation flowed unexpectedly smoothly. (End of Chapter)