American variety show world begins with subduing Jason

Chapter 26 Hualian Hongmen (Part 2)

While recalling the history of Hualian that Zhang Shouzhong had explained to him, Zhu Mingyao turned left and right inside the building and found a small door in the corner.

Pushing open the door, I walked straight through a small courtyard filled with flowers and plants, and arrived at a heavily guarded two-story building.

After identifying himself to the guard, he went inside and went up to the second floor where he found a suite with its door open.

The room was elegantly and simply furnished, spotless, with several expensive medical devices placed to the side, making it look like a high-end ward. Several people, some sitting and some standing, were talking quietly around a large bed.

Hearing the noise, everyone in the room turned around. Seeing the young man approach, one of them nodded and smiled.

"Young people grow up so fast. It's only been a short time since I last saw them, and I almost didn't recognize them."

The speaker was about forty or fifty years old, with a refined and handsome appearance, two small black mustaches, and wearing a loose gray cloth robe.

While greeting him, the man's face revealed a mischievous glint as he extended his right index finger and lightly tapped Zhu Mingyao.

"Ok?"

As soon as he pointed out, Zhu Mingyao suddenly felt the energy in the room instantly become unbalanced, pouring wildly towards the ground beneath his feet.

In his spiritual perception, the flat ground seemed to turn into a bottomless abyss in the blink of an eye, making him tremble and want to collapse to the ground!

He reacted quickly, immediately lowering his center of gravity by sinking his waist and hips, while simultaneously focusing his mind and energy on his inner passage. Even so, his body swayed precariously, as if he might collapse at any moment.

The energy surged faster and faster, causing Zhu Mingyao's vision to blur, and he felt the surrounding scenery spinning around him.

Just when he was about to give up, he suddenly felt a sense of relief, the strange sensations disappeared, and the energy in the room returned to normal.

If it weren't for the cold sweat still on his back, Zhu Mingyao would have almost thought that what he just experienced was an illusion. He couldn't help but gasp in shock!

This finger gesture can hardly be called magic!

It was purely due to his extremely high level of insight that he discerned the changes in the surrounding magnetic field and the flow of energy, and then made a slight adjustment at the crucial point. The amount of magical power he used was negligible; he probably couldn't even lift a single hair!

He himself was a cultivator with some foundation, a Level 3 Immortal Sorcerer certified by the system panel, yet he was almost easily knocked down by someone with a single, light finger.

Such exquisite methods are far beyond what even his own teacher, Zhang Shouzhong, could achieve!

A thought flashed through Zhu Mingyao's mind:

—Find the dragon vein and pinpoint the acupoint, then analyze the strengths and weaknesses!

The fact that this person can use feng shui techniques with such incredible skill makes their identity quite obvious.

—Lai Henry, one of the four leading elders of the Chinese Chamber of Commerce, or rather, one of the four executive directors, and a renowned geomancer.

Henry does not refer to Henry or John in Western languages, but rather comes from the Book of Changes, specifically the phrase "Yuan Heng Li Zhen" (元亨利贞).

Feng shui is a minor art, just one of the mystical arts. No matter how profound one's cultivation is, it cannot compare to the true orthodox methods of immortals.

Elder Lai Hengli was an unparalleled genius. Not only did he master his family's feng shui skills at a young age, but he also studied under various schools of thought, learning from their strengths and innovating to integrate feng shui techniques into actual combat.

He was known for his profound knowledge and unparalleled skill, possessing abilities that were beyond the comprehension of even the most skilled martial artists. He was in no way inferior to those who excelled in combat.

Zhu Mingyao had seen him twice from afar at the Chinese Chamber of Commerce's New Year's reception, never expecting that the man would still remember him.

Although he was teased a little upon meeting her, he wasn't angry at all; on the contrary, he was quite happy.

If Zhang Shouzhong were truly seriously injured, the other party would never have made such an inappropriate move at this moment.

Conversely, the fact that Henry Lai still had the leisure to joke with him meant that the old man was probably alright.

Sure enough, Zhang Shouzhong's weak voice came from the large bed in the middle:

"You little rascal, I just took a nap and you're already taking advantage of it to bully me, aren't you?"

Zhu Mingyao hurriedly bowed to Lai Hengli, then quickly walked to the bedside and looked at him with concern.

Seeing the old man, who looked a bit thinner and somewhat listless but still had a strong voice, Zhu Mingyao felt slightly relieved and leaned over to greet him in a low voice.

"I was just happy to see that you, Brother Zhang, have a worthy successor, and I was so excited that I wanted to test his skills."

After the old man and the young man had exchanged a few private words, Lai Hengli smiled and continued Zhang Shouzhong's conversation.

"After a trial, he is indeed a man of exceptional talent and ability. Brother Zhang has truly found a worthy successor. He won't have to worry about not receiving offerings when he ascends to heaven..."

"Pah! Can't you say something auspicious with that lousy mouth of yours? I'm not done living yet!" Zhang Shouzhong glared and cursed.

Henry Lai spread his hands, looking completely innocent, and said:

"I mean, when you achieve enlightenment and ascend to immortality, your disciples and successors will offer incense in your memory during the four seasons and eight festivals. What do you think I'm talking about?"

"If I could ascend to heaven and become an immortal, the first thing I would do is drag you, surnamed Lai, up there and make you a gatekeeper! That's called 'when one person attains enlightenment, even their chickens and dogs ascend to heaven'!"

Zhang Shouzhong emphasized the words "chicken and dog" with particular emphasis, and the implied meaning was all too clear.

Faced with the old man's veiled insults, Lai Hengli simply smiled gently like a wise monk, without retaliating, revealing his thick skin as hard as steel.

Seeing his lazy demeanor, Zhang Shouzhong knew that the difference in their verbal skills was greater than the difference in their cultivation levels, so he could only sullenly change the subject and say indignantly:

"This matter cannot be left unresolved!"

The federal government is a bunch of incompetent fools. They asked us for help, but they couldn't even get the intelligence right!

Everyone was covered in dust and dirt, and I almost lost my life!

As Zhang Shouzhong spoke, he seemed to remember something, and his eyes flashed with a fierce light as he said:

"Especially that bastard who parachuted in from New York to lead the operation, what's his name, Francis or something? A complete novice from a civil service background, yet he dared to give orders! If it weren't for his greed and recklessness, we wouldn't have been trapped right away. Luckily, none of the old brothers were killed, or I would have skinned him alive!"

"Of course we need an explanation."

Henry Lai also stopped smiling and said with a slightly serious expression:

"This time, it wasn't just us who suffered losses; the other organizations that came to help also suffered heavy losses."

"Once I've contacted them, we'll all go together to the authorities and have a proper 'discussion' about how compensation and benefits should be calculated."

"As for holding the commander accountable..." he sighed helplessly.

"That guy was very clever. When he sensed something was wrong, he immediately got on a helicopter and ran away. He's probably back in New York now."

Seeing that Zhang Shouzhong was still furious, Lai Hengli comforted him:

"Anyway, he's made such a huge mess that he'll be in deep trouble when he gets back."

The Sisterhood of Witches suffered several deaths and injuries this time; those women are very petty.

In recent years, relying on their good looks and seductive charm, they've been involved with many powerful and wealthy families on the East Coast. A few whispered words in their ears, and they can make things very difficult for that Deputy Director Francis.

Several readers have already left comments, and although most of them are complaints and criticisms, I'm still very happy. Finally, I don't have to play a single-player game with a robot all by myself. Everyone, please feel free to complain. I don't care. When you come to Qidian, isn't it half reading the book and half reading the comments?

Veteran readers know that the chapter descriptions in the web novel itself are often the most essential parts!

ㄟ(▔，▔)ㄏ

Chapter 27 Analysis

Zhang Shouzhong was old and injured, and after talking for a while, he became somewhat exhausted. Seeing this, Lai Hengli said a few words to Zhu Mingyao next to him, and then left with the medical staff.

The boy quickly got up to see them off. When they reached the door, Lai Hengli suddenly paused, glanced at a corner of the room, nodded slightly with a smile, and then turned and left.

Seeing his strange behavior, Zhu Mingyao was a little confused. He looked around in bewilderment and then sat down in front of Zhang Shouzhong's bed.

There were too many people around, so he couldn't speak up. Now that only he and his father were left in the room, Zhu Mingyao was eager to talk to the old man about everything, from the details of the old man's injury to his own experience the previous night.

"...That's basically the situation. The gold coin is still at home. Bai Ziyuan has already had someone take care of the traces left by the black-clad vampire. Is there anything else you need me to do?"

"Are you worried about potential future troubles?" Zhang Shouzhong, being an experienced and shrewd man, saw through the boy's thoughts at a glance.

He shook his head and sighed, "Don't worry too much. Think about it. In broad daylight, under the cover of night, an important government department was openly and massively attacked, causing considerable casualties. How could the federal government possibly let it go?"

From a public standpoint, the government's basic authority must be upheld.

On a personal level, even the violent agencies that are specifically responsible for managing supernatural affairs have been attacked. What do you expect the officials in Washington and on Capitol Hill to think?

What do the wealthy patrons behind them think?

If even the violent law enforcement agencies are struggling to protect themselves, how can they possibly safeguard the safety of these important figures? This is simply outrageous!

If we don't take swift and decisive action, what if someone gets the idea and follows suit?

Therefore, whether for public or private reasons, the authorities must find and eliminate these audacious individuals to deter other forces!

To put it bluntly, the authorities are now more inclined to kill the innocent than let the guilty go free. Even if they can't find the real culprit for a while, they will first arrest a bunch of scapegoats to make an example of them!

Now is a time of great tension. Unless those attackers are looking for death, they will never dare to show themselves, and they may even disappear forever!

Otherwise, why would they cast a spell on their own people to destroy evidence? They probably intended to make it a murder case from the very beginning...

As for taking a few stolen items from the Special Investigation Bureau, it's not a big deal; they're not particularly valuable items.

Not to mention that they probably don't have the time to deal with those trivial matters right now, so what if things are exposed?

Just throw away the box containing the items and pretend you don't know anything!

How do I know it's dirty?

We fought tooth and nailed the dark creatures that attacked government buildings, and instead of offering a reward, you want your spoils back? We need to discuss this rationale!

Zhang Shouzhong, a seasoned veteran who had spent half his life in the Federation, was very familiar with the thinking and operating model of government bureaucrats. He dissected the matter thoroughly and analyzed it clearly in just a few words, immediately dispelling Zhu Mingyao's worries.

The young man nodded admiringly. Indeed, having an elder in the family is like having a treasure. He had worried about it for half the night.

He came to his senses and asked, "What happened on your end? What did you and those seniors go about that resulted in you coming back covered in injuries?"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Shouzhong, who had been speaking eloquently just moments before, immediately shut his mouth and refused to say another word no matter how Zhu Mingyao pressed him for an answer.

Finally, probably because he was pressed for an answer, he reluctantly offered a few words of explanation.

"Just as you guessed, it was indeed a joint operation led by the authorities and convened by various organizations. The reason given was that the target was extremely dangerous and had become increasingly active in recent years. If we didn't deal with it, we might run into them at any time, so it was better to gather our strength and strike first."

Everyone thought it made sense. They were all trying to make a living within the Federation and no one wanted a huge time bomb next to them. Plus, the official rewards were indeed generous, so they all sent their best people to participate.

However, the intelligence report turned out to be wrong; the target's strength far exceeded their expectations, and they barely managed to escape after going to great lengths.

Our situation is the best; at least no one died. The other companies lost several skilled fighters.

You don't need to ask about the details anymore; we've all signed an official confidentiality agreement, and we can't disclose anything to the public for a period of time.

Having said so much in one breath, Zhang Shouzhong clearly looked tired. He waved his hand, forcing himself to bring the conversation to a close:

"In short, the specific situation is too dangerous and complicated for a junior like me to get involved in. If you want to avenge me, you'll probably need to cultivate for several more decades!"