Tokyo Knights: The Odd Jobs X Files

At this moment, Secretary Wang also walked out of the village brigade and saw Secretary Zhao walking towards him with his hands behind his back. Although the two had not seen each other for more than 20 years, they recognized each other immediately.

Wang Shouzhi...

Zhao Liqiu...

The two looked at each other, and finally Secretary Zhao broke the silence first, smiling as he said to Secretary Wang, "Old Wang, it's really not easy for you to build Shibalipu Village so well. I brought some comrades from the province to visit you. I hope we haven't disturbed your work?"

Secretary Wang forced a smile: "No trouble at all, no trouble at all. It's just a rural place, we don't have much to offer to entertain such distinguished guests as you. I'm really sorry."

“It’s alright. Conditions in the countryside are tough. You’ve lived here for over twenty years. What’s wrong with me staying with you for a little while?”

Secretary Zhao said with a smile.

The atmosphere between the two was extremely strange, and Secretary Li, who was standing to the side, couldn't help but break out in a sweat. Were these two good friends?

While Secretary Zhao and his team were visiting the village committee of Shibalipu Village, an elderly man with white hair gently knocked on Li Xin's door.

Li Xin opened the door and, seeing the unfamiliar old man outside, asked, "Grandpa, who are you looking for?"

The old man smiled slightly and said to Li Xin, "It's not me looking for anyone, it's you looking for me."

Li Xin was taken aback for a moment, and then the old man said calmly, "I am Yan Shuangying."

Chapter 648 The Life I Want Most

"Falcon, it really is you!"

Michael's eyes lit up with excitement when he saw the old man.

The old man smiled slightly and said to Michael, "Michael, it's been a long time."

Michael went up and hugged the old man, saying, "It's so good to see you, so good... I'm so happy, my friend!"

Seeing the old man, Michael's memories seemed to return to forty years ago, to the days when the two of them were caught in a hail of bullets. This friendship, forged through life and death, is the most unforgettable.

The old man's emotions also fluctuated greatly, but he managed to control himself well. He said to Michael, "Michael, thank you for your contributions to Zhongyuan. You are a good friend of Zhongyuan, both then and now."

Michael smiled and said, "Those artifacts were donated by my daughter, so I won't take credit for them."

While the old man was talking to Michael, Li Xin secretly observed the old man from the side.

Although the old man had a full head of silver hair, his face was not wrinkled and he looked very energetic. His skin was slightly dark and his eyes were sharp as an eagle's. Even when he met his old friend whom he hadn't seen for many years, his eyes were full of excitement, but he did not relax his observation of his surroundings.

This is definitely a battle-hardened warrior.

Li Xin made his judgment in his mind.

Accompanying the old man was a burly man in camouflage military uniform, imposing and exuding a fierce aura; he appeared to be the old man's bodyguard.

Li Xin and the burly man in military uniform met eyes and nodded slightly as a greeting.

Michael talked with Yan Shuangying for a while. Yan Shuangying said something to Michael, who was surprised for a moment, but still nodded slightly.

Yan Shuangying walked up to Li Xin and smiled, saying, "Li Xin?"

Li Xin nodded slightly.

"A disciple of that old drunkard Zhen Yuanzhai?"

Yan Shuangying continued.

Li Xin was taken aback, not expecting that Yan Shuangying knew about his relationship with Zhen Yuanzhai, but he still nodded and admitted it.

Would you mind talking to me for a bit?

Yan Shuangying asked Li Xindao.

Li Xin immediately replied, "Senior, I would never dare to refuse your guidance."

Judging from Yan Shuangying's address to Zhen Yuanzhai as "Old Drunkard," Yan Shuangying and Zhen Yuanzhai are probably acquaintances, and Yan Shuangying deserves to be called "Senior" by Li Xin.

Yan Shuangying smiled, quite satisfied with Li Xin's attitude: "Shall we go for a walk?"

Li Xin nodded and followed. The burly man in military uniform also wanted to follow, but Yan Shuangying said to him, "Ling Ling Er, you stay here. I have something I want to talk to this young man about alone."

The burly man in military uniform stood at attention and saluted, saying in a strong voice, "Yes, sir!"

Li Xin and Yan Shuangying strolled together on the hillside outside Shibali Village. Yan Shuangying remained silent, and Li Xin, unsure how to start a conversation, could only follow silently.

From the hillside, one can overlook the entire Shibalipu Village. Looking at the revitalized Shibalipu Village, Yan Shuangying said, "I remember, your village suffered from a flood two years ago, right?"

Li Xin was surprised that Yan Shuangying even knew about such things, but he still nodded and said, "Yes."

"The reconstruction was very successful."

Yan Shuangying said with a smile.

"Thanks to the government's relief efforts."

Li Xindao.

"really?"

Yan Shuangying looked at Li Xin with a half-smile, making Li Xin feel a little guilty.

"Ah-Xin...do you mind if I call you that?"

Yan Shuangying asked Li Xindao.

"Please feel free to address me as 'senior'..."

Li Xin was still pondering the meaning of Yan Shuangying's "Really?" when he heard Yan Shuangying say, "Xin, do you think we wouldn't investigate a foreign foundation that comes to the Central Plains, doing disaster relief and road construction?"

Li Xin's heart skipped a beat; he immediately knew that the fund's activities had been exposed.

Yan Shuangying smiled and said, "Don't be nervous. I'm not from the public security department. Large sums of money from unknown sources are not under my jurisdiction."

Li Xin breathed a sigh of relief, but then saw Yan Shuangying's expression turn serious as he said, "However, matters concerning extraordinary individuals are under my jurisdiction."

"you are……"

Yan Shuangying looked intently at Li Xin: "Let me introduce myself. I am Yan Shuangying, the head of the Central Plains 'Special Department,' mainly responsible for criminal cases involving extraordinary individuals within the Central Plains, as well as for apprehending and killing all extraordinary individuals who harm the national interests of the Central Plains."

Li Xin was taken aback. Although he had a vague guess that news about extraordinary people in the Central Plains was rarely reported even after they entered the world, there must be a department specifically responsible for them, he never thought that he would suddenly meet the head of this department without any preparation.

Yan Shuangying continued, “Li Xin, or perhaps I should call you ‘X’, actually, I’ve wanted to talk to you for a long time, but you’ve been abroad, and I can’t easily go abroad, so it’s been delayed. This time, Zhao Liqiu contacted me through his old boss’s connections, and I took the opportunity to meet you under the pretext of seeing Michael.”

Li Xin swallowed hard and asked Yan Shuangying, "Um, what does the country plan to do with me?"

Yan Shuangying smiled and said, "What punishment will I give you?"

"It's that, that..."

Li Xin scratched his head. He was well aware that many of the things he did abroad were illegal; he was practically a lawless outlaw.

"I only deal with domestic affairs; I have no time to deal with foreign affairs."

Yan Shuangying shook his head slightly.

He even knows about Li Xin's foundation, so he probably knows about what Li Xin did in Japan as well. But as he said, he only cares about domestic affairs and doesn't care about foreign affairs, let alone the foreign exchange he can earn.

Li Xin felt relieved, and then said to Yan Shuangying, "Senior Yan, what do you want to talk to me about?"

Someone like Yan Shuangying wouldn't come looking for me for no reason; there must be something special about it.

"It's nothing, but for a suddenly appearing extraordinary expert, a basic background check is always necessary."

Yan Shuangying paced back and forth in front of Li Xin: "Actually, our department had already noticed you when you were escorting 'God of Gamblers' Gao Jin, but at that time your strength was only average, so we didn't pay much attention to it."

"Then, the second time our department noticed you was after you participated in the 'KOF' tournament. Not the one hosted by the Kagura Group, but the one hosted by the arms dealer Nuga two years ago. At that time, your skills were already quite good, and we originally planned to contact you, but..."

After a pause, Yan Shuangying gave a helpless look: "You actually became a transcendent expert in such a short time, that's too fast..."

If it's just a special-level extraordinary person, although their strength is great, it's not a problem to make contact with them. But an extraordinary expert is too much of a target, and even "special departments" can't make direct contact with them.

“Last year during the Spring Festival, you returned to the Central Plains. I originally planned to go see you, but something happened and I missed it.”

Yan Shuangying sighed slightly, recalling the incident the "special department" was handling at this time last year.

However, Yan Shuangying's mind only wandered for a moment before he quickly recovered. He said to Li Xin, "I had planned to come see you this time, but Michael's connection made the meeting feel more natural."

"Senior Yan, what do you want to know from me?"

Li Xin asked.

Yan Shuangying smiled slightly: "It's nothing, I just want to know if you still consider yourself a person from the Central Plains."

"Of course! In this life and in the next!"

Li Xin spoke without hesitation, his voice firm and resolute.

He is from the Central Plains, and he is proud!

Even though he had been to international metropolises like Tokyo and Paris, Li Xin still didn't feel much of a sense of belonging to those places. Only Shibalipu Village was his root!

Although Yan Shuangying had already confirmed that Li Xin still regarded the Central Plains as his motherland through the fund and by bringing his girlfriend to invest in the Central Plains (he did not actively seek investment, but was passive, and one of them was not even his girlfriend), he still felt fortunate to hear Li Xin's firm answer.

Extraordinary powerful beings are above secular laws, and nationality is naturally even less able to constrain them. In fact, in today's world, most extraordinary powerful beings do not have a sense of national identity.

Take Europe for example. This continent is only slightly larger than the Central Plains, with a population of only 700 million, but it has dozens of countries. The extraordinary powerhouses born in Europe rarely have a sense of national identity. They usually distinguish themselves from other extraordinary powerhouses by factions and organizations.

America is no exception. As the world's most powerful nation, it has very few native extraordinary individuals. The existing extraordinary individuals are almost all immigrants from various countries around the world. This makes America, with a population of less than 300 million, the country with the largest number of extraordinary individuals in the world.

Only those extraordinary individuals in Asia have a stronger sense of national identity, but even that cannot completely stop the outflow of extraordinary individuals.

There's no way around it; no country would refuse the offer of a superhuman powerhouse. Given the current international situation and the increasingly frequent "apocalyptic calamities," superhuman powerhouses have become an important part of a nation's comprehensive national strength. Losing one superhuman powerhouse and gaining another would have a huge impact on a country's international standing.

Under such circumstances, extraordinary individuals have a great deal of choice. However, the current situation in the Central Plains is well known: it is poor and backward. The nature of the new government also determines that it cannot grant those extraordinary individuals enough privileges. This has led many extraordinary individuals who grew up after the founding of the country to choose to emigrate to other countries.

Li Xin is from the Central Plains, but he has been in Japan for a long time and has achieved a high social status there. This makes the "special department" suspect whether Li Xin's heart is still with the Central Plains. That's why Yan Shuangying took the opportunity of meeting with his old friend Michael to ask Li Xin about his inclinations.

"Good, it's wonderful that you have this intention."

Yan Shuangying felt gratified. He said to Li Xin, "Xin, what are your plans now? Your fund should have accumulated quite a bit of money by now, and so should your girlfriend..."

"Cough cough!"

Li Xin coughed and said, "Senior Yan, my girlfriend has money, that's her own business, it has nothing to do with me. I can't just use her money, right?"

Yan Shuangying smiled and patted Li Xin on the shoulder, saying, "Well said. A man really shouldn't spend a woman's money; it's unambitious. Anyway, I wanted to ask you, you've already made a lot of money. Are you planning to return to China to live permanently, or continue to develop your career abroad?"

Li Xin said frankly, "Senior Yan, I still plan to develop abroad for a few years and save more money. The road between Shibali Village and Jinghai has been completed, but this is only the first phase of the road construction project. I plan to build this road all the way to Jingzhou."

Jingzhou is the provincial capital. If the road leading to Jingzhou can also be built, then Shibali Village will truly take off.

Giving a man a fish is not as good as teaching him how to fish. Li Xin could indeed directly give money to the people of Shibali Village, allowing each household to live in a small villa and watch a large color TV, so they could live a life of luxury. But that would only harm them and turn them into useless people. This is not repaying a debt of gratitude; it is committing a sin.

Building roads will allow the people of Shibalipu Village to go out into the world, and constructing a dehydrated vegetable factory will provide them with jobs. This is the real way to help them escape poverty and become prosperous, and it is also what Li Xin wants to do.

"Besides repairing roads, I also plan to build schools nearby—primary, middle, and high schools… I don’t want the children in the village to have to walk dozens of miles of mountain roads to go to school in the next town anymore; it’s too difficult!"

Li Xin continued.

He had previously given up the college entrance examination, shattering the long-awaited dream of the "first college student" in Shibalipu Village. He wanted to cultivate countless college students for Shibalipu Village!

After hearing Li Xin's words, Yan Shuangying couldn't help but pat Li Xin on the shoulder: "Good, good, you are really a good child. No wonder your master always speaks well of you to me!"

Li Xin couldn't help but ask, "Senior Yan, are you very familiar with my master?"

Yan Shuangying smiled and said, "We fought the Japanese together before."

Those are comrades-in-arms!

Li Xin understood this perfectly.

"Okay, if you want to develop your career abroad, then go ahead and do so. It's true that foreign countries are more developed than the Central Plains. If you want to develop your career, then foreign countries are indeed more suitable. Just don't forget your roots."

After hearing Li Xin's plan, Yan Shuangying admired Li Xin even more.

The country is poor now, so it's the best thing that Li Xin is doing, earning foreign exchange from abroad and bringing it back to build up his hometown.

After chatting with Li Xin for a while, Yan Shuangying checked the time and said to Li Xin, "Alright, I've said what I needed to say. Ah Xin, let's meet again when we have the chance. If you have any problems in China, you can let me know. As long as it doesn't violate any principles, I'll try my best to help you resolve them."

In principle, the new government should not give special treatment to extraordinary experts, but Li Xin has earned so much foreign exchange for the Central Plains and attracted so much investment, so it is only reasonable to provide some assistance.

In fact, Li Xin's foundation's road construction projects in China are all backed by "special departments." Otherwise, do you really think road construction is so easy?

Upon hearing that Yan Shuangying was about to leave, Li Xin couldn't help but say, "Senior Yan, are you leaving already? Won't you stay and catch up with Mr. Michael a little longer?"

Yan Shuangying shook his head helplessly: "I really don't have time. If it weren't for you, I wouldn't have even come here. How many extraordinary people do you think there are among the 1.2 billion people in the Central Plains? My job is to handle cases caused by extraordinary people, so how can I have time?"

"Senior Yan, you're so old, why don't you enjoy your retirement instead of working like this?"

Li Xin could sense that Yan Shuangying possessed considerable martial arts skills, but he probably hadn't reached the level of an extraordinary expert (to reiterate, Yan Shuangying's strength did not depend on himself, but on his opponent).

Even for martial artists, those who haven't entered the realm of the extraordinary would experience a severe decline in physical function at this age. Yet Yan Shuangying is still working, and judging from the murderous aura emanating from him, he is likely still on the front lines rather than simply commanding from the rear.