YOU HAVE A PROBLEM

Vladimir Romanov was not a good man, but he was as reliable as expected. Using his rather large network of powerful connections, he helped her get to Aural Hills. She felt tired, strained and tense about everything. For a moment, she wondered if this cloak and dagger method was needed to find Hu Ming.

However, she did not dare abandon her original plan. She would not allow herself to be exposed to unnecessary peril. If she ended up in a bad situation due to carelessness, then hope would be lost for both her and her father. In addition, she did not know how dangerous her opponents were. Until she understood the case, she would not be making thoughtless moves.

Over the years, she had realised that the field of medical research was one of the most dangerous in the world. Outwardly, medical research seemed like it was established by people interested in improving the quality of life and saving the world from disease.

Unfortunately, it was rarely the case. On one hand, there were people like her father who were obsessed and passionate about medicine. While their focus was on medicine, they were people who would not hesitate to sacrifice humanity for knowledge. On the other hand, there were those who were only interested in the power and money that came with medical research. After all, disease was very profitable.

In a manner of speaking, these philanthropist who invested in medicine and committed to research controlled disease. Most of them were not interested in biological warfare. However, they were no different from plague mongers. For instance, it was not uncommon for these groups to withhold research on drugs or procedures which could cure chronic diseases if it meant more profit from only managing the illness.

The amount of resources that were invested in keeping medical research confidential was more than the funds invested in the actual work. The goal was not only to prevent the findings from leaving the company and profiting other people. The corporations, governments and doctors also needed to keep their research methods private because more often than not, they violated human rights and decency on every level.

In the past, her father had only been involved in open medical research which was approved and regulated by various authorities. Then, he had discovered that there was much more in the world than cute little regulated labs. Fortunately, she had had the capability to protect him when things got a little complicated.

Now, he was alone and afraid. She did not have a way to contact him, and he could be in a dire state. Her only comfort was that she was certain that the people after him would not kill him. If they had intention to do so, they would not have needed to stalk him with care. She frowned lightly because she felt that she was missing something but did not know what.

After a short rest, Hu Lei dressed like a regular office worker and left the motel she had chosen. With the casual air of a local, she walked along the streets until she found the office building she had been looking for. She entered the lobby, approached the receptionist and smiled before asking about her friend.

The nice receptionist allowed her to go in and directed her to the office of one Kim Han. She walked on into a messy office covered in a range of computer parts. For a moment, she thought that there was no one in the room. Then, she saw a foot sticking out from under the desk. She sighed. It seemed that the person had regressed instead of growing up.

"Mr Kim, you have a customer." She spoke loudly.

"I am not interested." A sharp voice responded.

There was silence and then quick scrambling before a head poked out from beneath. Kim Han snatched his glasses from the desk and put them on.

"Is that you Jane?" he asked with excitement.

"Who else could it be?" her response was light.

"I thought you had disappeared from this side of the world."

"I did, but I have some business. I need your help."

"You only call or visit when you have a problem." The man pouted in misery. "Anyway, I don't do that kind of thing anymore."

Hu Lei felt like laughing. Anyone who had been involved in questionable matters must have said this at some point. However, no one ever truly changed except through an act of the heavens. She knew for a fact Han Kim had not. She could hear the hum of a powerful computer.

"Don't be like that. There might be something special in it for you." She flicked her hand as if by magic and waved a small card.

"Is it something good?" The eyes behind the thick glasses shined in anticipation.

Honestly, Hu Lei did not know. She had asked Vlad to help her get some interesting underground technology from one of his connections to exchange for information. When it came to tech, Kim Han was like her father with medicine. She nodded.

"What do you need?" He asked while leading her to his backroom.

"I need to locate someone, but I do not have much information. I do know the last place he was in some weeks ago and the identities he might use." She continued to provide the details she knew about her father.

Looking at Kim Han working like magic, she wondered if she should have put some effort in learning more about technology. This thought naturally led to her thinking about Zhong Feng. He must have noticed that she was gone by now. She hoped that he would understand when she returned. Maybe she could bring him an occult gift from the south.

"This will take some time. Come back in the evening." Kim Han spoke without looking up at her.

Hu Lei needed to plan for her departure, so she did not insist on staying. As she walked out, she felt melancholy about everything. And she really wanted to sit down and bawl like a baby. But she did not. Perhaps later, when she knew that her father was not in danger and she was in her new apartment, she would sit down and cry.