Chapter 16: Environmental Protection Combo_1

After Liu Dongli made a call to Ai Qing to report the events at Love Charity, a dizzying series of operations took place.

Within ten minutes, a sedan with a black license plate sped up to them, and two people politely invited them into the car, taking them to the strange agency where he had been interrogated last time.

By the time he entered, Love Charity had already been stripped bare.

In the meeting room, the middle-aged man who had chaired the previous inquiry of Huai Shi looked upset and remained silent.

Only Ai Qing was flipping through the stack of documents still warm from the printer, then quickly, she looked up, "Quite the bombshell... A shell company that clearly exists for money laundering actually received donations from so many people, including quite a few prominent figures in the city. No wonder the Special Affairs Department hasn't found anything after looking for so long... No leaks this time, right?"

The middle-aged man cleared his throat and said dryly, "The Special Affairs Department is the Special Affairs Department, other departments are other departments."

"Would've been great if it was always like this, why bother being at the beck and call of those old leaders?"

Ai Qing lifted her eyes to glance at him, "How many people are involved?"

"Quite a few..."

The middle-aged man sighed, "According to the investigation, the foundation regularly invites masters to lecture the donors on positive energy and to share experiences in spiritual sublimation and health preservation. Most of the content is unreliable meditation and self-hypnosis spiced with a mix of jumbled Chinese studies..."

"No wonder," Ai Qing chuckled sarcastically, "those are exactly the things the old leaders like. If this company really is connected to this case, quite a few people are going to be in trouble, aren't they?"

"The Special Affairs Department is the Special Affairs Department—"

The middle-aged man helplessly reiterated his previous statement, "No need for any probing, we can see clearly when it comes to right and wrong, please rest assured, Inspector."

Behind them, Huai Shi surreptitiously gave Liu Dongli an elbow nudge, "Hey, is an inspector really that powerful?"

Liu Dongli rolled his eyes and whispered, "The Astronomical Society, as a subsidiary of the United Nations, has members all over the world. Its main aim is to curb border toxins and crimes by Sublimators... You could say that as long as it's related to Sublimators or Border Relics, she has the power to intervene. Once she's confirmed in her role, just by signing a Black Envelope, she could wipe out an entire family registry, what do you think?"

"That powerful?" Huai Shi was astonished, "Dongxia is okay with this?"

"The leading members of the main governing body of the Astronomical Society—Jurisdiction Bureau—are the Five Constants, okay?" Liu Dongli whispered, "It's self-regulation."

While the two were whispering among themselves, Ai Qing and the middle-aged man at the head of the meeting table seemed to have exchanged some terms. After Ai Qing had promised not to widen the crackdown, his complexion improved noticeably.

From the speaker on the table, a voice transmitted:

"The operatives are in position."

The middle-aged man glanced at Ai Qing, "Switch the signal over, begin the operation."

The giant screen on the wall lit up instantly, barely making out the perspective of a head-mounted camera. Huai Shi could only see a throng of people fully armed from head to toe, carrying a variety of long guns and small arms. Upon receiving the command, the vehicle doors opened, and a whole group rushed out.

This anti-terror unit that came out of nowhere seemed to have had their "Offensive" plan ready with swift, decisive actions. They gained control over the entire parking lot in less than two minutes. One team stormed the control room, another sealed off the entire office building inside and out, closing gates and locking up, pulling up isolation lines, even completely severing signals and fiber-optics.

Only through the shaking of the helmet-mounted camera could Huai Shi glimpse the outside scenery.

Mother of God, does it really need to be this dramatic?

It was none other than Xinhai City center's most bustling area, the streets below filled with throngs of people, at its liveliest just before the end of summer vacation. No one would have imagined that right above them, a raid was underway with such intense secrecy.

```

Right outside the corridor door, a battering ram had been assembled without a sound.

After an order was given, there was a loud bang.

In the roar, before the people inside could react, several shock bombs were thrown in. After a burst of flash and noise, armed soldiers entered in single file, swiftly bringing the entire outer layer of Love Charity under control.

The rest of the team broke in. First came a scream, followed by two loud gunshots, and then screams—until, finally, a shrill voice remained:

"Don't shoot, I surrender, I surrender!"

Soon, in view of the cameras, a disheveled middle-aged man was dragged out With a bullet wound in his leg and his face covered in tears and snot, he was shouting, "I want to confess! I want to confess! I'll tell everything! It was the Master who made me do it! I don't know anything, really, I know nothing!"

After a chaotic struggle, the team leader reported to the camera, "He's transferring funds, all the liquid assets are being moved abroad, and we found plane tickets to France in the office..."

This was an escape plan in the making.

In the stunned conference room, the middle-aged man's face grew ugly.

If there had been any possibility of a misunderstanding before, now it seemed likely that there truly was a ghost in the works.

"—Ask him!"

The middle-aged man almost snapped the pen in his hand, giving a hateful command, "Get the details!"

Ten minutes later, the pen in his hand was indeed broken.

.

.

King Ocean, known as Scabby King Ocean. That was the Master's name.

Compared to his police record, this guy had been exploiting superstition for money more than twenty years ago, swindling retirement funds from old men and women. He'd been caught twice before disappearing. When he reappeared, he'd become Pastor Wang of the Savior Father Association. He expanded his scheme, and it grew out of control.

Caught in the office was one of his numerous disciples, Tu Tai, who was in charge of the storefront and money laundering, laundering the money defrauded by the Master and then transforming it into bearer bonds and valuables.

Tu Tai, a graduate from a prestigious school, had joined the group with eyes on the money, never really admiring the Master and had secretly embezzled quite a sum. King Ocean also kept many secrets from his disciples, only fully trusting the eldest disciple who was always by his side. The two parties used each other as long as there was mutual benefit, living in peace. But when disaster struck, Tu Tai decisively betrayed the Master, spilling everything upon questioning, even voluntarily confessing many things. This included the illegal drug trading the Master had been secretly conducting and the 'Miracle' he had accidentally exposed.

"Miracle?" the interrogator asked.

"Yes, miracle."

Tu Tai took a drink of water, wiping the cold sweat from his brow, "King Ocean always kept a box hidden. No one knew what was inside. Whenever he led a prayer, he would hide the box under the pulpit... After opening it, it would emit a very pleasant scent. Just smelling it would make you feel energized, fearing no difficulties. Those who came to my class had no idea; they all thought he was some kind of great Master, pah, he was nothing but an old swindler. I suspect that the drugs he was distributing are related to that thing..."

The box.

Ai Qing couldn't help but glance at Huai Shi.

They had finally made the connection.

And Huai Shi felt a weight lifted from his heart as well: the man behind the curtain had finally been caught, and he no longer had to live in fear.

He could finally return to a normal life trajectory, climb his way up in his career, marry a rich and pretty wife, and reach the pinnacle of life...

The people in the conference room were no longer interested in listening to the rest, only Huai Shi eagerly anticipated the follow-up, waiting for Tu Tai to elaborate on how his Master would 'bless' the female believers...

```

Eek—Did you sneaky bastard actually install a camera?

Spill it, where did you hide the hard drive?

But soon, they received bad news from the scene: King Ocean was planning to flee.

With his keen senses, Tu Tai had always known this line of work wouldn't last forever. He kept an eye on all sorts of information. When he noticed a financial transaction in his master's account, he sensed trouble brewing. With the thought of being prepared, he had booked a flight to France to lay low for a couple of days but realized it was already too late.

At this moment, King Ocean was holding his last prayer meeting outside Xinhai City, in Old Pond Town, clearly getting ready to bolt that very night. To avoid any further complications, they needed to act as quickly as possible.

But Ai Qing fell into silence.

Seemingly contemplating a difficult question that defied answers, she stared vacantly, oblivious to those around her, no matter how they urged, she remained silent.

It wasn't until much later that she lifted her head with a heavy sigh, her expression gloomy.

"Indeed, with this understanding, many things align without error, and all the clues fit. But something still feels off..."

She suddenly turned her head, her slender eyes fixing on the boy behind her: "Is there something you're not telling us?"

Yeah, I've got plenty of things I'm hiding, like Raven, the Book of Fate, awakening... How could I possibly speak of these calamities waiting to happen?

"No!"

Huai Shi shook his head decisively: "I've said everything I can say! And I've also said all that I can't say!"

His expression was fervent, as if he was ready to make a sacrifice at any moment, but inside, he was trembling, dreading Ai Qing would have Liu Dongli go over the details again.

What if the Book of Fate gets brought into this? How would he handle that?

This dangerous object, by Raven's account, seemed a big deal. How could Huai Shi dare to spill the beans before the binding was lifted?

Seemingly convinced by his words, Ai Qing silently withdrew her gaze.

"Then let's start the operation right away."

She looked at the middle-aged man: "However, to avoid any unexpected scenarios… Although we are pressed for time, it's better to first clear up exactly what this so-called Savior Father Association is up to before we execute our plan.

After all, we're dealing with a Border Relic here. Nobody knows what they've hidden away, and moreover, there are Sublimators hiding among them, right?

These are all essential pieces of intelligence—"

"Hm?" The middle-aged man was puzzled, "Miss Ai means?"

Ai Qing glanced behind her and said nothing.

The middle-aged man saw Liu Dongli and immediately understood something. He stood up, shook hands with him, and enthusiastically said, "On behalf of the Special Affairs Department, I thank Mr. Liu for his help and support."

"What?"

Liu Dongli was utterly confused, unaware of what had just occurred, and instinctively felt trouble brewing: "I haven't… I'm not... Don't be mistaken..."

He hadn't finished speaking when Ai Qing interrupted, "Fortunately, besides Liu Dongli, there is another civilian volunteer who has dealt with them and is willing to cooperate with us..."

As she spoke, Ai Qing looked back at Huai Shi, who was schadenfreude personified.

"—With the two of them infiltrating first, it should be no problem."

Huai Shi's smile froze on his face, and he suddenly leapt up, turning into a pitiable parrot: "I didn't... I'm not either!"

"It's just a recon mission. With so many people backing you up, you most likely won't die."

"You just said 'most likely'!" Huai Shi resisted in anguish: "Weren't we supposed to use bait? How did it suddenly turn into infiltrating behind enemy lines?"

"Isn't it common for clients to change their requirements?"

Ai Qing rested her chin on her palm, leisurely sizing him up, "At worst, I can add another eight hundred to your stipend."

Huai Shi was livid.

"Forget eight hundred, even eight thousand..."

Before he could finish, a ding from his waistband interrupted him: "You've received a payment of eight thousand yuan on Alipay!"

Huai Shi paused, his expression immediately stiffened: "Do you think this money can make me bow my head?"

Ding!

Another light sound, and that soft female voice once again reminded: "You've received a payment of eight thousand yuan on Alipay."

"This is a life-threatening risk! What if I really do die!"

Huai Shi's eyes widened: "Don't you even have a consolation payment?"

Ai Qing looked away, her mobile phone flashed, and the final transaction was sent.

"—You've received a payment of seven hundred yuan on Alipay."

Seven hundred?

Why is the consolation only seven hundred!

They had just given sixteen thousand! Why only this pittance when someone dies!

Huai Shi didn't know whether to be sorrowful or angry, or whether he should ask her to give a little more.

"Little brother, seven hundred is already quite a bit."

Liu Dongli, his comrade in misfortune, leaned in, tsk-tsking in awe: "With this voucher, you could get an eco-friendly package from the East Suburb Crematorium, and it even comes with a box!

Remember to give a five-star review to get a free wreath, and choose the style in the comments before ordering—after all, you're going to be there a long time, might as well pick one you like."

Ten minutes later, Huai Shi and Liu Dongli were crammed into an armored vehicle, setting off for Old Pond Town with a feeling of grim determination.

As they departed, Huai Shi shivered inexplicably.

It was as if he had plunged into an icy cavern.