After our bellies were full and our thirst quenched, we politely declined Prefect He's offer of a send-off and left the restaurant. Once we returned to the main street, I finally asked Yaoyao about the specifics of her private conversation with Prefect He.
Yaoyao said that through her qi-reading technique, she could tell Prefect He would soon face a romantic tribulation. It wasn't his wife, but rather another "qi" that suggested he had a mistress on the side. After I took Madam He and He Zihan away, Prefect He, for his own self-preservation, confessed everything. He indeed had a mistress named Wan Na, twenty-seven years old, who had studied abroad in Japan and was interning at this very company. During a business dinner, the company's CEO introduced her as an escort. Prefect He succumbed to temptation that night, accepted her willingly, and later provided favors to the company. Their relationship had continued ever since.
Recently, the CEO of that company again approached Prefect He, through Saina, asking for approval to develop a plot of land. Although the plot wasn't large and the company was willing to pay a high price, it was located close to a sensitive government department that required special clearance. The CEO couldn't handle this himself, so he sought Prefect He's help.
"Shabiya, perhaps?" I guessed.
Yaoyao nodded. "Exactly. Prefect He knew Shabiya was under a direct management system. Though he was the deputy prefect, he had no authority. However, with the leverage they held over him, he had no choice but to forcefully designate this land to the company, arguing that Shabiya couldn't impede local economic development. And this company, as it turns out, is the Fucheng branch of the Cangjing Group."
"The intention is too obvious," I nodded. "If Shabiya were to expose this, Prefect He would likely be investigated."
"That's the tribulation I was referring to," Yaoyao said. "Throughout history, colluding with enemy nations has been an unforgivable offense."
"Naturally. So, our mission tonight is to deal with this Wan Na?" I asked.
"What's the point of dealing with just her?" Yaoyao chuckled. "We need to destroy the entire Fucheng branch of the Cangjing Group to nip this in the bud."
"How big?" I asked.
"About... roughly the same size as our base on Chessboard Mountain. It shouldn't be too difficult."
Indeed, it wasn't large, and we wouldn't even need Shabiya's help. The three of us should be able to handle it. If we could destroy this branch, their base and headquarters would be gone, along with all their data. With just a group of personnel left, they would have no standing to negotiate the land acquisition, and the matter would be dropped.
Following the address provided by Prefect He, the three of us traveled west to the Fucheng Development Zone, an area filled with factories and enterprises attracted by investment incentives.
We easily located the "Cangjing Corporation Fucheng Branch." Using my qi-reading technique, I observed the sprawling factory and office buildings. There was only a security guard post at the main entrance with a single person sleeping inside. Apart from that, not even a dog was in sight.
"Lao Ba, go take care of the sleeping guard," I said.
"Take care of him?" Lao Ba licked his lips, a greedy look in his eyes.
"Hey, don't misunderstand. Don't kill him, and definitely don't eat him. Don't you have that poison gas? Just fumigate him until he's dazed," I said with a laugh. That was the Weasel Demon's unique skill, and I had experienced its formidable power!
Lao Ba looked somewhat disappointed but still managed to shrink his body and sneak into the security room through the window. He leaped onto the bedside table and, with a puff, the guard began frothing at the mouth, unable to wake from his slumber.
I parked the car a considerable distance away to avoid being captured by the main gate's surveillance cameras. Yaoyao and I scaled the wall to enter the compound and went behind the main gate's cameras. We traced the wires, following the electrical cable all the way to a room on the first floor of the main building. Peeking through the window, we saw that one entire wall was covered with surveillance monitors.
No wonder they only had one guard; they relied on technology. But unfortunately, technology is sometimes the most unreliable thing.
"Let me!" I took a deep breath. Standing at the window, I gripped the two metal bars of the security grille. I attempted to channel the power of my Whale Spirit Demon Core, but to no avail. Yaoyao, amused by my serious demeanor, cupped my face and infused me with a breath of her true qi.
The material of the two metal bars seemed to turn into pliable putty as I easily bent them, even snapping one off. I used the broken bar to pry open the gap between the two glass panes, rendering the window lock useless. I had used this trick before when escaping with Yaoyao in the office of a certain leader in Hua Lou Town's government, and I had even managed to retrieve some gold bars then, which I gave to Zheng Bingbing. She had probably forgotten about the promise I made to donate them now.