Chapter 359: You’re Positively Wicked
Translator: Lonelytree Editor: Millman97
The news that Ye Shuang had gotten hold of the chip soon became common knowledge. Then again, those who found out were those that would have eventually found out anyway, individuals like Madam Grace and Edward.
The former temporarily had not made her move—she probably had not found the opening to retrieve the item without alerting Ye Shuang of her hand. The latter did not have that concern and was not as polite for that matter. With a call, he requested for a share of information.
“Impossible!” Ye Shuang denied the request firmly and refused to budge. “Why would I share such sensitive information with you‽”
Edward fought for his right, although it was with that lazy tone of his. “But I have shared my important information with you, haven’t I?”
In other words, I scratched your back, so now you have to scrub mine, don’t you understand that simple philosophy?
“That was because you were afraid that we might expose you to others.” Ye Shuang went for the weakness in Edward’s argument. “And I know what you’re going to say. We’re supposed to be allies, aren’t we? Well, you aren’t wrong about that, but that is only limited to the things related to the organization. The situation now is different. The information contained within this chip pertains to a dangerous military firearms issue, and Brother Han said that it cannot be shared with someone like you.”
“Wait a minute, what does he mean by someone like me?” Edward was silent for a few seconds.
In an objective tone, Ye Shuang concluded with regards for the other person’s fragile ego, “He means a fence-sitter like yourself who might appear to be an ally at the moment but would not hesitate to sell us out at the most crucial moment for the sake of personal gains.”
After a pause, considering the man’s unimaginably large desire for revenge, Ye Shuang added, “Or at least that was what Brother Han told me.”
Ha ha, very nice.
After ending the call with Edward, Ye Shuang blinked and turned to look at Han Chu, who was staring at her. “Brother Han, why are you looking at me like that?”
“Nothing.” It’s just amusing how easily you were able to throw me under the bus.
Han Chu silently lowered his eyes and added softly, “Tony’s plane ticket has already been booked, so he’ll probably arrive tonight. Remember to fetch the guy… Other than that, since Su Zheng and I need to go and find the local leader, my schedule for the next few days might be rather chaotic. Should you and Tony fail to find me at home, just tell him what to do directly, there’s no need to wait for me to return.”
Finding the local leader at said person’s city was not easy. After all, not every country or a city would have some kind of underground king that had all resources in his grasp so that the main character could defeat him to easily advance the plot.
The head of the local goons that Han Chu mentioned was merely someone who was most familiar with the situation in the city. To see it from Han Chu’s perspective, such an individual was like another type of talent agent and had access to unimaginable local connections.
Which notable foreigner had arrived recently; which alley was the hide-out for which gang; which warehouse had seen too much suspicious activity, pointing toward a smuggling ring… Such small details were the tools of the trade for the leader of the local goons. Therefore, to get to know the local situation in Feng Yuan City, the most expedient way was to ask such individuals.
…
“Why are we in such a hurry to unlock the chip?” The golden retriever who had been away from the scene for much too long had the familiar headphones around his neck, and he leaned against the window on the pa.s.senger side while looking out at the bright lights of the city. With a final struggle, he tried to persuade Ye Shuang. “A night like this is not meant to be wasted. I should be relaxing since I just got to Feng Yuan City. You should give me some time to readjust my emotions. Why are you dragging me to work right after I landed?”
Ye Shuang’s hands that held the steering wheel did not waver. “Save your breath for Brother Han. If he agrees, then naturally, I’ll have nothing else to say.”
Once he heard that, Anthony deflated. “Forget I said anything then—he’ll never agree.”
Ye Shuang glanced at Anthony. “Since you already know that, why are you begging me?”
Returning to the apartment, Ye Shuang grabbed the spare key that was hidden inside the shoe rack by the door and tossed it to Anthony. Then she changed into her slippers and walked into the apartment. “The layout here is very simple. You just need to take a quick look around to know where things belong. Brother Han told you to start working immediately… That is the house key, and there are only two car keys. So, if you need to use the car, just inform me or Brother Han.”
After entering the room, Anthony took out the laptop from his luggage and planted himself on the sofa. Then he started typing. He asked Ye Shuang for the chip, took out his own card-reader, and connected it to his laptop. “Oh, this is more troublesome than I thought. Some of the things need the person’s fingerprint to unlock.”
“I don’t think we’ll be able to get that. The prop manager is currently detained at the police station. Either we force our way through, or we’ll have to ask Brother Han to go for a negotiation.” Ye Shuang sat down next to Anthony and peered at the scene. “I don’t think the first option will work unless you want to get a criminal record. As for the latter… there is certain information that isn’t suitable to share with officials.
“Based on the scale of the case, if we have to go with the latter option, we’ll need to go beyond negotiation with the local force. The most likely outcome is to have the case moved to the FBI or FATE… Brother Han will not agree to that.”
Anthony nodded and shrugged. “If that won’t work, then I’ll have to combine the electronic work with some physical hacking. I believe I’ll need more tools and time.”
“That won’t be a problem.” Ye Shuang sent a message to Han Chu, detailing the tools that Anthony would need. The reply came soon after. The tools would be handled by the local agent in Feng Yuan City, and they would arrive three days later at the latest.
Anthony tried to mess with the lock while waiting for Ye Shuang to update the details with Han Chu. When they were done, he jumped into the gossip immediately, “How are things going with that thief and his mother? I heard that Madam Grace has even allowed him to wander in and out of her villa freely already.”
“Not free entry. Cedrick still needs to inform Madam Grace when he’s visiting, but now, there’s no need for body searches.” Ye Shuang corrected Anthony before joining him in the gossip. “But things sure are interesting now. Cedrick has not revealed his ident.i.ty to Madam Grace, and since he sacrificed himself to save her, Madam Grace now thinks that he has fallen in love with her and has softened her att.i.tude around him. On Cedrick’s side, after some probing, he realized that Madam Grace did not seem to care much about her biological son, so he was disappointed. However, at the same time, he does not know whether or not it’s the right time to cut all ties with her…”
“Wow…” Anthony whistled with admiration. “That sure sounds amusing. You can practically shoot a TV series from it.”
Then he grinned wickedly. “When do you think that lady will lay everything out in the open with Cedrick? I’m sure things will get even more interesting after she finds out about the truth.”
“You are positively wicked!” Ye Shuang mocked, but she then added shamelessly, “But I’ll remember to inform you should that happen.”