Chapter 289 Investigating a Lonely Person

Xiong Panpan and Cui Hao returned to the food delivery company.

The manager looked serious. "The chairman wants to see you."

Xiong Panpan and Cui Hao were stunned. "The chairman!?"

The elevator rose directly to the top floor.

Walking on the high-end marble tiles, the two young people felt very nervous.

This was their first time here.

Although it was technically part of the headquarters building, to them, it felt like an entirely different world.

Only the most important figures had the privilege of being here. Why would the chairman summon two small fries like them?

Turning the corner, they saw their second brother, Cui Jinyuan, and Zhao Lulu already waiting there.

The four of them had gone on a mission together. Was this a debriefing session?

Two men in suits pushed open a door and motioned for them to enter.

The four of them glanced up—it wasn't the chairman's office!

Instead, it was a small conference room.

The chairman was standing, signing some documents. When he finished, the man receiving the signature bowed slightly. "Then I'll take my leave, Chairman."

"Mm."

The four young people bowed in unison. "Good day, Chairman."

"Oh, you're here! Hahaha, well done! Please, have a seat."

The chairman appeared to be nearing eighty, with hair and beard entirely white, but neatly groomed. This gave him a surprisingly youthful and capable appearance.

He looked kind and amiable, inviting the young people to sit down and personally fetching bottles of mineral water for them, which flustered the juniors into standing again.

"Oh, come on, sit, sit. Relax."

The four of them exchanged glances, thinking, It was just an investigation into some rogue cultivators. Does it really warrant this level of attention?

The chairman sat across from them. "So, how did the mission go?"

Xiong Panpan huffed angrily, "That Lu Chengwen, he's just a scumbag!"

"Oh? A scumbag?"

The pale-faced secretary, head lowered, took notes. "Lu Chengwen: scumbag."

The chairman turned to him and said, "Just record it. Don't read it out loud."

Then he looked back at Xiong Panpan. "Anything else?"

"He's a total pervert!"

The secretary jotted it down. "Lu Chengwen: pervert."

Xiong Panpan gritted her teeth. "He's a lecherous wolf!"

The secretary raised his head. "Panpan, could you maybe say all these insults at once?"

Cui Hao, in a more serious tone, added, "His martial arts skills are terrible. From my assessment, he's at the intermediate level of the Fourth Gate at best. You can tell just by the way he walks! Also, his true qi is incredibly weak, not even reaching the reserves of a beginner-level cultivator. On top of that, he seems to have no internal energy augmentation at all. His breathing patterns are the same as an ordinary person's…"

Xiong Panpan cut in heatedly, "And he also collects girls' underwear! He's an absolute degenerate!"

The secretary paused and asked with a serious expression, "Lu Chengwen: collector of girls' underwear… Wait, how many has he collected? What kinds? Were they worn or…"

"They were voluntarily given to him by those girls!" Xiong Panpan slammed the table in exasperation before noticing the chairman's presence. Embarrassed, she quickly sat back down.

The chairman nodded with a smile. "Panpan, in the future, try not to get so worked up during missions. Personal emotions, likes and dislikes, and moral judgments should not cloud your objectivity. They can interfere with your judgment. I heard Hua Xuening was also there and almost ambushed you, is that true?"

Xiong Panpan felt awkward. "It was all because of that Lu Chengwen! He brought a big business van full of women! And then… I got distracted."

"So…" The chairman chuckled. "Rich people often have unique quirks. Some indulge in drinking, others in women, some enjoy meditation, and some have even thought about becoming monks… These are the myriad facets of life."

"And cultivators, particularly rogue ones, often have distinctive personalities. Lu Chengwen is a wealthy cultivator. His behaviors, quirks, moral standards, and actions are bound to differ from ordinary people."

"Remember the core of your mission in the future. Don't let trivial details like these affect your emotions or disrupt your judgment."

"Yes, I understand," Xiong Panpan said, lowering her head.

The secretary glanced at his notes. "So… this is quite simple, actually. We've got it all clear. Lu Chengwen: scumbag, pervert, lecherous wolf, degenerate… and a waste of space."

The secretary then turned to Cui Jinyuan and Zhao Lulu. "What about your team? Long Aotian is one of our key targets, after all."

Cui Jinyuan lowered his head, saying nothing, his face turning red.

Zhao Lulu, meanwhile, couldn't stop giggling.

The secretary frowned. "You two, speak!"

Zhao Lulu burst out laughing. "Second Brother saw a girl, and he froze on the spot! He couldn't move at all! And at the critical moment, the girl led him aside to talk. They ended up chatting about his childhood, and then he started crying…"

Cui Jinyuan slammed the table. "You promised to keep that part a secret!"

Zhao Lulu slapped the table, laughing even harder. "I couldn't hold it in! Hahaha!"

The manager interjected. "That must be the Five-Colored Illusion Eyes—it's Luo Shiyin."

The chairman nodded. "And what about Long Aotian? Does he truly have an aura of dominance?"

Zhao Lulu scratched her head. "Probably…? We couldn't get close to him. His bodyguards are incredibly skilled. That Zhuge Xiaohua, her eyes are extraordinary. We got exposed almost immediately. Qi Meishao's martial arts were even better—she tied me up completely. I had to explain myself for ages before she let me go."

The manager and secretary exchanged a look, clearly feeling embarrassed.

The team investigating Lu Chengwen had essentially found nothing of value.

Other than confirming his depraved personal conduct and establishing him as a complete scumbag and waste of space, they had no useful information.

The Long Aotian investigation was even worse—they failed to uncover whether he truly possessed any "domineering aura," the critical point of interest.

On top of that, their operatives were nearly captured by Long Aotian himself.

The chairman nodded thoughtfully. "Did you have any interaction with Long Aotian?"

Zhao Lulu spoke up. "I said a few words to him. Ugh, that guy is so boring—standing there with a stiff face, acting all high and mighty, like the heavens rank first, and he's second…"

The manager shot her a glare, prompting her to swallow the last word.

Zhao Lulu shrugged. "Anyway, he was full of himself. He asked me to pass along a message: that he simply wants to conduct business in Snow City and hopes we can each stay out of the other's way. He also asked me to convey his respect for our company's work."

Zhao Lulu shrugged again. "That's it."

The chairman chuckled. "He's got the composure of a seasoned leader, I'll give him that!"

The manager interjected, "Long Aotian's background isn't too hard to trace. Down south, he joined the Ancient Martial Corps as a teenager and achieved many accolades. By all accounts, he's a hero. But when it comes to his domineering aura and origins… the people down there are tight-lipped. They won't say a word."

The chairman nodded again. "Both of these individuals are difficult to investigate. Everything seems normal on the surface, but it's impossible to get to the heart of the matter."

Just then, a knock came at the door.

A young woman in professional attire, wearing black-rimmed glasses, entered. "Chairman, it's done."

"Oh? Any findings, Shasha?"

The young woman glanced around at the others in the room.

The chairman smiled warmly. "They're all part of the task force for this mission. Speak freely."

"Yes, sir!" Yu Shasha reported, "Lu Chengwen has gathered several ancient martial artists at his villa for a meeting. I've hacked into the villa's internal security system—we can monitor everything in real time."

"Good. Let's take a look."

"Huh!?" Xiong Panpan was utterly shocked. "Lu Chengwen!? What's there to look at?"

The manager shot her another glare, prompting her to pout and begrudgingly follow the group into the surveillance room.

Yu Shasha sat at the computer, her fingers flying across the keyboard.

Multiple screens on the large monitor wall lit up, displaying various camera angles from within the villa.

"This person entering now," Shasha began, "I've done an image comparison. He's highly likely to be the fugitive we once nicknamed 'Silver Lump King.' He's undergone a complete transformation and is now a high-ranking executive under Lu Chengwen. We have reason to believe he's become Lu Chengwen's top assassin, likely handling critical covert operations."

"And this one here is the Gold Lump King. We have no prior information on him. But judging by his stealthiness and even higher rank than the Silver Lump King, his tasks are likely even darker and more brutal."

"These are the Copper Lump King and Iron Lump King, along with their subordinates. All four Lump Kings are present! Lu Chengwen's operations appear far more intricate than we initially suspected."

"And this individual!" Shasha froze the screen, zooming in. "They call him 'The Strategist.' He's the shadowy figure pulling the strings behind Snow City's largest syndicate branch, wielding immense power and influence."

Yu Shasha's expression grew stern. "He never personally undertakes missions. He solely devises strategies and plans. Countless heinous acts are tied to his name!"

"Wait!" The manager was stunned. "The Four Lump Kings and The Strategist?! Meeting at Lu Chengwen's villa? This… could it be that Lu Chengwen is the branch master of Snow City's major syndicate?"

Yu Shasha turned toward him, her delicate face serious. "That is precisely the case."

The manager's eyes widened. "No way! The true mastermind has been walking right under our noses this entire time! And who would've thought the branch master of such a massive syndicate is actually a flamboyant billionaire?"

The chairman squinted, his sharp gaze fixed on the monitor. "They're entering the conference room now, Shasha."

"Yes, sir!"

Yu Shasha adjusted the surveillance feeds.

The screens now displayed multiple angles of the conference room, with one camera providing a clear, direct view of Lu Chengwen.

"Wait a second! That woman standing behind Lu Chengwen…"

Cui Hao pointed at the screen. "It's Hua Xuening! The inheritor of the Swift Lightning legacy! Isn't she supposed to be one of Long Aotian's guards? What's she doing here with Lu Chengwen?"

Yu Shasha was equally stunned. "She's Hua Xuening?! She keeps calling Lu Chengwen 'Master!'"

The manager turned to glare at Cui Hao and Xiong Panpan, practically fuming.

You two uncovered absolutely nothing of value!

You managed to document Lu Chengwen's penchant for collecting panties in detail, but critical intel? Key figures? Vital connections?

Absolutely nothing!

And to top it off, you got humiliated by the inheritor of Swift Lightning!

Unbelievable.

Xiong Panpan felt equally furious and utterly wronged.

At that moment, Lu Chengwen's voice came through the speakers.

"Ahem! Take your feet off the chair! Who the hell told you it's okay to put your feet on someone else's chair during a meeting?"

The plump monk hurriedly retracted his foot.

Lu Chengwen scowled. "Alright, let's begin the meeting!"

The Silver Lump King stood up. "Lu, I have an urgent situation to report immediately!"

Lu Chengwen nodded. "Go ahead."

In the surveillance room, the team of skilled operatives exchanged tense glances.

They all knew that what came next could reveal crucial secrets about the syndicate's inner workings!