Chapter 118: Revisiting Longevity and Revealing the Trump Card

Footsteps approached from the stairwell.

A cup of tea was placed in his hand. Ding Lizhong took it in silence. He knew the person who had come was his wife—the woman he saw as someone who would never grow up—but at this moment, he dared not meet her eyes.

He knew the calm days were over.

After the next shareholders' meeting, he, a billionaire, would likely be penniless. If he wanted to reclaim his interests, he would have to rely on endless lawsuits and unpredictable verdicts. Given the influence of the Changsheng Group, he was ultimately powerless to fight back, whether through internal corporate maneuvering or external judicial rulings.

"I heard about what happened at the shareholders' meeting today," Mrs. Ding said softly.

Ding Lizhong gave a slight start. She already knew.

Mrs. Ding smiled gently. "It doesn't matter. Even if the shares are gone, we still have this house. Ruoshui has tens of millions in pocket money, and I have a pile of jewelry. Do you think these things are few? Let me tell you, on a university professor's salary, you couldn't earn this much in eight hundred years."

Ding Lizhong slowly shifted his gaze toward her. "You mean... my decision to quit and enter the business world back then wasn't a mistake after all?"

"Of course it wasn't! One day, we'll sell this house, move to Fengcheng to buy a new one, marry our girl Ruoshui off in Fengcheng, and I’ll learn how to grow vegetables from my in-laws... What do you think, Ruoshui?"

Ding Ruoshui, who had accompanied her mother upstairs, had been full of anger, but now she wore an expression of tooth-aching resignation, looking at her mother, not knowing what to say.

It must be said, Mrs. Ding's words swept away all the gloom that had been hanging over Ding Lizhong's heart.

Ding Lizhong let out a soft breath. "To be honest, that kid really had foresight. Just yesterday, he told me I needed to prepare to weather Li Changsheng's wrath. And look? It’s already here..."

Ding Ruoshui raised her eyes, gazing into the distance.

Dad is enduring Li Changsheng's wrath!

Then, Li Changsheng...

What about you?

Are you prepared to endure the wrath of Ding Ruoshui?

The next day.

The sky was overcast with thick clouds.

It seemed to signal that a storm was about to sweep through Jiangcheng.

A car sped toward the Changsheng Group.

Shen Yinchuan was driving.

In the back seat sat Number 88 and Lin Xiaosu, as before.

The dignified captain of the Criminal Investigation Brigade had been reduced to a chauffeur.

And he felt quite honored by it.

Only he knew who was sitting in the car.

To fight alongside a Golden Badge of the Hidden Dragon—this honor was for a lifetime.

A flash of the police badge, and they passed through without obstruction.

They went straight to the chairman's office. The secretary had learned her lesson. "Captain Shen is here again. I will have the chairman come over immediately."

This Captain Shen seemed to have set his sights on the Changsheng Group and had become quite unyielding. Any smart person would know that when a policeman puts on an incorruptible face, it is best not to play games with him.

Li Changsheng hurried back from outside. As usual, he shook hands with Number 88 and Shen Yinchuan, and as usual, he ignored Lin Xiaosu.

As usual, he opened the inner office, and the secretary brought in four cups of tea.

Everything was exactly as it had been yesterday.

Lin Xiaosu, also as yesterday, looked around the office, his gaze completely indifferent.

"Are the two officers here today because there were still questions left unanswered yesterday?" Li Changsheng asked.

Lin Xiaosu spoke. "We are here today to ask Chairman Li to accompany us for a tour of the company."

"A tour of the company?" Li Changsheng frowned slightly.

Lin Xiaosu smiled, his expression inscrutable. "What? Is Chairman Li worried that we might see some secrets you would prefer not to show outsiders?"

Li Changsheng's face sank abruptly. "Detective Lin, don't forget you are just a detective! I don't think it's your place to be issuing orders here, is it?"

Lin Xiaosu replied, "Originally, I wouldn't have the qualifications, but don't I have authorization? ...Does Chairman Li not wish to cooperate?"

Li Changsheng turned his gaze to Number 88. "I have no problem cooperating with the government or the police, but I feel that this detective harbors deep malice toward the Changsheng Group..."

"He told you to lead the way, so lead the way. Why so much nonsense?" Number 88 interrupted directly.

At these words, the office fell into a deathly silence.

The secretary outside turned pale.

She had been with the chairman for quite some time; when had she ever seen a conversation like this?

None of the three of them held the chairman in any regard.

Li Changsheng stood up. "Please!"

The word "please" had lost all its respect.

The group walked out of the office. Li Changsheng stood in the hallway. "Where to?"

Lin Xiaosu stepped out and walked toward the elevator ahead.

The elevator doors opened, and all four entered—only the four of them!

Li Changsheng's head of security could only stand outside.

The elevator doors closed. Li Changsheng said, "Since Detective Lin wants a tour, the entire itinerary will be led by you. How you choose to proceed is entirely up to you!"

He folded his arms.

He was in the posture of one watching the storm unfold.

Lin Xiaosu said, "Chairman Li, this is your territory. Won't you press the elevator button for us?"

At this, even Shen Yinchuan felt Lin Xiaosu was pushing it.

The man was, after all, the chairman of a major group.

It was just an elevator; was it necessary to force him to press the button?

What a trivial matter.

He reached out his hand. "Tell me, which floor!"

Lin Xiaosu’s hand shot out, grabbing his wrist. "Let Chairman Li press it."

"This..." Shen Yinchuan looked at Number 88.

This kid was riding on his favor and acting arrogant; he had to show off in front of Li Changsheng. Leader, are you really not going to do anything about this?

Lin Xiaosu raised his eyes. "What, does Chairman Li think I can't discover the secret of this elevator?"

Shen Yinchuan and Number 88 both felt a jolt in their hearts.

The elevator has a secret?

Li Changsheng's face was as dark as water. "Nonsense! An elevator is an elevator, what secret could it have?"

Lin Xiaosu said, "There is a type of custom-made elevator that operates by fingerprint. A normal person presses it, and it goes to the standard floors. Only those with pre-registered fingerprints can activate the secret floors..."

His hand shot out, grabbing Li Changsheng's right thumb, pressing it directly onto the elevator’s down button. Then he switched to another finger and pressed the basement level button three times in rapid succession!

The elevator lurched into motion. Li Changsheng’s face instantly drained of all color; it was as if a mask had suddenly been placed upon it.

His finger had resisted strongly.

But as Lin Xiaosu applied force, the resistance was completely futile.

Inside the elevator, Number 88's eyes suddenly shone like autumn water...

He caught Lin Xiaosu's gaze; it was so resolute...

The elevator descended rapidly.

Yet to everyone, it felt agonizingly slow.

A soft "beep" sounded.

The elevator reached its destination.

The elevator doors opened, and the four stepped out into the lift lobby, facing a door.

"Chairman Li, please look up!" Lin Xiaosu pushed, and Li Changsheng was propelled by a great force to the door.

A red light shot out from the door, covering Li Changsheng's face.

"Open your eyes!" Lin Xiaosu commanded.

Li Changsheng’s eyelids slowly parted. Beep!

The door opened to reveal an office—at least, it looked like an office.

"May I ask, Chairman Li, what place is this?" Lin Xiaosu asked.

Li Changsheng’s complexion strangely returned to normal. "This is one of my offices. When I’m tired of socializing, it’s quieter to work down here. Is there a problem?"

"You notified Tong Yadong to go to the Roba region to lie low, ordered the three pharmaceutical factories to destroy their files, and had sensitive personnel leave—that was all arranged from here, wasn't it?"

"Nonsense!" Li Changsheng, agitated, rushed toward Lin Xiaosu.

Lin Xiaosu raised a hand, and the computer screen turned toward the three of them. A communication program was running on the computer.

A dialogue box opened, displaying a string of code mixed with numbers and symbols.

Number 88’s heart leaped. He hadn’t been dealing with Hydra for just a day or two; he knew this was Hydra’s secret communication program. It relied on satellites, but not domestic ones; the data was encrypted in layers, and the numerical codes represented the identities of Hydra members.

Just this secret office, plus the specialized Hydra communication program on the computer, was proof enough that Li Changsheng was undoubtedly Hydra!

However, the moment he looked up, Li Changsheng suddenly moved!

He moved with lightning speed, retreating to the door on the inner side!

Shen Yinchuan was the captain of the Criminal Investigation Brigade in the provincial capital of Jiangcheng and also one of the rare Genetically Enhanced individuals in the police force. His reaction speed was extraordinary, but Li Changsheng struck in the split second of his hesitation.

At that moment, Lin Xiaosu was busy collecting evidence from the computer, and Number 88 was shaken by the sight of the incriminating evidence. Li Changsheng seized this opening and dove through the inner door.

However, the reactions of the three were top-tier.

The door had barely closed.

Boom!

With a single kick from Number 88, the door shattered into pieces.

All three rushed through the door almost simultaneously.

Behind the door was a strange glass partition, and Li Changsheng stood behind it.

Bang!

Shen Yinchuan fired his gun directly!

The gunshot was deafening in the basement, but the bullet hit the glass partition without leaving even a scratch.

Number 88’s expression changed. The Dragon Scale blade swept through the void with a soft dragon's hum, but the glass partition remained unmarked.

Boom!

Lin Xiaosu struck out with a fist as if hitting a giant mountain, but the glass remained glass. Behind it, Li Changsheng didn't even blink.

"Don't waste your effort. This is protection made by U31!" Li Changsheng said. "Even a rocket shell can't break it, and the switch is on my side."

U31!

Number 88’s face changed.

Shen Yinchuan might not know what U31 was, but as a member of the Hidden Dragon, he certainly did. It was a composite material secretly created by Hydra, used on robotic assassins to protect their core components. During direct conflicts with the Hidden Dragon, it had caused significant casualties among the Golden Badges.

"U31, a material exclusive to Hydra! Li Changsheng, you aren't even hiding it anymore!" Lin Xiaosu said.

Li Changsheng sighed softly. "Since the cards are all on the table, there is no need for concealment... I must admit, Lin Xiaosu, you are terrifying. You are more terrifying than any Hidden Dragon agent I have ever dealt with."

"That is a bit of an overstatement," Lin Xiaosu said. "I wonder which aspect you are referring to."

"For example, yesterday's 'beating the grass to startle the snake' strategy. Countless people in this world use it, but your 'beating the grass' was not a mere scheme, but an open plot. That is what makes it a bit terrifying."