Chapter 329: Moral Petty Person: Jade Feet! Jade Feet! Jade Feet! Jade Feet

Chapter 329: Chapter 179: Moral Petty Person: Jade Feet! Jade Feet! Jade Feet! Jade Feet

“National Security took him?”

Su Cheng paused, then his eyes narrowed. His already slender eyes became mere slits as he scanned Zhang Liang from top to bottom.

As an Old Sneaky himself, he caught the distinct scent of something fishy.

“Isn’t he one of your guys from the Special Fifth Bureau?”

“Sigh, I already told you, he’s not with the Bureau.”

“The Special Fifth Bureau didn’t even want him. Why do you think National Security would take him?”

“Don’t you underestimate this kid. There’s a new R&D project in the Capital City that’s crucial for the entire country. He’s not just one of its initiators—he’s a core figure!”

Zhang Liang’s expression turned extremely serious as he spoke.

‘Who said this Chao Zi kid was bad?’

‘If you ask me, this… whoops, got my wires crossed.’

‘This Chao Zi is fantastic!’

“Believe it or not, regardless of whether this project is a world-first, in fifteen years, he’ll be one of the top businessmen in the entire Eastern Country!”

“He used to have a notebook. I looked into it, and the Special Fifth Bureau’s analysis was…”

“Any single page could create a top-tier individual!”

“And he filled an entire notebook with pages like that…”

The departments over in the Capital City thought very highly of the project after seeing the prototype.

What they valued wasn’t the mobile phone form factor, but its ability to transmit information rapidly, the low cost of the transmission devices, and the potential to saturate the market down to every single person.

And as for someone they were backing so heavily…

…even if you did nothing but slack off, they’d pile up resources to push you to the very top!

As for why they were providing this support…

It came back to that old saying: to get rich, you must first build roads.

In modern society, “roads” aren’t just the ones under your feet, but the transmission of information—the internet.

Those old foxes saw it. They realized this thing held an untapped gold mine. Once it’s dug up…

…it would be an unprecedented boost for the entire Eastern Country!

That’s why they won’t allow Wang Chao and Zhang Niu’s plan to fail. The only exception would be if the device is impossible to build, but based on existing technology, even one year is more than enough time.

“And right now, he’s just a young man with a little over a hundred thousand in savings.”

“Even if his contracts and status prevent him from joining National Security directly… honestly, just give him an honorary title. An unofficial position.”

“I’d wager your department wouldn’t have to worry about funding in the future.”

Zhang Liang’s words were highly logical.

He was genuinely considering things from Su Cheng’s perspective.

However…

“Makes sense.”

Su Cheng nodded, but after a moment’s pause, he narrowed his eyes at Zhang Liang again.

“If he’s such a great asset, why isn’t the Special Fifth Bureau recruiting him?”

Zhang Liang’s face stiffened. “We have sufficient funding. We prioritize individual abilities. It’s better for National Security to take this young man.”

“After all, your side needs to ensure absolute loyalty, and you can’t have any financial shortcomings.”

“That doesn’t sound right.”

Su Cheng glanced at him. An idea struck him, and he said impassively:

“If the Special Fifth Bureau has no money and no benefits, how could you possibly recruit talented people?”

“I suggest you take him. Once you have money, the talent will naturally follow.”

“Now that’s where you’re mistaken. The Special Fifth Bureau isn’t as important as National Security. You use your best resources where they count the most, so naturally, he should go to you.”

Zhang Liang replied.

The two men looked at each other.

“Old Zhang.”

“Hm?”

“You still remember that pack of special-issue cigarettes from six months ago, don’t you?”

Cigarettes and liquor—both had special-issue versions.

Normally, the supply of these special issues for the Capital City was minuscule. You smoked one, and it was gone. Once they ran out, you had to wait until the next year.

Of course, the taste wasn’t necessarily better, but they represented a very high status.

On the black market, the prices were inflated, and they were often unavailable even if you had the cash. After all, the people who smoked these things didn’t care about the money.

The most crucial part was…

Last year, these items had been discontinued.

Special-issue and internal-supply products were ordered to be eliminated. If you wanted to smoke them in the future, it would be a matter of luck. The remaining stock was probably going to be snatched up fiercely.

“Heh, of course not. I forgot about that long ago. It was just half a pack of cigarettes, right? Eleven sticks left.”

“And look, when the cigarettes ran out at 2 PM on July 11th, ’03, I didn’t say a thing, did I?”

Zhang Liang said with an air of extreme magnanimity.

Su Cheng’s eye twitched. “Old Zhang, it was just half a pack of special-issue cigarettes.”

“What are you talking about? Xu Huo took half a pack before, too. Did I say anything then?”

Zhang Liang was heartbroken. He felt that everyone around him saw him through some kind of filter, and he always had to spend ages arguing his case.

“Fine, take him or leave him.”

“Anyway, if you see him in the future… if you see him show up in certain… unnecessary places, it might be a misunderstanding. You clarify things with him before you do anything.”

Su Cheng nodded dubiously.

“Alright, then.”

Then, the two tacitly agreed to a ceasefire.

They turned their backs to each other and left.

‘Tsk, National Security isn’t easy to fool. If it were anyone else, they might’ve just taken him to keep the kid from running wild…’

Zhang Liang muttered, carefully glancing back at Su Cheng.

‘You can smell the bullshit on that old bastard the moment he opens his mouth…’

Su Cheng glanced back, calculating inwardly.

Just then, he turned his head and they made eye contact. The two men smiled, then simultaneously snapped their heads away.

‘Tsk, the Special Fifth Bureau. Not a serious one among them, from top to bottom.’

‘Tsk, National Security. All of them are Old Sneakies, from top to bottom…’

…

…

「10:50 PM.」

Xu Huo returned to his home.

Standing before the door, he let out a long breath as if releasing all the pressure from his body, and easily pushed the door open.

“You’re back~”

The moment he opened the door, two heads—one large, one small—turned to look at him from the sofa, where they were sitting cross-legged watching TV.

“I saved some dinner for you. Do you want some? I’ll go heat it up.”