Trafford's Trading Club

Chapter 1229: Chapter 70: Union

1:30 AM.

“It’s right here, Senior Liu. They haven’t come out since they went into this building.”

In front of a high-rise in the city center, Bu Bugao and Wang Hu awaited Liu Minghao and Wei Zidao.

The details had already been discussed over the phone, so the two didn’t ask more questions and merely scrutinized the building in front of them, seemingly in thought.

“You did well this time.” Liu Minghao suddenly turned back and told Bu Bugao.

This instantly invigorated Bu Bugao, and a formula popped into his mind: praise from a superior = a smooth path to success.

Bu Bugao quickly asked, “Senior, should we charge in now or wait for him to come out?”

“Charge in?” Liu Minghao shook his head, seemingly helpless, and said, “Do you know who owns this building?”

Bu Bugao curiously asked, “Who?”

After a moment of silence, Liu Minghao slowly said, “The owner in there is a descendant of the Zhong’s Family in the capital city… It’s a bit troublesome for us.”

“The Zhong’s Family in the capital city?” Bu Bugao was briefly stunned. Having been trained at the Management Bureau’s headquarters, he had naturally heard of some matters regarding the elite families in the capital.

However, whether it was the Zhong’s Family in the capital city or other families, they shouldn’t be related to the Transcendent… Thinking of this, Bu Bugao was even more confused, “Senior, don’t we have priority half-level law enforcement rights? Even if the owner of this building is backed by the capital’s dignitaries, it seems we’re not afraid, right?”

Not only Bu Bugao, but even Wei Zidao looked equally puzzled and confused at this moment, prompting Liu Minghao to sigh.

“These matters are beyond your current reach… But you’ll know sooner or later.”

Liu Minghao found a nearby spot for everyone to sit and then said, “Indeed, we do have the priority half-level of law enforcement rights. Advanced agents can even see right up to a higher level… The trouble I’m referring to isn’t because we’re afraid of the dignitaries, but because this Zhong family is quite special.”

“How so?” Bu Bugao, being impatient, asked directly.

“The Four Great Families of the Capital.” Liu Minghao paused, seeming to choose his words, “Let’s put it this way: after the founding of the New Kingdom, the creation of the Management Bureau owed a lot to the Four Great Families of the Capital… Each of them contributed to the Management Bureau’s construction at the time.”

Hearing such secrets for the first time, Wei Zidao and Bu Bugao were stunned… The Four Great Families of the Capital were actually among the founders of the Management Bureau?

“You’ve studied history, so you should know that back then the country was recovering from ordeals, the national treasury was empty, and those years were difficult just maintaining people’s livelihood. The creation of the Management Bureau was a massive project, requiring immeasurable manpower, resources, and finances.” Liu Minghao said seriously, “A large part of the funds came from the Four Great Families of the Capital.”

“There are no people from the four great families inside the Management Bureau,” Wei Zidao said suddenly.

Liu Minghao nodded, “That’s right, indeed there aren’t any. The founding philosophy of the Management Bureau was for the people, not to become a weapon in anyone’s hands. If we allowed them into the Management Bureau and shared power with them just because they funded it, can you say our organization could remain pure after years and years? Moreover, within the Management Bureau, demons coexist peacefully in theory, but there are actually various factions, the complexity of which you cannot yet comprehend. Adding the Four Great Families to such intricate relationships, wouldn’t it become more chaotic?”

Wei Zidao inquired, “But wouldn’t the families have opinions about this?”

Liu Minghao laughed, “Those of that generation are different from people now, without as many thoughts. The elders from those families lived through red times and experienced blood and fire, with fiery patriotism, not knowing how much they sacrificed. They didn’t even know where such a massive amount of money was used, and they never asked.”

“So noble…” Bu Bugao was taken aback.

Liu Minghao snorted lightly, gave Bu Bugao a glance, and the latter immediately shrank his neck, not daring to speak further.

With his eyes slightly narrowed and with a respectful expression, Liu Minghao slowly said, “To those elders, nothing is more important than the country’s strength. We, the later generations, cannot understand how they could emerge step by step from the near-desperate hardships of war to eventual victory. To them, the country and the people are their faith… Why shouldn’t they give if the country needs it? They devoted their early lives completely, why would they care about worldly wealth?”

Wei Zidao listened with respectful admiration, while Bu Bugao looked embarrassed, and Wang Hu remained unmoved.

After some thought, Liu Minghao said, “The Four Great Families gave up a lot back then without asking for anything in return. They’ve sacrificed so much… Although the Four Great Families don’t know the true existence of the Management Bureau, there’s a secret clause in the Management Bureau that requires us to take care of their descendants as much as possible. It’s a form of recompense to those elders.”

“There’s such a thing…” Wei Zidao murmured to himself in awe.

“Your clearance levels are still very low,” Liu Minghao said seriously, “When your levels increase, you’ll naturally encounter more things… Of course, this isn’t a secret that can’t be made public. In most cases, seniors will mention these things slightly during field duties. But we won’t talk about it overtly; people need to be aware on their own.”

Both nodded quickly.

Liu Minghao continued, “Since the founding of the New Kingdom, over these decades, the Four Great Families have grown, touching on various aspects… Strong families like these are naturally unlikely to lack support from above. As the New Kingdom gradually recovered, there was chaos across Divine Land, with remnants of demonic sects and extremely evil demons entering the world, many of which set their sights on the Four Great Families, aiming to use these peak families to cause chaos for mankind. However, in recent years, the Four Great Families have rarely experienced untimely deaths, and now you should know why?”

Wei Zidao, who had entered earlier and was more stable, directly asked, “Brother Hao, do we have someone secretly protecting the descendants of the Four Great Families?”

Liu Minghao nodded, “Yes, but we won’t look after every descendant of the Four Great Families; only the true directors of the families will be secretly protected. I already mentioned, the Management Bureau doesn’t belong to the dignitaries. The Four Great Families have grown increasingly numerous over the generations; how much manpower and resources would it take if we protected every single one?”

“I see…” Wei Zidao nodded, then gazed at the building not far away, “No wonder you have concerns, Brother Hao… This No. 24, being a wanted criminal, interacting with the descendants of the Zhongs is indeed troublesome.”

Liu Minghao pondered, “We must distinguish between society and the Transcendent. We won’t allow too much contact between ordinary people and the Transcendent, especially with such behemoths like the Four Great Families, who control many of the national economic arteries… However, I heard that last year, the elder from the Zhong family was supposed to be severely ill, with little time left, but unexpectedly recovered, rejuvenated, without showing signs of terminal lucidity… This matter is quite suspicious. We suspect that the elder might have encountered a Taoist, thus extending their life…”

“This…” Wei Zidao frowned.

Liu Minghao shook his head, “But it seems that he hasn’t extended his life by many years. This old man has ventured through life and death for so many years, and Boss Zhong is involved with enormous interests… The interests of Boss Zhong are too complicated. If this old man falls now, the impact on society will be immense. So having these few years as a buffer might not be a bad thing. And this old man is already beginning to handle Boss Zhong’s affairs step by step. With a few years’ time, when he really passes away, it shouldn’t cause too much disturbance. So we will temporarily maintain a wait-and-see attitude… But privately researching longevity is absolutely forbidden. Behind this Mount Tai incident, some higher-ups in the bureau have had selfish motives, secretly capturing demons, using the Management Bureau’s technology to quietly study this taboo project factor…”

Bu Bugao asked puzzled, “Senior… If researching longevity could be achieved, wouldn’t that be great?”

Liu Minghao replied with a slight grin, “Longevity isn’t so easy to research. You see this internal chaos in the bureau, how many people were cleared? You haven’t seen those secret research labs, how cruel they really are… After seeing the bodies of those demon children, riddled with wounds, I somewhat understand why some of Heart of Heaven’s demons at the time were so frantic over Mount Tai… They were truly driven to a dead end.”

Shaking his head, Liu Minghao sighed deeply, “Longevity is a taboo project… Even if it’s researched, it shouldn’t be completed privately and secretly. It can only be openly researched, and it can only be researched using more scientific and correct methods… Moreover, it can only be announced to the masses by the state personally. Saying this might be somewhat hypocritical, but the state is a whole—no rules, no circle. If an individual possesses power greater than the nation’s, who can guarantee that they’ll use this power rightly? Such as The Four Great Families; if the heads of these families really achieve longevity, countless years would pass, and can you ensure that these families, gradually growing, won’t completely devour the nation’s lifeline? Tomb-robbing families can exist, but they can’t exist forever. They naturally split, decline, until they vanish in history, then new families emerge, and then decline again, in cycles. Only the state’s political system remains unchanged, and that’s the way to govern a state.”

With these words, Liu Minghao stood up, “Descendants of Zhong making contact with the Transcendent have crossed the line… This matter is not something we can handle. I’ll report this matter up the chain. Bu Bugao, for these few days, you and Wang Hu continue to monitor 24, while Wei Zidao and I will keep an eye on this descendant of Boss Zhong… Follow-up actions can only wait for orders from above.”

“Understood!”

…

…

Inside the building.

It should be the First Floor or Second Floor underground… because the elevator is going down.

At this moment, 24 is sitting in a solitary room surrounded by glass walls—this room isn’t alone like this, as if in a maze-like gigantic floor, almost all individual spaces are separated by tempered glass.

You can clearly see what each person in the individual rooms is doing.

It seems like some kind of research… 24’s eyes half-open, still looking listless—but the four robust men guarding outside the room are extremely nervous, occasionally stealing glances at the mysterious crow perched on 24’s shoulder.

Not long after, a young man approached with his hands behind his back, followed by several imposing men… Zhong Luochen arrived at the place where 24 was.

“Second Young Master, you really want to go in alone? If there’s any danger…” Cheng Yun stepped forward, concerned, “Should we let Master Chen and a few other experts come too?”

Zhong Luochen looked through the glass at the man inside, replying calmly, “Chen Er only knows a bit of geomancy, at most has some skill in martial arts. The other Masters, too, only have some martial skills. If the person inside really is as formidable as you say, do you think Chen Er and the others can manage?”

“That…”

“Since he indeed has talent, I should treat him with respect.”

“But… it’s still too dangerous.”

Zhong Luochen waved his hand, dismissing Cheng Yun, ordering, “Open the door.”

Cheng Yun, helpless, quietly instructed the others, in case 24 inside suddenly acted out, they must provide immediate aid… At the same time, his heart couldn’t help but admire the Second Young Master’s courage.

Compared to this Second Young Master, the Big Young Master is simply a reckless fellow, whereas only Ms. Ren has enough sagacity… too bad the Second Young Master isn’t very interested in Boss Zhong’s power.

Yet, thinking it over, the Second Young Master now engaged in matters that naturally cannot be compared with worldly powers… No wonder the Second Young Master single-handedly pressed the youth of The Four Great Families so low they can’t raise their heads.

With a smile hanging on his face, Zhong Luochen was entirely unafraid, boldly approaching 24—he even had the door shut, making this place a quiet, sealed room.

“What do you think of this place?” Zhong Luochen asked with a smile.

After a brief glance, 24 coughed a few times, then slowly said, “In the hustle and bustle of the city, creating such a place, it seems you have grand ambitions… You’re researching the powers of demons, aren’t you?”

Zhong Luochen’s eyes gleamed instantly, “Mr. 24 indeed knows of demons!”

At this moment, 24 suddenly remarked, “Your soul is incomplete, seems like a part has been forcibly taken. What have you been through?”

Zhong Luochen’s heart startled… the deal with that mysterious place before, only he and his grandfather were aware of it in the Zhong family. Could this peculiar desolate youth, merely with a glance, already become privy to the details?

Zhong Luochen took a deep breath and said, “I once prolonged my family’s elder’s life, thus paying a certain price.”

24 yawned, his eyelids even lower, like someone who is extremely tired, “So… you started contacting Transcendent powers since then?”

“Yes.” Zhong Luochen didn’t hide.

24 nodded, then said, “Alright, I understand… From now on, you support me and I’ll handle matters for you. And… can you provide a room less exposed like this? I don’t like being watched while I sleep.”

Zhong Luochen was momentarily stunned, unexpectedly this person agreed so straightforwardly, even before he had a chance to propose conditions… He was inwardly delighted, yet immediately furrowed his brow slightly, “I wonder what Mr. 24 needs in terms of support?”

“First… just ensure three meals a day.” 24 suddenly smiled slightly.

At this moment, he was no longer the listless, gloomy geek, but rather like a pale-faced Devil…

Zhong Luochen felt a tremor in his heart, thinking how insignificant he is compared to these real Transcendent beings…