Chapter 132: Chapter 114: The Plan That Fell Apart at the First Step
Second District Government Office.
Lin Youcai walked out of the Second District Police Chief Bureau, followed by Deputy Captain Hai Yun.
"Thank you for your hard work, Mr. Lin." A smile was on Hai Yun’s face as he bowed slightly. "I’d like to treat you to a meal! To show my appreciation..."
"Enough," Lin Youcai said, waving his hand dismissively. His expression was blank, his tone cold. "However many merits you earn, that’s how many resources I will grant you. This is Daqian policy, and there’s no room for finding loopholes."
"Hai Yun, I know who you are, but you should understand... the Captain’s Office couldn’t care less about the Hai Family." Lin Youcai’s cold gaze fixed on Hai Yun. "I suggest you show some self-respect. Don’t give me a reason to target you."
"...Yes, I understand! I was just genuinely asking you to a meal." Hai Yun showed no sign of anger at having his gesture rejected, his smile remaining as it was.
"You’d better be," Lin Youcai said, his face impartial as stone. He spun around abruptly and strode toward the Government Office building not far away.
Finally, once Lin Youcai was completely out of sight, Hai Yun’s expression darkened. He clenched his fists and spat inwardly.
’What a pretentious jerk! Acting all high and mighty... I don’t believe anyone truly doesn’t love money or Cultivation resources. Everyone has a weakness... Hmph, just you wait. Don’t let me find some dirt on you.’
...
Second District Civil Affairs Bureau, Special Operations Office.
The Captain’s Office was an extremely unusual organization. It wasn’t entirely embedded within the Police Chief Bureau’s system.
To be precise, the direct combat units of the Captain’s Office were embedded within the Police Chief Bureau. As for its logistics units, they were naturally embedded within the departments that managed civil affairs, forming an organization similar to the Police Chief Bureau’s Special Operations Brigade—the Civil Affairs Bureau’s Special Operations Office!
The other departments of the Captain’s Office were similarly embedded in various other bureaus according to the nature of their work. They all enjoyed a status comparable to the Special Operations Brigade’s within the Police Chief Bureau—though they were part of a bureau, the bureau itself had no jurisdiction over them. They were above it all.
As Lin Youcai reached his office, he froze, his expression turning grave.
He had just noticed that the door to his office was open.
Thoughts flashed through his mind like lightning as Lin Youcai considered one possibility after another. Taking a few steps inside, he saw a smiling young man sitting brazenly in his chair, looking him up and down.
"...Who are you? Who sent you? How dare you sit there!" Lin Youcai’s expression soured instantly, his words full of censure. "Do you have any idea what the Special Operations Office is? Get out, and bring your direct supervisor to me! Didn’t you hear..."
"B2! The Nu... oh, no, I should say, that place where you harvest resources. What’s its secret?" With just one casual sentence, Chu Bamboo had Lin Youcai completely under his thumb.
His face expressionless, he stared intently at Chu Bamboo before quietly backing out of the room. He scanned the surrounding area, and only after confirming no one had overheard their conversation did he re-enter and shut the door with a SLAM.
In the space of a single breath, Lin Youcai appeared before Chu Bamboo. He planted a foot on the desk, his body crouched low. A short dagger, drawn from nowhere, now sported a Light Blade that he pressed directly against Chu Bamboo’s neck.
His voice was laced with killing intent. "Who sent you!"
"Let me introduce myself first." Chu Bamboo was calm and composed, showing none of the fear or desperation of someone whose life was in another’s hands. "My name is Chu Bamboo. I’m currently the acting Minister of the Management Department for the shantytown redevelopment area. Thanks to the affection of the people there, I’ve earned the nickname ’Mr. Zhu’."
Lin Youcai’s pupils contracted sharply.
When he saw Chu Bamboo deliberately press his own neck against the Light Blade, he reacted like a mouse seeing a cat, scrambling to pull back. He took a step back, missed his footing, and crashed to the floor with a THUD.
"..." To be fair, Chu Bamboo had intended to pressure Lin Youcai, but he hadn’t expected the guy to be so theatrical.
"You... you!" Lin Youcai quickly scrambled back to his feet, dusting off his clothes. His expression was normal, as if the embarrassing fall from the desk had never happened. "Minister Chu, what business brings you here?"
"Also," Lin Youcai paused briefly, then said, "even if your backing reaches the heavens, entering the Special Operations Office without permission is a major taboo! Are you trying to steal intelligence related to the office?"
Lin Youcai’s voice held an underlying threat. "If I report this, not even that vice-governor backing you could stonewall it... At that point, the best outcome for you would be losing your position as Minister."
’Yes, I don’t dare to kill Chu Bamboo. When he deliberately acted like he was going to kill himself on my blade, I even had to pull away.’
’What kind of figure is Governor Lu? Even in the First District, he’s a man who truly stands at the apex of the power structure!’
’Even with the system of separating the Extraordinary from the mundane, it doesn’t mean Governor Lu would be helpless against me if he wanted to act... Since ancient times, rules have been rules, but the person in charge is the person in charge!’
’Not to mention, if Chu Bamboo really died at my hands... since I’d be in the wrong, I’d have to thank Governor Lu’s great mercy if he granted me a quick death!’
’But not daring to kill Chu Bamboo was as far as it went!’
"You already sent Zhang Kun and the others to snatch the key and map to the resource processing point. You’re still worried about this?" Chu Bamboo raised an eyebrow, his tone flippant.
Lin Youcai fell silent, but the atmosphere in the office instantly became murderous. This time, a genuine trace of killing intent arose in his heart. However, his reason forced him to suppress it once again.
"Eviden—"
"It’s pointless to be discussing this now." Chu Bamboo stood up, staring directly at Lin Youcai, his words dripping with scorn. "I have connections that reach the heavens, I have a witness, and I know... it was you!"
"So what if I have evidence? And so what if I don’t? You don’t really think you can get away, do you?"
Lin Youcai’s expression remained unchanged, but beneath his pant leg, his calf muscles tensed. "I don’t know what you’re talking about!"
"Just tell me directly about the place where you collect resources! What’s the deal with it? What exactly is Fushui? What is the true nature of the Radiant Stones? Why did you want that key? And... why did you try to steal it? After stealing it, aren’t you worried the Captain’s Office would be waiting for you at the gate? How were you planning to plunder the resources?"
Chu Bamboo cut straight to the point. "Alright, answer me. Just by hearing these questions, you know that once you answer, I’ll be your accomplice. Then it’ll be impossible for me to report you."
"And don’t you suspect me of fishing for information. Like I said, so what if I don’t have evidence? Do you understand the value of a second-generation heir?" Chu Bamboo said, enunciating each word. "Let’s not even mention that you’re a suspect. Even if you weren’t, dealing with you would be as easy as turning over my hand!"
"This world of Daqian, in the end, belongs to the rulers! To the powerful and privileged!"
Chu Bamboo held his head high, playing the part of a complete villain. His aura was overwhelming—arrogant, spoiled, and bullying others with his borrowed power.
Lin Youcai’s expression still didn’t change, but countless thoughts flickered through his mind. He knew Chu Bamboo was telling the truth...
Finally, he took a deep breath. A shadow fell over his eyes as he gave Chu Bamboo a heavy look. "Mr. Zhu, you win... I hope you don’t regret this in the future!"
A smile returned to Chu Bamboo’s face. He slowly sat back down and propped his shoes up on the desk. "Should’ve just done this from the start! You can see I have a limitless future ahead of me. If you’re really willing to roll with me, wouldn’t getting rich and promoted be a good thing?"
"It’s got to be a lot better than you sitting here plotting to steal that thing, right?"
"Alright," Chu Bamboo said, shrugging when he saw Lin Youcai still hadn’t spoken. He decided not to provoke him further. "Start explaining... from the beginning! The name of that place, its purpose, what’s inside it, how the resources are produced, whether they can be completely depleted... Explain everything!"
"That place is Jinghai’s First Forbidden Zone!" Lin Youcai’s fists clenched, but no matter how unwilling he felt, he had no choice but to choose his words carefully. "No one knows for sure where these forbidden zones came from..."
"Aren’t they just Ancient Ruins?"
"..." Lin Youcai choked for a moment, then continued as if he hadn’t heard Chu Bamboo’s heckling. "Inside the forbidden zone, there are certain special structures. After undergoing some special methods, they can endlessly produce resources for Cultivation!"
"Don’t ask me what ’special methods’... Once you go inside, you’ll understand for yourself. Some things are useless for me to talk about—heh heh, once you’re really in there, you’ll understand just how cruel and ridiculous the truth of this world is! You’ll understand why I..."
"Whoa, hold on. I’m not here to listen to your life story!" Chu Bamboo silently raised a hand. ’B2 must be a little crazy,’ he thought. ’Still playing the part of a riddler at a time like this?’
’He hated riddlers the most!’
’If the situation weren’t so inappropriate, if his opponent hadn’t finished giving the answers... and if he wasn’t sure he could even win a fight against him... Lin Youcai would already be on the ground.’
"..."
"As for why I wanted to steal it!" Lin Youcai paused, then said with self-mockery, "What other reason could there be? Isn’t it just because the resources allocated from above are too few? Is there any other reason..."
"So because you handle so much wealth, you got greedy? That’s reasonable enough." Chu Bamboo nodded thoughtfully. ’It’s a well-known fact that the more money an official handles, the higher the chance of corruption. After all, the human heart can’t withstand such temptation.’
"As for what I’d do after stealing it... hmph. After getting the key, our logistics department would naturally launch a massive search! But in the end, they would inevitably find nothing... They would post guards outside the forbidden zone, but how long could they keep that up?"
The mockery on Lin Youcai’s face deepened. Matters involving the Extraordinary couldn’t be known to ordinary people, so they obviously couldn’t mobilize regular people to guard the forbidden zone...
And the total number of official Transcendents was small. It would be impossible to assign a group to monitor the forbidden zone twenty-four hours a day for a long period.
Of course, this didn’t mean the forbidden zone would be completely useless—they could apply for a second key. However, that report would have to be sent all the way to the Imperial Capital.
But by the time the Imperial Capital processed the request and sent back a new key—that would take several months at least!
All he needed was those few months to lie low within the Captain’s Office, figure out the specific patrol routines, and devise a relatively perfect plan...
Then he could sneak in through a loophole! For at least a few months, he wouldn’t have to worry about being exposed...
And by then, those months of unlimited resources would be enough for him to advance further, becoming a great master of the Third Realm.
He might even be able to accumulate enough resources... to step into the Transcendent Realm beyond the Third Realm!
Once he took that fourth step, the sky would be the limit! He would be able to advance or retreat as he pleased. Even in the entire Daqian Empire, he would be considered a pillar of strength! His life would be completely different from then on.
But...
A flash of longing appeared in Lin Youcai’s eyes, but he quickly reined in his emotions, his gaze turning cold as he stared at Chu Bamboo. He felt resentful and powerless... But now, his entire plan was in ruins!
He had known about Chu Bamboo for a long time, even before Chu Bamboo became Minister of the Management Department. After all, it was because Chu Bamboo had captured the gang of robbers and then called the police that his long-prepared plan had fallen apart right at the very first step!
