Chapter 1138: Chapter 1138: Xu Haohai’s Current Situation
Lin Tian had heard Xu Ning’an say that long before the New Year, Xu Haohai had already taken a group of people abroad to go after Wolf Fang Mercenaries for revenge. Xu Ning’an, on the other hand, had returned to Mingzhu and was in control of the domestic situation.
Don’t be fooled by Xu Ning’an coming out of the police academy as just a little girl; her methods and nerve are no worse than her father’s, that near-warlord of a man.
It’s said that after she returned to Mingzhu, she invited a bunch of old-timers under Xu Haohai out for a meal. From then on, she only controlled the company’s overall direction; whenever there was a major decision she couldn’t make alone, she’d call a meeting to resolve it.
And she really does have the chops. Even with Xu Haohai away from Mingzhu, the company was still running very smoothly.
As for news about Xu Haohai, Lin Tian hadn’t heard much.
"You know?" Zhou Tang looked at Lin Tian in surprise. "I only got this info off a few arms dealers abroad last night. Haven’t told anyone else yet—how do you know about it?"
Zhou Tang was genuinely shocked. It had taken him a lot of effort to dig up this kind of inside gossip, and now Lin Tian was saying he already knew. Just how capable was this guy?
Lin Tian clearly saw what he was thinking. He smiled and said, "I know Xu Haohai. How to put it... we’re friends across generations."
Hearing that, an "ah, that explains it" expression finally appeared on Zhou Tang’s face. Lin Tian was already a big name in the underworld; it was perfectly normal for him to know someone like Xu Haohai.
"But aside from knowing he went to cause trouble for Wolf Fang Mercenaries, I don’t know much else. Can you tell me in detail?" Lin Tian smiled and beckoned. "Let’s talk in the car. It’s only the duration of a meal—don’t tell me you can’t spare that?"
Zhou Tang hesitated for two seconds, then still nodded and sat in the front passenger seat. He glanced back and saw his younger sister chatting away enthusiastically with Liou Qingcheng, not paying him the slightest bit of attention.
Once Zhou Tang fastened his seat belt, Lin Tian started the car and drove toward the restaurant.
After organizing his thoughts, Zhou Tang said, "Actually, I don’t have much intel on this, but I do know that after Xu Haohai reached Senzhou, he also put together a sizable armed force. Whenever he runs into our countrymen, he lends them a hand, so his influence is pretty big now. You could say he’s thriving over there."
This was beyond Lin Tian’s expectations. Xu Haohai had clearly gone there for revenge, yet he’d actually built up his own power base. Had this guy not gone crazy enough back in Mingzhu when he was young? Now he’d gone to that lawless place and gone back to his wild youth, licking blood off the knife’s edge again?
No wonder he hadn’t come back after half a year.
"So he hasn’t gone after Wolf Fang Mercenaries?" Lin Tian frowned slightly. If that was really the case, then the old bastard was seriously slacking off.
"Mercenaries are called war beasts—they’re all people who will risk their lives for money. They move pretty freely, don’t have fixed bases, and their combat ability is very strong. Going after them isn’t easy. I heard Xu Haohai did hit them a few times, but he didn’t get much out of it. And that bunch of mercenaries aren’t easy to mess with either; of course they launched counterattacks. You could say both sides got badly hurt."
"Roughly how many people are in Wolf Fang Mercenaries?" Lin Tian asked.
"That I don’t know for sure, but it shouldn’t be too many or too few—around two hundred people, split into several squads. Except when they’re on certain missions together, they’re all very wary of one another."
Lin Tian exhaled slowly. Things had already gone beyond his original estimates; the trouble was greater than he’d thought. To make an enemy of a group that came and went without a trace, numerous, and highly skilled—one could imagine what Xu Haohai was up against.
Still, the old man was pretty capable, managing to stand against them like an equal.
Zhou Tang glanced sideways at Lin Tian, who seemed a bit lost in thought, and asked, "You’ve got a grudge with them too?"
"Yeah."
Just that one word, yet Zhou Tang could hear the many emotions buried in it. After doing intel work for so many years, reading people’s expressions was the most basic of basic skills.
"I’ll keep an extra eye out for you. I’ve got some friends in Senzhou too," Zhou Tang said.
"Thanks."
"No need to thank me. Once it’s done, just treat me to some drinks and give me a raise, and I’ll be satisfied." As he spoke, a contented smile appeared on Zhou Tang’s face, as if what he’d said had already come true.
"No problem." Lin Tian smiled at him, suddenly feeling that this older brother of Zhou Mi’s was actually quite a good person to befriend.
...
Tonight’s celebration banquet was being held in a private club. The first floor served Japanese and Chinese food; the second floor was an entertainment area, with karaoke, billiards, and all sorts of facilities.
When they arrived, Liou Qingcheng slipped her arm through Lin Tian’s and walked in with him, the two of them looking very much like a loving young couple.
Because of her leg injury, Zhou Mi was also holding on to her brother Zhou Tang’s arm; they looked like a couple too. But that resentful, lovestruck look in her eyes couldn’t fool Zhou Tang. After all, he’d been in the black market for so long; a girl’s little thoughts were easy enough to see through.
"Quit staring. If you keep that up, your eyes are going to get stuck and you won’t be able to pull them back out," Zhou Tang said.
"I like staring." Zhou Mi lifted her head to sneak another look at Lin Tian’s back. Even just stealing a glance at his back made her heart pound like crazy, as if she was afraid of being caught.
Zhou Tang sighed slowly. How did his own loud, brash, wild little sister turn into this shy, demure thing whenever she ran into Lin Tian? Love really was terrifying.
He didn’t plan to say much more, because Lin Tian already had a girlfriend, and a very exceptional one at that. His sister didn’t stand a chance. Sooner or later, she would give up this crush and then find another excellent man.
The four of them stepped through the doors, and when they entered the private room, a group of people was already there waiting. Lin Tian had met most of them before; they were music teachers and some dance performers. They were chatting away happily at the moment.
Tonight Jiang Pan Die was dressed pretty casually as well. After all, this was just a colleagues’ get-together; there was no need to dress up in a gown like she was walking the red carpet.
Seeing Lin Tian and the others from afar, she came up to greet them with a smile. "You guys are cutting it close. Five more minutes and you would’ve been late."
"Hehe, something came up on the road and held us up a bit," Lin Tian said to Jiang Pan Die. It was the polite thing to say.
From Jiang Pan Die’s face, Lin Tian could see a hint of weariness; her eyes were a little bloodshot too.
"Pan Die, are you okay? Your energy doesn’t look too good," Liou Qingcheng asked softly. She’d also seen the trending posts on QuickChat, but they shouldn’t have affected her this badly, right?
"I’m fine, just didn’t sleep well last night. Don’t get the wrong idea—I’m not bothered by today’s stuff online. Those rumors will be cleared up soon enough, so I’m not taking them to heart." Jiang Pan Die said with a light laugh, looking as if she didn’t care at all.
