hotmtlnovel Chapter 640 The Legal Net Has Been Formed
Chapter 640 The Legal Net Has Been Formed
Just as the two men were about to reach the base of the wall, Zhang Chuan flicked his wrist and tossed the little mouse into the distant bushes. With a "whoosh," the mouse squeaked in fright and darted into the grass like a gray lightning bolt, creating a rustling sound that carried far into the quiet night.
The two henchmen were immediately drawn to the spot. They exchanged a glance, walked towards the bushes, and searched for a while, only to find a few insects scurrying away in panic. Finally, they determined it was a rat, their faces showing impatience as they muttered "bad luck" under their breath. They had been on guard for most of the night, their nerves stretched taut like bowstrings. Now that they saw it was just an animal, they didn't suspect anything further and turned to walk into the yard.
Back in the courtyard, one of the men reported to the squad leader, "Squad leader, it's nothing, just a wild rat that came out and scurried around in the middle of the night and gave us a fright."
The squad leader's furrowed brows relaxed, and he waved his hand, his tone tinged with impatience: "Alright, I know. Be alert, stop making such a fuss, or you'll regret it." In his view, it was just a rat, nothing to cause any trouble, no need to make a fuss, as long as their plan wasn't exposed.
Hearing no further movement from inside, Zhang Chuan, standing outside the wall, finally let out a long sigh of relief. His back was soaked with cold sweat, clinging chillily to his clothes. He dared not delay. Under the cover of darkness, he nimbly scaled the courtyard wall like a cat, landing almost silently. He then hurried towards the agreed-upon contact point, his steps as swift as the wind. The information here was crucial; every minute of delay increased the danger. If those people made their move tonight, the consequences would be unimaginable.
He walked familiarly to the corner store, its dim light casting a warm glow. The glass counter held needles and thread, cigarettes, alcohol, candy, and tea. The owner, their planted agent, was pretending to doze off, his eyelids occasionally darting up to observe the outside world. Zhang Chuan walked over, picked up the cheapest pack of cigarettes from the shelf, and whispered, "Boss, a pack of cigarettes, please."
The shopkeeper looked up, glanced at him quickly, and gave him a reassuring look. Zhang Chuan took the cigarette and tapped his fingers lightly three times on the counter—tap, tap, tap—their pre-arranged code. While the shopkeeper was making change, he slipped a small, folded piece of paper, barely moving his lips, into the paper and whispered, "Remember, pass this to Director He immediately. Tell him they might make their move tonight, targeting the ore in the warehouse. Tell him to bring people over as soon as possible, or it will be too late!"
The boss took the note, quickly stuffed it into his inner pocket, nodded solemnly, and said in a very low voice, "Don't worry, I'll take care of it right away. I guarantee it will be delivered within fifteen minutes. Be careful yourself, don't get watched. There are quite a few of their people around here."
Zhang Chuan smiled, patted his shoulder, and said with certainty, "Don't worry, they don't know I've already found out the details. But you have to be quick, every second counts, this matter can't be delayed."
After saying that, he lit a cigarette and, under the cover of the smoke, turned and disappeared into the darkness of the street corner, heading towards the mine—he still had to go back and keep watch, he couldn't arouse suspicion, Zhao Ci was still inside, and he had to ensure his companion's safety.
Inside the mine's shed, the flame of a kerosene lamp flickered. Jiang Hu, holding a magnifying glass, was examining the ore sample on the table with Zhao Ci. A greedy smile played on his lips as he analyzed the sample with apparent expertise: "Look at this color, this purity. As long as the refining process keeps up, the output will definitely double. If we succeed this time, won't we be the ones calling the shots in this mine? Then…"
He was engrossed in his rambling plans, completely oblivious to the fleeting coldness in Zhao Ci's eyes, and even more oblivious to the fact that Zhang Chuan already knew about their shady scheme—using inferior ore to impersonate high-quality goods, secretly transporting it out to sell at high prices, and then balancing the books. As for the safety hazards underground, they had long since forgotten about them. He was still enthusiastically fantasizing about his so-called "big business," utterly unaware that a legal net was tightening around them.
Seeing the thoughtful look on Zhao Ci's face, Jiang Hu's heart skipped a beat, and sweat instantly broke out on the back of his neck. He knew he had gone too far with his words, mentioning that it was "a waste to keep" the technology and suggesting "finding ways to monetize it," which was bound to arouse suspicion from the meticulous Professor Zhao. He quickly forced a smile, his wrinkles deepening, and softened his tone considerably: "Professor Zhao, you see, you must have misunderstood me. I had no other intentions."
He took a half-step forward, the chair legs scraping softly on the concrete floor. His voice lowered, and his eyes held a deliberately earnest look. He practically whispered in Zhao Ci's ear, "How could I have any other intentions? What I mean is, if this technology could be properly handed over to the country, allowing a professional research team to work on and improve it, wouldn't that greatly increase production efficiency? Just think, if our coal mine's output could double again, how many factories could that extra coal power? That would be a tremendous boon to national development. Don't you agree?"
Zhao Ci paused, the warm steam blurring his vision behind his glasses, but a quick, knowing glint flashed in his eyes. Jiang Hu was giving himself a way out, and also hinting that he wanted to speak privately and didn't want others to hear. He had intended to ask a few more questions about the illegal disposal of slag waste; he hadn't missed the glint in Jiang Hu's eyes when he mentioned "treasure in the waste."
Just then, Zhang Chuan walked in from outside, holding a small white medicine bottle with the words "Compound Glycyrrhiza Tablets" printed on it. "Professor Zhao, you haven't taken your medicine yet." Zhang Chuan's voice was neither loud nor soft, interrupting the tense conversation between the two. He gently placed the medicine bottle on the table, poured a glass of warm water, and pushed it towards him. "I saw you coughing badly outside the work shed, your face was all red from coughing, so I specially went to the infirmary to get you some cough medicine. Please take it quickly, don't delay your treatment."
Zhao Ci took the medicine bottle, his mind clear—Zhang Chuan was trying to get him out of a tight spot. Jiang Hu's words had clearly been roundabout, and continuing the conversation would likely lead to him being tricked into revealing information. Zhang Chuan's arrival at this moment provided him with a convenient opportunity to escape. He nodded, coughed twice, deliberately making his voice sound even hoarse, and looked at Jiang Hu: "Director Jiang, as you heard, I have indeed caught a cold these past two days, and my throat hurts terribly, making it difficult to speak. How about we leave it at that, and I go back to rest? We can talk about it tomorrow?"