Free Web NovelChapter 1040: Chapter 407: Reaching into Bureau 9 (Part 2)
"Old Zhang, you really ought to rein that son of yours in properly."
In the private room they often used, as soon as Sun Guoqing walked in, he opened his mouth and dropped that line.
Zhang Qingping was slightly stunned. He wasn’t that surprised that Sun Guoqing knew about his son, but he hadn’t expected Sun Guoqing to take the initiative to bring it up.
Originally, Zhang Qingping had been struggling with how to steer the conversation this way. If he didn’t mention it first, he had no illusions that Sun Guoqing would be so generous.
Seeing the look on Zhang Qingping’s face, Sun Guoqing could already guess seven or eight tenths of what was going through his mind.
"So in your heart, Old Zhang, am I, Sun Guoqing, really that petty?"
What Sun Guoqing said made Zhang Qingping feel like he’d really been judging a gentleman with a small man’s heart. A warm current rose in his chest and he gave Sun Guoqing’s shoulder a heavy pat.
"No need to say anything else, Old Sun, I’ll remember this favor!"
"There was never any deep grudge between the two of us anyway, and there aren’t many of the old brothers who fought side by side left now."
At this, the expressions on both Zhang Qingping’s and Sun Guoqing’s faces turned a bit desolate.
They had originally served in the same unit and gone through war together. It might not have been as harsh as during the founding years of the Yuan, but war is cruel all the same.
The two of them were real comrades-in-arms who had shouldered rifles together, bled together, and crawled out of blades and fire.
"I’ve already had a word with Xu Feng. Those things won’t reach Zhang Beixing’s ears."
Sun Guoqing picked up the glass in front of him and downed it in one gulp.
"Whatever the case, thanks all the same."
Zhang Qingping raised his own glass, clinked it against Sun Guoqing’s, and then likewise emptied it. When he set the glass down, the two of them looked at each other and burst out laughing.
Meanwhile, far away in the Federation Clan Manor, Zhang Beixing had been keeping an eye on what was happening back home.
With the Wind might talk big, but no matter how small the stir, even if it was the neighbor’s dog having a few pups, Xu Feng would report it to him clear as day.
It’s just that The Ninth Bureau didn’t have neighbors, so naturally there were no so-called dogs.
"So what you’re saying is, Zhang Qingping’s son came over to make trouble for us?"
On the phone, when Zhang Beixing heard Xu Feng’s report, he almost spat a mouthful of water right into Leng Bing’s face, who was sitting across from him.
Zhang Beixing more or less understood what kind of person Zhang Qingping was. Strictly speaking, in all of Great Xia, was there anyone he couldn’t dig into if he wanted?
Also, for some special reasons, those domestic high-level leaders and their families were all within the intelligence net under Zhang Beixing’s control.
"My old chief came to see me before and wanted me to put in a good word for him. I agreed."
Xu Feng could withhold some things from his old chief, but when it came to Zhang Beixing, he didn’t dare hide a single thing.
"Kid, you really have grown. Looks like those injuries you took weren’t for nothing. If I’d known, I’d have let you get hurt a bit more."
Hearing this, the scene of him almost falling off the cliff flashed through Xu Feng’s mind. His heart was full of resentment, but he didn’t dare say anything to Zhang Beixing.
"I don’t think it’ll be long before I head back too. When the time comes, I’ll check your eyesight and see if you’ve improved at all."
The moment he heard that Zhang Beixing was coming back, Xu Feng’s face lit up with joy, but as soon as he heard that Beixing was going to test him, his smile froze there before it could fade.
This was exactly what people meant when they said a smile doesn’t disappear, it just moves to someone else’s face. After that, Zhang Beixing briefly asked about the recent situation at home.
Once he confirmed that nothing was out of the ordinary, Zhang Beixing finally hung up.
"Are we leaving soon, Minister?"
Richard, sitting across from Zhang Beixing, had a hint of anticipation on his face.
This wasn’t Richard’s first time going to Great Xia, but it was his first going there with this kind of identity.
Seeing the look on Richard’s face, Zhang Beixing smiled slightly.
"Relax, come with me and I promise you won’t be disappointed."
Richard nodded.
He wasn’t worried about his own safety. What he really worried about was whether he’d be able to keep up with the pace of life at Zhang Beixing’s side once he got there.
With the overseas matters more or less wrapped up, Zhang Beixing and his people headed for the international airport.
Same as before, he was still taking a military transport plane. Before parting, Richard gave his grandfather a big hug and said that once he was settled over there, he’d contact him at the first opportunity.
Probably only at times like this did these so-called upper-class nobles look not all that different from ordinary people.
"Minister... I..."
On the plane back, Leng Bing looked at Zhang Beixing, wanting to say something but holding back.
The scene in front of him made Zhang Beixing think of the first time the two of them chatted in the car on the way back to the country.
"You’re a grown-ass man, just spit it out!"
With that look of utter disdain on Zhang Beixing’s face, Leng Bing couldn’t help but feel a strange sense of déjà vu.
"Why do I feel like I’ve seen this scene somewhere before?"
"Where have I seen it?"
"How can I not remember?"
...
...
Seeing the blank look on Leng Bing’s face, Zhang Beixing couldn’t be bothered with him. He turned his head to the side, getting ready to have a good sleep.
"I just don’t get it, Minister—why did you let that guy go?"
Leng Bing admitted that guy’s strength was strong, but in his eyes, the guy still wasn’t a match for Zhang Beixing.
If Beixing had wanted to kill him back then, it would’ve been as easy as reaching into a bag, so Leng Bing really couldn’t figure out why he’d leave such a hidden danger.
Originally, Zhang Beixing hadn’t planned on explaining, but thinking it over, if he didn’t answer, he probably wouldn’t get any peace for the entire trip.
"Whether I can beat them or not is meaningless. To put it bluntly, there’s no one I can’t beat right now."
What Zhang Beixing said sounded arrogant, but it was the truth.
After all, he was the only Transcendent powerhouse on Blue Star. That Title was no joke.
"But there’s no way I can wipe out every enemy in the world at the same time. Using this guy as your whetstone couldn’t be more fitting."
After this operation, Zhang Beixing realized that compared to the First Squad, the Second Squad’s strength was a bit lacking, and the overall quality of its members was clearly lower.
In the past, Zhang Beixing would’ve disbanded the Second Squad as soon as they got back, and sent those with poor performance or weak strength back to their original units.
But this time, he actually changed his mind. Although the Second Squad’s members weren’t that strong, they each had their own traits.
"So what you mean is, our Second Squad still has a chance to come back here again?"
Even an idiot could hear what he was implying, let alone Leng Bing, who was sharper than most.
Thinking of this, Leng Bing’s expression turned firm. Looking down at the city through the plane window, he made a vow in his heart.
"Just wait. One day I’ll lead the team back here myself and rip your organization’s power out by the roots!"
