Free Web NovelChapter 366: Chapter 277: How Can a Dignified Second Order High Rank Cultivator Be Bullied Like This?
The head of the intelligence department, who had been reprimanded by Steward Zhang earlier, had now completely calmed down. Hearing that his most capable subordinate was going to verify Lin Li’s cultivation level—believing his strength was only at the Second Order Middle Stage—he couldn’t help but frown.
"Although I doubt that young man named Lin Li is a Second Order High Rank Cultivator.
But since you’ve decided to test him, you must prioritize your own safety. If things go south, don’t force a confrontation.
After all, that’s Superpower Administration Bureau territory. Be careful not to let them get on your trail and expose your identity."
"..."
After hearing his superior’s words, Li Ying lifted his free left hand and gently touched the wound on his chest.
Although the wound on his chest had been treated and covered with ointment, and the pain had eased considerably after a night of rest, it still hurt at his light touch.
He let out a long breath. "Boss," he said to his superior, "the Superpower Administration Bureau came for me yesterday."
"What?"
One moment he was reminding his subordinate to be careful not to expose his identity. The next, he heard that same subordinate say he’d been targeted by the Superpower Administration Bureau yesterday. The news left the head of the intelligence department stunned for a moment.
Li Ying recounted in detail to his superior how Investigators had come to arrest him last night and how he had managed to escape.
Finally, he added, "Boss, I suspect someone sold me out. Otherwise, with how well I was hidden, there’s no way those Investigators from the Superpower Administration Bureau could have found me."
The head of the intelligence department leaned back in his office chair, raised a hand to rub the bridge of his nose, and said, "Since you suspect someone sold you out, do you have any suspects or related evidence?"
"Uh, well, I don’t have any suspects or evidence for now..."
"If you don’t have any suspects or evidence, don’t say this to anyone else. Sowing discord is something our Canglan Society strictly forbids and will absolutely not tolerate..."
"Yes, I know. That’s why I’m only telling you, Boss! Once I’ve recovered, my first step will be to find a way to root out the person who betrayed me.
Then I’ll go verify if that young man, Lin Li, is a Second Order High Rank Cultivator."
"Alright. Then you should focus on resting and recovering for a while." Knowing that Li Ying was injured, the head of the intelligence department didn’t press him to complete the assigned task quickly. After this final instruction, he hung up the phone.
After ending the call with his boss, Li Ying tossed his phone onto the spring mattress. He got up, walked to the cabin window, and pulled back a corner of the curtain.
Bright sunlight poured into the dim room through the gap in the curtain, casting a patch of light on the floor.
Looking at the beautiful, clear sky outside, he muttered to himself, ’I really slept like the dead. To think I slept until high noon.’
A few farmers appeared in the distant fields, plastic pesticide sprayers strapped to their backs. They walked among the rows and began to spray their crops.
When Li Ying saw the farmers walking toward his cabin, he immediately pulled the curtain shut. The cabin, which had just brightened up a little, was instantly plunged back into its former dimness.
However, it wasn’t so dark that he couldn’t see. Li Ying crouched down by the spring mattress and pulled a wooden box out from under the bed. freeωebnovēl.c૦m
He opened the wooden box, revealing a stash of self-heating meals. This was what he would have to live on for a while in the cabin.
After all, his escape from the Superpower Administration Bureau’s Investigators yesterday had caused quite a commotion. He knew without a doubt that they would be launching a massive manhunt for him.
Faced with this situation, as an elite member of the intelligence department, hiding and laying low was the most logical choice.
...
「Qiong City.」
「A little after two in the afternoon.」
A black SUV drove along the coastal highway. The sea breeze blowing off the ocean rushed in through the open windows, whipping through the hair of the two passengers and making their clothes flap noisily.
Su Yue gazed at the boundless, azure sea in the distance and suddenly shouted out the window.
"Ahhhh—!"
Lin Li was driving them back to the hotel. When he heard Su Yue shout at the distant sea from the passenger seat, he glanced over at her and said with a smile.
"Don’t be so bummed out. The botanical garden closed temporarily because of an unexpected situation. There’s nothing we can do about it."
After shouting at the sea, Su Yue’s gloomy mood eased considerably. She turned her head to look at Lin Li and said.
"The botanical garden was open as usual yesterday. It would have been great if we’d known in advance that it was going to close for a while starting today.
If we had, we could have changed our itinerary to go to the botanical garden first and visit the other places later."
Hearing this, Lin Li shook his head and said, "How could we have known that in advance? It’s not like we could have been that lucky. Besides, their decision to close the garden was last-minute...
Actually, if you look at it from another angle, not being able to visit the botanical garden might not be a bad thing.
We took a boat out on the sea this morning, and the round trip took over two hours. It was actually pretty tiring.
Since our afternoon plans are canceled, it’s a good chance to go back to the hotel, get some proper rest, and save up our energy for tomorrow. That’s not so bad, either..."
