Chapter 130
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“Comrade Lou Yan, do you have any ideas for dealing with the ‘Water Ghost’?”
Director Lin looked hopefully at Lou Yan. Even without what Fu Xuezhou said, he had quite a lot of faith in Lou Yan’s abilities.
Lou Yan put the disconnected phone back in his pocket, standing tall and handsome. Without any hesitation, he said, “I do have some ideas. Director Lin, before we came here for the meeting, we encountered the ‘Water Ghost’ once. My assistant, Qin Feng, was targeted by the ‘Water Ghost,’ but we managed to rescue him from its grasp. During the rescue, I found that I could see the ‘Water Ghost’ underwater. The most difficult thing about capturing the ‘Water Ghost’ is that it’s invisible and intangible underwater. But as long as we can see it, there’s a good chance of dealing with it.”
Lou Yan’s [Crisis Perception] reminded him of the presence of the ‘Water Ghost’ within two hundred meters, while [True Sight] allowed him to see the exact location of the ‘Water Ghost.’ These two abilities complemented each other, making them powerful tools to suppress the ‘Water Ghost.’
Moreover, Lou Yan also had the experience of previous lifetimes.
Director Lin stood up abruptly, his eyes filled with excitement, “Really?”
He immediately looked at Lin You, who nodded and said, “The comrade who fell into the water has been taken to rest. He should have woken up by now. Do you want me to bring him over?”
“Go!” Director Lin said immediately, “Bring this assistant comrade over! He’s the first person to escape from the ‘Water Ghost,’ and I have some questions for him!”
Lou Yan smiled and said, “I also need to speak with him. Lin You, could you please fetch him? Just let him know I’m here and tell him to come over.”
Lin You agreed and left the office.
Director Lin turned to Lou Yan and said solemnly, “Comrade Lou Yan, could you please tell me in detail about the encounter with the ‘Water Ghost’?”
…
As Lou Yan and Director Lin recounted their encounter with the “Water Ghost,” Lin You also arrived at the lounge.
Qin Feng had indeed woken up. At this moment, he was sitting on the sofa in a daze, looking like he was in a trance. His usually intelligent face now appeared extremely dull, almost like that of a fool.
On the single sofa opposite him, Little Yu was holding an orange, swinging her legs curiously as she looked at Qin Feng.
Lin You walked over to invite Qin Feng to the office. Qin Feng took a while to come back to his senses. He reached out somewhat absentmindedly to adjust his glasses, but upon realizing they weren’t there, he withdrew his hand. Qin Feng forced a smile and stood up, saying, “Oh, okay, lead the way, comrade.”
As they walked out, Qin Feng stopped after just a few steps. Lin You turned to look at him. “Assistant Qin, did you forget something?”
Qin Feng calmly forced a slightly embarrassed smile. “Comrade, it’s just that my legs went weak.”
Lin You: “…”
Lin You glanced down and saw Qin Feng’s legs frantically swinging. Qin Feng chuckled twice and calmly said, “Could you please support me?”
Helpless, Lin You had to support Qin Feng as they walked out together. Qin Feng cleared his throat and asked with a tone that tried to maintain calm but sounded quite nervous, “Comrade, is there really… such things as ghosts in this world?”
Lin You looked at him sympathetically, remembering his own expression when he first learned about the existence of anomalies in this world, which was also a collapse of his worldview. “There are ‘ghosts,’ but we call them anomalies. All terrifying species such as abnormal monsters, terrifying curses, ghostly creatures, and zombies are referred to as anomalies.”
Qin Feng’s face turned even paler. “Oh, so ghosts really exist…”
The two of them walked out of the lounge unsteadily, leaving only Little Yu alone inside.
Little Yu glanced at the closed door, not feeling bored at all. She swung her legs and began to carefully peel the orange in her hands.
The yellow peel fell off bit by bit, and Little Yu’s small fingers got some orange juice on them. She patiently continued to peel off the white veins from the orange flesh. At that moment, the window of the lounge suddenly opened.
Little Yu looked up and saw a red-haired girl flipping in from the window, soaking wet and stepping on the clean floor of the lounge with muddy shoes without any hesitation. The girl shook off the rainwater from her body, making the surrounding walls and curtains messy. “Rainy days are so annoying. I really don’t want to go out in this kind of weather! D*mn it, Ye Ruan is so annoying, always bossing people around!”
This girl with red hair looked only two or three years older than Little Yu, at most in her early teens. She chewed gum in her mouth, wearing a red and green grimacing mask behind her head. Her immature and delicate face was full of mature indifference. Surprisingly, she was wearing a black primary school uniform in such cold weather. Little Yu looked at this girl curiously, tilting her head as she walked over from the sofa.
The red-haired girl noticed Little Yu at this moment. She instinctively drew a dagger from her waist, but after seeing that Little Yu was just a little girl, she rolled her eyes exaggeratedly and said in a speechless tone, “Ah, what the heck, isn’t it said that there’s no one in this room? How come there’s a little kid here!”
Little Yu earnestly gestured in sign language towards the red-haired girl, “I’m not a little kid. Who are you? Why did you break into the window? This is the second floor, it’s very dangerous for you to do this.”
The red-haired girl looked at Little Yu’s sign language, paused for a moment, and then burst into laughter. “Hahaha, so you’re a little mute. Hey, little mute, what are you doing here?”
Little Yu’s black and white eyes looked at the red-haired girl cleanly. Suddenly, she turned around and ran back to the sofa to grab the towel that Qin Feng had just used to wipe off the rain. Then, she hurried back and handed it to the little girl, gesturing for her to wipe off the rainwater.
Even without sign language, the red-haired girl understood Little Yu’s intention.
The red-haired girl curled her lip, taking the towel. After noticing some orange juice stains on it from Little Yu’s hands, she grumbled, “It’s so dirty,” but still wiped the water stains off her hair and clothes. As she wiped, she said, “Hey, mute girl, you’re pretty good-tempered! You still haven’t answered my question. Why are you staying here?”
Little Yu blinked and used sign language to say, “My name is Little Yu, and I’ve always been here.”
But the red-haired girl didn’t understand. “Oh dear, what are you trying to say? I don’t understand sign language.”
Little Yu put her hands down, feeling a bit awkward. Seeing Little Yu’s confusion, the red-haired girl glanced at her towel and said dismissively, “Forget it, forget it. Just pretend you never saw me, got it?”
The red-haired girl’s eyes narrowed, and she leaned closer to Little Yu, holding the dagger in her hand and gesturing at Little Yu’s neck. She threatened fiercely, “Mute girl, if you tell anyone you saw me here, I’ll stab this knife into your neck!”
Little Yu let out a soft “Ah,” her big eyes widening in fear. The red-haired girl smiled and withdrew the dagger, crossing her arms with a playful grin. “Then I’ll take that as a yes.”
Little Yu touched her neck and nodded vigorously. Then, suddenly, she reached out and split the orange in her hand into two halves, offering the other clean half to the red-haired girl.
The red-haired girl looked strangely at the orange in Little Yu’s hand, then at Little Yu’s sincere expression. She asked with a subtle expression, “Why are you giving me the orange?”
Little Yu made a gesture of eating. But when she saw that the red-haired girl didn’t respond, she tilted her head in confusion. She thought the girl might not like the orange, so Little Yu took a bite of her own half. The sweet taste made Little Yu squint with delight. Holding out the other half of the orange again, Little Yu tried to open her mouth and mouthed, “Sweet!”
The red-haired girl hesitated for a long time. Although she shouldn’t have accepted it, she inexplicably reached out and took the orange from Little Yu’s hand. “Uh… thank you,” she said reluctantly.
The two girls stood facing each other and finished eating the orange. After eating, the atmosphere became much better than before. The red-haired girl glanced at Little Yu several times. “Little mute, what’s your name?”
Little Yu was about to gesture her name, but then she remembered that this girl wouldn’t understand sign language. She looked around and suddenly ran to the window, pointing at the rain outside and making a sound. The red-haired girl immediately understood and said, “Is your name Little Yu?”
Little Yu nodded earnestly and pointed at the girl.
“You’re asking for my name?” The red-haired girl put away the dagger, looked Little Yu up and down critically, and then smirked, pointing at her own face. “I’m a bad person, you still want to know my name?”
Little Yu nodded.
“Then you should remember the name of this great person. I’m Xia Wu, a very powerful person.” Xia Wu raised her chin. “Little mute, I’m leaving. Remember, don’t tell anyone you’ve seen me, or I won’t let you off!”
Little Yu obediently nodded.
Xia Wu smiled brightly at Little Yu, then lightly and briskly opened the door of the lounge. The ghost mask behind her head swayed. The exaggerated and anomaly appearance of the mask made people shudder inexplicably. After opening the door, Xia Wu turned around, waved to Little Yu, and closed the door as she walked out.
Little Yu stood still for a moment, then cautiously approached the door, carefully opened it, and saw Xia Wu’s red hair leaving a trace in the left corridor. Then, it disappeared.
She pursed her lips thoughtfully.
….
In the team leader’s office, Lin Feng also understood what had happened earlier.
After understanding everything clearly, Lin Feng’s confidence in Lou Yan’s ability to deal with the “water ghost” increased even more. He was energized and invited Lou Yan to be the overall commander for this operation to eliminate the “water ghost”. After thinking for a moment, Lou Yan agreed. Just as Lin Feng was about to thank Lou Yan, Lou Yan surprised him once again.
“Qin Feng is my assistant, and he’s been responsible for stocking up supplies,” Lou Yan said. “I have three large supermarkets in Chengjiang City under my name, and the warehouses supplying these three supermarkets are distributed everywhere. The items in the warehouses are replenished every month, and it just so happened that there was a replenishment shortly before the ‘water ghost’ incident. Therefore, the warehouses are full of supplies, including many water props and thermal equipment…”
“…The supplies are probably enough for the entire population of Chengjiang City to hold out for ten days. In the current situation, I hope the Anomaly Control Bureau can deploy armed forces to assist me in selling these supplies. Rest assured, I won’t profit from disasters. The prices of these supplies will remain the same as before the ‘water ghost’ incident, and Assistant Qin and you will be in charge of the specifics.”
At this point, Qin Feng had already returned to his usual elite assistant appearance. He stepped forward appropriately and said, “Team Leader Lin, if you have any doubts, please feel free to contact me.”
While his face remained calm, Qin Feng couldn’t help but ponder in his heart. Had the boss already prepared to use those supplies here?
Although Lou Yan owned three large supermarkets, the number of warehouses prepared by Lou Yan under the guise of “supplying supermarket goods” far exceeded the amount of goods needed for three large supermarkets.
Especially the various survival props in these warehouses, as well as a certain proportion of water props such as kayaks, inflatable boats, lifebuoys, etc., seemed to have been prepared for today.
Even the location of the warehouses—Lou Yan had previously requested Qin Feng to choose warehouses in high places or build them high.
But even with doubts in his mind, Qin Feng didn’t say anything. After all, it concerned the dignity of the boss. As a qualified subordinate, Qin Feng never questioned Lou Yan’s various decisions and statements in front of outsiders.
Lin Feng repeatedly said “good” several times, too excited to express his feelings in words. His eyes were slightly red, and he held Lou Yan’s hands tightly, saying, “Comrade Lou Yan, thank you so much, I really have to thank you!”
Lou Yan smiled faintly. “Team Leader Lin, there’s no need to thank me. We’re just each taking what we need, and I don’t have to worry about not being able to sell the stuff.”
Everyone in the entire office knew that he was being modest. In this situation, let alone not being able to sell the stuff, even if Lou Yan increased the price tenfold, there would still be a crowd waving banknotes to buy.
Lou Yan raised his hand to look at his watch. “It’s almost an hour. Team Leader Lin, let’s go back to the meeting room first.”
Team Leader Lin personally escorted Lou Yan out. After Lou Yan and his team disappeared, Team Leader Lin closed the door and sighed suddenly.
Lin You was puzzled. “Team Leader, everything is developing in a positive direction. Why are you sighing?”
Lin Feng didn’t speak, just silently walked to the desk and sat down, slowly picked up the insulated cup on the table, his wrinkled hands fiddling with the lid. Suddenly, he asked, “Lin You, do you think Lou Yan is trustworthy?”
Lin You was even more puzzled. After thinking about it, he nodded affirmatively, “I think Comrade Lou Yan can be trusted. Whether as a person or in his work, he is extremely outstanding.”
Hearing Lin You’s high praise for Lou Yan, Lin Feng sighed heavily again, with a heavy look on his face. “But Lou Yan’s ability to foresee the future is beyond my imagination.”
Lin You was puzzled. “Team Leader?”
Team Leader Lin slowly unscrewed the lid of the insulated cup and took a sip of water. The joyous expression on his face turned into seriousness. “After reading the amusement park report you wrote earlier, although I found Lou Yan’s ability to foresee the future amazing and intimidating, I originally thought that even if Lou Yan could foresee the future, it would only be for a short time. But did you hear what Lou Yan just said? The goods in his supermarkets and warehouses were clearly prepared for the present, and his ability to see the future far exceeds the time I imagined.”
Lin You hesitated. “Team Leader, are you overthinking?”
Team Leader Lin smiled bitterly twice, speaking with emphasis, “We, in our position, anyone can afford to think less, except us. If Lou Yan can see the future for a long time, then his talent is too terrifying… He even said he can see the ‘water ghost’ that others can’t see, which proves that he has more than just the ability to see the future. Apart from these two abilities, I suspect he also has other abilities that we haven’t observed… Lou Yan, this person, must be guarded against.”
Lin You furrowed his brows tightly. “Team Leader, Comrade Lou Yan has helped us a lot. I think he’s trustworthy.”
“Lin You, you have to understand… When a person is powerful, he becomes our hero, but when a person is too powerful, he becomes an unstable disaster for people,” Team Leader Lin said heavily, “A person who is too powerful means there are no limits. Every thought and idea he has may cost countless lives… Don’t say anything for now, Lin You. I know you’ve already treated Lou Yan as your friend and believe he wouldn’t do anything to harm innocent people, but what if? Can you guarantee that he will always be righteous? Can you ensure that every action and every idea of his will receive positive responses? Can you ensure that he won’t do something harmful to the country and the people for a personal good intention?”
Lin You was speechless at being spoken to like this, but although he didn’t say anything, his straight back and tightly furrowed brows still stubbornly expressed his disagreement.
Team Leader Lin’s face became stern, and he said each word slowly and emphatically, “I know what I’m saying sounds ruthless, but Lin You, you have to understand what burdens we carry! If even we don’t guard against them, who else can? Lou Yan is very powerful, and he has helped us a lot, but as I just said, he… must be guarded against! Others can completely trust powerful individuals like Lou Yan, but you! But I! cannot! Even if you trust them again and are close to them again, you must keep a guard in your heart and be prepared to deal with them at any time. Do you understand?”
Lin You faced the suddenly assertive Team Leader Lin, his facial lines tightening considerably. Under the gaze of Team Leader Lin, he nodded slowly.
Team Leader Lin nodded with satisfaction. After a moment of contemplation, he continued, “But compared to Lou Yan, the person we should be more wary of is this young man named Fu Xuezhou. This person gives me a sense of danger; he’s too strong, too unpredictable, and too uncontrollable. Lin You, you must find a way to establish contact with Fu Xuezhou, not only to investigate his strength but also to monitor his actions. Lou Yan is still trustworthy, but Fu Xuezhou is likely to lack Lou Yan’s sense of responsibility and morality!”
Upon hearing this, Lin You immediately replied solemnly, “Yes.”
Team Leader Lin furrowed his brows, his mood not easing.
He recalled the conversation between Lou Yan and Fu Xuezhou just now. The relationship between these two individuals was probably not simple either.
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