"Boss, I'm so touched. Wuwuwu, you really are my good boss..."
Chong Ming was just about to hug Shen You'an's leg, but was ruthlessly kicked away by Shen You'an.
"Stay away from me," Shen You'an said dismissively.
"Boss, I didn't expect you to be in Spring City too. Did you come here specifically to save me? Looks like we're really connected on a spiritual level."
Shen You'an couldn't be bothered to respond and turned around to leave.
Chong Ming quickly trotted after him, "Boss, you stirred up Bo Jiao for me today. He definitely won't let you off. What should we do? Should we elope instead?"
Shen You'an glanced at him and squinted, "Elope?"
Chong Ming quickly raised his little hand, "Boss, I was wrong. I'm unfamiliar with people and places here in Spring City; please don't leave me behind alone."
Shen You'an dragged him back to the hotel and pointed at the sofa in the living room, "You're sleeping here tonight."
Chong Ming ran over to the wine cabinet and started rummaging through it, "What kind of lousy wine is this."
He found a bottle of red wine that looked decent, and while skillfully decanting it, he said, "Boss, this is the second time you've saved me now. From now on, my life is yours. If you want me to walk through fire, I won't back down. But right now, the tricky thing is, Gouchen is a guy who holds grudges. What do we do next?"
After a long silence, Chong Ming turned his head and saw the girl sitting in front of the computer, her hands clattering away at the keyboard. The screen was filled with code he couldn't understand.
Damn, the boss is actually a hacker.
On the computer screen, a surveillance video appeared. The footage seemed to come from a hospital's security camera. Soon, Bo Jiao walked out of the hospital, his left eye covered with bandages.
Outside the hospital doors, Bo Jiao cursed furiously. Chong Ming happened to be able to understand some lip-reading.
He was saying: —A Class C mercenary dares to fight me? Like an egg smashing against a rock, overestimating herself. I'll make her regret ever being born.
Bo Jiao pulled out his phone and dialed a number.
—I want all the information on Danhuang. Right now.
At this moment, a sedan stopped in front of Bo Jiao. He got into the car, and it sped away.
Chong Ming looked worried. "Boss, the road ahead is dangerous."
Shen You'an, however, seemed completely unbothered, "That's all it takes to scare you?"
Chong Ming looked at the girl in front of him, her unremarkable appearance framed by black-rimmed glasses. Yet he knew how terrifying she truly was.
PT, as the world's most elite security group, housed countless top-tier mercenaries within its ranks. The hierarchy inside was strict, dividing mercenaries into Class A, B, C, and D.
The tasks assigned to these mercenaries varied as well. Class D mercenaries handled simple security work. Class C, slightly higher up, were typically assigned to be bodyguards for celebrities and wealthy business people. Class B mercenaries guarded VIPs, billionaires, and significant figures in prominent families. Class A mercenaries dealt with matters beyond an ordinary person's imagination.
Every December, the organization hosted a promotion tournament. The rules were brutal—successful promotion meant greater status and benefits. Thus, every junior mercenary fought tooth and nail to climb up and enter a higher rank.
Chong Ming remembered his first year in PT, during the promotion tournament, when he let his guard down and got stabbed in the back.
At the critical moment, a little dwarf rushed in out of nowhere and saved him.
The dwarf, though short and frail, was quick and precise, successfully getting promoted to Class C shortly after.
PT was a security company that highly valued privacy, including the privacy of its mercenaries. Every mercenary received a code name upon entering the organization, which from then on became the name they used to face the world.
Later, Chong Ming discovered that the dwarf's code name was Danhuang.
PT had an internal operating system designed specifically for communication among personnel. Rumor had it that it was developed by a top hacker and could withstand all global virus attacks.
The PT system functioned as a microcosmic world. By inputting a code name, as long as the other party hadn't hidden their status, you could see their recent activities and add them as friends upon approval.
Class C and D mercenaries had no authority to choose assignments; they had to wait for their superiors to dole them out. However, Class A and B mercenaries could actively select tasks from the system's bounty board. Some of these tasks were extremely dangerous, offering high rewards but also coming with a steep price—which often meant risking death.
For years, Chong Ming had been stuck at Class C, finding it nearly impossible to advance further.
A few days ago, he was assigned to Spring City to protect a wealthy businessperson. Unfortunately, that businessman suddenly died under mysterious circumstances. PT's judicial group ruled that Chong Ming had colluded with the businessman's enemies and leaked his whereabouts, leading to his death—a grave betrayal within the organization. The judicial group ordered his arrest.
While fleeing and hiding, Chong Ming uncovered discrepancies. It turned out high-ranking PT officials had collaborated with outsiders to embezzle the businessman's assets, while he, a nondescript Class C mercenary, had been framed as the scapegoat.
Shen You'an listened silently as the story unfolded, tapping her fingers lightly on the desk, her expression unreadable.
Chong Ming stole a nervous glance at her. "Boss, I swear I'm innocent. I have evidence."
Shen You'an glanced at him.
Chong Ming took off his shoe. An odd smell began wafting through the room.
Shen You'an furrowed her brows.
Chong Ming chuckled awkwardly, pulling a USB drive out from beneath the insole of his shoe.
Shen You'an took a step back. "You do it yourself."
Chong Ming plugged the USB drive into the computer, opening the files. Inside were several video clips and photos.
One photo showed two people walking out of a tea house one after the other.
Shen You'an stared at the slightly blurry figures in the photo and calmly uttered a name.
"That's him! I checked; he's been coveting Feng Group for a long time. After Feng Chi's death, Feng Group immediately fell into chaos. Xie Beichun took advantage of the situation, trying to divvy up Feng Group's assets."
Chong Ming pointed at another photo, showing a man dressed inconspicuously. "I even caught him meeting with Bo Jiao in secret."
As he spoke, he pulled out a blurry picture where even recognizing their faces was a stretch. Identifying anyone clearly was almost miraculous.
Shen You'an glanced at him, "Not bad—at least you know how to keep evidence."
Chong Ming chuckled, "I learned that from you, Boss. Always be prepared."
After finishing, Chong Ming spoke again, worriedly, "Boss, Bo Jiao is one of Gouchen's men. Gouchen oversees Class B mercenaries and wields substantial authority. If he's colluding with Xie Beichun to betray Feng Chi, we won't stand a chance against them."
"No rush. The enemy is in the open; we are in the shadows."
"But..." But Boss, you've already revealed your identity. Bo Jiao is now mobilizing people to dig into your background.
Shen You'an maintained a faint smile on her face, her slender fingers rhythmically tapping the desk, exuding an air of calmness.
"I remember Feng Chi had a son, didn't he?"