Chapter 456: 310, Wise Man
The first floor of the villa was very spacious, especially the long dining table in the dining room, which could accommodate 16 people.
When buying the house, Hu Xiaoniu was most satisfied with this dining table; he thought it would be interesting if the brothers and sisters from the Daytime organization could gather every day for meals and laughter.
At that moment, the Daytime members were sitting on the north side of the rectangular dining table, while Luo Wanya sat alone on the south side.
This local tycoon from Los Angeles City, looking at the serious expressions of the Time Travelers across from him, suddenly felt as if he were about to be interrogated.
To tell the truth, he had been “cleansed” for a long time and had not been interrogated in years. The days of living on the edge were long gone.
The scene before him even gave him the illusion that his youth had returned.
Hu Xiaoniu asked, “The place where you just traveled back in time, in City 18, describe its characteristics.”
Luo Wanya said, “I remember it very clearly. I was walking on the street when I traveled back. I saw a group of dolphins jumping overhead, next to a Mitsui department store. The surrounding skyscrapers were so tall that I couldn’t see their tops even if I craned my neck.”
The scene had made such a big impact on Luo Wanya that he couldn’t forget it.
Hu Xiaoniu continued to ask, “The people who detained you, what language did they speak in private?”
“Mandarin, they never spoke a foreign language,” Luo Wanya replied.
Hu Xiaoniu: “Do you know where they took you?”
At this point, Zhang Tianzhen spoke up, “General Luo, we were hoping to get some useful information from you, but you don’t know anything. How can we help you? Why don’t you return first? We need to report this situation back to our boss.”
Hu Xiaoniu wanted to say something, but Zhang Tianzhen stepped on his foot under the table.
Luo Wanya, with a troubled expression, said, “You can’t just leave me alone. I’ve asked many Time Travelers for help, none could assist. I’ve heard about Zhang Chengze’s experiences, and I know there are big figures in your Daytime organization. Please help me out; we can discuss the compensation… Also, while I was detained, I often heard the sound of a subway passing very close by underfoot.”
“Let’s do this. We need to discuss it with our boss first,” said Zhang Tianzhen. “General Luo, you should return for now.”
Yet suddenly, Luo Wanya turned to look at Qing Chen, “Please, help me. I am quite reliable.”
Everyone paused for a moment.
Throughout the meeting, Qing Chen had been silent, head bowed, and now Luo Wanya sought him directly instead of speaking further with Zhang Tianzhen!
Qing Chen calmly smiled and said, “Why speak to me about this matter? I’m not in charge. They didn’t even look at me when they spoke; how can you be sure that talking to me would be useful?”
“I hope you all don’t blame me,” Luo Wanya hesitated: “I wasn’t a good person back then, I’ve encountered many fierce people. Your Daytime organization might be formidable, but everyone here still exudes a bit of naivety. Only you have that tough demeanor, the kind people in our circle would rather not provoke.”
Qing Chen was somewhat surprised; he hadn’t expected Luo Wanya to have some real skill, to have survived those times and made it ashore showed he wasn’t simple.
He stood up and said, “General Luo, we really need to report this matter to our boss. Please go back for now, and later Zhang Tianzhen will continue to coordinate with you.”
“All right,” Luo Wanya seemingly thought of something, immediately smiling broadly as he stood up to leave.
When he left, he left the keys to the two Maybach S-Class cars behind.
After General Luo’s departure, Zhang Tianzhen wondered, “Why is he suddenly so cheerful? The deal didn’t go through, yet he left behind two car keys. Isn’t he afraid of losing out?”
Qing Chen thoughtfully said, “He is indeed a crafty person.”
“How so?” Zhang Tianzhen asked curiously.
“He realized that you were specifically in charge of driving up the price,” Qing Chen explained. “If I had asked Hu Xiaoniu to contact him, it might have meant that there was little hope for his case, but if I asked you to negotiate, it’s just a matter of not reaching the right price yet. He doesn’t care about money, only his life.”
Zhang Tianzhen silently acknowledged, having learned something new.
Qing Chen looked at Hu Xiaoniu and Zhang Tianzhen: “This time, don’t set the price too high. This man might be useful to our Daytime in the future, as we need someone who can deal skillfully in the black market, a gathering place for intelligence.”
The others exchanged looks; Qing Chen seemed to be planning to recruit Luo Wanya.
Zhang Tianzhen curiously asked, “Brother Chen, Luo Wanya provided so little information. Can we really find him?”
“Don’t worry, the boss will have a way,” Qing Chen responded.
In the Inner World, whether it was finding Su Xingzhi, Li Dongze, or Zero, locating someone was much easier than in the Outer World.
The first night in their new home was not peaceful; the fathers of Hu Xiaoniu and Zhang Tianzhen each sent housewarming gifts; both were quite practical, each giving a statue of the Golden Buddha.
Zhang Chengze also sent a statue of Guan Gong carved from rosewood.
Not only these few, but others who sought protection from Daytime and had favors to ask also brought gifts.
Finding the new base of Daytime wasn’t difficult for them.
Throughout the night, the villa’s doorstep was crowded with luxury cars and gift bearers, continuing nonstop until 10 p.m. when things finally quieted down.