So he didn’t wait for Nangong Bing, who also seemed reluctant to go back with Lin Zifeng, which saved him some trouble.
By the afternoon, when he appeared again at the Sand Castle in the suburbs of Zhonghai City with Black Hawk, it seemed that Elder Long had been waiting for a long time.
Upon seeing Lin Zifeng, the old man nearly jumped up and scolded him for making him, a CIA head, wait at Sand Castle for several hours. If it were anyone else, they might have been scared to death, but he appeared very indifferent.
"Kid, I’ve been waiting for you for hours, and you seem pretty relaxed," Long Zaitian said as he fiercely slapped his shoulder twice.
"Uh, heh heh, there were some issues at home that held me up, please forgive me, sir," Lin Zifeng said, lowering his head and touching his nose somewhat embarrassedly.
"You can’t adjust for family matters? You think you’re busier than me?"
"Hehe, I wonder what urgent matter Dragon Head has for me today?"
"You kid, playing dumb with me again? Don’t act all confused when you know exactly what’s going on," Long Zaitian scolded with a laugh. After seemingly cooling down his anger, he led Lin Zifeng towards the interior of Sand Castle, and said earnestly, "Now that you’re the leader of the Shadow Group, it’s been several days. How come you haven’t shown your face? Don’t tell me you don’t have the time; I’m sick of hearing that old excuse."
"Dragon Head, I think I might really not be cut out for leading the Shadow Group. Perhaps you should let Yunfei take over. I’m used to being idle; I’m afraid I won’t handle this well. Yunfei seems quite capable; I think it’s better to leave the Shadow Group to him."
While saying this, Lin Zifeng had already considered that when Long Zaitian established the Shadow Group, he hadn’t informed him at all. He had completely become the leader of the Shadow Group in a baffling manner.
More importantly, the only reason Long Zaitian wanted Lin Zifeng to lead the Shadow Group was to use him as a puppet, to allow his own grandson to join the Shadow Group, and in the end, for Lin Zifeng to unwittingly aid them—a perfect two birds, one stone scenario. Moreover, Lin Zifeng was now under the influence of the CIA, with absolutely no power to refuse.
"Kid, you’re selling yourself short. With your capabilities, are you really afraid you can’t lead the Shadow Group? With me, Long Zaitian, as your Discover more novels on NovelHub - your gateway to endless stories. Don’t you want to establish your own power? Don’t you want to rule over all the Underground Forces of Huaxia? As long as you nurture the Shadow Group with the strong Discover more novels on NovelHub - your gateway to endless stories. You need to have confidence and be determined to do well in everything. Do you really want to see me, Long Zaitian, ridiculed by those bastards in Dragon Team every day? Sure, Dragon Team is powerful, but our CIA is not weak either. Besides, we’re fostering you guys in the Shadow Group. Who will dare mock our CIA as just intelligence gatherers then?"
Heh heh, of course, your old man would say that, but in the end, I fought the world for you, and yet you buried me.
Lin Zifeng sneered internally.
"But I’m afraid I don’t have the capability," Lin Zifeng said humbly.
"Kid, if you talk to me , it’s really not your style. Remember, the first time you met me, you definitely didn’t have this attitude or demeanor. Don’t dismiss all my hard work; I think highly of you. I’ve gone to great lengths to bring all these hidden experts in Zhonghai City together. You wouldn’t want to see me embarrass myself, would you?" The old man scowled, looking as if he would drop dead if Lin Zifeng didn’t agree.
"Since Dragon Head trusts me so much, I’ll speak plainly. If I am to take charge of the Shadow Group, they must listen to me, and I must have the authority to control their actions, even when assigning any missions. I hope Dragon Head can agree to this."
In fact, Lin Zifeng already had a plan in mind. Now that Long Zaitian had let him take over the Shadow Group, a nominal position with real talent? What’s more, Lin Zifeng also wanted to use the CIA’s power to complete his own scheme. Without forces he could command, he would just be a figurehead.
"Oh?!" After hearing Lin Zifeng’s words, the old man’s snow-white eyebrows involuntarily twisted upward, seemingly also scheming something.
"So, how do you want to manage the Shadow Group?" the old man asked with a forced and strained smile.
"Since Dragon Head wants the Shadow Group to rival Dragon Team, you surely understand the difficulty better than I do. Therefore, without some training, it is very difficult for these men to meet my expectations. I won’t hide this from Dragon Head; out of these four hundred people, at least half might die during their training, which might even be more severe than we anticipate."
"You want to use these people for training? What kind of training?" Long Zaitian seemed to have realized that this young man was full of cunning plans, probably not settling for anything less than a profitable deal before agreeing.
"You just need to agree, Dragon Head. Give me three years, and I will surpass Dragon Team!" Lin Zifeng responded confidently, his eyes blazing with determination.
But Long Zaitian just watched him coldly, and after a while, he chuckled dryly, "Kid, I’ve waited thirty years for this day. It’s easy to boast, but don’t set your goal too high. Do you know how formidable Dragon Team is? It’s not just something you talk about. Even if I gave you ten years, it would still be difficult to reach Dragon Team’s level."
It wasn’t that Long Zaitian underestimated him; in fact, he valued this young man highly, but comparing him to Dragon Team was not just a matter of being a notch below.
"Heh, since Dragon Head himself has so little confidence in me, how dare I take the helm of the Shadow Group? Maybe you should let Yunfei do it. I think he’s much better equipped in this area, plus with his grandfather steering the CIA, it shouldn’t take long to rival Dragon Team, right?" Lin Zifeng sneered mockingly.
"You! You think you can outsmart me, kid? Fine! I agree to your terms. I’ll give you three years to see if the Shadow Group can surpass Dragon Team. If three years isn’t enough, I’ll give you five!"
Long Zaitian, riled up by the cheeky young man, slapped his hand and agreed on the spot, only to realize later that he had fallen into Lin Zifeng’s trap...