"It really ran off on its own! I wanted it to lose weight, so I didn't give it anything to eat. It got hungry and climbed over the wall. This is the fourth time this month it's gotten lost," Charlotte explained hastily. "I happened to see you, so I wanted to ask. A few friends and I are concerned about this matter."
"I can't give you an answer about what you're talking about right now. Take the cat and go," Jiang Ye said, very tired.
Charlotte quickly ran to the door, stuffed the big orange cat into the carrier, and scurried away as if she were a thief.
Jiang Ye watched her leave, frowning. Villas in the hot spring area were incredibly expensive. For Charlotte to live here, she had to be wealthy. But why had he never heard of her? Was she an alien immigrant?
He could ask Isabella about it later, as anyone living in the hot spring area was likely to be a member of the Binhai City wealthy club.
As soon as Jiang Ye got home and sat down, intending to continue reading his genetic test report, his phone rang.
It was Liu Jizi calling.
"Hello? What is it?" Jiang Ye answered.
"I've been wanting to report to you about the matter you entrusted me with, but you've been working in the remote control cabin, so I haven't had the chance. I just saw your missing cat notice and knew you were free now," Liu Jizi said.
"Is it about the bonds?" Jiang Ye asked.
"It's not about the bonds, it's about the gold bars," Liu Jizi replied.
Jiang Ye suddenly remembered. He had privately given Liu Jizi two gold bars earlier to deliver to Feng Zhi Shuang.
This was actually a test.
"Did she accept them?" Jiang Ye asked.
"She asked me what I meant, and I said it was just a small token. She asked if anyone else knew, and I said no," Liu Jizi said. "Then she hesitated for a moment and accepted them."
Jiang Ye was utterly disappointed.
She couldn't withstand such a simple test; she was bought off with two small gold bars.
From now on, he would have to be wary of Feng Zhi Shuang. She wasn't as reliable as she seemed. Jiang Ye decided to gradually reclaim some of the authority he had delegated to her or find ways to supervise her. This was the first time Jiang Ye had misjudged someone; he had thought Feng Zhi Shuang was very dependable.
"Okay, I understand," Jiang Ye said.
After hanging up, Jiang Ye went upstairs and lay on his bed, continuing to review his genetic test report. Some parts of the report made him very happy, such as the section on a particular function, where the test result was "Robust" and "Higher than 89% of peers." The high-risk disease section was "None." This meant there were no major diseases that were certain to manifest, and his physique was one that was not prone to illness. Of course, not being prone to illness didn't mean he wouldn't get sick.
After reading only a few dozen pages, his earphone crackled, and Feng Zhi Shuang called.
"Hello?" Jiang Ye said.
"The bonds are scheduled to go on sale tonight at six o'clock. Do you have any instructions?" Feng Zhi Shuang asked.
"So soon?" Jiang Ye was delighted. Bi Rong Star was in dire need of funds, and this was like timely help. "You can handle it. Is there anything you need my help with?"
"No, everything is in order. The sales location is on the ninth floor of the Macroeconomic Building. The staff and equipment have been confirmed repeatedly, and I will be on-site to oversee it," Feng Zhi Shuang said. "The Alien Colonization Investment Bureau is temporarily located on the twelfth floor of the Macroeconomic Building. Ju Lan Lan has already recruited some personnel. Do you want to assign her more people?"
"I'll handle it immediately," Jiang Ye nodded. "I already have some preliminary candidates; I'll screen them further today."
"Alright, then you can contact her directly," Feng Zhi Shuang hesitated. "There's something I think I need to tell you. Knowing it might put you in a difficult position, but as an old classmate and out of duty, after much thought, I still feel I must tell you."
Jiang Ye sat up in bed. "Go ahead."
"The person you sent to be in charge of the bonds, Liu Jizi," Feng Zhi Shuang said. "What's your impression of her?"
"Quite good. She was my secretary before, very reliable, and she didn't ask for a raise. She was cheap and effective, which is why I sent her to find you."
"She has a problem," Feng Zhi Shuang said. "Do you know what she did the first time we met? She gave me two gold bars! Large gold bars, each weighing one and a half pounds."
Jiang Ye remained silent, listening.
"I checked her income details, and she simply couldn't afford so many gold bars," Feng Zhi Shuang said. "She held a position of great authority as your secretary in the military. So, did she exploit military funds? Otherwise, where would she get the money to bribe me? I checked the asset records of all soldiers yesterday and haven't found any irregularities yet, but this is only at the data level. There can be many behind-the-scenes operations, especially regarding tangible assets."
"I suggest you find a way to investigate her," Feng Zhi Shuang advised. "Isn't there a saying, when you see one dead cockroach on your floor, it means there are thousands in the house? If Liu Jizi is taking money, it must be from the officers below her. And for the officers to give her money, they have to exploit the soldiers at the bottom. Soldiers don't have that much to give, so in the end, they have to tamper with things elsewhere. For example, reselling weapons and equipment, running a private mine, or stealing from military depots. In short, the consequences could be very serious, and you must pay attention."
"Okay, I understand," Jiang Ye sighed in relief. Feng Zhi Shuang seemed quite reliable. "You can continue to use her for now. If I find anything, I'll deal with it."
"Alright, it's good that you know about this," Feng Zhi Shuang said with a sigh. "My cooperation with Liu Jizi has been very pleasant. She is indeed reliable, learns quickly, and is intelligent. I still hope nothing happens to her."
"Oh, right, I sold the gold bars and transferred the money to your account. Please check it," Feng Zhi Shuang said before hanging up.
Jiang Ye went to his study upstairs to start working.
He had to select dozens of people from the military to assign to Ju Lan Lan as subordinates.
Although the Alien Colonization Investment Bureau hadn't officially been established yet, if its future development went smoothly, it would be a highly lucrative department. Vast amounts of money would flow into the Investment Bureau like a river, day and night. Such a department could not be simply handed over to one person; even a good friend like Ju Lan Lan couldn't be fully trusted. There needed to be people for checks and balances.
The selection pool would naturally be military civilian officials and low-ranking officers, as they were suitable for such work.
Every soldier had an electronic file, which recorded information very comprehensively. Jiang Ye began to select them one by one.
He was reluctant to transfer the best soldiers, and the worst soldiers were also unsuitable. He would look for those in the middle.
He worked straight through until five in the evening, finally selecting sixty people.
With the candidates finalized, Jiang Ye let out a long sigh of relief and decided to go to the Macroeconomic Building to check on the bond sales situation.
He got into a car and headed straight for Binhai City.
As soon as he started driving, Isabella called.
"I just returned from Bi Rong Star," Isabella said, looking exhausted. "There haven't been any more ground dragon attacks for now. I led people to clear the battlefield, and I'm dead tired."
"You've worked hard, you've worked hard!"
"Can you go to Bi Rong Star to monitor it?" Isabella asked.
"I can't go right now; I need to go to the Binhai Central Building," Jiang Ye said.
"What are you going there for?"
"The bonds go on sale tonight. If many people buy them, I'll need to direct the police to maintain order."
"You're overthinking it. Who would buy those worthless bonds?" Isabella scoffed. "Do you think everyone has too much money to spend?"
"I have a feeling many people will buy them," Jiang Ye shook his head.
"Impossible, who would buy that stuff?" Isabella sneered.