"I cannot leave Lancheng," Lu Hongyuan tried to calm himself, pacing back and forth. "How many died, and how many were arrested? Their families are all in our hands, they won't easily betray me."
Brother Cheng still wanted to persuade him, "Mr. Lu, this is too risky..."
"Shut up!" Lu Hongyuan snapped, his hawk-like eyes sweeping over Qin Tianyi and A'Mei standing in the hall. He began to pace silently.
While he remained silent, no one else dared to speak, and the hall became remarkably quiet.
Qin Tianyi stood with his head down, secretly delighted. Su Kangxi's action was so swift. Destroying that factory in one fell swoop would prevent Lu Hongyuan from using drug money to feign charity and provide acquisition funds.
Lu Hongyuan finally stopped pacing, glanced at the three of them again, and then addressed Brother Cheng, who had knelt on the ground. "A'Cheng, we cannot panic now. Did the police see you when they raided the factory and arrested people?"
Brother Cheng shook his head. "No, I was smoking outside the cave at the time and suddenly saw a group of shadows stealthily infiltrating the darkness. I followed them until there was light, and then I realized it was the SWAT team. I immediately ran for my life, and I don't know if anyone was chasing me, but I heard bullets whistling as I ran. I injured my leg while running and hit my forehead. So, I don't know who was shot dead or arrested among those people. Those police officers should not have seen my face clearly."
"Good. I'll send someone to take you back to the city later. Close down the restaurants that need to be closed, leaving only one in the city. Also, arrange for any brothers who are willing to stay and help me to remain, and those who are not willing will be sent back to Southeast Asia. I only need a small number of people to hold on for a while longer. Once the acquisition is successful, I will leave here."
Brother Cheng knew that Lu Hongyuan was determined to complete the business acquisition here, and persuasion was useless. He could only nod. Perhaps withdrawing in batches like this was safer.
Lu Hongyuan remembered something else. "Oh, and a batch of raw materials is already on its way by sea. It's impossible to get this batch of raw materials back, so we can only receive it in Lancheng and destroy it all."
Brother Cheng immediately said with heartache, "Mr. Lu, our losses this time are too great."
Lu Hongyuan was also distressed, but no matter how great the loss, there was nothing he could do. He said impatiently, "I'll find someone to send you to the city right away. Be careful with everything."
Seeing that Lu Hongyuan did not intend to punish him, Brother Cheng struggled to get up from the ground, endured the pain in his leg, and nodded.
Lu Hongyuan gave Qin Tianyi a look. Qin Tianyi understood and went out to tell the driver to prepare the car quickly.
By the time he had called the driver and prepared the car, Brother Cheng had already hobbled out of the large house.
Qin Tianyi opened the car door for him and said, "Brother Cheng, please get in. When you reach the city, find a clinic to check your leg injury first."
Brother Cheng sat in the car, enduring the pain, and said gratefully to Qin Tianyi, "A'Ban, thank you. Since the police could crack our factory, it proves the situation is very dangerous now. You must also be careful."
Qin Tianyi hummed, closed the car door for him again, and signaled the driver to drive.
After seeing Brother Cheng off, he returned to the hall of the house. He saw A'Mei sitting on the sofa, holding a child in one arm, as if she had just been crying. "You want me to take the two children overseas alone, but what about you? Why aren't you leaving with us? If you don't go, we won't go either!"
"Nonsense, do as you're told and take the children first. I'll find you later," Lu Hongyuan said helplessly.
A'Mei's eyes turned red again. "What if something happens to you? How will we, a widowed mother and orphans, get by?"
Qin Tianyi had to interject, "Mr. Lu, Brother Cheng has been sent off."
Lu Hongyuan nodded and said to A'Mei, "I will find suitable boarding schools for the two children abroad as soon as possible. You will live near their school and will be provided with sufficient funds for their education. You just need to wait for me with peace of mind and don't worry about anything else."
A'Mei cried, "But what if..."
"There are no 'what ifs'!" Lu Hongyuan roared angrily. "Take the two children back to your room. I have something to discuss with A'Ban."
A'Mei covered her mouth, aggrieved, trying not to cry out, and quickly took the two children upstairs to their room.
At this moment, only Lu Hongyuan and Qin Tianyi were left in the hall. Lu Hongyuan scrutinized Qin Tianyi with an extremely dark gaze and said calmly, "Not many people knew the factory's location, and those working in the factory couldn't contact the outside world. Have you ever thought about why the police found it?"
Qin Tianyi replied with a look of bewilderment, "Mr. Lu, I'm not clear."
Lu Hongyuan retorted, "You're not clear?"
Qin Tianyi still looked as if he had no idea what he was talking about and did not respond further.
"It's obvious that we have a mole from the police within our ranks," Lu Hongyuan stared at him with a scrutinizing gaze.
He could no longer avoid it and tried to prove his innocence. "Lu Xiang Sheng, are you suspecting me? But I don't know anyone here. I've been by your side since I arrived and haven't interacted with anyone here."
"Not you? A'Cheng has been with me for many years, it wouldn't be him either. Then who could it be?" Lu Hongyuan asked himself and answered, "Could it be A'Nan, who went with you that day?"
Qin Tianyi couldn't answer him and could only remain silent, his heart pounding wildly. But at this moment, he had to remain calm, lest Lu Hongyuan see any flaws.
Lu Hongyuan thought of something else and asked, "By the way, when you were disposing of the bodies that day, did anyone on the mountain see you?"
Qin Tianyi said with certainty, "No, I finished disposing of them before dawn and buried them in a place where the grass was very tall. It was pitch black all around, let alone people, not even a ghost."
"If I asked you to find the burial site, could you still find it?"
"I wouldn't be able to find it. The grass in that area is all similar, and it was very dark at the time, making it difficult to discern the direction."
Lu Hongyuan nodded and asked, "Are you willing to retreat to Southeast Asia first, or continue to stay by my side?"
"I am willing to stay by Mr. Lu's side," Qin Tianyi replied without hesitation.
Lu Hongyuan patted his shoulder and asked, "Aren't you afraid?"
"What am I supposed to be afraid of?" Qin Tianyi pretended to be ignorant. "Brother Kun Sang sent me here to do great things with Mr. Lu. I just need to follow, and I won't overthink anything."
"Good, I understand," Lu Hongyuan said without any expression. "You're dismissed. Go do what you need to do."
Qin Tianyi said no more nonsense and returned outside the house to continue on guard duty.
Lu Hongyuan watched him leave and close the large door. Currently, he didn't trust either of the two people he had brought that night, A'Ban and A'Nan. He felt the mole must be among them.
Fortunately, Qin Tianyi hadn't asked to return to Southeast Asia just now. Even if he had, Lu Hongyuan wouldn't have let either of them go. He had to find the mole between the two of them!