100kV Chapter 72

Chapter 72
Calm Before the Storm
Spectating the Meeting of Bigshots

The cars began to move slowly, the traffic gradually clearing up.

Ye Wenxuan digested this big “news” for a while, then turned to ask: “What about the rest of the Xing family?”

Zhong Lei began to drive and didn’t respond. He Shun and Cao Liyan exchanged a glance, then He Shun unfastened his seat belt, turning to lie on the back of his seat: “Brother Ye, that, we’re all particularly curious about a question.”

Ye Wenxuan: “What, what question?”

Zhong Lei: “Xiao Shun, put on your seat belt for lao zi!”

“He he, wait a bit brother Zhong, after I finish asking I’ll sit back down.” He Shun’s eyes flashed with a gossipy glint, and he leaned into the back row to ask: “Brother Ye, do you have a particularly good relationship with the former Xing president ah, the very good kind?”

Ye Wenxuan: “Huh?”

He Shun: “I heard that brother Ye took the initiative to apply for the assignment from the deputy team captain, and ran to South Sudan to find him. Listening to this was so emotional, if you weren’t sworn brothers or life-and-death friends, who would run into a war zone to find someone ah.”

Speaking to here, he felt endlessly emotional, and his expression when looking at Ye Wenxuan was particularly kindly: “Brother Xing hid undercover in his own home to collect evidence, and brother Ye journeyed over the mountains and seas to save him…The two of you, our ministry discussed you for quite a few days. It was especially moving, simply tear-jerking!”

“So,” He leaned even closer: “Brother Ye, what kind of feelings do you have with brother Xing?”

“…” Ye Wenxuan completely did not know how he should answer. In fact, he didn’t even know what expression he had on right now, and really didn’t want to know.

He Shun’s paparazzi gossipy spirit was burning. Cao Liyan saw that Ye Wenxuan was put in an awkward position and slapped He Shun’s big face back: “Xiao Shun, you sit properly for me. Your face is about to be stretched to my nose.”

He Shun: “Eh, I just want to ask…”

The driving Zhong Lei scolded him: “He Shun, sit down for lao zi, don’t make me say it a third time.”

He Shun didn’t dare to really offend Zhong Lei and obediently sat down, putting on his seat belt. He quietly muttered: “I was really just curious.”

Zhong Lei glanced at him.

“Ye Wenxuan is your colleague, and the relationship between Xing Yuan and the Special Affairs Department is very intricate. These two people just returned from South Sudan and experienced a life and death situation, they are respectable companions.” Zhong Lei faintly continued: “In the future, stop taking your paparazzi attitude against your own people. Jokes are fine, but any further and it’s too much.”

“You joined a few months earlier than Wenxuan. He’s already able to act by himself. Then look at yourself, doing everything so roughly, and you don’t even feel ashamed.”

He Shun was scolded until both his face and ears turned red, and he finally shriveled up into a clump, weakly saying: “Brother Zhong, I, I know my mistake.”

Zhong Lei: “From now on, all the way back to the office, don’t speak a single bit of nonsense.”

He Shun said like a pitiful little wife: “Re, received…”

“…” Ye Wenxuan looked at Cao Liyan, who was covering his mouth and giggling. The other person leaned over and whispered: “Brother Zhong is particularly annoyed when he sees xiao Shun like this, so whenever he has the chance he’ll catch him and give him a good scolding. This is nothing, they will make up soon.”

Ye Wenxuan: “…” Don’t really understand the interests of these people.

After reprimanding the colleague, the topic came back around.

“What the Xing family did privately was too big of a matter. Some things couldn’t be discussed out in the open, so in the end they still started from the capital aspect. The crime of Xing Jianming transferring assets after the huge losses of the Xing group.”

Ye Wenxuan: “Xing Jianming was arrested?”

Zhong Lei: “Not just him. Besides Xing Jianming, there were also his son Xing Yi, Xing Jianming’s four younger brothers, and several nieces and nephews. There were also several in the Xing group. The impact was very wide, and there were also many of them that we didn’t manage to unearth. Xing Yuan’s people secretly handed us a list, and after a review, we confirmed that they were not wrong.”

Cao Liyan also lamented: “The former president was truly vicious to his own family, not leaving even a bit of leeway. This time I’m afraid the Xing family is going to fall thoroughly into the mud with no room to turn over.”

Ye Wenxuan didn’t speak, his eyes looking through the windshield toward the car in front of them.

Xing Yuan was not just cruel to his family, but also to himself.

“The Xing family now has completely collapsed. Even though the legal process still hasn’t been completed and they haven’t been convicted yet, it’s expected that they will spend most of their lives in prison.” Cao Liyan shook his head: “Asset confiscation, and it sounds like there’s also a lot of debt that they have to pay back. Xing Jianming also has a daughter going to junior high school. Even though these things have nothing to do with her, now the label of ‘criminal’s daughter’ has been slapped on her head, so presumably she won’t be living too well in the future.”

“That…will Xing Yuan be affected?” Ye Wenxuan bit his lips and finally asked: “There was no information from the Department on how they would treat Xing Yuan?”

Cao Liyan shook his head, and Zhong Lei took over: “He was a great hero in this matter. I’m guessing that the department won’t give him preferential treatment in the open, but it’s hard to say what will happen privately.”

Ye Wenxuan: “He wouldn’t be handcuffed right when he steps out the car ba…”

Zhong Lei smiled: “That won’t happen.”

Ye Wenxuan let out a sigh of relief.

~

By the time they arrived at the Special Affairs Department building, it was already almost time to get off work.

When Ye Wenxuan got out of the car, he saw Zheng Xingguo and Xing Yuan get off. Zhong Lei and another colleague went to park the cars, and Ye Wenxuan and the others followed the deputy captain into the building.

Because there were many eyes around here, Ye Wenxuan couldn’t walk too close with Xing Yuan, afraid that they would think there was any sort of unclear relationship. He could only walk next to Cao Liyan, listening to Xing Yuan and Zheng Xingguo chat.

Zheng Xingguo: “The last time you came here was a year ago.”

Xing Yuan nodded: “It still looks the same, but the doorman seems to have been replaced?”

“He’s been changed several times, they’re all routine personnel transfers.” Walking into the elevator room, Zheng Xingguo pressed the button and said: “But you are a lot more spirited today compared to last time, at least you have a bit of a young person’s atmosphere.”

Xing Yuan smiled slightly: “Last time I didn’t perform very well.”

Zheng Xingguo casually said: “You looked like you wanted to retaliate against the entire society, not at all like you were going to assist in the investigation of the special affairs police officers.” After that, he chuckled slightly: “You don’t say, your temperament is quite suitable for being an undercover agent.”

Xing Yuan: “Captain Zheng, don’t mock me like this.”

With a “ding,” the elevator arrived.

Zheng Xingguo carefully looked at Xing Yuan, and that always serious face showed a slight smile: “The way you are right now, is pretty good.”

As they entered the counterterrorism operation team’s territory, Zhong Lei and the others directly walked into the office. Ye Wenxuan thought about whether or not he should also follow, and before he turned around, Zheng Xingguo said: “Xiao Ye, xiao Xing, you two come with me.”

Then they were led into a large conference room on the other side of the hallway.

Pushing open the door, Ye Wenxuan looked up and saw a large group of people and was immediately startled.

Around the huge table, the most prominent one was the boss of the Special Affairs Department Luo Wen, then the vice minister Guo Weitao. Ye Wenxuan looked around and barely found an acquaintance inside—counterterrorism action team leader Xue Yongchang.

The other people sat around the conference table in two rows, each of them looking very solemn and official. When Ye Wenxuan had just stepped forward, the crowd heard the movement and all looked up.

When he was stared at by so many serious eyes, Ye Wenxuan’s other foot would not go down.

What…it feels like it’s going to be an inspection meeting ah…

He was still hesitating when behind him Xing Yuan lightly held his wrist, then immediately let go.

Xing Yuan whispered quietly: “Go in, it’s all right.”

Ye Wenxuan: “Ah…oh…”

Waiting for them to sit down one by one, Zheng Xingguo briefly introduced to them the large group of people at the table. Ye Wenxuan suddenly realized that these were all the leaders of the other groups in the Special Affairs Department.

No, not only the Special Affairs Department. Next to Luo Wen there were also several generals from the Ministry of Military Affairs, deputy directors from several departments of the discipline inspection commission, and even the chairman and prime minister’s secretaries. Listening to the end, Ye Wenxuan became a little frazzled, feeling like he may have strayed into some sort of secret meeting.

Likely because the “Ge tiger” case had such widespread implications that even foreign forces were involved, so this meeting was also a collection of China’s most powerful.

That night, dozens of bigshots discussed Ge Zhengqing’s case. Ye Wenxuan didn’t talk much, just acting as a background board.

He personally saw several uniformed soldiers walk in. They put all of their communications equipment into a safe, turned on the signal jammers in the room, and a few doormen stood outside, everyone moving quickly and efficiently.

Xing Yuan sat right next to him, engaged in an intense back and forth with this group of bigshots. He didn’t ask them for leniency in the punishment of the Xing family, but even stepped another foot on top, so that the family would fall even more miserably.

After the meeting ended, Ye Wenxuan looked up at the clock on the wall and found that it was already past 10 pm.

The meeting had lasted almost five hours, and the entire crowd was a little tired. They gave each other a simple greeting and then went back to their respective departments in the dark. Seeing their attitudes, they were probably getting ready to work overnight.

When everyone had basically left, Zheng Xingguo called back Ye Wenxuan who was getting ready to leave, and then once again asked the officers outside the door to close the door.

Ye Wenxuan turned and saw Luo Wen still sitting at the table, next to the chief of staff from the military department who had not spoken much earlier.

Xue Yongchang and Zheng Xingguo also sat back down. Luo Wen tapped at the table and signaled: “Xiao Ye, sit, let’s talk about another matter.”

Ye Wenxuan glanced at Xing Yuan who was sitting there like a mountain and then sat back down next to him.

Everything was still no different from earlier, except now a lot of seats were empty, which made it seem unexpectedly deserted.

At this time Xing Yuan placed the box that he had always been carrying onto the table. Unlocking the clasp, the lid of the box opened.

Inside lay the sealed test tube they brought back from South Sudan.

Who knew what kind of advanced technology this test tube was made out of, but it seemed to automatically adjust the temperature and humidity inside the tube. From Ye Wenxuan’s point of view, the liquid would flow very slowly when it touched the edges of the tube, as if it were very viscous. The liquid was pale blue, and was actually quite beautiful.

Xing Yuan took it out and showed it to the crowd: “CSW8702, the super warrior transforming solution. It was produced by the SP Institute, the maker is Mario Rhodes, but as for whether or not he completed it by himself, I am not very clear.”

“Super warrior…” Luo Wen looked at the test tube in Xing Yuan’s hand and suddenly said to the general sitting next to him: “Lao Feng, you should have received news about this ba.”

Feng Gaoyi, who was also observing the test tube, nodded: “En, my peacekeepers in South Sudan sent us a message two days ago, reporting this to us.”

Ye Wenxuan guessed that he must be talking about Xu Shan.

Luo Wen: “Xiao Xing, tell us in detail about what you saw at that time. Xiao Ye can also add to the story.”

Ye Wenxuan and Xing Yuan looked at each other. The former slightly nodded, and Xing Yuan looked back at the table and started talking.

After giving a detailed account of what happened in Collum, Xing Yuan paused and Ye Wenxuan handed him a glass of water, which he took very naturally and drank.

Opposite them, Luo Wen and Feng Gaoyi, along with several other ministers, were all discussing quietly. Only Zheng Xingguo saw the interaction between the two people.

His eyelids twitched, and he looked between Ye Wenxuan and Xing Yuan for a while. In the end he didn’t say anything, listening in silence to the other people speak.

“The first superhuman in the world to attract the attention from the government should be a Mexican man who, after proving to have superhuman powers, was held in close custody by the Mexican government. The information about his identity was covered up, and no other information was let out.”

Luo Wen mused, slowly saying: “But, that was already five years ago. In the past five years, we have also received other reports like ‘a superhuman appeared in this place’, but we always took it as a joke. We saw the report and didn’t think it had any value.”

“It wasn’t until we brought xiao Ye into the department that we realized that the previous information might not have been false.” He looked solemn, looking at the test tube that Xing Yuan pushed to his front, then said: “SP Institute, we have also heard about this.”

Ye Wenxuan heard him talk about when the first superhuman appeared and subconsciously remembered his previous meeting with Adonis. He had said to have seen the first superhuman, and that person had committed suicide soon afterward.

His heart felt heavy, not knowing whether or not he should talk to Luo Wen about this matter. He hadn’t yet opened his mouth when he heard Luo Wen mention “SP Institute,” and he immediately looked up, subconsciously leaning forward.

Luo Wen waved: “Lao Jia, you talk about it.”

A minister sitting next to him nodded: “Oh, okay.”

“At first it was some of the less well-known or excluded scientists or those with a bad track record in the industry.  Both here and abroad, they gradually faded out of the public eye, no longer releasing any research results. A few months or even a few years later, these people began to disappear.”

“Some of them said goodbye to their families and went to live in another country, and some moved with their families.” Lao Jia spoke frankly: “In the end, their friends slowly couldn’t even get in touch with these people. They handled the follow-up very carefully. No one thought that there was a problem with these people, and no one thought about things like kidnapping.”

Here, he added: “In fact, we’re not even sure if these people really ended up in the SP Institute in the end.”

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## the bigshot meeting ##

A bunch of big men took their seats.

Luo Wen: “Do we hit this tiger?”

Big men: “Hit him.”

Luo Wen: “OK, adjourned.”

The big men left the room like the wind.

Ye Wenxuan, whose chair hadn’t even warmed up: “??”

That’s it???

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Random Notes:

Over an hour: 11:10 am – 12:30 pm, for 4.2k characters to 2.6k words.

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