Chapter 45: There's a Mole!

Three others rushed over as well. When they saw the open floor, Xing Yuanzhi's expression changed instantly:

"Ground Network?"

"It's actually a Ground Network..." Xing Junmo furrowed his brow.

Seeing Cheng Jinyang's questioning gaze, he sighed and explained:

"We, the Xing family's Ground Network, although covertly an intelligence network, on the surface, it's a logistics network. Using vast underground pipelines, it connects major cities for large-scale logistics cluster transport, saving costs."

"Of course, since the pipes are large enough, they can also be used for transporting troops, which is unavoidable."

"Did Chu family's factories also connect to the Ground Network without prior knowledge?" asked Cheng Jinyang helplessly.

"I am currently contacting the family to intercept nearby Ground Network nodes." Xing Junmo silently took out his communicator and found that the signal status had returned to normal, presumably because the external Jinyiwei had brought and activated electronic countermeasures.

"However, the other party should have anticipated this. They will probably break through the Ground Network on their way to the nearest node to escape," he sighed, apparently not holding much hope for it.

"Anyway, our goal isn't to catch the criminals, just to protect this factory," Xing Yuanzhi said coldly.

"Even so," Xing Junmo shrugged, "not catching the culprit is still somewhat embarrassing."

"It's fine," Cheng Huaiyan said.

"Let's search the nearby workshops first, then go out and hand over to Lord Attendant," Cheng Jinyang suggested.

"That's our only option," Xing Junmo said quietly.

The four cautiously approached the nearby workshops. Although it was likely that the other party had already escaped along the Ground Network, it couldn't be ruled out that they were being reckless and attempting to ambush, so they checked all the surrounding workshops as if facing a major enemy.

All production lines have been shut down.

Except for the central workshop, which suffered some damage from direct combat, the equipment in the remaining workshops is intact. The warehouse is also sealed tightly, but most of the metal hydrogen inside is gone, presumably taken away by those two through the Ground Network.

As for how the other party mastered the technology of extracting and transporting metal hydrogen, that's none of Tianluo's business. Let it be a headache for Yangdi Chu family!

As Cheng Jinyang was thinking this, he suddenly heard a muffled explosion outside.

Xing Yuanzhi's face changed dramatically, and then Xing Junmo hurriedly said,

"Don't worry! It's not in the factory... It should be somewhere far outside the factory."

"At least a few kilometers away," Cheng Huaiyan added.

Both of them calmed down, but suddenly Cheng Jinyang felt his phone vibrating on him.

When no one was paying attention, he fell behind to unlock the screen, only to see a message from Princess Sister popping up:

It's done~

Done?

Oh, oh, oh!

Cheng Jinyang immediately understood.

The two guys who escaped along the Ground Network probably got blown up by Princess Sister using some means. Regarding this, Cheng Jinyang can only say:

Sister Xinnan, the eternal goddess!

After the electronic interference ended here, Chu Jiye immediately contacted to inquire about the situation of the Tianluo assassins.

Cheng Huaiyan and Xing Junmo didn't reply; they left the factory area directly with their younger cousins. Then they saw the Palace Attendant visibly relieved and welcomed them with a smile.

"Very well! Truly worthy of the renowned Tian Luo!" Chu Jiye grinned broadly, "After returning to the capital, I will personally commend all of you to the Grand Secretary!"

Earlier, when he heard the dense gunfire inside the factory, this imperial court official almost immediately lost his composure and urged the Jinyiwei to send people in quickly.

The Jinyiwei, who doesn't have the princess's protection, and considering the gunfire inside which could potentially lead to an explosion of metal hydrogen, might blow up the entire factory area.

Therefore, the commander-in-chief not only did not agree, but instead ordered everyone to retreat behind the defense line to avoid being affected by the possible explosion.

As a result, the Lord Attendant was infuriated, his face alternating between pale and flushed, feeling utterly helpless.

To put it plainly, if the metal hydrogen factory were to explode, it would be considered a major safety incident for the Tai City. This blame would certainly fall on Yangdi Chu family's head, so what concern would it be to the Jinyiwei?

Fortunately, with the Cheng family Tianluo's intervention, otherwise no one would have been able to take charge of the situation!

Seeing the Tianluo Assassins coming out unscathed at this moment, and the factory area intact, Chu Jiye quickly instructed the family's hidden guards and Jinyiwei to swiftly enter the factory area to check for any remaining potential hazards.

Then, he extended another warm invitation to the four Tianluo members to dinner, as a gesture of gratitude and apology.

On the way back, Cheng Huaiyan and Xing Junmo also inquired about the specific situation of their younger cousins. Upon learning that it was pressure from the Palace Attendant that brought them in to support, they became instantly furious.

Since the other party wanted to apologize over dinner, it was certainly something to accept. But after the meal, upon returning to the family, it was imperative to lodge a strong complaint. The two matters were not related, but everyone understood the underlying implications.

Chu Jiye still needs to stay on the scene to ensure that there are no hidden dangers in the subsequent search work. Next, representing the Chu family to entertain the four people naturally falls to Chu Qingqing, the daughter of the clan leader.

In the private room of the luxury hotel, after a few drinks, the somewhat stiff atmosphere also became more lively.

After all, they are all young people here, so they can freely let go of their airs and communicate.

Chu Qingqing sincerely apologized on behalf of her father, saying that urging Cheng Jinyang and Xing Yuanzhi to enter the factory earlier was just a desperate move, and they will definitely compensate the two properly later.

Cheng Huaiyan and Xing Junmo also felt it was just bad luck. They've encountered even more unreasonable clients than the Lord Attendant. At this moment, they naturally pretended to be okay, "Anyway, Jinyang and Yuanzhi are both safe. Hehehe."

After three rounds of wine, Chu Qingqing's face flushed from drinking, then she looked at everyone and said with a smile:

"I feel a great affinity with all of you, so you can just call me Qingqing from now on."

"This time, the employment contract was executed excellently by everyone. It's just that the prisoner escaped, and the stolen metal hydrogen hasn't been recovered. My father and the Tai City will probably have headaches dealing with the aftermath."

"Of course, those are concerns for the elders to worry about, let's not dwell on that for now. Personally, I greatly admire your performance this time, so I was wondering if you would have time to consider a request of mine?"

"Miss Qingqing, please go ahead," Xing Junmo said with a smile.

"Metal hydrogen, this substance, can only be maintained through extreme pressure environments. Including subsequent storage and extraction, all require the use of our Yangdi Chu family's abilities," Chu Qingqing said leisurely. "A group of refugees, even with advanced technological levels, would not be able to complete it without our Chu family's data."

"Are you suspecting there's a mole in your family?" Cheng Jinyang asked solemnly.

"Oh, I didn't say that," Chu Qingqing covered her mouth and laughed. "Whether there's a mole or not depends on the investigation results from your Tianluo, after all, I don't have any evidence, just speculation."

Cheng Huaiyan and Xing Junmo exchanged glances.

Of course, they can take on non-combat tasks like searching for moles within the Chu family.

If they do find a mole, that's great; if not, at least there won't be much danger, and it's a good opportunity to train Jinyang and Yuanzhi, the two new recruits. It'll also be a reasonable explanation to the family.