Tian Hai, who had been playing a game, turned his head. "You were talking about the Martial Arts Association? Who? I know almost everyone in the Martial Arts Association."

"Zheng Xing, you know him?" Zhong Yun asked.

"Zheng Xing?" Tian Hai thought for a moment. "I have a vague impression. Seems like he's from the Operations Department. I'll help you ask around."

Zhong Yun looked him up and down curiously. "Since when did you get so close to people in the Martial Arts Association?"

"Look at you," Tian Hai rolled his eyes. "Didn't you notice anything different about me since you got back this time?"

Zhong Yun stroked his chin, scanning him from head to toe. "Hmm, there is a slight difference. You've gotten taller. You're paler, and maybe a bit fatter."

"Go to hell." Tian Hai casually grabbed a deformable pillow and threw it over.

Zhong Yun dodged it. "It's the martial arts, isn't it." No matter how careless he was, he wouldn't miss the changes in his good friend, especially since his control over Yuan had become more adept, increasing his own perceptive abilities to sense the fluctuations of Yuan within others.

However, since Tian Hai hadn't mentioned it, he hadn't asked. He deeply respected his friend's secrecy.

"I was originally going to teach you, but it seems I don't need to now," Zhong Yun laughed.

Chen Wen chimed in. "This guy has been missing for half a year recently. I thought he was dating. Turns out he went to the Martial Arts Association."

"Remember the last time we went to the Martial Arts Association together?" Tian Hai said.

"I remember. You left early back then. I thought you were throwing a tantrum," Zhong Yun chuckled. "It seems that's when the opportunity arose for you."

"I was going to formally apprentice then," Tian Hai stated.

"It was my Ninth Great-Uncle, wasn't it," Chen Wen cut straight to the chase.

"How did you know?" Tian Hai asked, surprised. His master had specifically told him not to mention taking on Chen Wen as an apprentice, yet the man already knew.

"The moment I saw the way Ninth Great-Uncle looked at you, I knew he was very interested in you. Coupled with your subsequent strange behavior, it wasn't hard to guess," Chen Wen explained.

"But I didn't realize you had such high talent. You're almost at the Second Level now," Chen Wen said, genuinely happy for his friend.

"It's all due to my master's excellent guidance," Tian Hai replied modestly.

"Since you're so familiar with people from the Martial Arts Association, this makes things easier. Help me look into this guy's situation. The more detailed, the better, but be careful not to alert him," Zhong Yun instructed.

"No problem, leave it to me. Give me two days," Tian Hai guaranteed.

With Tian Hai's status as the apprentice to the President of the Mingzhou Branch of the Martial Arts Association, combined with his easygoing nature, he was well-liked within the association. Although members of the Operations Department were largely transient, gathering intelligence wouldn't be difficult if one made the effort.

Two days later, Tian Hai indeed gathered several useful pieces of information. Based on this, Zhong Yun formulated a plan: since a direct confrontation wouldn't work, he would opt for subtlety.

Zheng Xing possessed a peculiar special ability. Once Zhong Yun understood the nature of his ability, he immediately grasped what role Zheng Xing played in that contract signing ceremony.

It wasn't a combat-oriented ability, and knowing its characteristics made dealing with him much simpler.

Zheng Xing lived in a rather remote area, and he lived alone, which further facilitated the execution of Zhong Yun's plan.

Early the next morning, Zheng Xing returned home. The nature of his job required him to operate under the cover of darkness, leaving late and returning early.

Upon entering his apartment, the tension in his nerves eased. His work was one that could not see the light of day; he lived in constant apprehension, finding true peace only within his own home.

He opened a bottle of beer and drank slowly; the beer helped soothe his nerves. After finishing the bottle, he felt a bit drowsy. He closed the doors and windows, activated the indoor air circulation system, and lay down on the bed. He was simply too exhausted, and within moments, he fell into a deep sleep.

A short while later, the door opened silently, and a tall figure stepped in—it was Zhong Yun, who had been waiting. He closed the door behind him. Although the interior was dim, he could clearly survey the surroundings.

Approaching the bed, he looked at the sleeping Zheng Xing. He had an ordinary appearance, looking to be around thirty years old.

"Zheng Xing----" Zhong Yun uttered a sound that seemed faint, echoing from a great distance. The voice was light, yet the sleeping Zheng Xing reacted as if stimulated, his eyes snapping open, though his expression was vacant.

"Are you Zheng Xing?" Zhong Yun's voice was slow.

"..." Zheng Xing stared ahead, his gaze unfocused. After a while, his eyes shifted to Zhong Yun's face before he managed, "Yes."

"Sit up."

Zheng Xing obeyed and sat up.

"What is your hometown?" This line of questioning was designed to cultivate obedience in Zheng Xing—a hypnotic technique derived from the Jialan Database. It was a rudimentary method; frankly, Zhong Yun's own power level was too low to employ the more advanced techniques.

He had laced Zheng Xing's beer beforehand with an additive extracted from a plant—a colorless, odorless drug, harmless to the body, that promoted complete relaxation.

Combined with a low-frequency hypnotic sound wave barely audible to the human ear, it took only a few minutes to achieve the hypnotic effect. Zhong Yun had used this method once before, but the subject then was a stunningly beautiful girl. While his objective was achieved, he had been left quite disheveled.

He felt somewhat sorry for that flight attendant named Qin Qun. She probably took him for some rich playboy who enjoyed trifling with women. He could tell the air hostess had invested genuine emotion, and judging by her physique, her experience seemed limited; she wasn't the type to be promiscuous.

Recalling the look of mingled shame and indignation on her face the next day when he handed her an electronic check, Zhong Yun felt a pang of irritation. I clearly signaled I only wanted a one-night stand, and she turns out to be so prudish. What was that all about?

He never saw that tall flight attendant again after that.

Before this, Zhong Yun hadn't thought of her at all, because although he had used her, he hadn't slept with her. As for the hurt feelings she sustained, he felt it wasn't his responsibility. He wasn't a moral paragon, so he naturally wouldn't shoulder the blame for everything.

The thought of Qin Qun was fleeting. Feeling he had done enough, Zhong Yun began inquiring about matters related to the Mingtan Company.

"Do you know Fu Yang from the Mingtan Company?"

"Yes."

Half an hour later, Zhong Yun left Zheng Xing's home and walked down the street, organizing the data he had extracted from Zheng Xing's mouth. Fu Yang had been introduced to Zheng Xing through the Martial Arts Association.

Because of Zheng Xing's special ability—remote swapping—within a ten-meter range, he could move an object weighing less than one kilogram and with a volume less than one cubic decimeter, replacing it with another object on his person.

During the signing ceremony, Zhong Pingjiang had personally prepared the contract and its copies. The crucial page was swapped out for another without anyone noticing, and the electronic contract was manipulated in the same manner.

In addition to this, Zhong Yun learned of some other interesting details.

However, Zheng Xing didn't know who the mastermind behind the scheme was. He was only responsible for swapping the contracts and knew nothing else.

It seemed the investigation had returned to square one. The key still lay with that Fu Yang.

At least it was confirmed that the Mingtan Company was involved in this fraud. The mastermind remained elusive, but as long as he followed this thread, he would eventually uncover the truth.

Zhong Yun shifted his focus of investigation onto Fu Yang, but for several consecutive days, Fu Yang acted completely normally.

If not for the three or four bodyguards constantly shadowing Fu Yang and the tight security around his home, Zhong Yun would have seriously considered hypnotizing him too to find out the ultimate culprit.

Since there was no immediate progress, Zhong Yun decided to put the matter aside for now. Rivers change course, and revenge wasn't an immediate necessity.

Life settled back into a semblance of peace. His father's company thrived, powered by the two major moneymakers: the "Zhong Stabilizer" and "Yun Alloy." The development momentum was extremely rapid.

The scheme had failed, and the mastermind seemed to have temporarily retracted his claws. However, Zhong Yun knew that one day it would bare its fangs at Zhong Machinery again, and Zhong Yun was waiting for that day.

Xiao Ruo started visiting his home more frequently. Zhong Yun maintained a healthy mindset, treating her like a younger sister, and the two genuinely began to resemble a close brother-sister pair.

His relationship with Liu Yunqi also saw a major breakthrough. On the night of his birthday, he successfully took her first kiss, officially breaking the barrier and establishing their relationship. The two were currently inseparable.

Tian Hai and Chen Wen were considerate enough not to disturb them often, allowing them to enjoy their sweet time as a couple.

Apart from Liu Yunqi, Zhong Yun spent most of his remaining time on the 901st floor of the Mingzhu Building. Yu Daoqing had traveled to countless countries and possessed extensive worldly knowledge; conversing with her benefited Zhong Yun greatly.

Four months passed in a flash, and Zhong Yun and the other students welcomed another long holiday.

On the first evening of the break, an unexpected visitor arrived at Zhong Yun’s home.

"Zhong Yun, you are indeed still alive." The moment he entered, Yang Siqing looked at Zhong Yun with bright, piercing eyes. He had just returned from the border, and after visiting Elder Huang, he received news of Zhong Yun and rushed over that very night, unable to wait.

Zhong Yun poured him a cup of tea. "It was pure luck, really." Knowing Yang Siqing’s true identity, Zhong Yun didn't believe he could keep his status as a survivor of the Tongguang Star hidden from him.

Since Yang Siqing held a position in the military department, it implied that the Elder Marshal Yang Tianlie must have forgiven him; otherwise, how would military personnel dare to employ him so openly? If that was the case, Yang Yunrong must know, and there was no reason for him not to know either.

"Right, you absolutely must not tell anyone about this. I told them I slipped away from the Tongguang Star," Zhong Yun cautioned him. Yang Siqing readily agreed, as he still felt deeply guilty for insisting that Zhong Yun board the Tongguang Star. Although Zhong Yun had managed to survive by a hair's breadth, he had suffered a great deal of hardship.

After catching up for a while, Yang Siqing remembered the reminder from his old friend. "By the way, Elder Huang asked me to check on those few pots of flowers. How are they doing?"

P: The distance has been widened again, brothers, please support with monthly passes.

For more novels, visit storyread.net.