Chapter 256 - 256: Destroy It, I’m Tired
“Greetings are unnecessary. Now, you are my master,” Qin Wan, with her picturesque features, looked nothing like Dr. North or anyone from the Chen family, despite the blood ties.
Her appearance was that of a typical innocent girl, charming and fragile, with a voice like the soft dialect of the Jiangnan region. She was even more pitiable than Gu Chuyun. She was a sight to behold.
But the things she had done in the past were more like those of a tyrant.
“Come in!” Gu Ci welcomed her, prepared some tea, and got straight to the point. “My brother has gone missing in Paris. He left me a chip and a phone number. 1 need your help.”
Qin Wan sipped the tea, dispelling the chill of the night. “The other half of the data is with me. My master left a message: if this phone number ever rings, it means he’s in trouble. I’ll obey the caller.”
She glanced at Gu Ci, furrowing her brows, reclining comfortably with her legs crossed. She had the appearance of an innocent girl but exuded an aura of maturity, a captivating contrast.
“You’re Third Master’s girlfriend. Can I trust you?” Qin Wan inquired.
“Jiang Junlin is my brother,” Gu Ci said with a light laugh. “Husbands can change, but brothers are forever.”
Listening from upstairs, Gu Ziyu thought that was incredulous.
Qin Wan was a decisive person. She produced the other half of the chip. “The chip is here. You’ll need several high-powered servers and a camera recognition system.”
“We have them upstairs!”
Gu Ci led Qin Wan upstairs, surprising her with the array of professional equipment. Gu Ci explained, “These belong to my… younger brother.”
“I understand.”
Gu Ziyu was a genius, well-known even at the National Defense Information Institute. Qin Wan had heard of him, and they had even competed in a computer contest organized by the school last month.
Gu Ziyu was astonishingly talented, so having these devices at home wasn’t unusual. Qin Wan was well-versed in information analysis, not inferior to Gu Ziyu.
After compiling information from both sides, they obtained a complete set of data, including three sets of passwords. Qin Wan also had Jiang Junlin’s fingerprint. Gu Ci smoothly accessed the account on the dark web.
“Until he’s free, you’re the master of the dark web.”
Gu Ci said, puzzled. “But those who know my brother won’t believe it.”
“In this world, very few know that Jiang Junlin is the master of the dark web,” Qin Wan explained. “This system follows commands, not people. It’s like ancient soldiers who obeyed orders, regardless of who held the command token.”
“I understand,” Gu Ci said firmly. After Jiang Junlin went missing, she couldn’t handle the intelligence, assassinations, and resources behind the scenes. She pushed aside requests from Pei Qiuying. After analyzing the information with Qin Wan, they issued the commands one by one.
There was a family matter that needed attention. Gu Ci had to make decisions about who to send and how to handle the information once retrieved.
A machine tool needed to be shipped back to China, so Gu Ci had to contact both sides for a smooth handover.
In these seven days, they had lost seven special agents. Gu Ci had to handle the aftermath and compensation. They also needed to bring the agents back to China.
How to handle Black Hawk’s provocation was another issue.
They had to consider whether the intelligence department needed to cooperate with Pei Qiuying and how to do so. After the internal conflict between Pei Qiuying and Chen Rushi, Gu Ci had to control the situation and possibly remove Pei Qiuying. All of this required Gu Ci to make judgments based on the situation.
Jiang Junlin directly controlled the three major underworld organizations in Europe and America, independent but required to obey each other. Gu Ci also needed to analyze the information provided by the intelligence organization to determine its veracity.
Gu Ci was overwhelmed on her own. She had just taken over, and many things were unfamiliar. She selected a few matters to make quick decisions and delegated the task of filtering intelligence to Qin Wan. She only needed one result.
“Do you have any personal grievances with Pei Qiuying that might lead you to make decisions against Jiang Junlin’s plans?” Qin Wan was concerned that personal emotions might cloud Gu Ci’s judgment.
“No need,” Gu Ci replied confidently. “I know my boundaries.”
Qin Wan gave her a brief glance. She had only heard of Gu Ci but hadn’t interacted with her closely. However, since Jiang Junlin trusted her, Qin Wan believed that Gu Ci must have remarkable qualities.
Gu Ci had to deal with the backlog of work overnight to ensure the smooth operation of the dark web.
Gu Ziyu was having trouble sleeping again.
His recent insomnia had become quite frequent. Should he tell Chen Liangdong about this?
He had gradually developed a sense of responsibility towards his family and country, not as strong as Gu Ci’s importance to him, but it made him think. If this had happened three months ago, there would have been no need for such contemplation.
He had chosen Gu Ci without hesitation.
“Destroy it! I’m tired.” His parents were now on opposite sides, making it much more complicated than their divorce.
Global Sports Center.
Lu Zhiyuan was awakened from his slumber by Li Jiang. “What’s going on?”
Li Jiang said, “Someone has taken over for Jiang Junlin and activated the dark web.”
“What?” Lu Zhiyuan was fully awake now. Li Jiang helped him sit up. Rong Li and Ji Chi had also called to report the situation. After Jiang Junlin went missing, Pei Qiuying couldn’t receive instructions, and the dark web fell into chaos. Facing attacks from Ji Chi and Rong Li, without the protection of the dark web, the triads had no chance against Black Hawk.
But just an hour ago, the dark web had started running smoothly again. The intelligence department, in cooperation with Pei Qiuying, had cleared their embedded agents, resulting in the loss of two mercenary teams.
In these seven days, they had been under tremendous pressure, constantly losing resources. The triads had gained new strength, like an endless pit, drawing funds from financial institutions controlled by the triads.
“Isn’t Jiang Junlin being held captive by Ji Chi? Could it be a new master taking over?” Lu Zhiyuan pondered. “Let’s observe the situation. 1 want to see the new direction of the dark web.”
“Third Master, Ji Chi and Rong Li have analyzed it. It seems like Jiang Junlin is still operating from behind the scenes. It doesn’t look like a new direction,” Li Jiang summarized all the information that Rong Li and Ji Chi had obtained and placed it in front of Lu Zhiyuan.
“Did Ji Chi release him?”
Li Jiang shook his head. “Mr. Jiang is still being held!”
Lu Zhiyuan wasn’t entirely clear about how the dark web operated behind the scenes and who was in control. Finding the dark web itself had taken seven or eight years. He hadn’t had a chance to fully understand it yet. Were the masters of the dark web all following Jiang Junlin’s will?
“New leaders always bring about changes. They can’t continue Jiang Junlin’s style. What about Pei Qiuying and Chen Rushi?”
“We’ve given authority to Pei Qiuying and Chen Rushi and supported their internal struggles. Three banks have already extended invitations to Chen Rushi, each belonging to a different underworld organization.” Li Jiang was also astonished.. “They are operating behind the scenes and controlling so many organizations?”