Chapter 3274 — A Whimsical Notion

Wei Zhao had not expected that in a conglomerate as vast as Conch Group, the general manager's office would have no hot water, requiring a trip to the hot-water station on each floor to fetch it. Still, Wei Zhao was not especially familiar with Conch Group's internal management; in any case, this arrangement made it all the easier for him to get close to the general manager's office.

"Sure," Fanny agreed readily. "It just so happens I can't carry it all by myself. You can help me bring it in—you're not an outsider, after all."

"Of course, no problem," Wei Zhao said with a nod.

Not an outsider? Wei Zhao truly had no idea why he was not an outsider! He did know for a fact, however, that this Secretary Lu had been placed at Lute's side by the general manager for training. Perhaps Secretary Lu was some relative of the general manager's family?

Wei Zhao's guess was indeed correct: Secretary Lu was the younger brother of one of the general manager's concubines, which was why he received such special care. Naturally, this was not something Wei Zhao knew.

Together with Fanny, he went to the hot-water station to fetch water, then carried the brewed coffee with Fanny toward the general manager's office.

Fanny knew Secretary Lu's identity—she herself was one of the general manager's mistresses. Such nepotism was commonplace in Conch Group, and she did not regard Secretary Lu as an outsider in the slightest.

She knocked on the door and pushed it open, and Wei Zhao followed her in, carrying the coffee.

Seeing someone behind Fanny, the general manager was momentarily taken aback. But once he saw clearly that it was Secretary Lu, he said nothing more—after all, this was one of their own, someone privy to the group's secrets.

Wei Zhao set the coffee before the general manager and… He Dantou, chairman of the Overseas Cultivators Association! Yes—Wei Zhao was utterly shocked at that moment. He had never imagined He Dantou would appear here. Could it be that He Dantou knew he had already arrived in Ruileida Town and intended to use the Red Conch to find him?

At that thought, Wei Zhao's heart gave a slight start, though his face betrayed nothing. After all, his identity now was Secretary Lu, a man with not the slightest connection to Wei Zhao!

"Chairman He, the goods are ready. I trust you have the money prepared?" The general manager spoke directly, seemingly without the least attempt to hide anything from Wei Zhao.

"Of course." He Dantou pointed to a briefcase at his feet and nodded.

Hearing their exchange, Wei Zhao's heart immediately eased. So these two were here to trade drugs—nothing to do with him at all! But why would Chairman He deal in drugs? The Overseas Cultivators Association was doing perfectly well; how had it come to engage in such business?

What Wei Zhao did not know, of course, was that Chairman He wanted to purchase a batch of first-grade automatic medicinal cauldrons, but when he inquired about the price from Patriarch Xuanchen, he was startled out of his wits! How could such a thing be so expensive? Even the internal price was far from cheap. Chairman He wanted to buy several dozen cauldrons, which would run to over ten billion—where on earth was Chairman He supposed to come up with such a budget?

Without money, he could only find a way to earn some. The Overseas Cultivators Association's existing ventures all yielded fixed returns; it was impossible for any one of them to simply start earning more on demand. That was out of the question.

So Chairman He and several other senior figures of the Overseas Cultivators Association put their heads together and decided: drug trafficking it was. This was the quickest way to make money. Besides, they had their own hotels and bars, and the reason they had never done this business before was simply that the association did not wish to be involved with the underworld—they had steady income, and there was no need to trouble themselves over such matters.

But things were different now. Without this money, there would be none to buy automatic medicinal cauldrons, and so Chairman He had come in person to Conch Group to conduct the drug transaction.

Naturally, Chairman He was a peak late Heaven Rank Great Perfection expert, which was why he dared to come alone. Anyone else would truly not have dared set foot here! Yet it was also precisely because the Overseas Cultivators Association was powerful—and because this was their first time doing business with Conch Group—that the general manager was so cautious. Fearing the other side might turn on them and swallow them whole, he had decided to hold the transaction at Conch Group's headquarters.

"Very well. Since we both understand the situation, there's no need for further talk," the general manager said. "Chairman He, shall we proceed with the transaction now?"

"Yes, that works." He Dantou nodded. "But first, I ought to be allowed to inspect the goods, no?"

"Naturally, no problem." The general manager nodded. Inspecting goods before buying was a rule observed in nearly all transactions—goods first, payment after. There was nothing unusual about that.

With that, the general manager beckoned to Fanny. "Fanny, go and bring out the goods."

"Yes, boss," Fanny said with a nod, then turned and went into the office's inner room.

"Let me help you," Wei Zhao said hurriedly, seizing the opportunity.

He had already observed earlier that in the outer part of the general manager's office there was no safe. Clearly no one would place a safe holding documents in the outer room; it would always be kept in a place inside the office beyond the reach of outsiders.

Fanny raised no objection, letting Wei Zhao follow her into the inner room. The general manager, too, saw nothing improper about it. Secretary Lu's elder sister was one of his concubines and had already borne him a son, so his trust in Secretary Lu was in no way inferior to that in Fanny.

Moreover, Secretary Lu had always been an eager, diligent young man—otherwise, even as a brother-in-law, the general manager might not have thought highly enough of him to entrust him with important tasks and arrange for him to learn at Lute's side, all in preparation for higher positions in the future.

Wei Zhao and Fanny entered the inner room together, and Wei Zhao spotted at a glance the safe near the desk. Unfortunately, this safe employed dual verification—password and fingerprint—both of which were required.

Of course, Wei Zhao could simply crack it by force, but that was certainly not an option now. Fanny was present, and even if she were not, there would be no time.

What to do? How could he get his hands on that yellow document inside the safe? If only he could retrieve objects from a distance—just by thinking of it, he could take the yellow document from the safe. How wonderful that would be!

Eh? A sudden inspiration struck Wei Zhao! His jade pendant… he wondered whether it could accomplish this.

Ordinarily, when Wei Zhao stored things in the jade pendant's space, he used his willpower. If he saw an object before him, he need only think of storing it in the pendant's space, and the object would slip smoothly inside—no need for him to lift a finger.

Now, then—if Wei Zhao thought of the yellow folder inside the safe, could he make that folder enter the jade pendant's space as well?