Chapter 3416 — A Change of Mind

"Well... all right then." The supervisor hesitated for a moment, but finally nodded. "Take him out of here and back to the dormitory to sort him out. Not here—it doesn't look good, and it's holding up everyone else's work..."

"Mm, don't worry, I'll give you some face!" Meng Gaohai nodded with the air of a man doing someone a favor, though inwardly he was overjoyed. He had known all along that disciplining someone in the work area made a bad impression, and that the supervisor would surely suggest taking the man outside. He had learned that much from experience—more than once.

"Off you go, then. The rest of you, back to work!" the supervisor said to the others.

"Xiao Yi—that's 9527—you come along with me. It's a good chance to see just how well your leader here can cover for his people!" Meng Gaohai beckoned to Wei Zhao, signaling him to follow.

"Yes, boss!" Wei Zhao nodded, set down the work in his hands, and trotted eagerly along behind Meng Gaohai.

The supervisor shook his head and paid them no further mind. This Meng Gaohai—even Lou Qitian would greet him warmly as "Old Meng" when they met—was not someone he dared to interfere with over trifles like this.

At this moment, Wei Zhao had begun to think Meng Gaohai a rather ingenious fellow. The method was simple, but remarkably effective! And it let him search for the man openly and with perfect justification. Wei Zhao thought to himself that he had indeed picked the right person.

The four of them arrived at another work area of the poison-refining base. The biochemical humans here were all mindless—dull and vacant, even more so than Dull Little Brother.

These men showed not the slightest reaction to the four's arrival, as though they did not exist. Meng Gaohai, meanwhile, spoke as he walked: "You two keep your eyes peeled. Whoever had the gall to lay hands on one of Meng Gaohai's men—I'll tear him apart!"

"Yes, boss!" said the buzz-cut man and Dull Little Brother with fierce resolve.

In truth, as Meng Gaohai said this, he was searching as well. With all four of them looking, the work would go faster, after all.

Unfortunately, there were far too many biochemical humans here—a veritable sea of them. Efficient as the four were, it was no easy thing to find their quarry. They searched from morning till noon, and on into the afternoon, and still found nothing.

The supervisors had found it rather odd that Meng Gaohai should be so persistent today; at any other time, he would likely have lost patience and given up. But since they were willing to search, there was no reason to stop them—four men more or less made no difference to the work.

It was not until evening, when the shift was nearly over and Wei Zhao was on the verge of disappointment, that Dull Little Brother suddenly let out a great bellow: "Boss! Boss! It's him!"

Wei Zhao, Meng Gaohai, and the buzz-cut man all turned toward Dull Little Brother, who was pointing at a man beside him, so agitated he could barely contain himself.

On the surface Wei Zhao was calm, but his heart was pounding. The Pangolin! He had finally found the Pangolin! As expected, he was alive—captured by the poison-refining base and set to refining poison. At last he could give that little sister Ying Ziyu an answer.

At the thought, Wei Zhao's fists clenched of their own accord. Meng Gaohai was pleased too, but only because he had completed the task Wei Zhao had given him—nothing like the turmoil in Wei Zhao's heart.

So his reaction at this moment matched his mood: he had found the man, and he was elated. Pointing at the Pangolin, he said, "Buzz-cut, take a look—is this the fellow?"

"Yes, yes! That's him!" The buzz-cut man nodded excitedly again and again.

"9527, the two of you knock him out together and drag him back to the dormitory. We'll give him a proper thrashing!" Meng Gaohai ordered.

"Yes!" Wei Zhao nodded and stepped forward. So long as they were not berserk, these biochemical humans—no matter how strong—would not attack anyone who approached, but simply carried on working.

So Wei Zhao knocked the Pangolin out with ease. Looking at that pale, bloodless face, Wei Zhao felt a stab of pain. The man's features had not changed, but he looked little different from a zombie now—proof enough that these past years had been a living death.

When the supervisors saw that Meng Gaohai had found his man, they paid it no mind—not even a glance—and let him and the others carry the Pangolin off.

They made it all the way back to the dormitory without anyone stopping them. Wei Zhao could not help giving Meng Gaohai a thumbs-up. Taking this underling on had been well worth it! What Wei Zhao had not expected was that a casual notion of his would prove so effective.

Had he followed his original idea—offering favors and inquiring discreetly—it might have worked, but the efficiency would surely have been far lower. Worse, over time word would spread from one to ten and ten to a hundred, until everyone knew, the supervisors of the poison-refining base included.

Wei Zhao was not afraid of them, but he was afraid they might get to the Pangolin first—and that was the last thing he wanted. If it came to that, he might as well have simply led the Paoli clan charging in himself and saved the trouble.

Meng Gaohai laid the unconscious Pangolin on a bed. Wei Zhao looked at him and could not help but fall into a brief daze, recalling those years of carrying out missions...

Red Conch had always been the greatest enemy of the Mystery Investigation Bureau. Wei Zhao did not know why the two had been at odds for so long, but ever since he had joined the Bureau, he had been set against them.

Back then, Red Conch's headquarters had been something Wei Zhao could only look up to. Even the Mystery Investigation Bureau could only contend with certain members of Red Conch's domestic branch.

But now, even facing that general manager, Wei Zhao remained unruffled. If it came down to it, he would just loose the dog—let Xiao Yi come out and finish them off.

"Hah..." Wei Zhao drew a deep breath and took the Pangolin's hand. Things had changed beyond recognition. Of the people from the Mystery Investigation Bureau in those days, some had gone their separate ways, and some had fallen in battle...

Yang Huaijun, for instance, had left the Bureau at once—his health no longer permitted him to stay.

Thinking back on those years, Wei Zhao had once found that life dull, hectic, and utterly insecure. But now, looking back, he felt instead that those days had been happy...

The friendships forged in battle are the most precious; the loves born in battle, the most fondly remembered...

Now, for Xiao Ning and for the inheritors, Wei Zhao must fight to the bitter end!

The Cloud-Tier Island Heavenly Dao Plan was close at hand!

Wei Zhao's original plan had been to open Cloud-Tier Island, ensure the safety of the women, and then retire with his achievements complete—after all, the Heavenly Dao on Cloud-Tier Island had little to do with him.