Chapter 140: Imperial Majesty

"Miss Nanrong, when can I see the final product?"

The collaboration had been agreed upon, and Han Bing could hardly wait to see the exoskeleton armor with his own eyes. As the saying goes, seeing is believing. Prior data was abstract; only a firsthand look would suffice.

"Mr. Han, rest assured, I have arranged everything. This afternoon, Ling Chen and my staff will accompany you to the research lab."

"Good, we will get in touch then."

Having seen Han Bing out, Ling Chen returned to his office and, seeing Nanrong Wanqing sitting by the window, grinned and said, "Congratulations."

Nanrong Wanqing replied indifferently, "There’s nothing to congratulate. Money is just a number to me, no matter the amount. Besides, my collaboration with the military is not for financial gain, but for safety." She pointed to an envelope on the office desk. "That is for you."

"What’s this?" Ling Chen curiously opened the envelope and found a paycheck inside, the bold figures making his eyes blur.

"Is this… fifty thousand?"

Nanrong Wanqing gently smiled and said, "Didn’t you tell me last time that, if we made it back alive, I should give you a raise? I’ve fulfilled my promise."

"Alright, thank you." Ling Chen beamed with joy; this was money earned by risking his life, and he unabashedly accepted it, already calculating where to splurge tonight.

However, just as the thought crossed his mind, he suddenly remembered he had plans for the evening. He had promised Jiang Hao and others to check out the Green Tiger Gang, to settle some matters; he couldn’t back out now.

"Ling Chen."

Hearing Nanrong Wanqing’s voice, Ling Chen snapped back to attention and asked, "What’s up?"

"I…" Nanrong Wanqing hesitated, looking as if she had more to say, then added, "Never mind, let’s talk about it later."

At noon.

Ling Chen and Tang Yuan treated Han Bing well in a hotel. After lunch, the three drove to the research lab.

Upon arrival, Qin Lan, who had been notified earlier, was already waiting outside.

Entering the lab, everything was ready for testing.

"Tang Yuan, you go try it out."

Prompted by Han Bing, Tang Yuan immediately stepped forward and, with the help of several researchers, donned the exoskeleton armor. Since this was a test, multiple aspects had to be considered—not only its performance but also its concealment.

After Tang Yuan put on his outerwear, Ling Chen evaluated him and couldn’t help nodding. The concealed nature of the exoskeleton armor was indeed strong—it was not noticeable under the clothes and was very hard to detect.

Before long, Tang Yuan walked up to a steel plate that had been prepared earlier, clenched his fist, and swung it fiercely.

Clang!

Accompanied by a sharp clank, the steel plate, a centimeter thick, immediately dented, leaving a fist imprint.

Seeing such a performance, Ling Chen and Han Bing were both taken aback. Although they had read the test data, seeing it with their own eyes was something else entirely.

This punch, if it were to land on someone, would either kill or severely injure them; it was simply a weapon of destruction.

Having witnessed the power of this exoskeleton armor, Han Bing’s face was filled with excitement, and he hurriedly urged Tang Yuan to test the other functions.

Jumping, running, weight-bearing, strength, and the sustainability of electrical energy—it took over four hours before Han Bing was satisfied enough to stop the testing.

"Old virgin, shall we have a practice round?" Tang Yuan, clad in the exoskeleton armor, chuckled wickedly with ill intentions.

"Get lost, I’m not looking for abuse," Ling Chen scoffed, outright ignoring his request. Having seen the test results just now, even he, once the strongest ghost operative, felt a palpitation.

The capabilities of this exoskeleton armor far exceeded his imagination. Although he never doubted his own abilities, in the face of high technology, he had to admit that technology would eventually replace human capability.

"Miss Qin, please pack up this set of exoskeleton armor, and while you’re at it, notify the research personnel to prepare; in a few days, I’ll send someone to take you all to Beijing, and you’ll be relocating there to continue your work," Han Bing said.

Ling Chen cautioned, "Mr. Han, you need to carefully arrange this matter."

"What’s wrong?"

Ling Chen glanced at Qin Lan and said straightforwardly, "To be frank, we suspect that someone inside the research lab has been secretly communicating with outsiders, leaking the research results. It’s because of this that we’ve attracted unwanted attention. Only Miss Qin and those researchers know the secrets of this lab, so we suspect that the traitor is likely one of them."

"I see," Han Bing nodded, pondered for a moment, and then said, "Miss Qin, please prepare a copy of the researchers’ details for me. I’ll use military resources to investigate thoroughly and eliminate suspects one by one. Also, I’ll arrange the transfer in two batches; the research personnel will go first, and once they safely arrive, then we’ll transport the exoskeleton armor to Beijing. Tang Yuan, I have to rush back to Beijing tonight, so you’ll be in charge of transporting the armor."

"Yes, mission guaranteed."

Leaving the research lab, it was already evening.

Ling Chen and Tang Yuan escorted Han Bing to the airport and then returned to the Nanrong residence.

After reporting back to Nanrong Wanqing, Ling Chen found an excuse to slip out. By then, Nanrong Hao was already waiting by the car at the entrance.

Half an hour later, the two drove to a spacious street in Songhua District.

Getting out of the car, Jiang Hao and Zhao Zhengxiong, who were smoking by the roadside, immediately discarded their cigarettes and briskly walked over.

"Chen."

Ling Chen nodded and, looking at the brightly lit district, asked, "Have you found Qi Jianhui?"

"There!" Jiang Hao pointed at a nightclub called ’Imperial Majesty’ across the street. "My guys found out that he comes here every night for pleasure."

"He sure knows how to enjoy himself, let’s go meet him."

Being the temperaments of Jiang Hao and his crew, they would have loved to just beat Qi Jianhui up, but Ling Chen always prided himself on being a civilized person. He believed in diplomacy before force, reasoning before fist fighting, always giving others a chance.

Imperial Majesty was also somewhat famous in East Sea City as an entertainment spot, lavishly decorated, where even the waitstaff were stunningly beautiful. Jiang Hao mentioned that the minimum expenditure here was 8,888 per night, which only included booth seating and a limited selection of drinks. Any additional, higher-end services would cost extra.

With East Sea City being an international metropolis, it never lacked wealthy people.

Inside, the first thing they saw was a large hall with a circular stage at the center, where about a dozen scantily clad women danced wildly to explosive music, posing enticingly, flamboyantly seductive, teasing the primal thoughts of men.