Chapter 182: Visit Familiar Places Again
Entering the manor, Ling Chen parked the car and walked straight toward the villa. When he reached the door, it was already opened from inside, and a middle-aged man in home clothes smiled warmly at him.
"Little Ling, welcome back."
"Uncle Mu, it’s been a while," Ling Chen greeted.
The middle-aged man was Mu Zhiyuan, the owner of the villa.
"Is it Little Ling who has come?" As the voice sounded, a beautiful woman in her forties, with charm still lingering, came quickly. Her slightly wrinkled face was filled with a friendly smile. "Little Ling, come here, let me have a good look at you. I’ve missed you so much over the past few months."
Ling Chen grinned, "Mrs. Chen, you really shouldn’t miss me; otherwise, Uncle Mu might get jealous."
This beautiful woman, Chen Ping, was Mu Zhiyuan’s wife. They used to live together when he wasn’t on missions, so they were quite close. Mu Zhiyuan and Chen Ping had no children and always treated him like their own, often buying him food and clothing.
He had planned this visit to Beijing early to see this couple. In his heart, they were like family, though not by blood.
"Little Ling, come, sit down and have a good chat with Mrs. Chen."
"Alright, don’t hold him up. Let him finish his work first."
"Mrs. Chen, I’ll come and join you later." With that, Ling Chen followed Mu Zhiyuan into the study.
After closing the door, Ling Chen automatically walked to the desk and nodded at Mu Zhiyuan. The latter took out his cell phone, pressed it gently, and the bookshelf in front of Ling Chen immediately slid to the side, revealing a bright corridor.
Walking through the corridor, there was an elevator at the end. After a complicated identity verification, the elevator slowly started and descended.
As the elevator doors opened, Han Bing was already waiting outside for his arrival.
"Mr. Han."
Han Bing smiled and patted his shoulder, "Come with me."
This secret underground base was the headquarters of the Ghost Organization. No one would expect that this mysterious organization was built under a villa.
There are five levels in the Ghost Base, equipped with cutting-edge technology and comprehensive facilities. When Ling Chen first joined Ghost, he underwent a year of closed training here and was very familiar with it.
In a short while, the two walked side by side to the outside of an interrogation room.
"The person is inside; do you need me to accompany you?"
"No need, I’ll go meet him alone." After speaking, Ling Chen pushed the door and walked in.
In the interrogation room, Song Qing was seated in a specially made chair, his hands and feet bound by thick chains. Since he was a master from the Tiger List, Han Bing had given him special treatment.
"Song Qing, we meet again."
Ling Chen smiled, brought a chair over, and sat in front of him, staring into his eyes.
Song Qing coldly said, "Don’t waste your efforts; I won’t say anything."
"It’s your choice to speak or not; I won’t force you. You are a master from the Tiger List, and I always respect masters, so rest assured, I won’t use any despicable means to interrogate you. However, you should think carefully. You have openly stolen government property and already committed a felony; death is inevitable. You look no older than thirty. It must have taken a lot of effort to be ranked in the Tiger List at such a young age. Are you willing to let these years of effort go to waste?"
Song Qing kept his head down, silent, as if he hadn’t heard him.
Seeing this, Ling Chen slightly smiled and said to himself, "I am also a martial artist, and we learn morals first, which I believe your Master has taught you. You’ve struggled for decades, barely making it onto the Tiger List, for what? Nothing more than fame and fortune. You might have gained the fortune, but what about the reputation? Among more than a billion people in Huaxia, only a few can make it onto the Heaven and Earth Dragon and Tiger Four Rankings. Just being ranked sixth on the Tiger List should have been enough for you to be proud. Yet, what you are doing now is gradually destroying the reputation you worked hard to build. If Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion hears about this, how do you think they will judge you? A traitor? A corrupt villain driven by greed? You know Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion well; once this news reaches their ears, it won’t be long before every martial artist knows of your deeds. By then, if not reviled for eternity, you will be universally detested. Is this the outcome you want, to ruin your reputation overnight?"
Hearing this, a flicker of emotion finally surfaced in Song Qing’s usually unflappable eyes.
He slowly raised his head, his voice hoarse, "If I confess, will you keep this matter from being leaked?"
Ling Chen promised, "I assure you, not a word will be disclosed. As long as you confess truthfully, I will plead with my superiors to reduce your sentence, so you spend fewer years in prison. Once you are released, you would still be a renowned master on the Tiger List."
Song Qing hesitated for a moment, then appeared to make a decision, nodding. "Alright, I accept your terms. What do you want to know?"
"Don’t hurry; I’m not the one to ask these questions. Someone else will come here to see you shortly; just cooperate with them." Finishing speaking, Ling Chen turned and walked out of the interrogation room.
"Young man, you’re quite something," Han Bing praised generously outside the door. He had just listened to their conversation through the monitoring equipment in the interrogation room. Seeing Song Qing relent obviously pleased him.
The corner of Ling Chen’s mouth lifted slightly; he too wasn’t very sure of himself. But martial artists place great importance on their reputations, especially those who are well-known masters. That’s why he used this point to try and break through Song Qing’s psychological defenses.
"Mr. Han, I’ll leave the next steps to you. I’m going to check on the General."
"He’s in the lab."
After Han Bing entered the interrogation room, Ling Chen made his way to the lab within the base.
In the spacious lab, besides Qiao Zhen, several researchers were studying the exoskeleton armor.
"General," greeted Ling Chen.
Seeing him approach, Qiao Zhen’s stern face rarely showed a smile. "You rascal, your timing is perfect. I was about to call you to thank you. You have done a great service for our nation this time. With this exoskeleton armor, our country’s military power will absolutely surpass other nations. Tell me, what reward would you like, you rascal?"
"General, you can skip the reward. The country raised me, and it’s only right for me to contribute to the country."
"Not bad, you have high awareness. But your contributions are clear, and a deserved reward must be given. Just name it; as long as it’s not too excessive, I will fulfil it."
Ling Chen’s eyes twinkled, and he grinned. "General, you mean what you say?"
"Nonsense, when have I ever gone back on my word?"
"Alright then... since that’s the case, how about you introduce me to your granddaughter? I’ve been single for so long, I can’t just... Ouch! General, you told me to make a request, why are you hitting me?"
"Get lost!" Qiao Zhen laughed and scolded, "Don’t even think about my granddaughter."