Chapter 223: The Safe (Part 1)

The man nudged his sunglasses and hoisted his sagging belt. Carrying an air of nouveau riche, he strode into the office building.

Riding the elevator to the tenth floor, the man looked around and, touching his ear, whispered, "Ling Chen, I’ve arrived."

"Stick to the plan. Remember, don’t get busted."

"Don’t worry, with my acting skills, I could nab an Oscar if I went into showbiz."

"Yeah, keep dreaming."

After putting his hand down, Hu Fei coughed and cleared his throat. He approached the reception desk, plonked his briefcase onto it with a haughty air, and said confidently, "Is this the Huayu Financial Investment Company?"

The receptionist maintained a charming smile and nodded, "Sir, how may I help you?"

Hu Fei glanced at the receptionist, "Well, aren’t you a pure beauty." He chuckled slyly, his face oozing sleaze, "Sweetheart, does your service include everything?"

The receptionist’s face stiffened, irritation flickering in her eyes, but she still forced a smile, "Sir, if you have any specific requests, please say so."

"I’m here to see if your company has any worthy investment projects." Hu Fei patted his briefcase. "Call your manager for me."

"Sir, I’m sorry, but our manager is in a meeting. If you’re interested in investing, I can give you an introduction to our company’s businesses."

"That would be great." Hu Fei grinned. "But don’t bother with anything under thirty million. I’m not interested in small investments; only the big deals. Hey, pretty girl, you’re so beautiful, do you have a boyfriend? How about we go for a meal sometime?"

"Hey, fatty, can you get down to business?" Ling Chen’s voice came through the earpiece impatiently. "If you waste any more time, forget about that one million."

The mention of money immediately straightened Hu Fei’s attitude. Pretending to check his watch, he picked up his briefcase and said, "If your manager doesn’t have time, I’ll just go downstairs to Huahai Investment Company."

"Sir, please wait." The receptionist hurried after him, worried about losing a big deal. "Take a seat first; I’ll contact our manager for you."

"Make it quick, I have more business to discuss soon."

In a matter of moments, a middle-aged man came out quickly, all smiles. "Sir, I’m terribly sorry for the wait. I’m the manager of this company. I’ve heard you’re interested in large projects, and we can certainly meet your needs."

"Can’t we go somewhere to sit down and talk? Are you letting all your guests stand outside?"

The manager quickly apologized. "My fault, please come in!"

Inside the company, Hu Fei looked around and, as he walked, said, "Manager, before we talk business, could you give me a tour of your company?"

"Of course, right this way."

Led by the manager, Hu Fei wandered around. At each location, when no one was paying attention, he discreetly tossed a disk-shaped metal object overhead. Once the metal touched the ceiling, it immediately adhered.

After the tour, Hu Fei suddenly clutched his stomach, sheepishly saying, "Manager, where’s the restroom?"

"Over there."

"Right, I’ve got it. You wait here." He quickly went into the restroom and closed the door behind him.

"Fatty, is it done?" Ling Chen’s voice rang out in the earpiece, and Hu Fei replied smugly, "With me on the case, what can’t be done? How’s it going on your end?"

"OK! All set."

"Good, then I’ll get started." With that, Hu Fei took out a remote control from his pocket and lightly pressed the red button.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Instantly, several explosions sounded from outside the restroom. Immediately after, flames spread quickly along the ceiling and soon gushed into the restroom through the door gap.

"I’m heading out first, the rest is up to you."

Exiting the restroom, he saw the employees screaming frantically, their faces filled with terror, as they stumbled towards the company’s exit. Hu Fei was in no rush and strolled out of the company leisurely.

The bombs he had installed had little lethality, somewhat like incendiaries. However, after some modifications, they were more advanced than regular incendiary devices. The flames would only spread along the ceiling, and as long as evacuation was prompt, there would be no danger.

On the eleventh floor, a suit-clad bodyguard picked up the phone and dialed a number.

"Boss."

"What’s up?"

"There’s been a fire on the tenth floor; should we evacuate?"

"Is it serious?"

"We’re not sure yet."

"Have the other staff evacuate first, the rest of you stay put; I’m on my way."

Over ten minutes passed.

Two fire trucks swiftly arrived, and more than twenty firefighters with heavy gear hastily headed to the scene, evacuating people and getting ready to fight the fire. By then, the raging flames had spread, engulfing the entire floor.

In the stairwell of the eleventh floor, a firefighter rushed out and shouted, "Everyone head downstairs via the emergency exit. What are you guys spacing out for? Hurry up and leave." He pointed at several suited men.

"We’ll leave later; go help the others first," one of the suited men said.

"Leave later?" The firefighter shrugged. "If that’s the case, then all of you might as well stay; don’t leave."

"Huh?"

As soon as he spoke, the suited men realized something was wrong. However, before they could react, the firefighter charged them, knocking one to the ground with a punch. In less than ten seconds, all the bodyguards left outside the company were taken down.

After dealing with these guys, the firefighter took off his mask, revealing the handsome, chiseled face of none other than Ling Chen.

Looking at the knocked-out bodyguards, Ling Chen said resignedly, "I told you to leave, and you wouldn’t – don’t blame me." Then, he quickly entered the company and made his way to Zhu Hong’s office with familiarity.

Reaching the bar, he picked out an ’84 Lafite and gently twisted the bottle.

Click!

With a crisp sound, a hidden compartment below the bar popped open, revealing a black safe.

"Fatty, I’ve found the stuff."

Outside the office building, Hu Fei sat in the Santana, communicating with Ling Chen via walkie-talkie while keeping an eye on the situation outside.

"Can you open it?"

"I’ll try."

Looking at the safe's digital keypad, retinal and fingerprint scanners, Ling Chen shook his head helplessly, knowing it was impossible to crack three codes in a short time.

Just then, a Mercedes sedan slowly drove up to the building and stopped at the curb.

"Ling Chen, you’d better hurry up. Zhu Hong has arrived downstairs."