The night was dark but the lights of the bustling Jingdu city illuminated its skyline. Cars drove about and people were everywhere in this gigantic concrete jungle. The busy pace of this city rarely had anyone stop to think about the meaning of life. Ye Kun could never figure out why everyone was always in such a rush.

After exiting Xiri Hotel, he and Mu Jian-Feng went ahead and had tea before dinner. With a filled stomach, Ye Kun was sent to the entrance of a small quiet district by his driver. His home wasn’t here but his lover lived here.

“You may leave now. Remember to pick me up tomorrow morning,” reminded Ye Kun after he left the car.

“Alright, Director Ye. I’ll be here at the district’s entrance by seven in the morning,” replied the driver.

Ye Kun waved his hand and made his way into the district.

Ring... Ring...

His phone rang as soon as he exited the elevator.

Ye Kun slid his phone out to glance at his caller before picking up the phone. “Mister Ling, why are you calling me...”

Ling Han’s voice rang through the phone. “I heard from old Mu that you splashed Xia Lei with a drink, is that true?”

“Yeah, that bastard was too much!” yelled Ye Kun. “I’m not done with him!”

“I agree, what the damned bastard did was crossing the line. He humiliated you in front of such a crowd.”

“He won’t be getting any spare parts ever again!”

“That’s right,” Ling Han continued. “You need not worry too. If Xia Lei has anything against you, I can guarantee your safety. I’m calling to reassure you that there’d be protection for possible problems.”

“Thank you.”

“We’re all on the same team, there’s no need to be so courteous. So now that you’re aware, if Xia Lei gives you trouble, all you need to do is to phone me and I’ll handle it for you.”

“Alright. Goodbye.” Ye Kun hung up. He spat onto the ground. “I’d like to see how you’ll help me when I land myself in trouble. You really think that I’m new to this, huh? Since you’re just using me as cannon fodder. I’ll make sure to blast your cursed ship before I die!”

He stopped in front of a door then turned the door open with his keys.

The light was on inside the room, but it was oddly quiet.

His gaze settled on the coffee table and was immediately stunned. On its surface, a few stacks of USDs were laid out in plain sight along with his branded watches and so on. His account books and property lease were scattered around too. These items were stored in his safe! What were they doing out in the open?!

“Xiao Tao!” roared Ye Kun. “Come out here right now! What is wrong with you?! Why are you moving everything out of my safe?”

Nothing was missing from his valuables so the possibility of a break-in was ruled out. If that’s the case, it could only be his lover’s doing.

Xiao Tao was the nickname of his mistress. She was younger than him by two decades, young enough to be his daughter even.

The door to a room was opened and out came someone but it wasn’t someone he had expected. It was a man who was more gorgeous than most females. Ye Kun immediately recognized him, he held one of Thunder Horse’s higher positions and was Xia Lei’s trusted assistant. He was Qin Xiang.

Qin Xiang walked towards Ye Kun.

“You...” Ye Kun’s heart dropped. “What are you doing here?”

Qin Xiang placed a heavy envelope on the coffee table. “Everything you want is inside.”

Ye Kun’s mind went blank for a minute before he abruptly snatched over the envelope, afraid that Qin Xiang would whisk it away.

Qin Xiang gave him a small smile. “My boss wanted me to deliver this to you. My boss is a man of his word. Nothing will go wrong as long as you remain loyal.”

“Right... right... “ Ye Kun returned a sheepish smile.

“But...” Qin Xiang’s tone changed suddenly. “If you plan on doing anything funny, I can and will remove everything you’ve hidden here and everywhere else.”

Ye Kun’s smile tightened. Cold beads of sweat started to fall from his head.

It was grace that Xia Lei sent him what he needed. But Xia Lei had also instructed his subordinate to layout everything in his safe on the coffee table as a threat. Grace and threat, huh? Xia Lei was getting better at this.

Qin Xiang patted Ye Kun’s shoulder, bringing his attention back to him. “My boss wanted me to tell you something.”

“What?”

“He wants you to know that he’ll protect you from Ling Han and Yu Shanhe. There’s nothing for you to fear of.”

“Does he mean that lady who even Yu Shanhe fears?”

Qin Xiang only smiled in response. “You’re smart enough to figure it out.”

With that, Qin Xiang left. Ye Kun felt relieved, the reassurance delivered by Qin Xiang comforted his nerves.

He opened the envelope to check its contents. He found out that not only did it include dirt on him, but it also included dirt on Mu Jian-Feng. He thought for a while before breaking into a smile, “So he’s trying to have me become a whistle-blower, huh? Alright, I’ll get someone to submit these for me. Teacher, forgive me but you have forced my hand.”

One minute later, he called his lover.

“Hey, can I call you back later? I’m very busy!” she whined over the phone.

“What are you up to?” asked Ye Kun curiously.

“Jeez, alright, uh... I was walking on the streets today and I met this very effeminate dude. He said he was a market surveyor from some company. He asked me a few questions and he gave me a shopping mall voucher! It was worth ten thousand dollars! It expires today and I need to use it up!”

“You mother-”

“Are you cussing at me?!”

“Oh, no, how’s your mother?”

Doo... Doo... Doo... Doo...

At the same moment, at the district entrance, Qin Xiang dialled for Xia Lei.

“I’m done,” he reported.

“Mmph, well done. Come back soon, mmph.”

“What’s with your voice?”

“Nothing. Mmph-”

“You’re grunting.”

“Really? Did I? Mmph.”

“Oh, hell no! Fuck you!” Something finally clicked in Qin Xiang’s mind. He immediately scrambled to cut the call.

Back at the Thunder Horse Military Factory office block, in the relaxation room within Director Xia’s office...

Xia Lei returned his phone to the bed stand, then gazed down at Fan Fan who was kneeling on the floor. His nostrils let out another tensed grunt.

“The thing we’ve been talking about... There shouldn’t be any problem with it, right?” Xia Lei spoke after a while.

“No problem.”

“But what about Yu Shanhe?”

That prompted Fan Fan to lift her head. “Are you really going to talk about this now?”

Xia Lei shrugged. “Ye Kun is desperate now and I’m helping him out. I’m not expecting anything but if he did me a favour, I’m sure it’ll benefit Thunder Horse Organization’s development. It’s a big deal and if I’m eager to know how feasible it’ll be.”

Fan Fan rolled her eyes at him. “You can ignore Yu Shanhe and Ling Han. You must remember that the huge success of the Sweeper had already launched you into the view of the higher-ups. Thunder Horse Organization is no longer a small fry. The higher-ups seemed to be very supportive of you too. The fact that Ye Kun was willing to support you with Hanwu Weapons is a good thing in their eyes too. Yu Shanhe and Ling Han are smart people. They wouldn’t engage you head on but use Ye Kun as fodder instead. But Ye Kun isn’t stupid, that’s why he chose to side with you. In a situation like this, Yu Shanhe’s tactics will be limited and the most he could do now is to devise a way to have Ye Kun leave Hanwu Weapons. Honestly, you just need to solve this problem and everything will be fine. I’ll help you take care of the rest.”

Xia Lei smiled. “Alright, I’ll send out an official announcement about Thunder Horse Organization and Hanwu Weapons becoming brother units for a joint effort in new equipment research. I’ll appoint me and Ye Kun as the people in charge. That way, even if Yu Shanhe wants to remove Ye Kun, he’d be faced with trouble too.”

“Yeah. See, it’s not that difficult right?” Fan Fan continued with a grin, “I can see that with Thunder Horse’s upcoming development, there’ll be more people siding with you down the road. Ye Kun will be the first but not the last. Believe me, your future will be increasingly smooth-sailing.”

Yu Shanhe was his ultimate opponent and his last obstacle in the domestic market. Once this was over, there’d be no enemies left back home. That will be the time for Thunder Horse Organization to soar to the top!

Xia Lei sincerely hoped for its arrival, because by then he could focus all of his efforts on solving the mysteries of AE and the ancient alloy.

“Any more questions?”

“None.” Xia Lei hoisted her up by her waist, transporting them both to the bed.

The woman in his arms shuddered. Her body was much more sensitive than a normal person’s.

It was odd that she could formulate an antidote against his sperm but not medications to heal her sensitive body.

Perhaps, the thought had never crossed her mind.

To her, Xia Lei was the best medicine for it.

And it was time for treatment.

“Aiyah!”

“What’s wrong?”

”I forgot to use the antidote!”

Xia Lei froze, he had also forgotten to use its counteract.

Thank goodness.

“Nevermind, I’ll use it later.”

Xia Lei thought to himself, “Yeah, me too.”

“Oh right, have you been working on the Alloy X Project?”

“Yeah, I found out some things about it.”

“Really?! What is it? Tell me! Please...”

“Are you really going to talk about this now?”

“Why not both at the same time?”

“Alright, alright. I found a whole new carbon atom arrangement. With that, I might be able to develop a new type of material. My findings would rocket our country’s material science into its next generation.”

“Oh my god! That’s amazing news! I’ll submit a report about this as soon as I get back to work tomorrow! Mmph-” With a loud moan, she suddenly went silent. Xia Lei wasn’t sure if it was the effect of his good news or was it that she had her lust satiated.

His heart was content.

What he could imagine now was that once Fan Fan had handed in the report, she’ll be awarded with high recognition for her outstanding work. She was still one of the only three members of the Alloy X Project after all. This was also part of his plan. The more stable her position is, the more it would benefit his organization.

But there was something else he was worried about. The line to their mutualism blurred by the day. The fact that he had forgotten to use the counter antidote had indicated that his subconscious didn’t mind having a child with Fan Fan.

Was there something his subconscious was trying to tell him?

Thinking of it made his head hurt.