dmims Chapter 162 Another quiet afternoon?
Chapter 162 Another quiet afternoon?
"It's another peaceful day!"
Lu Mingfei stretched out a big yawn and sprawled out on the rocking chair in the yard like a lazy cat.
The afternoon sun was warm and dappled, casting light spots on him through the gaps in the old tree's branches.
He squinted, listening to the cicadas chirping, the rocking chair creaking rhythmically, looking languid and like an old man who had prematurely retired.
The years are quiet.
A month has passed since the great battle that destroyed Zhao, and the shock and aftershocks it brought seem to have gradually subsided.
The Qin state's massive war machine has finally stopped roaring for the time being, needing time to digest the vast territory it has swallowed up.
After the war was over, there were a lot of trivial matters to attend to, such as rewarding those who had contributed, pacifying the local areas, and reorganizing the army, not to mention the major issues of re-dividing counties and settling displaced people.
In the past year or two, with weapons stored away and horses released to graze, we should be able to live a peaceful life for a while.
Gu Nan, that guy, after the war was over, he completely stayed at the Lu family compound and refused to go back, euphemistically calling it "post-war psychological counseling".
In reality, she was afraid that as soon as she returned, her master—the god of war Bai Qi—would conscript her to deal with the mountain of military affairs.
She's quite carefree, always dragging Ling out to play whenever she has free time. Today she'll be strolling through the West Market, tomorrow she'll be watching a variety show; it's like she's on a tourist trip to the capital.
The land of China seems to be enjoying this rare tranquility; at least it's much quieter now, and there's no news of any ignorant mixed-race people causing trouble or stirring up any waves.
Chu Zihang and Xia Mi, that pair of sworn enemies, used the excuse of a mission to escape to some beautiful, secluded place for a romantic getaway, with no return date in sight.
And what about Fingel?
He lay sprawled out on another recliner next to Lu Mingfei, snoring loudly, a suspicious glint of moisture on the corner of his mouth, his carefree demeanor making others envious.
"time to eat."
A clear, melodious voice came from inside the room; it was Zero.
Zero has practically become Lu Mingfei's personal nanny, providing him with three meals a day, on time, nutritionally balanced, and with excellent taste.
anyway
The bureau was initially quite considerate, saying they would assign each of these newly promoted "leading figures" a personal secretary to handle miscellaneous tasks and provide protection (or rather, surveillance?).
However, everyone tacitly declined this benefit.
(Oh, except for Lu Mingfei. He didn't explicitly refuse; it was Ling who went directly to Director Wang and, with a flat tone and irrefutable reasons, "politely declined" on his behalf.)
Oh, and Fingel, he's all for it.
He also strongly demanded that the bureau assign him a female secretary who was "enthusiastic, cheerful, understanding, and good-looking," but Lu Mingfei rejected the request outright, citing "bad influence."
Ugh!
"A higher rank can crush you," Fingel lamented for days.
After finishing his meal, Lu Mingfei nestled comfortably in his study, turned on his computer, and began his daily StarCraft scoring spree.
The StarCraft club that Zero bought for him can't just sit idle, can it?
As the boss and ace player, I have to maintain my form and, incidentally... well, teach the kids on the ladder a lesson.
And just as he was commanding the Zerg army to wreak havoc on all sides...
"Boom boom boom!"
There was a slow, deliberate knock on the courtyard gate.
The person who came was from the bureau's office, a young woman dressed in a smart uniform with a respectful expression.
She was originally the candidate assigned to be Lu Mingfei's secretary. Although Lu Mingfei did not directly accept her, many tasks that required coordination with the bureau naturally fell to her.
She brought a thick file.
This girl is incredibly serious when she works, and Lu Mingfei is sometimes quite afraid of her. After all, for a lazy person like him, work is torture.
"Team Leader Lu, the East China team has cracked a large transnational human trafficking ring."
The young woman reported in a steady voice, "Preliminary investigations have revealed that the case involves more than 100 people, who have been involved in several provinces, and the nature of the crime is extremely heinous."
Lu Mingfei didn't pay much attention at first, as these kinds of cases usually fall under the jurisdiction of the public security system.
But upon hearing the rest, his expression turned serious.
"After in-depth investigation by the police and our subsequent intervention, we discovered that the main target group of this gang was almost all mixed-race people."
That's completely different.
Illegal activities involving a large number of mixed-race individuals will inevitably fall under the jurisdiction of the special task force.
Moreover, the files show that the final destination of these trafficked mixed-race individuals all pointed to one place—Japan.
Even more coincidentally, Lu Mingfei had previously been given the title of "Deputy Leader of the East China Group" by Director Wang because of the complexity and importance of affairs in the East China region, which was essentially a nominal appointment.
Moreover, "it just so happens to be his hometown."
"Japan?"
Lu Mingfei frowned as he looked at the conclusion in the case file, his fingers unconsciously tapping the table.
"Why would Japan need so many mixed-race people? Isn't that the territory of the Snake Clan? Don't they care?"
As the de facto controllers of the mixed-race population in Japan, the Snake-Headed Eight Families could not possibly have been unaware of this large-scale, illegal influx of people targeting mixed-race individuals.
The young woman lowered her voice: "According to feedback from the East China team, the Sheqi Eight Families... their attitude is quite ambiguous, and they are very uncooperative. President Wang's meaning..."
She paused, glancing at Lu Mingfei's expression.
"...so that you can go to Japan in person and enjoy the cherry blossoms."
Deterrence?
survey?
Or perhaps both?
Old Wang is really something; he always likes to describe tasks in a vague and ambiguous way, leaving you to figure it out yourself.
Do cherry blossoms bloom in March?
Fortunately, Lu Mingfei is no longer the clueless young man he once was, and he quickly grasped the key points after a moment's thought.
Involving the transnational trafficking of hundreds of mixed-race individuals, the Snake-Headed Eight Families have controlled the Japanese mixed-race community for over a thousand years; only a fool would believe that they didn't know about it.
It's clear they were aware of the situation and may even have created obstacles.
Old Wang is using his newly promoted "S-level" and powerful position as the head of the special case team to give a warning to the increasingly alienated Japanese mixed-race population, flex his muscles, and make them understand who the dominant force in East Asia is.
"When did the Snake-Headed Eight Families start doing this kind of thing?"
Lu Mingfei closed the file, having already made up his mind.
"Okay, I see."
As it happened, he also had some inexplicable longing for Japan and wanted to see what it was like.
Moreover, Chu Zihang had always wanted to make this trip, so this was a good opportunity to take him along.
"Alright, I'll handle this. You should book your flight for tomorrow." Lu Mingfei stood up, preparing to take Fingel with him.
You always feel like this guy will cause trouble if you don't have him with you.
Oh, right!
And what about my senior brother?
Lu Mingfei picked up his phone and dialed Chu Zihang's number.