Chapter 3410 — An Unexpected Complication

"That will do nicely. Sorry to put you to the trouble." From Torgut's tone, Wei Zhao knew at once that this poison-refining base must have some connection to the Paoli clan—otherwise Torgut would never have been so confident.

"No problem at all! Young Master Lin, you and Young Master Yu rest here for a while, then tell me who it is you're looking for and what he looks like. Just wait for my word!" Torgut said, thumping his chest.

"Very well." Wei Zhao did not decline. He and Yu Dake parked the car and entered the Paoli clan's estate.

They had not been inside the Paoli clan's courtyard long before Toru Riyue came to see Wei Zhao, greeting him warmly: "Young Master Lin, you've come! Torgut tells me you're here looking for a friend. Rest assured, we will help you with this—don't worry. Just give me your friend's name, and a photograph if you have one."

"Then I'll trouble you, Old Clan Chief Toru. His name is Ying Zhijia. As for a photograph, I'll send it to you—please give me your email address." Wei Zhao nodded. He had no mind now to puzzle out what ties bound the Paoli clan to the poison-refining base; he need only find Chuanshanjia.

"Of course. Thank you for your understanding, Young Master Lin." Toru Riyue gave his email address, and Wei Zhao sent him the photograph of Chuanshanjia from his phone.

Toru Riyue nodded and went off to see to it, while Wei Zhao and Yu Dake rested in their room.

Only after Toru Riyue had left did Yu Dake lower his voice and say, "Mr. Lin, it seems there's something fishy between that poison-refining base and the Paoli clan!"

"That much is certain—otherwise they could never have taken the matter on so boldly." Wei Zhao smiled and said mildly, "Still, with their help we'll be spared a good deal of trouble."

"True enough. Then we wait for news." Yu Dake nodded.

That evening, Clan Chief Toru Riyue of the Paoli clan held a banquet in honor of Wei Zhao and Yu Dake. They treated Wei Zhao as a distinguished guest—after all, cultivating good relations with someone as formidable as Wei Zhao could bring the Paoli clan nothing but benefit.

"Young Master Lin, rest easy. I've already sent word to the poison-refining base, and their man in charge says he remembers the fellow. Everyone at that base is Asian, so he's bound to be there." Toru Riyue raised his cup. "So all you need do, Young Master Lin, is wait patiently. He has to grant me this face!"

"My thanks. Then I'll wait a while." Wei Zhao raised his cup as well.

Since their purpose had been achieved, the dinner passed in perfect harmony and good cheer.

Over at the poison-refining base, the man in charge was named Lou Tianqi—a minor chieftain, to be sure. His life was nothing like as comfortable as Brother Dafeng's. Though both ruled their own little domains, Lou commanded a pack of bio-engineered men, and there was no comparing him to Brother Dafeng.

That day, Toru Riyue, chief of the Paoli clan, had telephoned him to say he wanted a certain man released. Lou had not taken it seriously—after all, his base lay within the Paoli clan's sphere of influence, and if he wanted to refine poison in peace, he could not go around the Paoli clan.

To buy that peace, they paid the Paoli clan a vast sum every year, and in return the Paoli clan left them alone; and if other powers came calling, the Paoli clan would shield them too.

The profits of poison-refining were simply too great. Many great houses, hidden clans, and sects cast covetous eyes upon it—without a powerful umbrella, what one earned would not be enough to satisfy all the freeloaders who came to extort a share.

That was why, when Wei Zhao came looking for someone, the Paoli clan stepped in to help.

Yet when Lou Qitian pulled up Ying Zhijia's file, he was startled. He had assumed that if the Paoli clan wanted a man from him, it must be someone freshly captured by the base—otherwise why would they have waited all these years to ask?

But this Ying Zhijia had been captured many years ago, and his identity was rather special besides: he was an operative of the Mysterious Investigation Bureau, and moreover one who had been given the very first batch of bio-engineered serum.

That serum had no antidote. It destroyed a person's mind and spiritual consciousness, leaving him able to act only under hypnosis—a walking corpse, in plain terms. The later serums, however, had been improved and did have antidotes; though the subject was hypnotized, his mind was preserved, and he could be restored.

Of course, even if he could be restored, Ying Zhijia's identity as an operative of the Mysterious Investigation Bureau meant he could not simply be released! He was a priority target specially flagged by headquarters—Lou dared not free him on his own authority.

So after much hesitation, he called Toru Riyue back.

"Hello, Mr. Lou. Well? You've found the man I want?" Seeing that it was Lou Qitian calling, Toru Riyue answered the phone in front of Wei Zhao.

"Clan Chief Toru, my apologies. There's no such man here—are you sure there hasn't been some mistake? I've no recollection of him at all," Lou Qitian said.

"None? How can that be? You told me before that you remembered him!" Toru Riyue's expression changed at once. "You swore to me, thumping your chest, that there was no problem at all. What is the meaning of this now? Do you take me for a fool?"

No wonder Toru Riyue was furious. He had assured Wei Zhao again and again that there was no problem; now the grand promise had been made, and the thing had not been done. Where did that leave his face? It was as good as slapping himself.

"This—" To be honest, Lou Qitian did not dare offend the Paoli clan. He made his living in the Hakunamata Desert; without the Paoli clan's protection all these years, the great houses and sects would have come to extort their share, and Lou Qitian would long since have been overwhelmed.

But this was a matter he truly could not handle or maneuver around. Hearing Toru Riyue's question, he knew he could hide it no longer, and could only lower his voice and hint, "Clan Chief Toru, is there anyone beside you? There are some things I'd like to discuss with you in private."

"No one of consequence. Speak." Toru Riyue could not possibly get up and leave now; if he did, it would look as though he were hiding something from Wei Zhao. He had no choice but to sit there and brave it out.

"It's like this, Clan Chief Toru. The man you asked me to find—his identity is a little special," Lou Qitian said cautiously. "His file is locked by headquarters. I can't release him on my own authority."

"What do you mean by that?" Toru Riyue asked.

"I'll be frank with you. This man is an operative of the Mysterious Investigation Bureau—back then, he was one of the people sent against our Red Conch!" Lou Qitian held nothing back now and said it straight out. (To be continued)