Chapter 259
"Hey, do you have the roster now?"
"Yes, we have been moved to other temporary shelters."
"Okay, I'll read you a few names, and you can confirm if these people are on the list."
Hegre was incredulous upon hearing this; how could the other side have obtained the list so quickly after only a short separation?
Based on the name provided by Doctor Zhong, he actually found the corresponding infected person in the roster.
"These six people are infected individuals bribed by the Gendarmerie. The intelligence should be accurate. As for what to do next, that's up to you. Bye."
After saying that, Shi Lei cut off the communication.
The director stood to the side, looking extremely embarrassed. After all, he was the one who led this infiltration operation.
Now that the traitor has been identified, Azazel's safety will be greatly improved once he is eliminated.
However, this is still not safe enough.
As long as the Gendarmerie don't stop their investigation, Azazel Clinic will eventually be found. To break the rules, this process needs to be stopped completely.
However, even if the Gendarmerie is destroyed by physical means, the local area can still rebuild. From a long-term perspective, it would be best to find a compliant head of the headquarters.
If the chief had been tough and determined to fight to the bitter end, he wouldn't have hesitated to kill him instantly. But this chief was terrified of death and had a strong will to survive.
To ensure the long-term stable operation of the Azazel Clinic, only officials of the director-level rank can provide protection; ordinary military police simply cannot.
Shi Lei anticipated staying here for a while, so he suggested giving it a try first:
Have you thought it through?
"Huh? What have you decided?"
"The list of infected people you just provided is no longer of any value. Don't say I'm not giving you a chance; think again about what you can do for me."
The director's lips twitched, and his whole body went numb:
"Isn't giving you a list of infected people enough?"
"I never said I'd release you just because I got the list. You want me to let you go? No problem. But shouldn't you provide a reason why I won't kill you?"
The director looked miserable, as if he'd eaten shit. He was usually the one breaking the rules; there was never a day when someone else would break them.
Shi Lei looked around the room but couldn't find an alarm clock to set a countdown, so he used his mobile phone instead.
"You have three minutes to think about what you can do for me if you survive. I value contracts the most, and I'll let you go as long as I'm satisfied with the answer. Crying now won't help; crying will also count towards your time limit."
As the countdown ticked away, the chief's will to survive was completely ignited:
"Can I please not bother Azazel Clinic and infected people anymore?"
"Yes, but it's not enough."
"Then, I can have the Azazel Clinic moved to the area under my jurisdiction. That way, we can try to prevent other Gendarmerie from arresting infected individuals, okay?"
Shi Lei nodded, somewhat satisfied with the answer.
"Can."
With a casual gesture, he conjured up neatly stacked gold bars on his desk. The dazzling golden light was so captivating that the director could hardly look away.
After a slap, you have to give a treat. Intimidation alone won't make someone willingly risk their life.
"Chief, I'll be keeping an eye on you and see how you behave. If you break your promise, the consequences are obvious. You don't want others to know about your collusion with the infected, do you?"
325 My legend is everywhere 3K
The director nodded repeatedly, indicating that he understood.
Now that all his subordinates in the department are dead, he's like a fish on a chopping board, completely at their mercy. With his greasy physique, he has no power to resist at all.
Moreover, once the act of protecting infected individuals is exposed, he can forget about ever working in the Ursus bureaucracy again.
The bureau chief was left with only two paths: either die rather than surrender, facing the end of his life, or perhaps be posthumously honored as a martyr by the mayor.
They might go down a dead-end path and cooperate with infected individuals long-term. For example, allowing the Azazel Clinic to operate within their controlled area and deliberately turning a blind eye during raids.
The first option can be eliminated immediately.
Director Alexey is forty-nine years old this year, and he would definitely be looked down upon if he went out to work. But compared with other officials, he is considered young to be in office at this age.
His son, Little Alexei, will be elected as the purple-robed bishop of the Grand Cathedral this year.
If I can work steadily for more than ten years, I might be able to rise to the rank of Cardinal, second only to the Archbishop. In terms of achievement and status, that would be far higher than my current position as Director.
Alexey didn't want to die; he felt his life still had meaning.
He agreed to provide shelter to the infected because he found the man in the gold mask very pleasing to the eye. It was definitely not because of the table full of heavy Red Gold Bar.
Although he had lost several subordinates, the money was enough to appease the families of the deceased. Thinking this way, the director felt much better and it wasn't so unbearable.
Shi Lei noticed that the other person kept glancing at the gold bars, his greed evident in his eyes. But sometimes, having desires isn't necessarily a bad thing.
Now they've slapped me, but they've also given me candy.
To prevent this director from being reckless and leaking information that could attract higher-ranking officials, Shi Lei felt it necessary to issue one last warning before leaving:
"I'm letting you go today because I can deal with you anytime. I hope you don't get your hopes up and think that finding a powerful backer will make you safe. Even if you ask the mayor for help, I can still take your life."
Alexey grinned wryly and raised his hand to swear:
"My lord, I, Alexei Alexey, swear in the name of the Emperor of Ursus that I will never again cause trouble for the Infected, nor will I ever privately provide them with shelter. If I break this oath, you may come and take my life at any time."
"Okay, I'll trust you this once."
Whether Shi Lei believes it or not is unimportant. Anyway, this company team-building event will continue for a while. He'll stay here and quietly observe the unfolding events.
July 25th, 7:00 PM
During prime time tonight, local television broadcast reports on the brawl on Wellington Avenue.
"Hello everyone, this is your old friend Natasha. Around 11:00 AM this morning, the military police engaged in a fierce battle with infected individuals lurking in the city on Wellington Avenue. The fighting was extremely brutal, with 114 military police officers killed. Behind me are the bodies of military police officers that haven't been removed yet... Ugh~"
Although the body was blurred out in the recorded broadcast, the female host who was present at the scene saw no such blurring. Seeing the gruesome sight, she couldn't help but gag.
Most Ursus residents applauded the death of the military policeman. However, their stereotypes about the infected have worsened compared to before.
The advantage is that they'll think twice before ganging up to bully infected people in the future. Resistance is one thing, but risking their own lives is not worth it.
Additionally, on a local forum in Chernobyl, someone posted photos claiming to have seen a huge meteorite.
Because the suspended rock was so large, many people standing on the windowsills could see it.
However, Planet Befall existed for a very short time, with only a few people taking photos and uploading them.
However, such posts were dismissed as rumors and photoshopped images by uninformed netizens. This is because if a massive meteorite were to fall, a loud bang would inevitably be heard within the city.
However, television reports indicated that no impact crater was found around Wellington Avenue. Simply stating that the meteorite was huge but failed to create a crater is nothing short of a complete lie.
The poster and netizens engaged in a heated online argument, spewing out all sorts of offensive remarks. They accused the poster of using fake photos to gain traffic, claiming their intentions were extremely malicious.
Ultimately, the poster was outnumbered and the post was deleted due to public outrage, causing the story of the meteorite to be dropped.
This joint operation resulted in heavy losses for the Third Gendarmerie and other Gendarmerie. The incident, reported to the mayor, drew serious attention, leading to an order for a city-wide alert. Additional personnel were deployed to search for infected individuals in Chernobyl.
After leaving the Gendarmerie, Shi Lei called Hegre and asked him to take the medical staff and patients and move them to the area under the jurisdiction of the Third Gendarmerie.
Shi Lei didn't go into too much detail about the specific reasons. He only told Hegre that the head of the Third Gendarmerie, Alexey, had been bribed and would be protecting the infected people in his jurisdiction from future incidents.
However, while the two sides are cooperating, Sweet cannot be fully trusted at this time. It would be best to disperse the personnel to different locations to avoid being wiped out by the military police.
Hegre was greatly shocked when he learned of this.
Given that the list of traitors provided by Doctor Zhongli was entirely accurate, and considering his exceptional skills and methods demonstrated in numerous operations, he heeded the advice this time. The operation was moved to the jurisdiction of the Third Gendarmerie, with strict control over personnel movement to prevent the new base's location from being exposed.
During the phone call, Hegre sincerely thanked him and even offered to treat him to a meal, but Shi Lei declined.
He saved lives purely out of conscience, never seeking anything in return. His initial motivation was to reunite the family at the inn. The two Doctor were merely incidental acts of kindness.
Later, realizing that he had caused the situation to escalate, he took swift action to prevent it from worsening.
Moreover, with so many people dead today, the Chernobyl authorities will certainly not let this go unpunished. Inviting someone to dinner at this time is extremely inappropriate.
Hegre could not refute this and could only repeatedly express his and Azazel Clinic's gratitude over the phone.
Time flies by like fast-forwarding through a movie.
In the days that followed, the incident on Wellington Avenue was gradually forgotten. People went back to eating and sleeping as usual, busy with their daily lives.
The mayor imposed martial law throughout the city, but several searches were ineffective and had to be shelved.
Aside from visiting tourist attractions for the first two days, Penguin Logistics' Messenger didn't go out much afterward.
Seeing that the inn had few guests, the Emperor generously booked the entire place. This way, infected individuals like Mudrock Surtr, whose skin lacked Originium, could come out and have fun together.
If you'd like to ski, you can go to Miss Nian's Scroll Realm. Whether you prefer real, chaotic snow or dreamlike snow, you're free to choose.
Before we knew it, it was the end of August. Because Lisa was starting school in early September, the team-building activity had to be called off.
Before leaving Chernobyl, Shi Lei visited the hotel where he had punched a hole in the second floor. The owner had run away with his son, and the place was now deserted.
Finding the main door locked, he flew to the second floor and entered through a window. He filled several rooms with extremely pure gold bars.
Afterwards, Shi Lei called Hegre and asked him to bring some people over that evening. He told him he had left some surprises in some of the rooms on the second floor.
Because Pantalone rarely get Originium-related illness, and those infected usually don't have much money, underground clinics like Azazel's are obviously losing money.
Wanting to do his part, Shi Lei left behind some operating funds before leaving Chernobyl. These gold bars would be enough to sustain the clinic for a long time.
As for why the gold bars weren't given in July, the reason is simple. Shi Lei could sense that Hegre disliked owing favors and was eager to repay them.
If he had given him the gold bars in July, Hegre probably wouldn't have accepted them. That's why he said he was leaving a surprise for him, to let the other party open the box himself.
When they leave Chernobyl, Hegre will have no choice but to accept them.
The Messenger noticed a significant increase in guards at the border crossing. Blood tests were also added to ensure no infected person escaped.
Fortunately, Mudrock and the others were all inside the scroll, so there was no need to worry about inspection. After going through the tedious procedures, they drove back to Lungmen.
The sweltering summer will eventually pass, and the rainy autumn will arrive.
On September 1st, Lisa officially started school.
Shi Lei and Texas, as her guardians, took time out of their schedules to attend the school's Opening Ceremony.
Many prominent figures from Upper City were present and politely greeted Shi Lei.
Although he has rarely been active in Lungmen this year, spending most of his time on business trips, legends about Zhongli still abound in Lungmen's upper-class social circles.
Ordinary people may not know it, but everyone in both the legitimate and criminal worlds knows this name.
Shi Lei wasn't familiar with these parents, but he knew they all had influential backgrounds.
Lisa's ability to study peacefully at school is partly thanks to the efforts of these children's parents. Therefore, she always responds politely when greeted.
But I'll skip the casual dinner, evening massage, or afternoon tea if I have time.
Although these upper-class elites frequently throw parties, they are not from the same circle as Shi Lei. They don't share any common interests, and even when they meet, they can only engage in awkward small talk.
For the next period of time, everyone returned to their ordinary lives.
I clock in at nine every morning, then sit in the office reading or surfing the internet. I leave work promptly at five to go home and enjoy a delicious meal. We eat meat and drink alcohol heartily. On weekends, we get together for a few rounds of mahjong; life is pretty good.
This uneventful period lasted until September 20th.
Tonight, Mudrock couldn't sleep a wink. He tossed and turned in bed, sometimes even chuckling to himself like a fool.
Because tomorrow is her birthday.
Mudrock used to be a mercenary in Kazdel and never celebrated her birthday. She's so happy tonight not because anyone is celebrating with her, but because her master Shi Lei, promised to spend the whole day with her.
This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, so we must seize it!
326 My First 4K with My Master