Arrangements

The task of hiring combat experts and mercenaries was something Wang Yiyang simply pointed a finger at, delegating it directly to his subordinates to complete, and that was that.

As the head of the Security Department, he naturally had two deputy security ministers to assist him.

Both of these men were top-tier elites controlled by the chips he had implanted; they followed his orders implicitly and dared not show the slightest defiance.

After passing down the mission, all that remained was to wait.

Wang Yiyang found himself with nothing to do for a moment, and he didn't want to go to the scene to check on the situation, lest he expose his identity.

He decided to spend his time looking at properties instead.

In truth, if one set aside the tangled mess brought about by his hidden identity, his daily life remained quite ordinary.

He ate lunch at a hole-in-the-wall diner because the food at large restaurants wasn't to his taste.

After eating, he continued house-hunting. Since he was dressed in cheap goods—his entire outfit totaling less than four hundred yuan—no one at the sales center greeted him with any enthusiasm.

This actually saved him the trouble of having to feign politeness.

What Wang Yiyang hated most was people chattering in his ear while he was trying to shop; it was noisy and annoying.

He looked around for a while, and by three in the afternoon, he had finally settled on a residential complex he was relatively satisfied with.

Yes, not a villa, but a residential complex.

A large flat within the complex.

Unlike other customers, Wang Yiyang moved quietly around the model sand table, examining it carefully before joining a few other prospective buyers to tour the grounds.

During the tour, he replied to a message from An Yuxi regarding some technical difficulties in choosing digital products.

This woman seemed just as interested in high-end, cutting-edge digital products as he was. Wang Yiyang, harboring the intention of providing free education, casually explained some basic common knowledge to her.

After viewing the environment, he headed straight to the sales center, intending to put a deposit on the property.

Just as he entered the sales center, his phone suddenly started ringing incessantly.

Wang Yiyang took it out and glanced at the number; it was a cousin of his mother's.

Many of his mother's relatives lived in the countryside. But compared to other rural residents, these uncles and cousins of Wang Yiyang's were quite ambitious.

Not in terms of making money, but in their studies and academic pursuits; they were relatively outstanding.

Moreover, their personal character and upbringing were quite good.

That was why Wang Yiyang's family was willing to associate with these distant relatives.

Over time, they had actually become closer to these distant relatives than to their immediate ones.

At the very least, the relationship was better than with his father's side of the family.

Wang Yiyang found an empty chair in the sales center and sat down to answer the call.

"Hello? Cousin? How has your health been lately? Don't overwork yourself with the construction projects." He had a decent relationship with this cousin.

His cousin, Xue Hui, was in his forties and worked as a contractor in several counties near Yingxing City.

His monthly income was unstable; sometimes he made money, and other times he actually lost it.

Especially in recent years, construction work had become increasingly difficult. The state had continuously issued various regulations requiring construction teams to ensure that their material procurement met multiple new standards.

There were also strict regulations on procurement channels.

As a result, many supply chains were completely severed due to overly stringent audits.

With the cost-effective procurement channels gone, Xue Hui's competitiveness had been ruthlessly slashed.

This had made business increasingly difficult for contractors like him.

However, Wang Yiyang didn't know much about these details; he only knew that his cousin had been very kind to him when he was a child.

So, whenever he could help, he was always happy to do so.

Though, in the past, his own income was so meager that he really couldn't offer much help.

"I have a small favor to ask of you, Xiaoyang." A weary-sounding middle-aged man sighed on the other end of the line.

"There's a parent-teacher meeting at Ruihua School the day after tomorrow. I can't get away, and your aunt has some troublesome matters to deal with, so I might need you to go in my place again."

Ruihua, whose full name was Xue Ruihua, was his cousin's daughter. She was currently in middle school.

However, her academic performance was another story. She also had a rather volatile and disobedient temper.

Wang Yiyang had helped attend parent-teacher meetings for her a few times before, so he was familiar with the drill.

He calculated the time and felt that two days later should be fine. The Mantis situation was being handled by the deputy ministers, and the martial arts school had several teams keeping watch.

So, it shouldn't be a problem.

"Alright, send me the specific time and any details I need to know. I'll make the trip." Wang Yiyang agreed casually.

A parent-teacher meeting was nothing more than an afternoon of sitting in a chair playing on his phone; it wouldn't interfere with his remote monitoring or his ability to direct operations elsewhere.

"That's a huge help, Xiaoyang. Thank you." His cousin laughed.

"It's nothing, a small matter."

Wang Yiyang smiled and hung up the phone.

"Sir, are you looking to buy a property? Would you like me to show you around?" A staff member nearby finally noticed him and stepped forward to offer assistance.

Wang Yiyang paused and pointed to one of the buildings on the sand table model.

"Take me to see this building. Are there any units left on the fifth floor or below?"

The building he pointed to was a luxury standalone apartment complex within the residential area.

In this apartment building, every floor consisted of a single large flat, and with a total of twelve floors, there were only twelve households in the entire building.

Calculated at a unit price of twenty thousand, such a large flat of over five hundred square meters would cost at least ten million.

The staff member's expression didn't change; she received many people like this every day who wanted to look at properties.

Most of them were just looking without any intention to buy, or simply there to watch the excitement.

"For this building..." She took out her phone to check, "The fourth floor hasn't been sold yet. Would you like to go see it now?"

"Let's go now." Wang Yiyang had no time to waste.

He stood up and quickly followed the saleswoman to inspect the property. Once he was satisfied, he began to haggle over the price.

The saleswoman was quite experienced. Seeing that Wang Yiyang had a strong intention to buy but remained hesitant and picky, she quietly sent a message on her phone, asking a colleague to pose as another potential buyer interested in the same unit, creating the illusion that "if you don't confirm now, it will be too late."

She boasted about how well these apartments sold while constantly calling her colleague, making excuses to hold off the other "client" for Wang Yiyang.

Wang Yiyang felt tired just watching her.

However, it wasn't easy to work in this industry. If this deal went through, the commission on a ten-million-dollar property would be at least ten thousand. Being diligent was normal.

It was just that these tactics were rather tedious.

After tossing about for a long time, she brought over several people—whether they were real managers, supervisors, or bosses, he couldn't tell—who offered a pile of discounts and gifts, and he finally paid the initial deposit.

By the time he left the sales office, it was already late.

Wang Yiyang checked the summary of information regarding the Yuekong Martial Arts Hall and the crackdown on the Mantis organization in Yingxing City once more.

Only after confirming there were no new issues did he feel at ease.

Through the group's connections, all known members of Mantis had been officially placed on a wanted list.

The intelligence network of the Security Department was currently concentrating its efforts on investigating why an assassination organization like Mantis would target the Yuekong Martial Arts Hall.

After finishing his unread messages, Wang Yiyang looked around and realized he had unknowingly walked into a district filled with bars and KTVs.

Waves of music and singing, some pleasant and some grating, drifted out from both sides, causing him to frown slightly.

At night, the air gradually grew chilly.

Gusts of cool wind blew against him, bringing a faint sense of cold.

"I can only wait for the results regarding the martial arts hall, so I should do what I can to prepare now." Wang Yiyang tightened his collar and buttoned it up.

"According to the previous interrogation results regarding the Mantis case against the Yuekong Martial Arts Hall:

That person named Dada didn't know the specific details; he was only ordered to go and assist Zhong Can.

As for what role Zhong Can actually played in this case, he didn't know."

Wang Yiyang walked slowly.

In a bar ahead, two beautifully dressed young women in dark cheongsams, revealing long, fair legs, stepped through the entrance in high heels.

The music inside the bar was deafening, clashing sharply with the style of the two women.

Yet, looking from afar, Wang Yiyang inexplicably sensed a strange harmony.

Passing by the bar, the music slowly faded away.

He bought a hot chocolate at a convenience store on the roadside and sipped it slowly as he walked.

"In other words, Zhong Can is likely one of the few who truly knows the truth. Next would be the core members within Mantis.

We captured quite a few Mantis members during the previous raid; it just depends on whether we can extract any information from them."

Meow~~~

A black stray cat crouched on a fire hydrant by the roadside, turned its small head to glance at Wang Yiyang, then jumped down gracefully and disappeared into the alley behind some trash cans in a few bounds.

Wang Yiyang paused for a moment before continuing forward.

"So, as an ordinary person, what preparations can I make in advance?"

He asked himself.

"My hidden identity is one of the behind-the-scenes directors of Mister, but as the Minister of the Security Department, I am currently facing internal and external troubles and don't have many forces I can mobilize.

So, the best way is to start directly with Zhong Can to obtain intelligence on the Mantis's target."

Yet, every time this thought crossed his mind, he felt a sense of unease.

Subconsciously, he felt that Zhong Can would be much more difficult to deal with than the martial arts experts he had previously suppressed.

Moreover, he still wasn't certain if it was truly Zhong Can who had slaughtered everyone at the martial arts hall.

Perhaps it was someone else?

Dudu.

To his right, a red car on the roadside honked impatiently, urging the traffic ahead to clear out.

Wang Yiyang watched the drunken female driver inside the red car, turned on his heel, and veered off to the right.

It was a crossroads, and after turning right, a snack street stretched out before him.

The street was bustling with people, and the shops on both sides were steaming with the pungent aroma of food.

Grilled fish, skewers, roasted vegetables, fried rice, fried noodles, rice vermicelli, various desserts, and all kinds of drinks—almost any snack one could imagine could be found here.

Wang Yiyang stood at the entrance of the snack street, near a closed video store, and came to a stop by the shop's rolling shutter door before taking out his phone to dial a number.

After a moment of ringing, the call was answered promptly.