Life Was Dull, So I Added a Dash of Charcoal-Grilled Dad (Continued)

No matter how slowly the car moved, it eventually drove out of the base gate.

Lou Yu watched helplessly as the car disappeared from his sight, his hands clenching silently at his sides.

Lou Quan's arrest was a fait accompli, and no matter how unwilling the ordinary people were, there was nothing they could do. Before long, they gradually dispersed.

Several senior executives patted Lou Yu on the shoulder, urging him to return and take charge of the situation.

Lou Yu nodded in agreement, and after taking only a few steps, he saw a familiar figure by the roadside.

It's Bai Huan.

Lou Yu hadn't seen him for a long time. He seemed to have lost a lot of weight, and was staring blankly in the direction of the gate, his eyes red and swollen from crying, his face covered in tear stains.

Although the others present didn't know as much about the inside story Lou Yu, they were all aware that Bai Huan had come to the Yong'an Base with Lou Quan, and they were well aware of his relationship with Lou Quan.

Seeing this, they exchanged glances, unsure of what to do.

Lou Yu told them to go first, and then went to Bai Huan.

Noticing someone approaching, Bai Huan turned her gaze back, not embarrassed by being seen in her disheveled state, but simply wearily called out "Captain Lou."

Lou Yu wasn't in the mood for pleasantries and said directly, "Don't worry, Lou Quan is still a child of the Lou Family. They won't take his life. He'll come back alive."

Lou Yu's words weren't very pleasant to hear, but he knew that this was the kind of truth Bai Huanxiang wanted to hear, not Bai Huan lies.

"Thank you for telling me all this." Upon hearing this, the sadness on Bai Huan's face lessened slightly, but her expression still looked as gloomy as an autumn rain in the dead of night.

Even if he doesn't die, he can still get injured. Bai Huan cares about Lou Quan, so naturally she'll feel sorry for him.

"You're welcome." Lou Yu knew that persuasion was useless, so he didn't say anything more and turned back.

Bai Huan wasn't the only one who cried bitterly today; Zhao Tao, who was hiding so the Zheng Family wouldn't find out, also did.

There is a connection between people with superpowers. Even if Zhao Tao doesn't transform into a beast or use his powers, they can still tell he's a superpowered person. So, Zhao Tao can't even deliver Lou Quan.

Zhao Tao cried until his voice was hoarse, "Brother Lou, it's all my fault for being so useless. If I had stopped the stampede, the Commander-in-Chief wouldn't have been held accountable. Am I a useless person? I'm even more of a useless superhuman."

Lou Yu could stabilize the situation with just a few words, while he had to personally take action, but even that was ineffective; he couldn't even evacuate the crowd.

Lou Yu sighed, patted his head, and said, "This isn't your responsibility. Don't take all the blame. They're here to frame Lou Quan. We can prevent it today, but we can't prevent it tomorrow or the day after."

Zhao Tao was still sobbing. "I'll go train right away. I have to become stronger so I can protect our home."

After saying that, he got up and ran out, probably to the training room.

Lou Yu didn't stop him; he was angry and upset, and it was good to vent it out.

As soon as Lou Quan left, just as they had predicted, the spies from several factions within the base began to stir.

Their spies planted throughout the base have all become active. Unable to get close to the key secrets, they've resorted to all sorts of disruptive tactics, determined to keep Lou Yu and his team from having any peace.

Lou Yu was busy like a spinning top every day. He was not as politically astute as Lou Quan, and since he was only temporarily in charge, even though he was familiar with the higher-ups, it was a turbulent time, and he still made a few mistakes, some minor and some major.

Sometimes he wished he could split himself in two, and after a week, he lost several pounds.

Fortunately, despite the busy schedule, no major mistakes have occurred so far, preventing the ruin of Lou Quan's hard-earned business.

Furthermore, because several informants were eager to mobilize their undercover agents from various places, they were given the opportunity to follow the clues and purge the spies, big and small, from various departments. Apart from being a bit tiring, it was a good thing.

Under the guise of cracking down on spies, Lou Yu and his team also cleaned up the black market, eliminating a lot of scoundrels and troublemakers. Coincidentally, the undercover agent from the planting area was hiding in the black market. After being captured and interrogated for several days, he revealed a lot of useful information.

Lou Yu and several other spies fought back and forth, and all suffered losses, but when you think about it carefully, the spies suffered more losses.

The main reason for this situation is that one of the plans of the informants to disrupt the base is to continue to incite the public to cause trouble, clearing the way for them to undermine Lou Quan's arrangements and uncover the base's secrets.

Perhaps it was because Lou Quan's departure made the people feel guilty and afraid, so even though they still wanted to know how the higher-ups planned to solve the food problem, they dared not have any more thoughts of making trouble, fearing that they would also harm Lou Yu.

If Lou Yu is gone too, then they'll truly be at the mercy of others.

If the informants can't sway the masses, they lose a crucial advantage, making it naturally more difficult to achieve subsequent goals.

Another point is that although Lou Quan has been taken away and a suspension order has been issued, no new commander-in-chief has been sent over.

With no one above them, even if their informants try to cause trouble, they'll easily be suppressed by Lou Yu.

The two sides were locked in a silent struggle, the atmosphere tense and volatile, as if gunpowder was about to explode at any moment.

Nearly a month later, Lou Quan returned alive from the Central Base, and his suspension was revoked.

Seeing that Lou Quan was unharmed, he reluctantly retreated back into the shadows.

Lou Quan's return was uneventful; it was as if he had gone on a trip, leaving empty-handed and returning empty-handed as well.

Was he brought back by the Lou Family? However, they didn't stay long at the Yong'an Base. After dropping Lou Quan off, they glanced at Lou Yu once more, then turned the car around and drove away without a trace of lingering.

If Lou Yu and several other high-ranking officials lost ten pounds each because of their battles with a few informants, then Lou Quan lost thirty pounds on this trip.

He was still wearing the same clothes he had left in, but it was obvious that the clothes were much looser than before.

They took Lou Quan to the hospital for a checkup. There were no external injuries, so they guessed that some kind of bloodless interrogation method had been used. Lou Yu himself had been in the military's interrogation room, and he knew all about those shady interrogation methods.

Lou Quan had both been an interrogator and a defendant, so he knew the situation better than Lou Yu.

After a day of rest, Lou Quan first met with several senior executives and listened to their accounts of what had happened during his absence.

Lou Quan was overjoyed to learn that everyone had not only kept the secret but had also nearly wiped out the hideouts of those spies. He said that when things were better off in the future, he would definitely give everyone a bonus.

Lou Quan never makes empty promises. Everyone believes that once this most difficult period is over, Lou Quan will definitely give them the rewards they deserve.

The last person he saw was Lou Yu.

Lou Yu sat on the edge of the bed, looking at Lou Quan's gaunt face, which looked like he had been dead for three days, and asked, "Have they changed their methods?"

Lou Quan's lips curled up slightly. "That's right, I saw quite a few superpowered individuals this time—those who raise insects, those who use demonic sounds to pierce the ears, those who use fragrance to bewitch people's minds... they had it all, and they tried every trick in the book on me."

Lou Yu felt sorry for Lou Quan. He said, "Look at you, smiling so smugly. You probably didn't tell them anything. You're so stingy. If you had revealed even a little bit of useful information, you'd be regretting it to the point of jumping off a building by now."

"Lou Yu understands me best." Lou Quan's smile widened. "Back when I was training in the army to improve my counter-interrogation skills, I always got top marks. Before I went there, I gave myself a mental suggestion: as long as I was within the Central Base area, I would forget everything related to the Yong'an Base. And it proved to be very effective. Unless they dissect me, they'll never know what I'm thinking."

Lou Yu looked deeply at his cousin. In terms of how ruthless he could be to himself, he could definitely rank among the top three people Lou Yu knew.

"Why are they from the same family? They brought you back? You asked them for help?"

"No, are they afraid of the Zheng Family? They played me to death, and then they saw me? They only went to rescue me because they couldn't get anything out of me."

Lou Quan smiled, his face full of sarcasm. "Without me, who will manage the Yong'an Base for them? I've given them plenty of tribute these past few years, practically bloating them with it. How could they bear to just abandon me like this?"

Lou Yu said, "So they're not planning to continue the investigation?"

"I don't know either, but I heard some news before I came back."

Lou Quan glanced at Lou Yu, a hint of amusement creeping into his smile, as if he were about to witness a joke.

"I heard from someone that those old guys from the Lou Family found your ex-boyfriend."

Lou Yu frowned. "What?"

Lou Quan laughed, "You? You've had relationships before? How come I didn't know?"

Lou Yu: "... You? You think I would know?"

"Hahaha... cough cough cough!" Lou Quan's laughter was interrupted halfway through, and he started coughing violently. Lou Yu rolled his eyes, patted his back to help him catch his breath, and poured him a glass of water.

Lou Quan coughed until tears welled up in his eyes. He drank water to soothe his throat as he said, "They must have heard some rumors. Since force didn't work, they decided to use this method to trick you. Go back... you? Tell the truth, that really wasn't your ex-boyfriend?"

"No, I've never liked anyone before I came to the Yong'an Base."

"Looks like they've wasted their time. They haven't even figured out who your target is, yet they think they can control you?"

Lou Yu silent. "Let them be."

Lou Quan gradually wiped the smile off his face and looked at Lou Yu, saying, "Even if this method doesn't work, they won't give up. I heard that things aren't improving in the planting area. Those old guys at the top worked hard for so long and got nothing. I'm afraid they won't lend us grain so easily again."

His tone was low and uncertain about the future. "If all else fails, you should go and join the Snow Bird. The fate of everyone at the base isn't your responsibility. Perhaps if you leave, the higher-ups will be more lenient with us."