Chapter 268 163: The World's Secret Organizations

[Rabbit in a Hat: Btw, does anyone know where the author lives?]

[...]

"This is pretty normal."

Xu Huo fell into thought.

'What a harmonious fan community and comment section.'

'It would be perfect if I wasn't so worried about my address.'

'But no matter how you look at it... this has nothing to do with a fan club, does it?'

[Gummy Candy: No thanks. I'll let other authors have the chance to make an appearance.]

[Rainbow Light: Really? It would actually increase your exposure and help build your account's...]

[Gummy Candy: I'm good, really.]

[Rainbow Light: Alright then...]

With that, Xu Huo closed the chat window and shut down his computer.

After washing up, he lay down on his bed and fell into a peaceful sleep.

...

...

The crackling of firecrackers on the 31st lasted until three in the morning on the 1st.

When Xu Huo woke up, it was as if a thick fog had descended outside his window.

Fortunately, there were no monsters in the fog.

But the billowing smoke still made those who disliked the smell frown and cough into their masks.

Of course, there were also those who liked the smell.

Just like how many people enjoy the smell of a tractor's exhaust or the scent of burning diesel.

As for Xu Huo, he had set out for the airport first thing in the morning.

Along the way, the traffic police had designated a specific route in advance to ensure no accidents would occur.

Even the roadside events had been postponed.

When Wang Chao needed to use the restroom, he had to be accompanied by a close guard, which made him feel a wave of despair.

It wasn't until they entered the airport that Chao Zi finally hurried off to the bathroom.

Zhang Liang and Zhao Gang had also come.

"Jiangsan City? Not going to Linlan City anymore?"

Zhang Liang asked, puzzled.

"Linlan City has been quite stable this month, developing well."

Xu Huo said casually.

"The stores there are operating smoothly. We've opened a total of four chain stores so far, and there haven't been any incidents."

"So we need to expand our market ahead of schedule, and Jiangsan City is the best target."

He explained his planned objective.

As for the Capital City...

The stores in the Capital City were already open.

One main store and three branches.

Zhang Niu provided the funds for renovations and rent, which was essentially an interest-free, no-term loan.

Furthermore, within the business alliance, the other members would also provide support to the industry for a certain period.

This trip had taken care of everything, solving multiple problems at once.

"Sounds pretty good. I'll drop by to support the business when I have time."

Zhang Liang smiled, but his expression quickly turned serious.

After a moment's thought, he finally pulled something out of his pocket and held it out to Xu Huo.

He opened his palm.

A stone lay there.

Xu Huo froze for a second, a look of astonishment on his face.

"Where did you find this!?"

What was this stone?

It was made of obsidian!

It was a Stone Token the size of a bank card, intricately patterned with inlaid gold thread, looking exceptionally refined.

Xu Huo had found some before.

Three of them in total!

The first was one that Li Jianye had seen over a decade ago during the case involving Chu Xi's father.

The other two were found in Zhaozhou—one on the owner of the largest beauty clinic in Zhaozhou, and the other on Cheng Yang.

This was the fourth one!

"It's more ornate..."

Xu Huo frowned, staring at the stone in utter astonishment.

This Stone Token was different from the previous ones.

Aside from the patterns around the edge, the pyramid in the center was gone, replaced by a hand.

A hand made of gold thread!

It depicted only the forearm and hand, with the palm open, holding a Blue Star made of gold.

In other words, it was a hand holding up the Blue Star.

"We found it on those two spies."

Zhang Liang said, sitting on a public bench.

'Spies?'

Xu Huo paused, frowning. An image surfaced in his mind: the two blond, blue-eyed people they had caught at the docks while apprehending Huang Meng, the culprit in that case.

"It's connected to a foreign country?"

He asked with a frown.

"Yes. From the initial look of things, you're not the only one investigating this."

Zhang Liang nodded, took out a cigarette, and lit it.

"The Special Fifth Bureau and National Security teamed up and used some... methods on those two."

"We learned from them that..."

"This is some kind of pass used for identification, which grants access to a certain place."

"They weren't the owners of the Stone Token; they were just using it to run an errand. We don't know the owner's name yet. They were just small fry. We're still investigating."

"Mhm. Our initial guess is that it's related to some organization, one with immense power and a global reach."

'An organization with immense power...'

Xu Huo fell into thought, his brow furrowed.

He ventured, "A criminal organization?"

"Something like that. But on the surface, it's probably a legitimate organization, not one that exclusively commits crimes."

Zhang Liang paused, then sighed.

"You should understand what I mean."

Xu Huo fell silent.

The moment the other man said "legitimate organization," he understood.

Many organizations existed in this world.

Generally speaking, they could be divided into three types.

First were the "good guys," like the blue-hatted police, Interpol, the Red Cross, and so on.

Second were the "bad guys," the ones who stood opposite the police.

For example, the scam compounds in the countries surrounding the Eastern Country, or the drug cartels in the burrito country that's too far from Heaven and too close to the Bald Eagle.

The rest fell into the third category.

That is, the legitimate organizations that were neither black nor white.

Like the business alliances in corporate warfare.

In the Capital City, Zhang Niu had temporarily formed a mobile phone alliance to seize market share.

Was he the only one?

No, there were actually many.

For instance, the "XX Club," the "XX Social Group," or the "XX Alumni Association."

These things sounded very ordinary and down-to-earth, lacking any sense of mystery. But the problem was...

Why would an organization need to be so mysterious?