<h4>Chapter 1116: Chapter 1123: Hidden Agenda (2)</h4>


    "Mr. Zhu, you’re here!"


    In a three-story building located in East Sea City, a middle-aged man stood at the door, weing Zhu Hong from outside.


    "Old K, how’s the mattering along?" Zhu Hong sat down casually and asked.


    "Rest assured, Mr. Zhu, I never fail when I handle things. Ling Chen has already taken the bait, and I reckon he’s grieving over his friend’s death right now."


    "Very good. You were rmended by Elder Ling, so I trust your capabilities. Before my n ispleted, use whatever means necessary to keep Ling Chen in East Sea City. He must not ruin my n."


    "That’s not a problem. Within a month, Ling Chen won’t be able to step out of East Sea City unless he wants to watch his friends die." After a pause, Old K asked, "Mr. Zhu, once your matter is settled, can we take care of Ling Chen?"


    Zhu Hong smirked and said, "Do you want to take care of him? Old K, it’s not that I underestimate your abilities. I know you’re capable. However, if you want to deal with Ling Chen, you’re stillcking a bit. Not even Elder Ling himself would be entirely confident in taking down Ling Chen. Alright, don’t worry about Ling Chen. Sooner orter, someone will take care of him. Now the most important thing is toplete our n."


    "Yes, I understand."


    "Oh, right! Old K, I have a list here that Ipiledst night, maybe it’ll be useful to you."


    Taking the list handed over by Zhu Hong, Old K nced at it briefly, his thick eyebrows suddenly raising as he smiled and said, "Thank you, Mr. Zhu, for the information. This makes things easier for me."


    "Alright! You get busy, I have a flight to catch in two hours. When I return, we’ll celebrate together."


    "Safe travels, Mr. Zhu."


    ...


    Three days passed, and Ling Chen became increasingly cautious. The death of Wei Jun told him that Old K wouldn’t spare any friend around him, even those with shallow rtionships were bing targets of Old K, which was undoubtedly the most troublesome thing for Ling Chen.


    He had been in East Sea City for so long and made a lot of friends; notably, those from Hongyu Group, such as Zhong Wei and Liang Zhao Hui, were his friends, and who knew if Old K would target them.


    To ensure safety, Ling Chen not only intensified everyone’s security but also increased the search efforts.


    As long as Old K remained in East Sea City, he was determined to find him even if he had to dig three feet into the ground.


    On that day, Ling Chen arrived at the base, intending to ask Hu Fei about the progress. Just as he reached the control center, before he had a chance to sit down, he received a call from an unfamiliar number.


    He thought it was Old K calling, but when he answered, he discovered the identity of the caller.


    Ling Tao!


    The person he’d been waiting for.


    "Where’s my dad, where is he?" Ling Chen asked impatiently. Ling Tao had finally called him; he had to seize the opportunity to inquire about Ling Kun’s whereabouts.


    "Kid, I know what you want to ask. The matter concerning your dad is quiteplicated and can’t be exined in a short time. We can talk about itter. Right now, there’s a more urgent matter that needs your help."


    "What is it?"


    "I might need to borrow some of your forces," said Ling Tao. "We’ve already entered a full-scale war with the Southern Ling Family. Although we were prepared, I still underestimated the Southern Ling Family’s power. Over the years, they’ve been lying low, umting strength, and the power they’ve exploded with now far exceeds my expectations. I didn’t want to trouble you at first since you’ve worked hard to stabilize and it’s a good time for you to expand your influence steadily. However, given the current situation, I have no choice but to ask for your involvement."


    Ling Chen pondered for a moment and asked, "How many men do you need?"


    "Three hundred elites, including those experts by your side. I need them all."


    "No, I can’t spare that many people. I’m also facing troubles and urgently need arge number of people. I can lend you at most two hundred. As for my friends, I need to ask for their opinions since they’re not my subordinates; I’m not in a position tomand them."


    "Two hundred is too few, sending them would just be sending them to their deaths, as they simply couldn’t withstand their assault." After a pause, Ling Tao said seriously, "Ling Chen, I don’t have time to waste words with you. Honestly, one of our bases is under attack, and the one in charge of its security is porridge girl. Her situation is critical right now, and based on the intelligence I received, without reinforcements, she can hold out for at most three days."


    Ling Chen furrowed his brows and asked sternly, "Can’t you allocate forces to support them?"


    "If I could, I wouldn’t be asking you. The Southern Ling Family hasunched aprehensive offensive, and all our regional forces are under attack, making it impossible to allocate any manpower. Okay, I’ve said what needed to be said, you have to find a way to resolve this matter. Even if not for our sake, you should think about porridge girl." After saying this, Ling Tao didn’t give Ling Chen a chance to speak and abruptly hung up the phone.


    At the same time, his phone vibrated with a message from Ling Tao containing the location information of porridge girl.


    Damn!


    Ling Chen couldn’t help but curse. At this moment, he finally realized Old K’s intentions.


    The opponent deliberately wanted to bind him, keeping him in East Sea City. In the current situation, he not only had to ensure the safety of Nanrong Wanqing and others but also had to search for Old K’s whereabouts. Hu Fei had already allocated nearly half of the manpower, leaving only about two hundred people avable.


    ording to Ling Tao’s request, he must mobilize all forces to support porridge girl. Otherwise, porridge girl would likely face imminent danger. However, if he did so, the defensive power in East Sea City would be significantly weakened, providing an opportunity for those with malicious intentions.


    "Hey, fatty!"


    "What’s wrong?" Seeing the serious expression on Ling Chen’s face as he approached, Hu Fei sensed something was amiss and quickly asked.


    "How many exoskeleton armors are avable for use in the base?"


    "All together there are about one hundred and fifty sets."


    "Give me a hundred sets. Also, have Kai choose a hundred elites."


    Hu Fei was momentarily stunned and asked, "I’m asking, who are you going to war with? Don’t me me for not warning you, this is East Sea City. If you engage inrge-scale warfare, the authorities above certainly won’t allow it."


    "I know, don’t worry about that. Just arrange it for me as soon as possible. By the way! Where is Bai Huanjun? I need to find him urgently."


    Based on the current situation, going to support porridge girl was inevitable. He couldn’t just watch porridge girl fall into trouble. Therefore, the only solution was to have Bai Huanjun impersonate him and stay in East Sea City to hold the fort.


    Though a hundred elites weren’t many, once equipped with exoskeleton armors, theirbat power would be equivalent to three or four hundred people, which should be sufficient.


    By the time everything was arranged, it was already past ten in the evening.


    After a busy day, Ling Chen was utterly exhausted. Dragging his weary body back home, everyone including Nanrong Wanqing had already gone to bed, only the light in Liu Xiyao’s room was still on.