Sky-cracking Rider

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"Hmm?"

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Chen Fei was taken aback as he made eye contact, and immediately opened his suitcase with confusion.

Not only was he puzzled, but so were Li Wanjiji and her brother Li Xingxing, wondering what their elder brother meant by his words.

Together with their bodyguards, they began to inspect their luggage on the spot.

"Aha, just as I thought!"

Li Gaogao carefully examined a few of his garments and sneered.

"Someone has been tampering with this, truly relentless!"

Though nothing was missing from the suitcases, the placement and folding state of some items had clearly changed, and Chen Fei finally understood why Li Gaogao had said this matter was not settled.

Someone still refused to let the Li Family and Chen Fei off the hook, not sparing even the luggage returned to their home country, sifting through it sneakily.

Had it not been for an extra ounce of caution, perhaps no one would have noticed anything.

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The Li Residence was located between the third and fourth ring roads, featuring a modern three-section large quadrangle courtyard encompassing about twelve hundred square meters.

Of course, locations within the third ring of the Capital City were more premium, better reflecting the domineering power of wealth.

However, as latecomers in the grand scheme of things, the Li Family had no way to squeeze into those central areas!

Tianjiu Financial Company's headquarters were in Shanghai, but this didn't prevent the Li Family from setting up their main residence in the Capital City.

The group's chairman, Li Zhenxing, had retired behind the scenes, assisting his eldest son, Li Gaogao, in preparing for succession—this could take as long as ten to eight years, or as short as three to five years. The international financial situation was ever-changing and unpredictable; maintaining a firm position was not easy, and instances of losing one's entire fortune overnight were not rare.

While financial winners seemed to take all, raking in money and spending lavishly, even more ended in bankruptcy, suicide, or the dissolution of their families.

That Tianjiu Financial Company could operate up to this point, with capital growing like a rolling snowball, depended solely on two principles: "stability" and "non-greed".

It was because of these principles that they were selected as the guarantor agent responsible for retrieving the artificial intelligence AI unit carrying the recompiled version of "Adam" from the American Federation.

"Little Chen, make yourself at home and don't be shy. And Er Lang, you're welcome as a guest."

Li Gaogao, Li Wanjiji, and Li Xingxing's father, Li Zhenxing, personally received Chen Fei, who had come from afar.

On the way to the Li Residence, Li Wanjiji couldn't wait to separate from the group for a fragrant aromatherapy SPA, while Li Xingxing was called away by his friends. Only the eldest brother, Li Gaogao, personally accompanied Chen Fei to the Li Residence. After entrusting him to his father, he hurried off.

A pile of work had accumulated at the company, demanding Li Gaogao's personal attention, and he had to be cautious about the aftermath caused by the two Little Bai spheres. Any slip-up could destroy the situation they had meticulously built.

"Little Chen, have some fruit."

Li Zhenxing's smiley wife personally brought over a plate of cut fruits. After giving Chen Fei a few looks, she turned and went back to the kitchen to continue making dinner preparations. Your journey continues with empire

Though the Li Residence had a full-time chef, the fact that the mistress herself was cooking signified a special regard for the guest.

"Thank you!"

Chen Fei hadn't even sat down when the Golden-Eyed Azure-Hearted Civet, which had finally woken up on the way from the airport to the Li Residence, jumped onto the sofa without any politeness, stretched out lazily, yawned hugely, and took up more than half the space.

Chen Fei had no choice but to move to the side and sit there.

"We owe you a lot for this time. If not for you, Gaogao and the others might have messed things up."

Li Zhenxing sincerely thanked Chen Fei. They had come very close to a disaster with Tianjiu Finance's guarantor agent task.

Losing money was a minor issue, but the series of consequences that could ensue were something the Li Family couldn't bear.

Even though Tianjiu Finance was currently under criticism and investigation, its reputation heavily damaged, this was still far better than the situation had it gone the other way.

"No need to thank me, it was just a helping hand."

Chen Fei knew that he had done the Li Family a big favor.

Being the nephew of his great-uncle's family, it was natural for him to be acquainted with the Li Family due to business interactions and cooperative relations because of the National Defense Star.

However, since each branch of the Chen Family was fairly independent, with each having their own connections, someone like Chen Fei, who came from a working-class background, would scarcely intersect with such a wealthy household if not for the commission this time.Nôv(el)B\\jnn

"No, no, no, this time, we surely will express our gratitude properly."

Li Zhenxing waved his hands.

As a scion of the Chen Family, it was both emotionally and rationally impossible for him to act as if nothing had happened.

If that were so, it would be even worse than genuinely losing "Adam."

The Golden-Eyed Azure-Hearted Civet showed no sense of inappropriate timing and, after a big yawn, unabashedly said, "When's dinner? I'm starving!"

It was the first time Li Zhenxing had hosted a Magical Beast as a guest, and he quickly chuckled, "It'll be ready soon, very soon! Please wait a moment!"

Chen Fei was even less polite and said directly, "It's fine, let it eat first. Got any cat food?"

"I'm not a cat, I'm not a cat, I'm not a cat, the important things need to be said three times, meow!"

The Golden-Eyed Azure-Hearted Civet was so irritated that it flicked Chen Fei with its tail.

The thick tail slapped loudly, but it was useless, Chen Fei was completely unmoved as if he was just getting tickled.

"How could we use cat food!"

Li Zhenxing didn't dare to join in on such jokes, one careless move and this Seventh Rank Magical Beast of the Human Order could flatten his family's residence.

"Would you like some ham sausage? How about we start with a dozen chicken sausages to fill the stomach?"

Chen Fei reached out to scratch that big cat face, still insisting it's not a cat, even the "meow" slipped out.

"It's all your fault, all because of you, making me pretend to be a cat!"

Er Lang, frustrated and flustered, swatted at Chen Fei's strange hand, trying to see whose movements were quicker. If the latter was too slow, he'd surely get severely scratched.

Watching the interaction and play-fighting between the man and the Magical Beast, Li Zhenxing couldn't help but smile.

Ordinary people would probably be too scared by the large cat's identity as a Magical Beast to make any rash moves, let alone play with it as freely as Chen Fei did.

"Chairman Li, Mr. Zhong is here."

A voice came from outside the living room door.

"Ah, please come in!"

Li Zhenxing immediately stood up and said to Chen Fei, "We have an important guest. I'll introduce you to each other."

The visitor to the Li Residence today wasn't just Chen Fei; Li Zhenxing was also waiting for another guest.

"Hmm?"

The cat-teasing Chen Fei immediately stood up.

Since he was regarded as one of the younger generation of the Li Family, he should also go and meet the important guest.

Seeing Chen Fei dutifully follow, Li Zhenxing secretly nodded his approval. Truly a scion of the Chen Family Gate, even such fine details and rules were not neglected.

"Director Zhong, welcome, welcome!"

Li Zhenxing greeted the visitor at the door, shaking his hand and welcoming him in.

"Sorry, sorry, the traffic was a bit of a holdup on the way."

The newcomer was a middle-aged man with meticulously combed hair and a slightly portly figure, who entered the doorway with an approachable smile, casting his gaze on Chen Fei who was behind Li Zhenxing. Before he could speak, he heard the young man proactively saying, "Uncle Zhong, hello!"

A polite young man, he wondered which part of the Li Family he belonged to?

Li Zhenxing pulled Chen Fei over and introduced him to Director Zhong, "Let me introduce you, this is Chen Fei of the Chen Family, the son of Chen Haishang."

Then, turning his head, he said, "Director Zhong is the general manager of International Aviation, the largest domestic civilian aircraft manufacturer and airline, handling production, sales, and utilization internally as well as exports—it's more powerful than your uncle's National Defense Star."

"The young man has an impressive appearance and will surely become a pillar of the country in the future."

Director Zhong stretched out his hand to shake hands with Chen Fei, wearing a kindly smile as he was led by the host of the Li Residence into the house.

Director Zhong might not know who Chen Haishang of the Chen Family Gate was, but he would definitely recognize Chen Haiqing, who is also of the "Hai" generation.

After entering the living room, Chen Fei asked softly, "Is Director Zhong the client this time?"

Director Zhong was taken aback and looked at Li Zhenxing.

The latter nodded and said meaningfully, "He'd find out sooner or later even if you don't say it."

Director Zhong said with a smile, "It's not just me, but also those from the North, your uncle, and those from the South making helicopters. This time it's a joint commission from several parties."

One could assume the young man could guess as much.

He might not have eaten pork, but he must have seen pigs run; his uncle's company was National Defense Star, representing the military aviation sector. By that reasoning, the North must mostly be the Northern Weapons Industry Group, and there's only one company making helicopters in the South, Chen Fei understood.

The task of secured agency received by Tianjiu Financial Company was a collaborative effort between the military and civilian sectors to research this new version of artificial intelligence.

Noticing the change in Chen Fei's expression, Director Zhong and Li Zhenxing looked at each other and smiled; this young man wasn't entirely an outsider.

Those in the know understood, and those who weren't never would—explaining further was pointless.

Director Zhong reminded in a gentle tone, "Little Chen, seems like you're aware of the situation. Remember to keep it confidential. So, did you bring the item?"

Li Zhenxing's expression immediately turned serious—this was the truly pressing matter.

Chen Fei nodded and asked, "And the Little Sphere?"

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