The people in Long Shou’s office tried to talk him into cooperating, but he just quoted the old saying, "A general abroad is not bound by the orders of his sovereign," and hung up.
Just then, a girl in a sports car cut them off, blocking the path of their convoy.
Long Wu got out of the car to confront her. The girl said she wanted to see the real Oil Prince.
Long Wu told her, "I am the Prince. The man from before was just my attendant."
This girl was none other than the decisive Ruth they had just seen.
"Alright, let’s get straight to it. I’ve taken a fancy to this car. Sell it to me for a million dollars, and I’ll guarantee you can leave Golden Mountain Country in one piece."
Long Wu scoffed. "The gold powder on this car is worth more than a million dollars by itself. You might as well just try to rob me."
The girl sneered. "Who’s to say I couldn’t rob you? I just don’t feel like dealing with the Bureau of Investigation."
As she spoke, she pulled out her pistol. But little did she know, Long Wu’s men were holding even more guns than she was.
Realizing that discretion is the better part of valor, the girl holstered her weapon and said to Long Wu.
"I don’t give a damn if you’re the Oil Prince or not. I’ll remember this. I wish you the best of luck."
With that, she got into her sports car and sped away in disgrace.
Long Wu sneered. "The men I brought are all elite. As if we’d be scared of some local gangsters."
And so, he went for a joyride in the luxury car, cruising freely through the suburbs. After about ten kilometers, helicopters suddenly appeared in the sky as piercing sirens blared from the ground. A convoy of well-equipped armored vehicles moved in and surrounded him.
A voice boomed from a loudspeaker in the language of Golden Mountain Country.
"All of you, drop your weapons! Hands on your head, turn around, and squat down!"
What the fuck?
It was the Golden Mountain Country’s Bureau of Investigation!
These guys had a reputation on par with the Ming Dynasty’s Eastern Depot. If they got their hands on you, you’d be lucky to escape with your life, let alone your skin.
Long Wu tossed his gun to the ground and raised his hands, palms facing the heavily armed men.
A moment later, a large, fat man with blond hair and blue eyes walked up, kicked him to the ground, and shoved the barrel of a submachine gun into his mouth.
"I have reason to believe you are smuggling large quantities of gold, in violation of the laws of Golden Mountain Country. As per our regulations, the sentence is summary execution!"
With that, a gunshot went off with a BANG. Long Wu was dead. His men were all arrested and dragged off to a secret location for interrogation.
The luxury car he’d been using to show off was, of course, confiscated.
Before long, the car was in the hands of the mysterious girl, Ruth.
She watched the footage of Long Wu being gunned down and let out a cold laugh.
"I tried persuading you with kind words, but you refused to sell. Now that you’re dead, who is there to blame?"
No one could have imagined that this girl, who looked as harmless as a kitten, was actually a devil who walked the line between law and crime.
Chen Qingdi, however, had no time for such matters. He led the Shuang’er sisters to the girl in red.
They found her sitting sidesaddle on a chestnut horse, a picture of tranquil beauty.
"Who are you?"
Chen Qingdi spoke to the girl in the language of Dragon Country, "We’re interested in your horse farm and would like to buy it. You can name your price."
Gu Shuang’Er, fluent in both languages, acted as Chen Qingdi’s interpreter, elegantly relaying his words to the girl.
The girl gave a dismissive laugh. "How much can you possibly offer?"
"Thirteen million dollars."
He had already used the resources of Medical God Island to investigate the farm’s value, which consisted of the land and the many purebred horses raised there.
His offer of thirteen million dollars was actually a bit generous.
The girl frowned. "I’ll need to see proof of funds."
Seeing his chance, Chen Qingdi said, "These are my two secretaries. They have a full presentation detailing my assets."
The girl made a single phone call and summoned her legal team to verify Chen Qingdi’s assets.
And they discovered something. Chen Qingdi was the registered owner of the renowned Medical God Island.
An entity with total assets of over one hundred billion dollars.
The girl then called her boss. It turned out he owned more than just this one horse farm. Upon hearing the news, he decided that a man like Chen Qingdi was worth knowing and approved the sale.
As for the handover itself, there were professionals to handle the details.
The girl in red led Chen Qingdi to the villa at the center of the horse farm.
"Everything here is yours now, including the purebred horses!"
That very night, Chen Qingdi and the Shuang’er sisters moved into the villa. He also kept the villa’s original staff, including the butler, who would now be responsible for his daily needs.
He had just finished settling in when he got a call from Long Shou.
"Chen Qingdi, are you alright?"
Chen Qingdi laughed as if nothing was wrong. "I’m doing just fine, completely unburdened. I just bought a horse farm. What could be wrong with living a peaceful, idyllic life?"
Long Shou’s voice was grim. "The biggest mistake I made was sending Long Wu to assist you. That kid’s ambition was bigger than his abilities. He insisted on doing things his own way and caused a catastrophe."
Chen Qingdi was still basking in the joy of acquiring his new horse farm and hadn’t intended to concern himself with such things.
"What happened exactly?"
Long Shou proceeded to explain how Long Wu had been killed by people from Jin San Country, who framed him for smuggling.
"Also, the rest of the team assigned to you are all missing—no bodies, no survivors. They are completely loyal, but you can’t rule out the possibility that someone might break under pressure and leak information. What’s worse, there were classified files on the car’s computer that weren’t destroyed in time. We’re afraid a computer expert might crack the encryption. If that happens, our losses will be immense."
Chen Qingdi was at a loss for words.
"Sir, from the moment I saw the intel, I knew this mission required a slow, careful approach. But no one would listen. They kicked me off the special operations team. And what happened? They paraded through the city and were immediately targeted."
Long Shou sighed. "Chen Qingdi, can you retrieve the bodies?"
Chen Qingdi sighed as well. "It’s not that I don’t want to, but it will be incredibly difficult. After they kicked me off the team, I was left isolated and without support here. I’ll have to find another way to complete your assignment."
Long Shou left him with a final, "You must be careful," and quickly hung up.
The Shuang’er sisters asked Chen Qingdi, "What are you going to do?"
Chen Qingdi shook his head. "Nothing. We’re going to focus on living like wealthy squires."
On their third day at the horse farm, the butler came to announce a visitor.
"Third Miss Lou Si of the Belak Clan has come to see you!"
From the information Long Shou had provided, Chen Qingdi already knew the background of the woman known as Ruth—this Lou Si. And he knew she was the mastermind behind Long Wu’s death.
He was on her turf now, so he had no choice but to meet with her.
He then noticed that the woman in red who had sold him the horse farm was there as well, accompanying Ruth. The car they arrived in was the very same golden vehicle that had been taken from Long Wu.
Ruth looked thrilled to see him. "My dear Oil Prince! You lost your car, so I brought it back to you. How will you ever thank me?"