"You crazy kid! Didn't I tell you, the Civilian Association is a force on par with our General Bureau? Do you think you can go up against them?"
Li Zhonglou said coldly, "I don't know about anything else, but I only know that I just want to be a normal businessman, and I haven't done anything to oppress the common people. Now they want me dead, what do you expect me to do?"
"Stick my head out for them? So they don't get tired?"
Elder Tie fell silent.
Li Zhonglou continued, "I heard that even your General Bureau has to give them face, right? Then they'll definitely come back to take us away later. I'm putting it out there today, as long as one more person in my company gets hurt, I, Li Zhonglou, will fight the Civilian Association to the death!"
"What exactly happened?"
Elder Tie's voice also grew somber. When Li Zhonglou had called earlier, he had sensed something was wrong, but he hadn't thought much of it, just assuming it was a routine investigation by the Civilian Association.
Who would have thought that so little time had passed, and such words as "fight to the death" were being spoken?
Li Zhonglou didn't hide anything, recounting everything he had seen upon his return, especially the attitudes of Yuan Bei and the other two. Li Zhonglou emphasized these points.
With the conversation reaching this stage, anyone with a brain would know this was a targeted move.
Only then did Elder Tie truly understand Li Zhonglou's meaning.
"Uh, I say, kid, if you wanted help, you could have just said so. No need to spout such angry words."
Elder Tie was somewhat speechless. Being targeted by someone suddenly was definitely a time to talk about backgrounds. Li Zhonglou already had direct ties to the General Bureau, and every member of the Dragon Team was an elite of the nation. The General Bureau couldn't possibly not get involved.
Therefore, Elder Tie saw Li Zhonglou's words as an unnecessary warning.
However, Li Zhonglou's next sentence left him stunned.
"Elder Tie, are you playing dumb or do you really not understand? If the Civilian Association has the power you say, wouldn't they have investigated my identity? Wouldn't they know my relationship with you, and my connections within the General Bureau?"
One sentence directly enlightened Elder Tie.
"You mean..."
Elder Tie's voice still held a hint of confusion, but Li Zhonglou couldn't be bothered to waste more words.
"I've made my intentions clear, and you know my personality. That's all for now. Our cooperation should also be suspended. I can't deal with a force like your General Bureau without paying some price."
With that, he hung up the phone.
Elder Tie, still in the underground world, was immediately anxious. As an old hand, how could he not understand the meaning of Li Zhonglou's last words!
This was clearly a move to become an anti-organization figure!
Elder Tie knew that Li Zhonglou had another identity, one he had personally arranged: a member of the Divine Envoy Organization!
If things really developed that way today, wouldn't it be sending a talented individual directly to the enemy's side?
Then what would be the point of him coming to the underground world to find people today?
Thinking of this, a surge of anger rose within Elder Tie.
"Damn it, when did this Civilian Association start disregarding the General Bureau? Do they really think they own Shangjing?"
The more Elder Tie thought about it, the angrier he became. He directly made a phone call.
"Elder Tie?"
If Lin Qianqian were here, she would recognize this voice immediately, for this was the voice of the current head of the General Bureau, that white-haired man.
"Kid, tell the high-level officials of the Civilian Association for me, if anything happens to Li Zhonglou today, I'll beat up every old member of the Civilian Association I see! If the General Bureau thinks my actions are inappropriate, they can kick me out of the General Bureau first, and then beat me!"
Before the white-haired man on the other end of the phone could react, Elder Tie had already berated him.
"Also, how are you doing your job, kid? When I was in office, those brats wouldn't dare argue with us! How is it that under you, they can't even give us a little face, and have to push it right in our faces!"
"Truly a useless wretch!"
After the last sentence, Elder Tie, just like Li Zhonglou, hung up the phone.
The white-haired man had no time to react to whether this was self-deprecation or an insult to him!
On the other side, after finishing his call with Elder Tie, Li Zhonglou dialed the captain of the Dragon Team.
After joining the Dragon Team, he had rarely contacted this captain. Whenever he needed help from the Dragon Team, he would usually contact Long Shi.
"Dragon Eleven?"
Long Yi was clearly somewhat puzzled by Li Zhonglou's call.
Li Zhonglou got straight to the point, "Captain, after today, I might not be able to keep the identity of Eleven anymore."
Then, Li Zhonglou briefly explained what had happened earlier.
"Captain, this might be the last time I call you Captain. I've been in the Dragon Team for so long and haven't been able to help the team much, so I feel somewhat guilty. I'll make it up to you if there's a chance in the future."
"With them going this far, they'll definitely bring people over later. I need to be prepared within half an hour. This time, I might have to leave."
Li Zhonglou sighed and then also hung up the phone.
Unlike Elder Tie, within seconds, he received a message from Long Yi.
"Don't be rash for now, I'll give you a reply within five minutes! Don't mention leaving the team again!"
At the General Bureau.
Having just received Elder Tie's inexplicable phone call, the white-haired man hadn't even had time to have someone investigate what was going on before receiving a call from Long Yi.
"Leader, has the Dragon Team been disbanded?"
As soon as the call connected, another bombshell dropped. The white-haired man was completely stunned.
"Long Yi, where did you hear such a rumor? Your Dragon Team has always been our core ace team! Who would dare to disband you?"
"Heh, core ace? Now even our members can be bullied at will, and I, the leader, don't even know what's going on. Is this the General Bureau's core ace team? Leader, why don't we just cancel the Dragon Team from now on?"
The white-haired man could tolerate the scolding from Elder Tie, after all, he knew Elder Tie's temper, and most of what he said was out of anger. The possibility of him actually doing such a thing was slim.
But Long Yi's words were different. The Dragon Team was not just the core ace team of the General Bureau; it was also a trump card, a symbol of the General Bureau. Without the Dragon Team, it would be like a giant without its arms!
This was not something to joke about!
The white-haired man abruptly stood up and said in a deep voice, "Long Yi, don't get excited for now. Tell me what happened first."
Long Yi no longer beat around the bush and directly recounted Li Zhonglou's situation.
"Leader, I hope to get a clear explanation on this matter as soon as possible. If Little Li is really forced to leave, then my position as captain can be revoked as well. The Dragon Team, I think, has no reason to exist anymore."
Mimicking Elder Tie, Long Yi hung up the phone after he finished speaking.
The resentful words left the white-haired man completely petrified.