Li Chonglou fell silent again.
Luo Feng had told him about Xi Bang, but now Chen Pao called him a free agent, and Luo Qingqing's account was also different. He couldn't tell which of this guy's identities was true or false for a moment.
However, after recalling the past few days of missions together, Li Chonglou found nothing amiss with Luo Feng. He didn't seem like someone plotting against him. As Li Chonglou calmed down, he realized the issue was more complex than he initially thought.
It wasn't that Luo Feng was setting him up.
"Forget it, I'll ask him when I see him."
Li Chonglou shook his head. He and Luo Feng had very similar personalities; for many things, they didn't need to guess, they could just ask.
Chen Pao asked curiously, "Why did you suddenly ask about him? Wait, the new recruit you mentioned, could it be him?"
"Is there a problem?"
Chen Pao immediately became excited, "Of course, there's no problem! If you can bring him over too, damn, we can really consider ourselves a small organization!"
Li Chonglou just smiled. Before long, he left the company, leaving the three brothers to continue their card game.
As long as they were in the company, Li Chonglou didn't insist they do any work. It was like the analogy of having a sword but not using it, versus not having a sword at all.
Still in Old Fifth's car, Li Chonglou returned directly to Yi'an and met Lin Qianqian at the branch bureau.
As soon as he entered, he saw her sitting intently in front of the computer, typing away.
Li Chonglou found a place to sit and greeted her proactively, "Isn't Sun Wen Road more prosperous? Why do you always come back here?"
Lin Qianqian, while typing, replied, "I'm used to it here, and he, my previous colleagues are all here. I don't want to run back and forth."
After speaking, Lin Qianqian suddenly stopped and poked her head out from beside the computer.
"Are you ready?"
Li Chonglou narrowed his eyes, "Ready for what? To see the people from the General Bureau?"
"They want to recruit you."
Lin Qianqian directly stated the General Bureau's intention, and Li Chonglou's brows immediately furrowed tightly.
He refused unequivocally, "Sorry, I won't join. If I wanted to, I could have joined long ago."
While the Dragon Group's status wasn't necessarily higher than the General Bureau's, Li Chonglou's words were not empty boasting. With his achievements, he could have been selected for any organization even before returning from Tielin, and they would have invited him.
Lin Qianqian seemed to have anticipated his response and couldn't help but sigh lightly.
"You can tell them yourself. I've already sent a message; they should be here soon."
Li Chonglou, with a deep frown, asked, "Why do they want to recruit me?"
Lin Qianqian rolled her eyes, "Do you think your previous actions weren't recorded? Not only do they want to recruit you, but they're probably investigating you too. You'd better not hide any heinous deeds from me, or I won't be able to protect you."
Li Chonglou instantly understood the General Bureau's intent. They likely coveted his strength and wanted to keep him under their control.
He could understand this. If he were in their position, he wouldn't allow someone who didn't listen or whose background was unknown to operate in his territory.
"It seems I might really have to reveal my identity now."
Li Chonglou sighed inwardly. Revealing his identity wasn't a big problem in itself. He was more worried about it becoming known to everyone in their circle, especially the overt and covert enemies of the Dragon Group.
However, it wasn't all bad. Because of the airport incident, he had managed to win over several skilled experts, which at least provided some security for Zhou Tong and the others.
As for Ya Lili and the others, their involvement should be minimal. Especially at this juncture, with the General Bureau concentrating its efforts on cracking down on organized crime, anyone with a sane mind wouldn't cause trouble at this critical moment.
After summarizing his thoughts, Li Chonglou finally responded to Lin Qianqian.
"Don't worry. If I were afraid, I wouldn't be here today."
Seeing this, Lin Qianqian didn't say much more and let him wait there.
He didn't wait long. About ten minutes later, a knock came from outside Lin Qianqian's office.
"Director Lin, people from the General Bureau are here."
"Please come in."
Lin Qianqian also stopped her work and sat up straight. As the door was pushed open, a man in his thirties wearing a plaid shirt appeared in their view.
With a square face and thick eyebrows, he exuded an air of officialdom. He was also tall, at least 1.8 meters.
Although Lin Qianqian was seeing him for the first time, she immediately stood up.
"Greetings, senior."
Anyone working in the General Bureau, regardless of age, was safely addressed as a senior.
Zhang Zhong waved his hand with a kind smile, "Little Lin, is it? You don't need to be so formal."
After speaking, Zhang Zhong's gaze fell on Li Chonglou.
"If I'm not mistaken, this is Mr. Li, right? Indeed, strong individuals are always well-presented. Mr. Li, you don't look much older than thirty, do you?"
Although Zhang Zhong wasn't very old, his mature way of speaking was very similar to those seasoned veterans in officialdom. However, Li Chonglou had no intention of beating around the bush with him.
He politely stood up, shook hands with the other man, and then stated directly, "Hello. The Director Lin has informed me of your purpose. I'm very sorry, but I currently have no intention of joining any organization."
Zhang Zhong's expression flickered for a moment, then he continued with a smile, "Mr. Li is very direct. But please let me introduce myself first."
"My surname is Zhang, and my given name is Zhong. When my parents named me, they wished for me to be loyal to the country and serve the people."
Li Chonglou watched him quietly.
"I can be considered to have lived up to that aspiration, serving my country with loyalty before its establishment. Mr. Li, do you have any understanding of the situation in Shangjing?"
As Zhang Zhong spoke, his topic shifted. Li Chonglou understood his intention.
From family and country to responsibility, he was attempting to persuade him from a moral high ground, or one could say, moral blackmail. It was a pity that Li Chonglou was not receptive to this.
A newcomer might have fallen for it, but Li Chonglou was clearly no novice.
"Brother Zhang, right? Let's dispense with the pleasantries. You should understand the saying 'once in the Jianghu, you are not your own master.' Often, it's not up to us to decide, not how we want things to be."
Zhang Zhong froze again.
This time, he remained stunned for quite a while before letting out a sigh and saying, "I didn't expect Brother Li to see things so clearly. Then I won't say much more."
With that, Zhang Zhong's aura suddenly changed. From an official, he transformed into someone from the same circle, and an unusual aura permeated the entire room.
Even Lin Qianqian, who had no talent for martial arts, sensed something was amiss.
"Is this going to turn into a fight?"
Lin Qianqian's heart suddenly tensed. She stared intently at the two, ready to flee the moment anything seemed out of the ordinary!