Yes, running away directly, not persuading or mediating!
Lin Qianqian had a very clear understanding of both her own strength and Li Chonglou’s strength! If something like this really happened, preserving herself was the most correct course of action!
However, compared to Lin Qianqian, Li Chonglou appeared extremely calm, only slightly surprised that Zhang Zhong still possessed such strength.
From the aura alone, Zhang Zhong was no weaker than the Sen Wolf brothers, and his strength was likely close to Yue Hai's!
"Brother Li, you should know the attitude of the General Bureau. Since you are unwilling to join now, we can only ask you to return to the General Bureau with me. Please rest assured, we will resolve it as quickly as possible as long as you cooperate."
These words were all said with omissions, and their meaning was quite clear. Li Chonglou's brow furrowed slightly.
"But I don't want to be investigated."
Zhang Zhong spread his hands, "Then there's no other way. Brother Li, you know I'm in a difficult position too."
The atmosphere in the room immediately became tense, and Lin Qianqian even felt her mouth go dry.
Seeing that the two looked as if they were about to make a move, Lin Qianqian thought for a moment and suddenly said, "Li Chonglou, don't you still owe me a mission? Why don't you consider this one as repaying it?"
Li Chonglou looked at Lin Qianqian, whose expression was also very troubled.
After a long silence, Li Chonglou suddenly sighed.
"Since you've put it this way, it seems like if I refuse again, I'll be seen as ungrateful."
Zhang Zhong's eyes immediately lit up, "Brother Li, by saying that, does it mean you agree to join the General Bureau?"
Li Chonglou sighed, "I can join the General Bureau, but I want a special identity."
"A special identity?"
Li Chonglou nodded, "Yes, like a freelancer. If you have mission requirements, I can help, but I can't officially join the General Bureau."
Before Zhang Zhong could even speak, Li Chonglou continued, "You should have investigated me. I've opened a company now, and I plan to do some business honestly. If I get too involved, I'm afraid it will affect my friends."
This had been his concern all along, so even with the Qing Gang, he only held a dispensable position.
Zhang Zhong slowly nodded, "I know this, but Brother Li, don't you think it's a waste of your talent to be in this business circle with your strength?"
"Everyone has their own aspirations. If it weren't for dire circumstances, I wouldn't want to get involved in worldly affairs."
Zhang Zhong withdrew his imposing aura and smiled, "You can't help yourself, as you said yourself."
"But now I understand your concerns, Brother Li. I think you might be overthinking it."
Li Chonglou was taken aback, "What do you mean?"
Zhang Zhong smiled, "Brother Li, why do you think the General Bureau wants to recruit you?"
"Isn't it because of my strength..."
Mid-sentence, Li Chonglou finally understood Zhang Zhong's meaning.
No, the General Bureau's primary reason for recruiting him definitely wouldn't be his strength! After all, the General Bureau might lack anything, but it would never lack experts. Otherwise, how could it protect the entire Huaxia!
Li Chonglou suddenly realized, "The General Bureau wants my attitude?"
Zhang Zhong smiled and nodded, "That's one part of it. On top of that, naturally, they want you to do something concrete to show your attitude."
At this point, Zhang Zhong stopped beating around the bush and spoke directly, "Let me be frank. The General Bureau has already chosen a mission for you. Once you complete it, whether you want to join later is up to you, and the General Bureau will no longer inquire."
Phew.
Li Chonglou immediately felt relieved and also a bit speechless. Why didn't he just say this earlier, causing everyone to speculate about each other?
"Alright then, this matter originally started because of me, so I should take some responsibility."
Li Chonglou agreed readily and then turned to Lin Qianqian, saying, "As for your mission, let's keep it for another time."
He wasn't someone who would take advantage of the situation. The reason Lin Qianqian had said that earlier was to help him, and Li Chonglou absolutely couldn't agree to it.
Lin Qianqian pouted, "You still have some conscience."
Li Chonglou smiled and then asked Zhang Zhong, "By the way, what mission has the General Bureau given me? When do I need to complete it?"
Zhang Zhong said directly, "For this, you'll need to return to the General Bureau with me first. I'm not too clear about the mission details, but according to procedure, you need to get a 'san ren' identity from the General Bureau first before you can undertake missions."
"San ren identity?"
"It's similar to a freelancer. You won't be part of the General Bureau's system, but you can still receive mission rewards."
Upon hearing Zhang Zhong's explanation, Li Chonglou understood. It was essentially a freelancer, but given the existing conflict between the General Bureau and freelancers, how could they possibly establish such an organization themselves?
In this situation, changing the name would undoubtedly be the easiest way to resolve it.
Thinking about this, Li Chonglou couldn't help but find it amusing. He didn't expect the prestigious Shangjing General Bureau to resort to such tactics.
Perhaps seeing through Li Chonglou's thoughts, Zhang Zhong continued his explanation.
"Brother Li, the establishment of this 'san ren' by the General Bureau is based on its considerations. You should be aware of the situation with freelancers. With the development of the times, Shangjing will definitely phase them out."
"But there are indeed a group of experts who don't want to be constrained. To ensure their stability, the General Bureau has established this 'san ren' organization to outsource some missions. This not only reduces the burden on our General Bureau but also allows those experts to have a stable income."
It was only now that Li Chonglou grasped the key point.
"Wait, if you say so, I get paid for doing missions for you?"
Zhang Zhong smiled, "Of course. Not only that, but the 'san ren' organization has only recently decided to go public. Before this, it was only being tested by our internal personnel, so the rewards..."
"Are at least more than double that of those freelancers!"
Li Chonglou's heart skipped a beat.
"Ahem, you mean this 'san ren' identity is something that only recently came into existence?"
"You could say that. However, Brother Li, you don't need to worry. By tomorrow at the latest, the entire Shangjing will know about our 'san ren' system, so you don't have to worry about this identity causing you trouble."
Zhang Zhong paused here.
"Perhaps even the freelancers you've recruited will come in. We don't have any contract restrictions here."
You're plotting this, aren't you!
Although Li Chonglou showed no outward reaction, he couldn't help but praise the General Bureau's strategy internally.
This way, they could recruit manpower for the General Bureau, resolve the unstable elements among freelancers, and finally weaken the forces that controlled those freelancers.
It was a case of killing three birds with one stone!
However, this would undoubtedly infringe upon the interests of certain parties, especially Qingniao, which primarily consisted of freelancers. So, while it was effective, it also involved a great deal of complexity.