"Don't you understand, kid?"
Old Man Tie suddenly shook his head and said earnestly, "Although the decision-making power lies with them, do you think they would even consider it if I didn't speak up?"
He paused here, then blinked and added, "It's not like everyone knows your identity."
This wasn't the first time he had said this. It was clearly an emphasis, no, more like a warning. Li Chonglou could only sigh and get straight to the point.
"Then how do you want me to repay you, Senior?"
Seeing Li Chonglou cut to the chase, Old Man Tie stopped beating around the bush. "It's not really a repayment, but I happen to have something that needs your help."
Li Chonglou was too lazy to argue over details. "What is it?"
"Alas, this story is a long one."
Old Man Tie suddenly sighed, and Li Chonglou secretly grumbled to himself, *Just don't say it then, and I can keep making money.*
However, the old man clearly needed his help, and was even threatening him with his identity. He could only wait for him to continue.
The old man then told a story about a rather tragic old friend of his.
This old friend had served in the same unit as him, and they were considered friends who had gone through life and death together. However, during a mission, his friend was injured due to an accident, leaving him with a chronic illness that forced him into early retirement.
Their subsequent fates were completely opposite.
Old Man Tie continued to hone his skills. Through a fortunate turn of events, he broke through his cultivation realms. After that, his life was like a cheat code, advancing rapidly until he reached the pinnacle of the General Bureau.
As for his old friend, after retiring, he lived a normal life, getting married and having children.
But if life had been smooth sailing, it would have been a happy ending. After three years of marriage, Old Man Tie's friend's wife died in a car accident, leaving behind a son who was just over a year old.
After painstakingly raising his son to adulthood, his son encountered misfortune in his own marriage, eventually leaving behind a granddaughter who was only a few months old. Then, both his son and daughter-in-law disappeared.
Old Man Tie's old friend seemed to have become accustomed to misfortune. He quietly raised his granddaughter. Just as she was reaching the age to get married, and he thought he could finally enjoy a peaceful old age, he was struck by a sudden misfortune.
This granddaughter also suddenly disappeared...
After Li Chonglou finished listening, he fell into a moment of silence. He never imagined that a person could be so unlucky, as if God was deliberately targeting him.
If it were someone with lower resilience, they would have probably given up on life and passed away long ago.
However, after the silence, Li Chonglou couldn't help but feel a sense of doubt.
"Senior Tie, you want me to help you, no, help your old friend find his granddaughter?"
Old Man Tie nodded seriously.
"But with your status and position, aren't you more capable than me?"
Li Chonglou was immediately perplexed. He was just an unaffiliated individual, while the old man was the teacher of the Dragon Group leader. Did he really need his help?
Old Man Tie sighed and explained, "If it were that simple, I wouldn't need you. If nothing else, I'd just ask Long Yi to help."
Li Chonglou nodded repeatedly. *Exactly, why don't you go ask Long Yi for help? Why do you need me!*
Old Man Tie, whether he didn't see it or chose to ignore it, continued, "My old friend taught his granddaughter all his life's learning. His granddaughter is also involved in the circle."
What did this have to do with Long Yi or anyone else not being able to help?
Old Man Tie suddenly glanced around, his expression becoming cautious, and lowered his voice to say,
"My friend's granddaughter is an anti-government figure."
Li Chonglou's pupils instantly constricted. He had thought of many possibilities, but never expected this answer!
Even if she was anti-government, the addition of the word "figure" elevated this matter from Bronze difficulty to King difficulty! The nature of the problem had completely changed!
Now Li Chonglou understood why Old Man Tie hadn't sought help from his own connections and resources. With his status, if he truly involved them, he would be the one to suffer the consequences...
"But this..."
A look of difficulty appeared on Li Chonglou's face. The core of this matter wasn't about whether involving people outside his circle would make things safe, but simply about finding someone else to take the blame.
If he actually took on this task, and something went wrong, or if the General Bureau investigated, he would be the one in trouble!
Old Man Tie had anticipated this. He said, "Don't worry, I'll help you keep this a secret. If anything really happens, I'll also explain things for you."
Li Chonglou remained silent, just looking at him quietly.
"Sigh, you know about my brother's situation. Can you bear to see him, almost on his deathbed, crying himself to sleep every day?"
Appealing to emotions, playing the victim?
"I'm sorry, I have elders above and young ones below, and my family in the middle relies entirely on me. If anything happens to me, it won't just be one person crying themselves to sleep."
Old Man Tie was momentarily choked up but quickly changed his tone.
"But even if you don't trust me, you should trust my student, your captain, right? Would I lie to you? If I said I'd protect you, I will protect you!"
Old Man Tie then added, "The reason I'm not involving them is because even if I wanted to protect them, I couldn't. They are, after all, within the system. But you are different."
"You are an unaffiliated individual. You can say you were just performing a normal mission, and all responsibility will fall on me later."
Li Chonglou raised an eyebrow. "You mean you plan to issue this mission for me here? Through the unaffiliated system?"
Old Man Tie nodded seriously, emphasizing, "Don't worry, young man, I won't cheat you. No one else will know what I'm telling you today."
In that case, the risk was indeed controlled.
Issuing missions through the unaffiliated system would allow for the perfect shifting of blame if something went wrong. This was feasible.
However, Li Chonglou still shook his head.
Old Man Tie was stunned. "Do you have any other concerns?"
Li Chonglou said calmly, "I don't really have any concerns, but this will delay my earning money. This task, from what I hear, is not simple and will likely take a lot of time."
"Right now, time and money are what I lack the most."
Old Man Tie instantly understood and looked at Li Chonglou helplessly, sighing, "Name your price."
"Cough, cough, Senior, you should have considered this already. Please state it first."
"State it first." The two words held a double meaning, or rather, for Old Man Tie, a double trap!
"You kid, you're truly a businessman. I was originally going to ask why you, who were doing well in the circle, decided to start a company."
Old Man Tie rolled his eyes significantly and finally held up three fingers.
But he said no more.
Li Chonglou followed his lead and guessed, "Thirty million?"
This seemed a bit low, considering how much time this task would likely take.