CHAPTER 59: 59, CUNNING AND SCHEMING

Yan Chong’s office.

After finishing the meeting, Yan Chong sat behind his desk, opened the cigar box, only to find it empty. He ordered, "Call my little darling out from the lab."

Yan Chong’s secretary immediately left.

The secretary had just left.

Another person entered the room.

A man dressed in a tailcoat, holding a cane, with two seductive little mustaches.

Facing Yan Chong, the true power-holder, the man with the mustache remained composed and neither humble nor haughty, saying calmly, "Director Yan, it seems like you haven’t fulfilled our deal yet."

Yan Chong grinned, "Who said that? I’ve already done it for you."

The mustached man frowned. "Settlement?"

Just as Yan Chong was about to speak, a young girl in a white lab coat walked into the room.

The girl’s figure was quite tall, with a slender, girlish quality. The hills of her chest at most a B-cup.

Still young, radiating a unique tender aura that belonged only to girls.

Her face, however, was stunning—features delicate and beautiful.

She had a head of white hair and clear sky-blue pupils.

When the mustached man saw her, his eyes lit up, "Snow Clan?"

Only a pure-blood Snow Clan member had that white hair and sky-blue eyes.

The Snow Clan were born smart: natural chemists, physicists, weapons engineers.

The Snow Clan, in essence, were mutants whose gene cells initially mutated in the radiation.

But their mutation resembled evolution.

Unlike other malformed mutants, ugly beyond words, some had even lost the ability to walk upright, left crawling like monsters.

Snow Clan, in a sense, were also excellent financial products.

A single Snow Clan could fetch a high price on the black market.

Because they are naturally beautiful, their skin snow white. Apart from their clever brains, both males and females of the Snow Clan have bodies coveted by many men.

Many Snow Clan people were trafficked, ending up in the hands of the powerful and the rich.

There’s a chance that offspring born between Snow Clan and others are also Snow Clan.

These offspring are passed around as mere products among the powers that be.

The mustached man hadn’t expected Yan Chong to own such a precious Snow Clan girl.

But, thinking about Yan Chong’s status, it seemed he was qualified.

Yan Chong crooked his finger at the girl. Though her face was cold, she obediently came to his side, knelt down, placed her chin into Yan Chong’s hand for him to toy with, her expression numb.

Yan Chong chuckled, "Tsk, tsk, tsk, her family begged me for a favor and traded her to me... my mistress, very obedient now. She’s my precious gem. At the start, she was tough as nails, almost beaten to death by me three times before becoming so docile and sensible. I learned this from Pan Hong who keeps those Hellhound mercenaries—if you don’t beat a dog, it’ll end up riding on your head."

Yan Chong’s tone dripped with pride.

A Snow Clan mistress, and this young at that, was indeed something to brag about—amusement that could last a long time.

Young Snow Clan girls to mature women—every stage has a different flavor, intoxicating.

Yan Chong wasn’t interested in mature women; when the girl grew up and he got bored of her, he’d send this prize to another official’s bed.

Maximize profit!

As he spoke, Yan Chong pointed at the empty cigarette box on the table. The girl understood, sat down on Yan Chong’s lap, lifted her white lab coat, revealing those long snowy thighs, and began rolling a cigarette on her thigh.

Yan Chong twirled her white hair around his finger, inhaled deeply, and continued, "Let’s get back to our earlier topic—what I promised you, I did fulfill."

The mustached man also began ignoring the girl; if Yan Chong dared let her stay, it meant she could be trusted—or rather, Yan Chong had 100% control.

Some things are just meant to be overheard.

The mustached man frowned, "You sure? That madwoman is still clinging on."

"Hahaha, serves you fuckers right, daring to make a move on that madwoman’s arms."

The mustached man let out a breath, "Director Yan, this isn’t your concern. For our deal, please find a way to divert the madwoman’s attention—don’t let her hang on so tight."

"Tsk, tsk, even Tasting Commerce Association gets scared, huh..." Yan Chong sneered. Seeing the mustached man losing patience, Yan Chong finally said coolly, "Do you think An Nishang wants those weapons more, or the seat under my ass?"

The mustached man frowned, then after thinking a moment, replied calmly, "Weapons can be bought again, but the position of Chief of the Judicial Bureau is a one-off opportunity."

"Exactly. You know that—so does she."

"Compared to those weapons, the woman cares far more about my position right now.

Only if she takes my seat can she launch an assault on the Imperial Assembly.

I issued her an order, about the Apocalypse Society.

If she wants my vote, wants my position, she has no choice but to investigate the Apocalypse Society.

The arms business? She’ll put it aside naturally.

The time I’ve bought for you—if you still can’t sort out the weapons, it’s none of my business anymore."

After hearing the whole story, the mustached man finally understood.

"No wonder you’re Director Yan—your methods are brilliant, using one unrelated thing to push another, scrubbing yourself clean of the whole affair.

Even if An Nishang suspects you, she’ll have nothing concrete—tsk, tsk, tsk..."

Old fox!

The deal between the mustached man and Yan Chong was to have Yan Chong find a way to make An Nishang back off from investigating those weapons for the time being.

An Nishang was biting down too hard.

For those weapons, An Nishang had been hot on Natasha’s case. Letting her keep digging—if she discovered a direct link to Tasting Commerce Association, with her craziness and her backing—

Tasting Commerce Association had no wish to face her head on.

So they made a deal with Yan Chong.

Yan Chong also knew, if he used a hard command to order An Nishang to investigate something else, she’d easily turn her suspicions on him.

But Yan Chong wanted to grab Tasting Commerce Association’s money.

Just then, news from above—he was being made to retire.

Turning it over in his head, Yan Chong came up with this solution.

Let An Nishang freely choose—keep digging into the arms deal, or focus on the Apocalypse Society.

One is weapons, one is promotion.

Anyone with a brain knows what to pick.

Not only did he fulfill Tasting Commerce Association’s deal, he also got rid of all risk for himself.

After all, he never strictly ordered An Nishang to abandon the arms investigation.

If An Nishang really insists on fighting for those weapons,

then Bode has a pretty good shot at rising to power.

Compared to seeing An Nishang promoted, Yan Chong would rather see that black man rise.

He and Bode still had plenty of business together...

Behind Bode, too, there were countless ties to Tasting Commerce Association.

"For your Commerce Association, if Bode gets the seat—even if An Nishang uncovers the weapons issue, you won’t really lose, right?"

"We can keep talking about other business, too."

Truly, a cunning old fox.

The mustached man nodded, chatted with Yan Chong for a while more, then slowly turned and left.

The Commerce Association, for now, could be at ease.

They could plug the holes from a few directions anyway, keep from losing out.

The girl finished rolling the cigarette, offered it to Yan Chong, and lit it for him.

"Kneel."

The girl’s face was cold; hearing the command, a flash of humiliation passed through her eyes, soon replaced by numbness.

Yan Chong took a deep drag from the cigar. Smoke slid down his throat, swirled in his lungs, then he exhaled slowly, nicotine and all kinds of chemicals stimulating his cerebral cortex, making him show a look of deep satisfaction.