Why did you provoke me?

Although he didn't know why Yu Meng made this decision, Secretary Wu still gave her his full support.

They divided the people into groups of three, and wave after wave, they were sent out. Xiao Wen watched this with growing anxiety. He looked at the people sitting around him and said, "Say something, what do we do?"

"What should we do? Can we compare to those people? They're the confidants. What are we? Just laborers on the periphery."

Du Wenhe patted the person who spoke, "Back then, you all signed the contract voluntarily. No one forced you, and Teacher Yu didn't beg you to sign. Why are you saying these things now? If you want to leave, that's easy. Just find Secretary Wu; it's a simple matter."

Hua Shulang sat near the door, convinced that Yu Meng wouldn't do something so foolish. Xiao Wen was getting anxious.

But he wasn't qualified to participate in their discussion yet; they were all acquaintances, and since he was reasonably intelligent, he sat there.

backyard.

Jing San and Jing Yi stared at each other, while all of Jing Er's members had been sent out, leaving their two groups behind.

"You and Niannian are close, yet she didn't reveal any information?" Jingyi directed her lines to make a sprinting motion.

"She wanted to go out herself, but she was suppressed anyway," Jing San said calmly.

"Do you think our Secretary Wu is planning something big?"

"You're asking me? Who am I supposed to ask?"

Secretary Wu walked into Yu Meng's office with the list in hand. "Jing Er's people have all been sent out, and the rest have some ideas. What are your plans?"

"Has Hua Shulang signed the contract?"

"Not yet, do you want to use him?" Secretary Wu sometimes really didn't understand Yu Meng.

"Sigh, he's smart, tactful, and very useful in dealing with outsiders."

"Then I'll go find him now." Upon hearing this, Secretary Wu could no longer sit still. They all assumed Yu Meng didn't like Hua Shulang, so they hadn't dared to mention it. Little did they know she had been waiting all along. If they had known this would happen, they would have just asked directly.

"You don't need to ask. Just give him the task and a few communication bells to ensure smooth communication. If he completes the task, allow him to join the sect."

Secretary Wu sat down again. "Where should we send him? What about his men?"

"Are the bone-drawing masters in his team reliable? Aunt Qing still has some hair left. Go ask Hua Shulang if he needs a mask-removing master. I want him to go to the Fourth Front."

Secretary Wu's throat tightened. "Teacher Yu, it's very dangerous there."

"I know. But compared to Xiao Wen and the others, he's most familiar with that place. I'm not asking him to do anything, just to record the anomalies."

Secretary Wu nodded. "But it's too far away, and our supplies probably won't be able to keep up."

Yu Meng narrowed her eyes. "If he can't even handle this little thing, there's no need for me to rely on him."

"Should he take everyone else with him?" Secretary Wu asked cautiously.

"He can decide these things himself. If he has any requests, you can appropriately meet them."

Secretary Wu finally breathed a sigh of relief.

"What about Jing San and the others?"

"Have him contact the Jia family. Make sure that behemoth gets moving. There's probably trouble with Nangong; given his temper, he wouldn't have waited until now to send someone here." Yu Meng said, and Secretary Wu quickly took notes.

"Should we send someone to help?"

"Help? He didn't ask for help, so why should we help? Send someone to find out what happened. We can lend a hand if necessary, but we must never put ourselves in danger."

Oh, by the way, send a few communication bells to the Hou family as well, and to Yan Lei's uncle, ask him if his trade routes to the Fourth Battlefield have reached there.

As for where Xiao Wen and his team were originally operating, they will return there, but intelligence gathering will be secondary.

Yu Meng got a little annoyed after saying so much in one breath, and directly told him to leave, "I have something to do, you go and make the arrangements."

Secretary Wu organized his manuscripts and pondered specific action plans.

After arranging for Xiao Wen and the others to leave, Secretary Wu went to find Hua Shulang. Hua Shulang looked at the task in his hand and smiled. "I'm not one of your people anymore. I can do things, but there has to be compensation."

Secretary Wu looked at him with exasperation, "Just shut up and get back to work. You won't suffer any losses." After saying that, she pulled him aside and pointed to a dot on the intercom, "This is a distress signal. Remember to call for help in an emergency, don't try to tough it out on your own."

Hua Shulang looked at Secretary Wu and said, "Don't tell me you have your people over there too."

"I don't know either, but Teacher Yu gave you this kind of communication bell, so there must be a reason for it."

Hua Shulang's lips curled up, "There are so many intricacies to a simple communication bell."

"Don't underestimate it; no one else can imitate it. Teacher Qing took one apart herself, and most of the parts were destroyed. She didn't give you any time to study it."

Apart from Jingyi, most of the people in the clubhouse had left.

After Hua Shulang left, Secretary Wu sent three more groups of people to the fourth battlefield.

Following the markings on the map, the people he sent out formed a perfect closed loop.

As for Jingyi, Yu Meng said she had her own plans. Secretary Wu then stopped interfering.

The Zhou family in the capital.

Zhou Jingyan sat in the study. "Hasn't Xiao Hao been found yet?"

The butler lowered his head and said softly, "There's still no news."

"Has Uncle San not returned yet?"

"No," the butler shook his head. "All the intercoms are broken, and the landlines are also unreachable."

"Send more manpower and expand the search area. Search all suspicious places, and arrest anyone who resists and put them in solitary confinement."

The butler looked up and repeated, "All the places? Including the ancestral home?"

Zhou Jinyan frowned. "Including that. But we need to be mindful of the methods. Don't bother our ancestors."

"The old lady is getting on in years and sleeps quite soundly at night," the butler said meaningfully.

"Mm," Zhou Jingyan replied simply.

The butler left. Zhou Jingyan looked at the sky outside; it was gloomy, as if it were about to rain.

In the past few days, some of those who had previously gone mad have recovered on their own, while others have become more severely ill. The family has split into two factions: one accuses him of abusing his power for personal gain, secretly using better things for his own branch. The other faction, who disagrees with him, accuses him of unfairness for simply watching them cripple, and demands an explanation.

He smiled wryly. If he knew the reason, how could he have made such obvious differential treatment? That would have just made him unhappy.

But now no one listens to his explanation. Those people are taking advantage of their age. Yesterday, his Xiao Hao disappeared, and today someone is using that as an excuse to pressure him.

He was the heir groomed by his family, and he had no shortage of strategies and tactics. He never imagined that one day he would use these skills on his own relatives.

He must make sure his son, Xiao Hao, is safe and sound; these people have really crossed his line this time.

He didn't go back to his bedroom; there should be results tonight, and he'll have to make some decisions.

The waiting was agonizing, but he had no choice but to wait!

Around 2 a.m., the butler carried Xiao Hao to Zhou Jingyan's study.

"I had our family doctor examine him, and the young master is fine; he's just a little frightened."

Zhou Jingyan took his son, Xiao Hao, whose face was pale and whose little hands were tightly clutching the small water droplet on his neck. It was a gift from Yu Meng. Strangely enough, everyone, including himself, had a slight case of madness, but Xiao Hao was completely unaffected—it was truly miraculous!

Zhou Jingyan suddenly realized this, and he became furious. "Where did you find Xiao Hao?"

The butler remained silent for a long time before finally saying, "In the basement."

"Find him for me, I'll skin him alive." Zhou Jingyan's voice trembled. "Anyone who dares to study my son will have to bear my revenge."