When I went home for Chinese New Year, I spent a million times more money on my foreign wife.

Less than six hours after Chen Yang returned to the manor, Lei Zi knocked on the door of the study.

"Boss, I've found it."

Lei Zi placed a black USB drive on the table.

"Within the Ivan Group, there are three people: Vice President Kuznetsov, Chief Financial Officer Popov, and a field commander for the Arctic oil field named Sergei. These three people have been making contact with the Western side since last month. The meeting place is a private club in the southern suburbs of Moscow, and each meeting lasts no more than twenty minutes."

"Who is the person you're meeting with?"

"Griffin's man. An American energy consultant named Martin, who is based in Mo City and whose ostensible identity is an investment manager at a foundation."

"What are they going to do?"

"Sabotage the oil pipeline." Lei pushed the USB drive forward. "This contains seventeen wiretapped recordings. Kuznetsov was responsible for leaking the pipeline construction drawings to Martin, Popov was responsible for tampering with the financial approvals to delay pipeline maintenance funds. Sergei was the most ruthless; he planned to plant low-yield explosives at the pipeline joints to create an 'accidental leak.'"

"When will you make your move?"

"The recording mentions next Tuesday, the day of the pipeline's trial run. If it explodes, natural gas transport from the oil field and the Arctic shipping route will be paralyzed for at least three months."

Chen Yang picked up the USB drive.

"Does Ivan know?"

"I didn't tell him. Of these three, Kuznetsov is Ivan's old subordinate of twenty years, and Popov is his ex-wife's cousin. Should I tell him?"

"No need to tell him."

Chen Yang put the USB drive into his pocket.

"Tonight, take these three people to the banks of the Mo River."

"Should we notify the security services of the Russian Federation?"

"No need."

Lei nodded, turned and went out.

-

Mohe is located 40 kilometers south of the city.

At 11 p.m., there was no wind on the river. In June, the Mo River was wide, the water was grayish-green, and the current was slow. The banks were lined with low birch forests.

Three black minivans were parked below the river embankment.

The car door opened, and six Black Kite mercenaries dragged three people out of the vehicle. Their hands were tied behind their backs, their mouths were taped shut, and black cloth bags were over their heads.

Lei Zi stood by the river, his white gloves still on. Behind him, three mercenaries each carried a thick rope, the other end of which was tied to three stones on the riverbank. Each stone weighed at least sixty or seventy pounds.

"Take off the hood."

The bag was pulled down, and the three men were blinded by the searchlights on the riverbank.

Kuznetsov, fifty-three years old, bald, wearing a wrinkled suit. Popov, in his early forties, wearing gold-rimmed glasses. Sergei, the youngest, thirty-seven or thirty-eight, the largest, with an old scar on his neck.

When the three men saw the river, and then the stones and rope on the ground, Kuznetsov's legs went weak.

Lei squatted down and tore the tape off the three people's mouths.

"Do you know why you're here?"

Kuznetsov immediately shouted, "I want to see Ivan! I'm a high-ranking official in the Ivan Group! You have no right to—"

Lei Zi raised his hand, and the mercenary tied the rope around Kuznetsov's ankle.

The other end of the rope was attached to a stone.

Kuznetsov's voice trailed off.

"The three of you have met nine times in the past month with an American guy named Martin. Pipeline blueprints, financial approvals, and explosives. I have the recordings."

Popov spoke, his voice trembling: "What recording? You—you're eavesdropping on us?"

"Yes." Lei Zi stood up, dusted off his hands, and said, "We recorded every word you three said from the very first meeting."

Sergei didn't speak, but his eyes darted around.

The back door of a car opened.

Chen Yang got out of the car and walked to the riverbank.

Three people saw him. Kuznetsov recognized him, and all the color drained from his face.

"Mr. Chen... Mr. Chen—"

Chen Yang ignored him and asked Lei Zi, "Is it tied up properly?"

"All tied up. One stone for each person, heavy enough."

"Then push it."

"Wait a minute!" Kuznetsov's voice cracked. "Mr. Chen! I'll confess! I'll confess everything!"

Popov immediately shouted, "I'll confess too! Don't push me off! Please!"

Sergei gritted his teeth and remained silent.

Lei Zi walked up to Sergei and kicked him in the back of the knee. Sergei knelt on the ground, and the rope pulled the stone forward half a meter.

"You're hiring too?"

Sergei took a couple of breaths.

"trick."

Chen Yang took out his phone from his pocket and started recording.

"Speak. Who ordered it? How much money? What's the purpose? Tell us everything you know. Don't leave out a single word, or Stone won't wait."

Kuznetsov knelt on the ground and scrambled towards Chen Yang's feet.

"It's Griffin! Martin, one of Griffin's men, contacted us and said he'd give each of us five million dollars if we sabotaged this pipeline!"

"Has the money arrived in your account?"

"It's halfway done! The other half said they'll call after everything's settled! The account is Swiss, given to us by Martin!"

Popov continued, "Martin said this wasn't his own idea; the money came from Madison Energy, the US's parent company! Griffin was just a middleman; Madison was the one who really wanted to cut off the pipeline!"

Madison?

"Yes! The top five energy conglomerates in the US! Their share of the global natural gas market is being squeezed by you. Once the pipeline is completed, their orders in Europe will drop by at least 30%!"

Chen Yang looked at Sergei.

"And you? Where did you get the explosives?"

Sergei's voice was low: "It was smuggled in through the Ukrainian border via channels provided by Martin. Twelve kilograms of C4 were hidden in the equipment warehouse at the No. 3 interface station of the oil field."

"The exact location?"

"The third row of shelves on the west side of the warehouse, at the very bottom, is disguised as sealed plastic buckets."

Chen Yang turned off the recording and handed the phone to Lei Zi.

"Make three copies of the recording. One for Ivan, one for your records, and one for Chen Yue."

Lei took the phone.

"What should we do with these three people?"

Chen Yang turned and walked towards the car.

"The stone is removed. The man is handed over to Ivan; let him handle it himself."

Kuznetsov lay on the ground and cried.

Chen Yang got into the car and dialed Bingcheng's number.

"Brother, I'm here." Chen Yue's voice was clear, and it was obvious that she was still working overtime.

"Investigate a company, Madison Energy Group of the US. Shareholding structure, financial chain, debt situation, overseas asset distribution, everything you can find, give me the information within 24 hours."

"What level of investigation?"

"Investigate to the end."

The sound of keyboard clicks came from Chen Yue's side.

"Brother, what happened?"

"Someone wants to blow up my pipes. Madison is the financier behind it."

The keyboard clicks stopped for a second, then continued.

"Understood. I'll bring up the intelligence team and financial analysis team from Snow Palace. Twenty-four hours should be enough."

"One more thing. Keep an eye on Madison's stock price on Nasdaq, wait for my news, and be ready to short it at any time."

"What's your budget?"

"No upper limit."

Chen Yue didn't ask any more questions.

"receive."

The call ended. The car drove onto the highway, and Mohe grew farther and farther away in the rearview mirror.

Lei Zi sat in the passenger seat and finished sending the recording file.

"Boss, Madison Energy is among the top five in the global natural gas market, and it has three major pension funds in the United States as shareholders. It's a large company."

Chen Yang leaned back in the back seat, his eyes fixed on the birch forest rushing past the window.

"The bigger the size, the more painful the fall."

The phone screen lit up. Chen Yue had sent a message.

"Brother, the preliminary data for Madison has started to be compiled. There's something you might be interested in—they have a $47 billion short-term bond maturing next week, and currently only have $31 billion in cash on hand."

Chen Yang replied with three words.

"Bite it."