I chose one of four options at the start, and I chose the number one clan in Lingnan.

As dawn broke, the guards on the top floor of Buckingham Palace were changed.

Bai Zongming was left in the Emperor's Private Room; his cell phone was gone, his bodyguards were gone, and the Blood Robe Gang was gone too.

He sat at the tea table and drank only two cups of cold tea from midnight until morning.

Lin Ting did not go to see him.

Xia Xue was assigned to another suite on the same floor. Four Zhongtang men were standing outside the door, and there were two other groups of people at the elevator entrance.

In the room, a female doctor from Lin's Medical Line treated her wrist wound and handed her a set of clean clothes.

Xia Xue did not change.

She sat on the sofa, her old camera on her lap, her hands constantly gripping the camera strap.

Lin Fu stood at the door.

"Grandpa, she refuses to hand over the things. She says she wants to see you first."

Lin Ting entered the suite.

Xia Xue looked up and her first words were very direct.

"I want to be safe."

Lin Ting sat down opposite her.

"Your survival is a testament to the safety provided by the Lin family."

"The Blood Robe Hall is gone, but the Bai family is still around, the provincial capital chamber of commerce is still around, and their people are even in the evening newspaper," Xia Xue said.

"If I hand over the hard drive, someone will write about me tomorrow as a journalist who took money to fabricate evidence, and then drag my family into it."

Lin Ting looked at Lin Fu.

"Investigate her home."

Lin Fu turned the computer around.

"My father, Xia Guomin, is a retired teacher. My mother, Chen Hui, runs a small shop. My younger brother, Xia Yang, is a sophomore at a university in the provincial capital."

Two unfamiliar cars parked downstairs at her apartment building last night. Our people have already gone there.

Xia Xue tightened her grip.

"You sent someone?"

"Top-level security," Lin Ting said. "Your family will be moved, and so will you."

From now on, your phone, address, and transportation will all be connected to the Lin family. If you don't want to show your face, you don't have to. If you need to publish articles, the Lin family will pave the way for you.

Xia Xue did not respond immediately.

Why do you believe me?

"I don't believe you. I believe the thing that Blood Robe Hall has been holding you captive for ten days and still hasn't managed to pry open."

After hearing this, Xia Xue finally loosened her camera strap.

She removed a very thin memory card from the camera base and took out half a piece of plastic wrap from the lining of her clothes.

"The hard drive isn't on me; the memory card contains the address and the first layer of password. The other half of the password is where I hid the hard drive."

Lin Fu took the memory card and inserted it into the card reader.

An encrypted folder pops up on the screen. The folder name is very short.

"Chamber of Commerce."

Lin Fu entered the partial password given by Xia Xue, and a photo popped up on the page.

The photo shows an old-fashioned photo studio in the south of the city, with a sign that reads "New Beauty Image".

Xia Xue said, "There was an old darkroom in the back wall, and the hard drive was hidden under the washing machine. The owner was a friend of my teacher, and he just thought I was storing interview materials there."

Lin Ting stood up.

"Lin Fei, take two cars over there. Keep the crowd small and don't disturb the streets."

Lin Fei nodded and led his men out.

Xia Xue stood up as well.

"I'll go too."

"You stay here."

"Without the other half of the password, you won't be able to open the hard drive even if you get it."

Lin Ting looked at her for two seconds.

"Change your clothes, we'll be leaving in ten minutes."

Xinmei Imaging is located in the old city of the provincial capital. The storefront is small, with the roller shutter door half open, and inside there are a few old cameras and photo frames.

The breakfast stalls on the street hadn't closed yet, and the fumes from the cooking oil drifted into the car window.

Lin Fei entered the store first.

The shop owner was a middle-aged man wearing reading glasses. When he saw Xia Xue, he dropped the newspaper he was holding onto the counter.

"Reporter Xia? You're still alive?"

Xia Xue did not explain.

"Uncle Huang, I've come to pick up something."

The boss pulled the door down halfway and led the people into the back room.

The darkroom smelled of chemicals, and black cloth hung on the wall. The washing machine had long been out of use, and the screws on its base were rusted.

Lin Fei squatted down, used a screwdriver to remove the side panel, and pulled out a black portable hard drive from inside.

Xia Xue took the hard drive, her hand trembling slightly.

"Uncle Huang, has anyone come to ask me about this in the last few days?"

The boss nodded.

"Three groups of people. One group said they were colleagues from the evening newspaper, another group said they were from the police station, and the last group didn't give their identities and just smoked at the entrance for a long time."

Lin Fei had someone check the surveillance footage outside the store.

Lin Fu remotely connected and quickly captured two faces.

"One is the head of security at Wang Family Hospital. The other is someone from the secretariat of the provincial chamber of commerce."

Xia Xue handed the hard drive to Lin Ting.

"Now you understand, right? I wasn't just investigating the Bai family."

When the motorcade returned to Buckingham Palace, Lin Fu had already prepared an offline computer. The hard drive wasn't connected to the hotel network; it was simply plugged into the empty computer.

Xia Xue entered the complete password, and hundreds of folders popped up on the screen.

Photos, audio recordings, interview notes, scanned copies of contracts, bank statements, port container manifests, hospital purchase orders, building material invoices, and asset appraisal reports for provincial heavy industries.

Lin Fu read faster and faster.

"Grandpa, this isn't just some random snapshot from a reporter. She's compiled a complete investigation into the four major families and the provincial capital's chamber of commerce."

Xia Xue sat down next to him and took a sip of hot water.

"I started investigating three years ago. The provincial chamber of commerce is ostensibly a business alliance, but behind it is a table where four major families divide up the spoils."

The Bai family controlled the port, the Su family controlled the building materials, the Wang family controlled the hospital, and the Zhao family controlled the money exchange. With the influx of foreign capital, they gained another outlet for their goods.

Lin Ting flipped to the folder of provincial heavy industry companies.

There is a set of photos inside.

Murakami sat in the private room, opposite a middle-aged man in a gray suit, with a contract on the table.

The next photo shows the same middle-aged man coming out of the back gate of Baiyun Villa, carrying a suitcase.

Lin Fu clicked on the character annotation.

"Liang Wenbin, Deputy General Manager of Jiangnan Heavy Industry Group, is in charge of asset disposal and procurement approval."

Sun Jianguo's previous 500 million yuan order would ultimately have to pass through his hands as well.

Xia Xue said, "This person has been selling off state-owned assets at bargain prices. Last year, he sold the old bearing production line under the provincial heavy industry to a company under Mitsui under the guise of scrapped equipment."

The book price is three million, but the real value is at least seventy million.

The port hoisting equipment, smelting support warehouses, and two materials laboratories were all assessed at low prices.

Lin Fu opened the scanned copy of the contract.

"The appraisal company is also controlled by the Chamber of Commerce. The Bai family provides the appraisal, the Su family issues the invoice, the Wang family handles the foreign exchange, and the Zhao family cashes it out. Liang Wenbin takes the money, and Mitsui takes the equipment."

Lin Ting tapped on the table.

Where is he now?

Xia Xue opened another folder.

"I found out before he disappeared that he was in the process of immigrating with his whole family, and his wife and children had already flown to Singapore last week."

He booked a flight for 10:20 AM tomorrow, using the airport VIP lane, and his carry-on luggage contained cash and overseas bank account information.

Lin Fu frowned.

"If he flies away, the supply chain to the provincial heavy industry will be cut off. Sun Jianguo's orders will also be countered by him, who will accuse him of illegal procurement."

Xia Xue pulled out a recording.

In the recording, Liang Wenbin is negotiating a price with someone.

"Let's put Hongtu aside for now. If the Lin family's bearings get into the provincial system, it will be hard to explain to Mitsui."

"By the time I get out, it will be too late for anyone to take over Jiangnan Heavy Industry."

Lin Ting listened without saying a word.

Lin Fu whispered, "Grandpa, with Liang Wenbin running away, Hongtu's 500 million yuan order will be in trouble."

The provincial heavy industry sector will also turn the tables, accusing the technology procurement of being a transfer of benefits. Sun Jianguo won't be able to protect himself either.

Lin Ting picked up his phone and dialed Sun Jianguo's number.

The phone rang three times before being answered.

It's very noisy over there with Sun Jianguo; he should be at work.

"Grandpa Lin, why are you looking for me so early?"

"Liang Wenbin is flying to Singapore tomorrow."

There was a pause on the other end of the phone.

"Where did you get this information?"

Don't ask.

Lin Ting looked at the photos and contracts on the computer.

"If you want to secure your position at Jiangnan Heavy Industry, don't let this guy sell off all the state-owned assets and run away. Back up all the internal asset disposal data tonight, and head to the airport tomorrow morning."

Sun Jianguo suppressed his anger.

"Liang Wenbin is the group's vice president, and he has connections in the provincial government. I'm just a purchasing representative; I can't touch him."

"You can't do anything, but the Lin family can."

Lin Ting added a sentence before hanging up.

"President Sun, don't go to the meeting tomorrow. Open the door to the board of directors of the Provincial Heavy Industry. I'd like to invite you to a good show."