Reborn as Zhao Ruilong of Handong, I will defy fate.

Chapter 325 Looking North Tower! Liu Sheng, the intelligence broker, only cares about money, not peo

Xiangjiang Three Seasons Hotel.

A taxi sped to the hotel entrance.

The bodyguard quickly opened the door and got out of the car, glancing around.

Only after confirming that there were no abnormalities did they open the rear seat doors.

Kong Zhiyong bent down to get out of the car and straightened his suit.

Then I looked up.

The hotel building isn't particularly grand, but it does have a sense of historical weight.

"This is the legendary Wangbei Tower? It doesn't look high-end at all!"

Kong Zhiyong frowned slightly and sighed.

"Brother, doesn't this sign say 'Three Seasons Hotel'? Why do you call it 'Looking North Tower'?"

After paying the fare, the bodyguard carrying the large suitcase asked curiously.

In order to get information from the intelligence broker Liu Sheng.

They took a ferry overnight from Haomen to Hong Kong.

Before leaving, he even went to find Zou Jiahua to exchange a box of Hong Kong dollars in cash.

"Wangbei Tower, as the name suggests, is a place where you can look far to the north!"

Kong Zhiyong withdrew his gaze and strolled towards the hall, saying unhurriedly:

"It is said that many years ago, some people fled from the mainland to Hong Kong to escape the turmoil of war and stayed at this hotel temporarily."

"Because this place is very close to the port, it can be said to be 'advanceable and defensive,' and there are many people temporarily hiding here, including all kinds of people from all walks of life."

"Gradually, this place became an underground intelligence exchange, where corrupt officials and unscrupulous businessmen temporarily lay low, lawless madmen fled to escape punishment, and spies and agents gathered intelligence."

"People exchange information and make deals here. Some people escape the storm and get rid of trouble, and then return to the mainland. Others escape from here and disappear without a trace."

The bodyguard nodded silently.

After walking for a while, I saw the sign in the lobby and couldn't help but ask:

"Then why is it called three seasons? Shouldn't a year have four seasons: spring, summer, autumn, and winter?"

Kong Zhiyong chuckled softly.

"Because the people who are temporarily hiding here are all people with something on their hands. Even if they haven't been caught yet, they are basically no different from fugitives."

"They felt that spring, summer, and autumn were all good, but winter, when everything was desolate and lifeless, was too unlucky, so they could only call it three seasons!"

At this point, Kong Zhiyong stopped in his tracks.

"You're probably wondering why this hotel hasn't been shut down for decades, even though it's known to be a den of iniquity and an underground intelligence exchange."

"All I can tell you is that, regardless of whether it's black or white, gray or red, no matter how the parties are openly or covertly fighting, cooperating or confronting each other, there has to be a place for communication and negotiation, right?"

The bodyguard nodded silently; there were no more problems now.

Upon arriving at the front desk, Kong Zhiyong spoke first.

"I arranged to meet Mr. Liu at ten o'clock."

"Okay, please follow me."

We arrived at a well-decorated cigar room with a strong sense of history.

Kong Zhiyong plopped down on the sofa and lit a cigarette.

The bodyguards carefully checked whether any eavesdropping devices were installed.

"You don't need to search anymore!"

"This place must be checked many times every day!"

Kong Zhiyong took a deep drag on his cigarette and fell into deep thought.

He was particularly curious about who had reported Huo Siteng, and how the report had been so accurate.

Huo Siteng only visited Haomen once, and usually presents a clean and honest image.

Even if there were some problems, his son was blamed and the blame couldn't be traced back to him.

Could it really be the Zhao family?

"After being criticized by Mirror Weekly, even if the Zhao family and Huilong Group cannot find Huo Siteng, they are very likely to retaliate against him based on the principle of 'better to kill the innocent than let the guilty go free'."

"Given the Zhao family's terrifying wealth, it's quite possible that they could buy some negative materials and anonymously report them to the Discipline Inspection Commission of Handong Province, alarming the righteous Secretary Luo Shanhe, thus getting Huo Siteng dealt with."

"Because no matter what, Huo Siteng is not a member of the Zhao family. He was promoted and transferred here from another province by Zhong Zhengguo. And since Zhong Zhengguo has been sentenced and sent to prison, there is no reason to keep Huo Siteng in charge of the provincial capital, Jingzhou!"

"Such an important position, if it's not one of our own, then we have to find a way to remove it. Otherwise, how can the Zhao family father and son smoothly implement all sorts of reforms in Handong? Therefore... the Zhao family is the most suspicious!"

Slowly raising his hand, Kong Zhiyong took a puff of his cigarette and continued to ponder.

"However, even though the Zhao family has the strongest motive, they shouldn't have waited until recently to make their move!"

Why wasn't Zhong Zhengguo dealt with properly after he was transferred away?

"Why didn't Huo Siteng take the opportunity to deal with the matter after his son's incident?"

"Furthermore, why wasn't there a swift retaliation after the Hong Kong-based Mirror Weekly launched its scathing attack?"

"Why are they making moves now, precisely when the deepening of reforms is at its most critical juncture and when the leadership needs to be united the most?"

Kong Zhiyong, who always considered himself to be "both wise and brave", became more and more confused the more he thought about it.

I felt the Zhao family had the strongest motive, but then I realized it was the least necessary.

After all, Huo Siteng's son being imprisoned only resulted in a report being published by foreign media.

It's like someone who's run into the line of fire and is incredibly unlucky, but knows they're in the wrong, so they vent their frustration by cursing a few times afterwards.

Why would Zhao Lichun, who holds a high position and is ambitious, stoop to Huo Siteng's level?

Even if they really wanted to deal with Huo Siteng, why not wait until Handong completed its in-depth reforms before taking action?

"If it's not the Zhao family, then who could it be?"

"Could it be someone Huo Siteng offended while serving in other places?"

Kong Zhiyong didn't dare to call Huo Siteng that night to inquire about him.

How could someone who has climbed to his position not have offended someone?

Soon.

The waiter brought fruit platters, snacks, fine wines, and imported cigars.

After finishing his cigar, Kong Zhiyong filled his stomach.

Just when everyone was getting sleepy from waiting, Liu Sheng finally arrived.

"I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry, I'm late!"

Looking at Liu Sheng, who was refined and scholarly, like a pale-faced scholar.

As soon as he entered, he apologized in Mandarin with a strong Cantonese accent.

"I had already left home, but then a major international event happened, so I'm late. I'm sorry!"

Liu Sheng clasped his hands together and bowed in greeting.

"It's okay, I just took a nap!"

After watching the bodyguard close the door and leave, Kong Zhiyong asked curiously:

"Could you tell me if something major international has happened?"

Liu Sheng laughed without hesitation:

"It happened in the United States. Around 9:30, another large wide-body passenger plane suddenly crashed!"

"It is said that there were more than 300 passengers on the plane. It is estimated that there were no survivors after the crash."

"Moreover, a terrorist attack occurred just two months ago, and now a plane has suddenly crashed."

"Whether it is a new round of terrorist attacks or not, no one can say for sure right now."

"However, such important news should naturally be reported as soon as possible."

Kong Zhiyong nodded with a smile.

"This is indeed big news!"

"If things continue like this, who the hell would dare to go to the US?"

"And who among those in the United States would dare to fly?"

After Liu Sheng sat down, he said with a smile:

"But based on the information I've gathered so far, it shouldn't be a terrorist attack, but rather an accidental plane crash."

Kong Zhiyong picked up the teapot and poured Liu Sheng a cup of tea.

"Wow, your intelligence network is really impressive. You can even find out about international events like this."

Liu Sheng smiled modestly and said, "I'm not very good at international intelligence; my main focus is still on domestic matters."

After saying that, Liu Sheng stood up slightly and took the teacup from Kong Zhiyong with both hands.

“We’ve already collaborated once before.”

"I suppose Dimihua has already told you what information I came to find you this time."

"So let's not waste any more time. Just tell me how much money and how much time it will take to find out about this."

After Kong Zhiyong finished speaking, he looked at Liu Sheng expectantly.

More than anyone else, he was worried that Huo Siteng would be reported and brought down.

Once they lose Horstenberg's protection...

His business in Jingzhou and his expansion in Lüzhou will soon come to naught.

Liu Sheng didn't even drink a sip of tea. He put down his teacup and said:

“I know you want to find out who anonymously reported Huo Siteng, the secretary of the Jingzhou Municipal Party Committee, and you especially want to know how significant the photos and videos in the report really are.”

Kong Zhiyong nodded emphatically.

"Smart! I really enjoy dealing with smart people like you!"

So just tell me straight, how many days and how much money!

Liu Sheng narrowed his eyes slightly.

"Boss Kong, this matter is quite difficult!"

"You also know how formidable and ruthless the newly appointed Supervisor of the Han Dong Discipline Inspection Commission is, Ji Luoshanhe."

"To find out the information for you, I'm afraid I'll have to pay a considerable price..."

Kong Zhiyong raised his right hand and said with a playful smile:

"If it weren't difficult, I wouldn't have come to you in the middle of the night with a box of cash!"

"Hurry up, this is a matter of great importance, it concerns my career prospects, and even my life!"

"One million, in two months!"

Mr. Liu readily quoted the price and time.

Kong Zhiyong immediately shook his head.

"One million is a small matter, the problem is two months, isn't that fucking a long time?"

"With such a long time, by the time your people have gathered all the information, Huo Shuji will probably have been invited for tea as well."

"Besides, today is already November 12, 2001. If you take two months to figure it out, won't it be January of next year by then?"

Liu Sheng crossed his legs and leaned back.

"If you want a shorter time, that's fine too, but the price will be much higher."

Kong Zhiyong said somewhat impatiently:

"Hey, just do it as fast as you can!"

"If you figure this out tonight, I'll give you ten million of my own!"

Liu Sheng chuckled and shook his head.

"Tonight is absolutely impossible."

"At the fastest, it will take me about twenty days, and the price is three million."

As he said this, Liu Sheng was trying his best to suppress his excitement.

They were afraid that the offer of three million was too high and would scare Kong Zhiyong away.

however……

Kong Zhiyong gave a wide, unreserved smirk.

Three million is an astronomical figure for ordinary people; it is a huge sum of money that can change their destiny.

But in Kong Zhiyong's eyes... it was just a small amount of money.

"I'll give you an extra 500,000!"

"But you have to get this straight by December 1st!"

After saying that, Kong Zhiyong raised his hand and pointed to the money box.

"If you're willing to take this job, consider the one million inside as a deposit."

Liu Sheng didn't even glance at the box containing the money before laughing heartily: