Yes, Madam Prime Minister

Page 481

The three of them, one Seres and two Rus, were all criminals. This era was no longer like it was a hundred years ago, when as long as you were in a legitimate position, you could at least be a local tyrant in a small place. The three of them formed a small gang six or seven years ago and had been collecting money and doing dirty work in the border city of Almaty for a long time. Their most familiar business was stealing the property of wealthy merchants.

The three of them were the behind-the-scenes leaders of that gang of bandits.

The usual tactic is for the bandits to go first and rob the place, while the others sneak in during the chaos.

In the past, they had always targeted mid-range businessmen, but this was the first time they had targeted such high-end businessmen, and then they failed.

The three of them were quite familiar with the fish Ronan had caught, and the fish they brought for the three of them were all for selling as stolen goods.

According to the three men, this group of "fish" appeared to be merchants engaged in the trade of bulk commodities such as furs and minerals, but they were also secretly involved in smuggling. Unfortunately, the three men were unaware of this other identity of the "fish."

"Gentlemen, we are simply doing this for money; we are innocent."

"Yes, it's all because of this damned era. A hundred years ago, we wouldn't have needed to do such things. Besides, we only rob people, we don't kill them."

“We’re not really that familiar with them, so please let us go.”

"You're from the Ross government, right? We only committed the crimes in Seris, we never harmed Ross."

"How about we act as your spies on the periphery? We know this area quite well."

"If you need anything from us, the three of us brothers will go through fire and water without batting an eye."

The three weren't stupid; they knew that simply begging for mercy was useless. They kept talking and thought they could become a subordinate in exchange for a chance to live. However, they were wrong. Ronan and his group were not from the Ross government.

"Shut up!" Canaan picked up the magic pistol and pointed it at the three of them.

The three of them obediently shut up.

Unable to obtain any useful information from these three men, Ronan and his companions turned their attention to the other four, led by the man with the mustache.

The four of them were spread out, each with four swords piercing their hands and calves, pinning them firmly to the grass. On their way here, Ronan had drained their magic power, so they couldn't even use their superhuman physiques and were unable to break free. Even if they could, Ronan could disable them all in the blink of an eye.

"Who exactly are you?" the man with the mustache asked, looking up at Ronan.

He was at least a third-tier cultivator. To kill him instantly without even giving him a chance to make a move, one would need at least a fifth-tier cultivator going all out. And to instantly kill another third-tier cultivator and two second-tier cultivators at the same time, one would need the strength of a sixth-tier cultivator.

A sixth-tier expert cannot be unknown.

Furthermore, the women beside Ronan were clearly not as strong as they had initially assessed; otherwise, they wouldn't be standing there unharmed. Ronan and his group were definitely not Russian government spies.

Let alone the fact that the Ross Empire's intelligence system likely doesn't have a monster with the strength of a sixth rank, even if it did, they should be in the capital preparing for a new round of turmoil that could come at any time, and getting what they want in the feast of power, instead of bringing a group of people all the way to Almaty to cause trouble for "small fry" like them.

Ronan stepped forward. "Are you mistaken? We're the ones asking questions now, not you."

"Tell me, where did you get those stimulating and inhibiting drugs?" The question made the four men's hearts skip a beat, especially the man with the mustache, who thought to himself, "Just as I thought, they came for those drugs."

None of the four people responded.

If I tell them, their whole family will die; if I don't, I might only die myself.

Ronan showed no impatience at the silence of the four, saying, "In the end, it was your mistake that led us here."

"Do you think that by saying nothing, you are without fault?" Ronan finished speaking, but the four of them remained silent.

The four remained silent, but Ronan showed no sign of anxiety and began to speak frankly, "Actually, I find it quite strange that you, as superhumans, still have reservations. What good would it do if you told us? As long as you can save your lives now, you can always run west. Do you think your organization would go to great lengths to find and hunt you down? As for your families and wealth, if you don't tell us, you're going to die. At that point, will your families and wealth still be yours?"

"Your organization may, out of consideration for appeasing people, hand over your property to your wives and children and provide them with care, but will your wives remain widows forever? No, at the very least, they will find lovers as wealthy women, or even marry someone else. Imagine, your wives being violated, your money being used at will by adulterers, and your sons being left to listen in from the side."

"And you say, is it difficult to start over in a different place? No, you are superhumans, your prime can last a long time, you can earn money again, you can remarry if you lose your wife, and you can have children if you lose them, right?" These words made the four of them start to waver.

Superhumans are different from ordinary people. They can stay young for a long time, and the death of their whole family is not a big deal. More importantly, they are not in Seris now, so they can indeed run away.

After a brief internal struggle, the four men with mustaches were completely swayed.

They haven't revealed the organization behind them for one reason only: they're unsure if Ronan will still kill them even if they do.

"Actually, you are not very valuable."

“First, we have already located one of your secret hideouts. We are bound to find something. On the surface, you are a chamber of commerce engaged in large-scale commodity trading. In such a hurry, it is impossible for you to evacuate all your people. We can investigate one by one based on the people you have economic dealings with. Although it will take more time, we will be able to find clues, and they will definitely be more reliable than your confessions.”

"Secondly, we orchestrated your theft of our goods. To be honest, it was a more effective suppressant than the one you previously distributed in Ross. The organization behind you will definitely come knocking on our door again. We don't actually need your confession, understand?" After the other party wavered, Ronan used a series of words to diminish their value, making them seem dispensable.

At this point, the four men with mustaches had a simple mindset: since that was the case, their words wouldn't affect the development of the situation, and since they were insignificant, Ronan didn't need to kill them.

The four men lying on the ground turned their heads to the left and right, exchanged glances, and made up their minds to confess.

Ronan blew a sigh of relief. He hadn't even used the Prisoner's Dilemma move yet, and all four of them had already confessed. Ugh, that was a close call.

“We confessed. Actually, only the fourth-level officer who was deployed today truly belongs to the organization; we are just peripheral members…”

Chapter 1117 Interrogation Results: Did I Kill Myself or Kill Him?

After the explanation, Ronan gained an understanding of the group led by the man with the mustache.

First, there's their public identity. On the surface, they work for a company called Beihe Foreign Trade Company, which is a small company under Anxi Agricultural Development Group.

Anxi Agricultural Development Group is a giant comprehensive state-owned enterprise based in present-day China. It was originally established more than a hundred years ago when the People's Republic of China was founded. The middle-level members of the former Northwest Army Corps, who were "invited" to build the frontier, banded together to help each other.

After decades of unchecked growth, it failed to gain significant traction until the outbreak of World War II over forty years ago. The Western Regions became a bridgehead for suppressing Russia, and massive amounts of money and resources poured in, causing the company to expand rapidly. Today, it is a giant with considerable influence across various industries in the Western Regions. While Beihe Foreign Trade Company is a well-known name in Almaty, it is nothing more than a fingernail to the Anxi Agricultural Development Group.

The group of people with mustaches worked for a foreign trade company, but in reality, they were mainly the undercover agents of a certain big shot, primarily responsible for smuggling.

The goods were purchased from the Kazakh Khanate as a type of purple tobacco.

This is a special kind of tobacco. When it burns, the smoke is purple. It is very potent for superhumans, unlike ordinary tobacco, which is not satisfying enough for them.

This type of tobacco doesn't cause much harm to superhumans.

After all, a superhuman is a kind of extraordinary life form whose soul constantly adjusts its body. The higher the level, the more regenerative power they have, and they are not afraid of being shot in the head.

However, this stuff is so profitable that it is only allowed to be state-owned. Private planting, processing, selling, and purchasing are all serious crimes.

As for shipments, there are many different kinds. In any case, both the Kazakh Khanate and the Rus' Empire have a huge demand for Seris goods.

Although the mustachioed group made money, they always lived in fear because they were just the black gloves of the black gloves, until not long ago, a person, the fourth-tier who had previously stolen a box of goods from Canaan and the others, found them.

They said they could join an organization, but they'd have to do some things for them first.

The man with the mustache and his group didn't really want to agree, but they had no choice; this person knew exactly who the mustache and his group were.

"You believe him so easily?" Canaan asked curiously.

“Of course not. We only agreed after we confirmed that he was a very important person with a respectable background,” the man with the mustache replied.

“Continue,” Ronan said.

"His name is Ye Zhongqing, and he's a senior executive at Songliao Agricultural Development Company," the man with the mustache said.

After a fleeting moment of surprise, Ronan frowned.

Seeing Ronan's expression, the man with the mustache smiled and said, "It seems you know about this company too, so he really is a big shot."

Ronan certainly knew about this company, because he was its founder.

In the last year before he fell into slumber, Ronan and his group established this company in the northeast of Seris, leaving behind a lot of agricultural technology. Their aim was to ignite the first spark of development in the northeast of Seris. The company was later handed over to Luo Chenghao, who changed his name to Luo Chenghao, the son of Madam Zhao and Liu Menglong, and Ronan's stepson.

Under Luo Chenghao's leadership, the company had developed into a super-giant local agricultural group called Songliao Agricultural Development Company. However, it was not just an agricultural enterprise; it actually had three banks, dozens of branches, more than a dozen construction companies, several steel mills, and dozens of large farms.

Decades ago, after Luo Chenghao passed away, this giant enterprise became state-owned, retaining only its construction and agriculture businesses. The banking and steel mills were divested, but it remained a giant in Northeast China. During the war more than forty years ago, this company also provided significant technical support to Anxi Agricultural Development Company.

"I don't know what kind of organization this Ye guy is involved in, but I've heard some things about it." The man with the mustache continued, then suddenly lowered his voice and asked mysteriously, "Do you know Ronan?"

Ronan asked, "Which Ronan?"

"It's that Ronan who gave you French people another name besides Louis and Henry, which are so common."

The man with the mustache said with a hint of sarcasm, "Don't be fooled by how easily you can defeat us; he can defeat you in the blink of an eye too."

Ronan thought to himself, "Can I really defeat myself in seconds?"

"What, you don't believe me? Don't think that just because the number and quality of extraordinary individuals have greatly improved in the past hundred years, the strength of the most powerful hasn't progressed much compared to the past. And that Ronan's strength is above the seventh rank. Don't think that just because my strength is far inferior to yours, there are some things that you may not know as well as I do."

Ronan kicked him, saying, "Stop talking nonsense."

The man with the mustache winced in pain, instantly remembering that his life was now entirely in someone else's hands. He quickly continued to the main topic, "The founder of Songliao Development Company is Luo Chenghao, the son of Luo Nan."

"Ronan's surname isn't Ronan," Ronan interjected.

“I know, but his Seris stepson Luo Chenghao is actually surnamed Luo, or rather, his son. Ronan cheated on one of his Seris friends.” The mustachioed man’s tone at this moment was reminiscent of Ronan’s earlier gossipy, bragging role.

Ronan's face darkened. Seris was really something else; not only did he downplay his presence, he also fabricated this kind of dirt on him. Luckily, he was the one who promoted the first and second generation leaders, otherwise Ronan would probably be dragged out and criticized again.

Fortunately, Madam Zhao didn't come. If she had heard such words, she would have been furious.

The man with the mustache looked at Ronan and said, "This Luo Chenghao inherited many secret techniques. Before he died, he distributed these techniques to a few trusted confidants. After his death, Songliao Development was split up by China. His trusted confidants secretly established an organization within Songliao Development. The organization's outer shell was researching biotechnology, but in reality, it was researching some extraordinary things. I don't know the specifics."

"In short, just look for Ye Zhongqing. His official identity is public, so finding him shouldn't be difficult. Even if he has left his job, you can still find some clues."

After giving his explanation, the man with the mustache breathed a sigh of relief.

I've said everything I could; that should be enough to save my life, right?

Ronan then asked three other people, who knew even less than Mustache. They could only add some details about Anxi Agricultural Development Company, offering no useful information whatsoever.

After asking the question, Ronan sheathed the sword that had impaled the four men.

The four of them breathed a sigh of relief, their faces showing a sense of relief as if they had been granted a pardon. But in the next instant, all four of them, including the three who had been there before, were pierced through the skull between their eyebrows by a sword. The sword then transformed into a Western-style rapier, which, with a magical whirlwind, shattered their heads, their brains splattering and their skulls exploding.

Dead as hell.

Silencing them was inevitable.

In the process of capturing and interrogating the group, Ronan actually revealed a lot of information about himself. The people who were released by Falek and the others did not actually have any information about Ronan and his group. In fact, they were just "bait" to catch bigger fish.

Chapter 1118 The troops split into three groups, and upon meeting again, the black-stockinged carriage was a long-awaited sight.

To Ronan's surprise, in the secret hideout of the mustachioed gang, in addition to a notebook with some strange maps and symbols drawn on it, which was probably a record of the hiding places of some things, as well as a dozen gold bars and several hundred French and Seres silver coins, he also found some potions, namely the stimulant and inhibitory potions that he had previously sold in Ross.

The notebook is most likely a catalog, from which one can find ledgers, lists, and the like. Ronan doesn't have time for deduction games. No matter what, the mustachioed group are high-ranking executives of the Northern River Trading Company, or even the black gloves of someone's black gloves within the Seris giant state-owned enterprise. Their "disappearance" will soon trigger a massive manhunt by the Almaty authorities. It's no longer safe to stay here.

Of course, Ronan took the gold bars and silver coins; he didn't mind having too much money.

As for the potions, Falek, Canaan, and Fissa took them and left first, finding a place to deploy their spaceship and return to the New World, where there were instruments to analyze the potions.

With their abilities, I believe it won't be long before we get results.

Ambrina, Alice, and Zhao Yingqi also left to find Isabelle and the others in France. Ronan will be facing a secret organization in Seris this time, so he needs professional agents to deal with it.

As for the safety of the three of them, there's no need to worry. One of them has a ranged area magic suppression ability, another has an area-of-effect overwhelming firepower, and the third has an area-of-effect time stop. Together, they can hold out against a seventh-tier enemy for a long time. A sixth-tier enemy might not be tough enough and could die. As for fifth-tier and below, no matter how many come, it won't make a difference.

Ronan, along with Madam Zhao and Lavana, entered Seris and first went to Bincheng, which is Dalian in Ronan's original timeline, to find Lu Jianyue and Guo Hanlu.

Take Lu Jianling and Guo Hanlu with you to find out more about the target, Ye Zhongqing.

When Ronan and his party arrived in Bincheng, it was already October.

The weather was slightly chilly, only around ten degrees Celsius.

Lu Jianling and Guo Hanlu's residence is located in a bay in Jinzhou County. It is a small manor with a view of the sea from the villa's balcony. The place is not large, covering an area of ​​just over 1,000 square meters. It is actually just a courtyard with a villa.

Although this place is not the residence of powerful and wealthy people, it is still a place where relatively rich people live. Therefore, the small manors are all a hundred or two meters apart and are all surrounded by walls, making the environment quite quiet.

Madam Zhao led the way. She had been here before and knew the female nurse and two other maids hired by the two men.

The female nurse was an older woman with some gray hair, one eye, and her right hand, which had been replaced with a magical prosthetic, had been transformed into a pseudo-first-tier limb. She had a large, round, flat face and small eyes. She was an Oroqen woman who had been on the battlefield when she was young.

The two maids were a pair of chubby-faced, big-eyed, superhuman female bodyguards from Goryeo and Oroqen. Young maids from Goryeo were a standard feature of wealthy Seres people in Northeast China.

The old guard, who also worked as a doorman, came over to check after Madam Zhao rang the doorbell. She recognized Madam Zhao but not Ronan and Lavana, and her eyes immediately became more wary and vigilant.

Madam Zhao inquired and found that Guo Hanlu was not home, but Lu Jianling was. She then asked Lu Jianling to inform the family that Luo Nan had arrived.

Before the old guard could even turn around, Lu Jianling arrived in his cotton slippers.

She wore a long silk dress underneath and a thick cotton robe on top, with her exposed calves covered in thick, matte black stockings that were almost opaque.

Upon seeing Ronan, Lu Jianling's eyes seemed to well up with tears. If there hadn't been other people around, she would have already abandoned all restraint and embraced Ronan. At this moment, Lu Jianling simply looked at Ronan and said, "You've come."

“Hmm,” Ronan replied.

Some things are better left unsaid.

Mrs. Zhao watched from the side, feeling envious and a little jealous. Over the decades, she knew clearly that among their group, only three people actually had a special affection for Ronan: first, Ronan's comrade-in-arms and confidante Dinia; second, Ronan's wife and beloved Ambrina; and third, Ronan's lover and friend Lu Jianling.

Of course, the others also held some weight in Ronan's heart, some more so than others, but none could compare to these three.

"Come in first," Lu Jianling called out, turning to lead the way.

Ronan and his two companions followed.

Lavana's gaze remained fixed on Lu Jianling. She was tall, but far less so than Lu Jianling. As for her appearance, she might not be considered a great beauty, but she was pretty by ordinary standards. Lu Jianling, on the other hand, was like a legendary goddess of love and beauty. She was too beautiful; she had never seen anyone so beautiful.

Moreover, despite being overly tall, she possesses an exceptionally good figure and doesn't lack femininity. Her temperament is also extraordinary, with a blend of gentleness and sharpness, making her seem like a woman blessed by the gods.

Upon entering the living room, Lu Jianling glanced at Lavana a few more times. This woman was quite interesting; she looked like a valiant barbarian female warrior, but her demeanor and expression were like those of a Seres woman.

Soon, two Korean maids brought in a tea set and silently began brewing tea. They were both professionally trained and skilled in all the necessary maid techniques.