135: Chapter 134 Doing Things My Own Way

At 8:30 PM, in a magnificent and luxurious private room at the Qianyang World Hotel, Cao Xiao was pacing back and forth anxiously.

"Mr. Cao, a guest has arrived," Niu Zhen's voice came from outside the door.

"Hello! President Zhou, please, take a seat." Cao Xiao welcomed a woman of about forty into the room.

"Mr. Cao, I'm sorry! There's no news yet regarding the matter you asked me to look into," President Zhou said regretfully after taking her seat.

"It's all right! Thank you very much. The fact that you were willing to help already shows great respect," Cao Xiao felt even more uneasy upon hearing this, but he still maintained the proper attitude since she had done her best to help.

"Mr. Cao, hello! I am Xiao Shengli."

"I am Liu Anping."

"I am Wang Zhenggong."

Just then, three middle-aged men strode into the private room.

"Thank you, everyone. Please, take a seat first." Cao Xiao shook hands with each of them.

After the group sat down and exchanged glances, Liu Anping spoke up: "Sorry, we asked friends over there to check through various channels. We only found that the mother and daughter took a bus to Baishui Town after getting off at the Pan City bus station, and there's been no news since. Our friends are on their way to Baishui Town now, but it's very late, so I'm afraid they won't find anything for a while."

"Is there no record of them staying in any hotels or guesthouses?" Cao Xiao asked, his brow furrowed in confusion.

Wang Zhenggong took over: "My friend had people call every single place, even the small inns, but there are no records. They arrived in Baishui Town around 8:00 PM. If they didn't have acquaintances there, they would have definitely stayed in a hotel that night. We realized something might be fishy, which is why we had our friends rush over there directly."

"Heh! Do any of you know the movements of the shareholders of Xinyuan Mining Company?" Cao Xiao suddenly laughed, but a cold light flickered in his eyes.

Xiao Shengli said somewhat disdainfully, "We haven't had contact with those people; they aren't qualified to enter our circle! Those coal mine owners usually wander around other regions and rarely come here, so we can't find their information immediately. However, Zhang Tonghui should have a way to find out. His family has operated in Pan City for over a hundred years and has great influence there. When he arrives, Mr. Cao can ask him for help."

Just as Xiao Shengli finished speaking, a young man walked in casually. He looked less than twenty years old, pale and somewhat thin. He said cynically as he entered, "Uncle Xiao is speaking ill of my dad again. Careful, or I'll tell him when I get back and make him treat you to Erguotou. Hello, Brother Cao! I am Zhang Tianling. I happen to be in Qianyang today, so my dad asked me to come and see if there's anything I can help with."

Seeing Zhang Tianling, Xiao Shengli rolled his eyes and said, "You little brat, don't use your father's tasteless wine jug to threaten me, or I'll give you a beating."

Cao Xiao forced a smile, his voice remaining low as he interjected, "Hello, Tianling. How is the progress on your father's side?"

Zhang Tianling said indignantly, "There isn't much useful information. Even with my dad stepping in, those people in Baishui Town are being evasive. They've got some nerve! Don't worry, Brother Cao, my dad has already sent my uncle and his men over. Even if they have to flip Baishui Town upside down, they'll find them."

"Help me call your father and ask if he can find the background information on Xinyuan Company's shareholders," Cao Xiao said, no longer being polite and losing his patience.

"Okay," Zhang Tianling replied, pulling out his phone to dial.

"Secretary-General Zhang, hello! Please, have a seat." At this time, another middle-aged man in a formal suit, about fifty years old, walked into the room with a powerful stride. Cao Xiao stood up to greet him. This was Zhang Zhetao, the Secretary-General of the Qian Province Provincial Committee, introduced by Elder Chen.

Zhang Zhetao didn't shake hands with Cao Xiao but patted him on the shoulder, laughing heartily. "Haha, no need for formalities. My family and the Chen family are old friends; you can just call me Uncle Zhang. Business first—I asked my colleagues in Pan City to check. The people disappeared in Baishui Town, but the report from there says the mother and daughter left by bus that same day. However, no accommodation records were found in the surrounding areas. Xiao Xiao, this is a bit troublesome. This sudden mining accident involves many people. Not only is there resistance in Pan City, but someone in the Committee has also reached out to me."

After finishing the call, Zhang Tianling returned with a serious expression, no longer cynical. He said solemnly to Cao Xiao, "Brother Cao, my dad said the background of Xinyuan Company's shareholders is very complex. Several shareholders invested in the name of companies. Xinyuan Company is just a minor enterprise they've invested in. One of the investors is a South Korean Investment Company. I'll send you the details."

"Help me thank your father. I'll handle this myself," Cao Xiao said after hearing this, taking a deep breath and patting Zhang Tianling's shoulder.

"Xiao Xiao, don't be discouraged. They should be in Baishui Town. There should be news later," Zhang Zhetao comforted him.

Cao Xiao had pinned all his hopes on the people present. These were all prominent figures in Qian Province. He thought that with their collective power, finding Li Lanshan and her daughter wouldn't be a problem. But the situation was far more complicated than he imagined. He had called them before boarding the plane, and it had been nearly five hours, yet no key leads had been found. Moreover, Zhang Tonghui, the local tycoon, had begun to back off after discovering the other party's background. Zhang Zhetao was a government official, and this was a private matter, so he had no legitimate reason to intervene directly—Cao Xiao could understand this.

Now, all of Cao Xiao's patience had been worn thin. Sitting and waiting for news was not an option. Since others couldn't be relied upon, he could only rely on himself. He then said to Zhang Zhetao, "Uncle Zhang, please pass a message to those involved in this matter immediately. Tell them that if anything happens to even one person in my friend's family, then not a single one of them will escape!"

Then Cao Xiao addressed everyone in the room: "Thank you all very much for your help today. If there's ever a time you need Cao Xiao's help in the future, just ask. I've prepared a small gift for everyone; please accept it. I'm sorry I can't stay for dinner. In about half a month, I'll be holding a second auction, and I'll host you all properly then. Brother Duan, bring the items over."

Xiao Shengli's eyes lit up when he saw Cao Xiao bring out a long wooden box, but he didn't reach for it. He declined, saying, "Mr. Cao, you're being too polite. We weren't able to help much, so a gift isn't necessary. You've come to Qianyang; we should have been the ones hosting you. Instead, we're letting you spend money."

"Please don't refuse. Except for Tianling, you are all older than me. This gift is just a token of my respect," Cao Xiao continued to offer the wooden boxes.

Hearing Cao Xiao say this, the group finally accepted them one by one, though Zhang Zhetao did not take one. Cao Xiao did not force the issue.

"Everyone, I'll take my leave now. Let's gather again another day!" After giving the gifts, Cao Xiao stood up to leave.

Zhang Zhetao had been hesitant earlier, lost in thought. Seeing Cao Xiao insist on leaving, he immediately spoke up to stop him. "Xiao Xiao, don't do anything reckless. We'll think of more ways here. With so many people searching, there should be a lead soon. You're unfamiliar with the area; going there won't help."

"Uncle Zhang, you don't need to persuade me. Just pass on my words. Everyone, if you find any news, please notify me in time. Farewell!" Cao Xiao had no time to waste and walked out without looking back.

"Brother Cao, wait for me! I'll go with you. I'm familiar with Baishui Town; I'll lead the way." Just as Cao Xiao took two steps, Zhang Tianling glanced at Xiao Shengli and the others before chasing after him.

"Tianling, aren't you still in school? We can go by ourselves," Cao Xiao couldn't help but stop and turn back to say to Zhang Tianling.

"It's fine, we don't have classes tomorrow. It'll be midnight by the time you get there. I'll have my cousin fly us; he has a helicopter and can get us there in over an hour," Zhang Tianling said eagerly.

"That's true, it's not easy to rent a helicopter right now. Then I'll trouble you," Cao Xiao had originally planned to rent a car and drive, but having a helicopter was even better.

"My cousin is a flight enthusiast; he can fly all kinds of aircraft, including fighter jets. He owns three helicopters and even started a flying club. He also invented a Portable Drone Hive that can control ten drones simultaneously, which can help us find people," Zhang Tianling said excitedly upon seeing Cao Xiao agree.

"Oh! Then hurry and contact your cousin. I will reward you handsomely afterward."

Cao Xiao was also a bit curious about Zhang Tianling's cousin. A flight enthusiast who also knew how to invent things—a "Portable Drone Hive" sounded high-tech, but it was essentially just integrating the control terminals of multiple drones. Since single drones didn't have independent intelligent control systems and couldn't fly autonomously, each one needed separate control to ensure they didn't go out of control. Such a thing was a bit redundant, but since Zhang Tianling's cousin could control ten drones at once, it meant his reaction speed and hand speed were likely beyond ordinary people.

"Brother Cao, I heard you gave the Jade King and his grandson a beating... I heard you have a massive piece of chicken blood stone... I heard..."

While Cao Xiao and Zhang Tianling were chatting in the hotel lobby waiting for the helicopter, Xiao Shengli and the others were still talking in the private room.

"Sigh! Old Wang, this gift is quite heavy! Setting aside the value, fifty-year-old Wild Mountain Ginseng isn't easy to buy even with money. Accepting someone's gift without being able to help makes me feel a bit guilty," Liu Anping said with a sigh, looking at the ginseng in his box, which was the same as everyone else's.

"Secretary-General Zhang, how can a mining accident at a small coal mine involve so many people? Those people are truly troublesome. Seeing that he's not a local, they think he's an easy target, forcing him to take the fall and even making things difficult for his family. That's going too far. I really don't know what they're thinking. The country is currently cracking down on such unhealthy trends, yet they dare to commit crimes in the face of it, doing whatever they want just because they have some power. I think they've kicked a steel plate this time!" Wang Zhenggong asked Zhang Zhetao, but didn't wait for an answer before speaking to himself, his words carrying a special meaning.

"Heh! If you have something to say, say it directly; don't beat around the bush. I've learned a bit about Little Cao's temper. It's not that I'm not trying my best to help, but I have no reason to intervene. Letting him go and stir things up is fine; let him drag all the turtles out of the muddy water," Zhang Zhetao could naturally hear the underlying tone in Wang Zhenggong's words. He didn't mind and instead spoke ambiguously as well.

"Fine, we'll do our best. We've checked all channels. The situation in Baishui Town is complex; you can't blame us if we can't find anything. But those people should be taught a lesson later. They didn't even give Zhang Tonghui face. Once Zhang Tonghui sorts out the relationships, he'll definitely take them to task!" President Zhou was a woman, but she was no pushover to have developed her family business to its current top-ten status in the province. She had intended to do someone a favor today, but after tossing and turning for a long time with no leads, she had also lost her temper.

...

On the other side, Cao Xiao and the others had already boarded a helicopter, quickly disappearing into the night sky.

"Brother Long, I've really troubled you today! Making you deal with us so late at night," in the helicopter cabin, Cao Xiao said to the muscular man in the pilot's seat.

This Brother Long was Zhang Tianling's cousin, whose full name was Long Tu. His name was domineering, and his physique was also very majestic. When they first met, Cao Xiao thought he was a fitness coach. But looking closer, he was quite shocked. His body was spectacular, but his face looked somewhat delicate. His eyes were a bit small, yet he wore a pair of square-framed white-gold flat-lens glasses. He wasn't ugly, but his body and face looked uncoordinated; the contrast was too great!

"Mr. Cao, no need for formalities. It is our duty to punish evil and promote good. I also happen to want to test the practical application of my Mother Hive," Long Tu said with a hearty laugh.

Cao Xiao felt it was a bit strange hearing this. What exactly did Zhang Tianling tell Long Tu? Weren't they going to find people? How did it turn into punishing evil and promoting good? He looked at Zhang Tianling in confusion, wanting an explanation.

"Ahem, my cousin is bold, generous, and eager for justice, very much like the ancient knights. We're definitely going to clash with criminals this time. As soon as my cousin heard, he decided to help without hesitation," Zhang Tianling coughed awkwardly, glanced at Long Tu, and winked at Cao Xiao. He then straightened his back and spoke loudly with righteous indignation.

"Oh," Cao Xiao said, and that was it. He understood what Zhang Tianling meant—Long Tu's way of speaking and acting was a bit old-fashioned. To trick him into coming, Zhang Tianling had played to his interests and made the situation sound dramatic. But now, all his focus was on the safety of Li Lanshan and her daughter; he was in no mood to discuss other things. He turned to Li Quanshuo in the back seat and said, "Brother Li, let's begin!"

"Mr. Cao, do you really want to do this? There will be big trouble!" Li Quanshuo asked solemnly.

"I can't worry about that now. It's been two days. I can't imagine the situation Lanshan and the others are in. If I'm exposed, I'm exposed! If I can't even protect my friends, what's the use of hiding these things no matter how important they are? From now on, I won't follow the rules anymore. I'll go my own way and live more freely. As long as the people I care about live well, I don't care if the waves reach the heavens! This time, I'm going to set an example and kill the chicken to warn the monkeys. Otherwise, any random nobody will think they can lay a hand on the people around me! Let's begin!" Cao Xiao looked a bit haggard, his eyes showing fatigue, but mostly determination.