“If it really is Fu Yanxiong, I won’t let him off. But Fu Yanxiong is just a junior of the Fu family. Could he really command Zheng Xiaoyang, a peak Acquired Realm expert?” Li Feng asked gravely.
“This…” Zhong Shuhui paused. A peak Acquired Realm martial artist was a formidable figure with their own pride and dignity. Fu Yanxiong, not being part of the Zheng family, would find it unlikely to order someone like Zheng Xiaoyang, even if the Zheng family was a vassal of the Fu family. So Li Feng’s suspicion wasn’t baseless.
“Young Master, besides Fu Yanxiong, who else could it be?” Zhong Shuhui pondered, still leaning toward Fu Yanxiong as the most likely candidate. She couldn’t think of anyone else capable of commanding Zheng Xiaoyang.
Could it be someone from the Zheng family? Zhong Shuhui shook her head. Apart from the Zheng family head, no one could order Zheng Xiaoyang, making that possibility even slimmer than Fu Yanxiong.
“We don’t need to guess here. What I need is intelligence. I need Eagle Eye to provide valuable information,” Li Feng said calmly.
“Young Master, rest assured, I’ll do my best to investigate,” Zhong Shuhui replied, though her brow furrowed. Eagle Eye was already stretched thin with tasks, and now adding the Zheng family matter—did Li Feng think Eagle Eye was omnipotent? It had only been established for a short time; how much could it uncover?
“Zhong Shuhui, how’s Eagle Eye doing now?” Li Feng asked, noting her expression. He knew she was under pressure, but without intelligence, they’d be blind.
“Young Master, Eagle Eye is still new, and our network in Tianhai City is just starting. Investigating so many things is overwhelming,” Zhong Shuhui said helplessly. She had managed intelligence for Mu Chunfeng before, but that network was built over decades with countless talented personnel, making it easy to handle. Eagle Eye, starting from scratch with so many tasks, was beyond even a genius like Zhuge Liang.
“Zhong Shuhui, I know Eagle Eye is under pressure, but extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures. Eagle Eye’s growth can’t follow a standard pace,” Li Feng said gravely.
“Young Master, swallowing other intelligence networks could leave hidden risks,” Zhong Shuhui understood his intent—to expand Eagle Eye by absorbing other networks. It was the fastest way to grow but risked future problems.
“That depends on your ability. Don’t you have confidence in yourself?” Li Feng smiled. He needed a robust intelligence network, even if it meant risks for Eagle Eye. Those could be addressed later.
Zhong Shuhui took a deep breath. “Young Master, I’ll try my best.”
“Also, there must be places in this world where intelligence can be bought. If we lack the time or ability to investigate, buy it. Don’t worry about money. At this critical moment, we can’t afford mistakes in intelligence,” Li Feng said gravely. With a year, he could build a strong network, but time was short. He had to use other means to grow Eagle Eye and gather intelligence.
Li Feng also had another goal: to have Zhong Shuhui pull in her old intelligence contacts from her time with Mu Chunfeng. It might mean poaching from her former boss, but he didn’t care. For Eagle Eye’s growth and useful intelligence, he’d do what was necessary.
Zhong Shuhui’s eyes lit up. She’d forgotten about a place where intelligence could be bought.
Li Feng said earnestly, “Zhong Shuhui, Eagle Eye’s work is tough, but once we get through this period, it’ll get easier. Also, there are many retired veterans. You could recruit reliable scouts. They may not be intelligence experts, but their skills could help.”
“Young Master, as the Network Phantom, you could assist me,” Zhong Shuhui suddenly said.
“Me?” Li Feng was taken aback.
“Yes. A lot of intelligence is online. With your computer skills, getting information shouldn’t be hard. You might even find intelligence talent,” Zhong Shuhui said with a sly smile, like a fox.
Li Feng’s eyes brightened. While not all intelligence was online, it could provide significant help.
He realized agencies like the CIA likely used networks for communication. With his skills, he could tap into them.
Yes, tap into them. He could use their networks to investigate what he needed. With his expertise, doing so undetected wasn’t hard. The Network Phantom incident only happened because he hadn’t considered the repercussions.
Li Feng had to admit Zhong Shuhui’s suggestion was brilliant, solving his current dilemma. It would only cost him time, which, though busy, he could spare.
Before, he worried about when agencies like the CIA might target him or what schemes they had. Now, he didn’t need to worry. As long as they communicated online, he could know their plans.
Of course, he knew not everything was online. Traditional methods existed, and some messages used codebooks, which were hard to crack.
His world-class computer skills weren’t omnipotent. But as long as it helped, that was enough.
“Here,” Li Feng thought and handed Zhong Shuhui a spatial pouch as a reward for her efforts.
“What’s this?” Zhong Shuhui looked at the small bag, stunned.
“A spatial pouch,” Li Feng replied.
“A spatial pouch?” Zhong Shuhui was shocked. “Young Master, you’re giving this to me?”
She knew what a spatial pouch was but had only heard of them, never seen one. Even Mu Chunfeng didn’t have one in the Li family. That Li Feng would give her one was astounding.
“Yes, as Eagle Eye’s leader, you’ll find it useful,” Li Feng nodded. He had three pouches: one for himself, one for Hu Yuanyuan, and this one originally for Tianlang to store Black Eagle Team’s weapons. But he decided Zhong Shuhui needed it more.
With Eagle Eye handling sensitive data, a spatial pouch ensured security. The data would only be exposed if Zhong Shuhui died. As his strongest subordinate, it would aid her greatly. As for Tianlang, he’d find another pouch later.
Zhong Shuhui looked at him deeply, then accepted the pouch. She knew refusing was pointless, and no martial artist could resist a spatial pouch’s allure—she was no exception.
Since Li Feng gave her a pouch, he likely had more. How did he have so many of something rare even in the Li family? Zhong Shuhui found him increasingly enigmatic.
Did he get them in the Hundred Thousand Mountains?
If he didn’t say, she wouldn’t ask.
“Young Master, anything else to instruct?” Zhong Shuhui asked, as it was almost time to head to Kaiyuan Community.
“Nothing more. You can go,” Li Feng shook his head. He had wanted her to investigate Wang Yilong and Qin Keqing, but with her workload, adding more would be too much. It wasn’t urgent, so he didn’t mention it.
After Zhong Shuhui left, Li Feng went to the secret chamber to continue healing. Tomorrow night was Tianhai City’s business networking event, possibly a fierce battle. He couldn’t recover to peak strength by then, but he’d restore as much as possible.
In the training base’s secret chamber, free from worries, he could heal boldly. With ample medicinal resources, he consumed a 500-year-old blood ginseng without hesitation.
The ginseng turned into surging energy, which he guided to repair his internal organs and meridians.
His internal injuries weren’t easy to heal, but he wasn’t rushed, mending them slowly.
Half an hour.
An hour.
Two hours.
Time ticked by, and Li Feng sat motionless in the chamber.
Suddenly, he opened his eyes, a sharp glint flashing within, a smile curling his lips.
The blood ginseng was highly effective. Two hours of cultivation hadn’t healed him fully but restored 50% of his combat strength—stronger than before he left Tianhai City. With a day left until the event, he could reach 70%.
Li Feng moved, his body crackling with sound.
He didn’t know what tomorrow’s event held, but with enough strength, he feared no danger.
Standing, he left the chamber, only to see Tianlang rushing over. “Young Master Feng, bad news! Commander Zhong is injured!”
