Chapter 137: The Plan Begins

The day after returning from the real estate market, Liu Sheng received a call from Secretary Zhao, who wanted Liu Sheng to suppress Hu Yingqi.

Liu Sheng understood the implication. Hu Ying wanted him to sabotage Hu Yingqi's business. If successful, Hu Yingqi would fall far behind; if he failed, Hu Ying would punish him for incompetence.

Secretary Zhao told Liu Sheng that Hu Yingqi owned a highly profitable factory and wanted Liu Sheng to step in and deal with it, just like he had handled Hu Yinghe's shipyard.

Liu Sheng pondered for the entire afternoon that day, then dialed Hu Yingqi's number and relayed Secretary Zhao's intentions to her.

"What are you going to do then? If worst comes to worst, shall we just show our cards?" Hu Yingqi asked anxiously over the phone.

Liu Sheng thought for a moment and said, "We can't show our cards yet. Once we do, it will just be a fair competition. Right now, I have dirt on him; I just need to catch him red-handed. We cannot abandon all our previous efforts."

"Just tell me what to do, I'll listen to you."

"Set a fire."

"Ah?"

"I have a plan, and I will set this fire myself. As soon as it breaks out, you must publicly announce that the fire was accidental. Furthermore, declare that the factory caused severe environmental pollution and will not resume operations in the future, hoping it serves as a warning to other factories. Following that, announce the establishment of a natural environmental protection foundation. With your identity as Hu Yingqi, you will gain the support of many prominent figures."

"That could work. Using a fire as a gimmick to generate hype, and then establishing a foundation—a foundation is far more profitable than a factory."

That night, Liu Sheng went to the location of the factory. To ensure Liu Sheng would follow through, Hu Ying had sent someone to secretly monitor him.

Liu Sheng stood inside the empty factory. Hu Yingqi had notified all the workers in advance to take the night off, and Liu Sheng was well aware that someone was trailing him.

Activating his auditory ability, he listened to every move of the person tracking him.

At that moment, Liu Sheng walked into the warehouse storing flammable materials, lit a cigarette, and then shot an oil drum with his gun. Watching the gasoline slowly pool onto the floor, Liu Sheng tossed his cigarette butt into the warehouse and watched the flames grow larger and larger.

The person tailing him made a phone call to report Liu Sheng's actions to Hu Ying. As soon as the pursuer hung up, Liu Sheng materialized directly in front of him, lifted the man up by the collar, and hurled him straight into the raging fire.

Watching the man roll around and scream in the flames, Liu Sheng sneered to himself, "Cross me, and death is the only outcome!"

Over at Hu Ying's side.

"Haha, as expected of Liu Sheng, he handles things efficiently. It seems we can't touch him just yet, but I'm still deeply unsatisfied. Chongshi is truly a treasure trove," Hu Ying said to Secretary Zhao.

Secretary Zhao continued, "There is still a way. Next month, during the cargo pickup in Myanmar, we can send Liu Sheng. Along the way, we'll eliminate him. When the authorities above investigate, we'll claim that Liu Sheng was trafficking drugs. We stepped in to stop him, he resisted, and we were forced to kill him."

Upon hearing this, Hu Ying first smiled with satisfaction at Secretary Zhao, but his expression soon turned gloomy and troubled as he said, "Liu Sheng doesn't touch that stuff. Will he even go?"

"Just don't tell him. Besides, you are his master; how could he possibly defy your command?"

Following the explosion of Hu Yingqi's factory, she acted according to Liu Sheng's instructions, publicly declaring the fire an accident. While the fire was still a hot topic in the news, Hu Yingqi announced the establishment of the Natural Environment Foundation.

"In the wake of this accident, I realized that the factory caused severe pollution to the natural environment. Having learned this lesson, we are prepared to establish the Natural Environment Foundation to protect the ecological balance of nature."

Watching Hu Yingqi on television, Hu Ying furiously hurled the remote control at the screen and shouted in rage, "Hu Yingqi, how on earth did she come up with such a brilliant mind!"

"Young Master Hu, please calm your anger, calm your anger."

Hu Ying shoved Secretary Zhao aside and roared, "How can I calm down! Now that Hu Yingqi has her foundation, she has left me far behind in the dust! No, Liu Sheng must die! I need Chongshi, and I need to traffic drugs in Chongshi!"

On Liu Sheng's end.

Liu Sheng was in his dormitory watching the news, laughing softly to himself, "Hu Ying, now you know what it means to try to steal a chicken only to end up losing the rice used as bait!"

Liu Sheng picked up the stolen ledger, flipped through it briefly, and muttered to himself, "April—next month. The day you pick up the cargo will also be the day I utterly ruin you!"

The following month passed peacefully. In mid-April, Liu Sheng first received word that Xiaoya was close to giving birth. He originally planned to visit her at the hospital, but Secretary Zhao called again, saying there was a shipment of cargo in Myanmar that required Liu Sheng to go and receive it, specifically requesting that Ren Xiadong accompany him.

Drawing from the lesson learned with Hu Yinghe, Ren Xiadong had to be eliminated along with Liu Sheng when the time came; if left unchecked, Ren Xiadong would eventually become a disaster.

Had Hu Yinghe gotten rid of Ren Xiadong back then, that outcome would never have happened.

Liu Sheng knew his opportunity had arrived. This time, he intended to trap Hu Ying in a death grip, leaving him not even a sliver of breathing room.

Liu Sheng did not ask what the cargo was, knowing well enough that it was what he wanted. He then called Hu Yingqi, giving her Hu Ying's pickup location and telling her not to worry about him. Since Hu Ying intended to eliminate him, an attempt would surely be made along the way, meaning he wouldn't make it to the rendezvous point. He instructed Hu Yingqi to bring her people only to catch Hu Ying red-handed.

Hu Yingqi was extremely worried about Liu Sheng and would rather have abandoned the rendezvous point to save him, but Liu Sheng forbade her from doing so, assuring her that he would be fine.

On the night of the pickup, Liu Sheng arrived at the location and saw eight cargo trucks. He had no idea which vehicle carried the drugs.

"Hey, you two, get in the second truck," a Myanmar guard holding a rifle said to Liu Sheng in broken Mandarin. Liu Sheng walked over and got into the driver's seat, with Ren Xiadong sitting in the passenger seat. Two other men were already in the back of the cab, both utterly silent and wearing grim expressions.

Liu Sheng knew these two men had been sent by Hu Ying to assassinate him, so he didn't bother speaking to them. He only hoped that nothing would go wrong on Hu Yingqi's end, or his cover would be blown today.

As the convoy set off, Liu Sheng drove behind the leading vehicle. When they reached an intersection, the eight trucks split up, but Liu Sheng continued following the truck ahead of him. After another intersection, the vehicle in front suddenly made a turn.

Liu Sheng readied his ability. Just as the two men in the back slid their hands inside their coats to draw their guns and kill Liu Sheng, they suddenly saw police roadblocks ahead.

"Hello, please cooperate with our inspection."

Liu Sheng pulled out his driver's license and the truck's registration papers.

The police officer checked them, handed the documents back to Liu Sheng, and said, "Open the cargo bay."

Liu Sheng got out of the truck, walked to the rear, and unlocked the doors. At that moment, police dogs began barking frantically, and the officers instantly drew their service pistols, aiming them at Liu Sheng while ordering the other three men in the truck to step out.

Sensing that something was terribly wrong, Liu Sheng instantly froze time, dashed directly into the cargo bay, and began frantically searching until he found two bags of heroin.

"Damn it! Hu Ying isn't stupid either! Even if he couldn't kill me, I wouldn't be able to slip past the police with this. This is a capital offense!"

If Liu Sheng hadn't possessed the ability to freeze time, he likely would have been gunned down by the police right then and there, even if he managed to survive the two hitmen in the cab.

Clutching the bags of heroin, Liu Sheng also grabbed the guns belonging to the two hitmen and Ren Xiadong. Sprinting toward the riverbank at top speed, he disposed of all the evidence, washed his hands, and dashed back to his spot behind the truck.

The moment he resumed time, the police conducted a thorough search of the vehicle and found nothing. After patting down all four men and confirming they were clean, the police let them pass.