Chapter 1057 - 1055: Ma Ling
Not only Helen, but even Lin Chuan found it hard to believe that Mu Zhengqing was friends with Sophis, as they were not at the same level.
Just as they were trying to find a way to meet Sophis in front of the Quantum Investment building, a beautiful woman walked out and approached them. With a faint smile, she said to Lin Chuan, "Mr. Lin, our boss wants to see you."
Lin Chuan and Helen were both taken aback and couldn't utter a word.
Following the woman into Quantum Investment, they took the elevator to the eighth floor and stopped in front of an office door. The woman smiled and said, "Mr. Lin, the boss is waiting for you inside, please."
Lin Chuan and Helen exchanged a glance, pushed the door open, and walked in.
Inside the office sat a rather overweight man, with a full beard, around his sixties, wearing ordinary glasses. He looked at Lin Chuan and Helen, stood up with a smile, and said, "Lin Chuan, I've heard a lot about you. Please, have a seat."
This was the famous Sophis. Lin Chuan couldn't have imagined he would look like this.
Lin Chuan and Helen nodded slightly at Sophis and sat down. Lin Chuan said, "Mr. Sophis, how did you know I was coming?"
Sophis chuckled and said, "Mr. Lin, your name is already well-known in the United States. As soon as you arrived in New York City, I got the news. I also knew you would definitely come to see me about Mu Zhengqing's matters."
Lin Chuan realized that they had been watching him the moment he arrived, feeling a bit embarrassed, he said, "Mr. Sophis, since you know why I'm here, please tell me the result."
Sophis smiled, didn't answer Lin Chuan's question, instead got up and walked to a liquor cabinet. He opened it, took out a bottle of brandy, poured three glasses, handed one to Lin Chuan and Helen, then raised his glass saying, "Mr. Lin, this is top-grade brandy. I toast to you."
Lin Chuan held up his glass, gestured toward Sophis in the air, and took a sip.
The brandy was full of bouquet, indeed top-grade. Lin Chuan had tasted a lot of liquor and could tell its quality; this small glass of brandy must cost around one or two thousand US Dollars.
"Mr. Lin, I can answer your previous question now," Sophis sat back in his chair and said, "Regarding Mu Zhengqing, let me explain. I'm just an ordinary partner with him. He indeed came to me for help, but I refused. Although I'm a speculative businessman, I won't do anything that crosses the line."
Sophis clearly understood that Mu Zhengqing was the number one red notice fugitive in China and would eventually be captured by the Chinese government. Having unclear relations with him would surely bring trouble later from the Chinese government. Moreover, Sophis knew a little about Lin Chuan's matters; managing to remain unscathed after killing so many American soldiers and even connecting with the U.S. government suggested that this person had a very significant background.
Sophis, being a businessman, naturally thought things through more thoroughly than ordinary people.
"Then can Mr. Sophis tell me Mu Zhengqing's whereabouts?" Lin Chuan asked, admiring Sophis.
Sophis smiled and shook his head, saying, "This I do not know, but I can reveal to Mr. Lin a piece of information: Mu Zhengqing is very fond of gambling. You could follow this lead."
It's well-known that the Chinese love gambling, with inventions like Mahjong, Pai Gow, and dice, which are unique in the world.
Mu Zhengqing's love for gambling was something Ma Ling hadn't mentioned to them. Lin Chuan knew staying any longer would be pointless, so he got up and bid farewell to Sophis.
As he was about to leave the office, Sophis added, "Mr. Lin, Mu Zhengqing survives on the money he brought out. If you can find a way to deplete his funds, he'll naturally show up."
"Thank you," Lin Chuan said to Sophis, leaving Quantum Fund with Helen.
Back at the Pierre Hotel, Lin Chuan immediately called Ma Ling over and asked, "Ma Ling, how much money did Mu Zhengqing take with him when he fled to the United States?"
Ma Ling bowed her head in thought and said, "About 1.2 billion CNY was transferred through me to overseas accounts, I'm not sure about the rest."
1.2 billion would be nearly 200 million US Dollars, enough for Mu Zhengqing to live freely for a lifetime.
With that amount, if Mu Zhengqing hid, it wouldn't be easy to find him anytime soon.
"I heard Mu Zhengqing loves gambling, is that right?" Lin Chuan asked.
Ma Ling said, "Yes, he likes to play poker in his spare time, but he plays small. Usually, the stakes are no more than ten thousand CNY."
"Do you know of any places he frequently goes to gamble?" Lin Chuan asked.
Ma Ling shook her head, "He doesn't go to gambling venues; he usually invites people to play in his hotel room."
Damn, a wave of anger surged in Lin Chuan's heart. He thought that coming to New York would lead to Mu Zhengqing easily, but after two or three days, apart from finding clues through Ma Ling, he hadn't seen a trace of Mu Zhengqing.
Helen glanced at Lin Chuan and then looked at Ma Ling, saying, "Miss Ma Ling, may I ask why Mu Zhengqing wanted to kill you?"
Lin Chuan hadn't asked Ma Ling this question, nor had Ma Ling brought it up. Helen's sudden inquiry made Ma Ling's expression tense up.
Yeah, since I knew Mu Zhengqing wanted to kill Ma Ling, why did I always overlook this issue? Lin Chuan silently blamed himself.
Seeing Ma Ling's expression a bit stiff and unwilling to answer the question, Lin Chuan said, "Ma Ling, since you agreed to cooperate with me, you shouldn't hide anything from me; otherwise, how can I help you in the future?"
Ma Ling pondered for a while, then looked up and said, "Okay, I'll tell you. I secretly took over six hundred million CNY from Mu Zhengqing, that's why he sent people to kill me, not because I want to betray him."
Lin Chuan gasped, looking quite surprised at Ma Ling and said, "Why did you take his money?"
Lin Chuan's tone was somewhat tactful, but to be straightforward, Ma Ling stole Mu Zhengqing's money.
Ma Ling's expression suddenly turned very angry, saying, "Mu Zhengqing is not human. He not only has women outside but also guards against me everywhere. I hate him. I want him to become a pauper."
There's a saying that says the most venomous is a woman's heart. It's not that women's hearts are vicious, but rather that men have pushed women to this point.
Helen is a woman; at this moment, she could best understand Ma Ling's feelings. If Lin Chuan were to leave her and be with another woman, she would also feel a strong sense of jealousy, and perhaps she would also hate Lin Chuan.
"So looking at it this way, Mu Zhengqing shouldn't have much money left now, right?" After Ma Ling's emotions slightly stabilized, Lin Chuan asked.
"I don't know, he hides a lot of things from me too." Ma Ling shook her head and said.
Lin Chuan furrowed his brows, supporting his chin with his right hand, his mind racing. Mu Zhengqing was eager to kill Ma Ling, not just because she took his money, but possibly because she had some evidence of his crimes.
Thinking of this, Lin Chuan looked up and asked Ma Ling again, "I suspect Mu Zhengqing has other reasons besides the money to kill you, maybe there's another motive?"
Ma Ling was taken aback for a moment and said, "I don't know, but when I went to the bank's safety deposit box, I found a disc inside, so I took it out."
"Where's the disc?" It seems this disc is very important to Mu Zhengqing, Lin Chuan asked.
Ma Ling said, "I placed the disc in the front desk safety box at the Hilton Hotel."
"Let's go, we need to find the disc right away." Lin Chuan pulled Ma Ling up and headed outside. Helen quickly followed.
Exiting the Pierre Hotel, Lin Chuan hailed a cab, bringing Ma Ling and Helen towards the Hilton Hotel.
Soon after, the cab reached the Hilton Hotel. The trio got out of the car and walked into the hotel.
Upon entering, Lin Chuan noticed something amiss.
In the lobby on the first floor of the hotel, there were many people. Among them, Lin Chuan noticed four or five men in blue suits with black sunglasses focused their gaze on Ma Ling.
Having noticed this, Lin Chuan purposely moved closer to Helen's side and whispered, "Helen, stay close to Ma Ling."
Being an agent by training, Helen quickly scanned around after hearing Lin Chuan's words and nodded.
Ma Ling looked a bit flustered, not noticing what Lin Chuan said to Helen, heading straight towards the front desk.
About four to five meters ahead of Ma Ling, a guy reached towards his waist, seemingly trying to draw a gun.
Lin Chuan moved swiftly, instantaneously arriving in front of the guy. Before he could draw his gun, Lin Chuan rapidly struck with his left hand, grabbing the guy's neck, then twisting him to render him useless.
Lin Chuan acted so quickly the guy didn't make a sound and went limp, about to fall to the floor.
To avoid alerting those around, Lin Chuan grabbed the guy by the waist, smoothly removing the gun from his waist and dragging him to a nearby chair.
The guy had a silenced Milian A6, a British-made gun, which reduces gunfire noise to the minimum and features automatic targeting.
With the gun in hand, Lin Chuan sat the unconscious guy in a chair, noticing to the left someone had already drawn a gun and was using clothing to aim at Ma Ling.
Situation was urgent; Lin Chuan didn't care about much else and raised his hand to fire a shot.
The bullet from the gun hit the guy's chest, he let out a muffled sound and fell to the ground. With the silencer attached, the gunshot was very quiet, and people around didn't react.
Not until the guy fell did anyone notice, and suddenly they shouted, "Someone's been shot!"
This shout immediately caused chaos, most people began to panic and flee, creating a mess in the entire lobby.