Chapter 1394 -
This was an absolutely stunning woman on par with Tang Yumeng and Song Xiaojia, especially with the outfit she wore. Even though it was not the right time, Lin Chuan couldn't help but feel a surge of heat.
Lin Chuan smiled slightly and said, "Don't misunderstand, I didn't actually 'find' you hiding here. I merely guessed it."
"Guessed?"
Lin Chuan laughed, "That's right. First, I knew you must be nearby. Even if I couldn't pinpoint where, you had to be within my line of sight, right? This is a beach, and Jon's team is closing in with cars. Even with your skills, you couldn't stay hidden on the beach. Hiding in the sea isn't safe either. First, you don't know how long we're staying out here; if we stay too long, you'd have to come up for air, and we'd spot you."
"So the only place I could hide is here." The woman in black supplemented with a smile.
"Exactly." Lin Chuan said.
The woman in black asked, "And the second point?"
"The second point... I can't say now. Maybe you'll find out someday," Lin Chuan smiled subtly but didn't answer her question.
Of course, the second point was the Spirit Jade that Lin Chuan carried. When he entered this room, the jade started to heat up again, clearly indicating that someone besides Xingzi and Meijia posed a significant threat to Lin Chuan's safety.
"Well, consider yourself lucky this time. Since we've already met, let's at least exchange greetings. I'm Li Xiangguo's agent. I won't easily reveal myself to the public, but I will be following you from the shadows. Also, you better act as if you never saw me today; it'll make my mission easier."
Seeing her business-like demeanor, Lin Chuan suddenly felt mischievous. "Oh dear, that might be hard. A beauty like you, once seen, can never be forgotten. Pretending not to have met you is a tall order."
"Hmm! Don't go too far," the tight-clad woman said sternly, showing no hint of embarrassment at Lin Chuan's playful tease, "You already have plenty of women, right? Two in your company, and another beautiful reporter outside. Even those two Japanese women, you're not clear-cut with them. And now you're coming after me!"
Lin Chuan was stunned: "How do you know all of that! You weren't eavesdropping by our window during that time, were you!"
Despite her rigorous training, the tight-clad woman, upon hearing this, couldn't help but feel both angry and embarrassed. "Pah! Who do you think I am! I'd never spy on you during such, such activities! If you got killed at that time, you'd deserve it!"
Lin Chuan let out a long sigh of relief.
If she really had been eavesdropping at his window at night, it would probably leave a psychological shadow on him, affecting his future happiness.
"Ahem, well, I must clarify, I am absolutely clean and proper with those two Japanese beauties, nothing inappropriate. Please don't spread any rumors about that."
"Whatever, it doesn't matter to me anyway. Alright, I'm hiding now, don't tell anyone you saw me."
"Uh, miss, I still don't know your name. How should I address you in the future?" Lin Chuan quickly asked.
"Mo Ying!" She coolly dropped these words, and the woman in black swiftly left the room, disappearing again to who knows where.
"Lin Chuan, I saw that Xingzi and Meijia have left." Right after the woman in black vanished, Tang Yumeng entered the room and said.
"Yes, I told them to go check on Nozu's reaction early. Haha, last time, we only injured one high-level ninja. Now, two high-level ninjas have been taken down here. I think even if they have other experts, they'll be quite pained by this, right?"
Tang Yumeng wasn't quite as optimistic as Lin Chuan. "What I'm worried about is whether your analysis of their strength is accurate. What if they don't care about casualties, and after two failed, they send four? We wouldn't be able to handle that."
Lin Chuan waved his hand with a smile. "Definitely not. First, based on our analysis last time, they wouldn't invest so much. If they had such strength, they wouldn't have just sent one high-level ninja last time. Second, with two ninjas defeated this time, the strength I displayed didn't match their prior intelligence, which will make them suspicious. Besides, I had Xingzi and Meijia go back and highly exaggerate to Nozu. This will make it even harder for them to gauge my strength. Until they've figured that out, they won't send more to their deaths."
After thinking a bit, Tang Yumeng admitted Lin Chuan's analysis made more sense, and she relaxed somewhat.
"Now that we've settled the issue with the ninjas, there's no need to rent this room anymore. Let's go meet up with Francis and the others. Let's go."
An hour later, at the Pacific Hotel in Hawaii.
"What on earth is going on!" After listening to the report from Xingzi and Meijia, Nozu collapsed weakly on the sofa, unable to digest the news he just received.
But in his heart, he knew that what Xingzi and Meijia said must be true.
They had no reason to lie to him, especially with lies that could easily be exposed soon. Moreover, neither of the high-level ninjas had returned yet. If they had succeeded, they surely would have reported back by now.
"Mr. Nozu, that Lin Chuan is just too frightening. What if we slip up when facing such a terrifying person? Perhaps we should leave Hawaii." Xingzi took this opportunity to suggest, feigning nervousness.
"No!" Nozu suddenly reacted and refused her request without a second thought.
Joking!
Here, his organization lost two ninjas! What a grave mistake! Only by having Xingzi and Meijia near Lin Chuan did he have any achievements to show. To pull them back now after such immense loss and without any accomplishments?
If the higher-ups learned of this, he could already foresee his downfall.
At this point, the safety of Xingzi and Meijia meant nothing! For him, surviving was most crucial!
"Xingzi, Meijia, now more than ever, you cannot leave. Although I have made up my mind, for the first time, Nozu showed a gentle expression and 'helped' them analyze the situation, saying: "Don't forget, both times that a ninja was dispatched, you two were present. Won't Lin Chuan have suspicions? Now, you must act selflessly more than ever to dispel his doubts."
"Alright, we'll try our best." Meijia internally sneered. Now, Nozu was pretending to think from their perspective, but unfortunately, they would never trust him again!
"Good! That's how my good girls are. Okay, take a break, calm your nerves a bit. I need to report this to headquarters."
After Xingzi and Meijia left the room, Nozu once again collapsed onto the sofa, covering his face with his hands, immediately consumed by despair.
"No! No! I can't give up now. As long as I have Xingzi and Meijia, I have value to the organization. Even if the punishment from above is severe, they would spare my life. Lin Chuan! This is all your fault! When I get my revenge, I will make you wish you were dead!"
The vicious curse echoed through the room, filled with his endless hatred.
But at this moment, Lin Chuan no longer considered Nozu a threat.
On his way to the trading center set up by Francis, he heard news that the Red Tea Society had begun to act.
The United States Energy Analysis Center released a report indicating that the global demand for iron ore will slow in the future. Also, the dispute between Chinese steel companies and South Australian mining companies still lingers, causing cautious attitudes about future iron ore prices.
While the U.S. energy analysis report was relatively tactful, the analysts at Meidun weren't so polite, discussing on television how the price of iron ore would inevitably plummet. Each point was well-argued. Listening from start to finish might lead you to believe that if the price didn't fall, there'd be no justice in the world.
Coincidentally, today, China also released a report echoing such sentiments.
The report stated that China's economy would be structurally adjusted in the coming years, forcing small, heavily polluting, inefficient steel companies to semi-shutdown, while large steel companies would shift from quantity-focused to quality-focused, aiming for technological innovation and producing new, high-value special steels!
This was good news for domestic steel enterprises, but undoubtedly a disaster for international iron ore suppliers!
"Quality over quantity" implied that China's future demand for iron ore wouldn't be as it is now. Extra ore should go to those low-end small steel mills eager to capitalize on China's closures.
These two pieces of news were like two heavy bombs, causing a stir in the futures market, with bearish forces suddenly exerting power. That day, the price of iron ore dropped by four percentage points.
For many, this seemed like a significant plunge in iron ore prices, but the market quickly demonstrated that this was just an appetizer!