Chapter 5

Having settled this matter, Wu Di's heart, which had been hanging in suspense, finally relaxed. Was this really the power of the Heavenly Book? For a while, he had not dared to try any other projects, fearing that it might all be a dream, and if so, the ten thousand yuan he had invested could be lost. However, now that things were on track, he felt it was time to try the Heavenly Book again.

Wu Di rummaged through his briefcase and found the notebook, flipping through it until he settled on a project. The Ministry of Construction's dilapidated housing renovation project involved only one building but required four sets of equipment. Wu Di chuckled; it seemed the designer had taken money from a manufacturer. This kind of project was the most enjoyable to snatch, and he wondered what the manufacturer's reaction would be when they realized they had done all the work for someone else.

He glanced at the project description and saw that it was another project by Li Qinglong. He couldn't help but think how lucky this guy was, as all his projects were from well-funded organizations. However, the relationship for this project was terrible, and it was impossible to get involved. If not for the close attention of his superiors, he would have given up long ago. This kind of project was good; it was bound to fail, and there was no psychological burden in trying to pry it open.

He found another project, the Dahei Mountain shantytown renovation, which required ten sets of equipment with a budget of over six million yuan. Another project that seemed to be a dead end. Looking at the name, it was still under Wang Jun's department. Wu Di didn't know whether to say he was lucky or unlucky.

Carefully, he drew the network diagrams of the two projects on the Heavenly Book, leaving a small blank space next to each key person he identified. Then he widened his eyes, waiting for a miracle. One minute, two minutes, ten minutes... He stared until his eyes were watering, but the Heavenly Book showed no change. Wu Di washed his face and gently closed the Heavenly Book. Could it be that the Heavenly Book was a shy girl?

He lit a cigarette and started pacing on the balcony, telling himself to stay calm. His calm lasted for the duration of one cigarette. He washed his hands devoutly and carefully opened the blue cover again, but there was no change! The text on the Heavenly Book neither increased nor decreased. How could this be? Was the success of the Second Machine Factory project just a coincidence? A prank coincidence? Wu Di's heart tightened. Fortunately, the project had a good outcome. He decided to try again, thinking it might just need more time.

Wu Di sat in front of his computer, fidgeting like a monkey. He barely managed to hold on for half an hour, then thanked all the gods and deities, washed his hands, and carefully opened the blue cover of the Heavenly Book again.

Damn, not a single word changed.

Wu Di collapsed on the bed, his dream of getting rich shattered. It seemed he should stick to materialism. However, picking up a few hundred thousand for free wasn't bad. After all, without that prank, he wouldn't have secured the Second Machine Factory project.

Wu Di lay on the bed, sighing and consoling himself. After all, he had gained something. But why did he still feel unsatisfied? What was the problem?

He picked up the Heavenly Book and carefully compared the three network diagrams. There was nothing wrong; they were all complete, with clear connections to the client, supervisor, contractor, project manager, and designer, even including the deputy minister of the Ministry of Construction. So why didn't it work?

A line of numbers caught his eye: birthdays. Yes, these key people had no birthdays listed, and their job descriptions were incomplete. Right, there were too many people with the same name. Without additional constraints, how could the Heavenly Book identify the right person and provide a solution?

At that moment, his phone rang. He picked it up and was delighted to see it was Li Qinglong. "Brother Wu, I have good news. On Friday, the manager and I went to Capital Normal University and met Old Yuan's daughter. Hehe, she's a pretty little girl. We took her to Pizza Hut, and she agreed to ask her father about it this weekend. How's that? Impressive, right?"

"Very impressive. Your boss Wang Jun is too fierce, a role model for us all."

Wu Di responded half-heartedly, feeling a bit sorry for Li Qinglong, hoping the girl hadn't said anything, or Old Yuan might be furious.

"Hey, Brother Wu, I have to go. I have another call. Damn, it's Old Yuan. I'll give you good news later."

Less than half a minute later, Li Qinglong called back. Before Wu Di could say anything, Li Qinglong excitedly shouted, "It worked, it really worked! Old Yuan asked the manager to bring the leaders to his office on Monday! Brother Wu, if this project succeeds, I'll treat you to a big meal!"

Wu Di hung up, feeling a bit sorry for Li Qinglong for a second, hoping the guy would go with the manager and not mention Wang Jun.

With this distraction, Wu Di wasn't as focused on the Ministry of Construction's renovation and the shantytown project. It was no use being anxious; he would wait until Monday to see what happened. No, even though it was the weekend, construction wouldn't stop. He might not be able to meet the key people, but checking with the construction team could be useful. Time to sleep, and head out early tomorrow!

No matter what day it was, the construction site was always busy and chaotic. Wu Di used a small trick to get past the security guard and sneaked in. However, after a round, he couldn't find anyone who knew about the client, which disappointed him. A kitchen helper auntie saw Wu Di looking dejected and quietly pointed out that there was a small door in the northeast corner of the site that led to the Ministry of Construction compound. She had seen a notice board there a few days ago with photos of candidates for some kind of evaluation.

Wu Di's eyes lit up. He took out a hundred yuan and gave it to the auntie, borrowed a safety helmet, and confidently walked toward the northeast corner.

Sure enough, there was a movable door in the corner of the metal fence, not locked, just secured with a wire. Wu Di looked around, quickly walked over, untwisted the wire, and crouched to slip inside.

He faced a grassy area with a few large, leafy trees, which seemed to be a green belt. He followed the auntie's instructions and turned to the right.

Wu Di tried to stay calm, knowing there were surveillance cameras in the compound, and security might be tighter on weekends. He could only hope the on-duty guard was dozing or would mistake him for a construction worker.

Three minutes later, Wu Di found the notice board the auntie had mentioned. His luck was good; the deputy minister in charge of the project and the head of the infrastructure department were both listed. Wu Di took out his phone and took several photos, then turned to leave. Less than a minute later, he heard a stern voice: "Comrade, stop! What are you doing here?"

Wu Di inwardly cursed, stopped, and turned to face the guard approaching him. He took off his safety helmet and bowed.

"What's your name? Didn't your leader tell you not to come in here?"

Wu Di nodded and replied in a dialect, "I know, I know, but I've never seen anything like this before. I just wanted to take a look. I just arrived, I just arrived."

The guard looked at Wu Di. Wu Di was naturally dark-skinned, and because he was gathering information on the construction site, he was wearing a tracksuit and had picked up some dirt from the gate. He did look a bit like a construction worker. The guard didn't investigate further and scolded him, "You're not allowed in here. If I see you again, I'll send you to the police. Understand?"

Wu Di, sweating profusely, apologized and offered a cigarette, finally managing to get away. Under the guard's watch, he returned to the construction site, returned the safety helmet, and quickly left.

Outside the site, remembering the guard's threat, he couldn't help but laugh, drawing curious glances from passersby who gave him a wide berth. Checking the time, he realized he still had time to go to the Dahei Mountain shantytown project, but he decided not to, as it could lead to misunderstandings on the weekend.

Back at his rental, he took out his antique Gionee straight phone. The photos were clear, and the descriptions were detailed, including positions and birthdays. He was glad he had gone; he had even gotten the deputy minister's name wrong by one character, which would have been impossible to fix.

Ou Changqing, Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Construction, born on April 3, 1966. A deputy minister in his forties! Li Limin, head of the infrastructure department, over fifty, no future. Wu Di hummed a tune as he updated the information on the Heavenly Book, watching to see if anything changed.

Two minutes passed, and the highest directive still didn't come. Wu Di felt a bit disappointed. He clasped his hands together, praying to all the deities he could think of, from Shakyamuni to Sun Wukong, from Jesus to Allah, and then closed the book.

Wu Di looked at the silent, blank Heavenly Book lying on the bed. He was almost afraid to open the blue cover, fearing another disappointment. After smoking two cigarettes, he steeled himself. "Wu Di, are you so desperate that you can't live without cheating? Even if you hadn't picked up a few hundred thousand, with your skills, you could still make a name for yourself." He decided not to hesitate anymore, took a big step to the bed, and lifted the thin blue cover!

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