Chapter 79

After disappearing for a few days, Li Mang suddenly appeared and safely returned to the Yanhuang Compound, which was indeed unexpected by everyone.

In the Compound of Group Nine, Yang Fan, Cheng Wei, the head of the intelligence group Duan Xingde, and two members of the disciplinary group were all present, looking at Li Mang, who was sitting upright across from them, with various expressions.

"I'll ask the questions!" Duan Xingde broke the silence and then calmly asked Li Mang, "Li Mang, where did you go these past few days?"

"On a mission to Tianmen Village in Zhangjiajie," Li Mang answered truthfully.

"But why did you suddenly lose all contact? Even the satellite phone signal couldn't track you," Duan Xingde continued.

"Because I sensed someone was plotting against me, and it was very likely someone from inside Yanhuang who was trying to kill me. For my own safety, I concealed my whereabouts and found a way to block the phone signal," Li Mang answered truthfully, but he glossed over the details of the internal traitor and the process of blocking the phone signal.

"..." Hearing this, the entire Compound of Group Nine fell silent, and the office was so quiet that a pin could be heard dropping.

Blocking a phone signal isn't difficult; there are many methods. However, Li Mang's claim that he sensed someone was plotting to kill him seemed a bit far-fetched. What surprised them was that someone indeed wanted to kill Li Mang, and it was Chi You.

"..." Duan Xingde asked curiously, "How did you do it?"

"..." Li Mang answered, "Intuition." This was the truth.

"..." Duan Xingde couldn't argue with this. Intuition does exist, and the stronger one's abilities, the higher their predictive power, especially when facing a crisis related to themselves.

Since Li Mang was the victim in this incident, Duan Xingde couldn't interrogate him too harshly. He then asked about Li Mang's experiences over the past few days.

Li Mang answered all the questions truthfully, but he concealed many details, such as obtaining the 'Crystal Dragon,' capturing the hunchbacked old man, visiting the Xiao family, and especially his suspicions about Yang Fan. Before he had solid evidence, revealing these things would not only be unbelievable but could also backfire.

Duan Xingde, with his intelligence background, naturally saw that Li Mang was holding back, but since Li Mang wasn't a suspect, he couldn't force him to answer. In the end, he asked an important question: "Do you know who inside Yanhuang wanted to kill you?"

"..." The expressions of Yang Fan and the others varied.

Li Mang was silent for a long time, seemingly hesitating and thinking. Finally, he answered hesitantly, "I suspect it's... the head of Group Eight, Cai Cai!"

"..." Once again, the room fell into a dead silence. Everyone was surprised by Li Mang's answer, either because it was unexpected or because of Cai Cai's position.

"On what basis do you make this claim?" Duan Xingde couldn't help but ask.

"First, I've always had conflicts with Group Eight. Second, Liu Junqun from Group Eight once tried to assassinate me and was mysteriously killed to silence him. Finally, I saw people from Group Eight in Tianmen Mountain, and they were acting suspiciously, clearly with ill intentions!" Li Mang started with a tone of suspicion but gradually became more confident, as if it were true.

"Hmm... Cai Cai does have a strong suspicion," Duan Xingde agreed, finding some logic in it, but there were still many misunderstandings. After some thought, he said, "Bring Cai Cai here!"

"..." Everyone present grimaced. Bring Cai Cai here? Duan Xingde, as the head of the intelligence group, had a lot of authority.

Cai Cai, with a dark face, was quickly brought in. He scanned the room and finally fixed his gaze on Li Mang, his eyes even darker. Although he was still confused, he sensed that he had been outmaneuvered by this young man. As a head, being outmaneuvered by a secretary was a strange feeling.

Sure enough, Duan Xingde immediately asked him, "Head Cai, I hear you have a grudge against Secretary Li?"

"There is a bit of a misunderstanding," Cai Cai admitted. Everyone in the compound knew about this, and denying it would only cause more trouble.

"Now, you are suspected of betraying Yanhuang!" Duan Xingde said solemnly, showing his skill in interrogation and the suddenness of his question.

Cai Cai's face changed, and he said seriously, "Head Duan, you can't say such things lightly. I, Cai Cai, may not be a good person, but I have never done anything to betray Yanhuang. Head Duan, don't believe the lies of a small man!"

Hearing this, Li Mang's lips curled. He had been waiting for this opportunity and suddenly stood up, agitated, to refute, "Head Cai, if you did it, why not admit it openly!"

"Li Mang, what are you talking about!" Cai Cai's face turned dark. He had been having a rough time lately, and it was all because of Li Mang. It was impossible for him not to be angry.

"Talking nonsense? Ignoring Liu Junqun's assassination attempt, you threatened me on the day of the mission. I have reason to suspect that the one who ordered the hit on me is you, Cai Cai!" Li Mang shouted.

"..." The atmosphere in the room became tense. Duan Xingde and Cheng Wei looked at Cai Cai with suspicion, while Yang Fan adjusted his glasses and remained silent.

"You... damn liar!" Cai Cai's voice was broken, and he even swore. He had already guessed what Li Mang was up to, and his face was extremely pale.

"Head Cai, please maintain your composure!" Duan Xingde sternly warned, seeing the situation getting out of hand.

"..." Cai Cai coldly snorted, not daring to do anything more, but his dark gaze at Li Mang was a clear warning.

But Li Mang was clearly 'unafraid of authority' and loudly said, "Lying? When you baselessly accused Manager Yang of killing Liu Junqun and framing my two predecessors, warning me to be cautious of Manager Yang, it was clearly a malicious attempt to sow discord among us in Group Nine... Not to mention, you also warned me not to be too smart, or you would kill me to silence me. If the one who ordered the hit wasn't you, Head Cai, I wouldn't believe it!"

"You're talking nonsense, kid!" Cai Cai was almost driven to the point of spitting blood by Li Mang's words. The first part was true, but he had never threatened Li Mang. But in the current situation, would anyone believe him? He could only look at Li Mang with a dark face, his mind not at peace.

A few days ago, he had deliberately said those things to Li Mang with ill intentions, but he never expected to be outmaneuvered by Li Mang, who had pushed him directly into opposition with Yang Fan. Before, they had just had some conflicts, but now, if Yang Fan was indeed one of Chi You's people, he would likely try to kill Cai Cai.

More importantly, Li Mang's move could temporarily ensure his own safety. It seemed simple on the surface but was actually a clever strategy. The more Cai Cai thought about it, the more frightened he became, his back drenched in cold sweat.

The entire Compound of Group Nine was silent, and everyone was staring at Cai Cai, their gazes filled with suspicion. Especially Yang Fan, who habitually adjusted his black-rimmed glasses, his eyes flashing with an indescribable light.