Chapter 30

Gordon (via communicator): "What can we do? What else can we do? Let's bring him back to the set first."

Dent: "Yes... Bring him back to the set and hand him over to the chief director for handling." — relaying the order

Zhou Ke: "Are you really from GCTV? Not from the Hai Bin Pharmaceutical Company?"

Wayne: "Stop talking so much, get in the car quietly." — threatening

Zhou Ke was escorted onto the set's location vehicle, heading towards the GCTV building. Not far away, a group of "sparrows" watched the entire process.

Lackey A: "Boss, we've been outmaneuvered. Zhou Ke was taken away by a group of people claiming to be from the GCTV set." — reporting back

Boss: "I'm not blind, I saw it all here."

Lackey B: "Then why didn't you let us take action and snatch him back? We have eight people, more than them."

Boss: "Idiot, think before you speak. Didn't you see that two of the six people were filming the whole thing? If we went to snatch him, it would all be recorded. Do you want to leave such a big piece of evidence for the police to catch us?"

Lackey A: "Then we could just take their cameras and smash them, wouldn't that remove the evidence?"

Boss: "If it were just one camera, we could do that, but they have two cameras. Do you have the confidence to take and smash both cameras? If they get away, we're in trouble. I won't take that risk. Besides, this isn't Hai Bin City; we're unfamiliar with the area. It's better to be cautious."

I (narrator): "Good thing you held back and didn't act, otherwise trying to take the cameras from those three superhumans would be suicide."

Lackey B: "So we do nothing and let Zhou Ke get away?"

Boss: "Of course not. I've already ordered the second team to follow and monitor him. Now, both of you, get in the car. We need to meet up with the second team and act when we have the chance to bring him back."

Lackey A and B: "Yes." — getting into the car, driving away

At the GCTV building, in the meeting room of the "Professional Superheroes" set, Zhou Ke is being "interrogated" by the set, led by Gordon.

Gordon: "You say you're not a mental patient, but a victim of someone else's frame-up?"

Zhou Ke: "Yes, I'm a normal person. I was framed by the Hai Bin Pharmaceutical Company and sent to a mental hospital. I'm innocent. If you don't believe me, please send a qualified psychiatrist from this city to conduct a proper mental evaluation. I won't refuse."

Gordon: "A psychiatrist from this city? Why not one from your hometown, Hai Bin City?"

Zhou Ke: "No, they've all been bought off by the Hai Bin Pharmaceutical Company. They labeled me as a mental patient even though I'm normal."

Gordon: "Why would the Hai Bin Pharmaceutical Company frame you and send you to a mental hospital? What kind of conflict of interest do you have with them?"

Zhou Ke: "Pollution..."

Gordon: "Pollution?"

Zhou Ke: "The Hai Bin Pharmaceutical Company discharges excessive wastewater and exhaust during the manufacturing process, causing a strange smell to envelop the western part of Hai Bin City. 'Not daring to open windows in summer, and needing to wear masks when going out' has become a special phenomenon in the area. The strange smell from the factory has been a nuisance to the residents for decades."

Dent: "Ah, I heard about this when I was a child. It was a big issue on the 'News Broadcast' over a decade ago. But in recent years, it has been quiet, with no one complaining. They must have solved the pollution problem, right?"

Zhou Ke: "Solved? After being exposed, they did invest some money in pollution control, but compared to the funds they used to expand production and increase capacity, it's just a drop in the bucket. That little money for pollution control is like a drop of water in a bucket. It can't even maintain the original level of pollution, let alone reduce it. In recent years, the real reason for the lack of complaints is that the Hai Bin Pharmaceutical Company bought the land near the factory at a high price and relocated most of the residents. With fewer residents near the factory, there are fewer people complaining about the pollution. With fewer people, the noise and impact are smaller, and they can suppress the issue."

I (narrator): "And you are one of those stubborn residents who refused to move? No wonder you were diagnosed with a mental illness and sent to a mental hospital. That's not surprising at all."

Robin: "This despicable company is willing to spend a lot of money to buy land but not to properly treat the pollution from their factory? What a morally bankrupt, evil company." — indignant

Kent: "Morally bankrupt? You're wrong. The Hai Bin Pharmaceutical Company is praised by mainstream media as a company with a 'moral conscience,' one of the few companies in China with a sense of social responsibility."

Robin: "What? A company that has been polluting for years and not meeting standards is called a company with a 'moral conscience'? That's ridiculous."

Kent: "This isn't just talk. Do you know how much the Hai Bin Pharmaceutical Company spends on public service advertisements in mainstream media? According to the latest statistics, they spent 400 million yuan on public service ads on CCTV last year alone. They also donate money, supplies, and medicine to the Red Cross every year. When the country faces major natural disasters, they are among the first to call for everyone to contribute money and effort to disaster relief. Their social image is excellent. Being called a company with a 'moral conscience' is not an exaggeration."

Gordon: "Hmph, there are many hypocrites in society. Every act of charity and every donation by the Hai Bin Pharmaceutical Company is a public relations move to divert attention from their unethical practices and cover up their long-term pollution."

Jonathan: "The chief director's keen insight has immediately exposed the Hai Bin Pharmaceutical Company's deceit. I am truly impressed." — flattering

Gordon: "Of course. Initially, the Hai Bin Pharmaceutical Company was indifferent to our set's sponsorship request, treating me like a beggar. Their attitude towards CCTV is completely different. I knew this company, which looks down on people, wasn't a good one! Now that I have a handle on them, hahaha..." — laughing sinisterly

I (narrator): "It turns out the old man had his eyes on the Hai Bin Pharmaceutical Company all along. Capturing Zhou Ke, who was framed as a mental patient, was also a move to uncover the company's true face."

Wayne: "... So the chief director's real target wasn't this fake mental patient." — giving Zhou Ke an apologetic look

Robin: "Is this a scam?" — whispering

Dent: "A scam? What scam?" — whispering

Robin: "The chief director wouldn't have found a mental patient in the hospital to stage this fake drama to extort the Hai Bin Pharmaceutical Company..." — whispering

Dent: "Wait, wait, which side are you on? Why are you suddenly changing your stance?" — surprised

Robin: "You know the chief director's crazy tendencies. He would definitely do something like fabricating facts to extort a company for sponsorship." — whispering

Dent: "This..." — unsure

I (narrator): "You're right, Zhou Ke might be a plant. The old man would definitely do something like this; he's in charge of fabricating news."

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