Chapter 48

After resting for a while at the Western restaurant, Gao Yang drove Zheng Xiujing home. After parking the car, Gao Yang accompanied Zheng Xiujing to the door of her house.

"OPPA, I had a great time today," Zheng Xiujing said with a smile, brushing the hair that fell in front of her face. "Yeah, me too," Gao Yang replied, his voice tinged with an indescribable emotion. Suddenly, he reached out and gently pulled Zheng Xiujing's hand, bringing her closer. "Ah," Zheng Xiujing let out a soft exclamation as she was embraced by Gao Yang!

Gao Yang's eyelids slightly drooped, revealing a tender look as he leaned down. Zheng Xiujing's face flushed, a faint smile on her lips, her eyes sparkling as she met Gao Yang's descending head and gently leaned in.

After a moment, they parted. "Take good care of yourself and pay attention to your health," Gao Yang said softly.

"Okay," Zheng Xiujing replied softly, lowering her head slightly.

"Alright, I'm leaving. Go inside," Gao Yang said.

"Okay," Zheng Xiujing responded softly, but her hands tightly held onto Gao Yang's waist, not letting go.

Gao Yang didn't say anything more, and the two stood there in a quiet embrace.

Just as the silence seemed to speak louder than words, "Ding," the elevator suddenly opened, and Zheng Xiuyan, looking tired, stepped out!

"Ahh!" The sisters exclaimed in unison.

"You two!" Zheng Xiuyan, seeing the two of them, was so surprised she didn't know what to say.

Zheng Xiujing quickly released Gao Yang, brushed her hair, and said softly, "OPPA, thank you for driving me home. I'll go in first. Be careful on your way back."

Gao Yang, somewhat awkwardly, rubbed his eyebrows and replied, "Okay, I'll go now." Instead of taking the elevator next to Zheng Xiuyan, he turned and walked into the safety passage. The sisters stood in silence, and Zheng Xiuyan sighed softly, "Go in first."

Back at the apartment, Jin Yongnan called to report the progress of the matter, instructing him to handle a few tasks before heading to the airport. That night, he rushed back to the capital. The next morning, he flew to Africa.

By evening, he was back at the villa in the mining area, calling the manager in charge of the mining operations and instructing him to quickly acquire all the companies in the mining area.

After reporting to his parents and calling Zheng Xiujing, who was in a sweet and affectionate mood, they talked for over half an hour before ending the call. After finishing these tasks, he activated the time travel to 1925 Nanjing.

Just as he was about to go for dinner, a bio-warrior reported that Governor Zhang had been waiting at the governor's residence since the afternoon, looking very anxious. "Hmm? What could it be? Did someone die again?"

Gao Yang's guess was right. The first thing Governor Zhang said upon seeing him was, "Governor, this morning we received news that General Lu Yongxiang was assassinated!"

"Uh!?" Gao Yang's first reaction wasn't to think about what happened to General Lu, but to wonder why every time Governor Zhang came to see him, it was to bring bad news.

"Governor? Governor?" Seeing that Gao Yang wasn't speaking but was staring at him, Governor Zhang called out to him.

"Oh, what's the matter? Do you have detailed information? Tell me," Gao Yang turned and sat down in the living room, his voice deep.

"The news came from Shanghai. It says that this morning, as General Lu was heading to the Japanese consulate, someone with a bomb jumped onto his car and detonated it, killing General Lu on the spot," Governor Zhang said, sitting beside him. "Oh, I see. Sigh, I wonder who my brother offended to have this happen! Governor Zhang, please send a condolence telegram on my behalf," Gao Yang said with a regretful expression.

Governor Zhang responded but didn't move, looking at Gao Yang with a slightly strange expression. "Hmm? Is there something else?" Gao Yang, sensing something was off, asked.

"Cough." Governor Zhang cleared his throat and said, "There's another piece of news. It's said that General Zhang's guards caught a live suspect at the scene." He paused and looked at Gao Yang.

"Hmm?" Gao Yang's heart skipped a beat. Could it be... "What else? Go on!" "According to the live suspect, this was done at your command, Governor," Governor Zhang said, staring straight at Gao Yang.

"Hmm?" Gao Yang's face stiffened. He was furious at being framed! Although he wanted to annex his brother's territory, he would never use such means. Most importantly, he didn't do it, but he was taking the blame!

Gao Yang's face alternated between red and white, making Governor Zhang very worried. After a long moment, Gao Yang gritted his teeth and said, "Your sister!!"

The news of General Lu's assassination spread like wildfire across the country, and the speculation that Gao Yang was the mastermind caused a huge uproar. In Shanghai, the capital, and Guangzhou, all the newspapers were reporting the story! Street vendors were also promoting it, attracting the attention of the entire nation.

The Beiyang government in the capital responded quickly, with Premier Duan issuing a strict order to the newspapers not to fabricate lies or defame government officials before the truth was clear! He also ordered the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, Yan Xuesong, to immediately travel to Shanghai to investigate the case.

However, Gao Yang, at the center of the storm, made no public statement. He was waiting, waiting for someone to get impatient and jump out.

Soon, the new Japanese consul in Shanghai, Koto Yuka, told a reporter that Gao Yang was a heartless butcher who had killed his sworn brother, calling him a scoundrel!

When Gao Yang, who had traveled through time to Shanghai, saw this news, his first reaction wasn't anger but a laugh. "Bastard, I knew it was you!" He had suspected the Japanese when he was framed, but now, seeing Koto Yuka jump out so quickly, he was certain it was the Japanese. But why? Why did the Japanese do this? Although not a pro-Japanese faction, Lu Yongxiang had a decent relationship with the Japanese. What was the motive for eliminating him? Gao Yang rubbed his eyebrows, deep in thought.

"Knock, knock, knock." A knock came at the door.

"Come in," Gao Yang said in a deep voice.

The door opened, and Gao Feng quickly walked to Gao Yang and said, "We just received news that Lu Xiaojia, at the Lu residence, issued a telegram declaring his intention to avenge his father and prepare to rise up against the governor."

"Hmph." Gao Yang snorted. This playboy was a fool. Not only did he challenge a powerful enemy without knowing the truth, but with his reputation and abilities, could he command the proud and fierce soldiers under his father? He was good at playing and womanizing, but fighting? Hmph.

"Yuan Dian, do you have any good suggestions?" Gao Yang asked for help.

"Yes, a biomimetic reconnaissance robot. It looks like a small insect and has a real-time transmission system, making it a good tool for gathering intelligence. You can use it to spy on the Japanese."

"How many energy points?" Gao Yang asked quietly.

"3300 points, and it consumes 30 points per minute."

"..." Gao Yang said, "Your things are getting more expensive."

"Do you want it or not?"

In the confidential room of the Japanese consulate in Hongkou, Consul Koto Yuka was drinking with the head of the Special High Police, Daisuke Shinzo. Daisuke Shinzo, with a lecherous expression, was fondling the geisha in his arms, his alcohol-fueled brain making him want to strip and have his way with her.

Koto Yuka, sitting across from him, smiled lightly but cursed in his heart, "Is the Sun Goddess sleeping? How could such a fool be entrusted with such an important task?"

"Cough." He cleared his throat and said, "Daisuke, let's talk about some serious matters." He clapped his hands, and the geishas left the room. Daisuke Shinzo grumbled a few words and drank from his glass.

"Daisuke, the previous operation was very successful. Can we move on to the next plan now?" Koto Yuka asked with a smile.

Daisuke Shinzo, sitting on a cushion with a half-naked upper body, opened his bleary eyes and said, "Koto, for this operation, I have already lost my best agent, and another excellent agent is in a Chinese prison. The next operation needs more time to prepare." His cold and steady tone and composed face showed no signs of being drunk.

"Daisuke, the warriors who sacrifice for the empire are honored! As for the warrior in prison, we will rescue him after he testifies that Gao Yang is the mastermind. Now, I want to know," Koto Yuka, seeing Daisuke's cold eyes, was startled and touched his smooth head, "How does Daisuke plan to seize the huge deposits and technical data of SC Trade?"

Daisuke Shinzo drank the wine in his glass and looked at Koto Yuka with a mocking gaze. "Koto, SC Trade is a big piece of meat that many big shots are eyeing. Do you think you can get a bite?"

Koto Yuka's face alternated between red and white, and he pointed at Daisuke, too angry to speak. He had just thought of Daisuke as a fool, but he turned out to be a wolf in sheep's clothing!

In a corner of the room, a small cockroach was quietly perched, its compound eyes flashing a faint red light. In the SC Trade office building, Gao Yang sat on a sofa, looking at the monitor and rubbing his eyebrows. "They're targeting me?" Gao Yang laughed lightly. "These Japanese, they're really crazy for money!"

What Gao Yang didn't know was that since the 1923 Kanto earthquake, Japan's already struggling economy after World War I had become even worse.

In recent years, to maintain economic development and post-disaster reconstruction, the Japanese government had borrowed heavily from Western countries, with a total debt of nearly 1 billion US dollars! In the 1920s, this was an astronomical figure! For comparison, the United States, the world's most powerful economy at the time, had a GDP of only a few billion dollars.

Burdened with such a huge debt, the Japanese government was suffocated by the interest payments and had to cut all expenses. The military budget, a major expense, was significantly reduced, which was unacceptable to the Japanese military.

After SC Trade introduced nylon stockings, like other countries, the Japanese were envious of the huge profits. Japanese scientists, after research, said they couldn't produce this material.

SC Trade then introduced popular items like watches, cosmetics, perfumes, artificial leather products, and cigarettes, and Japanese scientists, after research, said they couldn't replicate any of them.

In addition, the huge imports and exports between Gao Yang and Western countries meant that SC Trade had deposits of several hundred million dollars in Citibank! The Japanese, envious to the point of bleeding, sent their best intelligence expert, Daisuke Shinzo, to Shanghai to seize SC Trade's technology and funds.