Sky-cracking Rider

After leaving the barracks area of National Defense Star, Chen Fei headed to the Comprehensive Center to meet up with the people from Jiu Defense Company. Boss Hana and her colleagues from the company were all in the VIP box at the Comprehensive Center, watching the "Abyssal Gladiatorial" duel. Since it was a real combat duel with live weapons, casualties were inevitable, but if one ejected in time and the parachute opened successfully, there was at least a chance to survive. Victory was determined by shootdown, and it wasn't necessary to fight to the death. Many public and private grievances were settled through the "Abyssal Gladiatorial," just like between the Hanuman Air Service Group and Jiu Defense Company—dead men tell no tales, but the living continue to enjoy the good life, while the losers are completely ruined. Session after session of the "Abyssal Gladiatorial" thus unfolded with the stark reality of human life. The VIP box was provided free of charge by the Northern Weapons Industry Group for Jiu Defense Company's use. As one of the sponsors of the "Abyssal Gladiatorial," they originally had a dozen VIP boxes; allocating one of them was just a matter of a word from Secretary Shen. There was no need to squeeze into the public area's stands, as the box was comfortably warm, with snacks and drinks, allowing for a comfortable viewing of the "Abyssal Gladiatorial" final duels. From a distance, Chen Fei saw that the VIP box belonging to Jiu Defense Company was being blocked by a group of black men. Hana's assistant, Lahar, was talking to them at the door. Noticing Chen Fei approaching, both parties looked at him simultaneously. The Assistant Lahar nodded to Chen Fei and said loudly, "Mr. Chen, these men are employees of the local Environmental Protection Agency, they're here for you." "Environmental Protection Agency? For me?" Chen was confused; he had spent most of his time inside the "Abyssal Gladiatorial" venue and hadn't participated in any actions that would cause people to curse him for destroying the natural environment. "Africa Intercontinental Environmental Protection Agency, I'm First Level Investigator Suman, and these are my colleagues." After Lahar's introduction, the lead black man showed a work ID, the cover featuring an outline of the Africa Continent with a golden lion emblem, along with the words of the Environmental Protection Agency. In many aspects like sovereignty, environmental protection, human rights, urban management, and taxation, the government departments are powerful and not to be underestimated, sometimes even comparable to the active military. Chen could even sense an unusual confidence and temperament from these people, suggesting the possible presence of an Ability User. But the key point was not that, rather that the other party was exercising the public duties bestowed by sovereignty. "Uh, hello, may I ask why you are looking for me?" Chen could not guess their purpose. He hadn't set fire to the grasslands of Africa, nor had he hunted any protected rare animals, nor had he brought in any unknown organisms. Surely the Environmental Protection Agency couldn't be going after creatures as insignificant as the Pure Light Sparrow, could they? There was a biological quarantine permit after all! Africa Intercontinental Environmental Protection Agency's First Level Investigator Suman put away his work ID and asked, "You ate three fish today, correct?" "Uh, yes!" What's the issue? Is eating fish a problem now? How stingy can Africa get! Chen was even more confused. "The fish you ate were wild, right?" Suman smiled a victorious smile, as if to say, gotcha! Honestly, Chen replied, "Yes, wild." "So… do you have a fishing permit?" Suman's imposing manner began to intensify, as if she was gearing up for the killer blow. "Fishing permit?" Chen tilted his head thoughtfully and said, "No, I don't have one." He didn't recall having such a thing, and even if he did, it wouldn't have been of any use. "In that case, please come with us!" Showtime, boys! Suman didn't speak, but the group of black men who had come with her promptly surrounded Chen securely. As a strong arm of the government, the Environmental Protection Agency was not to be taken lightly. "Regardless of what you intend to do, may we wait for our lawyer to arrive?" Assistant Lahar immediately positioned himself in front of Chen, staring down Suman, the leader of the group, refusing to let them take away a company colleague just like that. Even if they were public officials, they had to proceed according to the rules, and calling for a lawyer was only natural. Having worked with Hana Gagar from the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Apocalypse Defense Group, Lahar was exceedingly capable of handling such situations. "…" After a moment of silence, Suman finally said, "Fine!" Everyone had to follow the rules and procedures, no one could overstep them. To everyone's surprise, Chen spoke up, "Umm… it was someone else who invited me to go fishing, they should have the fishing permit." If someone hadn't put the fishing rod into his hands, those three wild fish would never have been landed. Suman quickly asked, "Who? Who was it?" Could it be more than one person involved? This could be a major case! Chen honestly replied, "Louis Landon of Louis Industrial Company!" "Louis Landon! Hmm, I've noted that." With a serious nod, Suman appeared stunned for a moment, looking at Chen in disbelief before cautiously asking, "The Louis from Louis Industries?" "That's right, that Louis. It's more than a hundred kilometers from here; there's a large lake where I fished. You can check the fishing permit for that area, perhaps there will be some findings." Chen speculated that given Louis Industries' substantial influence, the bigwig Louis must have arranged all necessary procedures to fish leisurely by the lake. In fact, his guess was not exactly on the mark, but it wasn't far off either. "Is that so? Wait a moment!" Suman, with a serious expression, raised her hand to signal and then pulled out her cell phone to check the recently approved fishing permits, especially those involving the big lake. Most of the civil and administrative affairs of Sovereignty are public, not only for the convenience of various departments to inquire but also for the ease of the public to search. With the right keywords, it's easy to find the answer one is looking for, especially with the assistance of AI. A moment later, the First Level investigator from the Environmental Protection Agency found the answer she was looking for. Suman finally lifted her gaze from her phone's screen. "Mr. Chen, sorry to have disturbed you, I'll take my leave!" That's it? "Eh? You're not going to ask anymore?" Assistant Lahar had been estimating that the lawyer he asked to come should be arriving soon, but he never anticipated that the Environmental Protection Agency officials would back off on their own initiative. Could Louis Industrial Company be so intimidating that just by the mention of it, these public officials are scared off? "I apologize, I have just confirmed that Mr. Chen Fei is not engaged in any illegal fishing activities." Suman slightly bowed and immediately left without turning back, not even indicating a desire to stay a moment longer. The ownership of the lake belongs entirely to Louis Industrial Company, an absolute ownership that includes the rights to agriculture, aquaculture, animal husbandry, mining, tourism, commerce, and industry, to name a few. They were free to fish at will; even if they were to drain the lake dry and pile up a small hill, Sovereignty had no right to question it. So, there's no issue, no trouble at all… "What's going on here?" Lahar scratched his bald head, puzzled. "It makes no sense!" Chen Fei shrugged his shoulders, equally clueless and as puzzled as a monk in a fog. It seemed that Louis Industrial Company really was frightening enough to make Sovereignty's officials beat a hasty retreat. But as an ordinary citizen, whether it was social status or economic strength, he was nowhere near such powerful figures; scooping up three large fish for free was already quite fortunate. "Something's not right. Could it be Hanuman, or Apocalypse? Sss, who is behind this complication…" Assistant Lahar's expression became grave. His occupational habit from his days in the Internal Affairs of Apocalypse Defense Group was kicking in again. He didn't believe that the African Intercontinental Environmental Protection Agency had come all this way to talk to Chen Fei about the matter of three fish. Just like the fight in the dormitory area before, it appeared personal, but in reality, it was a confluence of hidden schemes, ultimately targeting Boss Hana and the entire Jiu Defense Company. Everyone in the Internal Affairs, including Boss Hana, had a tendency toward conspiracy theories, so they were adept at playing political games, already suspecting and plotting against someone now. "Oh, well, you keep thinking then!" Chen Fei wasn't particularly good at this, so he patted his assistant's bald head, which looked lost in thought, and then bypassed him to push the door open and enter. "Jiu!" The moment he entered, Little Bird rushed over and landed on his shoulder, chirping excitedly. Hanna Gagel and Teacher Shen Fei each held a light pink champagne glass, and noticing Little Bird's excitement, they didn't need to look to know who had come in. On the table, besides the bulky champagne bottle, there was a third flute glass, owned by no one, for it belonged to Xiao Jiu. "You're back?" The two turned towards Chen Fei's hands; the wine must have been delivered. A Gagar collection, undoubtedly a fine choice, befitting the chairman of National Defense Star. "Yes, my uncle took some time to chat with me, and I also saw his eldest daughter, Sister Meizhen." Chen Fei sat down beside the two, and Little Bird flew from his shoulder to the flute glass, dipping its tiny head into the base, clearly longing for more. "Such favors aren't easily repaid, first give him face, and then slowly repay him later!" Because Hanna Gagel saw things clearly, she had Chen Fei bring a modest gift first, a token of his sentiment, to build a good relationship. National Defense Star had assisted the "Genuine Fragrance" squad, seeing Chen Fei's face, neither she nor Jiu Defense Company could boast such influence. The value of the two bottles of fine wine was far less than those sixteen AIM-290 long-range missiles, not even enough to buy one of them. Even if Hanna Gagel were to give a gift of equal value in return, the other party might not value it, which would actually put her at a disadvantage, as it wasn't about money. The prestigious National Defense Star Aerospace Company wasn't interested in such petty profits. Through Chen Fei's connections, Boss Hana indeed planned to cling to National Defense Star's substantial support. For a military contractor, it's not that you can cling to such a high-level support whenever you want. So far, to this day, she still couldn't hold onto the substantial support from Northern Weapons Industry Group, which was purely due to Teacher Shen's influence. "Secretary Shen, has there been any movement from my uncle's side?" After a midday and most of the afternoon, Chen Fei had no qualms about using Teacher Shen to probe the attitude of Northern Weapons Industry Group. It's a mutual use, no embarrassment about it!