Tomb Raider: I Am Hu Bayi's Cousin

Chapter 263 Wu Xie's Phone Call
The private room for celebrating the birthday of immortals.

This is the highest-class private room at the Crescent Hotel.

"Hmm, not bad!"

"I have to say, although your restaurant is very expensive, with a simple cold dish costing several thousand yuan, the presentation and taste are not bad."

Hu Ming carefully savored the dishes on the table and praised them softly.

"Honestly, your family's restaurant is more lucrative than robbing a bank."

"It's not unreasonable that all the businesses in the Nine Gates are thinking about transforming and laundering their money these days. The money they earn from risking their lives on the ground is probably only about the same as your family's net profit for a month, right?"

"Moreover, times have changed, and tomb raiding is truly a thing of the past."

At this point, Hu Ming couldn't help but shake his head regretfully.

The golden age of tomb raiding was during the Republic of China period, before the liberation.

At that time, the situation was chaotic, and many things were neglected. Even the various warlords themselves engaged in this business to supplement their military pay, which is what is known as official theft.

The turbulent times created an opportunity for the Nine Gates to rise to power.

As the saying goes, if you stand in the right place at the right time, even a pig can fly!
Yin Nanfeng swirled his wine glass, smiling without saying a word.

Those who fail to see the changing times and remain stuck in the old ways of the past will sooner or later be drowned by the tides of the times.

"By the way, who is this? It's not easy to find a male waiter at your restaurant."

Hu Ming looked at the silent young man standing at the door, holding a small telescopic fishing rod that he never let go of, and asked.

"Luo Que was adopted by our family when he was a child. He has special talents and is extremely loyal to me. He can be completely trusted. However, he doesn't like to talk much and is quite boring."

Yin Nanfeng chuckled and said to Luo Que, "Luo Que, pour some wine and let Uncle Ming see your skills."

swoosh~
The next instant, Luo Que swung out a fishhook attached to a fishing line, which became entangled in the wine bottle.

With precise control of his strength, he gently swung the bottle and poured wine for Yin Nanfeng from a distance.

"Impressive skill! The control over that force is truly impressive!"

Hu Ming remembered; this was a character who appeared in the sequel to The Lost Tomb.

A gifted young man with a unique talent for controlling power.

Of course, this is far from his peak.

Moreover, even at his peak, he was probably still somewhat inferior to Hu Bayi and the others.

After all, Hu Bayi and his companions had fought their way up through real battles, and later they practiced the "Marrow Cleansing Technique," making their strength and senses far superior to those of ordinary people.

Even Luo Que in front of them couldn't compare to them in a fight!

Some things cannot be compensated for by mere talent and effort.

"Impressive, right? Uncle Ming, let's make a deal. How about I give you Luo Que, and you give me 'that' in return?"

"What do you think? A talent like Luo Que is one in a hundred years. He will definitely become your best helper."

With a ulterior motive in mind, Yin Nanfeng looked intently at Hu Ming.

"Heh... Get lost! Do you think I need thugs?"

However, Hu Ming just rolled his eyes and snorted coldly.

Just kidding, he owns an insurance company himself, and he doesn't believe that in the past twenty years, Hu Bayi and his team haven't trained a few good fighters!

"...How heartless, Uncle Ming..."

"Enough with the nonsense, let's get down to business. Time, place, and who else?"

Hu Ming wasn't buying it at all.

"The old geezer's mansion, 10 PM, a private meeting, with no outsiders present." Yin Nanfeng's expectant smile froze, and he could only obediently answer the question.

just
As he spoke, Yin Nanfeng's eyes flickered.

"...You don't want to come with me and eavesdrop on our conversation, do you?"

As the head of a large hotel, he certainly wouldn't be so naive as to let his emotions show on his face.

A truly competent businessman is one who can stab you in the back without batting an eye. Yin Nanfeng's actions can only be described as deliberate.

"Yes, that's right! I want to hear what you two old fogies have to talk about!"

"Maybe I can uncover your secrets!"

As expected, Yin Nanfeng readily admitted it.

This girl is waiting right here.

"...Whatever you say, I don't care, it's up to Deputy Zhang."

"Hmm? Wait a minute, I need to take this call."

Hu Ming shrugged indifferently, just then his phone rang.

These days, feature phones are really uncomfortable to use.

Hu Ming sighed inwardly, filled with genuine dissatisfaction.

"Hello? Little Wu Xie?"

"It's me, Uncle Ming. There's something I'd like to ask you for help with."

On the other end of the phone was Wu Xie, who was far away in Hangzhou.

At this moment, Wu Xie was in his shop, smiling wryly as he asked Hu Ming for help on the other end of the phone.

After a long while, Wu Xie finally explained the whole story.

"So, not long after returning, Wu Laosan suddenly rushed off in a hurry, saying he was going to the Xisha Islands?"

Hu Ming raised an eyebrow, thinking to himself, "Just as I thought."

"Well, actually, I'm not worried about Uncle Ming. After all, he's a seasoned veteran; tomb raiding is just routine for him. I actually have something else to discuss with you."

Wu Xie scratched his head slightly embarrassedly, and said with a lack of confidence.

"What?"

This time, Hu Ming was truly stunned.

Logically speaking, nothing else should happen at this point, right?
"Well, I have a childhood friend named Lao Yang..."

After a long while, Wu Xie finally explained the situation clearly.

It's the Qinling Sacred Tree incident! The timeline of this event has been moved forward!
However, this was ultimately irrelevant to the overall situation, and Hu Ming was not interested.

"Anyway, Uncle Ming, that thing is a bit strange. I don't know if it's just my imagination, but I always feel that my childhood friend is also quite strange. I'm not really sure myself."

"The Silent One has mysteriously disappeared without a trace, Panzi is still in the hospital and cannot engage in strenuous activity for the time being, and Fatty is out of the question. After thinking it over, I can only ask you for help."

Hu Ming put down his chopsticks, frowned, and remained silent for a long time.

While the Qinling Sacred Tree does indeed have amazing effects, its side effects are too great.

They can even subconsciously manifest an individual exactly like themselves, with identical memories, to compete with them for the right to exist in this world.

That's terrifying! But the thing is, the condition for that thing to be activated is a person's subconscious.

It's called the subconscious because of its uncontrollability; in short, it's too dangerous.

Even using the Bronze Tree could cause irreversible and permanent damage to his memory, which was something Hu Ming could not accept.

Most importantly, Hu Ming himself possesses similar abilities, so there's no need for him to bother with the Bronze Divine Tree.

and…

"I'm sorry, nephew, I really can't leave here. My old man's health is deteriorating day by day, and he's about to pass away. Who knows when he might suddenly be gone."

"I definitely won't be able to leave Beijing in the short term."

With Yin Nanfeng staring in disbelief, Hu Ming decisively used Er Yuehong as a shield.

Uncle Ming, is it really okay for you to curse your master so badly that he might kick the bucket at any moment?
Although what you said is indeed the case...

(End of this chapter)