Green Shield Park.

Li Mi walked over with a cup of hot coffee and sat on the bench.

He had an unremarkable appearance, a resolute and serious expression, and his eyes were fixed straight ahead. He wore a silver badge indicating he was a second-class citizen and placed his coffee cup beside him.

He said, "Xu Shou has been embezzling and misappropriating grain depot resources for two years, and they are all bad debts. Now the group suddenly claims that it wants to export a large batch of grain to No. 10 Wall, and the higher-ups want to check the grain."

Another person sat next to him, completely shrouded in a cloak, leaning against the bench. He took the coffee cup, took a sip, held it in his palm, and said, "The coffee here is really good."

Li Mi said, "The coffee beans, tea leaves, and hops from the hydroponic area below the plantation, specifically from Wall No. 1, are considered pillar products of the Forest Group."

"How come you're only a second-class citizen?"

Qin Che held his coffee cup and turned to look at the badge on Li Mi's chest.

"That's normal. The steady increase in productivity has allowed more people to receive education. In addition, the city council has relaxed some policies, so even someone like me can get a job in the government. Of course... I'm just running errands for them. If I want to be promoted to a supervisor, I need to be a first-class citizen and get promoted from above."

Qin Che took a sip of coffee and said, "Is Wall Number Ten where the Royal Court is located? Are they also short of food?"

Li Mi: "I don't know about that, but in the past, the royal court rarely imported grain from the No. 1 wall; they had their own plantations."

"Is it also managed by a subsidiary of the Forest Group?"

"That's not the case. The East Party can't get into Wall 10 because they have autonomy, and the Royal Party is very wary of the financial magnates."

Qin Che asked, "Did Xu Shou not suspect you when you came out this time?"

Li Mi laughed and said, "I'm just an accountant."

“You are the accountant who helps him with the books. Xu Shou regards you as a confidant. In such a key position, wouldn’t he send someone to monitor you? This should be one of the management procedures in your warehouse.”

Li Mi: "Surveillance is indeed normal, but he is currently preoccupied with his own problems because he can't pay off this debt and is planning to seek refuge with the third shareholder."

Who is the third shareholder?

"Duan Wujiu."

Qin Che suddenly realized: "I've heard of this person. He's a grain tycoon who's on par with Yuan Lin, right?"

"Yes, he is also one of the shareholders of the Forest Group's board of directors, second only to the number one shareholder, Yuan Lin."

"Then who is number two?"

“Number Two is in the Oasis Alliance. He only comes back once a year. It’s quite far away, you know that.” Li Mi shrugged.

Qin Che silently uttered the name 'Qin Guan' and smiled, "Duan Wujiu wants to protect him?"

Li Mi frowned and said, "Duan Wujiu agreed to make up for his debts, but on the condition that he win over Xu Shouhe and several other granary managers to be his informants."

Qin Che: "Oh? There were a few other supervisors who embezzled along with him?"

Li Mi: "The granary is of paramount importance. We must keep the wealth within our own ranks. Under normal circumstances, Yuan Lin would only entrust it to his trusted confidants within the organization. In the past, even if Xu Shou embezzled grain, as long as the amount was not too large, Yuan Lin would turn a blind eye. But things are different now."

"How so?"

"After Wang Ting asked for grain, an agreement was signed after he spoke out in the city council. All the group's top executives were present, and Wang Ting's side also had witnesses. Both sides pressed their fingerprints. If the grain supply could not be provided, Xu Shou would be beheaded. This matter involved important secrets of both parties, so even if he was a confidant, Yuan Lin would not be able to protect him."

"Therefore, Xu Shou can only rely on his friends. There are quite a few people in the warehouse who are on his side... The law doesn't punish the masses."

"But... now is a critical time."

Qin Che: "What critical period?"

“Yuan Lin wants to serve as a voting elder in the city council. He has been in control of the council for many years, raises pigs in West Fort, and has his own voter base. He is already a force to be reckoned with. Now, even among the three major conglomerates, Yuan Lin is very popular. Many people are watching him, and he is much more low-key than before.”

Qin Che said, "As far as I know, Yuan Lin is not from Lingbi City, and he is not even from Xibao."

“That’s right. So it’s not easy for him to get to where he is today. It’s already difficult for an outsider who started from scratch to remotely control West Fortress, balance the various factions, control personnel, and now he wants to become an elder in the city council? Heh... For the city council’s higher-ups, this is quite interesting, at least it’s big news,” Li Mi said.

Qin Che understood the principle that personnel matters are politics.

It is precisely because Yuan Lin has such power that people can overlook his status as an outsider. Clearly, he is now gaining more and more influence in the Forest Group and is currently in the spotlight.

"Under these circumstances, Xu Shou's sudden betrayal meant Yuan Lin couldn't protect him and had to kill him. No matter how many friends he had, it was useless. Knowing this, Xu Shou had no choice but to switch sides. Duan Wujiu was willing to protect him, of course, in order to bring down Yuan Lin. However, for him, the bad debts in the granary were not a big deal. He persuaded Xu Shou and others to be his spies for the future... Xu Shou was a pawn he secretly placed."

Li Mi sighed and said, "I don't quite understand why he wants to attack Shabao."

Qin Che smiled and said, "The less you know, the better."

Li Mi remained silent for a while, then asked, "What are your orders?"

Qin Che thought for a moment, "Xu Shou can't pay his bills, so his choice is certainly not wrong, but I want to break this situation, and I need your help."

Li Mi nodded slightly and bowed his head, awaiting Qin Che's command.

"Burn down their warehouse."

"Burned?"

Qin Che shrugged and said, "They're going to check the grain. If the warehouse burns down at this critical juncture, guess what will happen?"

Li Mi thought for a moment, then suddenly realized, "You want to instigate internal strife within the Forest Group?"

“I can’t initiate this. In this matter, you and I are both outsiders. There are too many people who want to get rid of Yuan Lin, such as Duan Wujiu,” Qin Che said.

Li Mi shook his head: "Given Duan Wujiu's personality, he won't personally take the stage. That would make it easy for someone to push him off. There's a high probability that the fourth shareholder will suddenly launch an attack, and then Duan Wujiu will do a favor behind the scenes and extricate himself from the situation. But there's a high probability that Xu Shou and others will die, and after the reckoning, as a member of his inner circle... I will also die."

Who is the fourth shareholder?

“Deng Xian, he’s currently in charge of pushing things forward. During this period, he has spent a great deal of money to win over a group of board members and get them to join his side.” Li Mi smiled slightly at Qin Che. “Mr. Qin, your intuition is very sharp. Yuan Lin does indeed have many enemies within the group.”

Qin Che patted his shoulder: "When you 'die,' come back with us, and you will be a hero."

Li Mi gave a bitter smile: "Mr. Qin, three years after three years, almost ten years have passed. All I want is to go home, reunite with my parents and wife, have another child with her, and live out the rest of my life in peace."

Qin Che stared at him for a long time. "Alright, on behalf of the Sandcastle Intelligence Department, I grant your request. However, you can write your retirement application when you get back."

The two exchanged a knowing smile.