Qiao Wanwan hurriedly stepped forward, "Brother, why are you only just getting back?"

Huo Shiqian took off his bulletproof vest. "Jing Ting anticipated this diversionary tactic, so he took the initiative to leave Wutong Bay, giving the other side an opportunity. Jiang Nan and I stayed behind to guard the area, which has helped us take care of another batch of enemies."

"How's the situation outside?"

"Everything has been taken care of. We had no casualties, so don't worry."

Qiao Wanwan nodded. "Are you hungry? I'll go make you some late-night snacks."

"good."

Qiao Wanwan cooked a few bowls of noodles and served them to the table just as Zhan Jingting returned. He washed his hands and went to sit down in the dining room.

"How's it going?" Huo Shiqian asked between bites, "Have you caught the mastermind behind this?"

Qiao Wanwan served Huo Shiqian a bowl of beef, saying, "Brother, if we catch him, Jing Ting won't be able to come back so quickly."

“Wanwan is right,” Zhan Jingting replied with a smile. “They were just small fry. Because they resisted, our people didn’t hold back and killed them all. He wasn’t among the second group of people operating the drones.”

“The mastermind behind this can’t possibly die so easily,” Huo Shiqian analyzed. “After tonight, he should realize that Wutong Bay is not such an easy place to break into.”

Zhan Jingting said calmly, "He found out about the defenses of Wutong Bay from Jiangnan and attacked its weak points everywhere. If we hadn't discovered the problem with Jiangnan in time and changed the defenses, our losses would have been much greater. Although the previous defenses wouldn't have destroyed Wutong Bay, a fierce battle was inevitable."

"I have to say, this mastermind is quite capable," Huo Shiqian remarked. "He's probably even smarter than Lin Mo, isn't he?"

"Not necessarily," Qiao Wanwan said. "Lin Mo is also very smart, but he has always been in the open, while this mastermind is hiding in the shadows, so he can deal with us better."

"Let's not talk about this anymore." Zhan Jingting looked at Qiao Wanwan. "Eat your noodles and go to bed early."

"Um."

......

The next morning, Qiao Wanwan finally saw the devastation at Wutong Bay.

The houses in Wutong Bay were fine, but the gardens were badly damaged.

Qiao Wanwan looked at the devastation before her and felt a pang of heartache.

"Wanwan, don't be sad," Zhan Yin comforted her. "Although we also suffered losses, the other side suffered even greater losses. They lost quite a few people, while we didn't suffer any casualties."

Qiao Wanwan smiled and said, "That's right. It's good that our people are all safe. The garden is ruined, but it's ruined. We can just repair it."

"That's right!"

“Madam,” Zheng Ma approached, “you wanted to see me?”

“Okay.” Qiao Wanwan said, “Everyone must have been terrified by what happened last night. Go and tell them that if they are really scared, they can resign freely. I will compensate them with half a year’s salary, and this year’s year-end bonus will also be paid together.”

“Madam is so thoughtful, still thinking of everyone at a time like this,” said Zheng Ma. “What happened last night was indeed sudden, but I haven’t heard anyone say they want to leave yet. I will convey Madam’s words to everyone.”

"Okay, go ahead."

After Zheng Ma gave the notice, surprisingly, not a single person offered to resign.

"The lady is standing with us, so there's nothing to be afraid of."

"That's right. If there were really any danger, Master Zhan wouldn't have allowed Madam to come out of the safe basement."

“I heard from Assistant Jiang that last night the other side not only lost dozens of drones, but also all of their people were killed. With Zhan Ye’s abilities, he will definitely be able to find the mastermind behind this and restore peace to Wutong Bay.”

Mrs. Zheng was very pleased. "It's best that everyone thinks this way. But I also know Madam's character. If there were really danger in Wutong Bay, she would have made everyone leave long ago and wouldn't let everyone stay and take the risk. So everyone can rest assured."

"Okay, Aunt Zheng, we'll listen to you."

Qiao Wanwan was quite surprised after hearing Zheng Ma's report. After thinking it over, she still went to Zhan Jingting's study.

“Jingting, I always feel that the refuge in Wutong Bay is too small. The safe house in the basement is only big enough for a dozen people to hide in. What if the mastermind behind this is more powerful than we think and can blow up our house? How can we guarantee everyone’s safety? Since everyone trusts us so much and stays with us through thick and thin, we should do our best to protect everyone’s safety.”

Zhan Jingting looked at her gently, "Madam Zhan, I built the safe house to ensure the safety of myself and my family, not others. If we follow your logic, protecting everyone would probably require hollowing out the entire underground of Wutong Bay."

"..." Qiao Wanwan was speechless. "That's really not realistic. How about I give some employees a paid leave and let them come back to work when Wutong Bay is completely safe?"

“There’s no need for that,” Zhan Jingting said. “Relatively speaking, Wutong Bay is safer than outside. Think about it, what if the mastermind behind this gets hold of all the information about us here, and then gets caught after leaving Wutong Bay, and then comes back to poison us? To avoid such unnecessary trouble, it’s better to keep everyone in Wutong Bay.”

“What you said makes sense.” Qiao Wanwan nodded. “Fortunately, everyone trusts us a lot, and there was no unease or disturbance because of what happened last night.”

Zhan Jingting said calmly, "If you don't even have this much courage, you're not qualified to stay in Wutong Bay."

Qiao Wanwan: "......"

......

Two days later, Jiang Dong came to report.

"Master Zhan, the police have investigated all nine people from that night. Some are fugitives, and some have normal identities, but on the surface, none of them have any connection with the Lin family."

"Furthermore, ever since I began to suspect the Lin family, I have had people secretly monitoring them, but I haven't found anything unusual."

"These are all normal, just keep an eye on them," Zhan Jingting said dismissively.

"Yes," Jiang Dong continued, "The police said they will tighten controls and try their best to prevent this from happening again."

"Although arms are banned, the capital is so big, how could it really be banned?" Zhan Jingting said calmly. "Every year, a lot of arms are smuggled into the capital, so I don't count on them."

"Moreover, if they tighten control, the other party will have no chance to make a move, and things will only drag on longer. It's better to relax control and let him make a move smoothly."

"What Master Zhan said makes sense. I will negotiate with him."

Zhan Jingting suddenly remembered something, "How is He Songling?"

"Reporting to Master Zhan, He Songling has returned from abroad and has not found Xu Lai."

Zhan Jingting smiled and said, "He heard about what happened that night and confirmed that the mastermind was already in the capital, so naturally he came back to find him."

"yes."

"Keep a close eye on his every move, don't miss any details," Zhan Jingting instructed. "They are old acquaintances, He Songling naturally has a better way of finding him than we do."

"Yes, then we'll wait and see."