Rebirth 70: I am a Koi

I took the document, opened it, and my expression suddenly became even uglier.

This document was compiled by Lin Xiao overnight, about the recent capital flow and trade transactions of Zhao Tianming's company. The data showed that they had close contacts with a large flower trading company called "Fanghuasijin", and the amount of capital transactions was huge, far exceeding the normal transaction range.

"A sea of ​​flowers?" I murmured to myself. I had a vague impression of this name.

"I have investigated this company," Lin Xiao took over my words. "They are backed by a financial group and have grown rapidly in recent years. They have almost monopolized the entire northern region's flower market. Many of their peers have been squeezed out by them and are having difficulty operating, or even going bankrupt."

"Zhao Tianming cooperated with them because he wanted to..." I paused, and a terrible thought came to my mind, "monopolize the entire flower market and manipulate prices?"

Bai Hanchuan nodded solemnly: "It is very likely. If this is true, then their ambitions are too great. We must stop them as soon as possible!"

Just then, the children came back from playing outside, chattering excitedly and showing me a "secret base" they had found in the suburbs.

"Mom, we found a huge warehouse full of beautiful flowers!" My little daughter's sweet voice made my heart tremble.

"Warehouse? Where was it found?" I asked quickly.

"It's near the abandoned factory in the suburbs," the eldest son answered quickly, "There are many flowers hidden there, more beautiful than the ones in our base!"

The children’s words made Bai Hanchuan and I look at each other, and we both had a bad feeling in our hearts.

"Come on, take us to have a look!" Bai Hanchuan made a prompt decision and drove us to the warehouse the children mentioned.

The warehouse was located in a desolate area in the suburbs, surrounded by weeds and a desolate scene. The "secret base" the children mentioned was actually an abandoned factory building with a locked door and nothing unusual could be seen from the outside.

Bai Hanchuan went forward to test it and found that the door was not locked, but just ajar. He gently pushed the door open, and a familiar fragrance came to his nose. It was... the fragrance of the new variety of roses cultivated in my base!

My heart suddenly sank, and a bad premonition came over me. Bai Hanchuan and I looked at each other and walked in cautiously.

The warehouse is filled with all kinds of flowers, most of which are new varieties cultivated in my base, and some are rare varieties that are hard to find on the market. These flowers are carefully cared for and are obviously transferred here by professionals.

"These are the flowers from our base!" I recognized the varieties of flowers at a glance, and my heart was suddenly filled with anger.

"Zhao Tianming, how dare you steal my flowers!" I said gritting my teeth, wishing I could bring him to justice immediately.

Bai Hanchuan grabbed me and asked me to calm down. He walked to the back of the warehouse, took a closer look, and then pointed to a pile of messy boxes in the corner and said, "These boxes are 'flowers and brocade'."

I walked over and saw that, sure enough, the boxes were all printed with the "Flowers and Brocade" logo. It seemed that Zhao Tianming not only stole my flowers, but also sold them to "Flowers and Brocade"!

"This Zhao Tianming is so bold!" I was so angry that I was shaking all over and wished I could tear him into pieces.

"Don't worry, we have already got some clues and we believe we will be able to bring him to justice soon." Bai Hanchuan comforted me, but his eyes were unusually sharp.

Just then, my cell phone rang. It was the mysterious retired gardening master calling.

"Hello, this is Mu Jinli." I answered the phone and tried to stay calm.

"Jinli, I found out something..." The old man's voice was low and solemn, "You'd better be mentally prepared..." There was silence on the other end of the phone for a few seconds, and the old man slowly said: "Jinli, do you remember that I mentioned to you before that there might be greater interests involved behind this?"

My hand tightened around the phone, and my heartbeat quickened unconsciously: "You mean..."

"I used some old connections and found out that the leaders of several departments in the city have been frequently visiting some high-end clubs recently, and the top executives of 'Fanghuasijin' also often appear there," the old man paused, his tone becoming more serious, "I suspect that they have reached some kind of agreement with the purpose of..."

"Monopolizing the market, manipulating prices, and ultimately wiping out small businesses like us!" I said this almost with gritted teeth.

"That's right," the old man sighed, "and I also found out that they seem to be conducting some illegal drug research, and the new varieties of roses you cultivated are probably their research subjects!"

I took a deep breath, and a chill ran from my feet to my head. If this is true, then this matter is not just a simple business competition, it even concerns national security and the lives and health of the people!

I took a deep breath and tried to calm myself down: "Thank you, old man, I know what to do."

After hanging up the phone, I immediately told Bai Hanchuan what the old man said. After listening to him, his face became extremely solemn.

"It seems that the opponent we met this time is even stronger than we imagined," Bai Hanchuan said in a deep voice, "We must be more cautious and must not let them succeed!"

In the following days, we stepped up our efforts to collect evidence while strengthening the security measures at the base. The workers also became more vigilant and would immediately report to us if any stranger appeared.

"Mr. Mu, when I was patrolling this morning, I noticed a few sneaky figures over there in the warehouse. They seemed to be moving something." Uncle Li, an old employee of the planting base, ran to the office and told me in a panic.

"Also, I found yesterday that the water pressure in the irrigation system seemed to be wrong, as if someone had tampered with the pipes." Master Zhang, who is responsible for equipment maintenance, also reported with sweat on his forehead.

There are signs that our competitors have already started to act. They seem to want to disrupt our production by various means, making it impossible for us to operate normally and eventually force us to withdraw from the market.

Bai Hanchuan decided to personally meet with a respected senior person in the industry, hoping to get some help from him. I stayed in the base and continued to investigate the whereabouts of those suspicious people.

"Don't worry, I'll be careful," Bai Hanchuan gave me a reassuring look before leaving, "You should also pay attention to safety. Call me anytime if anything happens."

After seeing Bai Hanchuan off, I was still worried, thinking something bad was going to happen. Suddenly, my cell phone rang. It was an unfamiliar number.

"Hello, who is this?" I answered the phone and an ominous feeling came over me.

"Mu Jinli, don't bother investigating," a low and hoarse voice came from the other end of the phone, "You...are doomed to fail..." "You...are doomed to fail..." The voice on the other end of the phone seemed to come from hell, with a hint of sarcasm and complacency, and then hung up. I held the phone, my palms were full of sweat. Who is it? Who is behind all this?

Unease and anxiety entangled me like vines. I forced myself to calm down and think carefully about everything that had happened recently, looking for any suspicious clues. At this time, Bai Hanchuan came back, his face was solemn, and there was a trace of fatigue between his brows.

"How is it? What did the old gentleman say?" I walked up to him and asked anxiously.

Bai Hanchuan shook his head: "The old man has been retired for many years and has no interest in worldly affairs, but he gave me a name and said that if this matter really involves a mastermind, then this person is likely to be the key."

"who is it?"

"A man codenamed 'Professor.'" Bai Hanchuan's voice was low and chilling. "It is said that 'Professor' was once an authority in the field of agriculture, but later he was stripped of everything for some reason and disappeared from the public eye. No one knows where he is now or what he is doing."

"Professor..." I muttered to myself, and a thought suddenly flashed through my mind, "Could it be..."

I suddenly remembered that there was an abandoned factory near the base, which used to be the experimental field of the Municipal Academy of Agricultural Sciences, but was later shelved due to funding problems. If the "professor" really wanted to conduct some secret research, this place would undoubtedly be the best choice.

"Let's go and take a look!" Bai Hanchuan and I said this almost at the same time. We looked at each other and saw firm belief in each other's eyes.

As night fell, we drove to the abandoned factory. The factory was surrounded by weeds and looked desolate, with only a few dim street lamps emitting a faint light, making it even more eerie.

"Let's be careful. Since the 'Professor' chose this place as his hiding place, he must have made all the necessary preparations." Bai Hanchuan reminded in a low voice.

We crouched down and sneaked into the factory under the cover of night. The air was filled with a damp and moldy smell, mixed with a hint of strange chemical agents.

"It seems like someone has been here." I pointed to the messy footprints on the ground and said, my heart beating faster involuntarily.

We exchanged glances, walked lightly, and headed toward the warehouse. The door of the warehouse was ajar, with a faint light coming from inside and some strange noises faintly audible.

I took a deep breath, exchanged glances with Bai Hanchuan, and then suddenly pushed open the door of the warehouse...

In the warehouse, under the dim light, several figures in white coats were busy, various bottles and jars filled the table, and the air was filled with the pungent smell of chemicals. I held my breath and exchanged glances with Bai Hanchuan. It seemed that our guess was correct, there was indeed a problem here!

The "professor" didn't seem to be here. I noticed that the people in white coats looked nervous and hurried, as if they were rushing to make something. One of the figures seemed to have noticed something, raised his head suddenly, and looked towards the door vigilantly.

"Let's go!" I made a quick decision and pulled Bai Hanchuan out.

"Who is it?!" A roar came from behind, and the figures in the warehouse chased after us.

We took advantage of the cover of night to hide in the intricate factory. I heard hurried footsteps and shouts behind me. My heart was beating violently and my palms were covered with cold sweat.

"There's a car over there!" Bai Hanchuan was sharp-eyed and noticed a jeep parked not far away. It seemed to be the "professor's" means of transportation.

We ran to the car with all our might. Bai Hanchuan quickly took out a piece of wire, skillfully pried open the car door, and motioned for me to get in first.

"Hurry up! I'll hold them back!" Bai Hanchuan pushed me into the car and turned around to face the people who were chasing us.

"Hanchuan!" I shouted anxiously, but Bai Hanchuan had been surrounded by those people and disappeared into the night.

I bit my lips hard, forced myself to calm down, started the car, turned it around, and prepared to rush out of the factory.

At this moment, the car lights suddenly illuminated a forest, and a tall figure stood in the middle of the road. In the moonlight, he was wearing a pair of gold-rimmed glasses and had a sinister smile on his lips.

"It seems that we have made a good harvest tonight, Boss Mu." The man spoke slowly, his voice low and hoarse, "But the game has just begun..."