By the time Su Tao returned from Rome, it’s already late at night. It’s mainly because of the compact schedule, so Su Tao couldn’t afford any stops. Even Silvia was exhausted and fell asleep in the vehicle. Her head was subconsciously leaning on Su Tao’s shoulder and her hair’s fragrance drilled into his nose, giving Su Tao a ticklish sensation. However, he had controlled himself well.

He’s not someone fickle with love, and his relationship with Silvia could only be considered friends. He couldn’t accept a short-lasting love for only a few days.

When they finally arrived at Milan and he waved his hand towards Silvia, Su Tao’s phone rang out, leaving him stunned. It was actually a call from Shui Junzhuo from Russia.

“I have a piece of news for you. A high official from the Commerce Bureau will head to Milan to meet with you.” Shui Junzhuo sat on the chair with a laptop before her that displayed a foreign affair’s secret document.

“The Commerce Bureau?” Su Tao smiled. “Is the country interested in the Three Flavour International’s fashion show in Milan?”

Shaking her head, Shui Junzhuo replied, “Tosca Pharmaceutical Conglomerate has made contact through China’s embassy in Italy and the Commerce Bureau. They’re willing to compensate for this epidemic, and at the same time, they hoped to form a cooperation with Three Flavour Medicine. That official from the Commerce Bureau is heading to Milan to facilitate this matter.”

Su Tao never expected that Joanna would be so swift, so he smiled. “The government has forgiven Tosca Pharmaceutical Conglomerate?”

Letting out a sigh, Shui Junzhuo replied, “Tosca Pharmaceutical Conglomerate has some position in the world, and we’re also under the pressure of international controversy for detaining their successor. Most importantly, Tony isn’t the mastermind, but someone else. So there’s no meaning for us to keep him. On the contrary, if he can bring a certain value, we can consider another choice.”

Su Tao knew that Shui Junzhuo meant Tony was just a fry. If this fry could be exchanged for a good sum of money, the government would definitely not reject this proposal.

Su Tao sighed. Joanna was a woman with meticulous thoughts and knew how to manipulate the human heart to achieve her goal.

He wasn’t against this cooperation, but he was also cautious about Joanna’s meticulous calculations.

But since this matter involved the Commerce Bureau, he didn’t seem to have much choice. In the future, he would have to be cautious when it comes to Joanna.

He soon linked Joanna with Rangure. The two of them were the same type of people, and he couldn’t see through the two of them. When dealing with that kind of woman, he had to be cautious or he might be betrayed if he takes the wrong move.

Su Tao had done his investigation on Wang Guofeng, and that fellow was only a display in the Medicine Deity Corporation. The authority lied in a person called Luo Ran, while Wang Guofeng became Rangure’s puppet.

Wang Guofeng wasn’t a simple person, or he wouldn’t be able to become one of Su Tao’s earliest opponents. It was because Rangure was so formidable that she couldn't be defended against.

Hence, he had to be cautious with his cooperation with Joanna.

“I met with Joanna today, and she should be someone within the core of Tosca Pharmaceutical Conglomerate. At the same time, I have also discussed with her the possibility of our cooperation, and I’m naturally fine if she can agree to my request.” Su Tao did not hide anything from Shui Junzhuo and told her about the content of his discussion with Joanna today.

When Shui Junzhuo heard that, she bitterly smiled. “You really know how to make a demand. I’m afraid that Joanna will not agree to it.”

“If she’s smart, she will know that this is a worthwhile deal.” Su Tao confidently said.

“Tosca Pharmaceutical Conglomerate has also invested in Japan’s Iwata Chinese Medicine Research Facility, so Three Flavour Medicine isn’t their only choice. At most, it can only be considered a strategic investment.” Shui Junzhuo patiently analysed.

“Tosca Pharmaceutical Conglomerate does not only require an enterprise that can earn money, but they also need to enter China’s market. If Three Flavour Medicine can open up this market for them, what’s their investment considered?” Su Tao had seen through this matter.

“I can’t see through you anymore.” Shui Junzhuo sighed before a smile spread on her lips. Su Tao had been constantly giving her surprises from the first day. He might seem to be ignorant about everything else aside from TCM, but he sees through things thoroughly.

“It’s hard for us to talk, so why don’t we talk about something else? How have you been in Russia?” Su Tao smiled as he changed the topic.

“Everything’s fine, and it's all thanks to your help that the project is progressing smoothly. I might even return to China earlier.” Shui Junzhuo smiled, revealing her pearly-white teeth.

“I’m also doing well over here…” Su Tao smiled and the two of them briefly chatted before hanging up the call.

Although his connection with Shui Junzhuo had been going on and off, he knew that she would definitely not forget about him. On the contrary, their relationship would grow deeper instead.

From a certain angle, Su Tao had become Shui Junzhuo’s only spiritual reliance being in an unfamiliar environment like Russia. At the very least, she knew that someone was silently caring for her from far away.

After receiving Ling Yu’s confirmation that he had already recovered, Liu Jianwei travelled to Huainan Province overnight and met up with Yuan Lan in the secret base at Qiongjin City.

Yuan Lan brought Liu Jianwei to a military warehouse and started picking her equipment. For an assassinate mission like this, they would generally bring some convenient weapons for hiding. Most importantly, some like Yuan Lan, who’s both experienced and trained, could easily find lethal weapons during the mission.

Putting it in a nutshell, they did not have too many requests as a special agent. They only needed a dagger to snatch their opponent’s weapons in the process.

“Pick your equipment!” Yuan Lan saidd before she continued, “Every agent must have a trump card to be used in times of danger. So I suggest that you should have something up your sleeves.”

Looking through the equipment, Liu Jianwei picked a foldable knife. “This is enough for me.”

Yuan Lan knew that Liu Jianwei was proficient with knives, so she picked an enhanced German HKP7 and threw it to Liu Jianwei. “As an agent, you must learn how to use modern weapons. You have to bring this pistol along with you. You might be proficient with knives, but it’s still inferior to pistols in terms of long-distance lethality.”

Liu Jianwei briefly hesitated before he tied the pistol to one of his ankles with the knife on the other.

Yuan Lan soon finished picking her equipment and brought Liu Jianwei to another room with a thick stack of documents and replied, “This mission is only for the two of us, and we have no reinforcements. We don’t have any path of retreat, so we must formulate a plan first. We will take the international railway line from Central Asia to Central Europe. Ying Xiong is currently in Central Europe, Slovakia, a heaven for mercenaries.”

Mercenary organisations might be active in the battlefield, but most of them had their headquarters in the peaceful Central Europe. After Yugoslavia broke up, many of the experienced mercenaries came together to form powerful mercenary organisations and hid around Slovakia’s south central region.

The Andrew Boyd Competition was a military competition organised by NATO countries hosted in Slovakia. Hence, it’s no surprise that there were special forces from various countries in the south central region of Slovakia, and it’s also known as the purgatory of special forces.

If special forces wanted to undergo genuine training, they would have to live in the primitive forest for a year. If they’re able to come out alive, they would be qualified to be a soldier king.

This was also the reason why Ying Xiong could recruit so many mercenaries.

At the same time, it’s also safe for Ying Xiong to hide there since he had money and could buy his safety.

Hence, Liu Jianwei and Yuan Lan would be facing great difficulty, but fortunately, Yuan Lan had an unforgettable experience in the past, so she wasn’t a stranger to the danger there. However, she was only concerned that Liu Jianwei might not be able to adapt to it and fall into danger.

Liu Jianwei had undergone the baptism of the cruelty in an underground arena, but it’s incomparable to the special force purgatory there. In the primitive forest, danger would appear anytime. Most importantly, no one would talk about rules and you would be constantly facing danger.

Reading through the information, Liu Jianwei had no fear in his eyes. On the contrary, his eyes were flickering with excitement, and this was the difference between a madman and an ordinary person.

An ordinary person would be terrified of danger, while a madman would have his blood boil when he smells danger.

Yuan Lan inwardly sighed. She was relieved after seeing Liu Jianwei’s response.

After Liu Jianwei was done with the information, Yuan Lan stood up. “Now, I will be conducting three days of special training to give you an understanding of what we will be facing. At the same time, you also have to find a solution to deal with it.”

“What training?”

But before Liu Jianwei could react, he suddenly felt a wave of dizziness hit him and he lost consciousness, collapsing on the desk.

When he regained his consciousness, he realised that he was tied to a wooden frame with two masked men standing before him. He instantly knew that this was Yuan Lan’s test.

If he failed his mission and was captured, he would definitely face torture, and under this situation, he must not reveal any secrets.

So those spy films weren’t fake. Liu Jianwei took a deep breath. Facing the leather whipping on his body, he groaned out in pain as he gnashed his teeth and started to find a way out.

After all, he could only stop the torture by escaping.

Letting out a furious roar, Liu Jianwei’s muscles bulged and he lashed a kick at the hand of the masked man who was whipping him. When two men from the sides charged towards him, Liu Jianwei glared and gave a headbutt to one of them.

When the man who was kicked on his wrist by the ride charged over to Liu Jianwei once more, the latter roared again and the wooden frame actually snapped under his brute force. With a strike, the masked man was struck in his abdomen as he flew out.

In the blink of an eye, Liu Jianwei had displayed outstanding force and insta-killed the two of them.

As for the last person remaining, that person immediately drew out his pistol.

With the eyes of a hawk, Liu Jianwei squatted down with explosive force from both his legs. He was akin to a cannonball as he flew towards the last person.