novelAbuy Chapter 112 Little Hui'er, are you scared?
Chapter 112 Little Hui'er, are you scared?
Chapter 112 Little Hui'er, are you scared?
The pistol came into Qin Hui's view, but instead of dispelling his confusion, it deepened his vigilance and fear.
It wasn't that he feared Lin Zhou; on the contrary, he felt only helplessness towards Lin Zhou. He knew that if Lin Zhou had wanted to kill him, either of the previous two times he had acted, Qin Hui would already be nothing but bones. However, that Lin Zhou was shallow-minded, like a wild boar, completely oblivious to everything.
This kind of person is not scary at all.
The question now is, if such a weapon exists, will there also be something with an even longer range and greater destructive power? The death of the Marquis of Yu is certainly related to this.
Thinking of this, Qin Hui felt a chill run down his spine.
Over the years, he had been on guard day and night, with countless sentries and spies planted inside and outside his residence. Even his food was tasted by others beforehand, all in fear that remnants of Yue Fei's faction or those in court who were dissatisfied with him might take the risk. But what if someone possessed such a weapon—
He closed his eyes, as if he could see himself in the mansion talking to someone, his eyebrows dancing with excitement, when suddenly a muffled thunderclap sounded—
He suddenly opened his eyes, his forehead already covered in a fine layer of sweat.
What's truly frightening is "this kind of thing" itself.
"Palm Thunder—" he murmured the name.
Zhang Caihu tried it, and his accuracy was very poor; he could miss by seven or eight inches from twenty paces away.
It seems that this item is not used for combat like a crossbow in the army, but rather as an assassin's weapon or a last resort for close-quarters self-defense.
But that's precisely what makes him even more uneasy. On the battlefield, with swords and spears drawn, he has plenty of ways to deal with things. But something like this, hidden close at hand and concealed in one's bosom, is impossible to guard against.
Lin Zhou said he traded two buckets of mineral water with a blond-haired Japanese soldier. The water came from a place called "Qiqili Island," a place he vaguely remembered, seemingly a remote and desolate place in the far west.
He was skeptical of this statement. He believed it because it fit Lin Zhou's reputation as an overseas visitor. He was skeptical because it was too coincidental and too casually described. Could such a weapon be obtained in exchange for two buckets of water?
Then, even bigger questions arose—
How many more "palm thunderbolts" like this exist in the world? Besides the one Lin Zhou has, have any others flowed into the Song Dynasty? Whose hands did they end up in? Is this the only type of palm thunderbolt, or are there others? Zhang Caihu only tested it at twenty paces; what if it had the same power at fifty or a hundred paces?
Qin Hui dared not think any further. He recalled his assassination attempt a few days ago and the commander of the Palace Guard. Everyone said that Yue Fei's faction was rampant, but now it seemed—could it be?
He sat up straight, his eyes turning murderous.
We cannot allow such things to circulate outside; we must keep them in our own hands.
We must not only continue the investigation, but also take it down, and ideally, manufacture it ourselves.
Could the Ministry of Works be tasked with making a copy? Qin Hui immediately rejected this idea.
Those craftsmen in the Ministry of Works can't even fire a decent refractory brick properly, so how could they possibly understand this ingenious "palm-sized thunder"? They probably couldn't even put it back together after taking it apart.
Moreover, the fewer people who know about such confidential matters, the better.
So, only Lin Zhou and those mysterious "sea monsters" behind him remain.
Qin Hui stroked his beard, his mind racing.
Lin Zhou is a man who can be used but is difficult to control. He himself is indeed not very clever, his brain is just average, he is naive and not very shrewd, but he is clearly being guided by someone behind the scenes, and his actions are somewhat peculiar, even to Lin Zhou himself.
Directly interrogating them is unlikely to elicit the truth and may even alert them; a more roundabout approach is needed.
He thought of the steel mill. When Lin Zhou offered it to him, it was in a similar seemingly unintentional way, but in reality, it was a step-by-step tactic to lure him into a trap, ultimately benefiting both sides. This "palm-sized thunderbolt" could perhaps be manipulated in the same way. He couldn't explicitly say he wanted it, but he could create an opportunity, an opportunity that would make the forces behind him feel there was "profit to be made."
For example—the Jurchens? A glint flashed in Qin Hui's eyes. Lin Zhou was a quasi-horse of the Jurchens, and Prince Rui seemed to value him highly. The Jurchens and Mongols were about to go to war, and once the war started, military supplies would inevitably be in short supply.
If it were inadvertently revealed that the Song state possessed a new and powerful firearm, but that it was extremely difficult to manufacture and produced in limited quantities—would the Jin state be interested? Would they seek cooperation or even purchase it through us?
At that time, he could act as a mediator, dealing with the Jin Kingdom while forcing Lin Zhou and his backers to hand over more technology. Even if he couldn't get the technology, he could at least secure a stable supply channel.
This could even be used to test the true intentions and strength of the "extraordinary people" behind him. If they can easily produce such military and national weapons, then their ambitions must be considerable.
Before that, Lin Zhou needed to be both won over and kept a closer eye on.
Qin Hui made up his mind to send more capable people to keep a close watch on him using more covert methods.
Xu Cheng, the Imperial City Guard officer beside him, is probably unreliable. That kid is just like his father; his heart isn't with him. He's Han Shizhong's man.
What about Cao Wenda? Cao Wenda is greedy, while Lin Zhou is generous. The two are close, but Cao Wenda has been with him for many years and should know what's important.
Also, he needed to find an excuse to get Lin Zhou to come to the mansion a few more times. Thinking of this, Qin Hui subconsciously touched his chest.
We have to let him come, but he absolutely cannot bring that thing again! We need to establish a rule that each time he comes, the body search must be more thorough. No, just a body search isn't enough; we need to make it a habit so he'll hand it over voluntarily.
The storm in his mind subsided, and Qin Hui slowly exhaled a breath of stale air, his face regaining its usual calm and composure. But only he knew that the string of safety in his heart had been stretched to its limit because of this little thing.
This little thing is now like a thorn, deeply embedded in the fortress of power he has built up over many years. He must pull this thorn out and hold it in his own hand; only when he has it completely under his control can Qin Hui feel at ease.
He looked up at the door and said in a deep voice, "Someone come here."
"Prime Minister."
"Go and inform Wenda to bring Lin Zhou back again. Tell him that there are still some details I need to ask him about regarding the shipyard." Qin Hui paused, then added, "Remind him that the rules in the manor are strict, and he shouldn't bring any irrelevant trinkets."
Lin Zhou had already returned to the shop, and after being summoned by Qin Hui, there was no reason for him to be sent back to the Imperial City Guard.
The pistol was also returned.
"Qin Hui has taken a liking to this," he said to Lu You. "He's probably scared half to death right now. I don't believe that after seeing this thing, Prime Minister Qin won't make connections to something even bigger and more distant."
Lu You frowned and stepped forward: "Brother Lin, it's not a good thing if Qin Hui targets us. He's a cunning man, who knows what tricks he might come up with."
"He wouldn't dare touch me," Lin Zhou said, patting his chest. "Don't worry, there's a procedure for everything. Do you think we can outmaneuver Qin Hui? We're not the ones truly outsmarting him."
After saying that, Lin Zhou patted the pistol on the table: "My Wallfacer told me that when facing Qin Hui, the most important thing is not thinking about how to win, but how to lose, and what will happen after losing. I cut this part because I didn't understand it either."
Lin Zhou didn't understand, so Lu You was even more confused; he didn't even know what a Wallfacer was.
"Anyway, I forgot the beginning and the middle, but I remember one sentence. My Wallfacer told me that the only way to break the deadlock in the game with Qin Hui is to make him understand one thing: If you, Lin Zhou, are alive, Qin Hui may die. If you, Lin Zhou, are dead, he will definitely die."
"Then I said, how can I make him understand this?" Lin Zhou slapped his thigh at this moment: "They told me that I should make him clearly understand that you are just a bridge, and the people behind you have something better. While you are alive, these things may belong to Qin Hui, but when you are gone, these things will not only not belong to Qin Hui, but will become the tools to deal with him. It's like broadcasting the coordinates of the Trisolarans to the whole universe."
Lu You scratched his head as he listened: "Huh? The Trisolarans—who are they?"
"I haven't read it—" Lin Zhou suddenly laughed, scratching his head somewhat embarrassedly, "I read two chapters but couldn't continue—"
"Oh—it's alright, I understand the rest too." Lu You nodded and said, "In other words, even if Qin Hui wanted to get rid of you to prevent future troubles, he would have to think twice."
"Probably, after all, it's definitely not worth it for him to trade his worthless life for mine, right?"
Lu You pondered for a long time, then suddenly his eyes widened, and he exclaimed in realization: "Darkness breeds fear! It's like sailing in the dark; what I fear isn't the darkness itself, but the places I can't see. What a profound move! Brother Lin, the person behind you is truly amazing!"
"Of course it's impressive; it comes from a national-level strategic research institute."
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"So I killed Yu Hou, and then my brother handed over the gun. This not only failed to dispel Qin Hui's suspicions, but instead made him even more terrified, and this terrification could be real or fake."
"Yes, that's right."
"Isn't this pure torture? It would be better to kill him. How interesting!" Lu You stood up and bowed to Lin Zhou, saying, "I have learned a lot. Thank you for your guidance, Brother Lin."
The two were exchanging pleasantries when Cao Wenda arrived, looking travel-worn and sweating profusely. He rushed over and said, "Prime Minister Qin is looking for you."
"Didn't I just get back?"
"He's looking for you again—you'll have to come with me then." Cao Wenda glanced at the thing on the table, his lips trembling slightly, "Um—don't bring this thing, the Prime Minister said you can't bring it."
Lin Zhou turned around and exchanged a smile with Lu You. They both understood that old Qin Hui was truly afraid, and he estimated that this fear would last for a long time.
On the way, Lin Zhou noticed that the people who had been watching him had left again, and he asked Cao Wenda curiously, "Brother Cao, where did Tiger's men go?"
"The Prime Minister has ordered the withdrawal." Cao Wenda sneered, "That fellow is more trouble than he's worth. Just wait and see how I deal with him. I see the Prime Minister values you highly. When you rise to prominence, don't forget how loyal and devoted you were to him."
"Oh, brother, what are you saying! We're like brothers, aren't we?" Lin Zhou said cheerfully. "Besides, what if they call me over to get scolded?"
"No, the Prime Minister has prepared wine and dishes for you, which are not for ordinary people."