At 7 p.m., a knock sounded on the study door, followed by Cheng Zongliang’s voice.
"B-Big Brother. It’s ."
"Co in."
The door creaked as it was pushed open, and three boys shuffled in, nudging each other forward.
Cheng Zongliang was shoved to the front by Zhou Zhennan and Zhou Zhenqi, and he looked extrely nervous.
"Close the door." Cheng Zongyang leaned back in his chair, watching the three of them with an amused expression.
"Ah, I’ll get it! I’ll get it!" Zhou Zhenqi quickly turned to close the door. A step behind, Cheng Zongliang and Zhou Zhennan could only turn back and approach the desk.
"Alright." Cheng Zongyang gave the three of them an exasperated look and said, "And here you were, claiming you wouldn’t get into any trouble. Looks like I caught you red-handed today."
The three of them imdiately gave an embarrassed laugh, and Zhou Zhenqi quickly said, "Big Brother, we told the person in charge of the chicken coop, and we told Second Uncle Cheng. We told them."
Cheng Zongyang nodded, then said, "Alright. In the future, if you want to eat sothing, either catch it yourself with your own skills or use your contributions to trade for it. Being all sneaky... you think it’s exciting, makes it taste better, right?"
"Yeah," Zhou Zhennan nodded subconsciously, but then he realized what he’d said and quickly shook his head. "No, no. I an, being sneaky is wrong. We won’t do it again."
Cheng Zongyang shook his head, then got to the point. "I had you three co tonight because I have sothing to ask you. Normally, at your age, you’d already be helping your families with work. So, I’m not going to treat you like children."
"Big Brother, just tell us," Cheng Zongliang said imdiately. He guessed it was probably about the eavesdropping incident they had discussed before.
Zhou Zhennan and Zhou Zhenqi also nodded.
"Zhennan." Cheng Zongyang looked at Zhou Zhennan. "Your older brother is now in charge of matters in the County Town and will shoulder your family’s burdens in the future. As for you, I have a task for you as well, if you’re willing. Zongliang tells you’re very familiar with all the gossip in the village?"
When Zhou Zhennan heard his cousin ntion his older brother, his nervousness faded. He said with a serious expression, "Big Brother, just tell . What do you need to do? As for the gossip, it’s not that much. I just happen to overhear things sotis."
Cheng Zongyang nodded. "Are you interested in that sort of thing?"
Zhou Zhennan shook his head. "After training, I have nothing to do, so I wander around and just happen to hear these things. I wouldn’t call it an interest, but hearing bits of news is pretty fun."
Cheng Zongyang looked at Zhou Zhenqi. "You think it’s fun too?"
Zhou Zhenqi couldn’t quite grasp his cousin’s aning, but seeing that his expression hadn’t changed, he nodded cautiously. Then he raised his right hand, pinching his thumb and index finger close together as he explained, "Just a little bit. Not a lot."
Cheng Zongyang paid no mind to the boy’s antics. He nodded and said, "Since all three of you are interested, that makes things simple. Next, I’m going to establish an intelligence organization called... the Dark Net!"
"Big Brother, isn’t it the Sky Net?" Cheng Zongliang asked curiously, subconsciously raising his hand.
"This na is easier to rember." Cheng Zongyang didn’t mind his brother’s interruption.
"Oh," Cheng Zongliang responded and didn’t ask any more questions.
Cheng Zongyang continued, "In Jade Peak County, I’ve already found soone around your age. He will organize and recruit all the orphans in the County Town..."
Cheng Zongyang laid out his written plan point by point, doing his best to explain it in simple terms so the three of them could easily understand.
At the sa ti, he would pause from ti to ti to ask if they understood.
This matter was very important. He had to ensure all three of them understood what he was trying to convey.
After confirming with each of them, he continued speaking:
"So, you three have a lot to learn from now on. This includes organizational roles, Martial Arts Cultivation, spy training, coded languages, secrecy protocols, interrogation, counter-espionage..."
Cheng Zongyang listed everything they would need to learn. When he saw the dazed looks on their faces as he went on, he paused and added:
"This is all stuff you’ll be learning down the line. Only by learning it can you operate professionally. In the future, you’ll use these sa thods to train other mbers of the Dark Net.
"Of course, the three of you don’t need to worry. You’re not expected to learn it all at once. It’s a process that will take several years, so take it slow. At the very least, before you undergo the Martial Arts Body Refining dicine Bath, you will only be studying these things, not putting them into practice."
At this point, Zhou Zhennan raised his hand and asked, "Big Brother, based on what you just said, if we’re studying for that long, won’t all the orphans in the county grow up? Will there still be an advantage to training them?"
Cheng Zongyang was very satisfied with Zhou Zhennan’s question and said, "This world is never short of orphans. Just as I described for the future, the Dark Net will spread everywhere. So, the people we need aren’t just children, but adults too. They will all need their own roles. Adults will have tasks suited for adults, and children will have their own roles. You don’t need to worry about that."
"What about girls?" Zhou Zhenqi also suddenly asked.
"How would you arrange it?" Cheng Zongyang countered with a question of his own, wanting to hear his thoughts. But he also looked at Cheng Zongliang and Zhou Zhennan. "You two think about it as well."
For a mont, all three of them fell into thought.
Cheng Zongyang picked up the teacup beside him and took a sip to wet his throat, waiting for their answers.
"Big Brother." Cheng Zongliang was the first to raise his hand. "If boys can be spies, then girls can too. We could form an all-girl spy team. That way they won’t be mixed in with the boys. Otherwise, it would be hard to get things done, right?"
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