Development by Leaps and Bounds

Could the Qi Family's revenge be prevented?

President Song and Kong Anzhi were both silent. The answer to this question was very obvious.

- No!

They didn't know anything about Fan Gu, even though they were working with him. Yet the Qi Family was able to find out that they were working with him and the details of their collaboration.

In contrast, the Fierce Tigers Club knew very little about the Qi Family. The Qi Family was just a code name to them.

They only got the surname Qi from the name Qi Yuan. There was no guarantee that Qi Yuan was not a pseudonym.

What a terrifying background force!

The Qi Family seemed non-existent yet omnipresent.

Wu Xiong also had a troubled look on his face. This move was unavoidable.

Being forced to make an active choice and a passive choice felt completely different. It wasn't just the shame of being coerced, but also the embarrassment of being seen through.

It was as if telling him to stop pretending to be smart when he clearly wasn't.

"Alright, the three of us brothers had it even harder at the beginning than now, don't be so glum. Since we have no choice, let's take a stand and get this done beautifully."

Wu Xiong put his hands on the shoulders of the two men who were not biological brothers but more like biological brothers, and patted them comfortingly.

...

In a car around the casino,

Zhuang Heng saw Qi Yuan come out and immediately reported to his superiors.

"Qi Yuan just came out. His expression doesn't seem to have changed much, but Lü Cheng who's with him looks especially happy."

On the communicator, Liu Ying commanded: "Don't mind them for now. Our main goal is to keep an eye on the Fierce Tigers Club and investigate the source of the Hibiscus Noodles. I believe Jin Tong will contact us if there's any news. Be careful not to be too rash, this is a private investigation and we can't be caught."

"Alright... I'm getting an incoming call, it's from Mr. Qi Yuan!"

"You answer it first, I'll get teammates at other locations to monitor for you."

Zhuang Heng acknowledged and answered the call.

The call connected...

On the other end, Qi Yuan pushed the elated Lü Cheng aside and dialed the number.

"Good evening, Mr. Qi Yuan."

Qi Yuan could hear the excitement mixed in Zhuang Heng's voice, and he seemed to have anticipated what Qi Yuan was going to say.

A guess floated up in Qi Yuan's mind.

"Are you guys watching the Fierce Tigers Club?"

Zhuang Heng was a little surprised but it was only natural for someone as powerful as Mr. Qi Yuan to notice them.

"Yes, you found us out as expected."

Qi Yuan looked at Lü Cheng. He was led astray by this guy today.

He should have known that the authorities wouldn't just sit by idly. He simply didn't have the clearance to be informed.

Since that was the case, his earlier decision was not wrong. He should report this to the authorities instead of clumsily handling it himself.

"I learned from Wu Xiong that the supplier of Hibiscus Noodles is Fan Gu. He's a man around 45 years old, about 1.75 meters tall. One of the contact addresses is at..."

He relayed all the information he obtained through telepathy to Zhuang Heng in one go.

After finishing, Qi Yuan felt a weight lifted off his shoulders.

He believed the country had formidable power.

There might be rats in some dark corners, but his mother managed to raise him alone not just because of her fortitude and hard work, but also thanks to the stable social system provided by the country.

So, in appreciation of my efforts, when will the authorities recruit me?

After hanging up, Qi Yuan looked regretfully at Lü Cheng.

One really couldn't aim too high or too low.

Lü Cheng had been waiting to speak his mind the whole call. Now that he had the chance, he immediately asked about his doubts.

"Is it really okay to just tell them like this? Master said the force selling monsters is very powerful. What if there are moles among the task force?"

Qi Yuan gazed at him for a long time and shook his head. This guy had too much imagination.

"Do you think they would provide after-sales service for monsters they sold after completely removing their intellect?"

In that instant, all the conspiracies and schemes in Lü Cheng's mind ground to a halt. He had been fighting his wits against nothing the whole time?

"But why would they do this? With their capabilities, preparing funds by robbery would be faster than selling monsters."

"I don't know, maybe you can ask Fan Gu when he's caught."

Qi Yuan spread his hands. Lü Cheng was the one who told him about this organization. Now Lü Cheng was asking him where to find the answer.

"Brother Yuan, where are you going?"

Lü Cheng called out when he saw Qi Yuan walking away.

"Aren't you going home?"

"Going home already?!" Lü Cheng exclaimed.

"Do you have any other plans?"

The information gathering went more smoothly than he expected. Qi Yuan couldn't think of anything else to do.

Lü Cheng scratched his head. It seemed like they had done something today, yet also like they did nothing.

He imagined they would sneak into the Fierce Tigers Club under the cloak of night, extract clues by defeating lackeys, then deduce the next lead from that, linking everything together.

In reality, Qi Yuan arranged a meeting, he was taken away by the receptionist for a massage, and came out with the intel in hand.

Was this the world of the rich second generation?

Lü Cheng felt like a lemon whose pulp had separated from the rind due to extreme sourness.

He could have done it this way too.

Qi Yuan paid no heed to Lü Cheng's tantrum. Their routes home weren't even the same.

Under the dim street lamps,

Shadows were stretched long. Lights in the residential towers flickered on one by one as people returned home after a tiring day. The aroma of cooking filled the air.

It was time for supper for those working late.

"You're back."

As always, Qi's mother was watching her soap opera. Hearing the door, she called out to Qi Yuan without turning.

"Mom, something might happen tonight."

Qi Yuan was lost in thought.

"Can't be helped. We'll die wherever we are anyway, at least we can die together."

As usual, Qi's mother went straight for the jugular. Her words seemed comforting but were piercing.

Mom, you're an expert at killing the mood huh?

Seeing the mundane human world of the neighborhood, and thinking about how it could be disrupted by Meiren Xiang, Qi Yuan was moved.

After what his mother said, all he wanted now was to wash up and sleep.

...

After hanging up, Zhuang Heng immediately contacted Team Leader Pang to report.

"I knew that punk would definitely have a way!"

Even through the communicator Zhuang Heng could hear the sound of a table breaking from Team Leader Pang's loud roar.

"Pull back the team and go arrest Fan Gu immediately."

"No!"

Liu Ying quickly interjected. It was rare for her to object after the team leader had issued an order.

Thus, Pang Shuo was not annoyed at being interrupted, and waited for Liu Ying's rationale.

"Based on Qi Yuan's intel, the other party is not weak. Reckless action will startle the snake and cause turmoil. This is not a blended realm, if they attack civilians we'll be very passive. It'd be better to split into two teams, one to monitor the Fierce Tigers Club and one for Fan Gu. When we find evidence, we can apply for support from Guo Bureau."

As expected, Liu Ying patiently laid out her concerns.

Pang Shuo stroked his unshaven beard. Although it went against his nature, he understood priorities.

In the end he nodded: "Do it your way."

Just as Pang Shuo was about to relay the orders, the door to the meeting room was pushed open.

"Not bad, Old Pang. If you always considered things this much like now, I wouldn't have such a headache."