Chapter 9

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"Are these the gangs?"

In a large mansion somewhere in the capital region of the Blue Shadow Republic, a handsome young man was sipping tea and asking softly.

In front of the young man, three tall men were kneeling, with the leader bowing his head and saying, "Young Master, these are the gangs. We traced the source of the Blue Dream on the market, and it all came from these gangs. However, we haven't yet determined which specific gang released it or from which organization they bought it, due to the tight time frame. Please forgive our incompetence."

The young man shook his head and said, "This is not your fault. Tracing the goods from the border to here took less than four months, passing through eight cities, and almost covering half of Blue Shadow. You couldn't make a big fuss or use the family's resources, with few people and limited funds. It's already quite an achievement that you've reached this point. I don't blame you; you've done better than I expected."

The three men were immediately moved and said in unison, "Thank you, Young Master, for your understanding!"

The young man shook his head again and continued, "However, we can't relax yet. Now that we've found the source of the goods, we need to follow the trail. This batch of goods is extremely important to our family. I got this task through my father's influence. If I make a mistake on my first try, I'll lose face in the family. If I can't resolve this properly, even as the legitimate son, I might barely manage to have a good future in the family. Now, we need to show our strength."

The three men immediately said in unison, "Please give us your orders, Young Master!"

The young man stood up, walked back and forth a few steps, and then said solemnly, "We indeed need to show our strength. This batch of goods was sold in the capital region, and the few people you caught revealed that the goods started being sold about three months ago. In other words, not long after the goods were lost at the border, they had already reached the capital region. There are only a few forces in the entire Blue Shadow with such means and capabilities, all of them major families. I have some suspicions about which opposing family might have done this. So, we need to take harsh actions, and I must personally get involved. I haven't acted in the past five years, and the outside world has underestimated me. Not only the outside world, but even my good brothers might have underestimated me..."

As the young man spoke, he threw the teacup in his hand directly onto the table. The teacup still had tea in it, but when he tossed it, it landed as if gently placed, without spilling a single drop.

"Recently, I heard that Li Pancheng from the Li family is already a quasi-internal strength expert, the most capable and promising to reach internal strength in our generation. This guy's rigid personality is annoying, but I've always admired his talent. Quasi-internal strength expert, what a big name... But I am also just one step away from being a quasi-internal strength expert..."

"Let's take action."

The young man's face turned fierce, and he waved his hand, saying, "Gather the members of the Wind, Thunder, and Fire teams. I will lead them personally. In three days, we will strike with full force and capture all members of these gangs! Start collecting information on everyone in these gangs, from the top to the bottom, even the smallest hooligans. Not just their information, but also their relatives, lovers, and friends. I want to ensure no one is spared! There might be stubborn ones who would rather die than talk, but I don't believe they won't speak under the threat to their loved ones and friends!"

"Kill! Don't be afraid of anything. I will take responsibility, my father will take responsibility, and the family will take responsibility. Whether it's a hundred, a thousand, or ten thousand, in this capital region, there's nothing the Xu family can't handle!"

The three men immediately bowed and shouted, "Yes!"

Compared to the true aristocratic families, the so-called gangs in the capital region, those black societies, are really nothing. In just three days, these gangs were thoroughly investigated from top to bottom. About ten days ago, when some people in the gangs suddenly went missing, Lin Xiong had already sensed something and immediately severed ties with Hao Qi. He even started talking about his failed business to everyone, saying he no longer had to support the useless one. So, when the investigators found Lin Xiong, they placed Hao Qi, who had already severed ties with Lin Xiong, outside the investigation list. The same treatment was given to Xiao Qi...

That night, a storm of blood and violence erupted. The government didn't care about these social underlings, especially with the powerful Xu family involved. The aristocratic families have their own way of handling such matters, and the government wouldn't get involved. Despite the death of hundreds, it was just a fire, and the newspapers only briefly mentioned the resettlement and renovation of the old city and the slums. Then, nothing happened, no one cared, no one knew...

Hao Qi didn't know at first. His life was too routine, or rather, he was too indifferent to the outside world. At the same time, Xue Na's relationship with Lin Xiong was just ordinary, and she looked down on her brother who was involved in the underworld. She hadn't seen Lin Xiong for a while and hadn't connected the fire in the black district with Lin Xiong, so no one informed Hao Qi.

Hao Qi learned about it when Su Shixian invited him to a quiet room for tea before her seclusion, to talk about some common knowledge and advice on martial arts training. In that room, he accidentally saw a newspaper mentioning a fire in a familiar street, a fire at a place where Lin Xiong was now the boss...

Dread, worry, and the lingering doubts that he had almost confirmed but couldn't let go of made Hao Qi unable to remain indifferent. After Su Shixian went into seclusion, he set out to find Lin Xiong on the street where he was involved in the underworld. This time, he planned to find Lin Xiong and ask him face-to-face, to hear his words and observe his demeanor, to ensure the truth more than just listening to his voice.

While Hao Qi was searching for Lin Xiong or his subordinates, a woman dressed provocatively and wearing daring clothes suddenly grabbed him, saying in a sweet voice, "It's you, sir! I haven't seen you in a long time. Do you remember Xiao Qi? Come, to Xiao Qi's place, and she'll make sure you're comfortable." She then pulled Hao Qi into an alley.

Hao Qi was startled and was about to shake off the woman when he suddenly froze. He recognized her voice as the one he had overheard through the window, the woman who had spoken to Lin Xiong. So, he let her pull him into the alley.

Once inside the alley, the woman didn't let go of his hand and kept talking flirtatiously. If Hao Qi hadn't noticed her stiff fingers and cold, sweaty palm, he might have thought she had mistaken him for someone else.

They entered a small house, and the woman naturally led him into a room, closed the door, and started pulling the curtains, even taking off her outer clothes and making a lot of noise. Hao Qi waved her off and went to the glass window to listen carefully. After a while, he said, "There's no one outside, at least I can't hear any breathing or footsteps. Unless they are much stronger than me, but such strong people probably wouldn't just watch you. So, what do you want to say?"

The woman stopped undressing, pulled Hao Qi away from the window, and said in a low voice, "Why did you come back!? Do you want to die!? Don't waste what your brother did for you, don't waste his good intentions!"

Hao Qi's eyes narrowed, and a thick sense of foreboding surged in his heart. He immediately asked, "What do you mean? What happened to Lin Xiong? Tell me everything you know!"

The woman immediately whispered, "Be quiet! There are still people watching outside today... I'll tell you everything I know, but you must promise me that unless you think you are strong enough to fight them, don't seek revenge for Lin Xiong. This is what Lin Xiong wanted. Unless you become part of the Li family, don't seek revenge for him. Can you do that?"

"I understand," Hao Qi nodded seriously. "Unless I have the ability to avenge Lin Xiong, I won't waste my life. I promise you."

The woman sighed and then slowly told him what she knew, what Lin Xiong had done, and the incident a few days ago. It was said that a fire broke out, and several powerful gangs in the black district were all wiped out. Their bodies were burned to ashes and dumped into the Blue Sea by the government. Now, they were all dead, with no survivors...

"Not just the gang members, but also their close associates and relatives were all killed. Some of my sisters died in that fire. If Lin Xiong hadn't slapped me, I would have been..."

The woman was sobbing, and Hao Qi was completely stunned. His mind was buzzing, and he couldn't believe that this had really happened.

He had lived a peaceful and ordinary life for decades on Earth and for over nine years in this world. Even fights were just children's squabbles, and sparring was just with family. He had never seen blood and had never experienced such social darkness. But at this moment, his brother who had risked his life for him was dead, killed by this social darkness. And he had actually thought his brother had severed ties with him, he had thought that about a brother who would risk his life for him...

He...

Was a bastard!!

Hao Qi stood up in a daze, intending to leave the room, but the woman grabbed him and said urgently, "You're not in the right state. If you go out now, the people watching will notice. You can't go out! Stay here for a while. At dusk, the watchers will change shifts. I'll take you out through a back route. Trust me."

Hao Qi gradually calmed down, but in that calm, a burning anger was almost consuming his heart. He said calmly, "Thank you, sister. When you think it's safe, call me."

The woman looked at him blankly and waved her hands, "No, I'm not your sister. I and he... were just a casual relationship..."

"He has already recognized you as his wife in his heart. I believe if he were still alive or had survived, he would have taken you away from here."

Hao Qi said this calmly, then closed his eyes and sat there, not thinking, not doing anything, just sitting quietly.

His body was still, but his thoughts were boiling like a tide.

This is reality...

This is the cold reality!

Reality is merciless, and life is unpredictable!

He had never felt the cruelty and coldness of reality as he did at this moment. This coldness had made him come to this world alone, with no relatives or friends. This coldness had driven him to the brink of suicide. This coldness had made him want to explore the world, and this coldness had made his brother die in the underworld for him...

This reality...

He wanted to shatter it with one punch!

Hao Qi didn't remember how he got back to the campus from the black district. When he came to, he was standing on the top floor of his dormitory, on an empty spot on the rooftop. He started punching the heavy sandbag he used for training, one punch after another, performing the Luohan Fist.

Lin Xiong, brother, bless me, let me cultivate the Yi Jin Jing, let the Yi Jin Jing grant me internal strength, and...

Bless me, to find your enemy!

Hao Qi didn't go to class, didn't eat, didn't sleep, and didn't rest...

Twenty-four hours of continuous punching had left his fists bloody, and the Luohan Fist was just a few punches away from reaching its peak. It was two days before his nineteenth birthday...

Then, early in the morning, while Hao Qi was punching, a man and a woman rushed to the rooftop. The man was gentle and refined, and the woman had red hair. When they saw him, they both sighed in relief. The woman immediately said, "Are you crazy!? Why didn't you tell me about this! Do you still consider me your sister?"

"Big Sister..."

Hao Qi didn't turn his head, punching slowly but with all his heart, each punch as if using all his energy. He asked slowly, "Big Sister, do you know anything?"

The woman was Xue Na. She looked at Hao Qi's bloody fists and the bloodstains on the sandbag, and after a while, she said, "I know everything. Lin Xiong's death, and that you went to the black district, right? You've been recognized. The Xu family lost goods worth billions, and Lin Xiong was involved, but the goods are still missing. The Xu family's eldest son, Xu Wen, is desperate. He won't let anyone with even the slightest connection to these gangs go. I know all of this."

Hao Qi nodded and punched a few more times before asking, "So, did Big Sister protect me? I owe the Li family a favor."

Li Pancheng, who had been silent, now frowned and said, "Brother Hao, you are hurting yourself. Stop."

As he said this, Xue Na pulled Hao Qi, and he stopped punching, his eyes empty as he asked, "The Xu family, Xu Wen... and anyone else?"

Xue Na didn't answer but took out medicine and bandages from her pocket, bandaging Hao Qi's fists with concern. Li Pancheng continued, "Brother Hao, I can't do much about this. When my wife and I found out, Lin Xiong was already dead. We didn't protect him well. But the Xu family won't come after you. I don't think they would risk a conflict with our Li family."

"I understand," Hao Qi shook his head. "I don't blame you. It's already very kind of you to come and see me... Brother Li, can you tell me? Besides Xu Wen, was anyone else involved in this?"

Li Pancheng hesitated but shook his head, "No, no one else. The entire incident was orchestrated by Xu Wen. The Xu family's goods were lost, and the trail has gone cold. Xu Wen is desperate and would be grateful if someone could divert his attention. Otherwise, his family won't let him off. So, Brother Hao, please understand. Our Li family won't intervene at this time. My wife and I came to take you to the military. We'll leave this afternoon. The Xu family has no influence in the military, so they won't cause trouble there."

At this point, Xue Na had finished bandaging Hao Qi's fists and took out a meat pie, "You haven't eaten, right? Have something to eat. We'll have a proper meal on the train later."

Hao Qi felt warmth and sadness. His consciousness then turned to the system, the Luohan Fist was just three punches away from reaching its peak...

Hao Qi took the meat pie and ate it ravenously, finishing it in a few bites. He then said, "You go down first, I'll be down in a moment."

Xue Na immediately showed a dissatisfied and puzzled expression, while Hao Qi's face was full of determination. Li Pancheng sighed, "Brother Hao, I have to repeat this... Will you come down in a moment? Is that your promise?"

Hao Qi bowed again, "Yes, I promise!"

Li Pancheng said nothing more, pulled the dissatisfied Xue Na, and walked down the stairs. The two of them walked into the stairwell, leaving Hao Qi alone on the rooftop. He stood up, looking at the brightening sky, the gradually reddening sunlight, his bandaged fists, the taste of the meat pie in his mouth, and thinking about the last sum of money from Lin Xiong in his pocket, which was now just an empty envelope, the money already spent...

Lin Xiong, brother...

Bless me!

"Slap!"

First punch!

"Slap!"

Second punch!

"Slap!"

Third punch!

Closing his eyes, in the system...

On the character panel, the Luohan Fist section now had a large red "Peak" symbol, indicating the peak state...

Then, in the system's cultivation section, the Yi Jin Jing cultivation method was attached to the character template...

"Boom!"

Walking down the stairs, the two silent figures heard a loud noise, and the entire building seemed to tremble slightly. They then saw a figure falling from above, at an incredible speed...

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