Chapter 48

"Damn, this is not easy!" Yu Gaoyang frowned upon hearing the news and spoke in his habitual official tone, "This is Yanjing University, not a rural primary school. Even the mayor has to think twice about the decisions made by the school administration."

Li Mang and the others remained silent. Although they disliked his official tone, what he said was true. Even if Yu Gaoyang were a department head, he would still find it difficult to intervene in this cleanup.

"However, I have some connections with the director. If we give a little more red envelope and mediate, the Fulu family's conditions should allow them to continue operating," Yu Gaoyang added.

"How much?" Xiao Yangzhou asked, his gaze already showing a hint of suspicion.

"For this matter, it would take this much." Yu Gaoyang, unaware of the other's suspicion, drew a 'ten' with his hand, not ten yuan, but ten thousand.

"Go to hell!" Xiao Yangzhou suddenly burst out, striking Yu Gaoyang in the face without a word. Caught off guard, Yu Gaoyang fell to the ground.

"Yu Gaoyang, how did you become such a scoundrel? Red envelopes, right? Bribery, right? I'll beat you corrupt officials to death!" Xiao Yangzhou cursed as he kicked Yu Gaoyang, who he had once considered a brother. His anger grew as he saw his former friend's transformation.

Ge Xuelin raised an eyebrow, shook his head, and drank alone without interfering. Li Mang watched the fight between his friends with a surprisingly calm expression, not trying to stop it.

The two men knocked over a table, perhaps feeling the pain, and finally stopped with red eyes.

"Xiao Yangzhou, what are you so high and mighty about? This is how the world works now. Do you think I want to take your money? Without money, can you even speak up? Your agritainment should have been shut down, and you deserve it!" Yu Gaoyang pointed at Xiao Yangzhou, his face twisted in a terrifying expression.

"Get lost!" Xiao Yangzhou glared.

"I'll leave, then. Different paths, different people!" Yu Gaoyang realized his former brother had changed and, holding his swollen face, turned to leave.

After drinking two cold beers, Xiao Yangzhou sobered up a bit and apologized to Li Mang and the others, "I've ruined this gathering."

"Different paths, different people. Let him go," Li Mang waved his hand indifferently. He could see that Yu Gaoyang still cared about the three of them, but his bad habits had become a part of him, making his words and actions repulsive. The phrase "different paths, different people" perfectly described the situation.

"That guy changed as soon as he became a group leader. I've been annoyed by him for a long time, but I'm a civilized person and didn't act. Xiao Yangzhou, you did well," Ge Xuelin laughed.

Despite this, the atmosphere at the table remained tense. There was a long silence until Xiao Ling brought out dishes, and the three of them were no longer just staring blankly.

With his improved constitution, Li Mang's alcohol tolerance had increased. No matter how much beer he drank, he couldn't get drunk, but Ge Xuelin and Xiao Yangzhou couldn't handle it, especially with their bad moods. They soon became drunk and started spilling their guts.

"I really don't know what to do next. I've spent all the savings at home and owe over ten thousand in debt. Even if I open now, I can't keep it going. What's wrong with this world!" Xiao Yangzhou began to complain.

"Right, what's wrong with this world? My father had a car accident recently. I only took a few days off, and my boss started complaining as if I owed him millions. I've already had a falling out with him and am going to quit!" Ge Xuelin laughed.

Li Mang felt increasingly uncomfortable as he listened. He finally understood why Ge Xuelin had been hesitant when he called him. To attend this gathering, he had lost his stable job.

"Ring, ring!"

The sound of a phone ringing woke Li Mang from his thoughts. He excused himself and went outside to answer. It was a call from Yang Fan.

"Li Mang, Liu Junchun has passed away. According to the investigation, this was his personal action. Group 8 is willing to apologize and will give you two million as compensation," Yang Fan's voice was low, clearly not satisfied with the outcome, but it was a done deal, and he was helpless.

"Oh, two million is better than nothing," Li Mang was surprisingly calm, showing no dissatisfaction with the result. In fact, he had no hope for this matter. Besides, he really needed the money now.

Passed away?

That shot was only of average power and would stop upon hitting a bone. If treated in time, it wouldn't be fatal. The underlying issue was clear—someone was silencing him. But what could he do, knowing this? The high-level game was not something he could interfere with. If he got involved, he might be crushed at any moment. It was better to pretend to be ignorant.

"..." Yang Fan was silent for a long time, not dwelling on the matter. Finally, he said, "The original reward for this mission was ten thousand, but with all the complications and the acquisition of the Destiny Plate, I've applied to increase the reward to one million. Three million will be credited to your account tomorrow. Take a good rest!"

"Three million, right on time," Li Mang smiled, but his smile was somewhat sinister. Group 8 was ostensibly apologizing, but it was more like dismissing a beggar. Two million was a lot, but in the secular world, money was just a number to the Yanhuang. Two million was merely the reward for a high-level mission.

However, Li Mang knew his place. In the Yanhuang, he was insignificant, and his strength was not ranked. Getting two million as compensation was already a good deal, and there was no need to be upset.

When Li Mang returned to the restaurant, Xiao Yangzhou and Ge Xuelin were already drunk and lying on the table. Li Mang had to help them to a nearby hotel to rest.

The Yanhuang had its own offices in every city in the country, with the authority to mobilize the military and handle trivial matters in the secular world. Despite his low position, Li Mang had the right to command these people for minor tasks. This could be considered favoritism, but as long as it was not excessive and reasonable, it was tacitly allowed.

After all, Yanhuang members had family and friends in the secular world, and various troubles were inevitable. If they were not allowed to show favoritism, they would solve the problems themselves, and sometimes more drastically, such as eliminating corrupt officials.

"Near Yanjing University, there is a Fulu Restaurant. The hygiene is up to standard and should not be shut down!"

"In Taoyuan Township, there is an agritainment. The procedures were deliberately delayed. The corrupt officials must be punished, and all procedures must be completed by tomorrow!"

Li Mang didn't know that his call would keep many people awake. These were just two simple tasks, but they were personally supervised by a ministerial-level leader, and the relevant officials were on edge.

Grandpa Gu, who was closing up, suddenly saw several official cars arrive, which confused him, but he went out to meet them.

The district chief, still in his pajamas, got out of the car with a full smile, grabbed Grandpa Gu's hand, and said, "Grandpa Gu, you've been wronged!"

"..." Grandpa Gu nodded, confused, not knowing what had happened.

"The hygiene of Fulu Restaurant is renowned throughout Yanjing University. I've heard about it, and now I see it's well-deserved..." The district chief lavished praise before stating his purpose, "The cleanup of restaurants near Yanjing University was not handled well. A restaurant like Fulu, which is clean and affordable, will not be shut down but praised. Therefore, I've decided that all district-level receptions will be held at Fulu to promote the Fulu spirit!"

After hearing a lot of talk, Grandpa Gu finally understood the district chief's meaning. Despite his usual calm, his eyes were red with emotion.

In Taoyuan Township, the heads of the industry and commerce bureau and the health bureau were found guilty of corruption and bribery and were immediately dismissed. The township chief led the relevant personnel to Taoyuan, wiping the cold sweat from his face with a handkerchief.

This incident came suddenly and fiercely. The higher-ups acted without mercy, and anyone with a brain knew that the agritainment had a very complex background.