Chapter 439: Scapegoat
That person was a master martial artist. A Seventh-Rank Great Grandmaster.
He must be a ruthless character skilled in assassination. He’s probably hiding in the darkness, waiting for me to reveal an opening. Then he’ll seize the opportunity to strike.
A hint of a smile touched Yang Qi’s lips.
An opening? You want an opening? I’ll give you one!
He suddenly lunged with his sword, blocking the dagger aimed at Lei Yingying. In that instant, his guard was wide open. A figure emerged from the darkness, and then a dagger stabbed toward the center of his back—precise, steady, and ruthless!
Yang Qi could even feel the exact distance between the dagger and his back.
The fish has taken the bait!
Yang Qi smirked, and his free left hand gave a subtle flick.
The Martial Artist behind him suddenly froze, finding himself caught in a razor-sharp metal web. Not only was he unable to move, but he had the distinct feeling that the slightest twitch would slice his body to pieces.
Yang Qi paid the trapped man no further mind. A Martial Artist caught in his metal web had no chance of escape unless they were stronger than him. Unfortunately, this one was not. He was merely a Seventh-Rank Great Grandmaster.
Yang Qi’s sword lashed out at the Martial Artist before him. The man stared in disbelief, unable to comprehend how Yang Qi had survived such a perfectly coordinated attack. He was still processing this failure when Yang Qi’s sword pierced his throat, killing him instantly.
It’s over.
Yang Qi showed no mercy. The remaining Death Soldiers all fell, including the Assassin still caught in the metal web. He couldn’t even be bothered to waste words on them.
He turned his gaze to Chen Mo. The space filled with an overwhelmingly oppressive killing intent. It was dense and terrifying.
"Don’t... don’t kill me!" Chen Mo dropped to his knees, unable to hide the terror in his heart.
"Not kill you? Do you really think that’s possible?" Yang Qi shook his head. "You know my secret. That’s reason one. You’ve repeatedly plotted against me and the Qifei Group. That’s reason two. You have to die."
"But the Hanfang Association made me do it!" Chen Mo wailed.
"Don’t worry, I’ll deal with the Hanfang Association sooner or later. But you, their dog, can take a trip to hell first."
Yang Qi wasted no more words. The Black Sword flashed. Chen Mo’s eyes widened before he collapsed to the ground, dead but with his eyes wide open.
Yang Qi’s gaze then fell upon Liao San.
"Don’t—don’t kill me! I was just following his orders!" Liao San stammered in terror.
"You sent men to assassinate the young lady of the Lei Mansion. Do you think you can live? I won’t kill you, but someone else will. Yingying, call the Lei Mansion. Have this Treasure Hall seized. You can use this man to make an example."
Yang Qi didn’t touch Liao San, instead turning to the Treasures on the table. He took four items and left the rest for Lei Yingying. He had no real appreciation for ordinary antiques and calligraphy, so it was better to let the Lei Mansion donate them to the national museum. It would be a commendable deed.
Just then, Chen Mo’s phone rang. Yang Qi glanced at the screen and answered.
Chuyun Mo’s angry roar blasted from the speaker. "Chen Mo, what the hell have you done?! I heard people from the Lei Mansion won the auction! You can’t even handle one simple thing! Are you trying to get yourself killed? What use are you?! Forget it, your family can die with you! Why aren’t you saying anything?"
Altering his voice, Yang Qi said coolly, "Chen Mo is dead."
Then he hung up.
On the other end of the line, Chuyun Mo was stunned into a long silence. Mitsuhide Kamishiro, who was beside him, looked over. "Mr. Chuyun, what is it?"
"Chen Mo is dead!" Chuyun Mo’s brow furrowed. "I have a bad feeling about this. I’m afraid all those Treasures have fallen into someone else’s hands. What’s more, the experts you sent from the Heavenly Dog Society have likely met a grim end!"
Hearing this, Mitsuhide Kamishiro’s expression turned grim.
"President, look at the news!" Chuyun Mo’s secretary suddenly shouted.
Startled, Chuyun Mo pulled out his phone and opened a news app. The headline read: "Treasure Hall Annihilated by Lei Mansion After Colluding with Hanfang Association in Assassination Attempt on Lei Yingying. Hanfang Association’s Dragon Country General Agent, Chen Mo, Commits Suicide Out of Guilt."
The report was short, but the implications were huge. The Hanfang Association was now embroiled in a major scandal, and the Lei Mansion had emerged as the clear winner.
"Damn it!" Chuyun Mo roared in fury.
Mitsuhide Kamishiro’s eyes narrowed to slits. The matter in Kang City was still unresolved, the Qifei Group hadn’t been dealt with, and now trouble was brewing in Thunder City too. The once-placid Lei Mansion had made such a decisive move. It was completely unexpected. It seemed they were finally showing their hand.
"I want to obliterate the Lei Mansion," Chuyun Mo said coldly.
"We can’t touch them for now," Mitsuhide Kamishiro replied, shaking his head. "The Lei Mansion is a unique family in Thunder City. They control both the Heavenly Supervision Hall and the Defense Forces. If we make a move, the Heavenly Dog Society will be exposed. Therefore, I suggest we start with the Qifei Group. I have three capable subordinates in Kang City, each with considerable Combat Power. I will also send Shengong Jiunan to Kang City. Have your people approach the Qifei Group’s chairman with an acquisition offer. We’ll see how they react. If they refuse, I will personally step in and eliminate their boss. The man is elusive, but he’ll be forced to show himself if his company is in peril."
"Understood," Chuyun Mo nodded.
After suffering a setback in Thunder City, he had to recoup his losses in Kang City. As long as they could take down the Qifei Group, it wouldn’t be a failure. In fact, it could be hailed as a great success. This time, the Qifei Group’s boss would have nowhere to hide. With Mitsuhide Kamishiro on the case, Chuyun Mo was confident that no matter who the boss was, they would be no match for him.
"I’ll dispatch someone to Kang City to negotiate immediately!" Chuyun Mo declared. "We must acquire the Qifei Group this time. It’s all or nothing."
Chuyun Mo could not afford another loss. He felt his position as president was on the line. It would be best if negotiations succeeded, but if not, he would have Mitsuhide Kamishiro step in.
With Chen Mo dead, Chuyun Mo appointed a new General Agent for the Dragon Country District—the legal department’s chief negotiator and head lawyer. She was an incredibly ruthless and cold-blooded woman. During her time in the Hanfang Association’s legal department, she had leveraged her skills to defeat countless lawsuits filed against the company. She would stop at nothing to achieve victory. Chuyun Mo valued this woman greatly, even introducing his adopted son to her.
It was an adopted son, not his biological one, because the Chuyun Family did not want another bloodline to taint their purity. Deep down, they looked down on this woman but still needed her to work for them, so they used the adopted son as a way to win her over.
In fact, she was the one who quelled the recent turmoil caused by Chen Mo. She not only salvaged the Hanfang Association’s reputation but even managed to spin the incident, painting the company as an upright organization that rooted out corruption. As for poor Chen Mo, he was dead and now the scapegoat for everything.