Chapter 378: Making Two Preparations
The words had just been spoken.
BANG!
This time, the bullet shattered the glass and struck the old man squarely in the back of the head!
Everyone heard the shot. They screamed in terror, scrambling to find cover.
Ouyang Mao could no longer suppress his smile; the corners of his mouth were practically curling into a grin.
'That old codger is finally dead!'
'This is perfect!'
'Now, let's just see who else dares to question me!'
Ouyang Mao's gaze swept across the room. All traces of his former insecurity were gone, his face filled with naked ambition.
"Did you see that? This is what happens when you question me!"
"If anyone else… dares to question me, step forward now!"
"Today, whoever I want dead, dies!"
The hall fell silent.
After a long moment, someone finally spoke up. "You're slaughtering your own kin! Your crimes are monstrous!"
Ouyang Mao immediately looked toward the source of the voice. "Who said that? If you have the guts, step out and let me see your face!"
On the other end of the earpiece, Xiao Ye didn't stop him from looking for the person. If Ouyang Mao actually managed to find them, Xiao Ye wouldn't mind taking the shot.
After all, at this moment, most of the people gathered in the Ouyang Family estate were hardly clean.
As for the ones who were, they wouldn't dare speak up, nor did they have the status to do so.
Hearing Ouyang Mao's challenge, not a single person dared to speak.
"You cowards! Weren't you so brave, talking back to me? Well, step forward then!"
"Let me see who's talking! This is your last chance!"
Ouyang Mao's eyes swept the room again, but still, no one dared to step forward.
'What a joke!'
'The Ouyang Family's windows are all bulletproof!'
'And yet, one was shot right through. It doesn't take a genius to figure it out: either the shooter is inside the manor—very likely an insider—'
'or they're using a custom rifle and special bullets!'
'Getting your hands on something like that in Dragon Country these days is no simple feat!'
For the first time, they felt they had truly misjudged him. This Li Mao, a man they had once considered a complete nobody, had actually managed to climb right over their heads.
Now that even insiders had become Li Mao's pawns, anyone who jumped out at this moment would just be asking for a quicker death.
Seeing that no one was responding, Ouyang Mao finally broke into a satisfied smile. "You bunch of losers. You all kept saying I wasn't good enough."
"But look now. Who's the one who isn't good enough? It's not me. It's you!"
"That's enough!" Xiao Ye's voice came through the earpiece. "This isn't the time to be provoking the Ouyang Family members."
"Don't forget, you're there to become the Patriarch, not to make enemies!"
'He isn't even the Patriarch yet and he's already acting like no one else matters. It'll only get worse in the future.'
'The same water that floats a boat can also sink it.'
To secure the position in the shortest time possible, Xiao Ye had ultimately resorted to a strategy of suppression, which had already sown discontent among the Ouyang Family.
If he kept applying pressure indiscriminately, it would inevitably lead to a backlash.
Ouyang Mao had been looked down on by the Ouyang Family his entire life. Now that he finally had the upper hand, he hadn't had nearly enough of his moment.
But since Xiao Ye had spoken, he had no choice but to shut his mouth.
'I'm not yet capable enough to think I can take on the man pulling the strings. Xiao Ye is the real boss here!'
'Anyone who can install me as the Patriarch of the Ouyang Family... it's terrifying to even think about how powerful they must be!'
Ouyang Mao cleared his throat. "Alright. Since none of you are speaking, I'll take that as your silent agreement to my proposal."
"In that case, from this day forward, I am the Patriarch of the Ouyang Family!"
"If you have any problems, you can bring them to me. Don't even think about pulling any tricks behind my back."
"I can deal with you today, and I can deal with you in the future! Behave yourselves, and I will fulfill the duties of the Patriarch!"
After speaking, Ouyang Mao followed Xiao Ye's instructions, dismissed the crowd, and went to the study.
Inside the study, Xin Cheng opened a laptop. "These are the various documents you need to sign."
"You are not to take a single step out of this study until all the signing is complete. Also, we've hired a professional security team."
"They need your permission to enter the Ouyang Family estate and protect you."
It was called protection, but in reality, it was surveillance.
It was to make Ouyang Mao understand that even if he became the Patriarch, he still had to listen and obey.
Ouyang Mao hid the ambition in his eyes. "Fine, I'll sign them now!"
「In another room.」
Xiao Ye took off his headset and looked at General He, who had just walked in.
"General He, what are you doing here?"
"I'm here to help you, of course!" After speaking, he waved his hand.
Following his gesture, several more people entered the room.
"They are all members of our Dragon Country's best medical team. They specialize in detoxification!"
Fearing Xiao Ye might refuse, General He quickly added, "I know your own medical skills are formidable, but you practice traditional Chinese medicine. The substance the Angel Association injected you with is their latest creation."
"The drug is called Angel Three. It's the Angel Association's most important compound. They rely on it to make the disobedient fall in line."
"You were injected with the third generation, which was just developed last month. So far, you're the only known case. The Angel Association guards the antidote with extreme prejudice."
"So we must prepare for two scenarios!"
Xiao Ye didn't refuse his good intentions and held out his arm.
A doctor immediately stepped forward and drew three full vials of blood before stopping.
General He nodded, signaling for them to leave first.
"Xiao Ye, I know you want to go undercover in the Angel Association. From my perspective, that is, of course, the best course of action."
"But your safety is also important! Do you understand what I mean?"
Xiao Ye smiled and replied, "Thank you for your concern, General He."
The general's concern was genuine, so Xiao Ye wouldn't rebuff his kindness.
General He sighed. "I'm also saying this because I need you to cooperate with the development of the antidote."
"Plan A is for us to develop the antidote ourselves. However, that will be a lengthy process, and whether we can ultimately succeed is still unknown."
"Plan B is for me to activate our sleeper agents and have them try to obtain the antidote from the Angel Association. But that is a high-risk approach."
High risk meant people would die.
And those sleeper agents were assets the Dragon Country had gone to great pains to establish.
"I think the first plan is best. As for the antidote, I'll help find a solution as well."
General He nodded. "Alright. Then we'll focus on the first plan. This will be hard on you."
"If we can really take down the Angel Association this time… you won't just be a great hero to the Dragon Country, you'll be the savior of the entire world!"
The Angel Association was in no way a benefactor to humankind; on the contrary, they sought to control it!