Chapter 263 - 243: Who Is Being Led by the Nose by Whom?

Lin Jiao frowned and asked Lu Feng, "Boss, I can't believe Li Kai is actually planning to make a move on you. What's ridiculous is that he went to team up with One-Eyed Tiger. These people from the Li Family are such a nuisance."

Lu Feng nodded.

He knew, of course, that the Li Family had only made him the Guard Officer of the East Suburb Fortress as a temporary measure.

If Li Kai made a move on him now and killed him, the Li Family certainly wouldn't pursue the matter. But if he killed Li Kai, the Li Family would definitely come after him.

'What an awful position to be in.'

Lu Feng frowned. "I need to find a way to get rid of the Li Family and take firm control of the East Suburb Fortress. By the way, did you get any evidence when Li Kai told you to hide the size of the cultivation area?"

"We got it all, including a recording!" Lin Jiao replied.

"Good." A plan began to form in Lu Feng's mind.

'A lot of bases have been wiped out recently, probably by the Beastman Race. That means the Beastman Race crisis arc is about to begin.'

'Under these circumstances, if I can shake off the Li Family, or make them lose control of the East Suburb Fortress, and then pull a few strings... it's very likely the City East Alliance won't replace me.'

'And if any other factions try to swoop in and steal the credit, I can just pull the same old trick and have One-Eyed Tiger's men pose as the Beastman Race.'

'As for how to make the Li Family lose control of the East Suburb Fortress, that's simple: I'll let the City East Alliance know that the Li Family has been hiding the true amount of arable land to line their own pockets.'

And the Li Family was, in fact, doing exactly that.

But the amount they were hiding wasn't enough to make them lose control completely.

Thinking this, Lu Feng said to Lin Jiao, "Use those materials to neutralize more land as quickly as possible."

That way, when someone from the City East Alliance comes to inspect, they'll see a lot of arable land that wasn't in the Li Family's reports.

'In the game's lore, the Flame Emperor isn't a reasonable man. The Li Family will definitely be reprimanded.'

'Then I can send people to the City East Alliance to spread the news secretly. It would be best if it becomes common knowledge.'

'Since Li Kai is forcing his hand, it's time to stop playing nice.'

"Yes, Boss!" Lin Jiao answered.

Over the next few days, she followed Lu Feng's orders and began to quickly neutralize the land with those materials, planting new crops as she went.

If they were going to use this land to frame the Li Family, they had to make the act convincing.

…

「A courtyard in the East Suburb Fortress.」

Guo Zhen brought a group of people before Lu Feng. "Boss, these are our sharpest men. They're also from the first batch of combat personnel."

The first batch of combat personnel were the ones left over from the Gray Wolf Mercenary Corps. They all had Pulse-Rift Chips in their heads, so they were completely trustworthy.

"Boss!"

"Boss!"

…

The men greeted Lu Feng with immense respect, their eyes holding an almost fanatical gleam.

They held no resentment about the Pulse-Rift Chips in their heads. After all, it wasn't the Boss who implanted them—it was Gray Wolf.

Besides, they had long known how formidable their new Boss was—he could even turn people into ability users. Naturally, they all hoped to perform well and earn his favor.

The Boss had never restricted their freedom or threatened them with the chips. In fact, they had come to see the Pulse-Rift Chips as an advantage, because their presence meant the Boss could trust them completely.

If they distinguished themselves, the Boss would surely reward them without reservation.

Lu Feng issued his orders to the men. "Go to the City East Alliance and secretly spread two pieces of information. First, that the Beastman Race and the Cannibal Race have appeared in Celestial Sea City. The Beastmen are beings permanently stuck in a beast-like state, very similar to Beastification Ability Users."

"The only difference is that the Beastmen cannot revert to their normal human form, their appearance is hideous, and their reproductive isolation has mutated—they can mate with wild beasts. Most importantly, the Beastman Race treats humans as food."

"As for the Cannibal Race, they are humans who were captured by the Beastmen and ended up joining them, becoming deviants who also enjoy eating human flesh."

"The Beastman Race and the Cannibal Race have already wiped out several bases. If this continues, they will stir up a massive storm."

Everything Lu Feng said was classified information about the Beastman Race and the Cannibal Race, as well as events that were yet to come.

The Beastman Race would indeed go on to cause a massive uproar in Celestial Sea City.

Lin Jiao was visibly stunned by Lu Feng's words. "Boss, is what you're saying about the Beastman Race and the Cannibal Race true?"

Lu Feng nodded.

Seeing this, a chill went through her.

'This was the first time she had ever heard of such man-eating deviants.'

Lu Feng continued, "The second piece of information I need you to spread is this: the amount of arable land in the East Suburban Area is much greater than what's currently reported. A large portion of it has been hidden by the Li Family. For years, the Li Family has been lining their pockets, and there's no telling how much they've taken."

The men Guo Zhen had brought nodded hurriedly to show they had committed it to memory. They then departed, leaving the East Suburb and heading for the City East Alliance.

「A few days later, everything was ready.」

For the past few days, Li Kai had been preparing to kill Lu Feng. Now, all he had to do was wait for One-Eyed Tiger to make his move.

As he waited, Li Kai received a report: One-Eyed Tiger's men had come looking for him.

He left the East Suburb Fortress almost immediately and met the man behind a hill. It was the same masked fellow from before.

He had noticed last time that this man carried a lot of weight; even One-Eyed Tiger wouldn't dare to contradict him.

Upon seeing Li Kai, Xu Bin spoke according to the plan. "Mr. Li Kai, our leader has taken care of his affairs. We can now proceed with our cooperation."

Hearing this, Li Kai immediately said, "Excellent. Tell One-Eyed Tiger to move at once. I don't want to wait too long..."

"Understood." Xu Bin nodded, then turned and left. As he walked into the distance, an irrepressible smile touched the corners of his lips.

Li Kai also returned to the East Suburb Fortress to await news.

Not long after, news reached the East Suburb Fortress: One-Eyed Tiger had reappeared and destroyed the satellite camp to the west of the fortress.

The East Suburb Alliance had four such satellite camps, each garrisoned with guards. The destruction of the western camp by One-Eyed Tiger stunned everyone, especially since not a single guard had made it back alive, suggesting a grim fate.

When Li Kai heard this news, his face was all smiles. Everything was proceeding according to his plan.

After that, rumors of One-Eyed Tiger running rampant throughout the East Suburb Alliance grew more and more intense.

Under the circumstances, it seemed the East Suburb Fortress could no longer remain idle. So, Lu Feng arranged for Lin Jiao and Wang Cheng to lead an elite team to deal with One-Eyed Tiger.

Soon, Lin Jiao and the others began to muster their soldiers, preparing to set out.

Naturally, this news quickly reached Li Kai. He knew his plan was on the verge of success.

He immediately found Zheng Lin and ordered, "Zheng Lin, the plan to kill Lu Feng is about to begin. Assist me well. Once I'm in control of the East Suburb Fortress, you'll be handsomely rewarded."

Zheng Lin was surprised to hear this. 'So soon?' he thought. 'In other words, Li Kai's death is at hand.'

Shortly after, a man came in to report, "Mr. Li Kai, the team from the East Suburb Fortress has departed. Lin Jiao, Wang Cheng, and all the others have been transferred out. They've left the East Suburb Fortress to hunt for One-Eyed Tiger."

"Haha! Excellent! I've got them dancing in the palm of my hand," Li Kai laughed smugly. "And what about Lu Feng? Have you confirmed his location?"

The man immediately replied, "We have. He's in his personal courtyard, and there are hardly any guards around."

Li Kai sneered. "Hardly any guards? He's certainly arrogant, thinking no one in the East Suburb Fortress can touch him. This just makes our job easier."

With that, he ordered the man who had reported, "Gather our people. It's time to move."

As he spoke, he beckoned to Zheng Lin, and they set off together toward Lu Feng's courtyard. As they advanced, figures quickly began to gather behind him.

These were the men he had arranged to infiltrate the fortress. Now, he could finally put them to use.

Li Kai soon arrived at Lu Feng's courtyard. With a wave of his hand, his men all crept inside.

He himself walked straight into the courtyard, then pushed open the doors to the main hall and strode inside.

"Lu—" Li Kai had only gotten one word out before his eyes went wide at the scene inside the hall, and the rest of his words died in his throat.