Chapter 179: The Wind Rises from the Insignificant

A moment later, Li Ye stopped what he was doing and said, “It’s clean.”

PHEW!

Mo Zhihong let out a sigh of relief. “I knew it. That brat Qiu Feipeng set me up.”

“This one, this one, and this one…” Li Ye tapped several profiles in Mo Zhihong’s contacts. “Send these people into the Ruins, then bring their IDs back to me. I have a use for them.”

Mo Zhihong looked at the people Li Ye had named. Most of them were around Li Ye’s age, and they all had one thing in common.

They had simple social ties—the kind of people who wouldn’t be missed or investigated if they disappeared. ‘This guy knows the guild like the back of his hand,’ Mo Zhihong thought. ‘He must have been secretly investigating us for a long time.’

Mo Zhihong’s heart sank. He felt like he’d been dragged into something big. He raised a hand to wipe the sweat from his brow again and said, trembling, “Yes.”

“Remember, I was never here,” Li Ye said with a slight smile, looking at Mo Zhihong.

“Yes, I understand.” Mo Zhihong nodded frantically. “I’ve never seen you before, sir.”

“Aren’t you curious what Qiu Feipeng did, Chairman Mo?” Li Ye asked with a smile.

“Not curious at all.” Mo Zhihong forced a smile. “I only know one saying: the more you know, the faster you die.”

“Smart.” Li Ye shook his head. “If someone comes asking you about me, you know what to do, right?”

“I do.” Mo Zhihong nodded.

“If someone asks you to find a replacement for Qiu Feipeng, you know what to do then, too, right?” Li Ye continued.

“…” Mo Zhihong was stunned for a moment. “I do. I’ll report it to you at the first opportunity, sir.”

“How will you report it?” Li Ye asked.

“…” Mo Zhihong was stunned again, then looked at the Shadow Guild members Li Ye had pointed out. “I’ll send them a message.”

“This time tomorrow, I’ll come to you to get their identification.” Li Ye smiled, patted Mo Zhihong’s shoulder lightly, then glanced at the young secretary and said mischievously, “You two carry on. I won’t interrupt Chairman Mo’s enjoyment.”

With that, he pulled open the door and casually walked out the main entrance.

After Li Ye left, Mo Zhihong collapsed back into his chair with a THUD, letting out a long, shuddering sigh.

The young secretary asked tentatively, “Chairman, should we investigate his background?”

“Investigate? Investigate my ass! Are you trying to get me killed?” Mo Zhihong shot her a fierce glare. “A Ninth-Rank Master this young… do you think just anyone can train someone like that?”

As he spoke, he pulled up the Shadow Guild’s security footage.

On the monitor, Li Ye could be seen strolling in through the entrance. All the people in the Shadow Guild’s hall acted as if he wasn’t even there.

When he passed the security camera, he even stopped, turned to the lens, and flashed a smile, as if he knew Mo Zhihong would be checking the footage afterward.

Seeing that smile, Mo Zhihong shivered, a layer of cold sweat breaking out on his back. Then, he quickly started deleting all of today’s security footage.

No.

Not just today’s.

He deleted every last bit of the past half-month’s surveillance recordings before he could finally breathe a true sigh of relief.

“Chairman, who do you think he is?” The secretary, having also seen Li Ye’s bizarre behavior on the monitor, lowered her voice and asked, “His Star Skill must be stealth, right?”

“Yeah.” Mo Zhihong’s mind was elsewhere, sitting in his chair, lost in thought.

“I wonder what Hall Master Qiu did to provoke a master like this,” the secretary muttered to herself. “The Shiyao Group is a behemoth…”

Mo Zhihong looked at his secretary, his expression turning grim.

The secretary’s face went pale. “Chairman, I won’t say a word about what happened today…”

Mo Zhihong closed his eyes again. “Song Li, you’d best put away your curiosity and bury what happened today deep inside you. Don’t let me hear a single whisper about this outside. If you drag me into trouble, your entire family will pay the price. Not a single one will survive.”

“Yes, I know.” The secretary nodded repeatedly.

“Also, Qiu Feipeng was killed by a Mutant Beast,” Mo Zhihong said. “No one is to investigate the cause of his death.”

“Understood.” The secretary nodded again.

…

‘Hah!

Is that all it takes to scare them witless?’

Li Ye, perched on the Shadow Guild’s rooftop, had heard the entire conversation between Mo Zhihong and his secretary. He chuckled and leaped to the next building.

A little over ten minutes later, he appeared in the office of Zhu Zhenghao, the general manager of Star Map Group’s West River Branch, with a dagger pressed to his neck.

Zhu Zhenghao was alone in his office. Even with a dagger at his neck, his expression remained calm. “Who might you be? If it’s money you’re after, I do have some assets…”

“On May third, you purchased a batch of mid-grade Star Beads from Mo Zhihong and booked them at the price of Upper Grade Star Beads. Afterward, Mo Zhihong bought a box of tea worth three million Star Coins from your cousin’s teahouse.”

“On June seventh, you signed a three-year supply contract with the Shadow Guild. The contract price was five percentage points higher than the market rate…”

“On July thirteenth, Mo Zhihong invited you to the underground casino at the Tianshun Hotel…”

…

“You… Are you from the head office?” Zhu Zhenghao’s face changed instantly, and he asked in a trembling voice.

“Relax, Manager Zhu. I’m not from Star Map.” The dagger in Li Ye’s hand pressed against Zhu Zhenghao’s carotid artery. “I just want to know how much you’ve found out.”

“How much we’ve found out about what?” Zhu Zhenghao was stunned. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Manager Zhu, let’s not play games.” Li Ye smiled. “Without Star Map’s backing, I don’t believe a minor figure like Mo Zhihong would dare to make a move against Shi Yao.”

“…” Zhu Zhenghao frowned. “You must have made some kind of mistake. Star Map and Shi Yao have always been partners…”

“Manager Zhu, you have a daughter in the third grade at Fengming Primary School, don’t you?” Li Ye interrupted him.

“What do you want?” Zhu Zhenghao flared up in anger. “Come after me if you want something, but leave my daughter out of this.”

“But I am coming after you,” Li Ye chuckled. “But if you refuse to tell the truth, I can’t guarantee what I might do. At the end of the day, you’re just an employee. Why would you risk your life for that Chu guy?”

Zhu Zhenghao swallowed hard. “I… I really don’t know what you’re talking about. I’m just a professional manager. Even if Star Map Group was planning something, they wouldn’t tell me!”

“Manager Zhu, it seems you won’t talk until you’re at death’s door.” Li Ye’s dagger pressed down lightly, and a thin line of blood immediately trickled from Zhu Zhenghao’s neck.

“Don’t! Don’t do anything rash,” Zhu Zhenghao said. “I’ll talk! I’ll tell you everything…”

“Good. Start talking.” Li Ye lifted the dagger slightly.

“Could you give me a hint?” Zhu Zhenghao swallowed, his face a mask of misery. “I really don’t know what you want to ask!”

“The Ruins. Nutrient solution,” Li Ye’s voice dropped, offering the reminder.

“…” Zhu Zhenghao froze, then said frantically, “I don’t care if you believe me or not, but I really don’t know anything about that. I’ve had dealings with Mo Zhihong, but it was just to skim some benefits off the top. He never told me what he was actually doing, and I certainly didn’t arrange it.”

KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!

A knock came from outside the door.

“Don’t let anyone know I was here. Otherwise, your daughter is dead,” Li Ye said in a low voice.

The pressure on Zhu Zhenghao’s neck released. By the time he turned around, the space behind him was empty.

Zhu Zhenghao frantically grabbed a tissue and pressed it to the wound on his neck. “Come in.”

‘I’ve been dragged into a massive conspiracy because of Mo Zhihong. I can’t stay in this office. I’m afraid Li Ye will really kill me.’

‘Dying over something I had nothing to do with would be a terrible injustice!’

‘Damn that Mo Zhihong, what the hell did he do?’

“Manager Zhu, what happened to your neck?” His secretary entered and asked, seeing the blood on his neck.

“It’s nothing. I just nicked myself while shaving.” Zhu Zhenghao forced a smile, not daring to reveal Li Ye’s presence.

“Does it need to be treated?” the secretary asked.

“No need. What is it?” Zhu Zhenghao asked.

“Manager Song from Celestial Essence has an appointment with you…” The secretary glanced at Zhu Zhenghao. “He is already waiting in the conference room. Do you want to get that treated?”

“No, I’ll go see him now,” Zhu Zhenghao said.

He didn’t want to stay in his office for another second.

After meeting with Manager Song, Zhu Zhenghao didn’t discuss any business with him at all. He made a random excuse, sent him away, then went downstairs, got in his car, drove away from the company, and went straight to Fengming Primary School.

Looking at the calm and peaceful school, he breathed a sigh of relief. He took out his communicator and dialed his immediate superior. “Young Master Chu, I need help.”

“What’s wrong?” a voice came from the communicator.

“…” Zhu Zhenghao recounted everything about Li Ye’s visit, from beginning to end. “Mo Zhihong was investigating the Shiyao Group and got caught. They think we were behind it and came after me. Now they’re threatening me with my daughter…”

“The Ruins? Nutrient solution?” Young Master Chu on the other end was taken aback for a moment. “I understand. I’ll bring people over right away. If he comes looking for you again, stall him.”

“Young Master Chu, the man is a Ninth-Rank Master,” Zhu Zhenghao said.

“I know,” Young Master Chu replied. “Just tell him I’ll meet with him. He won’t harm you…”

“Alright.” Zhu Zhenghao sighed and hung up.

“Manager Zhu, I believe you now. You’re not the one pulling the strings.” A voice suddenly spoke from behind him, making Zhu Zhenghao jump. He whipped his head around to see a face wearing sunglasses. “You… When did you get in the car?”

“Don’t be afraid. Since it’s not you, I won’t harm you,” Li Ye said with a smile. “Who did you just say was coming?”

“Chu Wei, the young master of the Chu Family’s third branch,” Zhu Zhenghao said. “I work for him.”

“When will he arrive?” Li Ye asked.

“Tomorrow noon at the earliest,” Zhu Zhenghao said.

“Tomorrow at three in the afternoon, in your office. I’ll be there on time to find him,” Li Ye said. “I might need your help…”