Chapter 182: Slander from a Single Mouth

‘Knew too much?’

‘Aside from you, everything I “know” is a fabrication.’

Chu Wei looked at Li Ye and said, “I want to go see the base.”

As the young master of the Chu Family, his status gave him a certain confidence.

He was certain Li Ye wouldn’t dare to act against him. If he died, it would undoubtedly cause a massive uproar in the Federation.

“Young Master Wei, you may have misunderstood your position.” Li Ye looked at Chu Wei and suddenly smiled. “Agree to cooperate, and it’s a win-win. Refuse, and you die. Young Master Wei should be able to understand such a simple concept!”

Chu Wei’s expression changed instantly. “If you touch me, your master’s plans will be completely exposed. Unless you kill everyone, someone will eventually trace this back to you…”

“At most, they’ll just trace it to the Shiyao Group sending someone to investigate a leak,” Li Ye said with unruffled confidence.

Chu Wei frowned. “You don’t actually think that if I die, Star Map will just accept their bad luck and swallow the bitter pill, do you? Even just to save face, Star Map will absolutely go to war with the Shiyao Group.”

“And what does that have to do with anything?” Li Ye chuckled lightly. “Perhaps that’s exactly what I want!”

“…” Chu Wei’s expression changed again. “What do you mean?”

“It’s exactly what you’re thinking, Young Master Wei,” Li Ye said.

“You’re not from the Shiyao Group?” Chu Wei’s face darkened.

“I am,” Li Ye said with a smile.

“…” Chu Wei’s heart skipped a beat. “You people only want me to do your bidding, but you don’t want me to know anything. Isn’t that a bit much?”

“The organization won’t mistreat anyone who contributes.” Li Ye looked at Chu Wei and said, “No matter what you do, you need someone supporting you from behind. Young Master Wei, this is your chance to change your destiny.”

“Aren’t you afraid I’ll agree but then do nothing?” Chu Wei sneered.

“Of course not.” Li Ye smiled. “The base has had similar incidents before. Some people had ideas like yours, Young Master Wei, but those who feigned compliance didn’t meet very good ends. Young Master Wei should know that in the vast Federation, and with the sprawling Ruins, making someone ‘have an accident’ is all too easy.”

“Was the matter with Nan Shuyi your doing?” Chu Wei shot to his feet, asking in shock.

“No, that was an accident. Hasn’t the official conclusion already been released?” Li Ye shook his head with a smile.

“…” Chu Wei glared at Li Ye, clenching his fists tightly, not saying a word.

Li Ye had no idea who Nan Shuyi was.

But in life, you never know which will come first: an accident or tomorrow.

If Chu Wei wanted to connect the dots that way, that was his business. Li Ye hadn’t said a thing.

The children of the rich and powerful grew up in environments full of intrigue and backstabbing. They were all too fond of making connections. Give them a starting point, and they could string together a whole series of conspiracies on their own.

“Young Master Wei, this matter is quite serious. A lot of people are investigating,” Li Ye said. “The fact that I was the one to find you is actually your good fortune. Otherwise, with your ability and position, you wouldn’t even be qualified to enter our circle.”

“What is your ultimate goal?” Chu Wei’s composure had recovered somewhat, but he asked with bloodshot eyes.

Li Ye reached out and pointed up.

“Just as I thought. I should have realized it sooner.” Chu Wei understood implicitly. “Tell me, in which direction should I investigate?”

“The Qin Family, Star Map, Nanye, Shiyao, Celestial Essence, the Flat Pan Group, even people from the Federation are all possibilities.” Li Ye casually threw all the major powers into the mix. “Other groups have dedicated people investigating them. Your direction of investigation, Young Master Wei, is within your own Star Map. See who’s been acting unusually, frequently contacting outsiders, or abnormally sending people into the Ruins. These are all key areas to investigate…”

“Mm,” Chu Wei nodded. “If I find any clues, how do I contact you?”

“I requested a few IDs from the Shadow Guild, which you’ve already discovered. When you find useful information, just send a message to any one of those accounts,” Li Ye said. “You can call me Mr. Mu.”

“Which ‘Mu’?” Chu Wei asked.

“‘Mu,’ as in the character for wood,” Li Ye said with a smile. “It’s my codename in the organization. Also, get me a few identification papers. I have a use for them…”

“Doesn’t the organization arrange an identity for you?” Chu Wei asked.

“The sample was lost, which proves there’s a mole in the organization. My original identity is no longer suitable for use,” Li Ye said nonchalantly.

“Alright.” Chu Wei nodded. “I’ll have the new identification papers sent to you through Zhu Zhenghao tomorrow.”

“Then I’ll be troubling you, Young Master Wei.” Li Ye glanced at Chu Wei with a smile and said, “Once we’ve made some progress on this matter, I will take you to see the base and put your mind at ease.”

“Thank you, Mr. Mu,” Chu Wei said with a smile. “If you need anything, you can also contact me at any time, sir.”

“Naturally.” Li Ye smiled, turned, and left, strolling casually out the main entrance.

…

Everyone has their own confidants.

After Li Ye left, Chu Wei revived Lei and briefly recounted what Li Ye had asked him to do—adding his own embellishments, of course—before finally asking, “Lei, what do you think?”

“It’s most likely true.” As soon as Lei opened his mouth, a trickle of blood spilled out. He wiped it away and said bitterly, “He’s too young. Even Qin Tian, at his age, couldn’t possibly have defeated me in a single move.”

For such a young man to be completely unknown in the Federation can only mean their ambitions are immense.”

“Sigh!” Chu Wei let out a breath. “That’s exactly what I was thinking, which is why I agreed. Lei, I don’t know anything, yet I’ve been forced onto this pirate ship. If they fail, I’ll be implicated. What the hell kind of situation is this?!”

Lei said, “Young Master Wei, this might not be a bad opportunity. Qin Tian spent over a decade building a great family, and Mr. Mu’s abilities are not the least bit inferior to his. Besides, they are hidden so deep. If they make a move and we know nothing about it, we’d be in an even more passive position.”

“Mm.” Chu Wei nodded. “From his tone, it sounds like they’ve infiltrated many people into every major family. I wonder which bastard is behind such a grand scheme?”

“A plan that’s been in motion for over a decade… it must be some old fox over fifty,” Lei said. “Young Master Wei, take my advice: don’t investigate the mastermind. That’s not something we can touch. Just focus on investigating what Mr. Mu has assigned you.”

“That’s what I was thinking too.” Chu Wei nodded. “In the process of investigating, if we run into others who are also looking into this matter, we’ll be able to figure out who else is from the base!”

…

On the rooftop, Li Ye listened to their conversation and smiled to himself.

‘See?’

‘And just like that, the conspiracy begins.’

‘There are no secrets that can be kept forever.’

Someone of Chu Wei’s status is watched by countless people. Once he starts investigating certain things and attracts the attention of others, they’ll launch a counter-investigation against him.

Naturally, they’ll discover what happened in He Xi. Once the news about the modification fluid leaks, things will get interesting.

‘However, just one Chu Wei isn’t enough…’

Li Ye glanced at the recorder in his hand and decided to go to another city to leak their conversation…

‘If there’s going to be chaos, it might as well be total chaos. It would be best if all these major groups that have been dragged into this start to fear for their own safety.’

…

「That same day.」

Chu Wei left West River City.

The next day, Li Ye received over a dozen identification papers.

These documents came with complete life histories: birth, family, education, and even Flat Pan Group membership IDs. They had everything.

Major corporations have a lot of dirty business, so creating a few fake identities is perfectly normal.

…

「On the third day.」

Li Ye said to Liu Rongrong, “I want to go back to the Ruins for a bit.”

“Why?” Liu Rongrong immediately grew anxious. “You just barely made it out of the Ruins, why would you want to go back? You’re not planning to sneak off and find your master, are you?”

“I’m not going to find my master.” Li Ye shook his head. “I suspect there’s more than one person like me. I want to go into the Ruins and see if I can find others of my kind. If there are others like me, we can deal with my master together.”

“More than one?” Liu Rongrong’s eyes widened.

“It’s something I learned from the movies,” Li Ye said. “Villains never put all their eggs in one basket. Otherwise, in a place as dangerous as the Ruins, if I had died prematurely, all his work over the past decade-plus would have been for nothing.”

So, I can’t be the only sample. If I find them, bring them out, and have them absorb Star Power, we’ll have a whole group of ninth-rank masters…”

HISS!

Liu Rongrong sucked in a sharp breath. “That makes sense. Even just one more would be great! But you don’t have any identification. How will you get into the Ruins?”

“I’ll use He Xu’s cousin’s ID again,” Li Ye said. “This time, I’ll be in the Ruins for at least a month. Tell He Xu to do his best to keep his cousin from entering the Ruins.”

“Wait, I need to discuss this with He Xu,” Liu Rongrong said. As she spoke, she dialed He Xu’s communicator and told him about Li Ye’s decision.

“That’s fine.” He Xu was stunned for a moment, then nodded. “My cousin is still in school, so he doesn’t need to enter the Ruins anyway, but you need to be careful…”

“I know. If I’m not back in a month, you guys should report my cousin’s ID as lost.” Li Ye cut in. “I’ll leave you some Star Beads. You can use them to improve your strength, but it’s best not to sell them…”

“Huang, we don’t need Star Beads,” Liu Rongrong said. “You’re the one who’ll need them to replenish your Star Power in the Ruins.”

“Rongrong, don’t forget, the Ruins are my playground.” Li Ye shook his head. “Let’s leave it at that. When I get back, I’ll bring you more Star Beads. You’re all my friends, and I want to help you raise your strength.”

“Huang, it’s a shame we’re about to graduate. We can’t go with you.” Liu Rongrong looked at Li Ye, her reluctance clear in her voice.

“At your current strength, you wouldn’t be much help even if you came. I’ve learned a lot these past few days. The place I came from is the thirteenth level of the Ruins.” Li Ye smiled and said, “If you want to help me, the best way is to enter different departments after you graduate. Maybe you can use your authority to help me get things done.”

I’ve already realized that defeating my master isn’t something that can be done overnight. It requires a long-term plan…”

“The thirteenth level of the Ruins?” Liu Rongrong said in shock. “Didn’t they say Qin Tian just broke through to the thirteenth level?”

“Mm.” Li Ye nodded. “It must be that Qin Tian’s breakthrough to the thirteenth level disrupted my master’s plans. He was busy dealing with Qin Tian, which gave me the chance to escape. That’s why I want to go back and see. Maybe I can even get Qin Tian’s help…”

All the clues clicked into place.

Liu Rongrong covered her mouth in disbelief. “Oh my god! So that’s how it is. I only follow the trending topics, I had no idea there were so many things hidden behind them. If you’re from the thirteenth level of the Ruins, doesn’t that mean your master was capable of entering the thirteenth level eighteen years ago?”

“Most likely,” Li Ye nodded.

“Oh my god, how many things are these major corporations hiding from us?” Liu Rongrong said, dejected. “I really feel like a commoner now. Huang, Yang Qi was right, I’m not good enough for you. You only watched movies for a few days and managed to figure out so much…”

“I’m a fast learner. Rongrong, there’s no such thing as being good enough or not. You are always you. It’s just that our life experiences are different.” Li Ye smiled and pointed to his own head. “Oh, right, while I’m gone, pay more attention to matters concerning the Flat Pan Group. Just go about your daily lives as usual. Act as if I never existed…”