Chapter 44 - 39: The Life Experience of the Li Clan Leader
Chapter 44 - 39: The Life Experience of the Li Clan Leader
The Li family's night was still alive with a wine banquet downstairs, but in the study on the third floor, Li Le and his father Li Hui were casually discussing the day's events.
"Father, we're short-staffed right now. A Grade B combat talent is actually quite a decent prospect, with a clean family background, too. If we control him with 'happiness,' and secure a debt note, we should be able to have complete control over him, right?"
Li Le thought about what the now-deceased Joseph had done, referring to how Joseph was killed when he was surrounded by those Yuan Force creatures. Otherwise, he indeed would have been secured.
The new gathering place was in need of people, and it was quite a strain to rely on just the few young people from the family to slowly take over.
"If your talent reached Grade C, even just C-, then I would have arranged to take him in. But your Grade D Dynamic Vision, although theoretically almost the same as a normal Grade B combat talent, still doesn't guarantee a definite win,"
Li Hui said gravely.
When Li Le first met Wino, he also downplayed his own talent, claiming it was only Grade E Dynamic Vision, but in reality, it was Grade D!
Special combat talents like Dynamic Vision are indeed two levels higher than normal combat talents. Coupled with the family's Knight Breathing Technique, Li Le felt completely confident he could suppress the other.
But his father wouldn't allow it, wanting to avoid all trouble, making him feel somewhat underestimated, and he replied dissatisfied,
"So what if he's just Tao Hu's nephew, even if it were his son? How could they compare to me with the same level of talent?"
At least in the Outer City, Li Le had a psychological advantage.
If Joseph wanted to take someone in as a lackey, why couldn't he?
"Heh, our family's Dynamic Vision is indeed a respectable talent. It was the foundation for us establishing a foothold in the Inner City. In a head-on fight, you could easily beat him, particularly with the support the family provides you, which far exceeds his,"
Li Hui didn't counter Li Le's words but casually got up and came over to pat his shoulder.
"However, Dynamic Vision is a Skill suited for shooting and even ambushing. What good is your strength if you get shot in the head with a single bullet? You'd still end up dead."
Li Le wanted to rebut, but for a moment he didn't know how to respond.
"If we were still an Inner City force, it wouldn't matter, but right now there's really no need to take risks. We can proceed slowly."
As he said this, Li Hui turned with his hands clasped behind him, revealing a wise smile,
"The growth cycles of plants are set. We have time to wait. If seven family members can choose the Development Zone within half a year, then based on the eight of you, we can steadily establish ourselves and gradually recruit some newcomers."
Here, Li Hui paused again,
"Once we've reaped a few waves of insubordination, we can also use the fame we've built to offer a tribute directly to the two bigwigs in the Floating City, in exchange for a promotion."
"Alright, then is it suitable for the two cousins to head over immediately during the night? It's not actually that peaceful at night."
Li Le slowly accepted his father's words. They indeed made sense, but arranging for the two cousins to go overnight seemed a bit overly cautious.
"Just to be safe. It would be troublesome if that guy starts talking nonsense. For someone with a bit of capability like him, either you don't touch them at all, or you have to completely suppress them at once."
"Otherwise, if he calls his friends, and Tao Hu calls his friends, and it escalates further and further, the troubles that follow will be endless." n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
Hearing this, Li Le felt a stir in his heart and worriedly said,
"What if he's already told Tao Hu? We're not sure what happened in the half-day yesterday, though we've been in the fortress all day today."
"So what if he's told him? Does Tao Hu know the location?"
Li Hui scoffed, speaking ominously,
"You said it yourself before, he's just Tao Hu's nephew, and only a cousin at that. The relationship has been maintained solely by his talent. Tao Hu might risk it for a living talent, but …"
"Once a person is dead, that's all gone."
Afterward, Li Hui gave Li Le a meaningful smile,
"Learn a bit more. In the future, you'll have to stand on your own in the new gathering place, leading the new generation of our Li family…"
A splatter—
Li Hui's smiling head shot up into the sky, blood spurting from the neck, leaving Li Le completely dumbstruck.
Through the gap of blood spraying between the soaring head and neck, he also saw the figure of Tao Yu with a knife passing through.
Like a freshly emerged ink painting, his body was still covered with swirls of black mist.
"Yo, Brother Li, we meet again."
With blood droplets on his face, Tao Yu grinned and laughed.
Tao Yu?!
How is that possible?
It can't be!!
Why is he here?!
My father's head?
It's fake!
All of it is fake!
This was the last thought in Li Le's mind.
As he opened his mouth, Tao Yu, recovering from the Skill overlay, raised another handgun.
Bang—
The bullet passed through Li Le's mouth, blowing his skull open, splashing blood everywhere!
The sudden gunshot also caused a pause in the banquet outside, the music stopped, and the sound of running echoed up the stairs.
The wooden stairs and floors vibrated slightly, and a mix of confusing noises could be heard,
"Was that gunfire?"
"What's happened?"
"Let's go see…"
"The study of Uncle? What's wrong?"
"..."
All the key personnel of the Li family were present, and even though they had withdrawn from the Inner City, the Li family was still a significant force, commanding respect and influence in the southern outskirts of the city.
The true nature of the banquet was to gather all these important figures and set the tone for what was to come!
Logistics, resources, and ongoing support were all things that needed to be coordinated.
Li Le alone couldn't manage it all, despite his considerable talent.
The main forces who couldn't enter the new Development Zone were mainly responsible for coordinating resources and exchanging useful Yuan Force items.
"Uncle, Li Le, what's happening? We heard gunshots," someone called out.
"Clan Leader."
"Has something happened?"
Bang bang~
Knocking sounds arose.
Methodically, Tao Yu searched the two men and found several Yuan Force items before disappearing back into the shadows.
Bang~
The sound of something smashing quickly followed, and the door was broken down in just a few hits by some of the Li family's elite fighters. They then saw the two men lying in a pool of blood.
In an instant, the complexions of those rushing in drastically changed.
What's going on?
What happened?!
"Seal off the scene immediately, contact the security team!" a grey-haired elder ordered, his face grave.
Someone spotted the rotary phone in the study, a direct line to the security team, a true symbol of status.
But when someone hurried over to the phone and picked it up, they slammed it back down in frustration upon discovering that the line had been cut.
"Damn it! Two of you come with me, let's go there directly!"
At that moment, the lights in the house suddenly went out, as if the whole building's circuit breaker had been tripped.
"What's happening?"
"The killer hasn't left!"
"Everyone be careful!"
"Back to back."
"Light the lamps!"
"The fire, light a fire!"
Having electricity wired from the city walls to light up the entire house was definitely a sign of status.
When their accustomed lighting suddenly cut off, chaos ensued.
Soon enough, the first scream arose from downstairs, followed by the frantic sounds of lighting fires and questioning voices.
Gunshots followed, creating a cacophony of noise.
"The front door is locked! Break it down! Ah~"
A flicker of firelight and the person attempting to bust the door was shot in the back of the head.
"Go out the windows!"
Bang bang~
As someone smashed the window, two bullets followed, and upon crashing through, they fell to the ground.
Whoever ran first would die first!
"Help!"
"Damn it! Fight back!"
"Where's the person?"
"..."
Screams, cries for help, and roars came one after another.
On a starless night shrouded by grey fog, with insufficient lighting, only the sporadic glow of temporary oil lamps and flames illuminated the dark three-story Western-style house, accompanied by the flashes of gunshots and screams.
The Li family!
In possession of the "Knight Breathing Technique," an advanced breathing technique, and the deep roots of an Inner City family, they positioned themselves as one of the four deputy captains of the security team without relying on mechanical enhancements or mutations.
But now, they were facing a one-sided massacre in the darkness.
There were more than a couple of elite Li family members whose overall physical capabilities completely surpassed Tao Yu's.
But in this environment, that meant nothing.
A single bullet to the brow or a knife across the throat was all it took to end their lives.
Continuously utilizing Yuan Force to replenish his stamina and focus, the constantly fatiguing Tao Yu was like a God of Death in the darkness, each appearance guaranteeing the demise of a Li family member.
The screaming waned until silence prevailed.
The entire Li house fell into dead silence.
The once majestic isolated Western-style building remained imposing, only now with broken windows and several bodies hanging from them.
Along with the silence of the dozen or so nearby buildings, it seemed as if no life remained at all…