Chapter 347: These Are Just The Preludes

"If all you're going to ask are these baseless questions, then I won't answer any of them." Li Xiaofei slowly stood up and said, "Don't waste my time with such foolish matters."

He turned around and left without looking back. Audit Bureau Chief Zhao Tong made no effort to stop him. On the side, Gao Changlin had remained silent throughout the entire exchange. He had expected this outcome.

"What now, Old Gao?" Zhao Tong asked, a bit at a loss.

Ever since he learned of Li Xiaofei's true background and his combat strength at the Five Spirits Realm, Zhao had instantly shrunk back and no longer dared to act arrogant in front of Li Xiaofei.

"We report it as it is," Gao Changlin replied. "We were just going through the motions anyway. Did you really think you'd get anything out of someone like him?"

"Looks like that's the only option," Zhao Tong said, a mix of fear and disappointment in his voice.

He had rushed to Liuhe City with dreams of striking it rich, but now all he wanted was to leave as soon as possible and avoid getting involved in this mess any further. On the other hand, Gao Changlin wasn’t as calm. He had high hopes for Li Xiaofei and had been doing everything he could to support Red Flag High School. He had been working closely with Chen Fei and Qin Dewei to cultivate Li Xiaofei.

Li Xiaofei was his political achievement. If Li Xiaofei was discredited and brought down, the loss would be enormous for him too.

"Damn it." Gao Changlin cursed under his breath, filled with frustration.

What kind of situation is this? If that old dog wanted to steal the fruits of someone else’s labor, he should at least do it properly. Why destroy the entire orchard and the trees in the process?

Zhao Tong glanced in surprise at Gao Changlin’s twisted expression but said nothing.

***

Li Xiaofei returned to the slum. During dinner, he continued to ponder how to break through his current predicament. At that moment, Xiao Hongye’s call came in. Li Xiaofei stood up and went to the bedroom to answer the phone.

“I’ve got some information,” Xiao Hongye said over the phone. “Director Qin is currently detained at a holding center in Lanfu Base City and is suspected of assaulting a police officer.”

“Assaulting a police officer?” Li Xiaofei questioned. “That can’t be. Old Qin has a bad temper, but he’d never do something like that. What’s the real story?”

“It seems to be related to his niece,” Xiao Hongye explained. “The child has a congenital heart condition and is currently in the hospital. Apparently, they haven’t been able to gather enough money for medical expenses.”

Li Xiaofei fell into deep thought.

“How much are they short for the medical bills?”

“I heard it’s around 5 million star coins. The girl needs a heart transplant, and the heart donor is hard to find.”

“I’ll cover the cost. Could you help transfer the money for me, Sister Xiao? I’m not sure I’ll be able to make it to Lanfu Base City right now.”

“I can send the money for you, and I’ll continue to keep an eye on Director Qin’s situation. But I have to remind you, Xiaofei, you’ve offended some truly powerful people this time . It’s not going to be easy for you. If you don’t bow your head, it’ll be tough to get through this. They have countless ways to make things difficult for you.”

𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

“I understand. Thank you, Sister Xiao.”

“You stubborn little brother...

Sigh

, just be careful.”

She hung up the phone.

Li Xiaofei put away his light core, a hint of gratitude flashing across his face. He knew very well that this situation was far from simple, yet Xiao Hongye was still willing to help him, despite the considerable risks involved.

“Old Qin’s situation in Lanfu Base City... he’s probably been set up,” Li Xiaofei muttered to himself.

Old Qin had a history of mental instability, with tendencies toward multiple personality disorder. If he was provoked, it wasn’t hard to imagine him doing something extreme. What exactly had happened would only be revealed once Xiao Hongye dug deeper into the situation.

Wait... Maybe I can look into the details through the Great Xia Dragon Group’s connections.

The thought injected him with a jolt of energy. Just as he was about to head out, another call came through.

“Hello? Old Yang, what’s up?”

“Boss, there’s been trouble. Hall Master Chu Yun, along with Fan Tong and Wei Kun, have been arrested by the Police Department.”

“When did this happen?”

“Just now.”

“I got it. I’ll be there right away.”

Li Xiaofei hung up the phone, walked into the living room, and said to the three women, “Something urgent came up. I need to head to headquarters. You all continue eating.”

As they watched him hurriedly leave, Li Jie and Zhong Ling exchanged bewildered glances. Meanwhile, Little Aunt continued eating without a care.

***

The Cloudy Sky Gang Headquarters was brightly lit, both inside and out. Instructor Xiao Bidao led his disciples in cultivation exercises out on the training grounds. Inside the president’s office, only a few individuals were aware of the arrest of Chu Yuntian and the others.

“Boss, what do we do?” Li Junjie asked. “Should I take the boys, block the entrance of the Police Department, and trash the office if they don’t release them?”

“Get lost,” said Li Xiaofei, shooting him a glare.

“Got it.” Li Junjie, machete in hand, obediently squatted in the corner.

Yang Cheng spoke up, “The Police Department arrested Old Chu and the others on murder charges. The officer in charge of the raid is unfamiliar; he’s definitely not part of the local police force. He must have been brought in from Lanfu Base City.”

Frustration laced his tone as he continued, “These damn officials... When the city was under attack by the beast tide, it took them more than ten days to send reinforcements, but now they dispatch their lackeys in the blink of an eye. Who knows what those higher-ups are thinking.”

Li Xiaofei asked, “Did Old Chu actually kill anyone?”

Yang Cheng smiled bitterly. “Before you took charge, the slums were chaotic, with seven major gangs constantly at war. As a hall master of the Cloudy Sky Gang, Old Chu definitely killed people. But he’s not bloodthirsty. Once you took over and ordered everyone to engage in legitimate business, he stopped fighting so much. As for Fan Tong and Wei Kun, back when they were part of the Dragon Claw Gang and Iron Palm Ltd, it was impossible to avoid bloodshed.”

So they all have records.

Li Xiaofei nodded and said, “Then let the police investigate. If they broke the law, they’ll serve time. That’s the way it goes. The Cloudy Sky Gang is growing, and with more people, we’ve got all sorts mixed in, both good and bad. It’s time for a proper clean-up anyway.”

After a pause, he added, “But gather information on how the investigation is progressing. If necessary, grease some palms and make sure Old Chu is taken care of. Don’t let him suffer too much in prison.”

“I’ll take care of it,” Yang Cheng replied.

Li Xiaofei turned to Li Junjie, still crouching in the corner, and said, “Get out. And don’t stir up trouble.”

“Got it,” replied Li Junjie as he grabbed his machete and left.

Li Xiaofei sat behind his desk, his eyes flickering with uncertainty.

At that moment, a new message arrived on LightChat.

This is just the prelude. Everything you have will turn to dust with a flick of my fingers.

It was from an unknown number, but Li Xiaofei immediately knew who had sent it. Red Flag High School was in trouble. The gang was in trouble. Yet this was only the beginning.

Li Xiaofei stood up and headed for the light core mainframe room. He logged into the light-network’s virtual world and entered the official website of the Great Xia Dragon Group.

Welcome back, Jade Emperor.

Without wasting any time, Li Xiaofei accessed the database, searching for the information he needed, but he couldn’t find what he was looking for.

After some thought, he posted a 100,000 star coin reward on the Dragon Group forum to anyone who could uncover the truth behind Old Qin’s arrest.

Then, a sudden and wild idea struck him. Something dangerous, yet tempting.