Gao Wu: I inherited the evil organization in the game

Chapter 602 What is brotherhood? Brotherhood is...
The old man in black looked into Song Kuangyi's clear and honest eyes, which seemed to be free of any impurities, and remained silent for a moment before finally not continuing the topic.

He knew the student's temperament; he seemed gentle, but in reality, he was very opinionated.

He said no more, took three steps forward, closing the distance between himself and the desk, and lowered his voice:
"Young Master, Young Master Yan just called the manor again."

Song Kuangyi's smile deepened:
"Kuang Yan? He's always been very attached to his mother since he was little, and he always likes to tell her first anything. I suppose this time, he called his mother directly again, right?"

The old man in black nodded.

Song Kuangyi picked up the warm teacup on the desk and took a small sip:
"What did you say on the phone?"

The old man in black took a deep breath, his expression becoming unusually solemn.

He didn't answer immediately, but took three more steps forward, almost touching the edge of the desk, leaning forward slightly, his lips nearly touching Song Kuangyi's ear.

In the study, time seemed to stand still for a moment.

The rustling of bamboo leaves outside the window and the splashing of koi in the pond seemed to be infinitely distant.

The communications of "Celestial Crown" are absolutely secure and cannot be eavesdropped on.

Furthermore, the other end of the conversation with the "Celestial Crown" will be pulled into an encrypted channel, making it difficult to eavesdrop.

In other words, the old man in black wasn't monitoring the special envoy's communication devices, but rather the special envoy's... entire villa.

Long before the special envoy was "exiled" to the city and had even moved into the villa, the old man in black had already tampered with it.

The trick was very subtle; they simply embedded a listening device into the ceiling and walls of the villa.

Military-grade listening devices have the ability to hear through walls; one device can pick up all the sounds in a room, and there are almost no electronic fluctuations when in standby mode, making them very difficult to detect through walls.

It only briefly awakens when it detects specific sensitive words, enters the eavesdropping and telegraphing phase, releases almost imperceptible electromagnetic fluctuations, and then falls back into slumber.

Today's phone call between the special envoy and Song Caoshi triggered more than one key word.

—[Big Brother], [Celestial Crown], [Evil Sacrifice], [Going Home]...

Song Kuangyi listened quietly, his gentle expression remaining unchanged throughout.

After the old man in black finished speaking, he took a step back, creating some distance. His gaunt face was now covered in frost, and a fierce glint flashed in his eyes:
"Young master, this matter is of utmost importance."

We absolutely cannot let Young Master Yan return with this 'merit'! We must find a way to get our hands on that parchment scroll that records the [evil ritual], lest something untoward happen!"

Song Kuangyi gestured for the other party to calm down, and sighed deeply:
“Teacher, Kuang Yan is my younger brother. We are blood relatives and have a deep brotherly bond. How can I, as his elder brother, stop him from going home?”

"Master!!"

The old man in black robes suddenly raised his voice slightly, and said sternly,
"Precisely because he is your younger brother, precisely because of this blood connection, he is the person you should be most wary of!"

He gritted his teeth and sneered:

“If he behaves himself and stays in the lower city to bully others, then he will always be your good brother. But all he thinks about is going home, so he is your biggest threat. In fact, the harm he may cause you is even greater than that of the eldest son’s branch.”

"After all, you may choose not to compete with the eldest son's family and not want to be the young master of the Song family, but you can't possibly give up the position of the eldest son of the third son's family to your younger brother."

Song Kuangyi remained silent.

The old man in black continued:

"I have taught you, young master, that the most important thing is to always be in a position where you can advance or retreat as needed. Only if young master Yan does not return can the third branch of the family and your maternal grandfather's family, the Cao family, remain your rock-solid rear."

The gentle smile on Song Kuangyi's face gradually faded. He lowered his eyes, his thick eyelashes casting shadows on his face, obscuring the turbulent emotions in his eyes.

After a long while, he finally raised his eyes again, a bitter smile curving his lips:

"Alas, the teacher's words are too pessimistic, but upon closer reflection, they do have some merit."

The old man in black finally relaxed, knowing that the young master had ultimately heeded his advice.

Song Kuangyi sighed:

"Very well, for the sake of the peace of the third branch of the family, and to avoid the tragedy of brothers fighting each other in the future, I will listen to my teacher."

He looked at the old man in black, his eyes filled with pity and pain:
"But just stop him from coming back! As for that parchment, forget about it. I am Kuang Yan's older brother. I just want to protect what is mine, but I can't take my younger brother's things. That would make Mother sad."

The old man in black frowned, feeling that the young master was too kind and too filial.

If the parchment scrolls could truly be used to wholesale and manufacture [Evil Sacrifice Parasites], and then the young master could bring them back and present them to his family, what a great achievement that would be!

The young master will surely gain more support through this, and it is even possible that he can change the current situation where the third branch is being suppressed by the first branch.

Song Kuangyi seemed to know what the old man in black was hesitating about, and he said solemnly:

"Teacher, I don't want to upset my mother."

The old man in black nodded solemnly and said, "Young master is kind and considerate of family ties. I admire you."

He could only promise the young master not to covet the parchment scroll, even though it would mean losing a lot of benefits. But then he thought, wasn't the young master's kindness the very reason he was willing to die for him?

Song Kuangyi stood up, solemnly cupped his hands, and bowed deeply to Elder Xuan:
"I entrust this matter entirely to the teacher."

He adopted a very humble posture, full of the teacher's trust and reliance.

"I have one more request: please do not harm Kuangyan's life, no matter what. He is still my only brother."

The old man in black robes also cupped his hands in greeting and said in a deep voice:
"Young master, rest assured, I have a plan and will handle it properly. I will not let you be in a difficult position."

The old man in black robes had no intention of harming Song Kuangyan, but the young master's words served as a stark reminder.

The old man in black bowed and took his leave. As he left the room, a murderous intent filled his eyes.

“As long as the second young master is alive, the young master’s position will never be so secure. The young master can care for his brothers, but the second young master is cruel and cunning by nature and will not care for the young master.”

The swaying shadows of the trees outside the corridor cast an unpredictable expression on the old man's face:
“There are some things that the young master is unwilling to do, but as his teacher, how can I not eliminate any potential threats for him?”

The old man in black had already made up his mind, but he still needed to carefully plan how to proceed. He needed to achieve his goal and ensure that no one could trace him back to him afterward.

This is not for my own sake, but because I absolutely cannot let his mistake implicate the young master.

He hesitated for a moment, then his gaze fell on the maid in the corridor not far away.

The maid was holding a jade bowl, sipping a few segments of orange from it, her cheeks still flushed with satisfaction from the young master's gift.

As the old man approached, she hurriedly bowed her head in greeting.

The old man in black robes reached out expressionlessly and took the largest and plumpest segment of orange directly from the jade bowl she was holding.

Under the maid's somewhat astonished gaze, the old man in black slowly put the orange segment into his mouth and chewed it carefully.

The old man in black narrowed his eyes and said meaningfully, "Hmm, it is indeed very sweet..."

However, the moment the maid saw that smile, she felt a chill run down her spine.

He glanced towards the deepest part of the courtyard, towards the main branch of the family, then looked at the maid and said quietly:
"How has the young master treated you on ordinary days?"

“My lord, your kindness to me is as heavy as a mountain.”

The maid answered hastily, her voice trembling involuntarily. The old man in black nodded in satisfaction, then suddenly leaned closer. The maid smelled a faint scent of herbs on him, mixed with a barely perceptible whiff of blood.

"So."

The old man lowered his voice, each word like a venomous snake slithering into the maid's ears.

"If there's a small favor I need you to do for the young master... would you be willing?"

The maid's pupils suddenly contracted, and the jade bowl in her hand fell to the ground with a "clatter," scattering orange segments all over the floor.

In the study room.

The heavy rosewood door completely shut out all outside noise, not even the sound of the wind could get in.

Song Kuangyi sat back down in his chair, reached out, and picked up the ancient book he had just put down from the desk.

Long, slender fingers turned the page to the one they had just stopped reading on.

The ink marks on the yellowed Xuan paper are ancient and simple.

At the top of the page, a four-character title catches the eye—"The Sound of the Axe and the Shadow of the Candle!"
....
Blood Rose Bar, 798 Block, Lower Town District 9.

The air was so thick it felt like you could wring oil out of it; cheap perfume, strong alcohol, tobacco tar, and some indescribable hormonal scent mingled together, creating a unique "fragrance" that was both slightly intoxicating and irritating.

The deafening subwoofer roared, making my heart tingle.

Inside a private booth deep inside the bar, soundproofing materials reduced the noise from outside.

In the dim light, Li Xiang was leaning back on the sofa, a cigarette between his fingers emitting wisps of smoke.

"Om..."

The phone screen on the corner of the table suddenly lit up and emitted a dull vibration.

Li Xiang glanced at it casually, but his pupils contracted the moment he saw the sender's name—Feng Ju.

He stubbed out his cigarette, picked up his phone, unlocked the screen, and a short message appeared on his screen:

Congratulations, Captain Li, on your upcoming promotion to Chief of the Police Station! Are you free to grab some late-night snacks tonight? My treat!

Li Xiang read that short line of text three times.

There was no joy on his face; instead, his thick eyebrows were furrowed even more tightly, almost as if they were twisted together.

He remained silent, turning his phone screen towards Chang Erbing, who was sitting on the sofa opposite him.

Chang Erbing was stuffing a handful of "candy beans" into his mouth, chewing with his cheeks bulging, when he saw this and stretched his neck to come closer to take a look.

This is a special product of "Blood Rose," a new type of solid stimulant. It is milder than traditional liquid products and less addictive, and it is quite popular in certain circles in the city.

Upon reading the text message, Chang Erbing's eyes lit up, and he mumbled indistinctly:
"Hey, it's done. We made the right decision to give the parchment to the special envoy. If I'm not mistaken, Feng Ju is admitting defeat in advance and trying to apologize and back down over this late-night snack."

Chang Erbing chuckled twice and added:
"If Feng Ju is really sensible, I think that even for Feng Mu's sake, once Captain Li is promoted, we might as well let Feng Ju continue to be his captain. It would be another good thing for the special envoy."

Li Xiang didn't reply, but simply put his phone away.

Chang Erbing's words buzzed in his ears like noise, but they did nothing to dispel the heavy unease in his heart.

Feng Ju? Admitting defeat? Taking a step back?
Li Xiang instinctively felt that something was wrong.

He didn't actually know Feng Ju very well, but he knew that his good friend Feng Mu was an extremely dangerous madman.

Even if Feng Ju is no match for his son, as a crazy father, he shouldn't admit defeat at halftime, right?
Moreover, from a detective's perspective, if Feng Ju were truly willing to back down, he should be referring to himself as Director Li in the text message right now.

Most importantly, the feeling he got from the special envoy made him vaguely uneasy.

But he didn't tell Chang Erbing, because it would be pointless, and he wasn't sure if his guess was just overthinking.

Li Xiang turned to look at Ma Bin, showed him the text message as well, and asked:
"What do you think?"

Yes, he didn't tell Chang Erbing about his suspicions about the special envoy, but he told Ma Bin.

After spending a long time with him, Li Xiang now felt more and more that Ma Bin was very smart, had a keen sense of danger, and possessed the survival wisdom to always find a way out of desperate situations, which was exactly what he needed at this moment.

Their eyes met briefly in the air, and without a word, Ma Bin knew what Li Xiang was worried about.

He pondered for a moment and said:
"Whether it's Feng Ju's idea or the special envoy's instruction, you have to go to this meal. If there is real danger, it would be more dangerous not to go."

Li Xiang agreed in a deep voice: "That makes sense."

Chang Erbing: "." He felt like the two of them were speaking in riddles, and he couldn't understand them at all.

He looked at Li Xiang with a hint of resentment in his eyes, remaining silent.

Ma Bin then added:
"However, we'll treat you to dinner, and we'll decide the time and place. You, Captain Li, will be there then."

The night is dark.

It was a rather remote private restaurant with a shabby signboard and an inconspicuous storefront. There were no other customers in the restaurant, and only the occasional muffled sounds of pots and pans clattering in the kitchen could be heard.

Inside the private room, the chandelier cast dappled light, making the wooden round table gleam with an oily sheen.

"Squeak-"

The door was pushed open.

Feng Ju appeared at the doorway.

He was wearing a slightly worn black trench coat with the collar turned up, obscuring half of his face.

He didn't come in immediately, but instead glanced around the small private room.

His gaze lingered briefly on Li Xiang and Chang Erbing's faces before turning to the partition walls on either side of the private room, which were covered with cheap wallpaper.

His heightened senses after his resurrection were like a sophisticated radar instantly activated.

Thump. Thump... Thump...
On both sides of the partition wall, close to the wall, at least a dozen strong yet suppressed heartbeats could be clearly heard.

There were no clinking of dishes, no chewing or swallowing sounds, and no noisy conversations.

They were clearly not diners, but rather people who had been lying in wait.

Feng Ju's lips curled into a barely perceptible, cold smile.

“Li Xiang is cautious; it seems he has sensed danger… In that case, this matter is simple.”

He stepped into the private room, closed the door behind him, and pulled out a chair to sit down opposite Li Xiang.

The polite words I had prepared swirled on my tongue, but now I felt there was no need to waste time on them.

His fingers rested on the edge of the table, his nails showing an unhealthy bluish-gray tinge, and he cut to the chase:

"Congratulations, Captain Li! The special envoy said he'd give you the director's position, but I don't know if you'll be alive to take it."

(End of this chapter)