Meng Huang's figure steadily grew taller, expanding outward as if something inside could no longer be contained within this mortal skin, scrambling to force its way out.
His skin cracked, and rustling matter like quicksand constantly leaked from the fissures. Clumpy masses peeled and fell away from his body; with each piece that dropped, the part of him that belonged to "human" seemed to diminish by a fraction.
In just a short moment, his stature shot past three meters. Where there had clearly been empty space, a colossal phantom now loomed, shifting shadows writhing across everyone's face.
All of this unfolded in broad view, before the eyes of every member of the Meng family. They stared in dumbfounded disbelief, completely unable to comprehend what was happening.
Only a few high-ranking members who knew something of the truth realized what this meant, and their eyes turned thoroughly terrified as they looked at Meng Huang.
Chen Chuan stood calmly where he was. Glancing around, he confirmed that the entire room—and even the exterior—was covered in esoteric rituals. Rather than being smeared with esoteric materials, they had been integrated directly into the building materials themselves and concealed beneath elaborate decorative motifs.
At the same time, the ample natural lighting was utilized to mask the darker undertones. When inactive, it had not the slightest effect on people, which explained why he hadn't sensed anything amiss earlier.
From the current situation, it was clearly an exceptionally potent binding ritual, likely prepared specifically to deal with entities like Meng Huang.
Meng Huang slowly raised his head, covering half of his face and exposing a single eye as he stared at Meng Lai. "A ritual?"
He glanced at the Meng family members on the light screens, who were watching him in shock, and grinned. "Not that it matters. As long as everyone who saw it today is dealt with, it makes no difference."
On one of the light screens, a Meng family member couldn't help but call out in outrage, "You've turned into that! You aren't even human anymore, yet you still expect to inherit the company?"
Meng Huang actually chose to answer him: "Of course. Why else would I have bothered playing this game with you?"
"You think we would ever accept you? You think the people outside will accept you?"
"Why wouldn't they?"
Meng Huang wore an amused expression.
"Once I control the company, as long as I surrender enough profit, make greater concessions, and promise to operate only within a designated scope, do you think they won't accept me?
"The Disposal Bureau? It doesn't matter if they're unwilling. I'm sure certain people will be.
"You say I'm not human. Even if I'm not human on the outside, as long as my actions look human, and everything you hear and see resembles a human, does what lies behind it really matter so much?"
He looked toward Meng Lai and seemed to smile. "Since you can tolerate a double operated by a consciousness coordinator, why shouldn't you tolerate me?"
With that, he slowly lowered his other hand. From the torn flesh of that half of his face, an even larger eyeball pushed out, taking up nearly his entire cheek. Sharp teeth lined its outer rim, tangled blood vessels packing the surrounding flesh—the physiological organs and superficial features there had been thrown into complete disarray.
On the light screens, the Meng family members watched in horror, several of them suddenly gagging and throwing up.
Confronted with such a scene, Meng Lai remained composed—or perhaps he had long prepared for this. He addressed everyone across the light screens, "You should have seen enough now, and you know why I chose Xiao Shu."
"Second Brother, what happened to him?"
"Yeah, Second Uncle, what on earth is that?"
Not everyone knew the truth of the world. The vast majority of the Meng family had no hand in actual affairs, simply enjoying life on the stipends and dividends provided by the family and company. Naturally, they had no idea what was actually occurring.
Meng Lai offered no explanation. Turning to Chen Chuan, who stood nearby, he said solemnly, "Enforcement Officer Chen, Xiao Shu's safety is in your hands. Please see her away safely."
Chen Chuan nodded. He could tell that although Meng Huang's power was being suppressed by the ritual, it might not hold him for long—perhaps only for a brief moment.
Meng Shu stood up, bowed to Meng Lai, and began walking out alongside Yan Yi.
Meng Huang snapped his gaze backward—not in a normal way, for his body did not move at all. The massive eyeball on that half of his face merely rolled over, yet everyone felt as if they were being pinned under its stare.
The bodyguard he had brought with him had stood motionless ever since entering the room, showing no reaction even as all those anomalies erupted across Meng Huang's body. Now, at his cue, the man charged forward instantly, throwing a punch toward Chen Chuan and the others. But before the strike could reach them, a gust of wind swept past, and Aunt Yu blocked his path.
Her seemingly frail arm rose in an effortless motion and checked the incoming fist. The specially reinforced floor slammed downward in a sharp depression, and the surrounding furniture groaned and shifted with creaking screeches.
Chen Chuan didn't spare so much as a sideways glance. He walked straight out with Meng Shu, simultaneously using his boundary credential via a dedicated channel to contact the Disposal Bureau and show them what was happening here.
Meng Lai then looked toward Meng Zhenghuai and said apologetically, "Grand-Uncle, I am sorry for dragging you into this affair today."
"Ah, don't say that. This old bag of bones has lived to a hundred and twenty. Back then, I even shaved two years off my age just to get hired as an apprentice. I've lived long enough.
"If I hadn't come today, he wouldn't have felt at ease coming either, would he?
"Xiao Lai, your grand-uncle will back you up one last time. You made the right choice with Xiao Shu; you've done right by the old Meng family..."
Halfway through Meng Zhenghuai's sentence, two servants—evidently fighters—stepped forward, gently lifted him up by the arms, and carried him straight out of the room.
Meng Lai watched them depart without making a move to leave himself. In just this short span, Aunt Yu was already gaining the upper hand over Meng Huang's bodyguard, clearly only moments away from deciding the outcome.
He pulled back his gaze and looked up at the towering Meng Huang. "May I ask which one you are? Or rather... which one among Them are you?"
Meng Huang's massive eyeball rolled and fixed onto him. "Why ask that now? Having second thoughts? Or do you want to strike a deal with me?"
Meng Lai said naturally, "I merely want to confirm your identity to facilitate our subsequent dialogue. After all, you are all different, and different parties call for different attitudes."
Meng Huang had by now grown over four meters tall, his head nearly brushing the ceiling. He leaned his hulking frame down toward Meng Lai. "Now that you've made a move against me, you still expect to talk?"
"Is there a problem with that?"
Meng Lai chuckled, speaking as if it were only natural. "Beings like you have only ever believed in strength. If I lacked the power to constrain you, how would you ever sit down and listen to what I have to say? I believe the timing is quite appropriate."
A wisp of mist surged in Meng Huang's eye before quickly receding. "It seems you've been preparing for this day for a very long time."
Meng Lai acknowledged, "Indeed. Today's situation is precisely what I wished to see. It confines the fallout to this place without spilling over into the company. Even if some news leaks out, there are ways to explain it away to the public."
"Yet your power seems a bit too weak. Relying on this alone probably won't be enough."
Meng Huang glanced around, then cast his gaze downward, as though looking through the floor at something beneath. "Your real body must be sleeping deep beneath this estate right now. I can feel it."
Meng Lai nodded. "You are quite right. If not for that—if you hadn't confirmed that piece of intelligence—you wouldn't have come today, would you?"
Meng Huang was slightly surprised. "So the information Meng Xu gave me was intentionally leaked by you? Still, it doesn't matter, as long as the information is genuine." With that, he shifted his body, causing the room to tremble faintly as he muttered, "Soon... Very soon."
Meng Lai seemed unconcerned by this. He said calmly, "You needn't worry about the ritual's power falling short. Even if I cannot deal with you, personnel from the Disposal Bureau will soon arrive to send you back."
Meng Huang, however, looked as though he had heard something hilarious. He chuckled mockingly, "You're pinning your hopes on the Disposal Bureau? I'm afraid they might not make it."
***
At that exact moment, inside the Disposal Bureau.
Starting half an hour ago, communications from City Hall to Director Wu had not ceased for a single moment.
Violent incidents involving fighters had erupted simultaneously across several districts in Center City. One incident in particular occurred directly across from City Hall, causing an appalling impact.
Several media outlets voiced concerns over Center City's security and fighter-related crimes. While they hadn't named the Disposal Bureau outright, everyone knew where the fingers were pointing.
A number of City Hall officials and councilors even declared they would inspect the Disposal Bureau, demanding that additional personnel be deployed immediately to the incident sites, especially the vicinity of City Hall.
But he had pushed back against all of them.
He believed this was deliberately instigated by Meng Huang, the Ferris Wheel, and several other corporations behind the scenes. Therefore, he adamantly refused to budge at this critical juncture, intending instead to commit his forces to the Meng estate to settle the issue once and for all, rather than leaving lingering problems for later.
He said to Deputy Director Fang, "If they're so capable, let them strip me of my post right now! Otherwise, I am seeing this matter through to the end today."
Just as Deputy Director Fang was about to speak, an incoming communication arrived. His expression turned solemn as he answered it immediately. Once the call finished, he said with a conflicted look, "Director Wu, I'm afraid you won't have a choice this time. Word just came from the Defense Department—there's abnormal activity over by the Ring Curtain, and they need us to reassign personnel to provide support."
Director Wu frowned. "The Ring Curtain has routine operation teams stationed to guard it. Why would they suddenly demand extra personnel from us?"
"Because of that previous incident—you know about it," Deputy Director Fang sighed. "Word is that too many were lost, leaving gaps in certain sectors."
Anger surged in Director Wu, and he slammed a hand onto the desk. "Then why didn't they say so earlier?!"
Deputy Director Fang shook his head. "The higher-ups have their own considerations."
"What about the reserves? Don't they still have reserve personnel?" Director Wu tapped his fingers continuously against the table.
After a pause, Deputy Director Fang said slowly, "You know as well as I do—unless it's an absolute last resort, they won't mobilize those people. That's the baseline force meant to hold the line."
Director Wu paced back and forth a few steps, his brow deeply furrowed. Only after a long silence did he speak: "Still, since it's a matter of the Ring Curtain's defense, I won't drag my feet. That place truly takes precedence..."
At the same time, he spoke into his boundary credential, "Have Old Wan and Xiao Lu stay while everyone else returns; the bureau has other arrangements. Tell the two of them to rendezvous with and support Enforcement Officer Chen. And tell them: don't push themselves. If things go south, their only priority is protecting our own people."
After finishing his instructions, his expression remained grave. Squeezing out two people was already the greatest assistance he could offer. He could only hope that things would be handled properly this time.
Chapter 393