In an antique office spanning over a hundred square meters and dominated by dark red tones, You Long, major shareholder and board member of Yulong International, was speaking with an elderly man projected on a screen, someone who exuded the commanding aura of a high official.
"We've set up keywords to scan for any videos related to the 'Qingyu' incident. The moment one surfaces, it's pulled immediately. We've prepared justifications—bloody, violent, disturbing, detrimental to stability, false and exaggerated—there's always one that fits. At the same time, we're having people post similar videos online in advance and rushing out a movie, using third parties to steer the conversation toward pre-release publicity..."
Worth billions, President You spoke in an unhurried tone, handling this sudden crisis with methodical precision.
"The events at Qingyu Industrial Park happened in Feiyu, after all," the figure on the screen said flatly. "Flooding the internet with junk data will naturally muddle and suppress the truth online. If necessary, we can even abandon Qingyu Industrial Park. As long as transit hubs like Yulong International remain untouched, we can build as many parks like that as we want."
"Those people taken to Qingyu Industrial Park brought it upon themselves, lured by the promise of high salaries. None of it will ever tie back to Yulong International, and operations at this transit hub won't be affected in the slightest," You Long said with complete confidence.
The projected figure nodded. "I trust your work."
"As for General Jin in Feiyu, I've had my men deliver a portion of divine blood to keep him quiet. Once our infiltration of his faction is far enough along, my subordinates can simply replace him," You Long continued.
Toward the end, something occurred to him. "However, Chief, our priority recently should be maintaining stability. We shouldn't stir up any trouble. I have a premonition that someone has their eyes on us."
"Oh? Someone caught on?"
The old man lifted his head slightly.
His face was one frequently seen in the news throughout Tiannan.
"What level of force are we dealing with?"
"They've probably only just caught on, so their rank isn't particularly high," You Long said. "From what I know, a senior prosecutor from the Tiannan High Procuratorate has arrived in Shanlong. Though he's operating under the pretext of an investigation, he was the champion of the previous martial arts tournament and possesses third-tier strength. Without revealing my true form, taking care of him would take some effort."
He added, "I've already instructed my people to keep a close watch on him."
"A senior prosecutor?"
The old man waved a hand dismissively. "That level isn't worth worrying about. Stage an accident for him, keep it tidy, and I will suppress the fallout."
"Then I know what to do." You Long nodded.
At that moment, his phone rang.
In theory, no subordinate dared disturb him during high-level conversations, yet the call came through nonetheless...
"Something happened?" the old man said. "Answer it."
You Long nodded and took the call.
Soon, the voice of a trusted subordinate came through: "President You, there's trouble. Just now, a piece of cargo that had escaped halfway and was recaptured jumped from the building..."
You Long frowned. "A trivial matter like that is worth reporting to me? So she jumped—who can she blame for that? Follow protocol and distance Yulong International from the incident. Just make sure it doesn't affect foot traffic or our shipping business."
"Well... when that piece of cargo jumped, a senior prosecutor from the Procuratorate who holds chief prosecutor rank happened to witness it... Right now, he's leading men upstairs..." the subordinate's voice came again.
"Do you still have unprocessed cargo upstairs?" You Long quickly caught on.
"Yes... There was an issue over at Qingyu Industrial Park, so..." The voice on the phone sounded sheepish.
"Useless fool!" You Long snapped in displeasure. "Feed that batch of cargo into the meat grinder and destroy it immediately!"
"Understood, right away!" the man hurried to agree.
"A senior prosecutor? The one you mentioned?" the old man asked calmly.
"Yes, a troublemaker looking for grief. If he behaves, he can go on being an outstanding prosecutor with a bright future. If he doesn't know what's good for him... then I'll deal with him."
You Long stood and straightened his tie. "It's been a long time since I've had some proper exercise."
"Use your discretion. Keep it clean," the old man said.
You Long nodded and was about to speak.
Right then, the door was pushed open.
Faint shouts could be heard from behind: "Young Master Su, you can't! You can't go in there..."
You Long's brow furrowed.
The old man immediately terminated the call, and the projection vanished.
The intrusion filled You Long's eyes with irritation. "Who said you could come in?" He seized an ashtray from his desk and hurled it forward. "Get out!"
*Crack!*
Yaoguang's right hand swept out, the Chengying sword flashing like a stream of light. The flying ashtray was cleaved cleanly in two, its halves slamming into the wall behind him.
"Demon," he said.
You Long's pupils shrank.
An expert knew another with a single strike.
He knew he hadn't thrown the ashtray slowly, nor with little force. To cleave it in two with such precision was something no ordinary person could achieve.
Connecting this to his subordinate's report just now...
"Xia Wuyuan's man?" You Long asked.
"President You..."
Right then, Secretary Ding came hurrying in after him. Catching sight of You Long's cold, gloomy glare, she went pale with fright.
"Shut the door and get out," You Long snapped harshly.
Her dread of President You clearly exceeded her fear of Boss Ou; trembling all over, she hastily backed out and pulled the door shut.
"Isn't staying alive good enough for you? Why be so fond of sticking your nose where it doesn't belong?"
Rounding the desk, You Long drew out a cane forged from fine steel and came to a stop before Yaoguang.
Yaoguang studied the burly, towering figure standing four meters away.
"There's someone above you?" Yaoguang asked. "Who was that?"
You Long's gaze turned vicious. The next instant, he lunged forward.
Charging in, his massive frame resembled a raging bear rearing onto its hind legs, radiating an oppressive power.
He swung the steel cane up in a violent arc, bringing it crashing straight down toward Yaoguang's head.
The force packed into this blow was enough to shatter a marble slab several centimeters thick, let alone a human body.
Yet facing this thunderous strike, Yaoguang neither ducked nor dodged, advancing straight to meet it.
The Chengying sword in his hand moved like a blur, parrying You Long's crushing frontal strike in an instant.
Aware of the vast difference in raw strength, the instant he made contact, Yaoguang guided the momentum off to the right. As You Long's body tilted slightly off balance, the edge of Chengying slid along the cane like lightning, sweeping across toward his throat.
This fierce clash and rapid transition caused You Long's eyes to widen in shock at point-blank range.
Just before the slashing blade could bite into flesh, he snapped his torso backward; Chengying's edge whistled through empty air, mere millimeters from the tip of his nose.
Evading the blade as their bodies began to brush past each other, You Long pulled himself taut, explosive power bursting from his waist to whip his body around.
Mid-spin, the fine steel cane swept through nearly two hundred and seventy degrees, smashing straight toward the back of Yaoguang's head.
Yet the moment his slash missed, Yaoguang had already anticipated every counter You Long could muster.
Before the cane swinging through two hundred and seventy degrees could strike, Yaoguang dropped low. Leveraging the height difference of his frame—standing just under one point eight meters—he let the cane whistle past overhead, the terrifying gale whipping up his hair as the strike spent its fury into open air.
Meanwhile, Yaoguang reversed his grip on Chengying from forehand to backhand. Pivoting as he turned, the sharp blade described a hundred-and-eighty-degree arc, slicing cleanly across You Long's waist. Even though You Long recoiled at full speed the moment he felt it, the blade still drew a spray of bright crimson blood.
Only then did the two truly complete their pass, separating once again by four to five meters.
Yaoguang held his sword in a reverse grip, readjusting his center of gravity and direction.
You Long did the same.
He glanced down at the slash across his waist...
Though not deep, the seeping blood had already stained his suit red.
That fleeting close-quarters exchange had been lethal in the extreme.
Neither spoke another word.
In this moment, both Yaoguang and You Long recognized the formidable strength of the opponent before them.
*Thud!*
You Long slammed the cane against the floor. The outer casing fractured and peeled away, revealing the core forged entirely from fine steel—or perhaps some special alloy.
Yaoguang gauged the reach of their weapons and arm spans, sinking low and raising the sharp blade level with his head, silently shifting into a different offensive stance.
The next instant, both lunged toward one another, their speed exploding anew.
Chapter 21