Chapter Sixty-Eight: An Alliance Forged

The aura emanating from the old man was something Xiao Ye could distinctly sense—this white-haired elder was by no means an ordinary person. The old man didn’t even spare him a glance, nor utter a single word; he simply took the gravely injured Red Demon and left.

Behind them, the Crimson Dragon wanted to give chase, but Xiao Ye blocked his path. The most pressing concern now was to stabilize Xue Gui’s condition.

Abandoning the pursuit, the two made their way to the center of the area where Xiao Ye found Xue Gui. At that moment, he was blindfolded, bound to a chair, and struggling desperately. The Crimson Dragon strode over, reached out, and tore the cloth from his mouth.

Finally able to breathe fresh air, Xue Gui immediately burst out cursing. “Those bastards! They didn’t even figure out what was going on before dragging me here. Where are they now? I swear I’ll make them pay with their lives!”

In his youth, Xue Gui had served on the frontier and was known for his fiery temper. Though he was older now, his disposition hadn’t mellowed in the slightest. Seeing his outrage, Xiao Ye and the Crimson Dragon couldn’t help but chuckle.

“Alright, old man, they've already fled far away. Revenge will have to wait for another day,” the Crimson Dragon said, helping Xue Gui to his feet and patting him on the shoulder.

“Old man, since you came to the island, have you seen a white-haired elder?” Xiao Ye pressed, unwilling to let the matter drop.

Xue Gui replied that he hadn’t seen a white-haired elder, but he had crossed paths with a red-haired brat. He spoke with clear resentment, evidently harboring a strong grudge against Red Demon.

Xiao Ye nodded. It made sense—the enemy had come in force and would hardly reveal their identities so easily.

He gave a few instructions to his companions, assigning a small team to stay by Xue Gui’s side and ensure his safety. There could be no more mishaps here. Not that Xiao Ye lacked the energy to handle it, but the scar on Qin Xue’er’s face was something only he could treat.

After making arrangements, Xiao Ye and the Crimson Dragon left the island. On the return journey, Xiao Ye’s unease lingered, so he asked the Crimson Dragon to look into Red Demon’s identity.

About thirty minutes later, the Crimson Dragon reported his findings. “King Xiao, this Red Demon and the previous Lin Feng likely belong to the same organization. This group is even more mysterious than the Murderous Alliance we encountered before. The difference is, we could dig up information on Lin Feng, but Red Demon’s details are a complete blank.”

Based on this, Xiao Ye could make an educated guess. Red Demon was probably an off-the-books operative, explaining his unrestrained behavior.

Xiao Ye took Lin Feng’s dossier and examined it briefly. Suddenly, a realization jolted through his mind.

Back when he was stationed on the frontier, he’d clashed with the organization these men belonged to. In an instant, all of Lin Feng’s actions made sense. If his memory served, the group was called the Hand of God.

That organization was exceedingly secretive. Though he had once dealt them a heavy blow, his knowledge of them remained scant. Still, this confirmed that Lin Feng had powerful forces backing him—forces likely to escalate their attacks on both Xiao Ye and Xue Gui.

Handing the dossier back to the Crimson Dragon, Xiao Ye closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Dealing with these people was not his immediate priority. After all, Jianghai City had yet to be pacified.

…

Meanwhile, at the Jiang family estate.

Jiang Zhongtao’s expression was stormy and uncertain. Crimson Dragon’s unexpected intervention today had completely wrecked his plans. He had invested billions in this scheme, only for it all to go up in smoke. How could he not be furious?

The young man who had been advising him stood nearby, trembling with fear, not daring to utter a word. Jiang Zhongtao remained silent, but the atmosphere in the room was frigid to the extreme.

At last, Jiang Zhongtao flung a cup violently to the floor, shattering the silence in the room.

Xiao Ye!

The fury in Jiang Zhongtao’s eyes was blazing, almost as if flames might burst from them. Sharp shards of porcelain cut his hand, blood slowly trickling onto the floor. The sight was chilling, yet Jiang Zhongtao’s expression didn’t change; his rage remained undiminished.

The sudden outburst startled the man beside him, who hurried over and tried to wrap Jiang Zhongtao’s hand with a handkerchief. But Jiang Zhongtao shoved him away with a roar.

“Get out!”

The man recoiled, bowed, and quickly left the room. As the door closed, the sounds of furious smashing and destruction erupted inside.

From the noise alone, one could sense the depth of Jiang Zhongtao’s wrath.

The outburst lasted nearly twenty minutes. When it finally subsided, Jiang Zhongtao slumped in his study chair, utterly exhausted, gasping heavily.

He had truly believed that, with his usual tricks, he could seize control of the Xiao family’s company. Yet his meticulously crafted plan had utterly collapsed, a defeat the perpetually victorious Jiang Zhongtao found intolerable.

But the reality before him left him utterly powerless.

Just then, amidst the wreckage, a phone began to ring. Jiang Zhongtao was momentarily stunned. It was only after the third ring that he snapped out of it and fished his phone out from the chaos.

He answered, and a voice—another middle-aged man—came through the line. “President Jiang, it’s been a while.”

Jiang Zhongtao immediately recognized the voice. It was Gao Hu, the chief administrator of the Jiangnan District. Though Jiangnan District lacked a unified organization like the Jianghai Business Alliance, Gao Hu was its highest authority, able to command forces even more formidable than Jiang Zhongtao’s.

“Chief Gao,” Jiang Zhongtao replied, steadying his tone.

“President Jiang, I heard there’s been trouble in Jianghai City lately—a lot has happened,” Gao Hu said abruptly.

That one sentence was enough to shatter Jiang Zhongtao’s composure; defeat was written all over his face. After a long silence, he finally spoke.

“Yes, a new king has appeared in Jianghai City.”

Jiang Zhongtao proceeded to recount the entire matter concerning Xiao Ye to Gao Hu on the other end of the line.

Hearing this, Gao Hu’s voice was tinged with fear, his tone trembling slightly. “A king?”

Jiang Zhongtao’s arrogance had been completely eroded; faced with Xiao Ye, he felt a deep, inescapable sense of helplessness.

There was a long silence from the other end, but then a voice rang out again.

“No matter who he is, he can’t simply kill my people and walk away unscathed!”