“The only explanation, my foot! Fo Zhu, if that’s what you think, get out right now. Do you think I’m so bored I’d play with my own life?” Li Feng snapped, already fuming from dealing with He Zhiwu earlier. Now this even more bizarre Fo Zhu showed up. What was with these government types, each one weirder than the last?
“Not necessarily. With your status as the young master of the Li family, what *can’t* you do? You wiped out Tianhai City’s top underground force, the Black Stone Gang, in a single night. What else is beyond you?” Fo Zhu sneered.
“The Black Stone Gang deserved it. Anyone who tries to take my life will pay with theirs,” Li Feng said, a chilling glint of killing intent flashing in his eyes.
“Li Feng, you talk about killing so casually. Do you even respect the law?” Fo Zhu huffed angrily.
“The law?”
Li Feng let out a cold laugh, fixing his gaze on Fo Zhu. “You want to talk about the law? If you could investigate that I took down the Black Stone Gang, then you should know *why* I did it. When the Black Stone Gang and Li Quan conspired to kill me, where was the law to protect me?”
“Hmph, the law will give you justice,” Fo Zhu declared.
“Oh, really? You mean by giving me a hero’s title after I’m dead? What good is that? Can it bring me back to life? Hmph, once you’re dead, nothing matters. A hero’s title is just empty nonsense. I, Li Feng, don’t care for it,” Li Feng sneered. In this life, he lived for himself. Anyone who tried to harm him would pay the price.
“You’re unreasonable,” Fo Zhu said, anger flashing in his eyes.
Li Feng gave a cold smile. “Got any more questions? Ask them quick—I don’t want to waste time with you.”
“I want to know if you’re the Ghost,” Fo Zhu continued.
“The Ghost? What Ghost?” Li Feng looked at him, genuinely puzzled.
“You don’t know?” Fo Zhu was taken aback. From Li Feng’s reaction, he didn’t seem to be faking it. Could Li Feng really not be the Cyber Ghost, the one who’d turned the world upside down online?
Fo Zhu didn’t know that after Li Feng had posted Yu Su’s information online, he hadn’t paid attention to the internet, unaware of his nickname, the “Cyber Ghost.”
“What am I supposed to know? You’re talking nonsense. I think there’s something wrong with your head,” Li Feng said with a mocking laugh.
Fo Zhu fell silent for a moment before saying, “Li Feng, rest assured, we’ll get to the bottom of this attack. I hope it wasn’t you staging a show.” Without waiting for a response, he turned and left.
“Lunatic,” Li Feng cursed under his breath.
Outside the private ward, the young man behind Fo Zhu asked, “Boss, were those attackers really hired by Li Feng to stage it?”
Fo Zhu gave a faint smile. “Of course not. Li Feng’s not an idiot. Why would he risk his life for no reason?”
“Then why’d you say that, Boss?” the young man asked, confused.
“Sometimes, you can only tell if someone’s lying when they’re angry,” Fo Zhu said with a sly grin. “Besides, Li Feng kept getting the better of me. If I didn’t hit back, would I still be Fo Zhu?”
“So you were testing him! You scared me there,” the young man said, grinning with admiration. “Boss, you’re always one step ahead.”
“You’ve got plenty to learn,” Fo Zhu said, smiling. “We can now be sure the Cyber Ghost isn’t Li Feng. Our next target is Hu Yuanyuan.”
“Got it,” the young man nodded, glancing back at the ward. “So, should we pull back the people watching Li Feng?”
“No. This attack on Li Feng is too strange. I won’t rest easy until it’s cleared up,” Fo Zhu said, shaking his head.
“You really want to investigate this, Boss?” the young man asked, surprised. He’d assumed Fo Zhu’s interest was solely in approaching Li Feng to investigate the Cyber Ghost.
“Of course. Don’t forget Li Feng’s identity. He’s the young master of the Li family. Getting attacked in Tianhai City—is that a small matter? This could be a crisis for China,” Fo Zhu explained.
The eight major families controlled eighty to ninety percent of China’s sectors, each a colossal force. As the primary heir of the Li family, Li Feng’s status was extraordinary. If something happened to him, his parents wouldn’t let it go, potentially sparking a storm of bloodshed.
Moreover, Li Feng himself was formidable. Having survived this attack, he wouldn’t let it slide either. If he found out who was behind it, given his personality, another storm would follow.
Either way, Fo Zhu felt the NSB had to step in to prevent potential chaos.
—
In a dimly lit room, a wooden table stood at the center, illuminated by a single flickering candle. The faint light cast shadows on the faces gathered around it.
“This time, the higher-ups are very disappointed,” a low voice rumbled. The speaker was a scar-faced man, his gaze sweeping over the group. “So many brothers died, yet we failed to kill Li Feng. The higher-ups are very displeased.”
“It’s the intelligence team’s fault. The reports didn’t mention Li Feng was *that* strong,” a gruff voice complained, laced with dissatisfaction.
“Exactly, it’s an intelligence failure. Li Feng was too powerful. So many brothers died because of bad intel. What are those intelligence guys even doing? Are our brothers’ lives worth nothing?”
A chorus of agreement followed, voices brimming with resentment. Having experienced the attack on Li Feng firsthand, the thought that their comrades—brothers who’d fought and died alongside them—perished due to misjudged intelligence fueled their anger.
“Enough!” the scar-faced man barked. “Look at yourselves, whining like this. In our line of work, death is part of the deal. I know losing so many brothers hurts—you think it doesn’t hurt me? But what’s the point of sitting here moaning and moping?”
“I know this mission’s failure was largely due to intelligence errors. The higher-ups have already punished those responsible, so you don’t need to worry about that.”
The scar-faced man looked at each face. “This isn’t the time for self-pity or passing the buck. Our priority is killing Li Feng. Only by killing him can we complete the mission and avenge our brothers.”
“Li Feng’s in the Central Hospital now, under police protection. How do we strike?” the gruff voice spoke again. “Are we supposed to fight the police head-on?”
“A few cops? You’re scared of them?” the scar-faced man sneered, scanning the room. “Don’t worry. This time, you just need to provide cover. I’m sending in Cai Die.”
“Cai Die? Boss, Cai Die’s here?” A wave of gasps filled the room.
“That’s right.”
A cold, murderous smile curved the scar-faced man’s lips. “With Cai Die making the move, Li Feng is as good as dead.”
