Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
“Master Xi, what’s this about…”
“The people at the manor have turned against us. They’ve captured Mu Bei, but there’s no need to panic. They’re waiting to exchange Mu Bei for Fernando. Arrange for your men to raid the manor at dawn.”
Mu Chengxi spoke with a light, broken chuckle as if everything was within his expectations.
“Master Xi, how did you find out?”
Mu Nan looked at Mu Chengxi in shock, half-convinced that his boss must know some form of divination to have predicted the trouble at the manor and Mu Bei’s capture.
“Don’t look at me like I’m a sorcerer. I received a hacking alert early this morning, blatantly stating they want to exchange Mu Bei for Fernando.”
Mu Chengxi picked up his tablet from the table and tossed it to Mu Nan as he spoke.
He suspected Mu Bei might get caught when he left Continent F, but he hadn’t expected those people to be so brazen. It seemed a thorough purge of the base’s personnel was necessary.
“I’ve got people and weapons. I can’t swallow this insult; they’ve even threatened us directly. How can you endure being a boss like this? You’re not tough enough!”
Chu Yunxuan eyed Mu Chengxi with scorn. She had always thought highly of Mu Chengxi’s capabilities, but evidently, he was no match for Wen Xin when it came to management.
Having been by Wen Xin’s side for many years, she had never encountered anyone daring to betray Wen Xin. Wen Xin was akin to a deity, a religion even to those people.
“Indeed, I’m not tough enough in this regard,” Mu Chengxi admitted without any attempt to counter Chu Yunxuan’s critique.
When his computer was hacked yesterday, his first impulse had been to rush to the manor and deal with the traitors personally. However, to teach Mu Bei a lesson and let him mature, he stifled that impulse.
“No need to bring more people. Chu Yunxuan, lend him some of your folks—forty people—make it imposing, have some fun…” Wen Xin, gripping Mu Chengxi’s arm, sat up in bed, her eyes alight with excitement. If not for her injuries, she would have loved to go see the action herself.
“Behave and heal properly!”
Mu Chengxi propped a pillow behind Wen Xin, his voice soft and coaxing. He could tell from her eyes that she was eager to join the fray.
“I’ll have Yan Yu handle the security issues at our base. Give me an address, and we’ll meet 500 meters from your manor in half an hour. We’ll ensure Mu Bei is safely extracted.”
Mu Chengxi turned his head to look at an excited Chu Yunxuan and chuckled, “You make it sound like you’re seeking revenge because I snapped at you yesterday.”
“Young Marshall Mu, don’t say that. I just want to see whether the people in your manor are stronger than those from my friend’s. It’s a rare chance for the two sides to clash!”
“Just take good care of my… little Xin Xin here. I promise to handle your manor’s problems neatly!”
Chu Yunxuan winked at Wen Xin, then pulled Mu Nan and left the hospital room.
Watching Chu Yunxuan casually link arms with Mu Nan as they departed, Wen Xin’s eyes narrowed slightly. Such forwardness from Chu Yunxuan was suspicious.
Mu Bei had been drugged and found himself locked in a dungeon he had once meticulously designed. Escape seemed impossible, not just because of the physical barriers but because his captors were the very people he had trained.
“Brother Bei, you’re awake?” Fernando’s assistant came down from upstairs, not at all surprised to see Mu Bei’s condition, a smug smile spreading across his face.
“Brother Bei, we just lost a woman and got punished by the boss. Serving such a dim-witted leader for so many years without any benefit and ending up like this, it’s truly disheartening.”
“Oh, right, I forgot to introduce my true identity to you, Brother Bei. I’m not just some lackey picked up from the slums by Fei Fernando; I’m his brother, Fei Yang. You never allowed blood relatives to work together, so we had no choice but to hide it from you.”
Fei Yang gloated as he looked at Mu Bei, now imprisoned in the dungeon. He felt a profound sense of satisfaction.
He had had enough of being an underling. He believed their manor’s strength had grown formidable enough that even without Mu Bei, they could still thrive, perhaps even more so.
“Brother Bei, we’ve already hacked into your boss’s computer. We warned him that if he doesn’t release my brother, your life would be forfeit. Since he wants the fish dead, we’ll break his net.”
Fei Yang’s audacity was something Mu Bei had never anticipated. He couldn’t understand where Fei Yang got the courage to speak to him like this, nor how he dared to hack Master Xi’s computer. Hadn’t Fernando explained who Master Xi was?
Mu Bei was furious. He had personally trained these people, but what had he cultivated in them?
He could understand their rebellion, even accept it, but when acting, couldn’t they exhibit a trace of intelligence? They dared to provoke just anyone.
Mu Bei lay back on the narrow bed, resigned to his fate. He no longer wanted to escape; he almost looked forward to them ending his life. He had no face to see Master Xi, unsure how to atone for his failure.
Just then, a commotion erupted outside, sounding like someone had stormed the manor. Mu Bei abruptly sat up and looked at Fei Yang.
“Is the manor’s security system so poor that it allows anyone to break in?”
“I… don’t know. It shouldn’t be possible. My brother just bought the most sophisticated global security system from the Truth Listener; how could there be a problem?”
Fei Yang spoke as he pulled a weapon from his waist and rushed out.
Mu Bei, trapped behind the iron bars, tried to see what was happening outside but could see nothing; he only heard the chaotic sounds of fighting mixed with gunshots.
These gunshots were peculiar, ones that Mu Bei had never heard before. He knew who the intruders were.
The noise of battle lasted about twenty minutes, then gradually died down. It became completely quiet.
The silence felt eerie. Mu Bei pondered various possibilities.
Perhaps some forces that Fei Fernando offended had come seeking revenge, knowing that Fernando was not there.
He suspected someone was exploiting Fei Fernando’s absence to seize power and take over the manor.