Chapter 993: Spreading

The other two were shocked!

"Shh! Keep your voice down! Aren't you afraid the Fire-Tamperers will hear you?"

"They aren't here... Besides, what I said is the truth." The man became more animated as he spoke. "Look at what Wuji has turned into... How much worse could it get? It takes a villain to deal with a villain. It would be great if they could just tear each other apart."

The other two looked at each other, seemingly finding his logic sound, and a glimmer of hope appeared in their eyes.

"But hasn't he already joined the Fire-Tamperers? Why would he go after his own people?"

"That Heart 6 is a madman. Didn't you hear he’s even killing Twilight Society people now? I feel like those Fire-Tamperers might not be able to keep him in check... He even killed the Aurora Lord and wiped out a domain. Would a person like that just sit still?"

"That makes sense..."

Jiang Xiaohua took all the conversation to heart, watching the backs of the few as they left, and fell into deep thought.

……

*Knock, knock, knock.*

"Hello, I would like to see Chi Tong." Chen Ling held a thick stack of reports and spoke earnestly to the maid.

"One moment."

The maid knocked and entered Chi Tong’s office. A while later, she came out and gestured for Chen Ling to enter.

Chen Ling pushed the door open and walked into the room, seeing a haggard-looking Chi Tong sitting behind a mountain of documents, rubbing the sides of his nose with both hands, his face full of gravity...

"Sorry, Chi Tong." Chen Ling let out a long sigh. "I wasn't able to help much this time..."

"...It's fine. This matter didn't really have much to do with you in the first place."

Chi Tong was telling the truth. Chen Ling had been forcibly dragged along by him to act as a guide. No matter how they assigned blame for the failure of the encirclement, it couldn't be pinned on Chen Ling, as his tactics had been flawless... On the contrary, Chi Tong himself hadn't slept well all night after hearing that Diamond Q had appeared.

He was still feeling lingering fear; fortunately, Hongxiu had intercepted Diamond Q in time and sent Chen Ling away. Otherwise, if Diamond Q had abducted Chen Ling, everything would have been over!

Chen Ling’s "Mockery Disaster" was one of the Silver King’s most crucial trump cards. As long as Chen Ling was fine, what did losing a few Rat Party members matter?

A smile reappeared on Chen Ling’s face, and he placed the documents in his hand on Chi Tong’s desk.

Chi Tong glanced at the thick stack of documents, and the corner of his mouth twitched slightly.

"...What is this now?"

"Oh, this is the 'Hundred Doctors Free Clinic' plan I wanted to discuss with you. I plan to have doctors in the Wuji Domain enter the factories in batches to treat workers who don't have time to come out for medical care. It’s divided into six parts, the first being..."

Chen Ling seemed well-prepared, speaking incessantly about the social impact of the project and the necessity of its implementation. Each part was broken down into three sub-points, making Chi Tong’s eyes go dark as he listened.

By the time Chen Ling finished the third part, Chi Tong finally couldn't take it anymore and raised a hand to stop him:

"Alright, you don't need to say anymore... I think your idea is excellent. Let’s do it."

"I knew you would agree, Chi Tong." Chen Ling smiled, then casually added, "However, there are some small details in here that need to be refined. I need to find time to do some more research."

"No."

This time, Chi Tong directly refused Chen Ling.

"Why?"

"You aren't going anywhere for the time being." Chi Tong’s tone was very firm. "Leave the research to others... I will pass on your plan, and someone else will handle it."

"Not going anywhere? But the Silver King previously allowed me to..."

"Before was before, now is now. Right now, in this domain, I, Chi Tong, am in charge."

“……”

Seeing Chen Ling’s unpleasant expression, Chi Tong knew he had gone a bit too far. For the sake of his own persona, he added as gently as possible, "It’s mainly because some Twilight Society members have snuck into the city... They will be detrimental to you. Keeping you here is for your own protection."

"I don't need protection. I can go kill them, just like last time." Mentioning the Twilight Society, killing intent surfaced in Chen Ling’s eyes.

"Not this time."

Chi Tong replied decisively, leaving no room for negotiation.

Chen Ling looked at him deeply, said nothing more, and after a casual farewell, left the office.

Chen Ling had actually guessed that Chi Tong wouldn't let him leave the cathedral so easily these days. He had only come today to try his luck and test their attitude... It seemed this wouldn't be easy.

After Chen Ling left, Chi Tong called Huang He and Lan Yu in.

"Has the news about Heart 6 been spread?"

"We controlled the people at the newspaper office and have already spread the news. Now the entire Wuji Domain has received the paper... Heart 6 of the Twilight Society has announced he has joined the Fire-Tamperers, broken with his past, and killed Spade 8 of the Twilight Society with his own hands to show his determination."

"With this news spread, Diamond Q in the city will definitely hear it..." Chi Tong sneered. "I’d like to see what else they can do."

"They should give up on Heart 6, right?" Lan Yu said uncertainly. "Retreat in the face of difficulty and leave Wuji. After all, there’s no need for them to take risks for a traitor."

"Theoretically, that’s true, but those people in the Twilight Society are all madmen. It’s hard to say what they might do." Chi Tong said seriously.

"In the coming days, we must send more manpower. Even if we have to turn the entire Wuji upside down, we must find Diamond Q."

"We have already committed almost all our manpower, searching for his tracks everywhere, and have even mobilized the personnel from the detention center to turn ordinary people into our eyes and ears..."

"Still not enough." Chi Tong pondered for a moment and looked at Lan Yu. "You said yesterday that you left a mark on that Dulan?"

"That’s right."

"You two go out as well and search for Dulan... That Diamond Q didn't appear sooner or later, but chose to appear exactly when we were encircling the Rat Party. He must have some connection to Dulan... Follow Dulan, and we might just find Diamond Q’s tracks."

"Understood."

After Huang He and Lan Yu left, the office fell into silence once again.

Chi Tong leaned back in his chair slowly, looking as if he were physically and mentally exhausted. He stared at the ceiling above and muttered to himself:

"King... when will you return?"

"I have a bad premonition... If you don't return soon, the Wuji Domain is going to fall into chaos..."

……

Factory District.

Rat Party hideout.

"Hey, hey, hey, look at this!"

A figure ran over in a hurry, holding a newspaper. "Every factory in the Wuji Domain has received this... It says that Heart 6 of the Twilight Society has announced he’s joined the Fire-Tamperers and killed a Twilight Society member..."

"What???"

Jian Changsheng, who had been resting with his eyes closed in the corner, opened his eyes abruptly, strode forward, took the newspaper directly, and began to read it carefully.