by <unknown>
“Enough, he has already confessed. Bring him back then interrogate him,” one of the chieftains of the Northern Faction said. Su Dinghua was a high ranked official of the Northern Faction, so interrogating and torturing him in public would bring a lot of shame to the Northern Faction.
Su Dinghua was a traitor who did not represent the Northern Faction’s position, but it did bring them shame.
Xiao Jin looked at Han Xiao with inquiry in his eyes. The others looked over as well.
Black Phantom was the one that had been framed, so his opinion was very important.
“The real killer has been found. Anything other than that has nothing to do with me,” Han Xiao said. He then turned away and left.
…
The real killer that assassinated Darryl had been found. The whole plan had been Raylen’s, and Han Xiao was cleared of suspicion.
Su Dinghua died in the interrogation. He spat out quite an amount of intelligence before he died. He was a very important chess piece to Raylen, and the assassination was to spark conflict between Alumera and Dark Net, but the plan had gone south. Han Xiao’s strength was far beyond their expectations. They had thought that Black Phantom would be captured or even killed, so the hatred between Alumera and Dark Net could not be resolved easily, but to their surprise, Han Xiao had the upper hand.
The assassination only went so well because of Su Dinghua’s years of planning. Raylen suffered a huge loss when he died.
Xiao Jin was a huge contributor to finding the real killer. He gained a large about of prestige, and the Home Faction had to thank him even if they did not want to.
Everything was settled. However, Black Phantom, who had cleared his suspicion, decided to stay. No one knew what motives he had. The factions did not have time to care about him since they were all busy with the election of a successor.
In the room, Han Xiao looked at the mission [The Real Killer] on his interface. Su Dinghua had been caught, but he did not turn in the mission.
This thing has yet to end.
A flash of coldness appeared in Han Xiao’s eyes; one thought had become clearer in his mind.
…
Three days after capturing Su Dinghua, Xiao Jin brought Xiao Hai along and came to visit.
“Why are you looking for me?” Han Xiao asked.
“I should be the one asking. What’s your goal in staying here?” Xiao Jin asked back.
“I was framed out of nowhere, and your people wanted to kill me. I need compensation.”
Xiao Hai was shocked and angry. “This whole thing was planned by Raylen, and you even killed our people. How dare you ask for compensation‽”
“Raylen is too far away, so I’m getting money from you guys first.”
“You’re robbing us!” Xiao Hai was filled with anger.
“That’s correct.” Han Xiao nodded calmly. He looked at Xiao Hai mockingly and said, “What can you do about that?”
Xiao Jin pulled the furious Xiao Hai back, then wrote a number on a piece of paper and said, “I will compensate you personally. Is this amount enough?”
Han Xiao gave it a quick look and said, “Barely acceptable.”
Xiao Hai was frustrated. He did not understand why Xiao Jin was willing to pay; there was absolutely no need to in his eyes.
“There’s another reason for you to have come to find me, right?” Han Xiao crossed his legs.
“Indeed, I have something to ask your help for. Darryl is dead, and the leader position is now vacant. Alumera is a large family, so there needs to be a leader. In two days’ time, an internal election will be carried out in a vote from the high ranked officials. Todd from the Home Faction, Se Qi from the Red Island Faction, and Angleton from the Northern Faction are all strong competitors. When I was focused on investigating Darryl’s death, they were already approaching the high ranked officials and drawing votes. I’m now at a disadvantage, so I hope you can help me,” Xiao Jin said in seriousness.
“Why should I help you?”
“For the sake of me helping you clear your suspicion, please help me.”
“I need a reward,” Han Xiao said coldly.
“How ungrateful. If it wasn’t for Father, you would still be the biggest suspect. Don’t push your luck!” Xiao Hai could not take it and yelled in anger.
Han Xiao looked at him and said calmly, “You should be grateful for me not killing you, or you would all be corpses.”
Xiao Hai’s expression turned twisted and furious. He trembled in anger because of Han Xiao’s attitude. He could only look at Xiao Jin, hoping that his father would do him justice. However, he was bound to be disappointed. Xiao Jin had remained calm all along.
“How much do you want?”
Han Xiao touched his chin, pointed at the piece of paper, and said, “Three times this.”
“Maniac…” Xiao Hai was stunned. This request was outrageous.
However, Xiao Jin accepted the terms without hesitation and said, “No problem.”
“Father!” Xiao Hai yelled in disbelief. He could not understand why Xiao Jin kept listening to Han Xiao. “It’s no use getting help from him. Outsiders cannot interfere with internal elections. He has no position in the internal meeting no matter how strong he is!” Xiao Hai said hastily.
“I have a way,” Xiao Jin replied coldly. “Mr. Black Phantom, are you willing to join us Xiao Faction?”
Join the Xiao Faction? What does that mean?
Han Xiao raised his eyebrows and asked with interest, “What do you mean?”
“Join my family with the same seniority in the family as me. My children will be your stepchildren.”
The atmosphere suddenly turned weird.
Xiao Hai almost staggered and fell. He was completely shocked. Xiao Jin had never discussed this with him, and now suddenly he’s going to have a stepfather?
“Damn, you can do that?” Han Xiao’s eyes twitched. Xiao Jin’s level of shameless exceeded his expectations. “Would such a childish method work?”
“Politics has always been childish,” Xiao Jin replied coldly. “As long as you join the Xiao Faction, you can attend internal meetings. Your strength will signify your power, and as long as you appear, it will represent a threat. However, you will be a part of the Xiao Faction by then, which means you’re not an exterior threat. The other factions will give up automatically in fear.”
The meaning of a family member and an outsider showcasing strength was different. One was an exterior threat and would only attract displeasure, but if it was a family member, it would mean that Xiao Jin’s power had grown tremendously and that he had earned a strong ally for Alumera in the big picture. It would mean a huge contribution for the family. Given the power that Xiao Jin had gathered through the years and the recent prestige that he earned by finding the real killer that assassinated Darryl, the other factions would wisely give up.
Up till now, Han Xiao had already gotten a basic guess of the entire situation. He smiled and said, “I see no benefits in joining the Xiao Faction, why should I do it?”
“You join the Xiao Faction, and when I become the leader of the family, Alumera will become your ally.”
“Seems like you’re willing to pay everything to become the leader.” Han Xiao laughed. He then said teasingly, “Okay, I will join the Xiao Faction and reluctantly become the stepfather of your children.”
Xiao Hai was so angry that he was losing his mind. He had to give Han Xiao benefits just to become his stepson. He had never been in such a shameful situation before, and the part that angered him most was that Xiao Jin had actually agreed. He began to suspect that his father had been brainwashed.
Han Xiao looked at Xiao Hai and smiled mockingly. “Come, let me hear you call me stepfather.”
Xiao Hai’s face turned green. He was an arrogant person, so this was a fate worse than death. However, he saw Xiao Jin’s strict face, then suppressed his anger with all his might and forced the words out through gritted teeth.
“Stepfat
her.”
Han Xiao dug his ears and teased, “I didn’t hear that clearly.”
“Stepfather!” Xiao Hai yelled. He used so much strength that blood came out of his teeth, and a metallic taste filled his mouth.
“Hehe, good boy.” Han Xiao could not control his laughter in his heart. His body’s origin was Xiao Hai’s younger brother. What would Xiao Hai think if he knew the truth?
Xiao Jin reached out his hand and said, “I look forward to working with you.”
Han Xiao accepted the handshake.
The father and son of the Xiao family stood up and left, neither of them saying a word as they did so.
After returning to Xiao Faction’s mansion, Xiao Hai could not hold back his questions. “Father, why did you do this?”
Xiao Jin replied without an expression on his face, “Black Phantom is greedier than I imagined. I thought that clearing his suspicion could make him grateful, but I didn’t expect to spend so much for him to join us. Anyway, it’s worth it. At least we are the only faction that could approach Black Phantom and get his help. When I become the leader, these losses can be made up with ease.”
“I see, when you become the leader, you won’t have to care about Black Phantom anymore,” Xiao Hai realized.
Xiao Jin suddenly turned to look at his son and said with a strict voice, “You’re wrong. There’s even more need to fulfill Black Phantom’s terms after I become the leader. It’s suicide to kick someone to the curb when they’ve outlived their usefulness. This is a world where the strong live, and the weak feed. Black Phantom is standing at the peak with his strength; his personal strength is as threatening as an organization. As long as Black Phantom is part of the Xiao Faction on the books, we can rely on him, and the other factions won’t dare step out of line moves. I know that you don’t accept this deep down in your heart, but don’t act on your impulses and ruin my plan.”
Xiao Hai had objections in his heart, but he could only clench his teeth and accept it.
“Yes, Father.”
Chapter 212. The New Successor |
The factions were all making moves in the dark. Xiao Jin had given Han Xiao the information of the other factions’ movements over the next two days, and he wired the agreed compensation and reward into Han Xiao’s Dark Net account—a total of 8,000,000 Aquamarine Dollars.
Han Xiao had a huge amount of money, a total of more than 40,000,000 dollars, more than ten times what he used to have. With such a large sum, he could splurge freely on machinery and carry out some of his ideas such as the robot army style that he once thought to be too expensive.
Two days passed in a blink of an eye. The internal meeting was carried out in the Alumera meeting hall as scheduled. High ranked officials across all the factions gathered within, and the guarding power was high.
Han Xiao wore a hood and disguised himself as an ordinary high ranked official of the Xiao Faction. He entered the meeting hall without attracting attention and sat down.
In the heart of the meeting hall was a circular shaped table. The leaders of various factions sat around the table, and the other high ranked officials sat on the more exterior seats. Those belonging to a faction sat behind their leaders. The factions were separated distinctively, forming smaller areas at different angles.
It was snowing lightly outside, but the meeting hall was warm thanks to the air conditioner. The people took off their coats and started talking among themselves. It soon became rather noisy.
Dang, dang!
Todd rang the bell on the table, and the meeting hall turned silent quickly.
“The meeting will now commence,” Todd said with a serious expression. “There are four candidates for the successor for the leader: myself, Xiao the Second Chair, Se Qi the Third Chair, and Mr. Angleton. Start voting when you’re ready.”
“I would like to say a few words before the vote starts,” Angleton said as he stood up and started his speech. It was a standard procedure to do a speech before the vote. Although the seated high ranked officials already had a basic idea of who they were going to vote for, this step was still not to be omitted.
Very soon, the four candidates finished their speeches. Todd looked around the table and said, “The voting shall begin.”
The high ranked officials spoke their choice.
Todd was nervous. He had been contacting other high ranked officials over the past few days and promised them many benefits. They had all agreed to vote for him when they had the discussion, so he could easily beat the other candidates in the number of votes.
But soon he became stunned. The high ranked officials who promised to vote for him all voted for Se Qi without even looking at Todd.
How did this happen? Todd was shocked and angry.
Se Qi had a bright smile on his face. He smiled at every high ranked official who voted for him. Watching his vote count becoming impossible to be beaten, his heart was relieved.
As soon as Darryl was assassinated, Se Qi had realized that the successor election was an opportunity. He had been in communication with Theseus secretly, and they had agreed to help him for the promotion, and he, in turn, promised many benefits to them if he successfully became the leader.
Although Alumera was Theseus’s partner, Theseus was very aggressive. They had been secretly wanting to control Alumera from the inside, and they had gotten into contact with Se Qi the Third Chair, who was not satisfied with his position. Theseus made use of their relationship network and discreetly drew in many high ranked officials to give Se Qi an advantage.
And for Angleton from the Northern Factor, he was basically there to watch the show. Even the people from the Northern Faction did not vote for him except for a very few—he sat in his seat with awkwardness on his face.
Angleton had been elected by the Northern Faction to just be a representative—he did not want to give up on fighting for the leader’s position, but he knew that he did not have a chance. Thus, he had mixed feelings about the matter.
Se Qi’s vote count was way ahead, and soon, it exceeded the half mark. The election was settled.
“Haha, thank everyone for your support and love. I shall not disappoint.” Se Qi stood up full of happiness on his face. He could not hide his satisfaction at all.
This time, Xiao Jin spoke. “Wait.”
Everyone looked over immediately with various looks on their faces, Xiao Jin was a powerful candidate as well, but he had not done anything up till now. They were very curious about what he was planning.
“Xiao the Second Chair, do you have any problem?” Se Qi’s heart skipped a beat, and he emphasized the words ‘Second Chair’.
Suddenly, a voice that was unforgettable to the seated high ranked officials came out of the Xiao Faction area.
“I have a problem.”
Everyone’s eyes widened, and their expressions turned into horror. They recognized that this was Black Phantom’s voice!
Xiao Faction’s members spit open and showed Han Xiao, who was hidden. Han Xiao was wearing the same black windbreaker and black gloves. His arms were crossed, and he said expressionlessly, “Xiao Jin is more suitable to be the leader.”
Se Qi was stunned for an extended moment till he regained his focus. “Xiao Jin, how dare you let an outsider interfere with our family issues. Are you intentionally breaking the rules‽”
“Black Phantom is not an outsider; he is a senior of my Xiao Faction. He is the stepfather of my children.”
As soon as Xiao Jin finished his sentence, the youngsters of Xiao Faction all bowed toward Han Xiao and yelled stepfather simultaneously, almost as if they had been practicing it.
The others were stunned in shock.
How shameless… Todd’s face was twitching.
According to Black Phantom’s previous actions, his stand was above all, and he did not care about Alumera’s internal changes at all, but now, he was suddenly interfering.
They gave it a thought and realized that, when Black Phantom was suspected, Xiao
Jin was the only one that spoke for him, and it was Xiao Jin who discovered the real killer in the end, which cleared Black Phantom’s name. However, during that time, the other factions were all focused on drawing votes from the high ranked officials.
Then it occurred to all the factions that Xiao Jin might have gotten in touch with Black Phantom only because of this, which was why Black Phantom was willing to help Xiao Jin.
Also, Xiao Jin had definitely paid a huge price to attract Black Phantom into having diplomatic relations with the Xiao Faction.
Although the other factions were not happy, they could not deny the fact that Xiao Jin had increased Alumera’s overall strength by doing this, as this meant that Black Phantom had become an ally of Alumera.
Han Xiao sat down casually and scanned the entire place with a dangerous look.
The high ranked officials all turned away and did not dare look him in the eyes.
Words were not needed; Han Xiao’s intentions were clear just by sitting here.
A silent threat.
The atmosphere got awkward. The high ranked officials who had already voted became anxious and exchanged looks secretly.
Finally, a high ranked official could not take it anymore. He wiped his sweat and said hesitantly, “I’ve thought carefully and feel that Xiao Jin is more suitable as the next leader. Can I change my vote?”
Changing the vote was not allowed according to the rules. However, the host of the meeting, Todd, was cursing in his mind. Black Phantom was right in front of them, so he did not dare to say no. Thus, he nodded in dismay.
After the first, the second and the third followed, and soon came the rest. Han Xiao scanned around the room; whoever came into his sights immediately changed their vote. It was like his eyes had magic in it.
Se Qi did not admit defeat yet. He wanted to have a final struggle but realized that Han Xiao had looked over with eyes that were so sharp that they pierced right through his heart. Horror filled his mind, and he closed his mouth in fear, watching the position that had belonged to him moments ago slip through his fingers.