by <unknown>
Right when a round gate was opened on the floor like a blossoming flower, and the five senior managers were about to enter, an abrupt change took place!
Qi Yuanbao suddenly roared and turned into a streak of brightness, dashing out of the window as fast as lightning!
Even though somebody guessed that he would do something, they did not expect that he would escape so ruthlessly. The defenders of the Seven Seas Grand Market were under the command of Qi Yuanbao in the first place. Therefore, the soldiers looked at each other in bewilderment, wondering if they should attack their superior. As a result, Qi Yuanbao dashed out of the window after only a few leaps.
Exclamations echoed in the grand conference room. Qi Yuanbao's escape proved his betrayal and Li Yao's identity as "Black Wind King".
Li Yao had already predicted Qi Yuanbao's move. With a sniff, he blinked to the window, his body turning into ferocious black smoke, and he snatched Qi Yuanbao's back.
Shua!
A gigantic black hand appeared out of nowhere and grabbed Qi Yuanbao, with such an enormous strength that his whole back was splitting apart. Even the bones were clearly visible.
Qi Yuanbao grunted, and his body fell from the altitude of hundreds of meters.
However, an invisible strength leaked out of his pores into thousands of streams, continuing to flee.
Even though the headquarters of the Business Alliance of Ten Thousand Sectors had been surrounded by thousands of soldiers, few detected the existence of Qi Yuanbao's remaining soul. Even the Immortal Cultivators with the keenest senses only felt a gentle breeze passing by.
Qi Yuanbao was about to escape when Li Yao sniffed and snapped his fingers, remotely controlling the "Arsonist" to turn around and blow out deafening sound waves at where Qi Yuanbao fled in panic.
Bam!
As if ten thousand bells had been hit at the same time, the soundwaves congregated into visible blasts and raged out like a flood.
All the Immortal Cultivators were dizzy, their ears humming and bleeding.
Crystal suits, shuttles, and battle puppets were all sparking, many units temporarily malfunctioned.
In the overlapping soundwaves, Qi Yuanbao's remaining soul let out desperate screams and finally revealed his real appearance. He struggled in pain like a cluster of hazy, unpredictable mist.
"Qi Yuanbao—Hanged Man!"
Not far away, two angry roars echoed at the same time!
They were exactly Black Flag King and Revenant From The Dead Sea, the other two super assassins on par with Qi Yuanbao. They locked onto Qi Yuanbao's remaining soul at the same time, one from the left and the other from the right!
If Qi Yuanbao still had a heart, it would've been falling apart because of fear.
Even though his remaining soul couldn't have been more solid after being tempered with secret techniques hundreds of times, it was on the verge of dissolution too.
Black Flag King and Revenant From The Dead Sea were both super assassins in the Divinity Transformation Stage. Even though they might be slightly weaker than him, the gap was not very huge.
Besides, there was still a brutal monster that was Li Yao, who was eyeing Qi Yuanbao coldly from his back, occupying most of Qi Yuanbao's senses and computational ability.
After one moment of carelessness, his soul felt a sudden pain after a bullet that had been carved with special rune arrays to deal with ghosts pierced through it.
Hiss! Hiss! Hiss! Hiss! Hiss! Hiss!
Qi Yuanbao completely lost the strength to condense his soul, turning from a slightly fuzzy shape of a human into a monster that was waving the tentacles crazily. The tentacles were also breaking and falling apart one after another. He was about to be completely obliterated.
Li Yao waved his hands and released a rusted, crippled artificial body from his Cosmos Ring before he threw it at Qi Yuanbao's remaining soul.
Qi Yuanbao's remaining soul was like someone being drowned who had found a straw to cling to. Having no time to bother if the artificial body was a trap, the streams of smoke from his soul crawled into it in a hurry.
Zi! Zi! Zi! Zi! Zi! Zi!
The moment all the remaining soul entered the artificial body, Li Yao condensed a rune casually, and dazzling electric arcs immediately emanated from the artificial body. Qi Yuanbao's remaining soul was screaming in excruciating pain because of the electrocution.
"Just stay inside and behave!"
Li Yao remotely dragged the artificial body that was surrounded by electric arcs to himself, before he spoke to Qi Yuanbao in a soft voice, "Don't waste your time struggling, and don't say anything about 'His Majesty'. If 'His Majesty' learns that you have been so reckless and sabotaged his thousand-year plan, do you think you can possibly be kept alive?"
Chapter 2548: Be Loyal to Me! |
Dark smoke popped up from the rusted artificial body. That was the shiver of Qi Yuanbao's remaining soul in fear.
"As a matter of fact, you are now basically screwed."
Li Yao said unhurriedly, "Use your nonexistent brain to think whose side you should take, and who you should wish to win in the end. 'His Majesty' must detest you. If he learns what you and your sister have done, it will be merciful of him if he tears the two of you apart alive.
"The four Kurfürst families certainly do not have any place reserved for you and your sister either, considering that so many assassins from the four families have been killed. Most of them were the central members of the main bloodline in the four families.
"Basically, you are now ruined and doomed. The universe may be big, but there is no place for you and your sister now!
"However, in your dilemma, there is still a narrow, zigzagging way out and an expert that deserves the loyalty of you and your sister."
Inside the artificial body, Qi Yuanbao's eyes became more and more widened.
"Congratulations. Your guess is correct. The only way for your sister and you to survive is to pledge loyalty to the Black Wind King, Vulture Li Yao!"
Li Yao grinned hideously. "There's no need to feel strange. Technically, there is nothing personal between you and me. Even though you did set Jin Yuyan up with plots, he is nothing more than my business partner. As long as the business is made, I don't care whether he is dead or alive!
"Listen, everything I said just now is true. I am really the Black Wind King, and I'm sincerely hoping to cooperate with the Business Alliance of Ten Thousand Sectors. However, one can never be too careful. I have only just returned to the Imperium after all, and I do not know the situation inside the Business Alliance of Ten Thousand Sectors very well. I'm in need of a few 'good friends' who are familiar with it to help me deal with the issues on the Business Alliance's side and keep an eye on those cunning merchants, including Jin Yuyan himself!
"I will not earn or lose anything whether you and your sister are dead or alive. Therefore, as long as you submit to me and show your worth, I will try my best to keep you alive!"
"Well…"
From the metal throat that had been sealed for a long time, a bitter voice echoed.
"Don't act like you are a chaste woman. Have your sister and you never committed any betrayals before?"
Li Yao sniffed and said, "Just think about it carefully. If you are unwilling to do that, I will not force you to. However, Jin Yuyan is not dead yet. Your soul signature is not necessary to open the central trade database. Are you and your sister ready to embrace the fury of Jin Yuyan and other investors?
"As the saying goes, stopping somebody from making money is like killing their parents. The plot of yours almost burnt billions of free coins of the investors to the ground. Tsk, tsk, tsk. That's even more outrageous than killing all their ancestors. How do you think your sister and you will end?"
Qi Yuanbao shuddered hard, with every ragged component on his body clattering. He lowered his head and his voice. "My king…"
"That's right. Those who suit their actions to the times are wise. Very soon, you will realize that submitting to
'Vulture Li Yao, the Black Wind King' is not something to be ashamed of, but the ultimate glory for the experts at the center of the cosmos!"
Li Yao opened his hands and patted Qi Yuanbao's iron shell, saying casually, "Now, go back and open the central trade database with the other four senior managers. Confess everything you have done dutifully, and I will ensure that you are not killed!"
Fear and hesitation bloomed out of Qi Yuanbao's manmade eyes.
"Opportunities knock only once. It's all up to your own attitude now."
Li Yao said coldly, "Think carefully. Jin Yuyan is not dead in the first place. Even without the confession of you and your sister, the truth will still be revealed very soon. I'm merely hoping to boost the confidence and morale of the Business Alliance of Ten Thousand Sectors as quickly as possible.
"You haven't been with me long enough to know that I am a man of my words, so I don't blame you. However, now that I have promised to spare your life, nobody will take it from you.
"On the very contrary, I think highly of you as a great talent. Being a senior manager of the Business Alliance of Ten Thousand Sectors doesn't deserve your gifts. The new Imperium after the war will be a new country where all the old stuff must be reinvigorated. At the center of the cosmos or in the New Black Wind Dominion at the edge of the cosmos, people like you deserve greater stages for you to carry out your ambitions."
The fear and suspicion in Qi Yuanbao's eyes gradually turned into intense greed and thirst.
"Of course, there is no free lunch in the world. What you can get from me depends on what you can give me."
Expressionless, Li Yao pressed Qi Yuanbao's iron skull hard with coldness beaming out of his eyes. In squeaky noises, a deep mark of his palm was left on Qi Yuanbao's head, as if it were his stamp.
He then tossed Qi Yuanbao out casually and said, "Go now. Live or die, you may choose for yourself now!"
Dragging the incomplete, rusted artificial body, Qi Yuanbao floated in the midair, stunned for a long time.
He looked around, only to discover that he was surrounded by his former comrades who were now hostile and vigilant. His identity as a traitor and a spy had been spread out. There was nothing he could do to turn it around.
Not far away, next to the window of the headquarters, Wuying Qinxin, his sister, seemed to be watching him.
His sister's identity hadn't been exposed yet, and she was still free to move around.
However, there was not much time left for her precious freedom now.
Therefore, his sister looked rather frustrated and seemed about to leap off from the height.
Subconsciously, Qi Yuanbao touched the palm mark that Li Yao had just left. Making up his mind, he flew back to the headquarters voluntarily to turn himself in!
Looking at his shivering back, Li Yao smiled and made a gesture at a sniper's spot on the top of a skyscraper not far away.
…
In the sniper's spot on the top of the skyscraper, the person on one of her knees and holding a heavy anti-ghost sniper rifle in her hand was exactly Red Lady, the super assassin who betrayed and joined the four Kurfürst families earlier.
At this moment, Red Lady was still in the rigid posture on one of her knees, soaked in sweat with an extremely pale face.
If one were to observe more carefully, they would notice that a red light was swirling quickly in feeble hums right above the back of her head, ready to pierce through her cerebrum and cerebellum to eliminate her soul anytime.
"S-Senior…"
Red Lady stammered in fear, "Qi Yuanbao has surrendered. I have accomplished my mission. Could… Could you spare my life and let me go?"
Hiss! Hiss! Hiss! Hiss!
The red light swirling above the back of her head split into thousands of red threads that crawled into her ears and cackled gloomily. "Of course, but you should understand who your new master is now, shouldn't you?"
After a shiver, Red Lady replied obediently, "It's… It's 'Vulture Li Yao, the Black Wind King'!"
"Very good. You are smart. Smart people always live longer."
The red threads flowed out of Red Lady's ears again and focused on the intangible shadow of the mental devil. "Neither the four families nor the Business Alliance of Ten Thousand Sectors has any prospects. The future of the Imperium is destined to be the Black Wind King's. Bear that in mind, and you will live longer and better!"
"S-Senior."
Sensing that the guy was about to vanish, Red Lady hurried to ask, "May I ask your name, senior?"
"About that…"
The mental devil had completely vanished, but its voice was still popping up inside Red Lady's brain. "If I am going to kill you someday, I'll let you know it."
Hardly had the voice gone when thousands of ants seemed to be biting Red Lady's brain. She fell and cried from the excruciating pain while holding her head; the fear of the mental devil impressed on her forever.
When she raised her head again, there was not any red brightness around anymore. The fiend that had haunted her since half a day ago had finally left.
…
Jin Yuyan was not killed!
He had transplanted his own soul into the body of a female bodyguard through the "Soul Transfer Technique"!
Everything was a scheme that he made with "Vulture Li Yao, the Black Wind King" in order to attract and catch all the spies and traitors hiding within the Business Alliance of Ten Thousand Sectors, eliminating all the uncertainties for the upcoming battle of Seven Seas!
The astounding news raised surging tides inside the grand conference room.
However, everybody saw with their own eyes that the five senior managers retrieve the surgical data of the "Soul Transfer Technique" from the central trade database. Qi Yuanbao and Wuying Qinxin also pleaded guilty and confessed to everything dutifully.
Red Lady, a super assassin who had joined the four families, had shown up on her own and confessed everything too. She also volunteered to give out the locations of quite a few secret bureaus of the four families in the Seven Seas Grand Market to alleviate her punishment.
With the solid evidence, it was impossible for the managers, shareholders, investors, and partners to not believe it.
Based on the convincing evidence, when Jin Yuyan slowly drifted to the center of the grand conference room in the thick and hideous body of the female bodyguard, it was not too unacceptable.
"Everybody, I am Jin Yuyan, and this is my brand-new body."
Jin Yuyan opened his arms so that everybody could see his latest appearance clearly. "As you have seen just now, the whole thing is a scheme that the Black Wind King and I made. Despite the minor error during the implementation, which resulted in the destruction of my real body, I believe that it was a price that had to be paid in order to defeat the four Kurfürst families and to make the businesses of each and every one of us to thrive even more.
"Now, we have won. The clandestine plots of the four Kurfürst families have been completely shattered. Everything is under our control.
"Now, let's welcome 'Vulture Li Yao, the Black Wind King', the most honorable guest of the Business Alliance of Ten Thousand Sectors, with our warmest applause!"
Chapter 2549: The Universe Is Great but Not as Great as Me! |
When Li Yao stepped into the conference room of the headquarters of the Business Alliance of Ten Thousand Sectors again, everybody looked at him in a way completely different manner from just now.
In their complicated eyes, there was the fear for the Black Wind King, the greed about the edge of the cosmos, and the curiosity of the Black Wind Fleet. It must be noted that Li Yao was not just representing himself but also a most brutal fleet that was hiding in nobody knew where right now!
Although they were all the rulers of the peripheral worlds of the Imperium, the Black Wind King was vastly different from the general warlords and Sector Masters. He was a battle-tested general and had the strength of five Sectors.
At such a subtle, critical moment, t
he heavy chess piece that was the Black Wind Fleet would certainly tip the scales of victory.
Therefore, everybody was silent while they waited for Li Yao to speak.
Li Yao looked around again and retrieved a few jade chips, saying, "General Jin is quite right. The riot that happened in the Seven Seas Grand Market today was but a scheme that he and I set up together. The victims of the scheme did not just include QI Yuanbao, Wuying Qinxin, and Red Lady, but also a lot of other people seated here.
"As the saying goes, when you pluck a carrot, you will inevitably splash the mud. You know very clearly whether or not you have been wavering or secretly talking to the four Kurfürst families. All the evidence is inside the few jade chips."
After hearing that, everybody exclaimed in shock.
Many people's faces changed greatly, as if they were sitting on a carpet of needles.
Some were hesitating and looking around.
Some other people were clenching their fists, with brutality beaming out of their eyes.
With a smile, Li Yao observed what everybody was doing and suddenly made a movement that surprised everyone. He unleashed his spiritual energy and crushed the few jade chips into pieces, before burning them up in flames. All the data were gone.
"I hate traitors more than anything else. I was going to get to the bottom of it and find out all the guys who were secretly conspiring with the four families, mincing them and letting them die the most miserable death!"
Li Yao said rather creepily. Patting his hands to get rid of the ashes of the jade chips, he suddenly changed his attitude. "However, Director Jin persuaded me not to blame you for what you had done. He said that the four Kurfürst families were powerful and had overwhelming advantages on the surface. It was perfectly normal that somebody sought a way of survival when they couldn't handle the enormous pressure.
"Many of you had been doing business with the four families since more than a hundred years ago. Some of you were even directly backed by the people from the four families. It was already impossible to draw a clear line between the two parties. If I got to the bottom of it, everybody would've been guilty. Even Jin Yuyan himself had done a lot of business and made quite a few friends with the four families. Haha, hahahaha!"