Chapter 195: Sang Mo Is Back

"If anyone asks, just say you saw them return, but no one else. This isn’t the only way in or out of the Black Domain. As long as we stick to our story and claim we didn’t see or know anything, then once Boss Sang takes care of business, we can go back to the way things were."

The patrolmen nodded quickly. They, too, had been severely oppressed by Brutus and Hades. They had originally come to the Black Domain for its freedom, but who would have thought it would turn out like this.

Another Beastman said, "I can’t believe Boss Sang isn’t actually dead. So why didn’t he come back all these years?"

The leader smacked him viciously on the head. "You useless idiot," he said, full of disappointment. "Have you forgotten the three ’don’ts’ I told you about?"

The Beastman who’d been hit clutched his head with a wronged expression, but his tone was firm. "Don’t speak rashly, don’t look where you shouldn’t, and don’t meddle."

"Follow those rules, and you’ll stay safe," he said earnestly, then waved at the others. "Alright, back to your patrol."

They all acknowledged the order. Only one of them, after giving a seemingly submissive reply, still had a worried look in his eyes.

After Bai Zhi and his group entered the Black Domain, they noticed that everyone seemed preoccupied and hurried.

One of the Beastmen, a man named Wade, said resentfully, "Boss Sang, ever since you left, Brutus and his cronies have tried to impose the same kind of ultra-strict control they have in Tewa Country. A lot of people refused to accept it at first and tried to escape. But every single person who was caught trying to run was... dealt with."

Sang Mo merely glanced around. He didn’t particularly care what had become of this place; all that mattered was his grudge against Brutus and Hades.

He had only founded this place because he was bored. A group of people happened to insist on following him, so he took them in.

He just never expected to take in more and more people, until the situation grew beyond his control.

It wasn’t that he was unaware of Brutus and Hades’s little schemes in the past. He simply couldn’t be bothered to deal with them. As long as they didn’t cause trouble right under his nose, he paid them no mind.

And just as he’d expected, they never dared to cause any real trouble. At least on the surface, his word was law.

What he never expected was that they would have the audacity to make a move against him during those few days each month when he was physically weak. Otherwise, with his former strength, they never would have stood a chance.

Yue Junxiao looked at the surrounding people and asked, puzzled, "Didn’t you all band together to resist? If all of you fought back at once, they surely wouldn’t dare do anything, right?"

Wade immediately looked up at him. "And what makes you think we didn’t try?"

Another Beastman immediately chimed in, "They hired some powerful Beastmen from who-knows-where and got their hands on some strange substance. Anyone who resisted was given a dose. It doesn’t kill you, but the pain is excruciating. You have to take an antidote on time every month to be okay. Otherwise, they just let the disobedient ones die from the agony."

Bai Zhi also frowned. "No wonder they all look so dejected and oppressed."

Wade said obsequiously, "You’ve been traveling all day; you must be tired. Let’s go rest at the hotel up ahead. The owner is a bit of a snob, which is why he gets by so well in the Black Domain. He also despises Brutus and his men."

Worried they might misunderstand, he quickly added an explanation, "The thing is, his place is the best hotel in the Black Domain. All the amenities are high-end. And most importantly, he’s tight-lipped. He treats all his guests the same, so you don’t have to worry about him gossiping."

Sang Mo didn’t pay much mind to such things. Hu Yan glanced at the hotel. It looked decent from the outside, so he offered Wade a gentle word of thanks.

Wade waved his hands in a fluster. "No, no, don’t thank me! It’s the least we can do."

They had, of course, done some research beforehand. They knew this was the famous Third Prince. How could they possibly be worthy of a thank you from the Third Prince?

The other Beastmen chimed in hastily, "Yes, yes! It’s what we ought to do. Besides, we’re the ones asking you for help, so anything we do is only right."

Upon hearing this, Sang Mo shot them a look that said, ’Then what are you waiting for? Lead the way.’ Wade understood at once and began to lead them forward.

The group followed him into the hotel Wade had mentioned.

It was just as Wade had said. Without asking any questions, the staff checked them in. The fee was a little over two hundred thousand Star Coins. For them, however, money was the one thing they didn’t lack. While the price might be steep for others, it wasn’t a concern for their group.

The rooms were suites, each with three bedrooms. They took two of them.

Inside, the beds and various furnishings were all acceptable. While not comparable to their own homes, they were still quite decent.

That night, long after everyone else was asleep, Hu Yan and the others slipped out. Under the cover of darkness, they split up to infiltrate the homes of Brutus and Hades.

Brutus was in his study, one hand on his hip, the other slamming the desk with a series of loud THUDS as he cursed, "That bastard Hades is getting more and more out of hand! Today he actually incited those people to propose a tax hike. Does he think it’s that easy? I never should have brought him into this. If I hadn’t been the one to find those men back then, he wouldn’t even have the right to stand on equal footing with me! And now he dares to challenge me over a female?! Well, I’ll be damned. What an eye-opener!"

Just then, the low, hoarse voice of another figure, a Black-robed Beastman, emerged from beneath his hood. "If he truly gets involved with the female from the Moore family, it will be detrimental to our impending plan."

Hearing this, Brutus had no choice but to temporarily suppress his temper and consider the matter seriously. "Moerde himself may not have any real power, but his family has a Beastman at the Peak of SS Level. If those two families were to unite, it would indeed be a problem for our future plans."

"There are two options. The first is to have your daughter form a union with the Peak of SS Level Beastman from the Moore family." The Black-robed Beastman had barely finished speaking before Brutus’s expression sank.

The Black-robed Beastman glanced at him, then continued with the second option. "The second is to find an outside power strong enough to solidify your position. If you form an alliance, then even a union between Hades and the Moore family will pose no threat to you."

Brutus mulled it over for a few seconds. "But if outsiders get involved in the Black Domain’s affairs, many things will become difficult to control."

"Think about it. Time waits for no one," the Black-robed Beastman said before standing up and leaving.

Just as Brutus was lost in thought, he suddenly heard a knock on the door. At that moment, Lang Qiu, who was monitoring a wireless listening device, deliberately glanced in the direction of the sound.

Brutus assumed the Black-robed Beastman had returned.

Just then, the respectful voice of a subordinate came from outside the door. "Sir, Tale from the outer city patrol team has something to report."

Hearing this, Brutus paused for a moment before saying, "Let him in."

The Beastman who entered was dressed in a patrol uniform. He kept his head bowed cautiously, not daring to look directly at Brutus.

Brutus had already straightened up in his seat before the man entered. "What is it?" he asked.

Tale said, "Today while on patrol, we spotted two Starships. Watt and his men brought five Beastmen and one female back into the Black Domain. One of the Beastmen... we all thought he looked a little like Lord Sang Mo..."

He hadn’t even finished speaking when Brutus, hearing the name Sang Mo, slammed his hand on the desk and shot to his feet. His voice grew louder without him realizing it. "Who did you say you saw?"

His voice was laced with an indescribable fear—a fear that was bone-deep. Even after so many years, he still hadn’t been able to completely erase the impression Sang Mo had left on him.

Tale was startled. His voice trembled as he subconsciously answered, "Sang... Sang Mo..."

Brutus pressed, "Did you get a clear look? Are you sure Sang Mo is back?"

Tale stammered, "I-It should be him, yes."

At that, Brutus roared, "It either is or it isn’t! Was it him or not?! Answer me!"

Tale was timid by nature; he had only run here to report Sang Mo’s return because he was afraid of being blamed later. Terrified by Brutus’s outburst, his body began to tremble uncontrollably, but he forced himself to say, "We all thought so. It... it was him."

Brutus’s fleshy face twisted into a ferocious scowl. He clenched his fists, his voice sounding as if each word was being squeezed from his throat, grotesquely distorted. "Fine, Sang Mo. You actually dared to come back!"

Tale was terrified by Brutus’s expression. His whole body trembled even more violently, and he kept his head buried, not daring to look up.

Brutus must have heard the slight sound of his trembling, because he seemed to remember someone else was in the room. He said in a placating tone, "I’m aware of the situation now. You’ve done well. Go and collect your reward."

Tale felt no joy at the thought of a reward, only overwhelming panic. "Th-thank you, Sir. I was only doing my duty."

"Mm."

After Tale left, Brutus immediately summoned his men, intending to launch a city-wide manhunt for Sang Mo.

Just as he was about to inform Hades that Sang Mo had returned, he stopped.

’Sang Mo definitely came back to get revenge on both me and Hades,’ he thought. ’Knowing this first gives me an extra layer of protection.’

As for Hades...

’Right now, I’d love nothing more than for Sang Mo to kill Hades, so of course I’m not going to tell him.’

Brutus changed his mind. He ordered a covert search and, at the same time, raised the defenses to their highest level.

Lang Qiu and Sang Mo had heard the entire conversation. Lang Qiu looked at Sang Mo, his eyes asking what he planned to do next.

Sang Mo simply tampered with the defenses a bit as Brutus was activating them.

This had been one of his former residences; he knew its inner workings better than anyone.

After this was done, Lang Qiu stared at Sang Mo for a long moment before silently giving him a thumbs-up.

’As expected of Sang Mo!’

Sang Mo just raised an eyebrow slightly. ’Just the basics,’ he thought.

Meanwhile, on the other side, Hu Yan and Yan Yichen were making their move. One transformed into his beast form, while the other used his spiritual power to infiltrate directly.

At that moment, Hades was completely oblivious to the night’s events, preoccupied as he was with a female in his bed...