Chapter 292: Get Back to the White Family

Chapter 292: Chapter 292: Get Back to the White Family

The White Family’s Great Elder slammed his hand on the table and roared, "What the hell does Chad Yates think he’s doing? If he’s tired of his position, he can step down! There are plenty of people who want it!"

The Fifth Elder speculated, "He doesn’t seem like the type to be so bold. Something probably came up, and he didn’t have time to report it."

"No time? It’s the second day, and we’re only just getting the news! He had plenty of time! I think he has a death wish!" The Great Elder was so furious his eyebrows practically stood on end.

"I heard the other managers knew about this as well. Chad Yates even brought it up at a regular meeting. So, tell me, whose idea was this? Who put him up to it? He isn’t smart enough to think of this on his own."

Hearing this, the Great Elder gradually calmed down and began to analyze the situation as well.

"The O’Malley Family? Unlikely. They always put on such high-and-mighty airs; they’d consider this beneath them."

"The Shaw Family? That’s a bit more plausible, but their focus hasn’t been on Cathaya for the last few years. I hear they’re moving their operations abroad, and they don’t have many members. They probably wouldn’t risk such a big move."

"The Rivers Family? It has to be them! They’re always causing trouble for us! They just copy everything we do! Such copycats! Steven Gibbs must be the one who put Chad Yates up to this!"

The Great Elder’s personal bias was glaring. ’It’s obvious he hates the Rivers Family the most,’ the Fifth Elder thought, fighting the urge to laugh.

’If we keep analyzing things the way the Great Elder does, we’ll never figure out who’s really pulling the strings.’

The Fifth Elder said cautiously, "What if it was all three families?"

The Great Elder’s expression shifted, his face turning ashen. "Why would they? Who the hell have we in the White Family ever provoked?!"

’You tell me,’ the Fifth Elder thought wryly. ’We’re the most arrogant family, and among all the managers, ours is the one who causes the most bullshit.’

The Fifth Elder sighed. But what was done was done. The situation was difficult to change now; all they could do was move forward.

...

「The Rivers Family.」

A few elders were also discussing the matter, trying to figure out which family was behind it all.

But no matter how they looked at it, they couldn’t reach a conclusion. As far as they knew, none of the other families were audacious enough to pull something like this.

A sudden, major shake-up at Central Command, with dozens of mid-level managers being dismissed.

They were all people planted by the various families. What on earth was going on?

The Shaw Family was another matter entirely. They had few members and, consequently, the fewest people planted in Central Command.

They were so caught off guard by the purge that by the time they processed what had happened, all they could do was console themselves. ’It’s fine,’ they thought, ’at least we still have some people left.’

...

「Central Command.」

Chad Yates stared at the list in his hands, crossing off the names one by one with a pen.

A closer look revealed that the names being crossed out were the same ones with small checkmarks next to them—the very people who had recently been dismissed.

The corner of Chad Yates’s mouth curled into a smirk as he laughed to himself. ’The White Family will have to give me more authority after this, right?’

His confidant stood bowed by his side and said in a low voice, "Manager Yates, all the people you mentioned have been dealt with."

Chad Yates crossed his legs. "Good work. These people here can be promoted. They’re usable."

He pointed to the names on the list that were marked with an ’X,’ then pinched the paper between his fingers and handed it back to his confidant.

The confidant took the list and scanned it, a shock running through him. He, too, was a member of The Mysterious Clan.

He naturally recognized that everyone on the list belonged to one of the families within The Mysterious Clan. ’Why get rid of one group just to promote another?’ he wondered.

The confidant didn’t dare to ask. He bowed, backed out of the room, and decided he would go talk to the other managers’ assistants first.

After all, their people were on that list too.

Inside the room, Chad Yates remained seated with his legs crossed, smugly reviewing his actions.

The more he thought about it, the more pleased he felt. This time, the White Family...

RING-RING— His Light Brain suddenly blared, making Chad Yates jump.

He glanced down at the screen and saw it was a call from the White Family’s Great Elder.

A smug smile touched Chad Yates’s lips. Brimming with confidence, he answered the call and said in a fawning tone, "Great Elder..."

"Chad Yates, are you fucking tired of living?! If you don’t want your job anymore, then get your ass back here and face your punishment!" the Great Elder bellowed without preamble.

"Wh—" The word caught in Chad Yates’s throat. The smile froze on his face, and he subconsciously tightened his grip on the armrest of his chair.

"Who gave you permission to do this?" the Great Elder demanded after his initial outburst, finally getting to the point.

Chad Yates could only force a smile, swallow his bitterness, and explain, "I discovered that Quincy Shaw was talking to our informants from the various families. I was afraid they would be swayed and turned against us."

"So, I managed to get a list of the people he met with and took preemptive action, dismissing anyone who seemed likely to be turned. I wanted to stop them before they could make any trouble."

"Idiot!" the Great Elder roared.

Being cursed at again, Chad Yates felt a surge of anger, but in the face of the White Family’s Great Elder, he could only bow and scrape with a placating smile. "Great Elder, please, enlighten me."

Hearing this only confirmed for the Great Elder what a monumental idiot Chad Yates was. ’He still hasn’t figured it out?’ he fumed internally. ’It was obviously a trap! Does he really think a list like that would be so easy to get his hands on?’

’We’re talking about Elder Shaw! Would he really leave a paper trail?’

The Great Elder was so furious he squeezed his eyes shut several times, but the rage wouldn’t subside. "Get your ass back to the White Family! Now!" he roared, then slammed the call shut with a CLICK.

Chad Yates’s heart trembled. ’I don’t want to go back,’ he thought. ’Nothing good can come of it. But if I don’t go back, the consequences will be even worse...’

’Did I do something wrong? Wasn’t I acting in the White Family’s best interests?’

Chad Yates couldn’t understand. ’I did everything right!’ he thought. ’The other managers all agreed with me; they even gave my decision their full support.’

Except... Chad Yates suddenly sensed that something was off. ’They supported me, yes, but I was the one who had to front everything, proposing each and every dismissal.’

A sudden realization hit him. ’So that’s how it is! They just gave me their "moral support" while I took all the heat! I’m the one who ends up with the bad reputation!’

He was starting to understand, but he still believed he had made the right call. ’Those people were a risk. They couldn’t be allowed to stay in important positions where they could cause trouble down the line!’

After reassuring himself with this line of reasoning, Chad Yates returned to the White Family, his heart pounding with dread.

...

「Inside the lottery shop.」

Lily Hart and the others were eating lunch, discussing the recent events at Central Command.

"In just two days, thirty-six managers have been dismissed," Frost Shaw reported. "Chad Yates has survived five assassination attempts; he was well-protected, so they all failed."

On Central Command’s official page within the Human Social Sphere, there was a list of the dismissed personnel. Lily Hart compared it to the list Elder Shaw had given her.

’Ninety percent of the names overlap,’ she noted. ’And they’re all people Elder Shaw determined were unshakably loyal to The Mysterious Clan. They must be completely bewildered right now.’

’They were doing their jobs just fine, and then suddenly they’re dismissed without a single word of explanation from their own families.’

’They must be wondering if they’ve been abandoned.’

"What a pity," Lily Hart commented, "that with so many attempts, none of them succeeded."

Roman Rowe nodded in agreement. "Is there something wrong with that Chad Yates’s head? Or did someone possess his body? Why else would he suddenly do something so outrageous?"

Lily Hart laughed. "He was probably possessed."

Right now, all the major bases were watching Central Command’s every move, eager to see what other chaos would unfold. And just after they finished lunch, a message arrived from Elder Shaw.

*The White Family will likely be replacing their manager.*

Lily Hart couldn’t help but laugh when she read it. ’So, they decided Chad Yates is too stupid and are sending a smarter one to replace him?’