Chapter 289 - 287: Grand Night Raid Drill

Night. A villa in the Cyan Dragon District.

As one of Jianghuai’s five main city districts, the Cyan Dragon District corresponds to the east. It’s the region closest to the Jianghuai coast and is also the largest in area.

Its most prosperous areas boast skyscrapers that are the grandest in all of Jianghuai, but farther out, there are also quieter spots with grand villa complexes.

Although they couldn’t compare to the centuries-old mansions in the Yellow Dragon District, they were still worth a fortune.

But a place like this also meant... there were no densely packed rooftops for Martial Artists to leap between.

In the dark of the night, several figures appeared in an instant on the roof of a commercial building. A massive billboard displayed a car advertisement.

There were ten figures, all clad in black cloaks that hid most of their bodies and billowed in the cold wind.

The pressure they exuded was immense.

Cao Wei pointed ahead and said, "Master, it’s in Building 11, on the corner. Even if it’s not the Main Altar, it has to be a high-level contact and assembly point."

A strange light gleamed in Yang Shen’s eyes. "I didn’t expect... we’d find it so quickly?"

He remembered how he and Long Jiu had searched for over two months. Back then, Long Jiu even had the advantage of being familiar with the Rebel Species’ rules, allowing her to find their strongholds and lure them out one by one.

Even so, they had to dismantle nearly every stronghold of the old Jianghuai Sub-temple before they found the slightest trace of Jiang Xingjian.

That guy was as slippery as an eel; if he hadn’t been forced into a corner with no one left to command, finding him through searching alone would have been nearly impossible.

’How was this new sub-temple exposed so quickly?’

’Or are the Yang Family’s Eight Disciples just that good?’

Cao Wei explained, "Night Owl helped. She said two people were secretly asking about that mission and got caught by the Ding Family. She asked me what to do with them."

"Apparently, it’s the Ding Family’s duty to keep people like that from sticking their noses into Jiangti’s business. It was a fortunate coincidence."

"I had them hold one and release the other. We planted a bug and a tracker on the one they let go. The stronghold he returned to was already under our surveillance, and we just followed the trail from there to here."

Yang Shen smacked his lips.

’It was that simple?’

’Well, I guess not all villains are geniuses.’

’Some are just ruthless enough.’

’When the Jianghuai Sub-temple was rebuilt, the Main Altar must have brought some of their own people, but it’s impossible that all the new personnel are from their inner circle.’

’They would eventually have to reactivate some of the low-level members that I left alive. It’s the only way to inherit Jiang Xingjian’s legacy, both in terms of manpower and resources.’

’Their strategy is still the same—operate in the shadows for personal gain, avoid blatant conflict with the authorities or major powers—but their execution... lacks finesse and caution.’

’All I can say is... this New Altar Master is leagues below Jiang Xingjian in terms of skill.’

’Maybe he has a more audacious style?’

What Yang Shen didn’t know was that the reason for Jiang Xingjian’s tense relationship with the Main Altar was that the Jianghuai Sub-temple, despite being located in one of the most prosperous cities in all of Yanhua—and even the world—had failed to provide the "returns" the Main Altar expected.

Although he had worked hard and achieved great things, the financial kickbacks were few and far between.

Conversely, now that the Main Altar was taking over directly, they naturally wouldn’t continue with the same style...

Normally, after discovering this location, they should have laid low and gathered more intelligence. Unfortunately, the released Rebel Species member eventually found the bug and tracker on him.

The Rebel Species was likely on high alert now, so they had no choice but to launch a swift raid tonight.

Yang Shen pondered for a moment before saying, "There’s a good chance this is the Main Altar. Capture them alive if possible."

The small fry from before would have had no contact with the "Dragonification Experiment," but the high-ranking members from the Main Altar’s takeover would likely be an excellent breakthrough point.

The Yang Family had gone all out tonight. Aside from Yuan Rui, who stayed behind at the Yang Residence to guard against a counter-attack, Xu Bamboo, Long Jiu, and seven of the Eight Disciples were all present.

Even without counting Yang Shen, they had six Innates, including powerhouses on the level of Long Jiu and Xu Bamboo.

The "Jianghuai Yang Family," once a laughable topic of conversation, now possessed the power to make a Basic Attack.

Yang Shen raised his well-defined right hand. The black Curse Engraving on it solidified as if it were flesh and blood... quickly forming into nine black masks, mostly identical but with slight variations.

With a gentle wave of his hand, the nine masks were borne upon his True Gang, floating over to the others.

The members of the Yang Family Army silently fastened them to their faces.

Yang Shen, however, lightly tapped his own forehead, and a streamlined Evil Ghost Helmet instantly materialized.

Then he stood up. "Remember, Xu Bamboo and Long Jiu will each lead a team. Your own safety is the top priority."

Everyone nodded, then once again dissolved into ten afterimages, scattering in all directions toward the villa on the corner.

Yang Shen had a solid plan. Tonight, he wouldn’t make a move himself, but would first leave it to the others.

After all, the Rebel Species lacked high-end combat power.

It would serve as a decent test for his troops.

...

Inside the villa, a middle-aged man with a meticulously trimmed beard and graying hair paced back and forth, looking somewhat agitated.

The bug had been discovered. He could only assume it was the Ding Family’s handiwork, but what reason would they have?

’Were they acting on official orders? Is some big move afoot?’

According to the Rebel Species’ usual modus operandi, the moment they suspected official surveillance, they were to evacuate and go to ground. But he had just started to make some headway in Jianghuai; to orchestrate a mass relocation over a mere unsubstantiated rumor was simply too galling.

The middle-aged man took out his phone and made a call. "I want to speak with the Ding Family."

"200,000."

The middle-aged man flew into a rage. "You want 200,000 for a single phone call? Is your eleven-digit number gold-plated or something?"

"If you had the number yourself and could guarantee someone would pick up, I wouldn’t be able to earn this 200,000."

"You!... Fine!"

A few minutes later, an unknown number called back. After answering, the middle-aged man deliberately assumed a calm and composed posture, even though the person on the other end couldn’t see him.

The man on the other end of the line didn’t introduce himself, offer a "hello," or even a "hey."

He said directly:

"Keep your hands out of Jiangti."

The middle-aged man frowned. "I’m not the one reaching in. Someone from inside Jiangti is reaching out to investigate me..."

"Then deal with it."

The middle-aged man was so angry he laughed.

"Jiang Xingjian went after so many high school students before, many from prestigious schools. How come I didn’t see you Ding Family folks coming out to slay demons and defend the righteous then?"

The person on the other end was silent for a moment. "Interesting. The black and white paths have been looking for him for decades, and none of us even knew his name. Thanks for telling me."

"That alone shows what you’re made of. Compared to him, you’re incredibly stupid..."

Jiang Xingjian was a true viper, hidden deep enough that he didn’t need to abide by any rules. He could do great, ruthless things.

Back when the Martial Arts Psychosis incidents angered the authorities, both the black and white paths issued kill orders. The Ding Family searched like madmen but came up with nothing noteworthy; they didn’t even learn his name.

This just showed how deeply he was hidden.

As for this New Altar Master’s style, the only reason he hadn’t been cleaned up yet was because the authorities hadn’t noticed him.

The middle-aged man roared in fury, "You say that as if you know my name!"

The person on the other end hung up immediately, leaving him to squeeze his phone so hard it creaked.

If he hadn’t been holding back with all his might, he would have crushed it to pieces.

Just as he was looking for a way to vent his anger, the phone unexpectedly rang again. The man from the Ding Family was calling back.

He said coolly:

"We know now. You’re Lu Chengfeng, nephew of the Main Altar’s Master, a half-breed from the Si Realm and Yanhua, 63 years old, and this is your first time as a Sub-Altar Master."

The middle-aged man... no, Lu Chengfeng, felt a chill run down his spine.

"You... you people..."

Desperate to regain some control, he could only force the conversation back on track. "You broke the rules! Why did you plant a bug on my man!"

The person on the other end just said, "It’s not up to an outsider like you to decide the rules in Jianghuai. Not disturbing Jiangti is everyone’s rule."

"I don’t waste time explaining things to dead men. Given your recent pattern of activity, if the criminal police division wasn’t having some internal issues and conducting a large-scale self-investigation, you would’ve been wiped out long ago."

Then the line went dead again.

Lu Chengfeng gritted his teeth, squeezing his phone until it creaked again, the screen starting to crack.

But then, the phone rang a third time.

Lu Chengfeng answered in a split second. "What else do you have to say!"

But it wasn’t the man from the Ding Family this time. It was the original intermediary.

"You had two calls, so that’s 400,000. Remember to settle the bill."

Lu Chengfeng exploded with rage. "You motherfucker!! He called me back for the second one! You’re charging for that too!"

The intermediary replied, "Not my problem. That’s the rule in Jianghuai, you damn outsider!"

And then he hung up too.

"Wait, how did you know I had two calls!"

"Hello! Hello!"

Lu Chengfeng violently hurled the phone to the ground, where it shattered into pieces. His blood pressure skyrocketed.

"These Jianghuai People are pushing me too far! Too far!!"

"This city is too damn xenophobic!"

"Just you wait! With the Dragon Soldier technology! The Ding Family? Sooner or later, I’ll wipe you all out!!"

"Someone, get in here!!"

He intended to call someone to clean up the debris, but after a long moment, none of his ever-present subordinates came in.

Lu Chengfeng’s expression turned ugly. His anger mounted, but it was quickly followed by alarm. He hurried into a hidden room at the back to check the rows of security monitors.

Everything seemed quiet.

He didn’t know, however, that behind him, a masked figure was bizarrely and slowly rising up from the floor.

Xu Bamboo stared at the back of his neck, wondering whether to use more force this time or to hold back a little...

But just as the perfect sneak attack was about to succeed, something unexpected happened.

A foot-long fissure suddenly split open on Lu Chengfeng’s forehead.

From within, something like a cockroach’s antenna emerged, swaying slightly in the air.

"Who’s there!!"