When Xiong Wei reached Golden Tooth’s headquarters, the hall was already full of people. The middle and top management of the gangs was all present.

  When Saber Jin Wanhao was around, Golden Tooth often had such a grand spectacle in its headquarters.

  If the Underground Emperor so much as cleared his throat, the gang members would rush over and listen to his orders. They would not dare to loaf around when it concerned him.

  However, Xiong Wei believed that this would be the last time Golden Tooth’s hall would be so lively.

  From then on, the grand spectacle would move to Black Bone!

  Just as he expected, once he came in, dozens of gang members surrounded him and started flattering him, praising his act of catching the wanted criminals and killing the former Reaper Squad members until it sounded like some grand feat worthy of the best medals.

  Some people even eagerly expressed their loyalty, blatantly stating that since Jin Wanhao had already passed away, Xiong Wei was definitely the one who would be calling the shots in the lair, and that everyone had already come to the decision that they would look at Black Bone as their leader!

  Xiong Wei did not show any emotions on his face, just nodded at the people as thanks.

  But he felt a little disappointed.

  The people who came to please him and express their loyalty were the leaders of third-class gangs in the lair. They only had a few members under them and did not even have fixed bases. What they did were the most despicable and worthless of tasks, like thievery.

  It did not matter to him whether he had these people’s support or not.

  The gangs in the lair were generally split into three classes.

  The ones at the top were naturally Golden Tooth, Black Bone, and Poison Scorpion.

  Golden Tooth and Poison Scorpion would not readily submit to him, but Xiong Wei never thought that he could easily make the two gangs submit to him in the first place.

  The gangs of the second class might not be as great as Golden Tooth, Black Bone, and Poison Scorpion, but they still controlled a large portion of the black market, gambling sites, coliseums, and special weapons forgeries.

  They were the strength that Xiong Wei wanted to conquer the most.

  If all the second class gangs joined him, Golden Tooth and Poison Scorpion would have to submit to him even if they did not want to.

  However, as Xiong Wei looked around, he found that plenty of the top and middle management members of the second-class gangs were gathered in corners and discussing something among themselves. The atmosphere about them was lively, but also strange.

  Even when they saw him, they did not show any intention to come over and greet him. They appeared to be distant and aloof.

  And aside from a handful of attendants from Golden Tooth and Poison Scorpion serving the crowd, he saw none of the top and middle management members from these two gangs.

  Could it be that they were thinking about pulling some trick behind Black Bone?

  Xiong Wei’s mind raced, but he instantly rejected this possibility.

  No matter what, they were allies in name, and zombies as well as monsters were their greatest enemy. In the past, even when the gangs engaged each other in overt and covert battles, they would never attack each other in broad daylight.

  Otherwise, the Supernatural Tower’s fierce might would descend on them, and that would be no joke.

  Besides, Xiong Wei did not think that the unskilled fighters from Golden Tooth and Poison Scorpion could do anything to him.

  With that thought in mind, he scoffed and strode forward.

  On the surface, he appeared to be observing the situation with a cool expression, but in truth, he sent his spirit energy to his cochlea and eardrums so that he could hear the whispers of the top and middle management of the second-class gangs.

  Just as he expected, Xiong Wei heard something really interesting.

  “Jin Wanhao is indeed dead, and the lair is absolutely wrecked right now. There’s chaos everywhere. Even if the wanted criminals and former Reaper Squad members have been captured and the abnormal beast seems to have left temporarily, how are we going to rebuild the lair and protect our interests? That’s still a major problem!”


  “That’s right. The headquarters, markets, gambling sites, coliseums, and material warehouses of the gangs have been severely damaged, and we suffered pretty bad losses. Quite a number of gangs couldn’t take it and disbanded. The lair is definitely going to have a major change of power in the future!”


  “I’m fine with us going through an internal change of power. As long as no outsider benefits from it, I’m fine, even if it means that we’ll end up with a major problem on our hands. I’m just worried that outsiders will interfere. The lair has maintained decades of independence, but it’s all thanks to Saber Jin Wanhao’s absolute power. Without the Underground Emperor’s protection, how can the lair withstand the storm from the outside world?”


  “In my eyes, the lair is destined to be unable to rule over this particular piece of land and do whatever it wants like it did in the past. I won’t talk about the other matters just yet. Let’s just talk about the number of buildings that collapsed, the underground pipes that exploded, and the number of refugees and casualties who lost their homes. The gangs were also badly injured, so it’s impossible for us to depend on our own strength to rebuild the lair.”


  “Besides, if Dragon City obtains full victory during the pitched battle, the mega corporations and the other major forces of power will grow at an unprecedented pace. They will not tolerate the lair as a place full of filth where the good and bad mix together.”


  “Speaking of which, does that mean that the gangs have means of survival?”


  “Of course not. There is a way, and it’s a bright one. The prerequisite is that we must change our way of thinking and proactively embrace the changes. Instead of waiting for external forces to interfere with lair affairs, it would be better for us to take the initiative and work with the outside world. If we can make the pie called reconstructing the lair big, the profit we can share might become ten times greater than in the past.”


  “That’s……”


  “Of course, compared to the mega forces that control Dragon City, the gangs are just nobodies and misfits. If we go and talk with the outside world individually, we might end up getting swallowed without being able to make a sound.

  “That’s why, we must be united and take swift actions. Before the outside world can take the chance to interfere with the lair affairs, we must unite everyone to form an organization to reconstruct the lair. Once everyone has the same thoughts, we can negotiate as one with the outside world and fight for the biggest slice of the pie!”


  When Xiong Wei heard this, he cocked his eyebrows.

  The ones who could become gang leaders in the lair were not easy to deal with, indeed. These people’s thoughts were the same as his.

  Right now, he was the temporary highest ranking commander, and he was just here to capture the wanted criminals and former Reaper Squad members. That was why he could mobilize the people from the gangs and get their data and resources.

  Once the situation stabilized, more gangs would take back their authority and no longer listen to his commands. Some conflict may even stir up between them and Black Bone.

  If they wanted to reconstruct the lair and form an organization that had long-term authority and could bring the resources from the gangs together, then he had to become the leader of the organization, because this was the only way for him to completely control the lair.

  The leader of the Lair Reconstruction Committee?

  Not bad. This title was very pleasant to the ears. He liked it!

  But what he heard next was something Xiong Wei did not like.

  “I heard that Golden Tooth and Poison Scorpion are already discussing things and want to set up the Lair Reconstruction Preparation Committee. They invited all the gangs to join and discuss how we want to reconstruct the lair as well as distribute profit. We will also be able to use the name of the committee to get fees from the Survival Committee and ask for donations from the outside world.

  “Meng Chao and Lu Siya have already responded to the call. They openly declared that once the Lair Reconstruction Preparation Committee is set up, they will donate ten million yuan to the lair in their own names, and this money will be used to rebuild the houses of the lair citizens. Also, Meng Chao and Lu Siya will mobilize their connections to help gather more donations for the lair to join the reconstruction project.”


  Meng Chao?

  Xiong Wei’s pupils shrank.

  Even though he had not killed Meng Chao with one slap after they exposed Red Brows Su Lun’s true colors, this did not mean that he liked this young adult who personally killed his beloved son.

  Also, Xiong Wei could sense a dangerous presence from Meng Chao. He felt that the boy was an unstable variable that he could not read.

  However, in the last twenty-four hours, he had been busy expanding his territory in the name of pursuing the enemies. He did not have time to care about Meng Chao.

  He did not think that the boy could cause any trouble to him within a short twenty-four hours and make a mess of the lair.

  Xiong Wei’s expression turned dark, and he continued listening.

  “Speaking of Meng Chao, he’s really good. We’re all members of society, and the thing we value the most is righteousness. The boy is pretty good to the lair! I mean, let’s be honest here, if we were in his shoes, would we risk our lives to this extent? In any case, I wouldn’t. That’s why I truly admire Meng Chao!”


  “Now that I think about it, if we’re really going to have to open our doors and work together with external forces when it comes to reconstructing the lair, Meng Chao’s Superstar, Broken Star Club, and Blue Home are really good choices.”


  “Think about it. Superstar was just formed two years ago, and it’s a high-tech enterprise that is on a roll now, but it’s not as rich as the nine mega corporations, and its foundation isn’t as great either. If we work together with Superstar, both sides will be on a similar level. We won’t need to worry about him bullying us because of his power or swallowing us whole.”


  “Broken Star Club has more than two hundred thousand members, and it has 70% of the channels leading to the residential areas in Dragon City. They can promote goods to the first-tier consumers and draw a few hundred thousand normal citizens into the lair to spend their money on entertainment.

  “In the past, plenty of citizens didn’t dare to enter the lair to spend their money due to this place being too chaotic and dangerous. If we seize the chance and change the lair completely during reconstruction, and if Broken Star Club provides some sort of guarantee, the number of customers who are willing to come and spend money in the lair will increase more than ten times!”


  “There’s no need to even mention Blue Home. They have always supported the ideals of the Home Party and advocated allocating more of the city’s budget into modifying and upgrading old residential areas. The lair can be said to be the oldest super residential area in Dragon City. Now that it was destroyed by the abnormal beast and looks absolutely horrid, there’s a good chance of an astronomical budget being given to us if we can gain the support of the Home Party politicians through Blue Home!”


  “Everyone, the more I think about it, the more I think that this suggestion is plausible.

  “We’re all on the same side and not worried about us spreading bad rumors about the lair to the outside world, because I know we won’t. Let’s be honest, over the past twenty years or so, the lair hasn’t had a good public image. Most of the citizens think that the lair is dirty and dangerous, and those who dare to come into the lair aren’t good people.

  “This rigid image didn’t affect us during the warring era, but as Dragon City gradually stabilizes, we have to earn money and develop! If we don’t change the lair’s image, we won’t make this pie big!

  “How are we going to change the public’s impression of the lair within a short time? We definitely can’t do it on our own. But if we can get a young adult who is a war hero, a model superhuman, the youngest Heaven Realm superhuman in Dragon City, and has a good impression among the citizens to be the ambassador of the lair, wouldn’t we get instant results?”


  Chapter 642 - Everything Is Within The Former Golden Tooth Gang Leader’s Control

  The more Xiong Wei listened, the more he thought that something was off.

  Meng Chao’s name was appearing too many times.

  Also, the people were talking up Meng Chao one after another, even completing each other’s sentences. Were they really not fibbers?

  Xiong Wei was all too familiar with creating public opinion.

  Just half a day ago, he hired dozens of fibbers to brazenly declare that Jin Wanhao was irresponsible and only cared about hiding to treat his wounds. He did not care about the survival of the gangs and the lair’s citizens, which was why such a major tragedy happened.

  Xiong Wei could smell a scheme from a mile away.

  He wanted to narrow his eyes and see the people who were fervently advocating Meng Chao.

  But suddenly, a commotion rose in the area ahead of him. Song Jinbo, a group of senior Golden Tooth members, Poison Scorpion, and around eight higher-ranking members of second-class gangs walked out together.

  Xiong Wei’s heart let out a loud thump.

  Song Jinbo and the senior Golden Tooth members had a bloody black gauze on their arms.

  This was a symbol that an important person in a gang had passed away.

  But aside from grief and worry, there were also hints of excitement on their faces.

  Meanwhile, Poison Scorpion and the eight higher-ranking members from the second-class gangs had really strange expressions.

  The gazes they cast on Xiong Wei were really unfathomable and profound.

  Before Xiong Wei could think further into it, Song Jinbo arrived in front of the microphone. He cleared his throat and used a grave voice. “Everyone, thank you for protecting the lair with Golden Tooth for so many years. You’re all good friends of Golden Tooth. During these complicated and dangerous times, you responded to Golden Tooth’s call and gathered here to be a part of the committee to plan the lair’s development.

  “However, before we focus on the main topic, with a grieving heart, allow me to first represent all Golden Tooth members and announce a news that everyone has been guessing for a long time. It is also one that has caused everyone to worry.

  “Indeed, half a day ago, our gang leader fought against the mastermind who destroyed the lair, and during his battle against the Vortex, he perished!”


  “What?!”


  The moment he said those words, the crowd burst into a ruckus.

  Thanks to the rumors Xiong Wei released, everyone knew that Jin Wanhao had died long ago.

  Didn’t he suffer from brain death and multiple organ failure? They heard that he died in his medical cabin and left behind this major problem in the lair, but no one could take that problem into their hands.

  What did he mean by saying that Jin Wanhao died in battle?

  Also, he mentioned that he wanted to announce this before entering the main topic. Could it be that the main topic was not as simple as announcing Jin Wanhao’s death?

  For a period of time, the gang leaders of the third-class gangs were all dumbfounded, and they looked at each other. After all, their information network was never very up-to-date. In the end, they simultaneously cast their gazes on Xiong Wei.

  He narrowed his eyes and stared at the gang leader of a third-class gang. This person was usually very close to Black Bone and could practically be considered to be an affiliate of Black Bone.

  This gang leader groaned in his heart, but he braced himself and said, “What?! Did Golden Tooth’s gang leader really die in battle?! Why did we hear that he has not been able to eat since a few months ago due to being in a coma?! He couldn’t take care of the gang affairs and, in the end, passed away!”


  “I heard about it too.” Song Jinbo’s face was calm. “But these are just rumors released by the abnormal beast. Anyone with a bit of common sense wouldn’t believe it. If anyone believed such clumsy rumors and rode the tides to spread them, they either have ulterior motives or have joined the abnormal beast’s side.”


  With just one sentence, he managed to render the third-class gang leader silent. His face turned red, and he stuttered, “I-I’d naturally not believe it. I just heard it.”


  “From the moment the zombie crisis started, the gang leader of Golden Tooth has been risking his life for the lair. Up until now, he protected the lair for nearly half a century. Even if he died, he would never give up on the lair and cast it aside.”


  Song Jinbo did not stop and continued his story. “It is true that since half a year ago, the gang leader has not appeared in public. He let Vice Gang Leader Red Brows Su Lun handle all the affairs in Golden Tooth and seemed to have gone underground, ignoring all affairs of the world while he focused on cultivating. That is how the traitor and abnormal beast took advantage of the situation.

  “But no one knew that this was just the gang leader’s plan to lure the enemy out of its lair.”


  “Lure the enemy out?” Many of the top and middle management members of the gangs were surprised.

  “That’s right. With his sharp instincts and outstanding intelligence, our gang leader noticed that the abnormal beast, wanted criminals, and former Reaper Squad members had infiltrated the lair. He even noticed that there was a traitor among the gangs.”


  Song Jinbo spoke while swaying his head. “The problem ws, the abnormal beast could change its shape however it wanted, and it was really cunning. The wanted criminals and former Reaper Squad members were also real humans. We couldn’t distinguish them easily, much less the traitor.

  “Over the past few years, the gangs have been working happily with Red Brows Su Lun. He was the God of Wealth who brought endless cash to everyone. Before we exposed his true colors, did any of you once suspect that he said anything that would harm you?”


  “That’s……”


  Originally, Golden Tooth had suffered a major blow because its vice gang leader had turned traitor.

  But Red Brows Su Lun was not a traditional gang leader. It would be better to say that he was a professional manager Golden Tooth hired to make the relationship between the gangs better, then organize as well as draw out the full potential of their shared resources.

  Xiong Wei’s youngest son alone had worked plenty of times with Su Lun.

  The other higher ups of the gangs also gained a lot of benefits from Su Lun.

  If they really accused Golden Tooth of hiring a traitor, while Golden Tooth would have a hard time defending itself, the other gangs would also be unable to keep themselves clean. They did not have the grounds to accuse Golden Tooth for not discovering the true colors of the traitor sooner.

  “In truth, our gang leader suspected a few people, including Su Lun.” Song Jinbo changed the topic then. “But Su Luin was involved in plenty of gangs’ businesses, and our leader didn’t have any concrete evidence. His suspicions alone didn’t allow him to just kill the person straightaway. If he really did that, none of you would have agreed to it, right?

  “Besides, the gang leader suspected that his actions were being monitored by the abnormal beast. If he continued staying in the public eye, the abnormal beast could find a chance to use all sorts of despicable and shameless tactics to harm him. That’s why he decided to retreat and lure the enemy out.

  “On the surface, he pretended to be sick and suffering from multiple organ failure, so he had to go underground and get treated in private.

  “In truth, the gang leader secretly contacted the two most outstanding young adults of the Golden Era in Dragon City—Meng Chao and Lu Siya. He asked them to help him secretly investigate the truth.”


  “W-What?!”


  His final sentence stirred up a huge ruckus. Everyone was shocked. “Gang Leader Jin contacted Meng Chao and Lu Siya a long time ago?”


  “Of course. Everything was within Gang Leader Jin’s plans. Otherwise, why do you think Meng Chao and Lu Siya would have appeared out of the blue in the lair?” Song Jinbo continued calmly.

  “During the case of Blessed Paradise’s murderous pets, Meng Chao and Lu Siya entered the lair to investigate the truth. Even though they caused quite a stir, Gang Leader Jin saw their methods and valiance, and he admired these two outstanding members of the Golden Era. They remained in contact, and he provided them with guidance, so they became friends despite their age difference.

  “Once he noticed that there were unidentifiable enemies in the lair, Gang Leader Jin immediately realized that he would be alerting the enemy if he relied on the gangs to investigate the truth. The enemies might also be monitoring our every move, so he had to bring in external forces, which were Meng Chao and Lu Siya.

  “You all saw the results. With Gang Leader Jin’s strategy, Meng Chao and Lu Siya did manage to find the truth and discover the traitor. They destroyed all the flames that could have destroyed the lair, and all of this was within Gang Leader Jin’s plans!”


  The more Song Jinbo spoke, the more ridiculous it sounded.

  There were plenty of details that would expose that he was lying if anyone questioned him at all.

  The people started to talk to each other and discuss things. Their voices became louder, as if they were about to turn the hall into a market.

  Xiong Wei saw that the third-class gang leaders who had been enthusiastically trying to join Black Bone’s side were starting to become fainthearted because they were intimidated by Song Jinbo.

  He could only go up personally with a dark face. “Manager Song, this is a major matter. You can’t joke around with this. Since you said this, you must have concrete proof.”


  “Indeed, Gang Leader Xiong. This is a serious matter. Without concrete proof, I wouldn’t have dared to spew nonsense.”


  Song Jinbo smiled. Then, his face became full of grief and he let out a long sigh. “Everyone, what you saw within the past twenty-four hours was just a small part of Gang Leader Jin’s ingenious plan.

  “Gang Leader Jin, Meng Chao, and Lu Siya worked together to secretly set up an ambush. Gang Leader Jin used his own life as bait and finally lured out the Vortex, who had originally wanted to run away. Then, they killed this heinous demon in Golden Tooth’s underground chamber!”


  “They really killed the Vortex?”


  “That’s impossible!”


  “I thought that thing could disguise itself as anyone and seep through any crack. How did they manage to capture and kill it?”


  The crowd was puzzled.

  Xiong Wei also snorted and did not believe a word he said.

  “Gang Leader Jin, Lu Siya, and Meng Chao’s achievements are absolutely true,” Song Jinbo said. “Even though the Vortex didn’t have a fixed shape and was burnt to ashes and bubbles, we still managed to gather some of its remaining tissue. We will be sending it to the abnormal beast research department for verification.

  “Please believe me. This is a serious matter. Even if Golden Tooth had the courage to deceive all of you, we wouldn’t have the courage to lie to the abnormal beast research department and the Supernatural Tower, right?”


  Song Jinbo spoke with certainty, and the originally skeptical crowd sank into deep thought.

  The lair had suffered a major blow, and it was closely tied to the serial robberies caused by the Deification Capsules in the outside world a few days ago. Both might have come from the same mastermind, so these cases would definitely be investigated side by side.

  This was not something that the lair could shut its doors and solve on its own. The secret police, abnormal beast research department, and even the higher-ranked core organizations within the Supernatural Tower would have to be involved.

  Meng Chao and Lu Siya were the ace investigators of the abnormal beast research department. Without concrete evidence, they would not help Golden Tooth make such a huge lie.