Chapter 170: You’ve Got Everything Under Control
A loud slap landed squarely on Jiang Yao’s face, knocking the defiant girl’s head to the side.
“Sister Wan repeatedly reminded you, you have to listen to Sister Xiao Ai’s commands during the operation! Can you just randomly decide who to kill and who not to kill!?”
“If you didn’t touch the Wang family people, Sister Xiao Ping might not have jumped off the building!”
Jiang Yan trembled in anger, her face pale, the impending arrival of her physiological period making her pheromones even more erratic.
“If I hadn’t killed that fatso on the spot, I would have still shown respect to the Wang family!”
Jiang Yao turned her head, gritting her teeth: “What’s so great about the Wang family!? The fief knights colluding with those vagrant blood clan thugs are harming Sister Xiao Ping, what gives their lives more worth than anyone else’s!?”
“Then you acted on your own, stole a car and went to East Suburb for revenge… What’s the point of forcing that trash intermediate knight into a corner? So many innocent people died this time, are you satisfied!?”
At this point, Jiang Yan’s voice had become hoarse as she raised her hand again.
“Go ahead and hit me, aren’t you afraid to hit me!? I can pay for those people’s lives with mine!”
Jiang Yao didn’t flinch and stared directly at Jiang Yan, the corner of her mouth curling into a sneer.
Jiang Yan’s hand paused in mid-air. After a few seconds, she slowly lowered her hand, turned, and sat back down on the sofa, her body leaning against the back, eyes tightly closed, feeling utterly drained.
The room fell silent.
“Hitting one fief knight isn’t a big deal; there are plenty of such people in the Wang family… Water that’s too clear has no fish; the Wang family is so large, there are many unseen places.”
Minutes later, standing in front of the floor-to-ceiling window with her back to Jiang Yan, Wan Yue pushed open the window, lit a cigarette, and showed a self-deprecating smile.
“Heh, the Wang family has their own perverts soliciting… That Tian fatso used to be on TV all the time; he survived this time but got exposed—it’s sort of what he deserves.”
“I thought I could unearth the trash behind the scenes and suppress the incident with the windflower, but it turns out our ties with the Wang family are so deep that these scandals can get mixed up together…”
As she spoke, Wan Yue turned around, quietly staring at Jiang Yao’s red and pale face, her smile gradually turning serious: “I don’t care how big a mess you’re going to make with the Wang family. Even if it’s an important agent’s life, it doesn’t compare to the worth of even a single finger of you and Xiao Ping.”
“But harming innocent people breaks the iron rule of the windflower.”
“Get out. You can stay in Zhao Peng’s room for now. Wait for Xiao Ling to drive you back. Reflect well at the windflower villa. Come back when you’re done reflecting.”
With that, Wan Yue settled into the lounge chair by the window and no longer looked at Jiang Yao.
“Then I won’t come back!”
Jiang Yao gritted her teeth, hastily exiting, slamming the door behind her.
“I’m sorry, Sister Wan, Sister Xiao Ping takes great care of Xiao Yao. She was just seeking justice for Sister Xiao Ping…”
Once she left, Jiang Yan finally stood up, walked in front of Wan Yue, and deeply bowed, her hands tightly gripping her skirt: “If I had spoken out against it yesterday, if I had stopped her…”
What? I nodded in agreement yesterday, so do I have to take half of the responsibility?
Wan Yue rolled her eyes, lazily adjusting her posture to look out at the scenery outside the window. After a while, she said softly, “Do you all think she jumped off to give the Wang family an explanation? She’s just a mid-grade servant; her life doesn’t weigh enough…”
Zhou Ping’s only contribution was to escalate the situation to a point where I had a chance to bargain with the Wang family and allowed the windflower to escape from crisis. She added her life into the stakes of protecting Xiao Yao…
“Stubborn, yet weak, with a hint of desperate hope… When Xiao Ai and Jiang Yao walked into the presidential suite and saw her state, she probably didn’t plan to live anymore.”
A tear silently appeared at the corner of Wan Yue’s eye, which she quickly wiped away, a trace of relief appearing on her face.
“On the surface, I can tell everyone in the windflower that all lives are equal… But the world isn’t that naive; every life will be given a specific price at a specific time. Life certainly has its value distinctions…”
The greater good is often a very immoral perspective. It forces us to value every life differently, deciding who can be discarded and who can be preserved. Whether in secret or openly, the Wang family operates in this way, and the windflower is no different.
“Heh, don’t be surprised. When you sit in my position, you’ll find that caring equally for every life is unrealistic, and the more fair it seems, the more painful it becomes…”
Jiang Yan remained in a bowing position without a sound, but Wan Yue’s words made her body tremble slightly.
“For the greater good, everything can be sacrificed. It’s the most brazen desecration of life, and it’s what those in power must do. All the beauty of a bright world is built upon the corpses in the shadows.”
“The windflower needs not only people like you and Xiao Ai but also people like Jiang Yao… We need more choices to wrestle with the world and to bargain with it.”
“I have my own ideals, but every bit of cost I’ve paid to realize this ideal over the years has made me constantly question its feasibility… Is it only when the blood clan and ordinary people are committing crimes that they understand each other?”
“Let us live as much like ordinary people as possible, which naturally includes their ugliest sides…”
With that, Wan Yue stood up, walked over to Jiang Yan, reaching out to touch the delicate, slightly flushed, warm face of the girl, her expression unusually calm.
Listening in, Jiang Yan suddenly felt a sense of foreboding, straightening her body, staring at the leader of the windflower before her, gradually sinking into an inexplicable fear.
Sister Wan had once said that not everyone has the right to go all out until the end with the windflower; its existence and its ideals cannot accommodate everyone…
Even Sister Wan had implied that it includes herself.
…
C City, District C, East Suburb.
The entrances of several apartment buildings had been cordoned off by the police, especially a nearby tube building that had been converted into corporate office space, along with several small alleys around it, completely sealed off.
The handover of control at the scene was completed without a sound.
Currently, all responsibilities had been taken over by the Western Monitoring District’s intelligence personnel, even a support squad was deployed nearby.
In the afternoon, Han Jie Li, now dressed in a police uniform, sat in a police car carefully reviewing a pile of freshly prepared investigation materials.
He had already seen the scene, especially that tube building, which was brutally bloody to the point that his scalp felt numb. Fortunately, it was still the cold early spring; if it were the hot summer, in just ten hours, the crime scene and its surroundings would become unapproachably foul.
Unfortunately, the local police initially treated it as an ordinary criminal case, and by the time the intelligence screening mechanism of the dark arrow reacted, relevant reports about the case had already aired on public media.
It was inevitable to fix the aftermath; the dark arrow intelligence system quickly controlled and repackaged public sentiments.
The woman who fell from the building at Jiutian Commercial Plaza yesterday is under deep investigation by the police, and the heads of Jiutian Commercial Plaza and the nightclub have been taken into custody. According to insiders, this is suspected to be a suicide due to emotional disputes.
The consecutive burglary and murder case that occurred in the East Wind Community during the early morning has so far been confirmed to involve two families, totaling seven to eight casualties, most of whom are out-of-town tenants, including two minors. The accountability procedures for the relevant public security management are about to commence.
The case has attracted high attention from provincial and municipal leaders, and related departments in the city have formed a major crime investigation team pulled from criminal investigation elites at the scene for a professional investigation; it is also hoped that more informed citizens provide effective leads. This station will continue to follow the report.
Reaching out to turn off the car radio, Han Jie Li cradled his head in his hands, leaning against the driver’s seat, feeling helpless.
“Captain Han, the situation has been basically verified; all the deceased residents died from high-energy infrasonic wave attacks by blood clans. About twenty households of residents suffered varying degrees of infrasonic wave injuries.”
“We conducted technical simulations on-site. The high-energy infrasonic wave attack should have been carried out by an upper or intermediate knight, and it’s very likely the black blood clan knight’s corpse found in the green belt.”
“It’s estimated that, in desperation, that black blood clan went all out with indiscriminate attacks on ordinary people.”
A knock sounded at the car door, and an intelligence personnel dressed similarly in a police uniform handed a stack of photos through the window.
Almost all the victims died from ruptured internal organs due to high-energy infrasonic wave resonance, with each deceased’s expression unbearable to look at, especially the photos of several children, making Han Jie Li squeeze his eyes shut, unable to bear to gaze directly.
The intelligence personnel sighed and pointed at a nearby sealed tube building: “Captain Han, there are a total of seventeen dead in that building, including nine blood clans. The police also captured a few fleeing thugs. Preliminary investigations suggest that this was a gang specializing in loan sharking and online gambling.”
The first-hand interrogation records from the police indicate that a young girl acted alone in the scene of the crime. Of course, no one knows the actual age of blood clans.
“Well, thankfully the takeover wasn’t too late; otherwise, it would have been troublesome. By the way, how’s it going at Jiutian Commercial Plaza? I heard someone from the Wang family was seriously injured and arrested. The woman who jumped is also a blood clan; do we not know who did this yet?”
After a few seconds, Han Jie Li collected all the materials, opened the car door, and got out.
“According to the nightclub and hotel staff, last night, two young women entered the crime scene. Because it involves the Wang family, it’s significant, so Director Xue personally oversaw the area and has already reported to the headquarters’ intelligence bureau.”
The intelligence personnel quickly opened a briefcase and retrieved several documents, handing them to Han Jie Li for his signature: “Here, this is the first-phase investigation report, most of which was forwarded to us by the police and has been classified.”
“Interesting, two locations separated by half of C City where blood clan conflicts occurred, and according to eyewitness accounts, a female blood clan appeared in both places.”
Glancing through them casually, Han Jie Li chuckled, tapping the documents in his hands and shaking his head: “That captured knight from the Wang family has maintained a zero supply of information… Since it involves the Wang family, I bet we will receive a notice from the headquarters to discontinue the investigation within twenty-four hours.”
As a member of the special confidentiality action team who has been continuously exposed to more classified content, he understood that these two cases would most likely be taken over by the headquarters’ intelligence bureau.
“Captain Han, I heard you came down from the headquarters’ intelligence bureau; does that mean we can’t touch anything that involves the Wang family?”
The intelligence personnel’s expression was one of indignation, seemingly finding it hard to accept such a rule, even saying that it greatly hindered many intelligence operations in the Western Monitoring District.
Heh, who knows, I’m just a small fry new to the job… How about this, you stay here, and I’ll go check out there to see if there’s any clues that match up with here.
“Tomorrow, I’ll be flying to Beijing for training at headquarters, probably for a few days. The subsequent investigation work will rely on you all.”
Han Jie Li returned to the car, started the vehicle, and slowly drove away from the East Wind Community.
His private meeting with Old Jin was set in a private room of a high-end Western restaurant.
Unlike Wan Yue’s elegantly composed dining style, Old Jin had his phone ringing since his arrival, showing no signs of shutting it off, leading to an overall rude dining atmosphere.
Is that kid Wang Sheng okay?
When Old Jin returned to the table after ending a call from the restroom, Wan Yue put down her knife and fork and asked indifferently.
“Uh, mostly just some bruises and skin abrasions… Don’t worry, they’re all children of the clan who have been strictly educated; as long as he maintains a zero supply of information, the lawyers from the Wang family will try their best to negotiate.”
Old Jin sighed, looking bitter: “As for Miss Zhou, because no one has publicly claimed her, her body is still with the police. However, I’m concerned that the dark arrow has already intervened. Liu Changkun died in the East Wind Community, and several of his thugs have likely been controlled by the dark arrow.”
But that Manager Tian is still in critical care; not only did he lose his lower body, but due to excess blood loss, he’s experiencing shock and multiple organ failure and is still being resuscitated. He was originally a semi-public figure and now because of Liu Changkun and Wang Sheng’s situation, his relationship with the Wang family can’t be concealed anymore…
Now, both Jiutian Commercial Plaza and East Wind Community are closely monitoring the leads on Miss Jiang Yao, and before the police arrived, we tried our best to handle the surveillance footage, but we can’t guarantee that no traces were left behind; after all, there were too many witnesses…
Old Jin covered his temples, shaking his head repeatedly: “Based on my investigation here, Miss Zhou didn’t expose the windflower from start to finish, but her personal information was leaked to Liu Changkun; once she jumped, there’s no doubt the dark arrow will find traces, and that’s the troublesome part.”
Uh, Xiao Yue, this is problematic. Don’t say the windflower; even the Wang family might not get out unscathed after all the innocent deaths this time.
With that, Old Jin showed a conflicted expression.
Wan Yue nodded, took off her napkin, pulled out a cigarette, lit it, and after a while, a cold smile appeared: “Troublesome? No, I think the Wang family isn’t troubled at all… Do you lack confidence in your own family, or do you think all the blame lies with us from the windflower?”
Old Jin quickly waved his hands in a panic: “No, no, I just wanted to discuss with you, shutting down the Golden River Club to avoid the spotlight.”
“Heh, then Zhou Ping would have died for nothing? Your underlings from the Wang family are entangled with the vagrant blood clan and even black blood clan; should the windflower just swallow this disgrace?”
Wan Yue slammed her palm on the table, her anger boiling.
“That… Xiao Yue, we have to think of the greater good; after all, preserving Manager Tian, protecting Wang Sheng, protecting Jiang Yao is of utmost priority…”
Old Jin wanted to continue defending himself, but upon seeing Wan Yue’s increasingly serious expression, he gradually silenced.
“Do you know why Zhou Ping jumped? She knew her personal information was firmly grasped by Liu Changkun and the black blood clan; her disgrace was only a matter of time.”
“She could only drag Tian fatso, Wang Sheng, and your Wang family down to ensure the safety and secrecy of the windflower and Jiang Yao.”
Wan Yue stood up, pacing slowly around the dining table.
“She even noticed that Jiang Yan and Jiang Yao were my heart’s desire; she was afraid I would abandon the other members of the windflower to protect them… She was also forcing me!”
“Heh, the greater good… this nonsense greater good, it’s something your Wang family can digest; I don’t want any of it!”
Wan Yue walked behind Old Jin, stopping, her face cold as ice.
Thus, I obliged her final wish and forced you as well. Let me tell you, the people who can decide for the Wang family, this time, the Wang family handles everything. I only want a satisfactory result. Your connection with the dark arrow need not be made clear to me!
“If you can’t handle it, I’ll go find the old master of the Wang family and demand justice!”
With that, Wan Yue threw down her cigarette butt, turned, and exited the private room without looking back.
Not knowing how long he had been sitting there, when Old Jin came back to his senses, he was already drenched in sweat, his suit completely soaked.
Trembling, he took out his phone and dialed a number.
“Third Uncle, it’s me, Xiao Jin… Yes, it’s Wan Yue’s intention; we need to take the heat for everything this time, and there’s no room for negotiation…”
“Yes, the dark arrow has already intervened, Wang Sheng is still at zero supply of information, he’s a good kid… What can I do? I’m no match for a woman like Wan Yue!”
The call lasted a full ten minutes, Old Jin mostly just sweating and meekly agreeing.
When the call ended, Old Jin wearily closed his eyes, a look of having narrowly escaped death on his face.
By now, he couldn’t decipher which of Wan Yue’s previous statements were true and which were false, but strung together, they left him speechless.
That feeling was utterly terrible…
However, such a woman has flavor!
Old Jin rubbed his nose, cautiously looking around as though feeling very guilty.
