Chapter 1125: Chapter 766: Report
On one side is the entire city’s populace, on the other is his own brothers-in-arms. How to choose is indeed a difficult problem.
As the decision-maker, Huang Guozhao has also done his duty and even bears the risk of infamy. Yang Xiao cannot blame Huang Guozhao for this when thinking from his perspective.
The source of the supernatural event has been dealt with. Next is the task of the technical department; they will manage the scene, collect the corpses, and most crucially, locate the Resentful Eye using specialized equipment and arrange its retrieval.
Qu Muzhi received orders to stay at the site, while Yang Xiao got a call from Nalan Shuo asking him to return to Lin’an Patrol Office immediately and report this incident to him in detail face-to-face.
Once back at Lin’an Patrol Office, Yang Xiao arrived at the meeting room. Besides Director Nalan Shuo, several other deputy directors were present, and the atmosphere in the meeting room was quite oppressive.
It was then that Yang Xiao realized the impact of this incident was far more severe than he had imagined. The death toll inside the hotel was over a hundred, and outside the hotel, confirmed deaths had exceeded three hundred. As the search and rescue continued, the number of victims was still rising.
The Provincial Office has taken a high interest in this incident and has sent a responsible specialist who will arrive by tomorrow night at the latest.
Yang Xiao detailed the origins and developments of the incident, and everyone unanimously agreed that it was no mere coincidence; the target of the killer was indeed the three of them.
Yang Xiao and Qu Muzhi are the young leaders of the Patrol Defense Office, while Fu Qingzhu is a rising star in the Apostles Union. These three are all officials in the Action Bureau, with limitless potential ahead.
If all three were killed, the greatest beneficiary would undoubtedly be the Chamber of Commerce. Within the Action Bureau Committee, only Chi Dan and Xi Yuru would remain, and Chi Dan, representing the Chamber of Commerce’s power, would naturally succeed Yang Xiao’s position, becoming the new specialist of the Action Bureau.
But Yang Xiao knows Chi Dan could not have orchestrated this, nor is it related to the Chamber of Commerce. The reason is simple: Chi Dan’s true identity is Mo Daidai’s sister; if she wanted to kill him, there would be no need for such a complicated plot.
Besides the Chamber of Commerce, others at the meeting also listed a few possibilities, with two receiving the most support. One being a revenge from the Evil Cultivator, the other being internal strife within the United Federation.
The meeting was brief and efficient. After it ended, Yang Xiao was summoned alone by Nalan Shuo to the office. With the door shut, the two sat on the sofa as Nalan Shuo inquired about Yang Xiao’s opinion.
In front of others, Nalan Shuo could not speak frankly with Yang Xiao because the others were unaware that Yang Xiao had multiple roles besides being part of the Patrol Defense Office.
"What do you think?" Nalan Shuo asked directly, "Could it be those two fellows from Xiang Ma Town avenging you?"
Yang Xiao knew Nalan Shuo was referring to Marquis Zhengdong and An Nan Marquis. He considered this possibility on his way back, but on reflection, felt it was unlikely. Not to mention that Senior Brother Qingfeng was watching them; those two were frightened to death by the Patrol Defense Office. Even if given ten times the courage, they wouldn’t dare come to Rongcheng to cause trouble.
Besides, they might not even know that the Deputy Director of Lin’an Patrol Office is the Pingxi Marquis from Xiang Ma Town.
As for retaliation by the Evil Cultivator, it is indeed possible. The Evil Cultivators who died at their hands are not just one hundred but several dozens, making enemies worldwide.
However, Yang Xiao feels the most likely is the last option: a power struggle within the Apostles Union.
First, the dinner was organized by Fu Qingzhu, and the incident happened on Apostles Union property. Most critically, the deceased hotel manager mentioned a person named Leader Lei, who is also a member of the Apostles Union.
When Fu Qingzhu heard this name, he turned pale. As he mentioned, this person is a Deputy Intelligence Officer within the Union and not under his jurisdiction as an Intelligence Vice President. This person has deep seniority, directly accountable to the top tier.
After hearing Yang Xiao’s thoughts, Nalan Shuo nodded slowly and then said, "The Apostles Union is responsible for managing various Angel Envoy factions. They have many members, and the management is rather chaotic."
"The Vice Presidents of the Union are different from our Patrol Office’s Deputy Directors. The Patrol Office Deputy Directors have higher value; just look at Rongcheng, internally the Union has as many as 7 Vice Presidents, but only one President. The competition is evidently ruthless."
"The current President Qiu Huai De is getting on in years, virtually semi-retired, and is rumored to be selecting the next President, while your friend has been drawing too much attention recently."
"This Fu Qingzhu is no simple person either. He is known to use his influence to frequently overstep his authority in Union resolutions, which has already caused dissatisfaction among the other Vice Presidents."
"Moreover, intelligence departments reflect that the death of the previous Vice President also seems to be linked with him."
Yang Xiao understands Fu Qingzhu’s character all too well; his relationship with him is solid, a die-hard ally, but it is not the same with others. Fu Qingzhu has a strong desire for power, and if anyone stands in his way, he would definitely deal with them. The only flaw is his own lack of strength.
Of course, this flaw is only in comparison with him and Qu Muzhi; in terms of spiritual power intensity, Fu Qingzhu’s physical strength surpasses the majority of captains at Rongcheng Patrol Division.
"You’re right; the assault this time may likely only target Fu Qingzhu alone, but eliminating just him would make the target too obvious, easily suggesting it’s an internal union power struggle."
Yang Xiao wholeheartedly agreed with Nalan Shuo’s judgment. The older the ginger, the spicier, as Nalan Shuo hit the nail on the head without even having met Fu Qingzhu.
