Who else could that flamboyant man be but Gang Leader Wei? Li Xiaofei was immediately moved at the sight.
This gang leader is someone worth following. He’ll really step in to help when trouble arises. But how did he know that I had already gone on a killing spree inside?
“Gang leader,” Li Xiaofei called out loudly.
“Haha, Hall Master Li,” said Wei Xiaotian, sweeping his gaze across the surroundings. When he saw the corpses of Wushuang City’s top experts strewn across the ground, he burst into laughter. “Well done! As expected of my most trusted and closest brother.”
Li Xiaofei hurriedly replied, “It’s all thanks to your guidance, gang leader. I only acted according to your instructions.”
Wei Xiaotian was about to say something when his eyes suddenly narrowed at the sight of a mutilated corpse with a severed head. His scalp tingled when he took a closer look
Isn’t that Cao Shaoang, the Chief of the Business Disputes Department?
He gestured for Li Xiaofei to come closer and asked in a low voice. “Is that...”
“Oh, that’s Chief Cao from the Business Disputes Department. He tried to stop our Exploding Star Gang, so, following your instructions, I stabbed him to death with a single thrust,” replied Li Xiaofei.
He was completely indifferent, but Wei Xiaotian’s mind nearly shattered.
“Awooo... So sleepy... I just woke up. Huh? Why am I in this place? I must have been sleepwalking again. Someone, help me get back to rest...” He immediately turned to leave.
Li Xiaofei grabbed him and said, “Chief, you’re not sleepy. You’re wide awake.”
“Huh? Am I really awake?” asked Wei Xiaotian, glancing around.
Before the other gang members could respond, Huang Dinggou hurriedly chimed in, “Of course, Chief! You are completely awake. Especially just now. Your imposing presence and that commanding line, ‘The Exploding Star Gang is here! Anyone who doesn't want to die, get out of the way!’ has been deeply etched into our hearts. Truly, you are—”
“Scram,” said Wei Xiaotian, kicking Huang Dinggou aside.
Then, he turned toward Xia Mengxi and said, “Ms. Xia, I’m here today in accordance with our previous contract. I’ve come to reclaim Wanjie Auction House. Call the person in charge over.”
Xia Mengxi raised a slender, fair hand and gestured toward a few piles of mangled flesh on the ground. “They’re all right here. You can ask them yourself.”
Wei Xiaotian was speechless. Damn it. My subordinates really have no sense of restraint. How am I supposed to negotiate when the people involved have been reduced to pulp?
Still, he gestured and his men immediately rushed in, temporarily subduing everyone at the scene. Then, they began confiscating all recording devices such as portable light cores, image-capturing formation plates, and any other evidence-storing equipment with practiced efficiency. This was textbook evidence disposal. For a gang, this kind of thing was second nature.
Moreover, Wushuang City had already implemented dual-layer isolation using electromagnetic interference and formation barriers, blocking all communication and recording devices. This made the Exploding Star Gang’s evidence disposal process even smoother.
Next came the warnings for everyone present. Most of the attendees at today’s auction were the city's elite and aristocrats. Fortunately, aside from Cao Shaoang, none of them held official positions. A few so-called big shots, thinking highly of their status, attempted to resist.
“Chief, if you ask me, we should just kill them all,” Li Xiaofei said coldly as he radiated murderous intent. “Silence them and destroy the bodies. Isn’t that what we do best? If you don’t want to get your hands dirty, just leave it to me.”
Everyone in the crowd was shocked by Li Xiaofei’s words. They immediately raised their hands in surrender.
Wei Xiaotian cast a glance at Li Xiaofei.
Why do I feel little bastard is a rebellious wildcard?
Of course, this entire evidence disposal process was nothing more than patching up a broken fence. After all, people had mouths, they would still talk once they left.
But as the saying goes, the devil is always a step ahead of the law, and officials can set fires while commoners aren’t even allowed to light a candle. Even if the others didn’t have video evidence, Li Xiaofei and the Exploding Star Gang did.
These people had participated in an illegal auction, which was already a severe crime. Holding that leverage over them was like grabbing them by the throat or rather, by something even more critical. That made things much easier to handle.
“Sigh,” Wei Xiaotian let out a long breath.
“Chief, why the sigh?” asked Li Xiaofei, ever perceptive, moved closer to play along.
Wei Xiaotian spoke with deep regret, “It’s a pity I arrived a step too late and couldn’t save Chief Cao Shaoang. Who would have thought he was such a radical man? Once his illegal bidding on contraband was discovered, he actually chose to end his own life in shame.”
Li Xiaofei cursed inwardly. Damn. The older, the wiser. When it comes to playing the game, the Chief is on a whole other level.
Just like that, Cao Shaoang had ‘committed suicide.’
Li Xiaofei immediately followed suit and said, “Actually, before I arrived, I had already received a secret directive from Director Hu of the Demon Hunting Bureau. He instructed me to investigate Cao Shaoang’s unlawful activities and handle the situation as I saw fit. Originally, I only intended to arrest him, but who could have expected that Chief Cao would resort to self-detonation once he found himself unable to escape?”
“Oh? Is that so?” Wei Xiaotian turned to the gathered crowd and asked, “Did everyone see that?”
“This... Yes, we saw it.”
“That’s exactly what happened.”
“Ah, Chief Cao was too intense...”
The moment the attendees heard that the Demon Hunting Bureau was involved, they immediately realized this night’s events were tangled in bureaucratic power struggles. No one wanted to be caught in the storm. So, one by one, they all agreed to provide false testimony.
But Wei Xiaotian took it a step further. He ordered his men to draft a written testimonial and had every single person line up to sign it.
The entire process took about ten minutes to complete. Wei Xiaotian did not release the attendees immediately. He let them rest in place for a moment while ensuring all the evidence was secured. Then, he reported everything to Hu Shuo of the Demon Hunting Bureau at the first opportunity.
A short while later, Hu Shuo arrived in a hurry with his most trusted subordinates.
“I heard that Eden’s demons were causing trouble here. Where are they?” The moment he stepped inside, he shouted out.
That single sentence immediately defined the nature of the incident. Wei Xiaotian sneakily approached him and whispered a few words. Hu Shuo’s gaze swept across the scene, landing on the corpses littering the ground. Then, he gave Li Xiaofei a meaningful look.
“Who gave you the authority to act?” asked Hu Shuo as he strode forward and reprimanded Li Xiaofei harshly. “Even if Cao Shaoang was involved in contraband auctions, colluded with demonic entities, and had ties to the terrorist organization Eden, you shouldn’t have killed him on the spot! And now look, he’s dead. I have serious suspicions that you were actually conspiring with Cao Shaoang in secret and are now trying to destroy evidence. Guards, take him away!”
Several enforcers from the Demon Hunting Bureau stepped forward. Ah Qing, the sword maiden, raised her bamboo sword and blocked their path, whispering, “You should run. I’ll cover you.”
Li Xiaofei found the situation both amusing and exasperating.
“No need.” He leaned close to her ear and whispered, “Just stay with me.”
“You dare resist?” Hu Shuo snapped and said, “Take all four of them, and that shifty-eyed dog as well!”
In the end, Li Xiaofei, Miss Fan, Ah Qing, and Huang Dinggou, along with Black Emperor, who looked around innocently with big, confused eyes, were all taken away by the Demon Hunting Bureau enforcers.
Every piece of ‘contraband’ from the auction, including Zhu Yunwen, was also seized. As the highest-ranking official of the auction house, Xia Mengxi was cuffed as well. Everyone else at the scene was released after their statements were recorded.
An hour later. At the Temporary Detention Suite of the Demon Hunting Bureau.
The room was lavishly decorated, comparable to a high-end hotel.
“I’ll have to trouble you all to stay here for two days,” said Hu Shuo. His demeanor had softened considerably. “Once I smooth things over outside and the situation calms down, I’ll let you go.”
Li Xiaofei asked curiously, “The person you asked me to investigate over the phone... was it Cao Shaoang?”
Hu Shuo shook his head and replied, “He was just a small fish. There’s a much bigger one involved in Eden’s smuggling operations.”
“Eden?” Li Xiaofei feigned surprise and asked, “That notorious terrorist organization is also involved in smuggling?”
Hu Shuo was in a talkative mood, and explained, “Smuggling is one of Eden’s main operations. They handle over sixty percent of smuggled goods from the hundred thousand base planets. It’s through these profits that they’ve been able to expand so rapidly.”
Li Xiaofei’s thoughts stirred.
That certainly fits Eden’s style. They loved meddling in the affairs of the base planet. And their influence always seemed to penetrate these territories with ease. Divine Envoys, God Generals...
After chatting for a while, Hu Shuo turned and left. Over the next few days, Li Xiaofei, his three companions, and one dog received generous treatment, with fine food and wine served daily.
Huang Dinggou and Black Emperor ate so well that they became noticeably plumper. Even Miss Fan gradually relaxed.
Seizing the opportunity, Li Xiaofei feigned curiosity and asked her a few questions. That was when he learned that she had been kidnapped and knew nothing about the events surrounding her abduction. However, the state of Base Planet 1818 surprised him.
According to Miss Fan’s description, Base Planet 1818 had not suffered any star beast invasions. Everything remained just as it had been before Li Xiaofei’s transmigration. The year was still 2008, and Great Xia had just concluded the Olympic Games.
However, she mentioned that strange occurrences had taken place during that year’s Olympics. Many seemingly impossible records had been broken with ease, surpassing the known limits of human potential.
Additionally, online forums had seen a surge in posts about supernatural abilities. Many people claimed on Weiba that they had awakened superpowers, though these were quickly dismissed as special effects and hoaxes.
There had also been a spike in missing persons cases and violent crimes immediately after the Olympics. However, these incidents had been swiftly suppressed. Moreover, the government had begun implementing new policies, such as establishing a widespread network of new-style schools.
Li Xiaofei felt as if he was listening to the dawn of a new era. Li Xiaofei was also curious about the other auction victim, Zhu Yunwen, but he had not been given the chance to meet him.
After about a week, Li Xiaofei and his group were released without charges. They were then welcomed back with a banquet hosted by the Exploding Star Gang. It was there that Li Xiaofei learned that the Wanjie Auction House case had been completely settled.
The investigation had confirmed that Cao Shaoang, the Chief of the Internal Affairs Bureau's Business Disputes Department, had indeed been colluding with the terrorist organization Eden. He was, in fact, one of their internal God General level members. His downfall was well deserved.
Several business consortia, guilds, and gangs that had close ties with Cao Shaoang were also subjected to varying degrees of investigation. Wushuang City was no exception.
As a key contributor to the case, Wei Xiaotian, the Gang Leader of the Exploding Star Gang, had received an official commendation from the City Lord’s Office. As a result, Wanjie Auction House was officially returned to the Exploding Star Gang.
“Stick with me and do a good job.” After a few rounds of drinks, Wei Xiaotian patted Li Xiaofei on the shoulder and said, “Next year, I’ll promote you and give you a raise.”
Li Xiaofei cursed inwardly, What the hell? I earned all that merit, and he’s still feeding me empty promises?
He turned his head and saw that Huang Dinggou was grinning happily. So, Li Xiaofei patted his shoulder and said in a serious tone, “You should work hard too. Once the leader gives me that promotion and raise, I’ll help you take another wife.”
Huang Dinggou blinked. “Thanks... huh?”