So it is a power struggle over an official position.
Li Xiaofei smiled. It was not entirely unexpected. The Chief Evolution Officer of a base planet was a position of real power and wealth. Who wouldn’t be envious?
This time, the forces behind Director Hu Shuo, along with the Exploding Star Gang, wanted to use the excuse that he had been stationed on Base Planet 1818 for a long time to forcefully promote him into the position. Their true intention was to use him as a means to gain access to the resources of Base Planet 1818.
There were factions everywhere in Chongque City. Thus, it was only natural that other forces would be interested in this position as well. The middle-aged man in front of him appeared to come from a distinguished background.
He was probably one of the candidates too. But he came to threaten me?
Li Xiaofei let out a cold laugh. “You’re lucky I’m in a good mood today and don’t feel like killing anyone. Get lost. If you want the Chief Evolution Officer’s position, go fight for it yourself. We’ll compete based on our abilities.”
The middle-aged man’s face unexpectedly turned cold. “Li Xiaofei, don’t mistake kindness for weakness.”
Li Xiaofei’s eyes narrowed as he replied, “Say one more useless word and see what happens.”
He had already been quite patient today.
“Do you know who I am? I—” The middle-aged man had an arrogant expression, but before he could finish his sentence...
Li Xiaofei struck the man hard across the face. The movement was as fast as lightning. The people around them didn’t even have time to react. Even the middle-aged man himself hadn’t managed to dodge.
Six or seven teeth flew into the air. Once Li Xiaofei started fighting, he would not hold back. He immediately followed up with a swift kick.
The middle-aged man flew back like a sandbag, hurtling dozens of meters before crashing heavily into a metal sculpture by the entrance of the mall. He crumpled to the ground, spat out a jet of blood, and fell unconscious.
“Let’s go,” Li Xiaofei said, turning and walking to Si Kongxue’s side. His expression instantly softened to one as warm as a spring breeze.
Si Kongxue was already used to her man’s ways. She took his warm hand in hers and the two of them left together. Only then did the other attendants rush over in a frenzy to revive the middle-aged man.
“Where are they?” The man asked, furious, looking around for the now-vanished Li Xiaofei and Si Kongxue. Rage surged through him as he spat out another mouthful of blood.
The attendants glanced at each other, not daring to speak.
“I, An Daoqing, have roamed Chongque City for two hundred years and never suffered such humiliation,” the man said furiously.
His injuries quickly healed once he channeled his life essence. His expression turned vicious as he said, “I’ll make that damn gang thug pay the price!”
Not long after, a piece of news quickly spread through Chongque City. Deputy Director An Daoqing of the Internal Affairs Bureau under the Commerce Division had a violent altercation with Hall Master Li Qingchen of the Exploding Star Gang. The two had clashed fiercely at Jiuyang Mall, where An Daoqing was beaten and injured...
The news left many people in disbelief. There was an old saying that had stood the test of time. Civilians don’t fight officials. Li Qingchen had been in the spotlight a lot recently. His battle with Nangong Longjian had sent his reputation skyrocketing in Chongque City. But no matter how famous he had become, he was still a civilian. And An Daoqing was an official.
To reach the position of Deputy Director of a bureau was no small feat, it was a rank of significant power and influence. Figures of that level were usually courted by the five major gangs and the four great merchant guilds. At the very least, they would avoid offending someone like that, even if they couldn’t forge a good relationship.
Yet Li Qingchen had actually assaulted An Daoqing in public? Was he insane? The news spread like wildfire, sending shockwaves through every faction.
“What? He’s actually a Deputy Director?” Li Xiaofei was also stunned when he heard the news.
Wasn’t that insane? A dignified Deputy Director was still fighting over the role of Chief Evolution Officer of Base Planet 1818? Wasn’t that like dropping a watermelon to pick up a sesame seed?
“Now we’re in real trouble,” said Kong Xue, his mother-in-law, a trace of worry appearing on her beautiful face.
The Internal Affairs Bureau of the Commerce Division happened to be directly in charge of overseeing all commercial activities within Chongque City. It was the department that directly governed the major merchant guilds.
Offending An Daoqing meant that the Fengyu Merchant Guild was likely to become a primary target. And her concerns proved to be entirely correct.
That very afternoon, one hundred and thirty-one shops and properties under the Fengyu Merchant Guild across various districts were subjected to intensive inspections by the Internal Affairs Bureau of the Commerce Division. The inspectors nitpicked every detail, finding numerous violations of regulatory standards, and issued a total of sixty-four high-value fines.
Out of the one hundred and thirty-one locations, twenty-eight were shut down on the spot and thirty-six were heavily fined. The Fengyu Merchant Guild’s public relations department exhausted every strategy they could think of, but it was all in vain.
An Daoqing was sending a clear warning to Kong Xue and her husband. If the Fengyu Merchant Guild didn’t cut ties with Li Qingchen, the Internal Affairs Bureau’s inspections would continue indefinitely.
At the same time, due to An Daoqing’s influence, many of the Fengyu Merchant Guild’s business partners began to terminate their cooperation agreements. Even at the cost of paying breach-of-contract penalties, they tore up previously signed deals.
In just over a day, the once-mighty Fengyu Merchant Guild, one of the four great merchant guilds, found itself besieged on all sides. This was the power of the official authorities. The upper management of the Fengyu Merchant Guild was in utter turmoil. Major shareholders began questioning Kong Xue and her husband.
“What do we do now?” Even Kong Xue, a woman known for her strength and decisiveness, began to panic.
At that moment, Si Xingyun, instead of losing her composure, became even more resolute. “If Xue’er weren’t pregnant, perhaps we could consider severing ties with Li Qingchen. But now... if it really comes to that, then let’s give up on the Fengyu Merchant Guild. We can sell our shares, take the money, and live comfortably as a wealthy couple. We’ll wait for our grandchild to be born and enjoy life with the child. There’s no need to keep fighting and scheming in the world of business.”
Kong Xue hadn’t expected her husband to say such a thing. She fell silent. Retreating while ahead wasn’t out of the question. But the problem was, the enemy likely wouldn’t just let them off so easily.
At the same time, chaos erupted within the Exploding Star Gang as well. Most gangs operated businesses and industries to generate wealth and sustain their members. The Exploding Star Gang was no exception.
But after An Daoqing’s crackdown, the Commerce Division began inspecting and targeting various industries under the gang’s control.
In less than twelve hours, the Exploding Star Gang faced the same dilemma as the Fengyu Merchant Guild. Several key businesses were ordered to shut down for rectification, and massive fines were imposed.
The blow was immediate and severe. Rival gangs, sensing opportunity, began to circle like wolves, eyeing territory with greed. Any forces or individuals connected to Li Xiaofei were also affected.
An Daoqing publicly released a message. “Unless Li Qingchen kneels at the entrance of my office for three days and three nights, this wave of inspections will not stop. On the contrary, they will only grow more frequent and more severe.”
An Daoqing already possessed considerable autonomy at his rank. Using his authority to suppress merchant guilds and gangs was not considered an overreach.
The Fengyu Merchant Guild and the Exploding Star Gang had managed to thrive in Chongque City for so long precisely because they, too, had official backing. But this time, that backing seemed to have little effect.
Firstly, it was because Li Xiaofei, a civilian, had assaulted An Daoqing, an official. That was an act that crossed a forbidden line. There was an unspoken rule of solidarity among officials, and a blow to one was seen as a blow to all. An Daoqing held the moral high ground and his colleagues were reluctant to intervene.
Secondly, An Daoqing had gone to great lengths to grease the right palms behind the scenes. Thus, the situation spiraled further out of control. Both the Fengyu Merchant Guild and the Exploding Star Gang saw their conditions deteriorating day by day.
Then came another blow. Si Xingyun’s application for early retirement from military service was rejected. The military command ordered him to report for active duty immediately and head to the Star Battlefield.
The moment the news broke, Kong Xue exploded with rage. Her husband had spent the past few years focused entirely on business, so his combat abilities had regressed instead of improving.
Now, he was only at the Star level. Sending him to the battlefield meant near-certain death. Even Si Kongxue was filled with deep worry.
When Li Xiaofei heard the news, he came to comfort them.
“Don’t worry. Within one hour, all of this will disappear like smoke,” he reassured his pregnant girlfriend. “I have my ways. I’ll make An Daoqing come to the gates of the Fengyu Merchant Guild and kneel in apology.”