"What?" In the lofty Skytour Tower, the equally lofty City Lord Song Jinglun was thrown into a state of immense shock and fury.
How many years had it been? Never before had anyone killed two department chiefs and Lin Yi in the Dark Division prison and even escaped. The sheer arrogance was infuriating.
"Seal off the entire city and launch a manhunt!" In a rare moment, Song Jinglun lost his composure and shouted, "Even if you have to dig three feet into the ground, bring Li Qingchen to me!"
Song Shiyan happened to walk in at that moment.
"Father." His expression was tense as he said, "That Li Qingchen is my sworn brother. Could we possibly..."
"Shut your mouth!" Song Jinglun, engulfed in rage, bellowed, "You know full well how that oath of brotherhood came to be! Useless thing, you were so easily manipulated by Li Qingchen. Coward! If you weren't a Song, I would have crippled you long ago."
"What?" Song Shiyan was utterly shocked.
He never imagined his father would know about these things.
"Father, I had no choice either. I have something inside me..." Song Shiyan tried to explain himself.
"Useless! Get out!" Blinded by rage, Song Jinglun had no desire to listen to another word from his rebellious son.
Song Shiyan left the office in a daze. In that moment, a question he had never considered before kept echoing in his mind.
Does love... really disappear?
A chill ran down Song Shiyan’s spine. Suddenly, he realized perhaps his father never truly loved him.
Tower of the Giant Eye.
At the top of the brown, cylindrical giant tower, inside a glass structure shaped like an eyeball, sat an old man in white robes. He quietly looked over the city from the window.
The Tower of the Giant Eye was the most unique and iconic landmark in the entire city of Chongque. The controller could see every outdoor scene across Chongque City from within this massive glass eye.
As one of the High Chancellors, the old man had remained in the Tower of the Giant Eye for three hundred years. Today, his expression was especially calm. His aged and wise eyes were still and unfathomable.
"Master, you summoned me?"
A shadow silently rose into the air. A graceful woman clad in dark red metallic armor stepped out from within it, her high ponytail swaying. She was one hundred and ninety centimeters tall, had well-defined features, and had an imposing, sharp aura.
"Luo Ge... how long have you been by my side now?" The old man asked.
The woman named Luo Ge replied solemnly, "Luo Ge has been by Master’s side for exactly three hundred and fifteen years."
"Three hundred and fifteen years... I still remember the first time I saw you. You were just a fifteen-year-old girl back then and as stubborn as a river stone," said the old man. A trace of sentimentality surfaced on his face.
"If not for Master rescuing and sheltering me, there would be no Luo Ge today. Your grace in passing on knowledge is greater than the heavens themselves. Everything of Luo Ge’s belongs to you." Her voice rang out like metal, firm and resolute.
The old man smiled gently, turned, and looked at her with a kindly expression. He said, "I saved you because I hoped you could find a life of your own... Your life should always belong to yourself."
The woman bowed in silence, saying no more.
"Go. Find Li Qingchen." The old man spoke softly, "Bring him here. He has the key we need on his person."
The woman trembled slightly, her face filled with ecstatic joy.
Finally... Has the day... Truly come? The day I can go back?
She said loudly, "I will find him!"
"Wait." The old man suddenly spoke again, "Take this."
He flicked his fingers. A single strand of long white hair detached from his temple and floated gently through the air. It drifted through the air and landed on the woman’s fingertips.
Luo Ge froze, thinking, My master regarded Li Qingchen with such importance?
Exploding Star Gang Headquarters.
Wei Xiaotian slapped his chest confidently.
"Please relay to the City Lord that my Exploding Star Gang is now sworn enemies with the criminal Li Qingchen. I will immediately begin cleaning house and ruthlessly eliminate any remnants of Li Qingchen within the gang. I will also dispatch my men in full force to assist the authorities in capturing this dangerous fugitive."
He made the vow with righteous indignation.
"Brother, I know you’re someone who values the past and protects your own. You used to be close with Li Qingchen, but at this critical moment, you absolutely must not hesitate or lose your head. You can’t afford to mess up now," Hu Shuo warned him with unease.
Wei Xiaotian responded, "Don’t worry. I know exactly where my priorities lie."
Only then did Hu Shuo turn and leave. Wei Xiaotian immediately convened the senior members of the Exploding Star Gang. He immediately had all those once close to Li Xiaofei within the gang temporarily detained.
The Bai sisters in particular were placed under strict confinement. At the same time, the Exploding Star Gang mobilized all of its top fighters to hunt down Li Xiaofei.
Every force, official and unofficial alike, across Chongque City was mobilized in a desperate manhunt, sparing no effort or cost.
The City Lord’s Office and the Council jointly issued the highest-level bounty. Li Xiaofei was described as an extremely dangerous individual. For a time, the winds of chaos stirred violently across Chongque City.
Yet despite it all, for three consecutive days, the city-wide manhunt for Li Qingchen turned up nothing. It was as if he had dissolved into the air itself. The search zone had already expanded beyond the city. Several neighboring star sectors were now being scoured in madness. The reach of the manhunt was soon about to reach Planet M73.
Three days later, in Zone A1, inside a discreet private club.
"Big Brother, are you alright?" asked Song Shiyan. He hadn’t expected that Li Xiaofei would still dare to arrange a meeting with him at such a perilous time.
"I’m very touched that you care so much about your brother." Li Xiaofei smiled faintly and said, "I’m fine. But there’s something I need your help with."
"Please speak, Brother." Song Shiyan declared resolutely, "I’d walk through fire for you if you asked."
After a short pause, he lowered his voice slightly and added, "Big Brother, the Life and Death Talisman inside my body..."
Li Xiaofei casually handed him a pill. "Take this. It’ll suppress it for a month. Now, help me arrange a meeting with your father, the City Lord. I have something important to discuss with him."
"What? No way, that’s impossible!" Song Shiyan jumped in fright and instinctively objected, "That old bastard is racking his brain trying to hunt you down right now. Big Brother, if you go to him, you’ll be walking straight into a trap!"
Li Xiaofei said nonchalantly, "It’s fine. There are some misunderstandings between me and your father. Once we meet, they’ll be cleared up."
Song Shiyan was speechless. "Big Brother, are you trying to fool a three-year-old? You’re the most wanted criminal in the city right now. This kind of ‘misunderstanding’ doesn’t just get cleared up over tea."
A dark line seemed to hang over his forehead.
Li Xiaofei simply replied, "Don’t worry. I’ve got this."
He couldn’t exactly come out and say, I’m planning to kill your old man, now could he?
Still uneasy, Song Shiyan tentatively offered, "Big Brother, I can arrange a way for you to escape the city. I know a hidden route—"
"No need," said Li Xiaofei, patting him on the shoulder. His tone turned a bit firmer.
"Alright then, Big Brother. Where do you want to meet that old bastard?" asked Song Shiyan, who gave up trying to dissuade him.
Li Xiaofei said, "Outside Chongque City, of course... How about this? I’ll send you the exact coordinates tomorrow at noon. It’ll be in the starry wilderness outside the city. Don’t be late."
He turned and left. Song Shiyan pondered the matter for a long time before ultimately deciding to report it truthfully. After a brief moment of hesitation, he returned home.
"What?" Song Jinglun was both surprised and shocked.
The prey is offering itself up? Is this a trap?
He began to think deeply.