This World is a Bit Creepy

Boom!

Following a deafening explosion, the "May Coal Mine," affiliated with the "Cloud Middle Group," immediately triggered an accident alarm.

However, just as people assumed it was a "gas explosion," two managers of the "May Coal Mine" were gunned down in cold blood in their coal mine hotel room by a sudden group of armed militants.

All of these militants were dressed in outfits resembling the "Black Cat Hero," and surveillance cameras recorded their entire operation.

When the media reported the news the next day, public opinion in the Anbei Frontier Region was in an absolute uproar.

Everyone of any standing in the underworld had heard the news: last night, the two young presidents of the "Cloud Middle Society" had been taken out by a bunch of "Black Cat You-Know-Whos."

With the arrival of the June summer vacation, the excitement in the Anbei Frontier Region had northern youths thrilled beyond measure.

The "Black Cat Hero" really was the absolute coolest!!

Unlike rebellious youths who yearned to be aggressively domineering and overwhelmingly cool, ordinary commoners secretly rejoiced because someone was finally cleaning up the "Cloud Middle Society."

Nobody here ever mentioned the "Cloud Middle Group"—that was pure nonsense; it was simply the "Cloud Middle Society."

"Oh, holy crap, this copycat crime has a pretty high class to it."

In order to add some recreational facilities to the "Little Star Farmhouse," Boss Li had installed a television capable of receiving satellite channels.

Han Zitong, who had already assumed the identity of "Zhao Bajiao," didn't really care, but the leader of the militants previously abducted by Li Jie was still needed.

After all, the man's mechanical prosthetic limbs had been completely dismantled, leaving him confined to a wheelchair—and since he wasn't given an electric one, escaping was quite a difficult feat.

"Boss, looks like the Yang family's private army."

"So certain?"

"Though not all of them were trained by me, the training syllabus was mine."

"Do you think it's the Yang family's private militia, Captain Li?"

The captive in the wheelchair wore a blank expression, cracking melon seeds while staring at the screen on the TV. The sight of the "Black Cat Hero" attire now instantly made his blood boil.

Especially since he had been brutally tortured by the real "Black Cat Hero" for over twenty minutes without even being questioned about anything—the beating just started for no reason.

He only found out afterward that the actual "Black Cat Hero" had simply been practicing interrogation techniques learned from Han Zitong, doing it purely for fun and having zero interest in intelligence.

The guy was only interested in that pair of mechanical prosthetics, and abducting people had merely been incidental.

"Indeed. Dharma Lord, whose handywork do you think this looks like?"

Han Zitong handed a soda to his old friend, waiting for Li Fazhu to offer an opinion.

"Looks like Old Wang's men."

Taking a sip of the soda, Li Fazhu's gaze remained calm. Although the surveillance footage on TV showed limited content, observing the tactical posture of the armed personnel revealed a few clues.

Unlike Han Zitong, who served as the group's chief security officer, Li Fazhu was actually one of the Yang family's private soldiers, except that he had long been exclusively responsible for arms smuggling and armed transport in that specific sector.

"Wang Yong? Isn't he over in Waizu?"

Han Zitong paused. The moment Li Fazhu mentioned "Old Wang," he knew who it was. The reason was simple: first, Wang Yong was someone Li Fazhu had trained in his earlier years; second, Wang Yong led one of the specialized "decapitation operation" squads within the Yang family's private army.

However, the fact that Wang Yong operated in Waizu for extended periods was accurate enough.

"Might not be him, but judging by the tactical movements, I'd say it is."

Li Fazhu glanced sideways at Li Jie. Nothing could be read from Li Jie's face because this fellow was simply a lunatic.

He genuinely doubted Li Jie's mental state...

Who in their right mind goes storming into the "Daxing Industrial Research Institute" single-handedly, kills a bunch of people, steals nothing at all except an electromagnetic handgun and a disabled captive, and then just walks away?

The electromagnetic cannon...

He didn't even spare it a second glance.

What an absolute moron.

And why did Li Jie want that electromagnetic handgun?

Because it was gold-plated. You pull it out and it's flashing bright gold—super pretty.

As for the rest of the Gauss rifles and electromagnetic pistols, they screamed high technology, but Boss Li lost interest the moment he looked at them.

"Is this Wang Yong that formidable?"

"The Yang family's private army has many types. Some know they are private soldiers, some have no such awareness at all and think they're just showing up for a paid job, while others are essentially household slaves."

"Household slaves exist too?"

Boss Li's interest was instantly piqued, and he asked Han Zitong with intense curiosity, "These household slaves... can you elaborate? What kind of society is this that still has household slaves?"

"Nonsense, there are plenty of ways to exercise personal and mental control. Some household slaves are completely unable to adapt once they leave the environment provided by the Yang family, suffering from various psychological traumas... For example, certain household slaves are only suited for the battlefield and have no way to return to normal society. The Yang family can drop them into any battlefield to earn a living; they're basically domesticated 'war dogs'."

The so-called "war dogs" were essentially mercenaries, trailing behind regular armies to scavenge whatever scraps were left on the battlefield.

"Then there are breeding-machine-type household slaves, both male and female. Once removed from their 'breeding environment,' they can't adapt either, because the sense of security derived from being 'farmed' leaves them incapable of understanding interpersonal relationships in conventional society."

At this point, Han Zitong sighed and pointed a finger at himself, "Me—well, actually Li Fazhu is pretty much the same—we used to be half-slaves ourselves, though in our case, we were bound by traditional morality. The Yang family showed us kindness, and our choice to risk our lives for them was based on human morality."

"Holy cow, this is all profound knowledge."

Hearing the explanations from "Old Ba," Boss Li felt that he truly was just a country bumpkin. Back in the day, how could he have ever known about such things?

He really had to thank the damn system; if not for its appearance, he never would have mutated.

Without mutation, trying to go up against these aristocratic families...

What the hell was the point of playing? They weren't even in the same league.

To be completely honest, this world lacked any badass figures willing to lead the common people to be masters of their own house, making it feel somewhat gloomy and twisted.

Furthermore, for ordinary people, the more you knew, the more miserable you felt. Remaining blissfully ignorant was often better.

Boss Li was deeply interested in personal control technology; he figured he should learn some of these methods, just in case they came in handy later on.

"The Yang family's strength is kind of badass."

"You're just stating the obvious. Can the Yang family afford not to be badass? They're an aristocratic clan with generations of history."

Han Zitong was speechless, then looked at Li Jie as if looking at a mental defective, "Only you. Anyone with a slightly more normal brain would never have broken Young Master Yang's leg."

"What kind of look is that? Want me to break your leg too?"

"..."

Boss Li glanced sideways at Han Zitong. Knowing he was no match for this freak, "Old Ba" wisely chose to keep his mouth shut.

Meanwhile, Li Jie rubbed his chin and said with a hint of hesitation, "Does the death of a guy like Yang Renshou in the Yang family actually amount to squat?"

"Impossible. He is the founder of the 'Emperor's Era Group' and the ruthless mastermind who propelled the Yang family to its peak. If he dies, the Yang family's foundations will be severely shaken, and they will undoubtedly split apart."

"In other words, they're still within the realm of carbon-based biology."

Hearing "Old Ba" say that the Yang family would fracture if Yang Renshou died, Li Jie instantly grew excited, "Give me a few more days, and I'll find an opportunity to slaughter Yang Renshou directly. Too bad this guy is way smarter than his son and never shows his face in public. Even when he's on the news, it's never a live broadcast. Damn it, finding an opening really isn't easy."

"..."

"..."

Forget about Han Zitong; even Li Fazhu felt that Li Jie's thought process was definitely broken.

If the man hadn't successively crashed and burned with the "Individual 500" and "LT155," he wouldn't have needed to show his face at all.

To put it bluntly, the Yang family was a member of the country's "shadow government." All those so-called senators and representatives survived purely on the resources doled out by these powerful gatekeeper families.

Under normal circumstances, Li Jie would never even dream of knowing Yang Renshou's itinerary in this lifetime.

Yet, how should one put it? Because of Young Master Yang the literary youth, the Yang family had exposed a massive flaw. Who could have predicted that the person crossing paths with Young Master Yang would be a complete moron?

As the saying goes: psychiatric patients have broad horizons, and idiotic youths bring endless joy.

Anyway, watching Li Jie seriously ponder how to beat Yang Renshou to death, Han Zitong could only sigh, silently resolving to live one day at a time, visiting "Buckingham Palace" more often to spend time with "Victoria" or "Elizabeth" as long as he could.

He might as well go night-fishing with some old timers, reel in the line, head back, and update—all in one smooth motion.

Retreat!