Chapter 203: The Secret Realm Can’t Run Away

Li Gang's gaze locked tightly onto the smiling middle-aged man in front of him.

"City Lord Jiang."

He took a deep breath, suppressing the anger in his heart, yet his voice remained icy.

"I am here on official business under Governor Hou's orders."

"I must bring Zhou Feng back to cooperate with the investigation and clear him of suspicion."

"I hope City Lord Jiang can cooperate with my work."

The smile on Jiang Haicheng's face did not diminish as he calmly nodded.

"So it is Governor Hou's instruction; naturally, I will cooperate."

His words were spoken lightly, as if it were only natural.

Yet in the next second, his tone sharply shifted.

"However…"

Jiang Haicheng pushed up the gold-rimmed glasses on the bridge of his nose and said leisurely,

"As it happens, I also have some urgent official business here that requires Chairman Zhou Feng to handle."

"Since your side is merely cooperating with an investigation, I suppose it is nothing too urgent."

The smile on his face grew even more genial, yet the words he uttered caused Li Gang's expression to instantly turn gloomy.

"How about this, let Zhou Feng resolve the matters on my hands first."

"Then I will personally send someone to deliver him to Jiangning City for you to handle."

"How does that sound?"

This was no longer a hint.

This was blatantly protecting Zhou Feng.

Li Gang's brows furrowed into a knot.

When on earth did this Jiang Haicheng get mixed up with the Zhou Family?

"City Lord Jiang, isn't this rather inappropriate?"

"If you do this, it will be hard for me to report back to Governor Hou."

"Report back?"

Jiang Haicheng waved his hand, as if hearing some trivial, unimportant matter.

"You don't need to report back."

"I will personally contact Governor Hou later and explain it clearly to him."

He took a step forward, his seemingly gentle gaze carrying an intangible pressure.

"There is nothing left for you here."

"Take your men and return to Jiangning City."

Finished speaking, he didn't even spare Li Gang another glance, simply giving a subtle wink to his subordinates behind him.

The two suit-clad subordinates immediately understood.

Their figures flickered like lightning, snatching Zhou Feng directly from the hands of Li Gang's two adjutants.

The entire process was smooth as flowing water, and Li Gang's adjutants failed to make any effective response at all.

Zhou Feng was politely "invited" into Jiang Haicheng's military vehicle bearing special license plates.

Jiang Haicheng flashed Li Gang a meaningful smile, then turned and got into the car as well.

The motorcade started up without the slightest hesitation and drove away.

Leaving only Li Gang and over a hundred military soldiers standing in place, their expressions growing uglier by the second.

Li Gang stared at the retreating taillights, his fists clenched so tightly they cracked, his expression shifting between shades of dark and light.

…

Inside the car,

Zhou Feng straightened his slightly crumpled collar and flashed a grateful smile toward Jiang Haicheng in the front passenger seat.

"Thank you for your help, Lord City Lord."

Jiang Haicheng didn't even turn his head, merely looking calmly at the rapidly receding night scenery outside the window.

The smile on his face had long since vanished, replaced by utter indifference.

"Tell your father."

His voice carried no discernible emotion.

"I am only making a move this once."

"From now on, your Zhou Family must fend for yourselves."

The smile on Zhou Feng's face stiffened, but he immediately nodded heavily.

"I understand."

…

Jiangning City, Military Governor's Office.

"Bang!"

The office door was rudely pushed open.

Li Gang walked in with a dark expression, fuming with anger.

The office was permeated with a rich aroma of meat.

Governor Hou Changfeng was lying completely unpresumptuously on the sofa, grasping a glossy braised pork knuckle and gnawing on it until his mouth was covered in grease.

He lifted his eyelids to glance at the furious Li Gang, showing not the slightest surprise on his face.

"Got taken down a peg, didn't you?"

He mumbled indistinctly, casually tearing off a large chunk of skin and meat to stuff into his mouth.

Li Gang slammed his buttocks down onto the sofa opposite him, viciously hurling his military cap onto the coffee table.

"Those bastards from the Zhou Family cleaned up all the underground passages completely!"

"We simply can't find the exact location of that Secret Realm!"

The more he spoke, the angrier he became, his chest heaving violently.

"I originally wanted to bring that old fox Zhou Feng back and use some methods to make him talk."

"As a result, Jiang Haicheng popped up halfway!"

Li Gang punched the sofa armrest.

"When did this Jiang Haicheng get into bed with the Zhou Family?!"

Hou Changfeng leisurely wiped the grease from the corner of his mouth and tossed the thoroughly gnawed bone into the trash can.

"Jiang Haicheng naturally looks down on the Zhou Family."

"However, it is said that he has some distant, eighteen-turns-removed relative ties with the Liu Family in the Imperial Capital."

"Since the Liu Family is involved in this matter, it is within expectations that he would step in to interfere."

He picked up his teacup and took a sip of strong tea to wash away the greasiness.

"Now without crucial evidence, we indeed cannot act recklessly."

Li Gang said indignantly,

"Then what do we do now? Just leave it be like this?"

"That's a Secret Realm, and there are over four thousand human lives!"

Hou Changfeng shook his head.

"How could we ignore it? Therefore, our top priority is to find that Secret Realm."

He set down the teacup, a shrewd light flashing in his seemingly casual eyes.

"Since it is right beneath Donghai City, even if the Zhou Family erased all traces, the Secret Realm still exists."

"It can't run away."

Hou Changfeng straightened his posture on the sofa, his expression turning a bit more solemn.

"I will arrange twenty of the military's top Earth-element Professionals for you; you will immediately take them to Donghai City."

"Right around there, even if you have to turn the ground completely upside down, you must find that Secret Realm!"

Hearing this, Li Gang's spirits perked up sharply.

"Yes! Guarantee completion of the mission!"

Hou Changfeng nodded, and as if remembering something, added a reminder.

"Right, do you have any clues about that mysterious person who helped you escape back then?"

"Since he was able to help you escape without anyone noticing, he must know the exact location of the Secret Realm."

"Furthermore, he knows you and took the initiative to assist you, which shows that he and the Zhou Family are not on the same side, and he might even have a grudge against them."

"If we can find him, things would become much simpler."

Hearing this, a trace of distress appeared on Li Gang's face.

He fell into deep thought.

"That person… I have zero clues whatsoever."

"His movement technique was eerie and unpredictable, hiding within the shadows; I didn't even clearly see his face."

"If I had seen someone with this kind of ability before, I definitely would have had an impression."

Hearing this, Hou Changfeng couldn't help but sigh.

"Since that's the case, we can only rely on ourselves."

"You go ahead and handle things according to my instructions first."

"Yes!"

…

Meanwhile, in the Eternal Night Guild office,

Zhou Huai manipulated Moria, those silver eyes calmly gazing at the night scenery outside the window.

He quietly listened to the report from the Demon Slave in front of him.

"You're saying that the military brought people over tonight, yet didn't take Zhou Feng away?"

The Demon Slave in charge of intelligence respectfully nodded.

"Yes, Master."

"My informants stationed near the Radiant Alliance saw with their own eyes that they searched the Radiant Alliance's base from top to bottom, but gained nothing."

"That Lord Li Gang originally wanted to forcibly take Zhou Feng back for investigation, but City Lord Jiang Haicheng of Donghai City stepped forward at the crucial moment."

Zhou Huai's brows furrowed imperceptibly.

The Zhou Family's reaction speed was truly astonishingly fast.

They even anticipated that the military would forcibly arrest Zhou Feng, not hesitating to utilize the City Lord connection.

That head of the Zhou Family who had always remained hidden behind the scenes was indeed a deeply calculating character.

What should be done next?

Should he quietly leak the exact location of the Secret Realm to the military?

As long as the military found the Secret Realm and found those enslaved Professionals,

all of the Zhou Family's lies would instantly collapse on their own.

Just as Zhou Huai was weighing the pros and cons,

the office door was gently pushed open.

Jasmine's figure walked in from outside the door, quickly coming before Moria and respectfully kneeling on one knee.

"Greetings, Master."

Zhou Huai withdrew his thoughts and looked at her.

"What is it?"

Jasmine raised her head, her pretty face carrying a trace of irrepressible excitement.

"Master!"

"That area you previously asked us to focus on exploring has really… really yielded a discovery!"