Chapter 168: 165. The Three-Legged Golden Toad of the Shenzhou Region?

165. The Three-Legged Golden Toad of the Shenzhou Region?

In the car, Chen Xiaolin recounted her findings regarding Haoyunlai Bar, expressing extreme certainty that the background behind Haoyunlai Bar was inextricably linked to this Abnormal incident in the Magic City.

After hearing Chen Xiaolin's findings, Yu Lianyun first showed a look of surprise, pondered for a moment, and then suddenly realized, muttering to herself with some excitement: "So that's how it is. If it's them, then they can't stay out of this either. Yes, we should have thought of this sooner, but why... never mind, it doesn't matter. This time, there's a nine-in-ten chance we can take them all down."

"Who are 'they' that you're talking about?" Seeing Yu Lianyun with the look of someone who had seen through the truth, Chen Xiaolin couldn't help but curiously ask.

Yu Lianyun glanced at her and explained: "Remember those organizations I mentioned to you before?"

"I remember. Just now you mentioned House of Cards, that former major conglomerate, now an Abnormal organization that everyone wants to beat up. Do you think the background behind Haoyunlai Bar is House of Cards?" Chen Xiaolin nodded and asked skeptically, "But that's not right. As far as I know, although the background of Haoyunlai Bar is mysterious, it shouldn't have much connection with House of Cards."

Yu Lianyun shook her head and said: "No, I know the background of Haoyunlai Bar is not House of Cards, but 'Heaven', a giant in the catering and service industry within the Shenzhou Region."

"Heaven? House of Cards... wait, aren't those two conglomerates, along with Shenzhou's other major conglomerate 'Lihua', known as the Three-Legged Golden Toad of Shenzhou? No! When did you investigate Haoyunlai Bar!?" Chen Xiaolin was shocked; she had never mentioned that strange bar to her.

"Two years ago." Yu Lianyun's face darkened, and the sea of blood and mountains of corpses she had experienced in Cuizhu flashed through her mind. That terror and despair still hung over her head like a guillotine to this day. Recalling it again, she once more felt the despair of her life being in danger and her fate out of her own hands eroding her entire body. "After the name of Cuizhu disappeared from the map of the Shenzhou Region that night, our Xuanmi Group launched an investigation into the conglomerate involved, House of Cards."

"After the organization for countering and handling Abnormal incidents surfaced and the ugliness of House of Cards was exposed, almost all the business partners who had cooperated with House of Cards distanced themselves at the first opportunity. However, our Xuanmi Group did not let go of the chance to investigate them. Do you know who among the corporate conglomerates distanced themselves at that time?"

"Heaven?"

"Yes." Yu Lianyun nodded. "Before House of Cards was exposed as being related to Abnormal incidents, their industries mainly involved real estate and railway transportation manufacturing. Those involved in real estate inevitably have some overlap with the catering and service industry. It seemed like a strong alliance for the two giants, House of Cards and Heaven, to cooperate; to the average person, this was not strange."

"But after all, there was the 'fish that slipped through the net'—House of Cards—so we specifically investigated the Heaven Group to prevent another 'House of Cards' from appearing in Shenzhou. However, the Heaven Group at the time was almost airtight, cleaning up every detail of itself so that we couldn't find any evidence of them colluding with other Abnormal factors besides their business dealings with the Abnormal organization House of Cards. Now that I think about it, that single point of suspicion was the most critical one."

Chen Xiaolin's heart was pounding. The explosive news made even a well-informed reporter like her unable to stop her blood from boiling. "If that's the case, two of the three legs of the Shenzhou Three-Legged Golden Toad are crooked, then this third leg... can it be guaranteed not to be crooked either?"

"Heh, of course not." Yu Lianyun sneered. "I already know who the woman Li Duojin mentioned is."

"A woman, an evening gown, a red rose... these details still seem vague when pieced together. After all, this information is too common; any woman could be a suspect. But, when I suddenly thought about the fact that such a woman appeared in Wang Zijing's memory, I felt it was very unreasonable."

"Evening gowns are usually worn for special occasions, and Wang Zijing's family background isn't very good. She never enters any evening banquets or high-end venues, let alone the kind of banquets where one would wear an evening gown. Yet, she saw an evening gown."

"So, this means the woman wearing the evening gown might not have been seen by Wang Zijing at those special occasions, but rather encountered in a very ordinary setting."

"Then what kind of strange woman would wear an evening gown out all day long?"

"Then I thought of the 'red rose' mentioned by Li Duojin, and I immediately thought of the head of the Lihua Group, Song Lu, who is known to the outside world as a powerful woman of her generation. Then I discovered that this woman has no casual photos, only looks in evening attire when attending major commercial events. She seems to be forever wearing an evening gown, adorned with a bewitchingly colored red rose."

"…This isn't any Three-Legged Golden Toad, it's clearly a Hellhound!" Chen Xiaolin was terrified to hear this. A single Shenzhou actually had three golden mountains that were Abnormal organizations piled with filth and despair. They wore the skin of capitalists, and in secret, who knew how many Abnormal incidents they had created that left the people in misery.

"Yes, how fitting." Yu Lianyun sneered, but her molars were chattering. Her heart was also trembling and cold. If no one ever discovered the truth, how many more tragedies like Cuizhu would have to be staged?

Yu Lianyun stepped on the brake and stopped by the side of the road.

Chen Xiaolin was startled by this sudden braking. She looked at the scenery outside the window and immediately widened her eyes: "A hospital? Why are you taking me here?"

"Taking you to do what you are capable of doing. Or did you want to face those things with me?" Yu Lianyun smiled, implying something.

Thinking of how she had just narrowly escaped from Jinma Mountain, she wasn't ready to go courting death again. Even though she still possessed a "Life-Saving Straw" she had bought from the Forest Cabin, she still dared not lower her guard.

Chen Xiaolin was speechless. After a short silence, she said solemnly: "Take care."

"Take care of Li Duojin; his situation might not be very good." Yu Lianyun nodded, gave a reminder, and then drove away.

Chen Xiaolin watched the taillights disappear into the midnight street. After the roar of the engine resonated with the long night, it vanished. Her hand touched the grass ring on her other wrist, and the hand wearing the grass ring was clenched into a fist...

To get the Xuanmi Group to mobilize and take action against the "Heaven" and "Lihua" groups, even Yu Lianyun's words wouldn't be enough without absolute, first-hand evidence.

Tonight, Yu Lianyun only gathered the members of the Tiger Team she led, preparing to launch an Abnormal surprise attack on Song Lu, the head of the "Lihua" Group currently staying in the Magic City. She wanted to use a relatively extreme method to force Song Lu to reveal her hidden flaws.

As for Haoyunlai Bar, Yu Lianyun was not worried.

She knew her partners would handle it well too.