Chapter 31: Oppression from the Tyron High Echelon

Bam!

A heavy crash echoed, sounding as if Taotie was violently venting his resentment.

"I never expected there to be so many hidden layers to this..." Li Yu rubbed his chin. He already knew there had to be something fishy about being arranged to fight Grey Spear.

However, he had not anticipated it being quite this complicated.

"Master, based on Tu Rui's words, one of Taotie's messages contradicts the facts," Claptrap added.

"What message?" Li Yu asked, his interest piqued.

"It is this one... sent to Third Fatty..." Claptrap pulled up a line of text.

Li Yu glanced at it and immediately raised an eyebrow. "As expected of the second-in-command, this Taotie really knows how to do business."

He had exploited Tu Rui's weakness and authority to arrange a direct match against Grey Spear. Given Grey Spear's strength and objective, the mercenary was bound to defeat Li Yu, and would highly likely kill him in the process.

"According to some information on his Smart Terminal, he placed a bet of ten million Star Coins on Grey Spear's victory."

"No wonder..." Li Yu completely understood now. Why else would that guy be so furious? Hadn't he just killed one of his subordinates?

It turned out he had lost his entire investment. Who could he blame for that?

"Master, there is one more thing... You should be interested in this. It is regarding the Troll Heart."

...

Mo Duo slowly woke up, his head still aching and dizzy, a clear sign of overexerting his Mental Power.

Holding his head, he slowly sat up. Meeting Li Yu's peculiar gaze, his expression shifted slightly, and he subconsciously patted himself all over.

"You are not a young girl, what are you so scared of..." Li Yu could not help but tease.

Realizing that nothing had changed about his body, he finally let out a slow sigh of relief. Staring at Li Yu with his green eyes, he said, "You are very powerful..."

Li Yu looked at him and nodded slowly. "Indeed."

Mo Duo, "..."

"You cannot go in... Inside... Inside..." Hunter's helpless voice could be faintly heard as the door to the observation room opened. Gugu marched in, completely ignoring Hunter's attempts to stop him.

After entering, Hunter hurriedly checked the situation. Finding that no unspeakable acts were taking place, he breathed a sigh of relief.

"Lord Tu Rui wants to see you..." Gugu told Li Yu with a dark expression.

Li Yu's eyes flickered. He stood up and agreed, "Alright..."

Both Hunter and Mo Duo looked somewhat worried. They knew that while Li Yu's victory might not be a big deal in itself, killing Grey Spear would undoubtedly invoke the displeasure of certain people.

He headed straight for Tu Rui's office. Along the way, the looks he received from the staff had completely changed. Their gazes were complex—filled with admiration, fear, pity, regret... a whole myriad of emotions.

Opening the door, he found Tu Rui's massive figure standing by the window. Fully upright, he stood at a towering three meters tall, his exaggerated physique making him look like a true giant.

He had his back to Li Yu, looking out the window that overlooked the entire black market, with trails of smoke curling up from above his head.

"You should not have killed Grey Spear..." He skipped the pleasantries and cut straight to the chase.

Ever since the match ended, his personal terminal had been bombarded with messages. The various executives of the Tyron Chamber of Commerce were demanding to know what exactly had happened.

Fortunately, Li Yu was indeed a complete newcomer. Tu Rui had managed to brush them off by claiming he was just as clueless as they were.

But even so, he still had to agree to certain conditions to placate the executives' anger.

"But I already did..." Li Yu shrugged and sat straight down on the chair. The black swivel chair automatically adjusted to his ergonomics, providing unparalleled comfort.

"Which is why you are in deep trouble now..." Tu Rui turned around. When he saw Li Yu sitting in the chair, his pupils shrank, but he forced himself not to lash out.

"What trouble am I in?"

"The massive Tyron Chamber of Commerce is a special interest group, tangled in all sorts of darkness. I will not hide it from you; Grey Spear was hired by those executives to kill The Howler."

Tu Rui had one hand stuffed into his pocket. His pale blue hair was slicked back, and he held a cigar between his teeth. His enormous body cast a shadow large enough to completely engulf Li Yu.

The Tyron Chamber of Commerce was divided into various sections, such as the Boxing Match Department that Tu Rui managed, along with many others. Every executive held a high position; aside from the head of the Chamber of Commerce, they were the ones with the most authority.

"By killing Grey Spear, you enraged them. You made all their money go down the drain. Those Vampires love money as much as their own lives. When you touch their money, you are touching their lives."

As Tu Rui continued speaking, Li Yu keenly caught a hint of something else. It seemed this guy was not actually here to settle scores.

"Oh, and so?" Li Yu remained unpanicked, wanting to hear what Tu Rui had to say.

Tu Rui was somewhat dissatisfied with Li Yu's attitude, but he continued, "Right now, there is a way for you to beg for their forgiveness laid out in front of you."

"And that is to take Grey Spear's place and take down The Howler..."

"Beg for their forgiveness?" Li Yu's tone was odd.

"That is right..." Tu Rui said in displeasure. "Those executives hold high positions of power. If they decide to target you, even I will not be able to stop them."

"It is better for you to just beg for their pardon..."

This was a naked threat. If Li Yu refused to accept, he would draw down their thunderous retaliation.

Li Yu stared at Tu Rui's enormous body. The tip of the cigar glowed with sparks, and wisps of smoke drifted erratically through the air. The room fell into a temporary silence.

"Alright... I accept..." Li Yu grinned, flashing a brilliant smile.

Looking at that blinding smile, Tu Rui inexplicably felt a bad premonition. But a moment later, he remembered his own status and put his mind at ease.

In the end, he was just a Scavenger... someone who could be molded and crushed however Tu Rui pleased.

"A wise choice. Go back and prepare. Although The Howler is only an E+ rank, he is not simple. His Gene Chain is very unique."

Tu Rui gave a brief explanation. Detailed information was available outside, so there was no need for him to go into specifics.

Li Yu obediently stood up. Right as he reached the door, he suddenly stopped in his tracks, turned his head, and asked, "Your Excellency Tu Rui, does the Tyron Chamber of Commerce have no objections to this kind of manipulation by its executives?"

He was referring to the practice of hiring outsiders to interfere with the matches and exploiting the betting odds for massive payouts.

Tu Rui revealed a sinister smile, his two yellowing tusks glinting with a cold light. "Of course not. Otherwise, why would I tell you so openly? Beneath a rotting tree, there is no end to the rotten roots you can pull."

"Oh..." Li Yu looked thoughtful. Since that was the case, it seemed his plan to use the short video clip to threaten Tu Rui would have to be temporarily shelved.

The Tyron Chamber of Commerce seemed to turn a blind eye to these sorts of under-the-table dealings.

However... there were other ways...

The Little Demon Giant, the cute Little Demon Giant... Heart disease truly was a terrifying illness.

Li Yu smiled, nodded at Tu Rui, and walked out of the office.

"Next time, absolutely do not sit down until I tell you to..." Watching Li Yu's retreating back, Tu Rui muttered, "If there even is a next time..."