Chapter 42: Sharing Hardships

As soon as he put on his smart device, a message from Widow popped up.

"The mission is complete. The package has been deposited at Tyron Tower."

What a coincidence. Li Yu casually replied to Widow with an emoji, indicating that he had received it.

Opening the official website for Tyron Tower on Heavenly Desolation Star, he saw that it had, as expected, been bombarded with angry comments.

People might not dare to confront them face-to-face, but did that mean they would not dare to rant and rave on the internet?

However, quite a few citizens of the Star Glory Empire were completely clueless, clamoring for video codes and spouting other incomprehensible nonsense.

Some people even submitted video screenshots to the headquarters of the Tyron Chamber of Commerce, complaining about a dark curtain of corruption.

It did not take long for the Tyron Chamber of Commerce to issue an announcement, declaring the results of this match invalid and stating that all betting funds would be returned to the bettors' accounts within a few days.

Once this announcement was made, the anger of the majority subsided. As long as they did not lose their money, it was fine.

Therefore, they could not stir up any real trouble.

"You still have the time to leisurely read the news? We are about to be crushed into meat paste."

Hunter opened the mechanical door, only to be forced back at gunpoint. He wore a miserable expression.

It was obvious that they had been placed under house arrest. Although Hunter did not know how the Tyron Chamber of Commerce would deal with them, the outcome would definitely not be something he wanted to hear.

"Relax... trust your master..." Li Yu was not particularly worried. No matter what happened, with his current strength, he could still carve out a path to survival.

Hmm... maybe he could even bring Mo Duo along. As for Hunter... he shook his head. 'Life and death are determined by fate; wealth and honor are up to the heavens!'

'Hunter, I believe in you!'

Seeing Li Yu's meaningful gaze, Hunter's Adam's apple bobbed. He did not dare to speak anymore, as a bad premonition washed over him once again.

Ever since he started following Li Yu, he would get this kind of premonition every few days. It left him feeling incredibly depressed.

On the other side, Tu Rui, whose expression was terrifying enough to scare someone to death, returned to his office. He rejected the call requests from the other managers and clicked on Taotie's avatar.

Before long, Taotie's voice rang out from the other side of the screen. His tone carried a hint of gloating. "Manager Tu, why did this Li Yu concede? Do you have some other arrangement?"

Tu Rui ignored him and cut straight to the chase. "Let me ask you, has the Troll Heart I requested arrived yet!?"

"This..." Taotie hesitated for a moment, but did not delay for too long. "Manager Tu, it is not like you do not know how difficult it is to find the heart of a young Troll. I still need a few more days."

Suppressing his furious rage, a layer of frost filled Tu Rui's eyes. His voice sounded like an evil spirit from hell. "Do you really think you can manipulate me?"

"Maybe the person backing you could, but a garbage-eating dog like you actually dares to lie to me!?"

"Are you looking for death!"

Taotie instantly fell silent. Having such extremely insulting words thrown in his face caught him off guard, and his tone became noticeably colder.

"What is the meaning of this, Manager Tu? A lowly scavenger is enough to make Manager Tu lose his composure?"

Tu Rui did not waste his breath and directly pulled up the audio file Li Yu had sent him.

On the other side of the screen, Taotie's pupils shrank as he listened to his own words playing from the audio. He looked around. 'Wiretapping? Surveillance?'

'No, this place has already been swept. It's impossible for there to be surveillance equipment.'

'Could it be...' Taotie stared at the smart device on his table. Anyone capable of hacking into this place would definitely not be a normal person. Would someone like that actually work for Li Yu?

"Comms are no longer secure. He might already know everything from our previous calls," Taotie said in a deep voice.

"Do you think I care?" Tu Rui sneered coldly. "So what if he knows? So what if he is watching right now?"

"If it were not for my special identity, why would I ever seek out a rat like you."

"Tomorrow, I want to see the heart. Otherwise, you had better hope the person backing you can keep you alive."

Tu Rui's killing intent was resolute. He was furious to the extreme, and someone had to pay the price for this incident.

"Manager... several managers are looking for you. Their attitude is not very good..."

A golden-skinned woman wearing professional attire walked in, her expression looking rather poor.

"Tell them to scram!" Tu Rui shouted fiercely. The secretary trembled in fear, not daring to speak as she lowered her head and walked out.

Taotie stared at the pitch-black screen, his expression moody and unpredictable. He knew that Li Yu was likely spying on him from the shadows right now.

This feeling humiliated him. To think he was actually being played in the palm of the hand by a mere scavenger.

"My Lord!" Someone pushed open the door with a panicked expression. Before Taotie could even raise a hand to silence him, the man hurriedly reported.

"The cargo you specifically gave orders about was suddenly hijacked three hours ago!"

Smash!

Taotie's eyes widened, and he shattered the sturdy metal table with a single palm strike. The subordinate shuddered; that was a table forged from Star-Shattering Iron.

"Good move, I underestimated you..." Taotie suddenly spoke. It was unclear who he was talking to, which immediately made the subordinate even more terrified.

"Intercepting the Troll Heart to make Tu Rui hold back for fear of collateral damage? And even turning him around to deal with me instead..."

"Truly astonishing..."

"What a pity..." Taotie curled the corner of his mouth into a cold sneer, not finishing his sentence.

Li Yu frowned, looking at the camera lens that had tilted sideways because the smart device fell to the floor. The final scene was of Taotie snapping the subordinate's neck.

'A pity... a pity about what?'

Did Taotie have a backup plan, or was this just empty bravado? Li Yu suddenly felt empathetic toward Hunter; it was a feeling of profound unease.

Not long after, Claptrap sent a message stating that the Thorn Flame base was already deserted. Everyone had relocated.

Li Yu pushed the door open, only to be met by dozens of pitch-black gun muzzles aimed right at him, preventing him from taking a single step forward.

"I want to see Manager Tu..." Li Yu said.

"Manager Tu has already left Tyron Tower. Before he returns, you are not permitted to step out of this room," a soldier replied coldly.

"He already left? That fast?"

Tu Rui's feelings for his son were clearly genuine. He did not dare to delay even a moment, terrified that something might go wrong.

Li Yu retreated back into the room, and Hunter immediately approached him. "What is it? What happened now?"

They all saw Li Yu's deeply furrowed brows. They rarely saw this kind of expression on him; he was usually completely unfazed.

"A small, unexpected situation has occurred. It might just be a false alarm, or it could be an abyss of death," Li Yu said honestly. Worrying alone was no fun; it was better for everyone to worry together.

As brothers, they had to share hardships.

"What situation? Spit it out already..." Hunter urged, highly anxious.

Li Yu thought for a moment. There was no need to hide anything, so he proceeded to explain a few things.