Chapter 00119: Rules and Positions
# Rules and Positions
Chapter 119
Novel: Above Destiny
Chapter 119: Rules and Positions
Silence.
Only the echoes of the clock swayed in the hollow room.
From Minerva's gaze, Zhou Cheng was already drenched in sweat.
He tried several times to open his mouth, but no words came out.
No matter how hard he tried to muster his spiritual energy and lift his spirits, all he felt was an increasingly clear and overwhelming fear.
It wasn’t just Minerva.
It was as if something even more ferocious and sinister, lurking behind this fleeting illusion, cast a disdainful glance at him.
The thing Bai Lu hated most about Tianyuan was that Tianyuan was like a lock.
Everyone within it had their own place and chains.
The meaning of the individual was infinitely diluted by the group, unable to exist beyond their assigned position.
Chains and authority shared the same origin.
Order and shackles coexisted.
Even if you weren’t a follower of Tianyuan, once you were within it, you would be subtly assimilated, becoming one of the faceless, mass-produced products.
But now, when Wen Wen threw the chains aside and merely made a gesture to break the damn chains, what Zhou Cheng felt was the ironclad nature of the Desolate Ruins’ path.
The majesty and terror of something merciless!
Even though they were both Chosen Ones, the gap between them couldn’t be measured in mere inches—it was like the difference between heaven and earth.
What level was this... rebirth, or... transcendence?
In his increasingly chaotic thoughts, his consciousness fell into emptiness.
His expression stiffened, unable to free himself, as if he himself was about to become part of that iron and stone.
Until a low voice sounded.
Footsteps.
So gentle.
Amidst the low footsteps, yet distinctly different, making one involuntarily want to listen closely.
The moment he sensed the newcomer, he instinctively straightened up, stepping aside to make way, greeting respectfully.
"Mr. Lei."
"Mr. Lei, good afternoon."
"Director Lei, hello."
"Hello, everyone, hello."
The figure walking in slowly entered the company, smiling warmly.
His short hair was slightly graying, his beard neatly trimmed.
He waved his hand, signaling, "Keep working, don’t mind me."
With that, he walked straight into the reception room.
Ignoring the suffocating pressure filling the room, he pushed the door open and couldn’t help but be slightly surprised.
"Ah, look at this mess. How did it get like this?"
Lei Yaoxing sighed, looking at the furious woman, and smiled, "Manager Wen, don’t make it hard for the people below."
"Is that so?"
Wen Wen was cold, just glancing at Zhou Cheng, who was drenched in sweat.
"I feel like he’s the one making things hard for me."
"Is that so?"
Lei Yaoxing turned back in confusion, looking at Zhou Cheng.
Zhou Cheng trembled, standing there.
The moment the terrifying pressure disappeared, he instinctively knelt on the ground, crawling forward on his hands and knees, wanting to approach.
But after Lei Yaoxing glanced at him, he didn’t dare to get any closer, just kowtowing on the ground in terror, babbling incoherently.
"Brother Xing, I did it all for the gang, Brother Xing, I... I had no ulterior motives..."
Lei Yaoxing sighed, waving his hand, and Zhou Cheng didn’t even dare to explain further.
"Please forgive us, Manager Wen. The gang has its own rules. If I don’t make a statement, how would the people below dare to act on their own? Otherwise, if they’re caught, they’d be labeled as traitors and punished severely."
"Ha—"
Wen Wen sneered, "Finding a scapegoat to take the fall, saying all the harsh words, and now you come out to play the good guy. Isn’t that a bit cliché?"
"Can’t help it. When Minerva comes knocking, who wouldn’t be scared? We can only cling to the Desolate Assembly as our lifeline."
Under Wen Wen’s cold gaze, Lei Yaoxing remained smiling, completely unfazed by the violent aura, calm and composed.
Although his tone seemed to be yielding, when he mentioned the name "Minerva," there was a subtle pause, as if reminding her of something.
Wen Wen asked bluntly, "Was it your people who did the White Stripes Gang thing?"
"Not related to me," Lei Yaoxing shook his head decisively.
"Am I crazy? To deal with Chen Xingzhou, I’d hire a bunch of lunatics who don’t know the rules? I think there must be some misunderstanding here."
"All misunderstandings?"
Wen Wen was almost amused.
"Seems like everyone says that, but so far, over a hundred people have died in these 'misunderstandings.' I’m starting to not know who to believe."
"If I wanted to deal with Chen Xingzhou, I wouldn’t need to hire anyone."
Lei Yaoxing took off his coat, hung it up, and walked straight to the wine cabinet in the corner.
He poured himself half a glass of whiskey, downed it in one go, and said calmly, "Manager Wen, you’re an honest person. I trust you. So, I’ll give you some insider information—these past few days, the chaos hasn’t just been hard for you to watch. Several uncles from other parts of Haizhou have already stepped in to mediate. Tonight, we’ll settle things at the Moonlight Pavilion. Both sides will stand down. No need for further bloodshed."
Wen Wen was momentarily stunned, her gaze at Lei Yaoxing growing increasingly strange.
Black-market accountants and underling drivers were one thing, but after Chen Xingzhou had killed two illegitimate children, four or five trusted aides, and key subordinates, Lei Yaoxing was actually willing to mediate and stand down?
How could he tolerate that?
But at this critical moment, Lei Yaoxing had no choice but to endure.
As Lei Wuye’s adopted son, raised by him personally, Lei Yaoxing was the eldest.
In terms of status, he was Lei Wuye’s most trusted right-hand man.
Chen Xingzhou was merely the public accountant and subordinate, a glove used to make money.
In terms of strength, after integrating many of Lei Wuye’s subordinates, Lei Yaoxing was now the undisputed strongest in Yacheng’s underworld.
Even if all his younger siblings united, they could only barely match him.
Once this critical moment passed and he subdued all his opponents, even before Lei Wuye breathed his last, Lei Yaoxing would naturally become the leader, the rightful heir.
Taking a step back now would give him room to maneuver.
He could always kill Chen Xingzhou’s entire family later.
He could even show some magnanimity, letting Chen Xingzhou continue to work for him, just as he had once worked for Lei Wuye, earning money.
Without the White Stripes Gang to do the dirty work, Chen Xingzhou’s Quancheng Tongxianghui would be like a one-armed man.
Once his wings were clipped and he was disciplined a bit, what waves could he possibly make?
"Please, Manager Wen."
Lei Yaoxing placed a glass of whiskey in front of her, his smile gentle.
"We’ll need to work together more in the future."
Unfortunately, there was no response.
Wen Wen didn’t even glance at the glass.
She slowly stood up, straightened her sleeves, and brushed off the dust on her clothes.
"Good. Since it has nothing to do with the Desolate Assembly’s internal affairs, then the North Mountain Group can start taking action."
Whether it was Lei Yaoxing’s doing or not, whether he admitted it or not, it didn’t matter to Wen Wen.
She didn’t believe a word of it.
All she wanted was this statement, so that after she finished off those scum, no one could use the stance between the Security Bureau and the Desolate Assembly to make any further trouble.
Lei Yaoxing’s smile stiffened for a moment, whether due to Wen Wen’s attitude or her decision, but in the end, he said nothing.
He only reminded her, "Manager Wen, you forgot something."
"Photocopied. Tear it up for fun."
Wen Wen waved without looking back, pushed the door open, and left.
In the reception room, now silent again, Lei Yaoxing sat down, sipping the strong liquor slowly.
With a casual flick, the crumpled envelope unfolded, revealing the blank paper inside.
Not a single word.
"Heh..."
He couldn’t help but chuckle coldly, sighing lightly, "The Security Bureau truly has hidden dragons and crouching tigers."
After finishing the whiskey, Lei Yaoxing stood up and left.
From beginning to end, neither of them looked at the poor wretch kowtowing in terror in the corner.
And he didn’t dare to stop.
The dull sound continued, the sticky blood spreading across the gray cement floor.
In the spreading crimson, it was as if a ferocious deer turned its head to look back.
Thus witnessing.
This slaughter offered to the highest good.
Three minutes later, Tong Hua, who had been waiting, received a call from Wen Wen.
"Alright, that bastard Lei Yaoxing didn’t dare to admit his connection to those people. Start the operation. Catch them and make sure they don’t leave alive!"
The cold voice on the phone said, "If you catch them at the station, crush them on the tracks. If you catch them at the dock, drown them in the sea. I don’t want a single one of them to leave Yacheng alive. Understood?!"
"Huh?" Tong Hua was momentarily stunned, not because of Wen Wen’s determination, but because of something else.
"Sis, aren’t you coming?"
"I’d like to."
Wen Wen sighed helplessly, "But guess who’s sitting across from me right now?"
"Ah—"
Tong Hua immediately understood, furious, shouting into the phone, "Tong Shan, what are you doing?!"
"Received the order. Then follow Manager Wen’s command and act. Don’t take matters into your own hands and complicate things."
Another voice, calm to the point of being rigid, spoke up, "At work, address by title, Officer Tong. As the head of the First Division and acting director, I just have some matters regarding the Security Bureau’s stance to discuss with Manager Wen."
"At~work~address~by~title~~"
Tong Hua angrily repeated her brother’s words in a mocking tone, about to say something more, but the call was cut off, making her even angrier.
In her extreme anger, she got even angrier.
Her endurance was truly impressive.
Helplessly rolling her eyes, she cursed, "In the future, you’ll definitely marry someone as rigid as you, and even going to bed will require a report!"
Since she was a child, she knew her brother was different.
Not just different from her, but different from everyone in the family.
When everyone was excitedly gossiping and looking for fun, he never lifted his head to join in.
In the entire Tong family, he wasn’t close to anyone.
He decided his own school, his own major, his own job, his own life, awakened on his own, and played solo.
Since joining the First Division, his poker face had become more natural day by day.
One look and you could tell—he was playing Tianyuan.
A perfectly good person, ruined by Tianyuan!
"Forget it, let’s get to work."
After hanging up, she waved to Old Zhang, who was lounging in the shade, and walked towards the scene, rubbing her hands.
"Come on, let me see—who’s the bold one causing trouble in North Mountain District?"
Under the tracing of the Ether records, everything that had happened appeared before her eyes.
Unfortunately...
It was all a blur.
Like watching a 120P surveillance video with a 120K/S connection, intermittent, flickering, sometimes jumbled, sometimes unclear.
By the time they reached the scene near the complex shantytown area, it was already hard to track the target.
Tong Hua’s cold sweat dripped from her forehead, and she began to feel nervous.
Crap, we’ve run into professionals!
After following Tong Hua around the shantytown like a headless fly for several circles, Old Zhang remained calm as ever.
But Xiao An, who cherished the prosthetic leg and didn’t want to keep stepping in the mud, couldn’t help but sigh:
"Sis Tong Hua, so weak."
"Where am I weak?! Where am I weak?! Our Ether path has always been this strong, okay?" Tong Hua immediately got defensive, jumping in frustration, spouting things like 'the other side has professional interference devices,' 'too many missing frames,' 'too many people in the shantytown causing signal interference,' and so on, making the team laugh.
Until Tong Hua, after exhausting all her efforts, lost track again and was on the verge of crying.
Then, Old Zhang, leisurely fanning himself with a large palm-leaf fan, finally pointed to the tangled cables overhead, the dense wiring, and the various... cameras.
"Why not ask someone for help?"
Old Zhang asked curiously.
"No!"
Tong Hua immediately got nervous, angrily saying, "I, Tong Hua, would rather die than ask for help, even if I have to jump from here..."
Half an hour later, before Ji Jue’s little ox-cart even came to a stop, he heard a deafening greeting.
"—Good afternoon, Brother Ji Jue!"
(End of Chapter)