The Li Family

Li Xiang felt a chill down his spine, knowing he couldn't escape.

The reason they hadn't killed him directly was obviously to extract information.

And even now, he didn't know who had captured him. The night was too dark, and the lack of oxygen made his vision blur. The person holding his neck had been behind him the entire time, and all he could sense was immense strength.

"Ask what you want. Just give me a quick death."

A faint sound came from his constricted throat.

That's what he said, but whether he would actually answer truthfully was anyone's guess.

"Why did you go there at night? What do you know?"

Tao Yu asked in a hoarse, deep voice.

Li Xiang's heart skipped a beat at Tao Yu's question. Huh?

They don't know?

His thoughts gradually returned to him, and Li Xiang had a new idea.

Right, the fact that they took us down without any chance to resist... that's not something that kid and his family could do!

It's a third party!

He recalled that the kid had gone to the stronghold for the entire day. Had he brought in reinforcements?

Li Xiang immediately found the best explanation for the current situation. Someone with this level of strength couldn't be an unknown entity in the Outer City!

There's hope!

"I don't know what that kid told you, but we know the secret he knows just as well. Our objective this time was to take him away and silence him, but I didn't expect he'd already revealed it."

As Li Xiang's broken words came out, Tao Yu nodded.

"You know about that thing?"

"We do, sir. Actually, we'd be better partners. The South City Li Family, you must have heard of us. What kind of promises can that country bumpkin make? Why don't we cooperate?"

"The Li Family..."

The deep voice seemed to show a hint of apprehension.

"Hmph, you're lying to me! You're from the Inner City. If you really wanted to cooperate, why would you approach forces from the Outer City!"

The voice seemed to be filled with indignant rage.

Hearing this, Li Xiang's heart rejoiced even more.

Purely an Outer City force? That's fantastic! There's an opportunity!

"Sir, please don't be angry. Everything I've said is true. Because the profits from this venture give us a chance to return to the Inner City, our clan leader decided to develop it himself this time."

"So, the two of us who came to act were both direct descendants. This time, our clan leader has summoned all the important family members who can participate to ensure everything goes smoothly."

"Really?"

"Absolutely true! If we really had connections in the Inner City, we wouldn't have captured this kid. We would have simply recruited him. After all, a B-rank combat talent is quite rare in the New Frontier now, and this kid wouldn't refuse recruitment."

Li Xiang, desperate to survive, was being as sincere as he could.

Tao Yu heard this and thought, This actually makes a lot of sense!

Why would they target me? Isn't it because they're afraid they can't control the situation?

If they had Inner City backing, why would they worry about this? Wouldn't it be easier to just pay me off and recruit me?

Normally, would I refuse?

"And most importantly, a careless remark from them fully exposed their capabilities."

B-rank talent...

Even though only a day has passed, I haven't kept it a secret at all. I've been completely open about it.

Even with all that, they still have the old intel. Their capabilities are indeed limited.

I sold the information to the Starlight Recycling Station over half a day ago, and they still don't know anything. Judging by this, the reliability of at least this one statement is quite high.

"To show my sincerity, give me some of your Wish Power."

Tao Yu pulled out a magnetic card from his pocket. This was an item he had received after selling something, and it could be used repeatedly, storing up to over four thousand points of Wish Power at a time. It was much more convenient than Wish Power fragments.

Due to the World Will's restrictions, operations like illusions and mind control couldn't transfer Wish Power, but 'voluntary' transfers were possible.

He had finally captured someone he could handle, and he didn't want to waste the opportunity. He had taken risks for this information.

The gun Tao Yu spat out before Yosef died, and his final self-detonation, were still fresh in Tao Yu's memory. So, even though he was only dealing with someone from the Outer City this time, he had attacked from behind, breaking all his limbs and holding his neck, all to prevent any mishaps.

But as Tao Yu spoke, Li Xiang fell completely silent, a look of utter despair on his face.

"Please, sir, be quick."

They were asking for Wish Power now. He had done this before. Upon hearing this, all the hope he had mustered was extinguished. He no longer held any illusions. There was no chance!

Why!

Why!

"If you don't give it to me, I'll just throw you into a pile of rats while you're still alive. That won't be pleasant."

Tao Yu dropped the pretense and resorted to threats.

But all he received in return was silent stillness.

To give money to the person who killed you, even after death? That's a death with no peace!

Having clawed his way up in this hellhole of an Outer City, Li Xiang had initially planned to offer a mix of truth and lies to get information. But now, there was no point.

Realizing he might not get anything useful, Tao Yu tightened his grip and snapped the man's neck.

He then tossed the corpse towards the garbage mountain as well.

Throwing him in alive would have meant screams and attracting unwanted attention. Since scaring him hadn't worked, Tao Yu couldn't be bothered with the hassle anymore…

"Our family has always worked diligently, earning our meager three hundred a month. We've always been kind and helpful to others. Why, why are you forcing us…"

Tao Yu heard the stirring of the rat swarm behind him again. He turned and walked towards the Inner City wall.

The Li Family wants to hog it all for themselves, to return to the Inner City?

This means…

It's just you guys!

The Li Family, a clan that had retreated from the Inner City to the Outer City.

Even though they couldn't stay in the Inner City, they were still a remarkably prominent force in the Outer City.

Their withdrawal was primarily due to the death of their strongest pillar and a group of core members during an expedition into a world fragment.

For the Li Family, leaving the Inner City was a necessary sacrifice, a way to survive. All in all, it was a relatively dignified exit.

Thus, they quickly established themselves in the Outer City and became a considerable power.

The current head of the Li Family, Li Hui, is one of the four deputy captains of the Security Team, responsible for the South City region.

Furthermore, Li Hui is the only one of the four deputy captains without any signs of mechanical augmentation, much like the Security Team captain, Zechuan.

To hold such a position with his flesh and blood, without any mutated implants or mechanical modifications, is proof enough that his body has surpassed human limits through other means, rivaling or even surpassing the mechanical augmentations common in the Outer City.

In the Security Team's family residential area, a three-story wooden villa with a small courtyard, along with twelve adjacent buildings, constitutes the Li Family's current settlement in the Outer City.

Compared to the cobbled-together, junkyard aesthetic of most Outer City buildings, each of the Li Family's houses is quite conventional, mostly constructed from uniform timber.

Clustered together, over a dozen houses create a visual style that sets this area apart from the rest of the Outer City.

The ground is covered in compacted gravel, making it considerably cleaner.

While most of the Outer City falls silent deep into the night, the central three-story wooden villa remains brightly lit, as if hosting a banquet that has yet to conclude.

While ordinary people can barely afford to use kerosene lamps, this villa is illuminated by electric lights, as if they live in a different wor