Infiltrate

"Damn it! Damn it! Damn it! Damn it! Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!"

Late at night, within the City Lord's manor, the study, which hadn't been used for its intended purpose in ten years, was now in disarray.

Expensive antique porcelain shards were scattered everywhere. Zhang Ning smashed the porcelain bowl in his hand and took a breath, "Damn it, this is too much!"

This afternoon, less than 48 hours after his most beloved son went missing, Zhang Ning received news of him—a piece of facial skin with a mole.

Although the facial skin was incomplete, half-eaten by something, he recognized it instantly as belonging to his son, Zhang Huan.

Given the state of the facial skin, Zhang Huan's fate was obvious.

But this wasn't the reason for Zhang Ning's anger—sons could be replaced. He had other sons, but this one was the eldest, had been with him the longest, and was the most favored.

The sole reason for Zhang Ning's immense rage was respect.

From this operation, he saw not even a shred of respect from the local influential families. Most of them had been perfunctory, and the only one who had made any move did so because someone of their own had gone missing.

It had been nearly five years since he arrived here, and he had accomplished nothing. This was all because these influential families had obstructed and interfered behind the scenes.

If they were willing to donate money and people to build roads, the roads in Pei Commandery would have been widened long ago—was it really just about requisitioning land at one-third of the market price?

Was it really about demanding their unconditional relocation?

They were unwilling to make even this small contribution?

Has the Crimson Cloud Empire really reached such a state? Do I have no authority at all!

How can I govern the country properly when I'm surrounded by these vermin!

After his anger subsided, Zhang Ning pondered how to maximize his own interests. A thought flashed through his mind—he could use this incident to argue that the public security in Pei Commandery was poor, then demand that the yamen officials escalate and solemnize the matter, arresting some people and severely punishing others.

This would not only allow him to pocket some extra income but also enable him to make the influential families concede through tentative negotiations, slowly eroding their power.

After all, who would want to provoke a father who had lost his beloved son and claimed to have the righteousness to bring a better tomorrow to Pei Commandery?

"Hmph, Huan'er, it's good that you died! It's really good!!"

As he thought of the brilliant plan, Zhang Ning couldn't help but clap his hands in admiration.

"Good that I died for what?" a male voice he had never heard before came from behind him.

Startled by the sudden question from the side, Zhang Ning subconsciously replied, "Of course, it's good because I can make a fortune—Who?"

Realizing something was wrong midway, Zhang Ning abruptly turned his head, but saw nothing. Instead, a cold finger touched his neck. "If you don't want to die, don't speak loudly, don't shout, and don't turn your head!"

"S-sir!" His life clearly threatened, Zhang Ning panicked. After a long moment, he stammered, "I, I'm innocent!"

"Innocent?" It was clear that Zhang Ning had many skeletons in his closet. His first reaction upon encountering someone late at night wasn't to ask their purpose but to claim innocence. "I'm not interested in whether you're innocent or not, nor am I here to seek revenge for anyone."

Liu Tian made no attempt to hide his intentions. After a pause, he said, "I heard that Boss Zhang, City Lord Zhang, has considerable wealth and started his business in antiques. He has many antiques related to the Lost Empire. May I have a look?"

"Good, good, we can talk," Hearing that the visitor wasn't there for revenge, Zhang Ning subconsciously breathed a sigh of relief. He cursed inwardly, wondering who had exposed his background. How could mere antiques attract such a lawless rogue? "The antiques are hidden in the secret room behind my study. I'll take you there now."

"Don't think about any tricks. If I could get here silently, I can also make you disappear silently," Liu Tian released the hand that had been completely controlling him, allowing Zhang Ning to turn around, and warned, "I'm only here for one item. If it's not here, I'll leave immediately. As long as City Lord Zhang cooperates, you won't be harmed—after all, I don't want to cause too much trouble and be hunted by the Crimson Cloud Empire."

"Good, good, not just one, but nine or ten is fine!" Feeling that his body was completely beyond his control under the man's dominance, Zhang Ning, who had seen much of the world, immediately knew he had encountered a master. He quickly extinguished any nascent thoughts—the study wasn't without its mechanisms, but facing such a super expert whose movements were faster than his own when turning his head would hardly cause much damage. Since the man wasn't completely insane but was after wealth, cooperating was no big deal; he could always extort double from below later.

With his mind made up, Zhang Ning walked to the bookshelf in the study without making any suspicious moves. He picked up a few books, adjusted their order on the shelf, and said, "The secret room is hidden by a mechanism! I'll go in with you later. Don't worry, I won't run."

"No need." Liu Tian's voice was right behind him, as if whispering in Zhang Ning's ear. "I'll knock you out later and wedge your body in the doorway. If there are any mechanisms, you'll be the first to die."

"No, no," Zhang Ning shivered at Liu Tian's cold and ruthless words and quickly waved his hands, accelerating his progress. When he placed the last book in its correct position, with a slight click, the bookshelf automatically opened, revealing a keyhole behind it. Zhang Ning took out a key from his bosom and slowly unlocked it. What greeted him was an antique mirror, which happened to reflect the faces of Zhang Ning and Liu Tian.

Oh no, this is bad!

Zhang Ning's heart sank. The night before last, when he was admiring this antique mirror, he had forgotten to put it away. He hadn't expected that during such a clandestine infiltration, Liu Tian wouldn't even wear a veil. Although he didn't recognize the person behind him, the contours of his face were vaguely familiar.

"Sir, this is my treasure room." Zhang Ning quickly closed his eyes. "It was too bright just now, I didn't see anything."

"City Lord Zhang, your luck is truly terrible," Liu Tian ignored Zhang Ning's explanation and sighed. "Do you know? Often, the mistakes of the strong are not borne by themselves, but by the weak—and coincidentally, I am stronger than you."

"Just like you are stronger than those commoners."

"Save..." His heart sank, and Zhang Ning was about to fight back desperately when he suddenly felt a heavy blow to his neck. The sound he was about to utter was choked in his throat, his body went limp, and he collapsed to the ground.

Ignoring Zhang Ning's corpse, Liu Tian strode into the treasure room. On his way here, he had considered whether to kill Zhang Ning, not for any other reason than that he needed the death of a City Lord to draw others into the fray, and to prompt Pei Commandery to launch a crackdown, ensuring the safety of his parents during this period.

After all, from his previous interactions with Second Uncle, he could tell that he didn't believe his own assessment—that he could instantly kill ten snakes like him—was correct. His understanding of his own combat power was still based on their previous encounter.

But for Liu Tian, who possessed extraordinary talent, even a momentary gap in combat power could be worlds apart. Therefore, Second Uncle's preparations might be insufficient. To avoid any accidents, it was better to create a bigger accident to cover it up.

However, considering Zhang Huan's death, perhaps Zhang Ning had already planned to raise his guard and invite others in. So, Liu Tian ultimately let fate be the judge.

And clearly, Zhang Ning's fate was insufficient, and his luck was bad