"That made perfect sense. The Hand and the Mafia took the biggest share, leaving a few scraps behind. On one hand, it kept the small fry from bearing grudges; on the other, it let them fight among themselves and wear each other down. Why not?"
Frank nodded slightly. "As expected, scheming is what you do best."
Hong Fei's face twitched.
"San Pao, how are things at Fisk Industries?"
Frank's expression darkened. "Nothing much. They issued an obituary and kept things very low-key."
"Kingpin didn't have any heirs, did he?"
"No, so I guessed they must be fighting like hell internally right now. What, you want to get involved?"
Hong Fei shook his head. "Of course not. I can't hide fast enough. A lack of patience in small matters ruins great plans."
Frank continued, "The Mafia didn't get much this time. The Hand's appetite was too big. I figure they'll definitely clash sooner or later, and I want to bring that day forward."
Hong Fei raised a brow. "You want to disguise yourself and deliberately stir things up?"
"That's right."
"Brute!"
Seeing Frank's unconvinced expression, Hong Fei said, "Do you think they're idiots? Don't forget what it's like outside right now. The gangs only come out at night, while there are so many cops and National Guard troops around during the day. Why haven't the Hand and the Mafia broken into open conflict? Believe it or not, if those Armored Vehicles weren't running rampant through the streets, they'd have blown each other's brains out already! What you need to do now isn't provoke them, but quietly wait for the right moment. While you're at it, gather information on both sides. Things like him sleeping with that guy's wife, or that guy stealing his girlfriend—get solid proof. Once the situation outside settles down, quietly slip that stuff under their pillows. I refuse to believe those underworld bastards can put up with that. Oh, and find people whose status is neither too high nor too low. The high-ranking ones will inevitably have reservations, while the low-ranking ones are fucking useless. Best if they have bad tempers and act impulsively. Once you light that fire, it'll be earth-shattering. By then, they won't be able to avoid fighting even if they want to."
Frank's brows twitched wildly as he listened. After a long while, he managed to squeeze out, "You really are sinister."
"Fuck off!"
The next day.
Early in the morning, Hong Fei got up first and went to the rooftop to practice several sets of punches. But things were different now. He used to work up a sweat in half an hour, yet this morning he spent more than an hour at it.
The improvement in his overall physical abilities was obvious.
After showering and changing into clean casual clothes, Hong Fei went downstairs to the bookstore and waited for May.
At seven fifty, May arrived ten minutes early.
"Welcome!" Hong Fei rose to greet her.
May wore a black business suit, a modest smile on her face. "Boss, I hope we'll work well together."
"Of course. I believe in your abilities."
Hong Fei handed May a ring of keys and a box of documents. "These are the keys to every room in the building, the rental contracts, and some miscellaneous paperwork. Running and managing the bookstore will be your main responsibility. All the rooms upstairs except the top floor are available for rent. I'll be moving out after a while, so I'll leave this place to you. Oh, and when you have time, arrange for someone to clean the rooms."
May looked surprised. "You're moving out?"
"That's right. I'm planning to start some other business."
Perhaps it was an illusion, but Hong Fei always felt that May seemed to have breathed a sigh of relief.
After they finished the handover, Hong Fei returned to the top floor, feeling considerably more relaxed.
The bookstore could not simply be shut down. After all, it was the inheritance left behind by this body's parents. No matter how difficult things had been, the former Hong Fei had never turned the bookstore into another business. Master Hong, who had taken over this nest, had no reason to do so either.
Besides, the building itself was of limited value, but what lay buried beneath it was impossible to measure with money.
To be honest with everyone, Master Hong wanted to live for thousands, even tens of thousands of years too.
For the following days, aside from eating and sleeping, Hong Fei spent all his time training.
His suddenly enhanced body needed to be gradually adapted to. Its strength had to be controlled, its speed mastered, and its endurance pushed to understand its limits. Only a body he had completely mastered could truly belong to him.
Only a body that truly belonged to him would allow Hong Fei to unleash greater combat strength, excavate the deeper potential and limits within himself, and attempt to break through on that foundation.
Of course, it would be even better if he had powerful Skill Cards.
How could Master Hong, who neither rejected firearms and artillery nor hesitated to use them himself, possibly give up Skill Cards that only he could see and use?
The hunt for the culprit who had fired artillery in the outskirts of New York was still in full swing.
As long as the politicians kept spraying spit, the combined military and police forces that had already searched every hill could not withdraw.
The Mortar had been confiscated as evidence, and the searches and crackdowns on black-market arms sales intensified sharply. But Frank had done a clean job. Even if they found the seller, they would not be able to trace it back to Hong Fei or Frank.
As time passed, people gradually put the matter behind them. Most of those still shouting were ambitious people trying to use it as an excuse to bring down their enemies and climb higher.
During this period, Hong Fei noticed Tony flying back and forth through the sky several times, eventually even taking to the air in broad daylight regardless of the hour.
Armed groups in the Middle East had been struck by an unknown enemy, and a military exercise had lost a fighter jet. Neither was major news, until this day.
While the police were clearing the wreckage left behind by the artillery explosion, a collapse accident occurred. After the injured were found, a hidden underground factory was exposed as well.
When huge quantities of raw materials, tools, and finished products were laid before them, all of New York erupted.
That famous spice merchant and great philanthropist was secretly a drug dealer?
A few days later, after the police uncovered Kingpin's identity, they made all his crimes public. Only then did the people of New York realize that the truth was far more complicated than they had imagined.
Fisk Industries was taken over by the police, and the sight of hundreds of people lining up to be hauled into the station was spectacular.
After Kingpin's identity was exposed, certain people gradually stopped talking so much. They had once branded Kingpin a good citizen and demanded that the government investigate him thoroughly. Naturally, they had not given up, but they needed time to find a better excuse.
But what happened next gradually became strange.
"Was the person who bombarded Fisk a criminal or a hero?"
Once that question was raised, discussions surged forth like a tidal wave.
"Of course he was a criminal. Regardless of his motives, since his actions violated the law, he must be judged by the law."
"He had to be a criminal. And I suspect it was a personal vendetta between him and Fisk. Maybe he wanted to steal Fisk's business?"
"I don't care whether he was a hero or a criminal. I just want to know how he came up with the idea of blasting someone with artillery. That was so cool!"
"Exactly, super cool! I don't even want to look at my gun anymore. It feels completely boring now."
"I think he was a hero! Before the police released the information, who knew that this great philanthropist was also a major criminal? If he hadn't died, the police would never have known his identity, much less discovered that place full of evil. So I think he wanted to send Fisk and those damned drugs straight to hell!"
"Without a doubt, he was a hero. When the order of this world is eroded by darkness, people can only temporarily leave the light and enter the darkness in order to truly drive out the hidden vermin."
Before you continue