Merit of Following the Dragon

The merit of following the dragon.

This word sounds incredibly tempting.

At this very moment, most people with a stake in the Shadow Struggle are thinking these four words.

Once a Shadow Candidate successfully takes office, the entire power structure within the Qing clan will undergo a new reshuffle.

Therefore, it was different from the desolation on Qing Chen's side.

The residences of all the Shadow Candidate were bustling with activity, and even young Qing Yi was no exception.

In the third district, Qing Yi sat obediently on the sofa in his high-rise mansion, receiving guests again and again.

There's the Yoshiyuki clan's faction in City No. 10, and also his colleagues from the Intelligence Department Three whom he's about to take over.

Within the Federal Central Intelligence Agency, the inspector is the second-highest position after the director, and oversees 36 ordinary agents.

So, once the well-informed agents learned who their new superior was, they all came to pay him a visit before even Qing Yi and his team officially took office...

They call it a work report.

In the living room, Qing Yi adopted a very humble attitude, addressing everyone as "brother" and "sister," showing none of the airs of a powerful tycoon.

However, he suddenly felt very bored and missed the time he spent cultivating in the Autumn Leaf Villa.

I even miss Qing Chen, Li Ke, Li Tongyun, Nan Gengchen, and Li Yinuo...

I don't know why, but I suffered the most hardships and injustices in the Autumn Leaf Villa from childhood to adulthood.

Qing Yi felt that period was the most carefree time. At first, he had to pretend, but later he practiced with his fellow disciples, ate lunch together, finished his practice and went home together, watching the sunset in the Banshan Manor.

It sounds pretty nice.

To Qing Yi's slight disappointment, the tutor had disappeared after Old Master Li passed away, and there was no reason for everyone to get together again.

The instructor is so biased! He only takes Li Ke with him on his travels, even though he used to say that all the fellow disciples are treated equally.

Thinking of this, Qing Yi suddenly remembered the first time his teacher had given him enlightenment, and he still felt a little moved and wanted to shed tears.

No, Qing Yi felt that there was a hint of humiliation mixed in with that emotion. After all, how could someone as intelligent as him, Shadow Candidate, be so easily moved?

What he didn't know was that he cried at that time simply because Qing Chen's Knight True Qi was too evil.

"Inspector?" an agent asked tentatively, noticing Qing Yi's absent-mindedness.

Qing Yi snapped out of his daze, "Huh?"

He was inwardly frustrated; how could he have been so distracted during such a crucial moment of winning people over?!

The agents looked at each other blankly, realizing that all their flattery had been for nothing.

One of the detectives said with a smile, "It's getting late, let the inspector get some rest. Anyway, the inspector is taking office tomorrow, and we have plenty of time to get to know each other. Please rest assured, Inspector, everyone will cooperate with you and be your loyal followers."

Qing Yi smiled sweetly and said, "Then thank you, brothers and sisters. I'll be counting on you all from now on."

He personally saw the agents out, and after they left, he muttered to himself, "Of all the Shadow Candidate, why did we end up with the youngest one? Look at him, he was distracted just now, clearly not paying attention."

Another seasoned agent sighed, "In the end, he's still too young. Remember, after the Shadow Candidate take office tomorrow, we absolutely mustn't have any conflicts with the other teams. Anyway, I don't think this Qing Yi looks like he can win. We don't want to end up not getting any credit for supporting the new leader, but also suffering along with him during the purge."

The agent said, "Yes, that's right. But we still need to be polite to Qing Yi on the surface. We just need to avoid doing any work."

"By the way, I heard that someone is going to join the Intelligence Department One as well. They'll be an inspector right away. Looks like Shadow is going to cause trouble in the Intelligence Department One again."

"Hehe, who dares to interfere with the affairs of those living devils? Let them fight it out themselves."

After the guests left, Qing Yi remained on the sofa in the living room, resting with his eyes closed.

Much later, a message arrived on his phone. The message contained a detailed recording of the discussion that took place after the agents left.

The person who sent the message was Qing Yi's Kite Falcon.

Compared to a true intelligence agency like the Secret Intelligence Department, the Federal Central Intelligence Agency, which is largely controlled by corporations, is still somewhat immature.

Ninety percent of the truly talented individuals are absorbed by conglomerates long ago.

After listening to the recording, Qing Yi closed his eyes again. "Boring."

Just as he closed his eyes, he heard again the cheerful laughter of his fellow disciples on their way home after finishing their training at the Banshan Manor.

Tonight, at the homes of the remaining six Shadow Candidate— Qing Yi, Qing Shi, Qing Yuan, Qing Wu, Qing Xing, and Qing Wen —the same "reporting" scene was playing out almost simultaneously, except that each group of people reporting had a slightly different mood.

In fact, some people wanted to report to Qing Chen, since he was a real inspector who held the power of appointment and dismissal in the group.

To the surprise of the agents of the Seventh Group Intelligence Department One Division, no one could find the address of their new superior!

Unlike these insignificant figures, at this time, many powerful members of the Qing clan were quietly observing, waiting for the third round of the Shadow Struggle to end, to see who truly possessed the aura of a Son of Heaven.

Then place a heavy bet.

For them, this round is not just about individual ability, but also about who can integrate the Kite Falcon and bring them under their control first, and who is the fiercest and the smartest.

By the fourth round, the Shadow Candidate will likely begin to formally take over the power from the current shadow, and that will be the time for the real power holders to choose sides.

Qing Chen walked down the bustling street. New Year's Day was just around the corner, so everywhere was decorated with lanterns and colorful decorations.

In the Inner World, New Year's Day is a festival of equal importance to the Spring Festival.

Unlike City No. 18, this place also has a unique Kamiyo Style Street.

The entire street was filled with red wine banners, and there were countless shops selling sushi, tempura, and takoyaki. Izakayas and yakiniku restaurants were also lined up one after another on the ground floor of high-rise buildings.

What's even more unique is that the girls dressed in kimonos kneel in the shop window, each one looking gentle and dignified.

Drunk men would come here arm in arm, pick a girl, and take her inside. After they finished, they'd be sucking on a lollipop given to them by the landlady.

Other brothel owners would know that the man had already finished when they saw the lollipop, so they wouldn't need to put in any more effort to attract customers.

Qing Chen didn't pass through here to do business, but because the Kamiyo Style Street had the fewest surveillance cameras in the District 5, and the fluttering wine banners and dense holographic neon lights could also help him hide his whereabouts.

For Qing Chen, entering City No. 10 is a new beginning, and he must be extra cautious.

As the young man passed through the Entertainment Street, a girl in a kimono in a shop window couldn't help but glance at him. Usually, the customers here were greasy middle-aged men, so it was rare to see such a handsome young man.

Do these clean-cut young men really need to come to places like this?

However, to the girls' disappointment, the boy did not stop, but quickly disappeared at the end of the Entertainment Street.

When Qing Chen returned to the Utopia Tower, he first walked around to check if there were any vehicles belonging to the PCE Public Security Management Committee. Only after confirming that there were none did he enter the elevator.

He was worried that the A-list celebrity would call the police. Although his Federal Central Intelligence Agency affiliation was enough to resolve the issue, he didn't want to get such a bad reputation before he even officially reported on it.

Press the button for the 112th floor elevator. The transparent elevator quickly ascends in the enclosed elevator shaft. When it reaches the 66th floor, the elevator shaft suddenly transforms into a transparent glass wall.

The lights of countless homes and the floating cars speeding through the sky are right in front of you, and the cyberpunk world outside is laid out before you.

Qing Chen felt as if he had suddenly soared from the abyss to the sky, and everything became clear.

Stars have fallen to earth before me.

Upon arriving outside his house, Qing Chen glanced at the marks on the door and sighed.

I opened the door and the room was filled with the aroma of tea and the sound of coughing.

All the lights were turned off, and only the neon lights from outside the window shone in, but they couldn't illuminate Mr. Shadow's face.

Qing Chen said helplessly, "You're being too familiar. I haven't even had a chance to buy a kettle yet, and you're already here for tea?"

Qing Shi Yingzi smiled and pointed to the coffee table in front of her, "Look, I bought this. Consider it a housewarming gift for you."

Qing Chen imagined the other person carrying a kettle, walking out of the Shadow Gate, and suddenly felt it was both very strange and very down-to-earth.

"But a housewarming gift from the prestigious Qing family should at least be Forbidden Item, right? What's with sending a kettle?" Qing Chen asked.

Qing Shi changed the subject, asking, "What's your impression of Yan Chunmi?"

Qing Chen thought for a moment and said, "She's hiding her true abilities."

"Oh?" Qing Shi's shadow said with some surprise, "I'm surprised you could observe that. Why do you think she's hiding her talents?"

"Maybe she's worried that I'm a jealous boss? Or maybe she's worried that I'll use her as a frontline fighter?" Qing Chen guessed.

Qing's shadow chuckled, "What do you think of her actions?"

Qing Chen said, "It doesn't matter."

"Not bad. A manager should have a broad mind. Don't worry about what she thinks or does. You just need to know what you want," Qing Shi's shadow exclaimed.

Qing Chen suddenly realized that Li Shutong taught him how to cultivate himself, Li Xiurui taught him how to maintain his original intention, and this shadow of the Qing family wanted to teach him how to be a qualified boss.

But why is that? Why would the other person teach me these things?

Qing Chen did have some guesses about this, but several of the guesses were too far-fetched and seemed unreal.

"How do you plan to use the other Kite Falcon?" Qing Shi's shadow asked.

Qing Chen thought for a moment, "Would you believe me if I said I hadn't planned to use it yet?"

Qing Shi's shadow curled her lip. "Anyway, I've handed the person over to you. Whether you use him or not is your own business."

At this moment, Qing Chen suddenly asked, "Did you kill Old Shen's family?"

Shadow was both amused and exasperated. "What kind of person do you take me for? To kill an entire family just to have a loyal liaison and archivist? That's a gross underestimation of my personal charisma. Besides, Old Shen sat underground for 32 years, and I was only two years old when he went in... Oh, are you trying to test my age?"

Qing Chen was somewhat surprised that the shadow was so young, which indirectly refuted some of his guesses.

At least the shadow is not the father of "Qing Chen" in the Inner World.

Unless the other person gets married and has children at 15, that's way too early...

In the dimly lit room, Shadow turned on the projector embedded in the wall. The projector consisted of three projection ports, and three beams of light converged in the room to form a holographic image.

The video shows a TV series starring the A-list celebrity that Qing Chen just pointed a gun at.

The atmosphere suddenly became awkward.

Qing Chen pointed at the celebrity in the holographic image. "You're a fan of celebrities? You even found out their hidden address just to set me up?"

Just then, Shadow raised an eyebrow. "You have a guest."

He calmly downed his tea in one gulp, then tossed down a packet of tea leaves, saying, "These are tea leaves I just had picked for you. They're good for your eyes, but drink them sparingly; too much can cause problems. By the way, the Qing Zhuo that Yan Chunmi mentioned hasn't disappeared. As you guessed, Yan Chunmi was the spy before, and Qing Zhuo was her Kite Falcon. Later, she discovered that Qing Zhuo was bewitched by a woman and had defection tendencies, so she took action to clean house. This packet of tea was grown by Qing Zhuo."

After saying that, Qing's shadow opened the Shadow Gate and walked in, as if entering a void.

Qing Chen felt a bit disgusted looking at the empty space. Serving tea was fine, but she had to make things unpleasant before leaving, and also subtly imply that what Yan Chunmi told him might not be the truth.

However, he suddenly realized that Shadow had actually come to deliver tea.

Could it be that the other party witnessed the old guys delivering fruit in Forbidden Zone No. 002, and felt that it would be unreasonable not to offer something in return?

Qing Chen knew that the tea leaves from the Forbidden Zone had an effect on improving eyesight that was far beyond imagination.

He wondered what would happen if he first strengthened his bones and hearing, and now drank tea to improve his eyesight, and then tried all the things that had a blessing effect in Forbidden Zone.

Thinking of this, Qing Chen was actually looking forward to the hospitality that Ding Dong had promised.

Three knocks sounded, Qing Chen stood up in confusion, asking, "Who is it?"

A deep, muffled voice came from outside. "It's me."

Qing Chen opened the door and saw Li Dongze standing outside. He was wearing a well-tailored suit and a neat bow tie, as if he had just attended a banquet.

This man seemed to be always preparing to attend every grand ceremony in his finest attire.

"Why are you here?" Qing Chen asked.

Qing Chen was not surprised that the other party knew where he lived. He had previously instructed Hu Xiaoniu to tell Li Dongze that he was going to City No. 10 while he was in the wilderness.

He wasn't surprised that Li Dongze was in City No. 10, because he saw Heng Society's convoy when he passed through the border crossing tunnel.

He was surprised that the other person was in this room.

Li Dongze, still carrying a black plastic bag, asked bluntly, "Where's the kitchen?"

Qing Chen pointed in the direction for him, looking bewildered.

Then, he watched helplessly as Li Dongze went into the house, turned on the induction cooker, and started boiling water.

Li Dongze took out a bag of black sesame glutinous rice balls from a black plastic bag, opened it, and threw the white glutinous rice balls into the pot in one go.

Silently waiting for the glutinous rice balls to cook.

Standing still like a sculpture.

An inexplicable silence fell over the room. Qing Chen stared blankly at Li Dongze, dressed in formal attire, cooking glutinous rice balls, while Li Dongze responded to the awkwardness with silence.

Qing Chen asked curiously, "What exactly did you come here for?"

Li Dongze remained silent for a while before saying, "The boss said it's almost New Year's Day, and there probably won't be anyone to celebrate with you, so he sent me here."

Qing Chen: "... We don't cook glutinous rice balls on New Year's Day, we only cook them on the Lantern Festival."

Li Dongze frowned deeply, asking with seven parts skepticism and three parts uncertainty, "Really? Then what are we eating for New Year's Day?"

Qing Chen asked, "Master sent you here just for this little thing? The problem is, you're such an obvious target; what if you get discovered?"

"No, I'm being very careful here. Before I came, the Li Dongze told me that once you come to City No. 10, that old bastard Qing's Shadow will definitely try to win you over every day. We can't be worse than Shadow, since we're family."

After saying that, he placed the cooked glutinous rice balls in front of Qing Chen.

Without waiting for Qing Chen's consent, he sat down next to Qing Chen, took a photo together, and sent it to Su Xingzhi.

Qing Chen could almost imagine that Su Xingzhi might suddenly come to City No. 10 in the near future.

What is all this nonsense? How did I become such a hot commodity?

Looking at the steaming glutinous rice balls in front of him, Qing Chen realized that this was the first time in several years that someone had spent New Year's Day with him.

Amidst the awkward atmosphere, there was even a hint of warmth.

He looked up and said earnestly, "Thank you."

After sending the message, Li Dongze looked at Qing Chen seriously and said, "There are also people from Heng Society in the Fourth District. Although Heng Society isn't the only dominant force here, they should be able to help you if you're in trouble. By the way, is Luo Wanyai one of your men?"

Qing Chen nodded. "Yes."

Li Dongze thought for a moment and said, "His expansion is too fast. Although he is doing it very discreetly, it is inevitable that he will make people hold a grudge."

"Whom do you hold a grudge against?" Qing Chen asked.

Li Dongze said, "He poached a branch from the Mechanical God Cult, and those lunatics from the Mechanical God Cult are searching for him all over the world right now. The Mechanical God Cult is very sinister; it's best to avoid provoking such an organization. Should I step in and handle this?"

Qing Chen shook his head. "Let's see if he can solve it himself."

This news really surprised Qing Chen. What kind of operation is it to poach a branch from the Mechanical God Cult directly...?

It's important to know that the Mechanical God Cult in the Inner World is a legitimate religious organization. The fact that Luo Wanyai was able to poach people from it means that the local tyrant of Los Angeles had to destroy the faith of at least one of its branches first!

Is it really that weird?

"Let's go," Li Dongze glanced at the glutinous rice balls, "Little boss, you should still have a couple of bites as a token... Don't mention to Su Xingzhi and Lin Xiaoxiao that I sent glutinous rice balls for New Year's Day."

"Okay, I'll keep it a secret."

The chapter is 5,000 words long, and 10,000 words have been updated today. This isn't considered an extra update, since I've been idle for quite a few days, so I'm just paying some interest to everyone...

Thank you to Yi Lin, the husband of Black Rabbit Bai Nuo, and Le Sanye for becoming new patrons of this book. The boss is generous and wishes his family a happy Mid-Autumn Festival.

It's rare for a blessing to be so serious, let's give them a round of applause.