Resolution [1]

The night was like a veil, and the stars above were hidden from view.

Neon lights flickered throughout the city, amidst the endless stream of traffic.

Ligang Building, an office tower in the Southern District of Huanyang City.

The building was brightly lit, with more than half of the floors glowing; through the glass windows, people could be vaguely seen working inside.

--Knock, knock!

A knock sounded at the door.

"Please, come in."

Xue Wu lifted his eyes from the screen, signaling for the person to enter.

The door was pushed open, and a young female employee wearing round-rimmed glasses walked in clutching a stack of documents, gently placing a proposal on the corner of the desk.

"General Manager Xue, this is the next phase of the marketing department's promotional plan. It requires your signature and approval."

Xue Wu gave a grunt of acknowledgment, took the documents, and flipped through them quickly.

His fingertips lingered on the edge of the pages for a moment, and after confirming everything was correct, he signed his name at the bottom.

"Oh, by the way, General Manager Xue."

The female employee pushed up her glasses, her tone laced with a hint of excitement.

"The first-month data for the Huihuan app is out. Domestic downloads alone have exceeded one million."

Huihuan was the new second-hand digital trading platform their company had recently launched, and it was the first of its kind in the country.

Although they hadn't invested heavily in advertising before the launch due to budget constraints, the response had been quite good; this result was an unexpected delight.

Xue Wu's lips curled slightly as he handed the signed documents back.

"Well done."

He leaned back into his chair, his fingers tapping lightly on the armrest.

"You've all worked hard. By the end of the year..."

Before he could finish his empty promise, the phone on the corner of his desk began to buzz.

The screen lit up, and a name flashed on the caller ID.

Xue Wu's gaze froze, and he waved a hand at the employee who was still standing there.

"You go ahead and get back to work."

Once the female employee left and closed the door, Xue Wu picked up the phone and pressed the answer button.

"Hello, Dad!"

It was unclear what was said on the other end.

Holding the phone, a flicker of joy appeared in the eyes of the otherwise calm Xue Wu.

"What? Mom made a breakthrough? Alright, I understand. I'll be back immediately!"

After a brief conversation, Xue Wu put the phone down.

He swiveled his chair to look out through the floor-to-ceiling window.

The neon lights of Huanyang City were brilliant, the traffic flowed like a loom, and in the distance, even the factory zones were brightly lit.

Reflected on the glass, the scene appeared dim and indistinct.

"I didn't expect there to actually be a breakthrough."

He murmured softly.

Just moments ago, during the call, his father, Xue Hai, had told him something.

His mother had made further progress regarding the Green Bag Fragment.

For him, this was undoubtedly good news.

For the past few days, he had been pondering the issues surrounding Hu Long.

Don't let the fact that he was Hu Zhao's boyfriend of record fool you.

In reality, due to family reasons, Hu Chengwen had spoken to him directly.

The content of that conversation was very clear: until he had achieved something of substance, he would not allow the two of them to marry.

Furthermore, Hu Zhao was not the type to be blinded by love; she was a relatively traditional girl who listened closely to Hu Chengwen.

This meant that even though the two of them had established a relationship quickly, there hadn't actually been much progress between them.

It was limited to occasionally holding hands; as for anything further, there was absolutely none.

This was also what infuriated him to no end.

Yet, he dared not use force, for he understood that the Hu Family was no simple matter. If he truly dared to do such a thing, he feared there wouldn't even be a scrap of him left by the next day.

This was also one of the reasons why he had used that thing on Hu Long.

Because using it on Hu Chengwen would be useless; if that man died, the son would inherit the estate, and it still wouldn't fall into his hands.

As long as Hu Long died, he could marry into the Hu Family and seize their vast fortune.

As for the one-year-old Hu Yu, he didn't take the child seriously at all; sooner or later, he would have to be dealt with as well.

But now, things were different.

If his mother truly mastered the power mentioned in the records, then both wealth and power would be within his grasp.

By then, the Hu Family's wealth would all be his for the taking.

Thinking of this.

He had no patience to continue waiting; he stood up, left the room, and arrived at an office on another floor.

"Is something the matter?"

Hu Zhao looked up and glanced at Xue Wu.

She picked up the coffee that had already gone somewhat cold and took a sip.

She asked casually.

"My mother had an accident; she fell, and I might need to head back for a bit."

Xue Wu said in a low voice.

Hearing this.

Hu Zhao set down her coffee and asked with some concern.

"Is your mother alright? Do you need me to go with you?"

"It's fine, just a minor issue. I just finished a phone call, and I can go back and check on her myself. The company is at a critical juncture, so you can't leave."

Xue Wu said.

Naturally, it was impossible for him to take Hu Zhao back with him.

"Alright then, remember to tell me if anything happens."

Hu Zhao thought about it and did not insist.

Firstly, the company was at a critical moment and could not function without her; even she, the boss, often had to work overtime.

Secondly, she didn't particularly like her nominal future "mother-in-law." Although they had only met once, the woman always gave her a sense of unease.

Moreover, looking at Xue Wu, it didn't seem like anything serious.

Afterward.

Xue Wu left the company, took the elevator all the way to the underground garage, drove his car out, and headed toward his hometown.

Huanyang City was not very far from Wu Mountain, where his hometown was located.

It was only a little over two hundred kilometers, and Xue Wu took the highway.

In less than two hours, he arrived at Wu Mountain.

Following the mountain road, he soon entered the village.

At this moment, the time was around ten o'clock.

In the city, this time would be brightly lit, with nightlife just beginning.

But for the people in the countryside, it was already time to rest.

The village was deep in the silence of the night, though thanks to its development into a tourist village, some streetlights had been installed, so it wasn't pitch black.

In the night, a few barks of dogs rang out from somewhere.

Xue Wu did not make a scene; after driving the car to his front door, he opened the door and stepped out.

Due to certain reasons, their house was located in a remote area, several hundred meters away from the nearest neighbor.

Xue Wu arrived at the front door and discovered that the iron gate was half-open.

He pushed the gate open, walked inside, and closed it behind him.

Entering the courtyard, he saw that the lights in the room were on.

"Dad!"

Xue Wu called out.

The next second.

Shadows seemed to be flickering inside.

Soon after, Xue Hai's voice rang out.

"Is that you back, Xue Wu? Come here quickly, your mother has run into some trouble with her cultivation."

As he spoke, the sound of Liu coughing drifted out from the room.

Hm? What's going on!

Hearing this, Xue Wu's expression froze. Without a second thought, he took a few quick strides and reached out to push the door open.

However, the very instant the door cracked open, an arm shot out from the side like a venomous snake. Five fingers locked precisely onto his throat, and with a violent yank, he was dragged inside by a brutal force before he could offer any resistance.

Before he could even make out the face of his attacker, a shroud of darkness descended over his head.

--Snap!

With a crisp sound, the lenses of his glasses shattered upon impact.

Immediately following, a massive force slammed into his right eye socket, as if the punch were about to shatter his entire skull!

Xue Wu felt as though a red-hot iron spike had been driven straight into his brain.

He wanted to scream, but the hand clamped around his throat was like an iron vice, preventing him from making a single sound, nearly causing him to pass out from asphyxiation on the spot.