"You bribed Miri to bring Black Phantom to the scene the moment the assassination attempt was discovered, hoping to incite conflict and let the chaos bury more clues. You even arranged for someone to kill Miri in the confusion to silence her..."
Xiao Jin listed many clues, Su Dinghua closed his eyes in anguish, muttering to himself, "I knew this day would come. Being exposed means death..."
Then, Su Dinghua looked at his assistant and said, "I assassinated the leader, but I wasn't the mastermind. He was. Raylen gave me many benefits and promised even greater gains, so I worked for them. He was Raylen's spy to monitor me and control my actions. This plan was also his idea!"
The assistant glared at him, "Are you crazy...?"
"Do you think you're still alive?" Su Dinghua interrupted him, saying, "I only worked for you for profit. I no longer need the benefits you gave me. If I expose you, Raylen won't have an easy time either..."
Suddenly, the assistant's eyes rolled back, his lips turned purple, he foamed at the mouth, and he convulsed and died. He knew he was going to die as Su Dinghua was speaking. He bit open the poison sac in his teeth and committed suicide by taking the poison. The other guards followed suit.
The people of Raylen are notorious for their cold-bloodedness and loyalty, so no one was surprised by this.
Han Xiao stood by with his arms crossed, making no attempt to stop it, and soon only Su Dinghua was left alive.
Xiao Hai sneered, "It's too late to make amends now."
"It's not about trying to salvage the situation; I know I'm doomed." Su Dinghua shook his head.
Xiao Jin interjected, "Su Dinghua, you're also a veteran of Overmela. The boss has treated you well, how could you bring yourself to do this?"
"Hahahaha--" Su Dinghua suddenly burst into laughter, tears streaming down his face, and said mockingly, "Second Master Xiao, this isn't something you should say. Your blood is much colder than mine."
Xiao Jin remained expressionless and unmoved, while Xiao Hai slapped Su Dinghua across the face and shouted, "Looks like you want to die a little slower."
People from other factions had already arrived upon hearing the news, watching this scene with astonishment and uncertainty.
Su Dinghua laughed for a while, then suddenly said miserably, "I will personally apologize to the chief."
Xiao Hai took out a full set of interrogation tools and said coldly, "Then you have plenty of time to choose your words."
"That's enough. He's already confessed to it. Take him back for further interrogation." A leader of the Northern Faction couldn't help but speak up. Su Dinghua was a high-ranking member of the Northern Faction, and to be tortured in public was a great embarrassment for the Northern Faction.
Su Dinghua was a spy and could not represent the Northern Faction's position, but he still brought shame upon Northern Faction.
Xiao Jin looked at Han Xiao with a questioning look in his eyes, and everyone's gaze turned to him as well.
Black Phantom is the one being framed, so his opinion is important.
"Now that the True Culprit has been caught, everything else is none of my business," Han Xiao said, turning and leaving.
The True Culprit behind Delo's assassination has been found; the whole thing was Raylen's plan, and Han Xiao has been cleared of suspicion.
Su Dinghua died during interrogation, revealing a lot of information before his death. He was a pawn that Raylen valued highly. The assassination was intended to provoke a conflict between Overmela and the Dark Net. However, the plan went awry. Han Xiao's strength was beyond imagination. They originally thought they could capture or kill Black Phantom, making it difficult for Overmela and the Dark Net to reconcile. But they didn't expect Han Xiao to turn the tables and take the initiative.
The assassination went so smoothly thanks to the internal forces that Su Dinghua had cultivated over the years. With his death, Raylen suffered a great loss.
As the hero who caught the True Culprit, Xiao Jin's prestige soared, and even his Main Family Faction could only thank him with a heavy heart.
The matter was settled, but Black Phantom, who had already cleared himself of involvement, refused to leave, his purpose unknown. The various factions had no time to deal with him, as they were all busy selecting a successor.
Inside the room, Han Xiao looked at the [The True Culprit] task on the panel. Su Dinghua had been caught, but he hadn't yet chosen to settle the matter.
"This matter is not over yet..."
A cold glint flashed in Han Xiao's eyes, and an idea became increasingly clear in his mind.
Three days after capturing Su Dinghua, Xiao Jin brought Xiao Hai to visit him.
What do you want with me?
"So, what's your purpose in staying?" Xiao Jin countered.
Han Xiao said calmly, "I've been framed for nothing, and your people even tried to kill me. I need compensation."
Xiao Hai was shocked and furious. "This whole thing was Raylen's doing! You even killed our people, and you have the nerve to ask us for compensation?!"
"Raylen is too far away, I'll ask you for the money first."
"This is robbery!" Xiao Hai exclaimed angrily.
"Yes." Han Xiao nodded calmly, his eyes mocking. "What can you do about it?"
Xiao Jin pulled back the furious Xiao Hai, wrote down an amount on a piece of paper, and said, "I'll personally pay you this money. Is this amount acceptable?"
Han Xiao glanced at it, "Barely."
Xiao Hai looked aggrieved, not understanding why Xiao Jin was willing to give money; in his opinion, it was completely unnecessary.
"You came to see me for something else, didn't you?" Han Xiao crossed his legs.
"That's right. I have a favor to ask. Delo is dead, and the position of head of the family is vacant. Overmela is a large family and cannot be without a leader. An internal successor election will be held in two days, by a vote of the higher-ups. Todd from the Main Family Faction, Saqi from the Red Isle Faction, Angoleton from the Northern Faction are all strong competitors. While I was thoroughly investigating the cause of Delo's death, they were secretly wooing the higher-ups to prepare for the election, which put me at a disadvantage. Therefore, I hope to get your help," Xiao Jin said solemnly.
Why should I help you?
"Please, for the sake of clearing your name, help me this once."
Han Xiao said calmly, "You need to pay me for helping you."
"You ungrateful wretch! If it weren't for your father, you would still be the prime suspect. Don't push your luck!" Xiao Hai couldn't help but shout angrily.
Han Xiao glanced at him and said calmly, "You should be the ones thanking me for sparing your lives, otherwise you would all be corpses by now."
Xiao Hai's expression was twisted with anger, and he trembled with rage at Han Xiao's attitude. He could only look at Xiao Jin, hoping that his father would uphold justice. However, he was destined to be disappointed, as Xiao Jin remained calm from beginning to end.
How much compensation do you want?
Han Xiao stroked his chin and tapped the note. "Trillion this number."
"A madman..." Xiao Hai was dumbfounded; this request was simply outrageous.
However, Xiao Jin compromised without any hesitation, "No problem."
"Father!" Xiao Hai exclaimed in astonishment, his face filled with disbelief. He couldn't understand why Xiao Jin was so obedient to Han Xiao. He hurriedly said, "Asking for his help is useless. Outsiders can't interfere in internal elections. No matter how strong he is, he has no say in internal meetings!"
Xiao Jin said calmly, "I have a way, Mr. Black Phantom. I wonder if you would be willing to join our Xiao Faction?"
Joining the Xiao Faction? What does that mean?
Han Xiao raised an eyebrow, intrigued, and asked, "What do you mean?"
"Join my family and become a relative by marriage, on the same level as me, and my child will be your adopted son."
The atmosphere suddenly became strange.
Xiao Hai stumbled and almost fell, completely bewildered. Xiao Jin hadn't discussed this with him; he suddenly had a godfather?
"Holy crap, you can do that?" Han Xiao's eye twitched. Xiao Jin's shamelessness surprised him, and he couldn't help but ask, "Does such a childish tactic even work?"
Xiao Jin said calmly, "Politics is inherently naive."
"As long as you join the Xiao Faction, you can participate in internal meetings. Your strength is your voice. Your mere presence will be seen as a threat, but since you'll be a member of the Xiao Faction, it won't be considered an external threat. Other factions will be hesitant to act against you and will automatically give up."
The message conveyed by displaying force by one's own people is different from that of an outsider. One is an external threat, which will only arouse resentment. However, if it is one's own people, it means that Xiao Jin's power will increase significantly. Moreover, in the big picture, it will bring a powerful force to Overmela, which is an invaluable contribution. In addition, with the power that Xiao Jin has accumulated over the years and the reputation he gained from recently cracking the True Culprit of Delo, other factions will wisely give up.
By now, Han Xiao had a basic understanding of the whole situation and laughed, "Joining the Xiao Faction wouldn't benefit me at all, so why should I agree?"
"If you join the Xiao Faction, once I become the leader, Overmela's power will become your ally," Xiao Jin said.
"It seems you're willing to pay any price for the position of leader." Han Xiao laughed, his tone mocking. "Fine, I'll join the Xiao Faction and reluctantly become your child's godfather."
Xiao Hai was furious. To be recognized as someone's father, one had to give them benefits first before being qualified to be someone's godson. He had never felt so aggrieved. What was even more infuriating was that Xiao Jin actually agreed. He almost suspected that his father had been brainwashed.
Han Xiao looked at Xiao Hai with a half-smile, "Come on, call me godfather and let me hear it."
Xiao Hai's face turned ashen. He was an arrogant man, and this was worse than death for him. But when he saw Xiao Jin's stern eyes, he suppressed his resentment and forced out a sound through gritted teeth.
"Godfather."
Han Xiao picked at his ear and pretended to say, "I didn't hear you clearly."
"Godfather!" Xiao Hai's cheeks puffed out, and he strained so hard that his gums bled, and his mouth tasted metallic.
"Heh, good boy." Han Xiao was both amused and exasperated. His original self was Xiao Hai's younger brother. He wondered what Xiao Hai would think when he found out the truth. Xiao Jin's shamelessness was also astonishing.
Xiao Jin extended his hand. "Then it's a pleasure to cooperate."
shake hands.
The Xiao father and son got up and left, remaining silent the whole way.
Back at the Xiao Faction mansion, Xiao Hai couldn't help but question, "Father, why did you do this...?"
Xiao Jin remained expressionless. "Black Phantom is more greedy than I imagined. I thought helping him clear his name would earn him gratitude, but I didn't expect to have to pay such a high price to get his help. But it's worth it. At least only we can negotiate with Black Phantom Black Phantom. Other factions simply can't get him to help. Once I'm in charge, I can easily make up for these losses."
"So that's how it is. Once you become the head of the household, you won't need to care about Black Phantom anymore..." Xiao Hai suddenly realized.
Xiao Jin suddenly turned to look at his son and said sternly, "You're wrong. After becoming the leader, you must fulfill the conditions you made with Black Phantom and provide him with assistance. To kick him while he's down is suicidal. This world is a dog-eat-dog world. Black Phantom's strength has already reached the top. The deterrent power of an individual is just as terrifying as that of an entire faction. As long as Black Phantom is nominally in the Xiao Faction, he can become our backer, and other factions won't dare to make any rash moves... I know you're unhappy, but don't act impulsively and ruin my plans."
Xiao Hai was unwilling, but he could only grit his teeth and agree.
"I see."