Chapter 1099: Who Is Behind This?
According to the intelligence gathered by Shui Ling, in the past few days, not only have their Underworld Office's Night Watchers gone missing, but other forces in Gu Mo City have also seen people disappear, with the number of missing persons from some factions far exceeding those of their Underworld Office.
The occurrence of this incident has made the already restless Gu Mo City even more chaotic for a time.
Gu Mo City is home to numerous factions, and for the sake of their respective interests, these factions experience friction, large and small, almost daily. It is precisely because of this that many forces have attributed these disappearances to rival factions.
In response, some forces have chosen to investigate the matter thoroughly first, to avoid being used as a pawn, but other forces didn't bother with such caution and immediately confronted their rival factions, even leading to numerous conflicts.
Shui Ling's intelligence gathering abilities were indeed unparalleled by Huang Sha. In just two days, Shui Ling had not only compiled a list of which factions had missing persons, but had also thoroughly investigated the exact number of people who had disappeared.
Among the intelligence Shui Ling gathered, one point in particular caught Yang Haoran's attention. That was the fact that Spirit Mediums had also mysteriously disappeared in the past two days, and these disappearances were not the work of their Underworld Office.
Their Underworld Office had indeed taken action against Spirit Mediums recently, but Lu Wu was in charge of that matter, and Yang Haoran had a complete grasp of Lu Wu's operations. Furthermore, Shui Ling had specifically noted in her report that the missing Spirit Mediums were not taken by their Underworld Office. In other words, apart from the Spirit Mediums their Underworld Office had eliminated, Spirit Mediums, like their Underworld Office, also had people mysteriously disappearing.
At this moment, Yang Haoran asked the others for their opinions on the matter. Lu Wu immediately voiced his perspective. He still believed that Spirit Mediums were behind the disappearances.
Yang Haoran nodded lightly at Lu Wu, indicating that he understood. Lu Wu had intended to say more, but Yang Haoran had already shifted his gaze to Yao Guozhi.
Seeing this, Lu Wu could only swallow the words he was about to speak and sit properly in his seat.
“Guozhi, how do you view this matter? ” Yang Haoran asked.
“What Lu Wu said isn’t without reason. Our Underworld Office and the Spirit Mediums are natural enemies. Recently, we've even proactively attacked them. It's entirely possible they would retaliate against us and secretly eliminate our people. ”
Yao Guozhi's words made Lu Wu's gaze towards Yao Guozhi change instantly. His look was as if he had found a kindred spirit, someone who truly understood him.
“Emissary of Death, look, I wasn't just talking nonsense, was I? Even Yao Guozhi said as much. How could this be false now? ”
Yang Haoran felt a headache coming on. He helplessly shook his head and then spoke to Lu Wu.
“Let him finish speaking first. Don't get too excited just yet. ”
With Yang Haoran having spoken, Lu Wu had no choice but to shut his mouth. Yao Guozhi smiled and nodded at Lu Wu, then turned his gaze back to Yang Haoran.
“Boss, given the enmity between our Underworld Office and the Spirit Mediums, it is indeed possible that Spirit Mediums would target our people, and the likelihood isn't small. However, this is only a possibility, not a certainty. After all, it's not just our Underworld Office that has missing persons, other forces also have people disappearing. If Spirit Mediums were behind this, they would only need to target our Underworld Office; there would be no need to offend so many other factions. ”
Yao Guozhi's words thoroughly confused Lu Wu. He had initially thought Yao Guozhi shared his opinion, but listening to Yao Guozhi now, it seemed their thoughts weren't quite aligned after all.
Yang Haoran nodded slightly, his expression showing no significant change.
“Then who do you think is most likely responsible for this? ” Yang Haoran asked.
“Your subordinate personally believes this matter might have some connection to the Demon Cult,” Yao Guozhi stated.
Apart from Yang Haoran, everyone else present had a slight change in expression upon hearing Yao Guozhi's words.
“Why do you think this matter is related to the Demon Cult? ” Yang Haoran inquired.
“All the major factions in Gu Mo City have had people disappear over the past few days, to varying degrees. The only exception is the Demon Cult; that’s one reason. Another reason is that while Gu Mo City has many factions, and many are hostile to each other, there are also many who form alliances for mutual benefit. Even if a certain faction were to act against a rival, they would only target their adversaries. They wouldn't implicate their own allies, or even their own members. There's only one force in all of Gu Mo City daring enough to do something like this, and that's the Demon Cult. ”
Yao Guozhi stated his opinion, and his words brought a faint smile to Yang Haoran's face.
“I didn’t expect you to understand the situation in Gu Mo City so well after being here for such a short time. Very good. ”
Yao Guozhi didn't get carried away from Yang Haoran's praise. Instead, he remained calm and composed.
“This is just basic procedure. If I didn't even understand the most fundamental aspects of Gu Mo City, your subordinate's work would be impossible to carry out,” Yao Guozhi replied.
Yang Haoran smiled and nodded, saying nothing further on the matter. He then turned his gaze to Huang Sha.
“Do you think this was done by Spirit Mediums, or by the Demon Cult? ” Yang Haoran asked.
“It's certainly possible for Spirit Mediums to do this to us, but I also find Yao Guozhi's analysis to be reasonable,” Huang Sha replied.
At Huang Sha's answer, Yang Haoran merely smiled, saying nothing more. He then shifted his gaze to Shui Ling.
“What do you think? ”
“I think the chances of Spirit Mediums doing this are very low. However, the probability of the Demon Cult being responsible is higher. After all, the Demon Cult has always acted without considering consequences. As long as there's profit to be made and it aligns with their desires, they are capable of anything,” Shui Ling stated.
Yang Haoran lit a cigarette for himself. He didn't speak again, but instead tapped his fingers lightly on the table, a pensive expression on his face.
Shui Ling and the others dared not interrupt. Xiang Chuan, seemingly piqued with interest, therefore picked up the documents in front of him again and began to peruse them carefully. He had only skimmed through them casually before, but this time, he read much more thoroughly.
As he flipped through the documents in his hand, he chuckled mischievously.
“Heh heh, Big Brother, you're ignoring me too much, aren't you? Why didn't you ask for my opinion? ”
Yang Haoran took a puff of his cigarette, then looked at Xiang Chuan, a smile appearing on his face.
“You didn't even bother to read the documents properly before. Even if I asked you, I wouldn't get a coherent answer out of it. So why should I waste my breath? ”
Yang Haoran smiled faintly. Xiang Chuan, hearing this, didn't feel awkward in the slightest. He chuckled mischievously, glancing at Lu Wu, who was sitting properly in his seat, then spoke to Yang Haoran.
“Heh heh, even if I'm no good, I'm still a little bit stronger than Lu Wu, right? ”
These words made Lu Wu's expression change. He wanted to retort to Xiang Chuan a few times, but then he remembered they were in a meeting and also knew that Yang Haoran valued Xiang Chuan highly. So, he swallowed the words he was about to say. However, the displeasure in his heart was still evident on his face.
“Why do you need to compare yourself to him? What I appreciate about him is his bravery, not his brains. ”
If it were anyone else who heard Yang Haoran's words, they might have been taken aback, but Lu Wu didn't. On the contrary, he felt quite proud because he didn't detect any sarcasm in Yang Haoran's words. What he heard, instead, was praise for his bravery.
He knew his mind wasn't the quickest, but he also knew he was a brave man. Yang Haoran didn't dwell on his shortcomings but valued his strengths. That was enough for him. Furthermore, he felt he should be proud of his courage.
Xiang Chuan looked at Yang Haoran with an exaggerated expression. He hadn't expected Yang Haoran to say something like that and couldn't help but give Yang Haoran a thumbs-up.
“Don't change the subject. Get to the point,” Yang Haoran said with a faint smile.
“Alright, then I’ll get to the point. See if what I say makes sense. ”
Xiang Chuan feigned an air of mystery. After a slight pause, he continued.
“First, I admit that what Guozhi said isn't impossible. But haven't all of you overlooked a problem? You all know the Demon Cult's way of doing things. If this was truly the work of the Demon Cult, why would they operate in the shadows, leaving not even the slightest trace? That's not like their usual modus operandi, is it? ”
At Xiang Chuan's words, everyone present, except for Lu Wu, including Yang Haoran, showed a change in expression.
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