Chapter 1199: Spirit Unbroken
The increase in Night Watchers not only bolstered the power of the Gu Mo City Underworld Office but also ensured that various miscellaneous tasks were handled.
Though the mundane affairs were now managed by Night Watchers, these Night Watchers themselves required supervision. Yang Haoran had, naturally, already taken this into account.
Under Yang Haoran's directives, the Gu Mo City Underworld Office had previously consisted of two divisions. The First Division served as the main assault force, possessing the strongest combat capabilities. All Night Watchers capable of joining this division were brave and battle-hardened individuals, with Lu Wu, the combat fanatic, serving as their captain.
The Second Division's combat strength was significantly weaker compared to the First, as its primary purpose was not direct assault but rather the collection of various intelligence. Consequently, the selection criteria for the Second Division differed fundamentally from those of the First. Therefore, in terms of combat power, the Second Division was certainly inferior to the First, but when it came to gathering intelligence, the First Division definitely couldn't compete. As for the captain of the Second Division, that role was filled by Shui Ling.
However, that was merely the previous arrangement. Now, Yang Haoran's contingent of Night Watchers had gained a Third Division, and the captain of this Third Division was none other than Yao Guozhi.
Yao Guozhi was tasked with managing all of Yang Haoran's territories in Gu Mo City, as well as various exploitable resources. If he didn't have a team he personally trained and led, he would be perpetually at a disadvantage in everything he did. Furthermore, he couldn't possibly cope with the workload alone, nor could he continuously reallocate personnel from the First and Second Divisions to assist him indefinitely; such an approach was not a long-term solution.
Beyond that, Yao Guozhi's safety also required protection. Both Shui Ling and Lu Wu had their own duties to attend to. Yang Haoran couldn't possibly have Shui Ling or Lu Wu constantly by Yao Guozhi's side; if he were to do so, then who would take care of Shui Ling's and Lu Wu's responsibilities?
As for Huang Sha and Xiang Chuan, Yang Haoran also had plans for them. Protecting Yao Guozhi for a short period was no issue, but for an extended duration, it would certainly be unrealistic.
The Third Division's primary mission was to manage the territories of the Gu Mo City Underworld Office. Whether within Gu Mo City or outside it, all areas under the Underworld Office's jurisdiction fell within the Third Division's purview.
Given that the Gu Mo City Underworld Office's territory was currently exceptionally vast, the demand for manpower was consequently quite high. Therefore, the Third Division had the largest number of Night Watchers among the three divisions.
As for Yao Guozhi himself, Yang Haoran had once again bestowed upon him a Soul Pill. The purpose of this was simple: to rapidly enhance Yao Guozhi's strength. He wanted Yao Guozhi to open his Heaven Soul and acquire his own Soul Armament in the shortest possible time. Only when Yao Guozhi's own power ascended would that truly be the greatest guarantee for his safety.
Within mere days, Yao Guozhi naturally couldn't bring all the areas managed by the Gu Mo City Underworld Office fully onto the right track. However, his direction, the goals he had set, the series of targeted arrangements he had made, and his practical actions all struck Yang Haoran as quite commendable. It was precisely because of this that Yang Haoran was willing to invest such a substantial "blood capital" in him.
According to Yao Guozhi's vision, he didn't just want his managed territories to get back on track; he wanted the areas under his administration to genuinely flourish first. Following that, he aimed to conquer the entirety of Gu Mo City, making it powerful, and finally, with formidable strength, expand into the surrounding regions, transforming Gu Mo City into a mighty independent nation!
With such lofty ambitions from Yao Guozhi, Yang Haoran, as his boss, naturally offered his full support. His support for Yao Guozhi was not merely spiritual or verbal; it was demonstrated through genuine practical action. As for whether Yao Guozhi could ultimately reach that envisioned stage, that would depend entirely on Yao Guozhi's own capabilities.
Of course, it would also depend on his own capabilities as the boss.
Yang Haoran had delegated all the miscellaneous tasks, assigning them to the captains of the three divisions according to their respective areas of responsibility. As for him, the boss, he was by no means idle; there were still many matters requiring his personal attention.
Behind the Death God Temple plaza lay a considerable complex of courtyards. These residences belonged to the high-ranking members of the Gu Mo City Underworld Office, and only they, along with those close to Yang Haoran whom he highly valued, were qualified to own a private courtyard residence there.
There were many courtyards, but currently, few people had moved in, leaving many vacant. As for why so many courtyards were prepared in advance, Yang Haoran naturally had his reasons.
Yang Haoran's courtyard was situated in the central area of all the residences, also being the largest in size and the most luxuriously decorated. No other courtyard, whether in terms of area or opulence, could compare to his. The other courtyards, like many stars encircling the moon, guarded Yang Haoran's residence at their very center.
Yang Haoran's courtyard contained many rooms, each with a different purpose and vastly differing facilities. At this moment, Yang Haoran was inside one of these rooms.
Judging by the assorted torture instruments, this particular room appeared to be Yang Haoran's private interrogation chamber, its primary purpose, naturally, being to question certain special prisoners.
Smoke curled in the air as Yang Haoran leaned lazily back in his chair, smoking. Diagonally above him, thick chains, each as stout as an arm, hung suspended. One end of these chains vanished into the void, while the other tightly bound a Soul.
This Soul was precisely the Soul of Wan Wu Yi!
Wan Wu Yi had died tragically that day at Yang Haoran's hand, utterly brimming with resentment. At the time, Yang Haoran had merely forcibly condensed Wan Wu Yi's Soul and extracted it from his corpse, without actively awakening it. Now, with seven days having passed, Wan Wu Yi's Soul had naturally awakened.
Currently, Yang Haoran had Wan Wu Yi's Soul confined here with chains for one purpose alone: to extract more of the information he desired from Wan Wu Yi's mouth.
“Hahahahaha, Yang Haoran, oh Yang Haoran, I, Wan Wu Yi, calculated a thousand times, ten thousand times, yet the one thing I never calculated was that I would ultimately fall into your hands! ”
Now, Wan Wu Yi no longer possessed a physical body, with only his Soul remaining. Although the power of his Soul was not strong, his condition was significantly better compared to when his physical body had been severely wounded; at the very least, he was not as weak as he had been then.
Trapped now in this place, he knew Yang Haoran would 'entertain' him thoroughly, ensuring he had no easy days. Yet, he displayed not the slightest hint of fear; instead, he laughed heartily, his tone brimming with sarcasm and disdain for Yang Haoran.
“Heh heh, life is impermanent. Today one might be a man-eating beast, but tomorrow, perhaps, just mud trampled underfoot by others. Who can say for sure, and who can foresee it? You and I are both like this. Still. . . people ultimately have to accept reality, don't they? ”
Yang Haoran inhaled from his cigarette, smiling faintly at Wan Wu Yi. His tone was calm, and there was no trace of anger on his face. Instead, his kind smile gave off an aura of harmlessness, making it easy for one to mistake the two as friends, were it not for Wan Wu Yi's Soul being confined in mid-air while Yang Haoran lazily leaned back in his chair, smoking.
“Hahahahaha, accept reality? A reality of passive submission? I certainly won't accept that! I, Wan Wu Yi, have not yet stooped to such a lowly level! ”
Wan Wu Yi laughed heartily, his face disdainful, his tone arrogant. Even now, reduced to a prisoner, he showed no sign of softening.
“Heh heh, if you don't accept, what else can you possibly change? ” Yang Haoran asked with a faint smile.
“Even if I cannot change it, I still have the right to choose! I can choose to resist, I can choose to die rather than submit—this is my attitude toward reality! ” Wan Wu Yi scoffed in response.
Yang Haoran didn't immediately reply. He took one last puff from the cigarette in his hand, then pressed the butt into the ashtray to extinguish it. After that, he raised his arm and slowly clapped for Wan Wu Yi.
Clap! Clap! Clap!
The applause was slow, not loud, yet perfectly rhythmic. Each clap seemed to be an expression of Yang Haoran's emotions.
“Heh heh, excellent. Your words truly moved me. I just wonder how much truth there is in them, and how much is pretense,” Yang Haoran said with a smile.
“Hahahahaha, how much is true, how much is false? You can try and find out, why bother asking me? ” Wan Wu Yi scoffed in reply.
Yang Haoran nodded, as if agreeing with Wan Wu Yi's assertion.
“Indeed, you make a great point. It seems that some questions aren't suited for asking you today. I'll come to see you again in a few days, then. ”
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