Xie Litang looked off toward the direction of Jianghai City.
Yang Yiyi was a smart woman.
She never spoke without reason, nor did she ever make vague, ambiguous remarks like this.
Although Yang Yiyi hadn't explicitly said it in their conversation, her words carried an implicit call for help.
"If something really happened to her..."
"Should I help?"
"Or should I not?"
Before long, Xie Litang let out a soft laugh.
There was almost nothing to hesitate about; Yang Yiyi had helped her far too much.
If it weren't for her providing supplies for so long, Xie Litang would probably still be bargaining with people in the black market.
Most importantly, Yang Yiyi had never cheated her and took only the compensation she rightfully deserved.
Even taking a step back...
...with her system cheat in hand...
...Xie Litang had no reason to feel afraid.
Inside a two-story sheet-metal warehouse in Jianghai City, piles of various demon beast materials were stacked high.
A large portion of them consisted of Five Immortals demon beast materials provided by Xie Litang.
This was also one of Yang Yiyi's biggest current lines of business; even taking just a few percentage points of commission yielded massive profits.
If she hadn't latched onto Xie Litang's thigh, she would probably still be working at Qi's Pharmaceutical store as their legendary top salesperson.
"Sigh."
A sigh echoed out.
Yang Yiyi was indeed under immense pressure.
She didn't dare return to her apartment and could only feel a slight sense of security by staying in the warehouse guarded by bodyguards.
"The Yang Family, my own family, wants to crush me. They can't stand to see an unfilial daughter like me succeed—that, I can understand."
"But what's up with the Qi Family's company? Why is a unicorn enterprise like that involved? And why is that Eldest Young Master of the Qi Family asking around about Xie Litang?"
"And finally, the Ye Family of Jianghai City..."
The Ye Family in particular was her primary source of pressure.
Their grudge against Xie Litang was practically out in the open.
What baffled Yang Yiyi was how quickly the Ye Family had moved.
It was far too fast for a family in a border city, far exceeding the power and reach they ought to possess.
"Boss."
Holding a stack of documents, a female assistant walked over and whispered, "The channels we worked so hard to establish are all being targeted."
Yang Yiyi nodded slightly. "I know."
"Boss, should we counterattack?"
"Of course we'll counterattack, but we have to do it slowly, gradually, and with a plan."
"Boss, I don't really understand."
"You don't need to understand. All you need to know is that our counterattack isn't meant to reclaim anything—it's meant to buy time."
"Buy time for whom?"
"That's not a question you should be asking."
Yang Yiyi couldn't very well say she was buying time for Xie Litang to build up her strength, could she?
However, she knew full well in her heart that as long as Xie Litang grew strong enough...
...everything she lost today would be reclaimed a thousandfold.
As for so-called commercial warfare...
...there was nothing fancy about it.
It was nothing more than the Ye Family joining forces with the Peacekeeper Bureau to conduct surprise inspections or shut down Yang Yiyi's business operations.
Her sales channels were forcibly seized through violence, and Yang Yiyi had no effective way to resist.
The security team she had assembled...
...was no match for the Ye Family.
Yet a situation that should have collapsed instantly was forcibly dragged out by her into a slow, gradual erosion.
She managed to stall for a full half month.
That was enough.
In the end, only one storefront and the warehouse remained, serving as her final stronghold.
Yang Yiyi called her assistant over and granted her extended leave, saying, "I'm giving you a paid leave of absence. If I don't call you back within a month, you can go find another employer."
The assistant's eyes turned slightly red. "Boss..."
Yang Yiyi waved her hand. "Alright, hurry up and go."
Under her urging, the assistant left the warehouse.
Yang Yiyi sank heavily back into her leather chair. She knew that what she had to face next was the most irresistible threat of this era: direct martial force.
Those so-called prominent families and elite clans...
...their true power never lay in how much money they had on paper.
Rather, the formidable martial force they possessed was their ultimate foundation for surviving in this era.
In the middle of the night...
...an explosion rang out outside the warehouse.
Yang Yiyi picked up the walkie-talkie and said, "Hold out for five minutes, then all of you retreat. The money has already been transferred to your accounts."
The Ye Family had not only sent their personal security team, but had also dispatched several Seven-Star and Eight-Star ability users.
In the face of such overwhelming power, if Yang Yiyi's security team could hold out for five minutes, that would already count as a success.
If they held out, they'd get a promotion and a raise.
If they couldn't, she could just hire a new team.
Assuming, of course, there was a future for her.
Five minutes later, Yang Yiyi's security team retreated. She flashed a gratified smile and murmured, "Well done. If there is a future, I can use this core team to build an even stronger security force."
Crash!
The office door was smashed open.
Before Yang Yiyi could react, she was knocked unconscious and dragged away.
Waking up groggily in a dim basement, she heard voices scolding outside.
"You've already wasted far too much time, Ye! We supported you from the shadows not so you could go make money!"
"You have three days. I want you to pry her mouth open."
"We have only one goal: to kill that person."
A bitter expression crossed Yang Yiyi's face. "Three days? Looks like I'm in for a rough time."
Yang Yiyi unpinned a pocket-watch-like brooch and swung it back and forth before her eyes.
"Starting now..."
"...forget everything about Xie Litang. Only when you see her again shall these memories unlock."
"Hypnosis..."
Yang Yiyi didn't believe she could survive torture, so she had long made preparations for the worst-case scenario—hypnotizing herself.
Several people dressed like doctors walked over and began injecting drugs into Yang Yiyi.
Before long...
...Yang Yiyi's screams echoed out. She confessed many of her secrets and financial details...
...except for anything regarding Xie Litang.
Don't ask.
If asked, the answer was simply: "I don't know."
Inside the Fumu City base...
...the two sisters were gathered around a combat robot. It was the latest combat-type robot developed by Chen Linling, though currently it could only handle conventional firearms.
"Sister, try seeing if you can form a team with it."
"Alright, I'll give it a try."
Xie Litang activated her ability.
After quite a while, she shook her head in disappointment.
Her ability was extraordinarily defying of heaven's will and had no upper limit on teammates, but it also seemed to prevent exploit bugs. Otherwise, she could just contract a nest of ants and instantly become invincible on the spot.
"Sister, don't be discouraged."
"According to my cyber intel's calculations, our current direction is definitely correct."
"The issue likely lies in the combat robot's operating instructions being too simple. I'll try running an AI iteration."
While the two of them were discussing the feasibility...
...a car pulled up abruptly outside the base.
A person stumbled out of the car and ran over, crying out, "Miss Xie, please save my boss!"
Xie Litang quickly brought her inside and asked, "Assistant Tang, what happened?"
As Yang Yiyi's personal assistant, she knew a great deal.
She quickly pieced the events back together, and indeed, only the Ye Family had been suppressing Yang Yiyi recently.
"The Ye Family."
Coldness surfaced between Xie Litang's brows.
She hadn't even settled scores with the Ye Family yet, and here they were coming to pick a fight with her first.
"Sister, don't rush."
"I know."
"Sister, what do you plan to do?"
"Little Sister, it's getting cold out."
Having read plenty of domineering CEO novels, Chen Linling caught on instantly and said, "I get it! 'It's getting cold out, time for the Ye Family to go bankrupt.'"
Xie Litang corrected her, "Not bankrupt. Exterminated."
The Ye Family had framed and slandered her in the past, and now they were laying hands on her friend.
Xie Litang had had enough of useless formalities. She said coldly, "A true hero living between heaven and earth—how could they languish under others for long?"
She decided to unleash her secret technique:
It's getting cold; time for the Ye Family's fall.
Rate on N.U.
