Bab 519: Chapter 519: The Face-Changer and the One-Eyed Man
Li Guofeng was a man of talent, true talent, yet from humble beginnings and an ordinary family.
Originally, like any ordinary child, he lived an ordinary life until he was twelve. He witnessed his father's act of bravery, intervening when a powerful young man harassed a girl. His father was stabbed to death, and the girl claimed he was the harasser, while the young man was the hero. From that day forward, Li Guofeng knew the world was dark.
The surface brightness was merely a facade to appease the masses.
The belief in a fair world was a lie. The true darkness resided in places beyond reach, forbidden zones ordinary people could never touch.
The young Li Guofeng once held such beliefs.
Later, he used a phrase from a novel to describe this phenomenon: the powerful's secret garden, a mysterious place unknown to ordinary people.
His mother told him to forget it, they couldn't afford to offend such people. She urged him to study hard with the hush money they received.
Young Li Guofeng asked, "Can we really not find justice?"
His mother didn't speak, only shook her head.
From then on, Li Guofeng studied diligently. While others studied normally, he used his rest time, sleeping only a few hours a day. Though exhausting, a fire burned within him, driving him forward.
His academic performance soared, making him the "child of other families."
After graduation, Li Guofeng wanted to join the Four Great High Courts. Back then, the requirements weren't as strict as they are now.
He successfully joined the High Court.
Yet, he felt a sense of alienation from those around him.
He learned that his predecessors from the High Court all went to train in special departments. In those days, evil creatures were rampant, their invasions frequent. Many familiar faces perished at their hands.
To gain a foothold in the special department,
One needed not only perseverance but also strength.
Sometimes, survival was paramount. Only by living could one improve. He felt his luck wasn't any better than others', and he could very well die fighting these creatures.
Even with luck, a lifetime of effort might not be enough to reach his goals.
Fortunately, he was handsome in his youth, with a natural charisma and masculine charm. He was popular with women. A girl in the department took a liking to him.
Upon learning her father was a high-ranking official, he readily agreed. Leveraging her power and connections, he befriended people he could never have reached before.
Later, he met his wife's best friend. Discovering her father was a high-ranking official at the Xia Capital headquarters, he began two-timing his wife, using sweet words and his handsome face to seduce the friend.
In his situation, as long as he made a move, few women could resist him.
After they got together,
He immediately divorced his current wife and married her friend.
In this way, he changed wives over a dozen times, finally establishing a solid business empire in the realms of power and commerce.
If asked who he had loved in his life,
Li Guofeng would smile and say, "I only loved my mother. No one else is worthy of my love."
After twenty years, in his forties,
He finally had his revenge.
He understood. The world was dark, a playground for the strong. Only by becoming stronger could he control his destiny.
"My research base..."
Li Guofeng's face flushed red. He leaned back in his chair, clutching his chest in pain. His hands fumbled through a drawer, pulling out an unlabeled plastic bottle. He swallowed the pills, and after a moment, the pain subsided, slowly returning to normal.
His health was failing.
The indulgences of his youth, combined with age, brought forth previously ignored problems. His condition worsened day by day.
He placed all his hopes on the research base.
He placed his hopes on the mad scientist he had painstakingly acquired.
Li Guofeng picked up the phone and dialed the highest level of the Shadow Society.
"Who did this?"
Soon,
He learned it was Lin Fan. His face darkened terrifyingly, his eyes like knives, capable of killing. He gritted his teeth:
"Bastard! I could forgive you for killing my beloved family, but why destroy my research base? Are you the bane of my existence, Lin Fan?"
Li Guofeng desperately wanted revenge.
But he knew Lin Fan's strength was too great. Ordinary methods wouldn't work. He racked his brains, but couldn't figure out how to deal with this guy.
"Sigh!"
He sighed.
Li Guofeng knew his revenge was unlikely. Even relying on the Starry Sky Clan was useless. Although the Starry Sky Clan was powerful, compared to Lin Fan, the gap was vast.
Some time after Lin Fan and his group left the research base,
A group appeared before the ruins.
They were members of the Shadow Society's action team, sent to investigate.
A large man in a leather jacket, smoking a cigar, had a scar across his face, like a centipede crawling across half his face.
A member held a device, scanning the ground.
"No signs of life detected," the scanning member reported.
The cigar-smoking man slowly crouched down, his rough hand touching the broken ground. His voice was deep: "The destructive power is astonishing. There's still lingering, powerful fist force. Even I would only have the option to flee when encountering such an expert."
"Let's go, report back."
When faced with an irreversible situation, one must leave decisively, otherwise, who knows what the consequences might be.
Special Department.
"You're seeking our protection?" One-Eyed Man asked, puffing on his cigarette, looking at Yao Ji in surprise. He remembered her. Whenever a stranger appeared around Lin Fan, Shadow would tell him who they were.
He knew whether they had ulterior motives, but he never interfered.
"Yes, I want to seek the protection of the Special Department." Yao Ji knew the Shadow Society wouldn't let them go. If it were just her, she wouldn't care, but she didn't want her sister to face any danger.
From now on, she only wanted to be with her sister.
One-Eyed Man remained silent. As the leader of the Yanhai City Special Department, he was willing to accept defectors, but their offerings had to be proportional to their requests.
"You need the department's protection, but what can you offer us? How much do you know about the Shadow Society's inner workings?" One-Eyed Man asked.
Yao Ji's expression turned troubled. "I don't know."
The Shadow Society was secretive, with a strict hierarchy. Yao Ji's position wasn't high; she was an operative. How could she have access to important secrets?
One-Eyed Man's voice deepened. "The Shadow Society lurks throughout the country, elusive, bringing danger to ordinary citizens. You know nothing, and just because you found your sister, you want the Special Department to protect you? Do you think that's reasonable?"
From One-Eyed Man's words, Yao Ji understood his clear refusal. She realized she had been naive, no matter who she asked, the result would be the same.
One-Eyed Man hadn't arrested her, which was already showing her face. She had thought things too simply.
At this moment,
Lin Fan, who was whispering with Old Zhang, looked up and said, "Helping others is helping oneself. Those who admit their mistakes are good people. I can feel it, she hasn't killed anyone. There's still light in her heart."
One-Eyed Man looked at Lin Fan, his expression as serious as before. Suddenly, as if he had learned the art of face-changing, his serious expression vanished, replaced by a smile.
"Hmm, I agree with you. It's just like I thought. It's good to change one's ways. Although she was once a member of the Shadow Society, based on my understanding, she had no choice."
"Alright, stay in Yanhai City from now on. The Shadow Society's reach isn't that long here."
For One-Eyed Man, no one could stop his decisions, except for Lin Fan's opinion, which he considered very important. After all, they were good friends, and friends' opinions must be heard, and not only heard but also acted upon.
The Evil Rooster looked down on this guy.
He appeared serious,
But he was a fence-sitter, always changing his stance.
"Thank you, thank you."
Yao Ji expressed her gratitude. She knew the person she should thank most was Lin Fan. Without him speaking up, it would have been impossible for her and her sister to seek the Special Department's protection.
Mu Qing gradually developed a sense of admiration for Lin Fan.
A capable man was truly handsome.
One-Eyed Man nodded, appearing nonchalant, as if he had done something trivial. He conveyed the impression that he had acted out of kindness, unable to bear the thought of the two sisters being captured by the Shadow Society.
Yao Ji explained her sister's situation to One-Eyed Man.
Although she didn't know what a perfect gene was,
Since the Shadow Society valued it so much, they definitely wouldn't give up.
One-Eyed Man listened calmly.
Perfect gene?
God?
What was that?
To be honest, despite his calm and composed demeanor, he didn't understand a word she was saying.
Profound.
It was simply too profound.
For One-Eyed Man, even if he didn't understand, he had to pretend he did.
"What? A perfect gene? Alright, I understand. Don't worry, I'll arrange for people to protect your sister. I won't let them succeed." One-Eyed Man said seriously.
His expression gave the impression that he understood everything.
She could rest assured about this.
After they left,
One-Eyed Man stroked his chin, lost in thought, recalling everything he had learned in his life.
He tried to understand what she had just said.
Unfortunately,
He couldn't figure it out no matter how hard he tried.
One-Eyed Man called Jin He Li, asking about the perfect gene.
Jin He Li was a scholar.
It sounded familiar.
Although it sounded familiar, she didn't know the specifics. She then searched the database, quickly compiling the information and sending it to the leader.
"Leader, this information is a hypothesis proposed by a scientist a long time ago. There's no substantial content, but if it's about the perfect gene, I think this is what he was talking about." Jin He Li placed the document on the table.
One-Eyed Man picked up the document.
He flipped through it.
After reading it carefully,
He frowned.
Someone proposed the concept of a perfect gene decades ago?
Guo Xin?
A mad scientist who was arrested but mysteriously disappeared from the world. It seemed he had been rescued by the Shadow Society.
Status Power Mingguan
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Power 
-- Power
stone