Chapter 2583 — Waiting for News, Which Left the Branch's Big Boss—That Is, Brother Dafeng—With No Say at All, Effectively Sidelined

At the time, the lackey had been thrilled. If he played his cards well, then after a few years he might just claw his way into the position of second-in-command—and since the big boss was a mere figurehead, being second-in-command would effectively make him the boss himself, reporting directly to Military Advisor Zhuge.

Of course, wishes are lovely things, but reality is cruel. He had not enjoyed more than a few days of the good life before Military Advisor Zhuge was beaten to death, and he, the lackey, was about to be plunged into an abyss. Even if he could no longer stay in the branch, he could always return to headquarters—but at headquarters he would be nothing but a foot soldier for the rest of his life. No one would dare put him to use again; they would all think him cursed with bad luck. Any hope of advancement was gone. Even eating his fill and waiting to die would be a fine outcome; what he dreaded was being picked as a scapegoat, shoved out to take the fall—then everything would truly be finished.

After all, the Red Conch was a mysterious outfit, but it was also a registered, large-scale drug-trafficking and terror organization. Whoever walks long by the river will one day get his feet wet—the police were bound to catch them out on something eventually. And within the Red Conch there were always a few good-for-nothings kept around precisely for the purpose of take the fall. If this lackey went back, there was every chance he would end up in exactly that category.

His mood was foul indeed—not that he hated Wei Zhao; it was Military Advisor Zhuge he loathed with all his heart. He was a clever man and knew that debts have their creditors and grudges their sources. If Zhuge Junshi had not gone swaggering about, throwing his weight around and picking on people, offending an expert he had no business offending, how would he have lost his life?

Just look at how Guan Daifu Pharmaceutical had flourished in such a short time—how could that be possible without a powerful backer propping it up? And this Military Advisor Zhuge even styled himself the reincarnation of Zhuge Liang; he was more like the reincarnation of a pig. Even pigs were smarter than him! What a fool!

Yet for all his inward cursing and grief, he still had to follow the rules and report the matter to Brother Dafeng. Though within the domestic branch it was Military Advisor Zhuge who held power and Brother Dafeng who had been sidelined, in truth Brother Dafeng was the greater. It was not that he could not skip Brother Dafeng and report straight to headquarters—but now that Military Advisor Zhuge was dead, he had no backer left. If someone were to smear him with a charge of failing to follow procedure, that would be no different from casting him into the eighteenth level of hell, leaving him fit only to be shoved out as a scapegoat.

"Brother Dafeng, this is Little Tongzi…" the lackey said, listlessly dialing Brother Dafeng's number.

On his end, Brother Dafeng was in fact waiting anxiously for news. He did not know whether Wei Zhao could really take care of Military Advisor Zhuge. Wei Zhao had sounded full of confidence when he spoke of it, but after all, Military Advisor Zhuge was an expert of the early Heaven rank!

"Oh? Little Tongzi, is something the matter?" Brother Dafeng said, feigning calm, while inwardly he was stirred beyond measure. In times past, Little Tongzi would never have called him—the man had always run with Military Advisor Zhuge. How could he possibly call Brother Dafeng?

But a sudden call like this surely meant something had happened, and the only thing Brother Dafeng could think of was Military Advisor Zhuge. Only if something had happened to Military Advisor Zhuge would Little Tongzi be calling him.

"Brother Dafeng, something's happened—Military Advisor Zhuge is dead!" Little Tongzi said, his face crumpled with grief. "He was beaten to death!"

"Oh? What man is so bold as to dare beat Military Advisor Zhuge to death?" Brother Dafeng flew into a "rage." "Could it be he means to make an enemy of the Red Conch?"

"Not exactly—Military Advisor Zhuge brought it on himself. If he had listened to you, Brother Dafeng, and developed steadily, would he have died?" Little Tongzi set his teeth and made his final gamble. If Brother Dafeng, hearing his flattery, would keep him at his side, then there might still be some work for Little Tongzi to pick up. Otherwise, going back to headquarters meant the end.

"Oh? How do you mean?" Brother Dafeng asked, betraying nothing.

Little Tongzi was no fool. Hearing Brother Dafeng's question, he understood at once that Brother Dafeng was not averse to his going on, and so he hurried to say, "If you ask me, Military Advisor Zhuge may have come down from headquarters, but he understood nothing at all about the forces here in the country—and yet he wanted to be the center of attention, greedy for credit and glory. And what came of it? Fine state of affairs! He provoked a power he had no business provoking. So what if he was an expert of the early Heaven rank? The man killed him in a single second—one move, and he was a dead man, every bone in his body and every meridian shattered. Was that not just courting death?"

"What? Killed in a second?" Brother Dafeng was struck dumb. He had believed that if Wei Zhao said he could finish Military Advisor Zhuge, then he must have had some measure of assurance—but the process ought not to have been simple; it ought to have been bitterly hard. Yet who would have thought Wei Zhao could kill Military Advisor Zhuge in a single second? What rank of **practitioner was Wei Zhao now?

"Yes, killed in a second!" Little Tongzi of course had no idea that Brother Dafeng knew Wei Zhao. He went on, "Originally, Lai Changshan's company had brought in an expert of the early Earth rank from the secular Wu family to make peace, but Military Advisor Zhuge would not give the man face and crippled him. And then it all came home to roost—he drew out the leader standing behind the Wu family's young heir, and the man finished him with a single move!"

"And who is this leader behind them? To be so formidable?" Brother Dafeng asked at once.

"I don't know his name either, but he's very young—just past twenty, a bit on the thin side. He doesn't look like any kind of ruthless man; more like a student. But the moment he strikes… he is truly ruthless!" Even now, thinking back on it, Little Tongzi felt a lingering dread.

Brother Dafeng drew a deep breath. At last he could be certain: it was Wei Zhao who had done it. But how had Wei Zhao become so formidable? Yet the more formidable Wei Zhao was, the happier Brother Dafeng felt—it proved he had not backed the wrong man!

"So formidable—and Military Advisor Zhuge went and provoked a ruthless man like that; it would have been strange if he hadn't died!" Brother Dafeng said mildly. "This place of ours is the birthplace of ancient martial arts. It is not like foreign lands—there are many hidden experts here. When you do not provoke them, you may see nothing at all; but once you provoke them, trouble comes!"

"Yes, I feel the same. Ah, but my words carry no weight, and I came here from headquarters with Military Advisor Zhuge. I wanted to counsel him, but Military Advisor Zhuge would not listen to me, and it was not fitting for me to secretly carry tales to you, Brother Dafeng. I never imagined it would cost Military Advisor Zhuge his life. Brother Dafeng, I am sorry—punish me as you see fit!" Little Tongzi said.

"To know one's fault and mend it is the greatest good. I see you are a rather clever sort. Come back at once, and we will talk over what is to be done about this!" Brother Dafeng had also seen that Little Tongzi was no fool, and he needed a man like that at his side, so he simply took him in. In any case, Little Tongzi had no foundation of his own to stand on; if he did not follow Brother Dafeng with wholehearted loyalty, going back to headquarters meant death.