[Ministry of Economy Exposes Internal Fraudster, Clears the Name of the Wrongfully Accused]
The same post appeared across every major forum.
Even South Glory University's campus forum was no exception.
The Ministry of Economy's announcement quickly rose to the top of all the major forums.
Inside the Miracle Tower lobby, the atmosphere was heavy.
Qin Siyang was still sitting in a corner with Li Tianming and the others, trying to come to terms with Lu Daoxing's departure.
Staring at the news, Qin Siyang curled his lips into a mocking smile, "The moment Professor Lu disappeared, Jiang Yuanrui put out a disclaimer. I thought he was really confident. Turns out the courage he got from drinking dog piss was scared out of him that easily."
Ring! Ring! Ring!
Li Tianming's ringtone broke the silence in the lobby.
He glanced at the caller ID, and disgust flashed across his eyes. Then he switched his phone to silent mode and tossed it onto the nearby table.
Qin Siyang asked in confusion, "Old Li, who's calling? Why aren't you answering?"
"It's an official from the Ministry of Economy. We worked together on a project before. He's probably calling about Old Lu. I'm not answering. If I do, I might not be able to stop myself from cursing him out," Li Tianming spoke calmly, but his eyes were cold.
Qin Siyang paused, "They did something disgusting. Why don't you curse them out?"
"If I curse at them, they'll know how angry I am. That'll expose my current state of mind, and they might figure out that Old Lu disappeared to get revenge. Right now they're still in the dark. When Old Lu makes his move, catching them off guard will give him a better chance."
Qin Siyang nodded, "You really think things through."
"That's all I can do for him. The rest depends on Old Lu."
Although the Ministry of Economy's announcement made a huge splash and was pinned across all the forums, it didn't cause much of a stir.
Only a small number of people knew that Yang Dan had been driven to suicide and that Lu Daoxing had disappeared.
Most people simply assumed it was another routine internal anti-corruption operation by the Ministry of Economy. Perhaps they had achieved impressive results this time, which was why they were publicizing it so aggressively in an attempt to build the Ministry's image as tough on corruption.
Jiang Yuanrui was doing everything he could to make up for Yang Dan's death, but he still couldn't get in touch with Lu Daoxing.
As long as Lu Daoxing remained missing, Jiang Yuanrui didn't dare leave the Jiang family's headquarters in District 2.
He glanced at Ma Shi, who was quietly drinking tea beside him, and said, "Professor Ma, we've already put multiple layers of security in place outside. But we don't know how strong Lu Daoxing really is, or whether he'll bring help. If something happens and he manages to fight his way in, I'll have to trouble you to deal with him."
Ma Shi smoothed his gray-white hair and looked at the tea leaves floating in his cup.
"I have nothing to do with your Jiang family. I wasn't planning to get involved in this. But Old Guo kept persuading me, and I couldn't refuse, so I agreed to come."
Jiang Yuanrui took out a handkerchief, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and smiled ingratiatingly, "Don't worry, Professor Ma. We definitely won't go back on the reward we promised you!"
"That reward is just icing on the cake. I don't care about it. As long as you can satisfy Old Guo's request."
"Of course, of course. That's a separate matter. Your reward won't be shorted, Professor Ma. And we're also very grateful for Professor Guo's help. We'll definitely pursue further cooperation with Professor Guo."
"Mm," After that brief exchange with Jiang Yuanrui, Ma Shi said nothing more.
His expression remained indifferent, with the corners of his mouth slightly turned down in impatience.
Although he and Lu Daoxing had once fought a life-and-death battle, he looked down on people like Jiang Yuanrui, who loved causing trouble but was terrified of facing the consequences.
On the spacious sofa, Jiang Yuanrui huddled in one corner, rubbing his hands together as his eyes wandered aimlessly around the room. Even though the Jiang family estate was now surrounded by layer upon layer of defenses, he still couldn't shake the fear in his heart.
At this moment, the thing he hoped for and the thing he feared were the same, Lu Daoxing suddenly appearing.
———
[Somewhere Else]
An accountant at the Haori Chamber of Commerce finished checking the books and prepared to head home.
As usual, he planned to cut through the alley beside the Chamber of Commerce building as a shortcut.
But as soon as he entered the alley, he suddenly noticed a circle emitting a dim blue glow beside the corner where trash was usually piled.
He stopped involuntarily, frowning in confusion.
"What is this? I've never seen it here before."
He thought about it for a while but still couldn't recall ever seeing anything like the blue circle.
"It looks... like a God-Hunting Tool! Did someone leave it behind? Since it's next to the Chamber of Commerce... maybe someone from the Chamber lost it?"
Guessing it might belong to a coworker, the accountant decided to pick up the blue circle and leave it at the Chamber's front desk for its owner to claim.
It wasn't because he was especially honest.
He knew that anyone who owned such a strange God-Hunting Tool had to be someone important.
Rather than getting greedy over money, he figured he might as well try his luck and earn some unexpected credit. Maybe he'd leave a good impression on the influential person who had lost it and get promoted someday.
Thinking of that, he smiled and slowly walked over.
Buzz!
Suddenly, a figure stepped out of the blue circle and stood before him.
The accountant stared in shock.
"Who are—"
Before he could finish, he felt a slight chill across his throat.
Thud!
The accountant's head rolled to the ground, separated from his body.
After killing the accountant, Lu Daoxing ignored the blood splattered across his face. His cold gaze rested on the Haori Chamber of Commerce building before him, as if he were looking at a pile of garbage.
A cold wind swept by, carrying away the smell of blood in the air.
At the same time, beside Haori Chamber of Commerce branches in city after city, blue circles quietly flickered in unnoticed corners.
Standing within every one of those circles was an identical Lu Daoxing.
Hundreds and thousands of Lu Daoxings, separated by countless miles, simultaneously took out a tool shaped like a small handheld cannon from their storage boxes.
Flames flickered continuously at the mouths of the barrels in their hands.
BOOM!
BOOM!
BOOM!
The explosions tore through the night.
Towering flames lit up the air-defense glass overhead and stained the surrounding area red.
Pedestrians in the distance screamed at the sudden blasts. Traffic descended into chaos, and alarms rang out one after another.
Thick smoke billowed into the sky as countless Haori Chamber of Commerce buildings collapsed into the flames, becoming seas of fire and rubble.
And in every place where chaos reigned, a Lu Daoxing stood silently before the burning, collapsing buildings, watching it all, a stark contrast to the panic and disorder around him.
The orange-red glow illuminated his large nose and cast his deep eye sockets into shadow.
His black eyes held no joy, no sorrow, no emotion.
He simply watched as the towering flames danced wildly in his cold gaze, begging for mercy.
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