Chapter 508: Bloody Night
Kuwako, dressed in a night suit, and was quietly sitting with eyes closed, instantly opened them and squinted as her vision landed on Ono Takayama.
"Are you in a hurry?" Kuwako's tone was that of indifference.
"No. It's just that our plan of action needs to be executed as fast as possible. From my many years of experience, the best time to start is around 2 AM."
The best time?
Kuwako secretly sneered. The plan she and Tang Xiu had devised was exactly that. She would rush to the Magnificent Tang Corporation's headquarters at 2 AM and would attempt to steal confidential information, but it all would be simply a scene aimed at eliminating all outsiders and dissidents. Returning to Japan after the failure of the operation wouldn't cause her to be punished. Moreover, Ono Takayama was not one of her people, and was also one of those on the death list tonight.
Nevertheless, since the man was eager to rush to his death, she didn't feel like scolding him. Thus, she slowly got up and said, "Go and prepare the cars!"
Two SUVs and a minibus were parked outside the courtyard. Right as everyone boarded the cars, they started driving toward the Magnificent Tang Corp.'s HQ. Kuwako took a seat in the back. Her cold-looking eyes glanced at the back of Ono Takayama's head who sat on the front passenger seat, while silently pondering about the arrangements for returning to Japan.
Several minutes later, more than a dozen ghostly silhouettes silently approached them. After a sharp dagger stabbed the back of an expert from the Yamamoto family, who was left behind to guard the site, the rest also began to kill the other Yamamoto experts.
"WHO THE HELL ARE YOU?"
The remaining two experts of the Yamamoto family wore despairing expressions. They didn't fight, but instead quickly retreated a dozen steps, gripping their katanas and aiming them at the mysterious experts.
"Someone who is picking up a delivery," coldly answered the stalwart man.
The two experts of the Yamamoto family looked at each other. After exchanging looks, one of them quickly said, "What's the code?"
"Boss Tang!" Said the stalwart man lightly.
After hearing the words, these two experts suddenly breathed a sigh of relief. One of them stepped forward and pointed to the six large iron boxes that had been piled up in the courtyard, saying, "That's the right password. All the herbs and mineral are inside. You can take them."
Having said that, he and another Yamamoto expert pulled out a sharp dagger concealed in their bodies and stabbed themselves. However, they avoided the critical areas, and also immediately took care of their wounds. Though they may look quite miserable, their lives were at least not in danger.
The stalwart man nodded, and then took out a porcelain vase, saying, "This medicine is effective for your wounds. Apply them externally."
After saying that, he immediately commanded the others to move the iron six boxes out and then quickly left, disappearing into the darkness of the night.
"Who the hell are those people, Tarō Aniki?1 I really got goosebumps. Not only were they able to distinguish who we are in such a dark night, their strength is also very formidable. We were simply unable to fight them," asked one of the Yamamoto's experts with a curious expression after picking up the porcelain vase and applying it on his wounds.
"I don't know them, either," answered another expert as he continued, "But Young Lady said that these people are one of us. I guess if these people were not the experts from the Northstar One Blade School, then they must be the people our Young Lady has been nurturing in secret."
"Now, that seems like our Young Lady is quite powerful."
"That's of course."
"..."
At 2 AM, near the HQ of the Magnificent Tang Corp. The building appeared dim and yellow under the illuminating lights. In a dark corner nearby an expert of the Everlasting Feast Hall was hiding, while more than a dozen other experts of the Everlasting Feast Hall were strolling around with work cards hanging on their chests.
They were posing as State Internal Security members. Their mission was very simple. They were to make themselves seen by the experts of the Yamamoto family, to make them report the situation to the house's high-level members after their plan ended.
Behind the window on the sixth floor of the edifice, Tang Xiu was standing with both hands folded while quietly observing the situation behind the building. Beside him was Tie Zhongkui, who was wearing night-vision goggles as he kept scanning the situation below the building.
"Kuwako has just appeared, Boss."
Tie Zhongkui put down the goggles and reported to Tang Xiu.
Nodding in response, Tang Xiu said, "Go! All must go according to the script, else it'll hinder my plans in Japan. Clearly remember to distinguish those who should be killed, the rest you must only injure and let them escape."
"Affirmative!"
A murderous glint flashed in Tie Zhongkui's eyes. After cupping his fists, he immediately left.
At first, Tang Xiu didn't have the intention to come in person, but he didn't felt relieved about the situation on this side, so he came himself. Prior to this, Kuwako had conveyed to him that she had already sent a report to the Yamamoto Family about encountering members of forces from other countries in Star City, as well as their mysterious disappearance. If the fact was to be added to the situation where she and the team she led failed to accomplish the mission and yet were able to escape, it would show that they were stronger than the other countries' major forces. Not only that, Kuwako had also successfully signed an agreement with the Magnificent Tang Corporation. Despite her only being able to obtain 20,000 bottles of Gods Nectar annually, it was still much better than the other countries' forces.
"WHO ARE YOU?"
A roar broke the silence of the night, and the dozens of members of the Everlasting Feast wearing work cards hanging on their chests quickly emerged from dark corners to surround Kuwako's team.
Intentionally showing a startled and panicked look, Kuwako quickly spoke, "Not good, it's an ambush! They are from the State Security. Quickly withdraw!"
At this moment, Tie Zhongkui finally arrived and shouted, "Since you have come, then you all must stay! The state has issued an order that whoever dares to touch the Magnificent Tang Corporation must prepare themselves to be captured or killed by us. Capture them!"
A brawl finally unfolded at this moment.
Kuwako herself had yet to inform her trusted subordinates about the situation. Nevertheless, the people she led were literally not a match for the Everlasting Feast Hall's experts. As both sides clashed, eight members of the Yamamoto Family who were on the death list were killed, while the rest of them were also injured.
"ESCAPE!"
Kuwako quickly escaped after engaging Tie Zhongkui in a fight and getting her arm injured. Following that, Tie Zhongkui and some of the Everlasting Feast Hall's experts pretended to chase her down…
At this moment, Ono Takayama looked ghastly pale with fear covering his face. He never expected that the supposedly flawless and foolproof plan would be discovered, thus proving that the news they had obtained before was true, that the Magnificent Tang Corporation was really being protected in secret by the State Security.
Stab! Slash!
Two sharp blades, one piercing his arm and the other ripping open bloody wounds on his back. The blood dyed his his clothes red in an instant.
"RUN!"
Horror and dread filled Ono Takayama's being. While trying to flee in desperation, he discovered that several of his trusted men were all slain. The sight scared him to death, and his speed suddenly increased.
Whoosh!
A sharp dagger pierced his lower back, as he staggered and fell to the ground a moment after. Two experts of the Everlasting Feast Hall then appeared in front of him.
"FUCK OFF…"
There were only a few of Ono Takayama's trusted men left. Two of them rushed at this extremely urgent time, yet they didn't even try to block the Everlasting Feast Hall's expert, as one of them grabbed Ono Takayama and attempted to flee, while the other staked his life and fought desperately.
From beginning to end, it was simply a slaughter that took only two minutes, leaving a dozen dead bodies on the ground. The Everlasting Feast Hall's experts also gave a chase for a kilometer before stopping their pursuit and letting the remaining Yamamoto experts flee.
"Clean up the mess and get out of this place."
Tie Zhongkui took the night-vision goggles and then looked at the window where Tang Xiu was standing. When he saw Tang Xiu give him the "OK" sign, he immediately put down the night-vision goggles and shouted the order.
The night was painted with blood, and it's faint smell wafted in the air. After Kuwako and the remaining men boarded the cars to return to their temporary base in the southern suburbs of Star City, the smell of blood in the air caused her to feel secretly satisfied inside.
"Send the signal!"
While sitting in the back seat, Kuwako covered her wound with her hand and issued an order in a deep voice.
Suddenly, the youth in the front passenger seat took out a fireworks tube, lit it and shot it up into the sky as a group of fireworks then exploded in the mid air about 10 meters high.
"Miss, something is amiss!"
When the two SUVs and the minibus stopped at the entrance to the courtyard, the youth who had just released the signal had his complexion changed and quickly reported.
Kuwako got out of the car. When she looked at the second SUV, Ono Takayama came out being propped by one of his trusted men. She immediately creased her brows, stepped forward and asked, "How's your injury, Ono?"
"I won't die, but the wounds are very serious. A knife stabbed my tailbone and I can't pull out the knife easily or the bleeding will speed up. I need to have a surgery immediately, Miss," answered Ono Takayama.
Kuwako nodded, "I suspect there's a problem in this place. We must find another base first."
Ono Takayama's complexion drastically changed as he quickly said, "But Miss, I… I can't hold on for long."
Creak…
At this time, the front door was opened and an injured expert of the Yamamoto Family poked his head out. After he saw the Kuwako and the rest, he quickly opened the front door and staggeringly walked outside, saying, "Miss, someone attacked us by surprise. Our medicines and minerals were all snatched away. and… they also killed some of us."
"WHAT?"
Kuwako intentionally pretended to lose her calm, as she cried out and dashed inside.
"FUCKING BASTARDS!!!"
The curses weren't coming from Kuwako. Instead, it was Ono Takayama who had lost his cool, as he found that all the dead bodies on the floor were his trusted men, while Kuwako's two confidants just suffered some injuries.
Chapter 509: Visiting Beijing Again
A splendid performance was the strategist's merit, while a military exploit and medals of honor belonged to the executors. As the smell of blood enveloping the edifice of the Magnificent Tang Corp gradually faded away, the follow-up actions was of no concern to Tang Xiu. He believed that Kuwako would be able to play her role well.
He didn't return home but stayed in Kang Xia's office. Sparks flickered in the dark as the smoke curled up and flooded every nook and cranny of the office.
Thinking was a natural gift of the wise.
Tang Xiu was someone who was adept at analyzing things. Although his EQ was mediocre, his IQ was exceedingly high. Since entering Shanghai University he realized that he seldom contemplated and thought things through, while the past him would need to stop his pace and take a good stroll to contemplate things over.
During his contemplation, he realized something that made him helpless. The mighty torrent of life had been pushing him to continue moving forward. He may be able to control a lot of things, yet there were things that he least expected to appear in his life, many of them even just burst out all of a sudden.
Family, cultivation, and development.
These were the three directions and path of life he had set for himself, yet they had unknowingly drifted away. Hence, he now needed to think. Which issues were light and which ones were heavy? And in light of that, what kind of life did he really want to have in the future?
It was the early morning, and with it came heavy rain. The curtain of rain covered the horizon, causing the entire world to look grayish and grim. It was the kind of rain that pressed the city down, as if seemingly wanting to vanquish all the sights to behold underneath the sky. And such a scene also seemed to blow away all Tang Xiu's problems. As he stood before the window looking down at the pedestrians below with their colorful umbrellas, as well as the road that was filled with a long queue of vehicles, a smile appeared on his face.
One would have to plan his own life to have a smooth journey.
He didn't know when he would be able to break through the blue horizon above his head and step yet again on the fertile land of the Immortal World. However, he believed that he would be above the myriads races in the Immortal World someday in the future, thus what he needed to do while living his life on Earth was to enjoy the warmth of his family, as well as cultivate himself diligently, and nurturing the seed of his own force.
Creak…
The door was pushed open, and Kang Xia came inside wearing high-heeled shoes and a bag of a famous brand. When she saw Tang Xiu standing by the window, her eyes immediately turned bright. Her slender legs elegantly moved forward, as she threw her bag on the sofa and hugged Tang Xiu's waist from behind.
"You didn't go back last night?"
Tang Xiu slightly turned his head and replied with a faint smile, "No. I was thinking about something."
Releasing Tang Xiu, Kang Xiu circled around and asked, "What were you thinking about?"
"About the meaning of living," said Tang Xiu, faintly smiling.
"I don't think there's anything to contemplate about that, no?" Kang Xia couldn't help chuckle. "We chance upon life, so we just need to live our life splendidly, and never let ourselves reach the end of our life while thinking that we spent our time in idleness."
Tang Xiu laughed, "Kang Xia, let's relocate the HQ!"
"Where to?" Asked Kang Xia curiously after she stared blankly.
"Let's move it to Shanghai," answered Tang Xiu.
With a doubtful expression, Kang Xia replied, "But, Boss, though our company has good income and funds to spare, I'm afraid moving to Shanghai would affect our development."
"I'm not saying to relocate immediately. A year ago I drew a design for the HQ of the Magnificent Tang Corp, and the site would be in Shanghai. Thus, I planned to purchase a plot of land there and complete the construction work. Within two years, the construction of the Magnificent Tang Corp's HQ in Shanghai shall be completed, and thus the company will be relocated."
"Then, how about our production lines?" Asked Kang Xia.
"We'll set up an industrial park that completely belongs to the Magnificent Tang Corp. What I need from you is to build a company that's akin to a hen laying golden eggs, and a huge amount of profits that will flow into the company's account every day," said Tang Xiu.
"Such a scale of operation will definitely require an enormous capital. How much are you going to invest in it, exactly?" Asked Kang Xia.
"At least 20 billion yuan," said Tang Xiu.
Hiss…
Despite her being already aware that Tang Xiu would invest an enormous capital, the amount still shocked her. One must know that the total assets of the Magnificent Tang Corp were definitely not more than 20 billion yuan, yet Tang Xiu said that he would invest 20 billion yuan just to construct the company HQ within two years. That meant it would seriously afflict the company's financial aspect, hence causing severe financial problems.
"Relax! The progress track and development being carried out by the company will remain the same, just like the present condition. I won't use the money from the company. Let alone 20 billion, even if it's 200 billion, I can still get that amount as well," said Tang Xiu with a faint smile.
Shuddering inside, yet eyes shining, Kang Xia asked, "How did you get the funds, Boss?"
"I won't tell you that for the time being. Your task is to seize the time and make our healthcare product enter the market. Before June 1st next year we must make as much money as possible. Zhengyu and I have discussed some possibilities. His Long Family will very likely propose that the properties in the New City should be opened for sale before June 1st next year."
"I see," said Kang Xia with a nod, her eyes lit up.
Patting her shoulder, Tang Xiu smilingly said, "The company's affairs are yours to handle. If you feel tired, you should spend money to find and hire outstanding talents in business management, as well as train as many talents as possible at the same time. In the coming years, the size of our company will continue to expand, and in due course, we'll need a lot of talented people so , we had better prepare for the rainy days."
"You can rest assured about that. I'm already aware of it," said Kang Xia smilingly.
"Since you're aware of it, then I won't say any more." Tang Xiu nodded. "Anyhow, I must accompany my parents to the capital today, so I'll be leaving. I'll head straight to Shanghai after leaving Beijing. Just call me if there's anything you need."
"You're going to leave today?"
A look of disappointment appeared on her face, as she subconsciously caught Tang Xiu's arm.
****
Noon came.
Tang Xiu drove the car with his parents on board, and was on the way to the capital. The bad weather didn't give him any choice but to drive himself there. To his satisfaction, four women in their 30s were closely following them in secret. These four were people personally selected by Kuwako, hailing from the Northstar One Blade School but listed in the people-who-must-die list of the school.
As night fell, two cars came out from the toll booth of the high-speed highway, but were then stopped at the toll gate exit. It was because his license number… was out of the ordinal number limit.
"You've been driving for six hours already, Xiu'er. You might as well take it as having a good rest. Let's just take a break and wait until 12 AM before entering the city," Su Lingyun got off, as she shifted her eyes and smilingly talked to Tang Xiu who stood in the front, smoking.
Faintly smiling at her, Tang Xiu replied, "I'm in a hurry, Mom. I must enter the city before 12 AM. Stopping here will delay me and Grandpa's discussion. Nevertheless, I just phoned Auntie, though. I'm sure we'll be able to enter the city very soon."
"Son, you know that your Auntie is a very busy person. How can you trouble her over this trivial matter?" Asked Su Lingyun with a smile.
Tang Xiu let out a faint smile. Just as he was about to reply, he suddenly creased his brows as his eyes gazed at several top sports cars coming out of the toll booth. Those were very expensive sports cars. As their engines roared, it sped up drastically and quickly disappeared at the end of the road.
"The children of the big families in Beijing are really outrageous," Tang Yunde got out of the car, as he shook his head and sighed.
"With the existence of big trees in their families, they won't be blown up by the wind and the rain won't fall down upon them. They only have such courage due to their family backgrounds. Only, the way they are driving will surely injure some people!" Tang Xiu chuckled and commented.
"Who said it hasn't occurred already? The number of traffic accidents has been increasing exponentially every year, and numerous people have lost their lives due to traffic accidents each year. If everyone drives a bit slower and steadily, just imagine how many accidents can be avoided, and people won't have to lose their family members because of it!"
Amid their conversation, a police car stopped nearby. As several traffic policemen came out of the car and approached, Tang Xiu then heard his name being inquired by them.
"Here!" Tang Xiu waved at him.
Immediately after, the policemen briskly approached, as the tall one among them asked with a smiling face, "Are you Mr. Tang Xiu?"
"Yeah, that's me!" Tang Xiu nodded.
The policeman quickly said, "We have just received a phone call from Minister Tang. She said that you have urgent things to do, so she asked us to escort you to your destination. Shall we go…"
Tang Xiu nodded at him and said, "There's also another car behind us. Let them go as well!"
"All right!"
After boarding the car, Su Lingyun asked, "Son, what do you mean there's another car behind us?"
"Those are your bodyguards, Mom," said Tang Xiu while driving.
Su Lingyun dazed and stared blankly, as she then asked with astonishment, "But when did I have bodyguards?"
"They have been following you for months already, Mom; though you didn't know about it. Their job is to protect your safety, but they won't disturb your daily life. Relax! It's all part of my arrangements, so you can feel relieved," said Tang Xiu with a smile.
"But who are they, Xiu'er?" Asked Su Lingyun hastily.
"Since I'm the one who arranged it, then they are naturally my people. Please don't ask more about their origins, since you won't know it. Shall we go now? The matter of us coming to Beijing should have entered Grandpa's ears, and I'm sure he's already waiting for us," replied Tang Xiu with a smile.
Despite feeling doubtful, Su Lingyun eventually nodded. Although Tang Xiu had previously told her that he would arrange several bodyguards to protect her, she had never seen any one of them before, so she thought that she had no bodyguards at all. Who could have thought that the bodyguards had been hiding in the dark and secretly protecting her for several months already?
"That's our son! Good!" Tang Yunde who sat beside Su Lingyun sighed and smiled.
****
At the Tang Family's ancestral residence...
Tang Min was nested on the sofa. She was so hungry that her stomach began to gurgle, yet she could only watch the table full of steaming hot meals with a wry smile. What made her speechless was the appearance of her mother and father—the old Head of the family, who kept glancing at the door from time to time.
"Father, Mother, how about we have a meal first? It will take a while for Second Brother to arrive, after all. I was too busy at noon today and only had a bite, I'm starving to death."
"No can do!" Said Tang Guosheng without a shred of hesitation.
On the other side of the sofa, Tang Guoshou grinned, "Little Min, your Second Brother and Second Sis-In-Law are coming, let's just wait for them for a while! They're driving over here, and definitely won't stop to have a meal on the road. If you're so hungry that you can't stand it, just go to the kitchen and find something to wolf down there."
"I'll just wait then, Third Uncle!" Replied Tang Min with a wry smile.