At the East Suburb Fortress, Lu Feng walked onto the ramparts.
To increase its defensive capabilities, the City East Alliance had not only built the fortress walls exceptionally thick—wide enough for people to stand and fight on the ramparts—but had also constructed numerous firing platforms.
These firing platforms had previously been outfitted with machine guns and howitzers by Chen Feng.
If Chen Feng hadn’t been in such a rush to kill them that he led his men out of the fortress, it would have taken Lu Feng considerably more effort to capture it.
"Boss!"
"Boss!"
The men from Qingfeng Base around him greeted him respectfully when they saw him.
They were on the platforms, installing new howitzers, heavy machine guns, and mortars.
He had brought all of these in from the outside.
Although the fortress was already equipped with more powerful howitzers, there was still plenty of room to install more and further strengthen its defenses.
But this alone was not enough.
Now that he had a permanent fortress, he could make a trip to Dalat Town and procure some powerful fortress artillery and anti-materiel cannons.
With enough of these anti-materiel cannons to provide saturation fire, he could even blast a large number of ability users to death.
As Lu Feng thought about this, he exited the game with a single thought, right in front of the men from Qingfeng Base.
They all knew their boss possessed this ability, so they were unfazed by the sight.
Back in his villa, Lu Feng dialed Chen Bo’s number.
"President Lu, what are your orders?" Chen Bo asked the moment the call connected, his tone even more respectful than before.
After all, the more he learned about President Lu’s true capabilities, the more he realized he had no choice but to be respectful.
He had originally been just a small-time player in the underworld of a small county town like Youcheng. He had thought about trying to make a name for himself in Tianzhou City, but he knew how difficult it would be.
No matter how well you did in a small town, you were just a small fry in a place like Tianzhou City.
But by following President Lu, he had made a name for himself in the blink of an eye. Especially after President Lu dealt with the Gao Family, he became one of the most well-known figures in Tianzhou City’s underworld.
Naturally, those who followed President Lu, like him and Yang Ming, saw their own reputations soar.
Now, whenever he encountered other figures from Tianzhou City’s underworld, they would take the initiative to get on his good side as soon as they heard his name.
For him, this was already the big leagues; he was playing at a very high level.
But who would have known that not long after, he would learn that President Lu also had military forces abroad and could even sell weapons.
Suddenly, he felt his previous ambitions were a bit "low." Compared to this, what was the so-called underworld of Tianzhou City? Nothing.
After he went to Dalat Town, he could truly become a legendary figure in Tianzhou City’s underworld.
So, how could he possibly be disrespectful to President Lu?
"How are the preparations on your end?" Lu Feng asked.
Chen Bo was heading to Dalat Town, so he naturally needed to make preparations and select some men to take with him.
Since Lu Feng was now planning to go to Dalat Town himself, they could travel together.
Chen Bo quickly replied, "Don’t worry, President Lu. I’ve already selected the men and put them through some tests. There won’t be any problems."
"Good." Lu Feng wasn’t worried. Even if there were problematic individuals among the men he brought, what kind of trouble could they possibly stir up in Dalat Town?
He had Hong Xi train a special unit using the Mutated Beast Bones he brought out of the game. Every member of that unit was stronger than an elite special forces soldier; they could crush any opposition.
After finishing his call with Chen Bo, Lu Feng called Yang Qingxue.
After all the fighting and killing in the game, he always wanted to de-stress when he returned to reality. He didn’t want the survival-focused mindset of the game world to affect him too much.
Being intimate with his girlfriend was a perfect way to relax and recalibrate his state of mind.
After learning that Yang Qingxue was at the salon, he left the villa and drove over.
Qingxue Beauty Salon was doing excellent business now. Women were constantly coming and going for their appointments.
And although Qingxue Beauty Salon hadn’t been open long, it was already quite famous in the neighborhood.
After all, it was no secret that female celebrities, wealthy wives, and socialites frequented the salon for treatments.
As a result, the salon’s reputation for high-end service spread, attracting even more high-end female clients.
This, in turn, led many high-level beauty technicians, who had previously looked down on the salon, to actively seek employment there.
After all, technicians also want to earn more money and build connections with high-end clientele.
The successive addition of these senior technicians made the quality of service at Qingxue Beauty Salon even better and more upscale.
It was a virtuous cycle.
Of course, the foundation for all of this was still personal connections.
Lin Yao was very clear on this point. Without President Lu, Master Kai would never have helped with promotion. And without Master Kai’s promotion, those initial celebrities, wealthy wives, and socialites would never have come.
But it was also because of President Lu that these wealthy wives and socialites were always very polite to both her and Yang Qingxue when they visited the salon.
"Manager Lin, would you like to have dinner with us after work? We have a reservation at Fulin Restaurant!"
One of two middle-aged women invited Lin Yao as they were coming downstairs.
Lin Yao immediately smiled and said, "Sister Li, Sister Hu, you two go on ahead. I have a date with my boyfriend tonight!"
The two women nodded and didn’t press the invitation; repeating it would only make things awkward.
They had come to this salon because they’d heard its owner was the girlfriend of the boss of Qingfeng Network Company and Qingfeng Entertainment Company.
In Tianzhou City, who didn’t know how formidable Qingfeng Network Company was these days?
Like them, many people came hoping to expand their personal networks. Quite a few had tried to invite Yang Qingxue to dinner, but she always politely declined, and they couldn’t force the issue.
Manager Lin, on the other hand, was more approachable and would occasionally accept their invitations.
Moreover, they knew her boyfriend was one of President Lu’s right-hand men—and Lu Feng’s cousin to boot—making him practically a spokesperson. It was only natural that they wanted to cultivate a good relationship.
Just as the two women were about to walk out of the salon, they saw a young man walk in.
Seeing Lu Feng, Lin Yao immediately went to greet him. "President Lu! Qingxue is upstairs. I’ll text her to come down."
This made the two women subconsciously stop in their tracks and look at Lu Feng in surprise.
So this is President Lu?
Qingfeng Network Company was incredibly powerful now, a true internet giant.
But unlike the heads of giants like Douyin and Penguin, very few people had ever seen President Lu in person.
They immediately committed his face to memory. If they ever ran into him at an event in the future, it would be best if they could recognize him and say hello.
However, they were tactful enough not to approach him at this moment, instead leaving quietly.
You had to choose the right time and place for such things. Otherwise, it would seem too contrived and would only be off-putting.
After Lin Yao sent the text, Yang Qingxue immediately came down from upstairs. "Lu Feng, what are you doing here?"
"Taking you out to eat!" Lu Feng said with a smile, naturally taking Yang Qingxue’s hand as they walked out.
His relationship with Yang Qingxue had long since reached this state of natural comfort.
When a relationship moves past the initial passionate phase and settles into a natural state—where both people hold each other in their hearts, care for one another, and trust each other not to betray them—that is the best kind of love.
A smile never left Yang Qingxue’s pretty face. Her current life was fulfilling, and the salon’s booming business gave her a great sense of accomplishment.
Even if the business was only doing so well because of Lu Feng.
But he was her boyfriend, after all.
Lu Feng took Yang Qingxue out for a romantic dinner, after which he brought her back to the villa to "rest." And as they were "resting," he decided to try out some of the moves from that movie he’d seen in the information sphere.
’Damn, that was stimulating!’
(...)
After an unknown amount of time, a fully satisfied Lu Feng washed up with Yang Qingxue.
As he was heading downstairs, he saw on the game screen that Wang Cheng had rushed into the East Suburb Fortress. He was pacing back and forth in the main hall, looking clearly anxious.
Seeing this, he knew something must be wrong.
He told Yang Qingxue he’d be busy for a bit, then found a room, locked the door, and entered the game with a single thought.
As Lu Feng walked into the main hall, Wang Cheng saw him and rushed over. "Boss, there’s been a new development! Zheng Lin told me to get this message to you urgently."
Lu Feng asked, "What’s going on?"
Wang Cheng explained, "Zheng Lin reports that the Li Family has arranged the Guard Officer position for you at the fortress. They’ve even dispatched an ability user to officially announce the appointment!"
"However, their real goal is to kill you, boss! They want to use this opportunity to take over Qingfeng Base and control all of us. The Li Family’s true intention is for that ability user to become the Guard Officer!"
Hearing this, a cold smirk played on Lu Feng’s lips. ’How clever of them.’
Then again, if he were in their shoes and unsure whether he could trust a faction, the best method would indeed be to eliminate its leader and take over their forces.
That was the only way to truly put one’s mind at ease.
It was somewhat similar to how he had taken control of the Kudar Clan. The only difference was that Feisen had been pathetically weak, easily controlled with electronic chains.
But he was no weakling like Feisen.
’The Li Family wants to send an ability user to kill me? We’ll see if that person has what it takes—and if they can even reach the East Suburb Fortress alive,’ he thought.
With that thought, Lu Feng instructed Wang Cheng, "Go to Shangya Town and tell One-Eyed Tiger it’s time to get to work. I want to make sure the people the Li Family sent never even see the East Suburb Fortress."
"Understood!" Wang Cheng nodded, left the fortress immediately, and quickly reached Shangya Town.
When One-Eyed Tiger saw Wang Cheng, he asked in surprise, "Surely Mr. Lu doesn’t need me to make a move so soon?"
Wang Cheng stated decisively, "Yes. The boss wants you to take your men and eliminate some people from the Li Family. We will coordinate with you. Also, don’t touch Zheng Lin. Just put on a show with him."
"It’s the Li Family’s bad luck, running into Mr. Lu," One-Eyed Tiger quipped as he strode out of the hall, shouting, "Everyone, grab your weapons! Assemble!"
A moment later, One-Eyed Tiger set off with his team, heading for the East Suburb. At the same time, a location ping came through on one of Wang Cheng’s communicators.
It was from Zheng Lin. No matter where the Li Family’s people went, their position would be known.
This tracking system didn’t use satellite data, but a method similar to the short-range radio waves of a walkie-talkie.
The Gray Wolf Mercenary Corps had previously used similar tracking data from their explosive chips to locate that bank.
Gray Wolf, however, had been unlucky enough to run into Lu Feng. They fell into his ambush and were "treated" to a welcome of several dozen gas canisters.
Meanwhile, in an area near the East Suburb.
Zheng Lin had already arrived there with some of the Li Family’s men.
They stopped and looked at the road leading to the East Suburb.
These men from the Li Family were all skilled fighters. They, along with two other ability users, had been dispatched by the Li Family to assist Zheng Lin and Li Zong in assassinating Lu Feng.
"We’re about to enter the East Suburb," Zheng Lin said to Li Zong beside him. "Let’s pick up the pace and try to reach the East Suburb Fortress before dark."
But Li Zong shook his head. "We can’t go in directly from here. Those bandits in the East Suburb will definitely be on guard against reinforcements from our Li Family. They might have lookouts posted at the entrance, making us vulnerable to an ambush. We should take a different route. Even if it’s longer, it’s safer. No one will know our movements, which will be more advantageous for our mission!"
With that, he turned and started down a side path, intending to take a detour.
Seeing this, Zheng Lin couldn’t help but purse his lips in silent disapproval.