Chapter 122 - 102: Set a Thief to Catch a Thief (Part 2)

As expected, it takes a villain to keep other villains in line.

Li Chang’an led the Anti-Terrorism Mobile Team, and every day, they were either killing people or on their way to kill people. And yet, the more they killed, his reputation didn’t worsen. On the contrary, public perception of him on Night City’s local network was getting better and better.

There was a simple reason for this: many of the gang members who had previously called Li Chang’an a butcher, a tyrant, and a psycho had been permanently silenced—in a very physical sense.

Naturally, the only voices left online were those praising Li Chang’an’s actions for improving the Order in Night City.

...

「At the Anti-Terrorism Mobile Team base.」

Li Chang’an hung up the phone call from Charles.

Beside him, Regina asked in a worried tone, "What did Charles say?"

Li Chang’an smiled, tossed the external phone aside, and said casually, "What else would he say? Just the usual warning not to stir up any more trouble."

Regina frowned, her worry evident. "You keep defying Charles’s orders. Sooner or later, there’s going to be a reckoning... Is it really wise to go on like this?"

Li Chang’an grinned, a flicker of amusement in his eyes. "You’re right, it’s not good to continue like this. That’s why I need to make Charles understand who’s the father and who’s the son here."

Words like that could be considered treasonous.

But Li Chang’an was clearly unfazed. After all, Charles had never treated him as a true son, and he had never regarded Charles as a true father.

A perfect model of a loving father and a dutiful son.

...

The only reason Li Chang’an hadn’t made a move on Charles before was that he hadn’t amassed enough power yet.

Charles might not be a top-tier fighter, but he had the entire Yunxiao Group at his back. If Li Chang’an were to act recklessly, the best-case scenario would be assassinating Charles and then being forced to flee Night City.

This was clearly not in Li Chang’an’s best interest.

After all, a territory as large as Night City should have been his in the first place.

Killing Charles would be a poor decision for any reason other than a moment of spiteful satisfaction.

But now, everything was completely different.

First, he was now twelve years old, and the Anti-Terrorism Mobile Team, thanks to his covert recruitment and training, had grown to nearly three hundred members...

And these weren’t just any soldiers. These were three hundred madmen from the Anti-Terrorism Mobile Team, and they were *super* madmen at that, cultivated through Li Chang’an’s Extraordinary Breathing Technique.

Although they numbered only three hundred, they were already one of the most formidable private forces in all of Night City, second only to the Yunxiao Group and Dog Town, which was controlled by Advanced Technology.

Of course, for Li Chang’an, all of this was merely icing on the cake.

The main reason for Li Chang’an’s growing confidence was that, as he aged, his own personal strength had recovered significantly.

He still hadn’t returned to his peak state from his previous life.

However, thanks to the boost from his Extraordinary talent, Manghuang Martial Saint, his current combat power was, he confidently felt, no less than it was at his peak.

...

Seeing that Li Chang’an’s tone held zero respect for the man who was nominally Night City’s underground Emperor, Regina was long past the point of being surprised.

At first, she had worried that his treasonous remarks would be leaked by someone with ill intent.

But now, as one of the few people who truly understood just how terrifying the Anti-Terrorism Mobile Team was, Regina knew better than anyone the true extent of the power Li Chang’an wielded.

If Charles hadn’t replaced Li Chang’an and transferred him out of the Anti-Terrorism Mobile Team right at the beginning, he could now forget about ever touching him again.

The Anti-Terrorism Mobile Team was no longer the Yunxiao Group’s Sharp Blade.

Instead, they were Li Chang’an’s most die-hard supporters.

As long as he held this Sharp Blade firmly in his grasp, Li Chang’an could do whatever he wanted in Night City.

After a moment of silence, Regina spoke up again. "So, what’s our next move? The board of directors has held several internal meetings recently. They want to split up the Anti-Terrorism Mobile Team and have you transferred off the board!"

At this, her tone grew uncharacteristically cold. "Those old bastards, resting on their laurels and raking in cash... who knows how badly their minds have been rotted by power and Gold. Do they really think a single piece of paper with a transfer order is enough to get rid of you?!"

Li Chang’an didn’t get angry. Instead, a smile played on his lips. After a moment’s thought, he said, "I hear that next month is the day my nominal younger brother will be officially named the heir to the Yunxiao Group, is that right?"

Regina nodded. "As far as I know, Charles has already transferred a portion of the group’s shares to the boy, Bob. Next month is just the formal public announcement."

"Also, I’ve heard Charles intends to appoint Bob as the head of the security department. He’ll probably try to find a way to revoke your administrative authority over the Anti-Terrorism Mobile Team after that!"

As Li Chang’an’s head of logistics, Regina managed far more than just logistics.

And her competence was clearly outstanding.

Although Li Chang’an had never explicitly told her to monitor the Yunxiao Group’s every move, whenever he asked about it, she always had an immediate answer.

It was clear she had bought off numerous sources within the Yunxiao Group and was constantly monitoring their activities.

Li Chang’an nodded in satisfaction and patted her on the shoulder. "Good work. Remember to get a suit ready for me. My little brother is about to inherit the family business. As his big brother, I should at least offer him my congratulations, don’t you think?"

Seeing that signature smile on Li Chang’an’s face...

Regina, who knew him well enough by now, immediately understood that someone was about to suffer. She nodded. "Of course. I’ll add it to your schedule."

With that taken care of, Li Chang’an nodded.

But Regina didn’t leave right away. She hesitated for a moment before saying, "Sir, I’ve gotten the prices for the experimental equipment you asked me to look into. But with the Anti-Terrorism Mobile Team’s current finances, forget about buying the whole set—we’d be hard-pressed to even afford a single piece!"

Hearing her reply...

Li Chang’an couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow. "I just want to buy a few pieces of equipment for genetic experiments. We have all that money and it’s not enough?"

Recently, Li Chang’an had personally led the operations to crack down on organized crime.

He had not only beaten dozens of major gangs into submission but had also seized a huge sum of money—funds intended to allow the Anti-Terrorism Mobile Team to operate independently of the Yunxiao Group.

Seeing the money in their accounts, Li Chang’an’s mind had started turning with new ideas.

Although he was still able to progress on the Martial Dao, it was clear he was just coasting on the experience and foundations from his previous two lives.

Once that foundation was exhausted, if he didn’t find new inspiration to serve as mental fuel for his Heaven-defying Comprehension talent, he would undoubtedly enter a long period of stagnation.

The progress of his personal strength would become extremely slow.

Therefore, to avoid that awkward situation, Li Chang’an had planned to buy some high-end equipment capable of researching genes, Genetic Potions, and Extraordinary Potions.

He just never imagined the equipment would be so expensive.

’I seized assets from so many gangs, and it’s not even enough to buy a single machine?’

Seeing that Li Chang’an seemed to be genuinely clueless about what he was asking for...

Regina couldn’t help but purse her lips, a hint of reproach in her eyes. "Genes, Genetic Potions, and Extraordinary Potions... all three are the absolute pinnacle of modern technological achievement. You can count the number of companies capable of producing that kind of equipment on one hand!"

"You want to buy it, but the companies that make it have all signed exclusive technology pacts. They won’t sell it publicly at all. The only way is through shady, back-alley channels, so of course the price is outrageous!"

In fact, Regina was being conservative.

Even the Yunxiao Group didn’t possess equipment for researching Extraordinary Potions. That technology was under extremely strict control by Advanced Technology, and only available to a few of its core internal allies.

They did have genetic equipment.

But that stuff wasn’t available on the open market, either.

Hearing her explanation, Li Chang’an’s lip twitched. After a long moment, he said bitterly, "Just wait until I’ve dealt with these bastards. Then we’ll see what’s harder—their technological barriers, or my fists!"

...