Chapter 112: Widely Circulated News

While Ou Xiaolu and his companions were happily picnicking in the valley, marveling at the legendary glowing cuisine, rumors concerning Ou Xiaolu and the forces behind him were spreading rapidly throughout New Township.

The source of these rumors was an attendant under the Silver Dragon King, an outsider. They had participated in the attack on the Holy Blood Council headquarters the previous day and remained in New Township today. This was not because they were bold enough to openly clash with the Holy Blood Council, but because their mission remained unfulfilled: they had yet to find the killer of the Silver Dragon King’s son.

As for the information regarding Ou Xiaolu, it was merely something the attendant had blurted out while threatening certain council members of the Holy Blood Council.

"Do you really think there are no other powers in New Township besides your Holy Blood Council? I won't mind telling you: over at the Stony Brook campus, there is an existence you cannot afford to provoke."

The Holy Blood Council’s modus operandi in New Township had always been governed by caution. Whenever they identified a force stronger than their own, they would designate it a "no-go zone" to avoid trouble—such as Wayne’s territory, the former Archbishop’s cathedral, or certain mountain valleys. Now, the Stony Brook campus had been added to that list.

The directive to add Stony Brook to the forbidden list had come from Wayne’s side and was endorsed by the district of the former Archbishop’s cathedral. Consequently, the Holy Blood Council retreated quite decisively. The Council, however, remained ignorant of what was actually happening at the Stony Brook campus. Wayne had no intention of telling them that the former Archbishop had secured a space there to establish his own research base.

The former Archbishop was a figure of great renown in New Township. If the Holy Blood Council were to accidentally cross him, Wayne wouldn't know how to intervene, which is why the warning had been issued.

However, Fast, unaware of these nuances, attributed everything to Ou Xiaolu. He confidently told the Holy Blood Council members: "You don't know why this is, do you? I do. A student of great significance arrived at that school this year, backed by a powerful force. Even our Silver Dragon King acknowledges the strength of this faction. Wayne is on good terms with them, which is why, the moment the student entered the school, Wayne designated it a forbidden zone exclusively for his use."

"Furthermore, I heard that the former Archbishop gifted one of his own valley ranches to this student to serve as a temporary villa for his leisure, and Wayne even provided his own self-driving vehicle. Tell me, have you ever heard of Wayne letting anyone else use his car?"

The Holy Blood Council’s senior councilor nodded quickly, though he was baffled as to why Fast was telling him this.

Fast’s expression suddenly shifted. "Tell me, if I were to wipe out your Holy Blood Council and support that student’s rise to power, wouldn't I be currying favor with both that student’s faction and Wayne? You should know that Wayne has wanted to eliminate your Holy Blood Council for nearly fifty years. If it weren't for the lack of any other force capable of filling the power vacuum—which would throw New Township into chaos—you would have been wiped out long ago."

The senior councilor nodded repeatedly, so terrified that he dared not offer a word of rebuttal.

"So, tell me who is trying to seize my young master’s property, and who dared to attack him. If you cannot find out, we wouldn't mind finding a more suitable ally."

With that, Fast turned and walked away. As he departed, he shouted, "Three days. I give you only three days. After three days, either I get the information I want, or you will receive news of the Holy Blood Council’s complete annihilation."

This news spread quickly within the Holy Blood Council. Fearing for their lives, the members exerted every effort. Soon, clues began to surface, and from the moment Ou Xiaolu stepped into New Township, all threads converged before the eyes of the council members.

Ou Xiaolu had only just arrived when he attended an auction organized by the Holy Blood Council? That must have been arranged by his organization; it had to be. And look at what else: the day after the auction, he went to see Wayne. At first, he took a taxi, likely trying to hide his connection to Wayne, but Wayne sent a car to pick him up and even used a helicopter to transport him to the Stony Brook campus. Their relationship was clearly extraordinary.

And then, the key point: one of the Holy Blood Council’s vice-chairs died there. The reason was unknown, but based on the circumstances, Ou Xiaolu was patrolling the school grounds with a sword—inspecting his own territory. It stood to reason that Wayne had gifted the campus to Ou Xiaolu and told him to eliminate anyone who dared to trespass. That explained why Ou Xiaolu had acted so decisively, and why the cleanup was handled by Wayne’s "Red-Clad" subordinates. It all made perfect sense.

On that same day, all the trees at the Stony Brook campus withered. That was clearly an immediate terraforming of his domain, showing the extraordinary power of the force behind him. A day later, the former Archbishop gifted a plot of land to Ou Xiaolu—a desperate, belated remedy by the Archbishop. Then, a tiger appeared by Ou Xiaolu’s side; obviously, it was a bodyguard arranged by his backers to ensure his safety.

Looking at these reports, the surviving members of the Holy Blood Council were stunned. Eventually, the last surviving vice-chair, Portgas, received the report. With him were three senior councilors and seven junior councilors—his subordinates, gathered to deal with "Future Tech."

Setting down the documents he had just finished reading, Portgas closed his eyes. "I have met the student they mentioned. Truth be told, in a real fight, his combat prowess is no less than mine."

"As the report suggests, that tiger is there to protect him. However, I have some private intelligence: that student actually has enemies. His hand was severed, and the person who did it tried to silence him, only to be killed in retaliation. That is why I summoned you today. This force called 'Future Tech' is now our enemy as well."

Portgas’s expression hardened. "With a common enemy, what should we do next? Cassio, you speak."

"Since we share a common enemy, we should immediately form an alliance with this student and dispose of 'Future Tech' together. Only friendships forged in battle are true friendships."

"Excellent. That is exactly what I intended. Furthermore, our common enemies are not limited to them; the Brest family is involved as well. Cassio, I leave this to you. Go and negotiate with the student. Ask if he has any intention of ambushing the Brest family. If he is willing to help us deal with Future Tech, we can cooperate with him to eliminate the people sent by the Brest family."

"What about the conditions from the Silver Dragon King? They only gave us three days."

"Are you foolish? Blame it all on Future Tech. If we can't find the results in three days, can't we create them? Now, time is short—everyone, get to work."