Chapter 24: The Clouds Refuse to Disperse

All the dark clouds seemed poised to part at last.

Six years ago, his mother had been kidnapped—was the Qi family involved in this? And had the Sakura clan joined forces with the Qi family to orchestrate the entire affair? These were questions with no certain answers.

If it truly was so—if the Sakura clan had abducted his mother, and the Qi family had assassinated his father—then the blood feud between these two powerful families was one he could not ignore.

"You!"

Phil's eyes narrowed before he burst into raucous laughter.

"Well, I never expected this. There’s no need for pretense between us. That is precisely what we mean!"

“But if we do this, we may find ourselves at odds with the Ye Nation. Yet, I suspect such a conflict would only serve our interests, not harm them.”

"What is your take on this?"

Phil locked his gaze on Feng Xu. If Feng Xu could be of use to him, he would protect Emperor Xin at all costs. But if Feng Xu proved useless, he would cast him aside like a discarded chess piece. After all, he was not insane enough to cross the Sakura clan without cause.

“Very well.”

Feng Xu smiled coolly and laid out his entire plan to Phil.

All the Ye Nation wanted from him was the technology at his disposal—military technology, to be precise. But if this technology were repurposed as civilian or even medical technology, it would not infringe upon any of Ye Nation’s highly sensitive research sectors.

His only request of Phil, in return, was to help him discreetly investigate his mother’s whereabouts, and to uncover how many members of the Qi family had colluded to bring about his father’s murder, as well as the current whereabouts of the Qi family patriarch.

"You truly intend to pursue this to the end? With your status and wealth, you could live out your days in peace, and your daughter would want for nothing. Is that not enough?"

Phil drew a sharp breath. Feng Xu's proposition made his eyes gleam—there was certainly profit to be made. Yet their adversaries were all formidable families.

"Rest assured."

A faint golden light flickered in Feng Xu’s eyes. Once he had made up his mind, no one could sway him.

They arrived at the headquarters of the newly established Chamber of Commerce.

"Sir, here are our documents. As for the vehicle upgrades, we’ll rely entirely on you."

A harried secretary gently pushed open the door to the research lab, approaching Li Jiang with a stack of files in her arms.

"Your business is trade, isn’t it? Why branch into vehicles now? Even if you’re planning an upgrade, it might be too late to keep up," Feng Xu remarked as he glanced through the documents. “Plus, if you’re looking to launch a new car brand, established companies like Maserati and Rolls-Royce will surely squeeze you out.”

He leafed through the papers—various vehicle design firms, but their engines were a far cry from the quality of internationally renowned brands. This was a matter of technological standards, and he had already upgraded aircraft engines before; car engines would be child’s play.

"Um..."

The secretary looked troubled. She knew nothing of engines—she was merely an accountant, serving tea and water as needed.

"That’s enough. Leave now. I don’t want to be disturbed. Without my permission, no one is to enter or interrupt me."

Donning his work overalls, Feng Xu buried himself in the laboratory, upgrading car engines during his time off. By day, though, too many eyes were on him, and he could not risk visiting the Li family to see his daughter.

Knock, knock...

A sudden rapping sounded at the door.

"I told you—do not disturb me without permission. No one is to come in."

A trace of annoyance colored Feng Xu’s eyes. When absorbed in design and research, he hated any disruption.

"It’s me."

The voice sounded familiar.

"I don’t care who you are, wait for an hour and twenty minutes. I’ll have the first draft of the Zhejiang engine done by then."

He shook his head, gazing at the draft. If he wanted to upgrade it, a twin-turbo engine would not suffice.

"If I’m going to do this, I’ll do it right. Upgrading to a triple-turbo will boost speed, but severely impact engine longevity."

Click—

The door opened with a crisp sound, and in walked a woman in overalls, her straw hat pulled low over her face.

"You really are a piece of work. I only came to see you, and you’re already chasing me away!"

She stood hands on hips, lifting her chin in indignation. Feng Xu put down his design tools.

"And who are you? I’ve made myself clear—I’m working. If you keep disturbing me, I’ll call security," Feng Xu said coldly. The voice was familiar, but he didn't look up, his eyes returning to the turbocharger design.

"You! How quickly the mighty forget," Huang Yunxuan gritted her teeth. That scoundrel—she’d only seen him last night, and now he acted as if she were a stranger.

She crept closer, peering over his shoulder at the blueprint.

"Tch. Just a twin-turbo engine? What’s the point of upgrading to a triple-turbo? With the current domestic metals, there’s no way to produce a better turbo engine."

Huang Yunxuan pursed her lips in disdain.

“Oh?” Feng Xu’s lips curled in a faint, knowing smile. He had already improved the domestic metal materials—though no one knew, and not a whisper of it had leaked out. These people simply didn’t understand that the material issues for a triple-turbo engine had long since been solved.

He couldn’t help but chuckle at her skepticism—though she at least grasped the basics.

"Since I helped you yesterday, you can help me now. Materials can be imported if need be. I’ll draw the main schematic, you handle the auxiliary. You recognized it at a glance—clearly, you’ve worked in this field before."

Feng Xu handed her a second draft and raised the worktable.

"You! I’m here to treat you to a meal and thank you for standing up to the Qi family on my behalf last time. How can you put me to work?"

Huang Yunxuan sat on the workbench, eyes wide with indignation, pen in hand, biting her lip in frustration.

"Enough. If we’re working, let’s not waste time. Follow my instructions on the auxiliary schematic, and remember every step I give you."

Feng Xu, utterly serious, threw himself back into his work.