Starforce Warriors

Chapter 261: Conspiring Behind The Back

Tan Zhenwei looked at the spirited young man in front of him and couldn't help but smile. Time passed so quickly. Many years ago, he had been just as confident. He had ignored the opposition of two powerful families and had run away with the love of his life to a distant place.

There had been happiness and sweetness, as well as long periods of patience and hidden potential. But unfortunately, the woman he loved was gone and all that was left was a head of graying hair.

Tan Zhenwei could see his younger self in Li Xiaofei. As a father, it was impossible to say he had no personal interest or bias in his daughter's marriage. What father wouldn't want his daughter to marry well?

But at the same time, he wanted her to be with someone she truly loved. He had quietly gotten rid of those so-called friends who had tried to get close to his daughter before with ulterior motives. In this regard, he had never shown mercy. But Li Xiaofei was different from those morally corrupt rich second-generation or official heirs. The more he got to know this young man, the more Tan Zhenwei approved of him. That was why he hadn't opposed his daughter's closeness to him.

However, Tan Zhenwei hadn't anticipated the speed at which their relationship had developed. The conflicting emotions that came with being a father had kept him from meeting Li Xiaofei again. Even after the Duxing Hospital lockdown incident, he had rewarded Li Xiaofei generously in the name of the government. He had also rewarded Red Flag High School and the Cloudy Sky Gang.

Yet, he had never personally summoned Li Xiaofei. He hadn’t fully decided how he felt about their relationship. It wasn't until yesterday, when news arrived that Li Xiaofei had slain a grade five star beast, that Tan Zhenwei had finally made up his mind to meet him.

While he saw his younger self in Li Xiaofei, he couldn't help but acknowledge that this young man possessed a boldness and dominance he himself had lacked in his youth.

"There is something you might not know yet," Tan Zhenwei said. "The successor to Inspector Li Zhoumin has quietly arrived to assume his position. Liuhe Base City now has a new inspector."

"That’s quick!" Li Xiaofei said, "I received a message from Teacher Li earlier, but I didn’t expect the new inspector to arrive so quickly and quietly."

"The new inspector came aboard the Gu family's aircraft," Tan Zhenwei added.

Li Xiaofei's pupils slightly contracted. That sentence was short, but it carried a lot of information.

Tan Zhenwei continued, "Gu Juechen has already received the news of his son, Gu Langhuo's, death. However, he hasn’t made any moves to retaliate. Instead, he asked me to pass a message along to you."

"What message?" Li Xiaofei asked.

Tan Zhenwei replied, "He said the Gu family is willing to let bygones be bygones, as long as you're willing to join them as a family vassal. They want you to serve the Gu family for ten years."

Li Xiaofei let out a cold laugh, "He must be overestimating the Gu family. Do they really think they're worthy?"

Tan Zhenwei responded, "Alright."

He paused before adding, "When you went outside the city and killed the Bull Demon, you would have gotten a good look at the star beasts. What are your thoughts on the beast tide?"

Li Xiaofei thought for a moment and said, "I believe that there seems to be an even stronger presence lurking behind the Yinji Moon Fox. The star beasts' formations, coordination, and especially the command structure led by grade three star beasts, resemble a human army. Their strategic and tactical maneuvers surpass what we would normally expect."

This had been puzzling him for a while. He had rarely seen examples of star beasts laying siege to a city in any textbook or video essay he’d studied.

Tan Zhenwei sighed and said, "In fact, this beast tide isn’t a natural disaster. It's man-made."

A shiver traveled up Li Xiaofei's body.

"What exactly is going on?" He pressed urgently for an answer.

A flash of anger flickered in Tan Zhenwei's eyes as he replied in a deep voice, "This star beast attack was actually orchestrated by the Ye family, in collaboration with Jiepeng. It was a disaster created by human hands."

Li Xiaofei was shocked. "How is that possible? Humans can't control star beasts!"

Tan Zhenwei explained, "The Jiepeng people used inhumane and illegal surgeries to advance their New Martial Arts experiments. This was primarily done by transplanting human and star beast organs into each other. However, this also allowed them to gain control over star beasts. The siege on Liuhe Base City was their first attempt at using this newfound ability."

Li Xiaofei couldn’t help but suck in a cold breath. Jiepeng had truly discovered something massive.

Human beastmasters were indeed capable of taming and controlling a small number of star beasts. For example, Zhou Yunong, the top beastmaster in the high school league, could control hundreds of grade one star beasts within the light core virtual world. But that was under ideal conditions, and it was also his upper limit.

There were many powerful beastmasters in the human world. However, the highest recorded achievement throughout history was controlling ten thousand grade one star beasts. Alternatively, a beastmaster could control individual star beasts with realms lower than their own. But quantity and quality could never be achieved at the same time.

No matter what, it was impossible to orchestrate a beast tide of such a massive scale like the one besieging Liuhe Base City. Yet Jiepeng had actually made a breakthrough in this area.

“The Ye family is ambitious, but isn’t it outright treason to conspire with Jiepeng to this extent?” Li Xiaofei couldn’t help but exclaim.

Tan Zhenwei said, "Many of the great families are stirring. They hope to use the development of New Martial Arts to redefine their hierarchy. Not only do they seek to rise, but they also aim to destabilize the foundation of Great Xia Republic. These people are full of treacherous ambition and deserve to be killed!"

Li Xiaofei responded, "If the Ye family is so ruthless and insane, hasn’t anyone at the top noticed?"

Tan Zhenwei sighed, hesitated for a moment, and then said, "Times are hard, and those at the top have a lot to weigh and consider."

Li Xiaofei only half-understood. After thinking it over, he said, "If that’s the case, why not take decisive action, wipe out the Ye family, and then eradicate the Jiepeng people inside and outside the city? That would solve the problem."

Tan Zhenwei shook his head in frustration and said, "Jiepeng has garnered support from many Western and European nations. Their empire is growing stronger by the day. If we act rashly and provoke a conflict with the Jiepeng Empire before we are ready, it will only give them an excuse to stir up more trouble."

Li Xiaofei couldn’t suppress the surging killing intent in his heart. He yearned to lead an army of ten thousand tiger warriors, spear in hand, and ride into the heart of the enemy’s capital!

"Then we must move against the Ye family," Li Xiaofei said firmly. "A family this poisonous should have been eliminated long ago."

Tan Zhenwei replied, "I used to think the same way, but the situation has developed too quickly. The Ye family has grown too powerful to easily handle. Not only have they obtained Jiepeng’s backing, but now several Saint families, including the Gu family, are supporting them. Things have only become more uncertain with the sudden change in the inspector at such a critical moment."

The Ye family had grown too powerful. It would be extremely difficult to eliminate them by force.

"Tomorrow, members of the Tan family will also arrive," Tan Zhenwei suddenly said. "The old master of the Tan family has promised me the position of family head, on the condition that I leave Liuhe Base City and return to the capital."

The Tan family was a Saint family, and the position of family head carried immense weight.

Li Xiaofei responded, "So, the Tan family headquarters doesn’t want you to stay here and butt heads with the Ye family."

Tan Zhenwei nodded, "Exactly. This is a strategy formed by dozens of Saint families, and it’s likely been approved by some of the New Martial Arts faction's top leaders. The Tan family doesn’t want to get involved in this dispute."

Without the backing of his main family, Tan Zhenwei was effectively isolated in Liuhe Base City. It was no wonder that, despite managing the city for so many years, he had ended up suppressed by the Ye family.

How could one man possibly resist the schemes of dozens of Saint families? Anyone daring to disrupt such a plan would face ruthless retaliation from all sides. This was the foundation of the Ye family's growing arrogance and madness. But Li Xiaofei refused to accept it.