182: Chapter 182 Betrayal of the Family

Kyoto, the Qin Family ancestral residence, the meeting hall.

An oppressive atmosphere filled the air.

A massive holographic projection screen occupied an entire wall, but the image was unstable. The background was the uniquely gloomy sky of the Northern Border.

Qin Feng sat on a makeshift chair, his armor covered in dark red bloodstains and scratches of varying depths. He carelessly toyed with a dripping alien dagger, his bloodshot eyes staring coldly at the well-dressed members of the Qin Family in the hall from thousands of miles away.

“Qin Feng! What kind of attitude is this?”

Qin Hai sat in the top seat on the left, his right hand wrapped in thick bandages and hanging in a sling. He slammed his left hand onto the mahogany table with a loud bang.

His face twisted with rage as he pointed at the screen and roared, “With such a major incident happening in the family, not only do you not come back to help, but you're also making sarcastic remarks? Do you still respect me as your second uncle? Do you still respect the Family Head?”

Inside the hall, the Qin Family's high-level executives whispered among themselves, their gazes filled with dissatisfaction and reproach toward Qin Feng. In their view, as a disciple the family had poured resources into cultivating, he should be coordinating his military connections right now to wash away the family's disgrace, rather than watching coldly like an outsider.

Qin Feng had a look of indifference on his face as he continued to wipe the dagger.

“Help? Second Uncle, what do you want me to help with?”

Qin Feng's voice was raspy, tinged with disdain. “Help you kill that Lin Fan? Or help you go to the Military Department's 'New Martial Arts Special Strategy Department' to get your dignity back?”

“Of course it's to get our dignity back!” Qin Hai barked sharply. “That Lin Fan publicly humiliated me, which is humiliating the Qin Family! You are a son of the Qin Family; are you just going to watch the family be shamed?”

“Stupid.”

Qin Feng coldly spat out those two words. His gaze swept over everyone present before finally resting on the silent Family Head, Qin Tiannan, in the main seat. “Father, is this your intention as well?”

Qin Tiannan's brow furrowed slightly as he tapped the armrest. “Feng'er, family honor must not be insulted. This boy Lin Fan is too arrogant. If we don't teach him a lesson, how can the Qin Family maintain its standing in Kyoto? Besides, your second uncle's hand...”

“He brought that on himself.”

Qin Feng unceremoniously interrupted his father, his tone carrying a sense of grimness. “You live in luxury in Kyoto and have no idea what kind of monster that Lin Fan is. I learned all about him during my training at the Tianjiao Camp. And the commotion he caused in Jianghai Jianghai—it even alerted General Ye Canglan. Do you think he's just an upstart with a bit of luck? He is the knife the Military Department is currently holding! A knife specifically meant for carving meat!”

“Second Uncle, by going to crash his place, you were just offering your face for the Military Department to slap. Now that your hand is broken, that's a warning from General Ye Canglan.”

“Continuing to oppose Lin Fan won't just fail to save the Qin Family; it will drag me down too. I'm just an ordinary student from the Tianjiao Camp, while he was the top ranker. Think for yourselves how much weight he carries in the Military Department.”

Qin Hai's face turned ashen with rage, his body trembling. “You... you unfilial son! You're just scared! You're afraid of that Lin Fan!”

“I am afraid,” Qin Feng admitted frankly, leaning forward slightly as his wolf-like eyes locked onto Qin Hai. “I'm afraid that the Qin Family's centuries-old foundation will be destroyed by a bunch of fools like you who only know how to fight amongst yourselves.”

“How dare you!” Qin Hai roared.

“Enough!” Qin Tiannan slammed the armrest. A Grandmaster Level pressure instantly swept through the room, silencing the noisy hall. He looked deeply at his eldest son on the screen, a complex expression flashing in his eyes. “Feng'er, then what do you think should be done?”

Qin Feng pulled out the dagger again, spinning it skillfully between his fingers. His tone returned to calm, even cold. “Since Second Uncle wants to fight a business war, then go ahead. But don't expect me to intervene. My missions in the military district are heavy; I don't have time to play house with you.”

After saying that, he cut off the communication without waiting for Qin Tiannan's response.

The screen went black instantly.

The hall fell into a deathly silence.

Qin Hai said through gritted teeth, “Family Head, look at him! How does he even act like a member of the Qin Family? He's clearly...”

“Shut up.” Qin Tiannan rubbed his temples and waved his hand exhaustedly. “Do as you said; implement a full commercial blockade on Lin Fan. Since Feng'er is unwilling to act, then let the family's protectors move. I want to see what kind of waves a kid who only knows how to sell blind boxes can make.”

...

Northern Border, Third Military District.

Qin Feng watched the darkened screen, the coldness in his eyes vanishing instantly, replaced by a resolute ruthlessness. He casually tossed the alien dagger onto the table and turned to look at the adjutant beside him.

“Did you record everything?”

The adjutant nodded, looking somewhat nervous. “Sir, are we really doing this? This is... the capital crime of betraying the clan.”

“Betraying the clan?” Qin Feng sneered. “The Qin Family is rotten to the core. Those old geezers only know how to feast on the family's corpse; they can't see that the world outside has changed. If the rotten meat isn't cut away, the Qin Family will be finished sooner or later.”

With that, Qin Feng opened his private terminal and tuned into an encrypted channel.

“Beep~”

The communication connected.

On the other side of the screen, Lin Fan was sitting with his legs crossed, holding a bottle of happy water, with a shimmering silver metal wall in the background.

“Yo, Young Master Qin, just finished a fight with the family?” Lin Fan looked at him with a smile, as if he had predicted everything.

Qin Feng didn't waste words. His fingers tapped rapidly on the virtual keyboard, sending over a pre-prepared top-secret file package.

“This is the final piece of the Qin Family's commercial map: the fatal weakness of the Shenbing Pavilion, and the dirt on the raw material suppliers for the 'Black Gold Battle Sabers' they've been hoarding.” Qin Feng's voice was frighteningly calm. “Also, I just received word that the old man has agreed to Second Uncle's proposal and is preparing to use the family protectors to physically cut off your supply chain.”

Lin Fan looked at the data stream received on his terminal, his eyebrows arching slightly, the smile in his eyes deepening.

“Young Master Qin, you're really throwing your own father and uncle under the bus. What do you call this? Sacrificing family for the greater good?”

“This is called cutting losses,” Qin Feng said expressionlessly. “Lin Fan, remember our agreement. I want the Qin Family's commercial hegemony in Kyoto to collapse, but the Qin Family's foundation must not be broken. When those old guys can't hold on anymore, I will come back to clean up the mess.”

“Don't worry.” Lin Fan snapped his fingers, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes. “I'm a man of my word in business. Since I've received your intelligence, I'll give you a great gift.”

“What gift?”

“To help your second uncle... curb his pride.”

The communication hung up.

Lin Fan casually set the happy water aside, his gaze falling on the intelligence he had just received. His finger slid gently across the screen, finally stopping at a red marker.

Kyoto Commercial Center, prime location.

The Qin Family's largest weapon shop, the Shenbing Pavilion.

“Zhao Wujing!” Lin Fan called out without looking back.

Zhao Wujing, who was miserably scrubbing the alloy floor in the corner, jerked and quickly dropped the rag, running over with a flattering look. “Brother Fan, what's up? Can we finish work now?”

Lin Fan stood up and stretched, his bones letting out a series of crackling pops. He walked over to Zhao Wujing and patted the young master's shoulder, smiling like a fox watching a chick.

“Finish work? It's far from over.”

“Go, notify those fair-weather friends in your circle, especially the ones whose families own mines. Tell them that tomorrow morning, the most badass 'New Martial Arts Special Strategy Department Direct Supply Station' in Kyoto is opening, and there will be good stuff on the shelves.”

Zhao Wujing was taken aback. “Supply station? Where? Our warehouse is so far from the Jianghai center...”

The corner of Lin Fan's mouth curled into a mysterious smile as he pointed directly opposite the red dot on the holographic map.

“Who said it's at the warehouse?”

“Since the Qin Family wants to play at blockading us, we'll open the shop right at their doorstep.”

“This is called... point-blank output.”