55: I bet he has no cards.

Inside Gao Hongyu's villa, an expensive rosewood computer desk was overturned on the floor, its display shattered.

Gao Hongyu's chest heaved violently, his eyes terrifyingly red.

"Su Chen, WCNMD!"

He roared, his voice hoarse with fury.

Back in school, Su Chen was an unremarkable fellow, with average grades, and apart from his family having some money, there was nothing about him that Gao Hongyu looked up to. But now? He was ignored by Su Chen at the banquet, and his father was even beaten into a pig's head in front of so many people.

Why?

The more he thought about it, the angrier he got. He picked up a crystal ornament from the table and smashed it fiercely on the ground. The sound of the ornament breaking seemed to vent some of his frustration, but the fire in his heart burned even hotter.

He walked to the corner, picked up his dedicated communicator, his fingers turning white from the force, and dialed a number.

The communicator connected quickly, and a virtual image projected into the air.

The young man in the image wore a pure white short-sleeved shirt, a transparent jade Buddha hanging around his neck, and was idly fanning himself with a folding fan, looking relaxed and a little arrogant.

"Oh, isn't this Little Gao? What's up?" Chu Jinghong's voice came from the communicator, tinged with a hint of teasing.

Gao Hongyu took a deep breath, trying to make his voice sound calm, but the suppressed rage was still audible: "Brother Chu, I was bullied."

Then, he recounted what happened at the banquet.

After listening, Chu Jinghong fanned himself with his fan and said indifferently, "Uncle Gao is also at fault."

He paused, a slight smile playing on his lips: "But then again, with the opportunities from the game, people's fortunes rise and fall very quickly. That Su Chen, he looks formidable now, but he might just be a clown who won't last long."

When Gao Hongyu heard the words "game," his eyes lit up, and his spirits lifted. This was the only place he could find some confidence now.

"Haha, Brother Chu, you truly see things clearly." He chuckled twice, "It's a good thing we both joined the guild; we can look out for each other. It's quite a coincidence, actually, we're both in Bei Huang County of the Nine Provinces Continent, so we'll have plenty of opportunities to cooperate in the future."

Chu Jinghong nodded: "It is indeed a coincidence. Oh, Little Gao, I recently heard that there's an Eighth-Rank Tantai Family in Bei Huang County that's gaining a lot of momentum, and it seems they even wiped out a Seventh-Rank family."

"How is that possible?" Gao Hongyu was stunned for a moment, then reacted: "A player?!"

"Likely so." Chu Jinghong's gaze narrowed slightly, "I analyzed the intelligence I have, and I suspect that behind this Tantai Family, there's very likely a pre-paid player in control. I guess he must have used a feedback item from the game to eliminate the Luo Family so quickly."

Gao Hongyu's heart beat a little faster; he seemed to have thought of something, his tone filled with excitement: "Brother Chu, do you mean... we can make a move on him?"

Chu Jinghong's smile deepened: "Exactly. He just used an item; I bet he has no cards left."

"Strike him while he's down, and take his life."

He looked at Gao Hongyu and continued, "Even if we take a step back, and the opponent isn't a player, just a lucky native family, it wouldn't be a loss for us to take them down and seize their resources."

Gao Hongyu rubbed his hands, appearing somewhat excited, but quickly shook his head: "Brother Chu, we can fight, but the returns are uncertain. There are no system rewards, so what if we act rashly and it's not worth the effort?"

As a member of the Nine Cauldrons Chamber of Commerce, he had been instilled with the concept of profit above all else since childhood, and he was accustomed to calculating gains and losses before doing anything.

Chu Jinghong cursed with a laugh: "Fool! Some benefits aren't explicitly given by the system. Once you truly take down the Tantai Family, you'll understand its value."

He didn't elaborate, but the certainty in his tone greatly reassured Gao Hongyu.

"Alright, Brother Chu, I'll listen to you. We'll do whatever you say."

...

At the Tantai Family, on the square in front of the ancestral shrine, many clansmen were cultivating, and a faint spiritual energy fluctuation permeated the air.

Su Chen sat on a stone bench in the center of the square, holding two sound transmission talismans.

He first crushed the first one, which was sent by a family scout.

The sound transmission talisman turned into a faint light, and a low voice sounded: "Ancestor, it has been detected that the Tie Family and the Zhi Family have been active recently, seemingly mobilizing personnel."

Su Chen listened expressionlessly, then crushed the second sound transmission talisman.

It was sent by the player Qian Tong.

"Senior, recently someone in Bei Huang County has been extensively acquiring various talismans, especially offensive and defensive ones. I made some inquiries, and the people involved seem to be somewhat connected to the Tie Family and the Zhi Family of Cold Crow Marsh."

"I've been expanding my talisman business during this time and have made many contacts, so all this information was extracted from them."

Qian Tong's voice sounded somewhat fawning, clearly trying to curry favor.

After listening, Su Chen's lips curled into a cold smile.

Good timing.

The people in the family also need to experience some practical combat training; always staying in a greenhouse will never allow them to become formidable.

Besides, if he didn't stir up some trouble, how would the system send new gift packs?

"Qinghuang, come here."