427: Chapter 71 The End of Biyou Village

Bi Youlong opposed the recruitment plan Xu Xiang mentioned.

He felt that the likelihood of Ma Xianhong accepting recruitment was low. Doing so would not only fail but also alert the enemy. At that point, attempting to solve the Biyou Village problem would only add unnecessary trouble and might even lead to a mishap.

Huang Boren agreed and insisted on proceeding with the original plan: having Zhang Chulan and the others eliminate Ma Xianhong and those Superior Roots to end the trouble once and for all.

However, this matter was already unsavory, involving New Inhumans caught between ordinary people and Inhumans. Any mishandling could lead to major trouble.

Therefore, when it came to signing the order, he hesitated again.

Other members of the Board of Directors either remained silent or supported one side or the other.

For a time, arguments persisted in the meeting room, and no conclusion was reached for a long while.

Ultimately, Zhao Fangxu made the final call, ordering Zhang Chulan and the others to remain on high alert while first making contact with Ma Xianhong, and then...

Meng Li didn't know about this, nor did he care much.

The reason he had said so much to the Board of Directors was mainly to avoid future trouble.

This was an era of overall stability; he felt that if a problem could be solved with words, one should avoid using force whenever possible.

The next day, Meng Li left Biyou Village with Chen Duo.

However, not long after leaving the village, they encountered someone unexpected—Xu Xiang!

“Uncle Xu, why are you here?” Meng Li asked curiously, pulling the car over.

Xu Xiang replied, “The plan changed temporarily. They asked me to come and keep an eye on things. If it goes smoothly, I'll wrap things up.”

Meng Li seemed to understand something and chuckled softly, “You're just worried about Feng Baobao, aren't you?”

Xu Xiang didn't deny it.

He was indeed a bit worried about Feng Baobao, so he had proactively taken the job of leading the support team.

Then, Xu Xiang looked at Chen Duo, who was sitting in the back of Meng Li's car playing with Chen Junyan, and asked Meng Li, “Is this Chen Duo?”

Meng Li nodded.

Xu Xiang immediately lowered his voice and said, “Actually, there's another reason I'm here. I need you to take Chen Duo back to the company for testing as soon as possible.”

Meng Li narrowed his eyes slightly. “When is ‘as soon as possible’?”

Xu Xiang said, “Within three days.”

Meng Li turned to Chen Duo and said with a smile, “Chen Duo, did you hear that? We have three days for the company test. Do you want to go today, tomorrow, or the day after?”

Chen Duo stopped playing, thought seriously for a moment, and replied, “The day after tomorrow. I want to see where I'll be living first.”

Meng Li had told her about the company test after hanging up the phone yesterday.

She didn't want to go back to the company, but she knew that if she wanted to have more autonomy as Meng Li said, she had to pass the company's hurdle.

Most importantly, her condition was much better now, and she was confident she could pass the company's test.

So, despite her dislike, she agreed to go to the company with Meng Li.

“Okay, as you wish,” Meng Li replied, then looked at Xu Xiang.

Xu Xiang remained silent, his expression somewhat complex.

Chen Duo's behavior made him fully believe Meng Li's previous statement: Chen Duo's desertion wasn't because she wanted to do anything bad, but simply because she wanted the right to choose. And this so-called right to choose wasn't anything grand; often, it just required a different way of saying things or a bit of coaxing.

In other words, Chen Duo's desertion was, to some extent, like a child entering a rebellious phase and running away from home.

This matter could be seen as huge or tiny.

It was huge because Chen Duo's situation was special, and her running around outside was dangerous for ordinary people.

It was tiny because if one truly wanted to solve it, the method wasn't difficult.

Had Liao Zhong known this beforehand, he could have just coaxed Chen Duo like Meng Li did, promising her the chance to make her own choices in the future. Given Chen Duo's special feelings for Liao Zhong, she likely would have returned to the company with him.

Liao Zhong naturally wouldn't have had to die.

What a pity!

Xu Xiang felt this way because he felt the situation between Liao Zhong and Chen Duo was somewhat similar to his and Feng Baobao's.

Feeling sentimental, he said nothing more on the surface. After a few more words, he led his team toward Biyou Village.

Meng Li left with Chen Duo.

To be honest, he kind of wanted to stay and watch the famous scene “Wang Ye's Spring Outing,” but thinking about what he said yesterday, that scene likely wouldn't happen. There was no point in staying, so he didn't bother.

In the afternoon, Meng Li drove back to the manor.

Seeing the many puppets in the manor that looked no different from ordinary people, Chen Duo was visibly stunned for a moment. “They...”

“Like Ma Xianhong's Ruhua, they are all puppets.”

Meng Li gave a brief explanation, then took Chen Duo on a tour of the place. Finally, he asked, “You've seen all the rooms. Choose one for yourself.”

Chen Duo thought for a bit and chose a sunlit suite not far from the master bedroom. Then, based on the options Meng Li provided, she chose a dog house for Chen Junyan.

Afterward, Meng Li let her move about freely while he went to organize some medical books so Chen Duo could study them later.

He was serious about having Chen Duo as his assistant and training her to be a doctor.

The next day, Chen Duo began her studies...

Meanwhile, there was progress in Biyou Village.

After Xu Xiang arrived at Biyou Village with his men, they met up with Zhang Chulan's group. Following Zhao Fangxu's decision, they first held talks with Ma Xianhong.

Ultimately, Zhang Chulan combined the information gap brought by Xu Xiang and used his silver tongue to present facts and reason to Ma Xianhong, his martial nephew. The main point was that the Twelve Superior Roots of Biyou Village weren't as reliable or united as Ma Xianhong thought.

Chen Duo had already left, so there was no need to say more.

Zhuge Qing had joined the latest; his stance was wavering, and once he understood, he immediately became a surrenderist.

Fu Rong was a love-brain with a Scumbag-Attracting Physique. Having been deceived by several boyfriends, she had accumulated a mountain of debt and came to Biyou Village to hide. When the company offered to help resolve her debts and Zhuge Qing was willing to be her new boyfriend, she immediately chose to follow her husband's lead.

Zhao Guizhen was a psychopath who had committed multiple murders. He tried to escape alone in the middle of the night but was turned into Lamb Scorpion by Xiao Zizai, who had been watching him.

Bi Yuan's intentions were hard to discern, and he also joined the surrenderists.

By this point, nearly half of the Twelve Superior Roots were gone.

On the Everywhere Connect side, there were Xiao Zizai, Wang Zhenqiu, Feng Baobao, Old Meng, Black Pipe, Wang Ye, plus Zhang Chulan himself, and the support brought by Xu Xiang.

In comparison, Biyou Village no longer had the advantage.

Then, Zhang Chulan offered the promises brought by Xu Xiang: if he was willing to surrender, disband New Interception, and destroy the Self-Cultivation Furnace, the company could help him find his long-lost family, uncover the truth of the past, and support his research.

After a round of verbal output from Don't Shake the Green Lotus, Ma Xianhong wavered but felt unwilling.

Thus, both sides proposed a contest.

Ma Xianhong, Hari Chagai, Zhong Xiaolong, and seven other Superior Roots would compete against Zhang Chulan's group.

If Ma Xianhong's side won, Zhang Chulan and the others would withdraw and not enter Biyou Village again without permission.

Otherwise, Ma Xianhong would agree to the company's demands.

Once the contest began, the results were almost one-sided.

Hari Chagai vs. Black Pipe; Black Pipe wins!

Jin Yong, seeking revenge for his brother Jin Meng who lost at the Luotian Grand Ritual, challenged Wang Ye and suffered a crushing defeat.

Chou Rang went after Old Meng, who looked honest and easy to bully, only to be taken down in one move once he got close.

Liu Wukui faced Wang Zhenqiu and lost to the Godhood Mask.

Zhong Xiaolong faced Xiao Zizai; his Finger Flickering Technique was no match for the Great Compassion Palm.

Zhang Kun, considering his strength average, went after Feng Baobao, who only knew martial arts and didn't seem very strong. He thought he could win by relying on his breath-holding skills underground, but he didn't expect Feng Baobao to know Body Breathing. In the end, he almost suffocated himself.

Ding Zihuan's Ghost Shadow Walk lacked offensive means; against Zhang Chulan's Lightning Technique, he was practically crushed.

In the final round, Ma Xianhong took the field.

His opponent was Zhuge Qing, who had given up on Divine Mechanism Hundred Refinements after thinking it through and wanted to see the gap between himself and the successor of Divine Mechanism Hundred Refinements.

Then, he lost... again!

Since Wang Ye's “Zhuge Qing, have you ever lost?”, he had lost three consecutive duels.

The first time was to Wang Ye.

The second time was to Meng Li.

The third time was to Ma Xianhong.

However, this time he took it in stride, deciding to return home after the matter was settled to inherit the Samadhi True Fire, the ultimate technique left by his ancestor, Marquis Zhuge.

Although Ma Xianhong won his round, he couldn't turn the tide because the other Superior Roots were so disappointing. He had to accept his defeat.

Thus, New Interception was disbanded, and the Self-Cultivation Furnace was destroyed.

Seeing the furnace shattered, Ma Xianhong felt his heart bleeding.

But soon, that heartache was replaced by astonishment...