Chapter 73: Chapter 72: This is the rule in the broader context.
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"Die for me!!"
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From the start, Zhou Shen's punch was incredibly arrogant as he killed the boss with a single blow, but as time went on, he fell into silence, focused on clearing levels, until at last his speed slowed down. The boss was right in front of him, but Zhou Shen's punch never landed.
After biting his lip and trying several times,
he couldn't help but step back and plop down on the ground, breathless and covered in sweat, he said, "I can't go on, I need a break, feeling a bit weak."
The fact proved that even if they were just trashy bosses, as long as there were enough of them, they could wear down a level 21 Supernatural Occupation professional without any problems.
"Mhm."
Yuan Buping nodded obediently without giving any opinion. After all, Zhou Shen listened to Miao, not necessarily to him. But at this moment, he was quite emotional. Back when he was a gangster, he operated within the territory of the Western Third Law Enforcement Bureau and had frequent run-ins with them.
He had never seen this man before.
Back then, he only encountered low-level officers, and he couldn't even get in touch with detectives at the level of Zhou Yiming, yet now, just after a few days, this once unreachable figure was already leading them into the secret realm for experience grinding.
The underlings following Yuan Buping also had complex emotions swirling within.
In the underworld, the background really mattered.
Without a background, they probably would never get a Deputy Director of the Law Enforcement Bureau to take them to a secret realm for grinding experience.
And just at that moment —
Zhou Shen, sitting on the ground resting, didn't waste time either. He turned his head towards Yuan Buping and the others, handed them a few cigarettes, and lit one for himself. Blowing out smoke casually, he said, "You guys are pretty close with Miao, huh."
In his view, this group was weak and showed no potential; they didn't look like people who had seen much of the world, nor did they seem to have any background.
He didn't understand why Miao would help these people.
In his mind, helping these people was completely a losing deal; helping them was just a waste.
"Mhm."
Yuan Buping nodded: "Miao created the 'Tomb Guardian' faction, and we are the first batch of members."
"I see."
Zhou Shen nodded thoughtfully, a glint of light flickering in the depths of his eyes. No faction could operate without dealing with the authorities, and they too needed to engage with these factions in order to gain their support.
With the support of a faction, one could rise to a certain position, and then from that position, give back to the faction.
That's the rule in the greater environment.
Of course, the support usually has an unwritten line; at least on the surface, it must be justifiable, done gracefully.
Since Miao had established a faction, it meant his affairs were thoroughly in order. Miao needed him, but from now on, he was also tied to this 'Tomb Guardian' faction. In the Federation, once a person is bound to a faction, it's basically impossible to break free. Even if he dared to leave, no one else would dare to accept him.
From then on, he could only be an incorruptible official.
He had never received the support of any faction before. In the past, he had been too proud and disdainful of this corruption, always feeling as if the uniform he wore was tarnished. But all his years of perseverance, he thought even if there was no power, no money, at least he could earn a good reputation.
Until he overheard colleagues cursing him behind his back, supervisors insinuating he should think bigger in his actions, rivals mocking him, and his wife, who didn't complain at her last breath, only asked him to take care of their daughter.
He finally understood, his so-called good reputation was nothing more than a way to make himself feel morally superior while his family lived in poverty.
In the end, nothing was left out.
After that, he became a different person. He began to make money, reaching out to various connections and dining with powerful figures. However, no one paid him any attention, whether it was the Deputy Director of the Law Enforcement Bureau or Level 21 Supernaturals, despite their undeniable allure.
A Level 21 Supernatural, especially one with extraordinary combat prowess as a fighter, was a rarity in Fengtian City.
But in the past, due to his integrity, he had thwarted numerous underhanded dealings between other forces and the Enforcement Bureau, smashing many people's rice bowls. Now that he wanted to partake himself, he was met not with acceptance, but with endless scorn and mockery.
He gradually changed.
He started to turn a blind eye to his subordinates' shady dealings, ignoring the petty scams that were happening on a daily basis. More people from the Enforcement Bureau started to gravitate towards him, and as his following grew, he began actively creating achievements in hopes of advancing further.
Yet years passed by, and although he had accrued enough merits, there was no news of advancement.
He knew then that he had made another mistake.
He remembered the night when he locked himself in the study and drowned his sorrows in alcohol, unsure of what to do. Integrity had not brought him wealth, and actively engaging in problematic activities without any backing left him in a very awkward position, neither here nor there.
Until he met Chen Miao.
The night Chen Miao found him, he felt a mixture of excitement and anxiety inside.
Because behind Chen Miao stood the Chi Family.
One of the three great families of Fengtian City, with a Power Value of 3.89 million, ranked third on Fengtian City's power ranking—a true behemoth. If he could form a connection with the Chi Family, it would be like climbing a mountain in a single step for him.
Before that night, he had never sought out the Chi Family.
But in the end, he discovered that Chen Miao actually didn't have much to do with the Chi Family; however, this no longer mattered, because he had seen Chen Miao's scene of killing a Grave Digger boss outside the city. Even he, a Level 21 Supernatural, would struggle to withstand such firepower.
And Chen Miao was merely a Level 3 gunman.
What if he were to reach Level 10, or Level 20?
He wasn't sure, but he knew his might be the only chance in his life to sit at the gambling table. All other tables had rejected him, and only this one allowed him to play, though the chances of success were very low, the payout was extremely high.
Once he won,
he would be the mightiest elder of the 'Tomb Guardians', with both his position and honor unrivaled.
The night before he planned to recognize Miao as his godfather, he decided to appear more sincere by preparing to place some leverage in Miao's hands, but... after searching around, he truly found no leverage of his own.
Corruption? Black on black crime?
He had indeed indulged in these acts later on, but who the hell was stupid enough to keep evidence in their own hands, as if they were afraid the inspection team wouldn't find anything during a surprise visit?
They had certainly all been destroyed.
After thinking for a whole night in his study, he finally came up with a piece of leverage: a series of videos with the male lead Photoshopped to be him. These videos included scenes with the woman of the Black Hand Gang's third boss, the mistress of the head of the Urban Construction Bureau, and the young aunt of the 'Autumn Chamber of Commerce' major shareholder in Fengtian City, among other female leads.
The original male lead wasn't him.
It was another man.
These videos hadn't leaked, they were just intercepted unintentionally by him. At the time, he even secretly savored them.