A young man, fresh out of his depths, exposed himself to the world for the first time by killing Qin Wenwu, lauded as the one who opened the Celestial Gate, the number one in the world.
A variety of halos illuminated Lin Beichen, leaving everyone puzzled and feeling that there was something strange about him.
In the eyes of many people in Huadu, Lin Beichen was just a puppet pushed to the front stage.
He had too much mystery surrounding him.
Such a person was not supposed to appear here.
However, with the fall of the Zhang Family, people finally realized.
Lin Beichen had many halos, but they were not enough to explain his true strength.
The previous Lin Beichen was just a symbol, a name.
But now, he had become a real person, cloaked in boundless bloodshed, making everyone feel extreme fear, not daring to confront him.
Even a major family like the Zhang Family, one of the two prominent families in Huadu, was killed by him without hesitation. Who could stop him then?
The major families held meetings, and on the list of people not to be provoked, Lin Beichen’s name was highlighted in red.
At the same time, the major families began self-inspecting, investigating whether anyone within or outside their families had conflicts with Lin Beichen.
If found, they were either expelled from the family or ordered to leave the country and forbidden to return.
At this moment, Lin Beichen had a recognized nickname in Huadu, the Grim Reaper.
The international killer Grim Reaper Cobra had already become a ghost under Lin Beichen’s blade, and Lin Beichen seemed to have snatched the authority of the Grim Reaper herself, transforming into the true Grim Reaper.
He could reap anyone’s life at any time if he wished.
"Listen up, everyone in the family. I don’t care what you think. From now on, whenever you see Bai Yunfei, be courteous and never provoke him."
The major families in Huadu simultaneously issued orders to their members.
They didn’t know why Lin Beichen destroyed the Zhang Family, but the current reasoning—the Zhang Family had bullied Bai Yunfei, and Lin Beichen stood up for him—was the most plausible explanation.
There must always be a reason for an effect.
The fall of the Zhang Family needed a reason.
Tracing the source, the conflict between Bai Yunfei and the Zhang Family was the obvious root.
A commercial competition escalating to the point of the complete annihilation of the Zhang Family was unbelievable.
The complete death of the Zhang Family directly caused all forces planning to annex Bai Group to retreat.
Everyone frantically withdrew, fearing to get involved in any way.
While everyone was panicked, the Bai Family was overjoyed.
Just a day ago, they thought they were doomed.
Their third uncle, as their patron, had been taken incommunicado.
The group was sealed off on charges of evading taxes.
The Bai Family’s crisis was so evident that even a passerby could see it.
Even Bai Yunfei, the young master of one of the eight major business families in the Imperial Capital, was at a loss, showing how severe the Bai Family’s difficulties were.
However, in just one day, the Bai Family’s situation had completely changed.
"Did Lin Beichen do all this?"
"Miss Zhou, it’s absolutely true. All reports from various sources have confirmed that at the same time Zhang Songqiao was hosting his celebration, many people saw Lin Beichen present."
"My intelligence indicates that the hundreds of members of the Zhang Family vanished almost completely in the storm. Though no one can prove their death, the fact that they’ve disappeared from Huadu should be telling enough, right?"
At Zhou Qilan’s bedside, everyone chatted excitedly, their faces full of thrill.
As she listened, Zhou Qilan had a complex expression.
The boyfriend found by her daughter seemed to be far more terrifying than she had imagined.
Offending him was more horrifying than facing divine punishment.
"This might not necessarily be a good thing!"
Amid the crowd’s jubilance, someone suddenly sighed.
"The Zhang Family’s bloody demise is like pouring oil on the Bai Family’s hot fire."
The crowd, still laughing heartily a moment ago, suddenly sobered up.
Most couldn’t understand, but a few clever ones grasped the meaning.
The Zhang Family could perish, but the manner of their death had implicit implications.
As things stood, the sudden, tragic demise of the Zhang Family, with numerous casualties, was too intense.
The Zhang Family alone suffered hundreds of deaths and injuries.
All of their mid-level and above was obliterated.
Even if the Zhang Family was at fault, the extensive casualties likely instilled fear in outsiders.
When terror reached a certain level, people wouldn’t care about right or wrong.
They would care about just one thing.
If they were in the Zhang Family’s position, could they survive?
No one dared to bet on it.
The Zhang Family perished completely. What qualifications did others have to oppose Lin Beichen?
Just a day later, an explosive piece of news spread throughout Huadu.
The Management Association was ordered to reform. Special envoys were sent to investigate, with all personnel at director level and above to be reselected, and those involved at vice president or president levels required to go to the Imperial Capital for inquiry and review.
In the Management Association’s hierarchy, director level was level three.
Above the directors were the vice president and president levels.
Interpreting this message alone, the higher-ups clearly targeted the people at the vice president and president levels.
Most of the Management Association’s people were on good terms with the local families.
For such local management associations, the authorities usually paid little attention.
Local families were heavily intertwined, yet it helped to foster local development without overly heinous actions.
But balance was essential in everything.
The principle of ’too much is as bad as too little’ was well understood.
In handling Bai Yunfei’s matter, the local families showed an unusual breach of conduct.
Based on a single report, without verifying its authenticity, they shut down all of Bai Group’s investments.
This was inconceivable.
Despite Bai Group being a non-native family, all major businesses in Huadu, if traced back a few generations, weren’t they all non-native too?
Allowing them to target outsiders would foster internal conflict in Huadu.
The local forces’ desire to build Huadu into a closed kingdom directly breached certain taboos.
As the Management Association was panicking, another piece of news arrived.
Bai Yunfei’s third uncle was released.
Moreover, his third uncle was not on the investigation list of the Management Association, though others prominently were.
The entire city was shaken.
Everyone realized something.
Despite the Management Association’s earlier violation, the authority’s decision to rectify it wasn’t solely because of that incident.
All events seemed unrelated to Lin Beichen yet radiated his influence everywhere.
In the midst of the Management Association’s reform, Bai Group was rounding back its personnel.
Everyone faintly sensed something.
The rise of Bai Yunfei, or the entire Bai Family Group, had become an undeniable reality.
This wasn’t the will of an individual but a higher power’s will.
The local families’ resistance to Lin Beichen had become a joke.
Lin Beichen’s name was sure to shake the entire realm.
The Zhang Family’s demise created a massive stir, but its effect faded within days.
For most of the residents living in this ancient capital, the Zhang Family’s status or even Zhang Songqiao’s name meant nothing to them.
Some might have heard Zhang Songqiao’s name, but even knowing his family’s obliteration wouldn’t affect them much.
"Zhang Songqiao? I heard he was good in business. But without him, Huadu still runs the same. His existence doesn’t impact my life."
That was the mentality of most Huadu people.
Huadu housed over a million people.
And there were many such cities across the south.