Next were Zhao Xiaowan and Caiwei, each receiving one hundred thousand.
This amount of Rebirth Points might not seem like much.
But Hu Xiuyuan represented the government, after all, and couldn’t give out too much as a reward. Being able to award a six-figure sum was already an incredibly generous act.
The Rebirth Points weren’t the main prize.
What truly sent everyone into a frenzy of delight were the decrypted evolution path files.
These so-called decrypted evolution path files contained the Reincarnator Association’s in-depth analyses of the various evolution paths under its control.
A file like this essentially gave every Evolver present a chance to identify and shore up their weaknesses. If used well, it could even raise their power by several levels.
Compared to Rebirth Points, the value of such a file was difficult to measure in monetary terms.
After the official speeches were made and the official rewards were distributed, the other participating Reincarnators went to the provincial capital’s library to look up the evolutionary data they needed.
Only Li Chang’an, Su Ruobing, and Hu Xiuyuan remained.
Once everyone had left, Hu Xiuyuan couldn’t help but laugh. "Good man. You’ve dealt Gu Ruilong a heavy blow this time!"
Hearing this, Li Chang’an was actually a little surprised. "I just killed a few Sixth Rank Peak Evolvers, right? With the Gu Family’s power and status, that shouldn’t be enough to cause any fundamental damage, should it?"
"Good grief. You don’t think killing three Sixth Rank Peak Evolvers in the arena is enough to cause an uproar?" Hu Xiuyuan’s tone was light.
He closed the door before continuing, "Besides, who told you the Gu Family and Gu Ruilong are one and the same? The larger a family, the more internal strife it tends to have. Gu Ruilong might be the eldest son, but he’s not the current Patriarch of the Gu Family. Even if he were the Patriarch, losing three Sixth Rank Peak Evolvers in the tournament is an enormous loss to take the blame for. The Patriarch himself might not be able to bear that responsibility, let alone Gu Ruilong..."
At this, Hu Xiuyuan paused for a moment.
He then continued with a wry smile, "And Gu Ruilong’s trouble this time goes beyond just his family. He used some methods from his grandfather to target you so blatantly in the arena. In the end, not only did he fail to kill you, but he allowed you to demonstrate your own value through combat..."
Hearing this, Li Chang’an reflected for a moment. He realized his previous analysis had indeed been too simplistic, always tending to lump Gu Ruilong and the Gu Family together.
He had never considered that Gu Ruilong could not fully represent the Gu Family at all.
Moreover, Sixth Rank Peak Evolvers were considered high-end, top-tier combatants in the Main World.
And the three men Gu Ruilong had lost were not ordinary Sixth Rank Peak Evolvers, but three who were extremely formidable, young, and promising.
These men had a high probability of continuing to advance in the future.
They could have become Tier Seven or even Tier Eight Evolvers.
But now, due to Gu Ruilong’s misjudgment of his combat strength, they had suffered a massive loss in the three-on-one arena match. The seriously injured ones might even be completely crippled.
The loss was so great that even with Gu Ruilong’s status and position, he would likely find it hard to bear the consequences.
As if he knew what was on Li Chang’an’s mind, Hu Xiuyuan smiled, pulled a cigarette from his pocket, and lit it. "Don’t worry," he continued, "Gu Ruilong won’t be able to threaten you anytime soon. After all, he tried to pull a fast one in front of everyone, and it ended up blowing up in his own face. Our Xiangnan Reincarnator Association isn’t a pushover, either. We’ll find a way to get you some justice!"
At this, Li Chang’an paused. "But there’s no evidence, is there? How can we demand justice?"
Hu Xiuyuan laughed. "Some things don’t require hard evidence. As long as we say he did it, he did it. Now is the perfect time to kick him while he’s down!"
Li Chang’an nodded.
With his current strength, he was indeed not yet powerful enough to pose a major threat to the Gu Family.
But in this world, no person—and no established power—was an island. As long as he could demonstrate sufficient value, he believed many people would be more than happy to use him as a blade to take a good, hard swing at the Gu Family.
Li Chang’an wasn’t too concerned with these minor details.
After all, Gu Ruilong had never been the opponent he truly needed to be wary of.
The ones he truly needed to be wary of were the mysterious old man behind the Gu Family, and any Reincarnator Families who might come into direct conflict with the Night City Military Technology Group in the future.
Gu Ruilong, on the other hand, was just a Puppet they had pushed to the forefront.
Now that Gu Ruilong was caught in a massive whirlpool of trouble, he probably wouldn’t be free to deal with him for a long time to come.
The enemies he would face next would likely be far more powerful than Gu Ruilong.
It would be a lie to say that Li Chang’an wasn’t nervous at all.
After all, the Rebirth World and the real world were completely different. In the Rebirth World, you could die a thousand, even ten thousand times, and at most, you would only lose your rebirth privileges.
But in the Main World, a single failure would most likely mean utter and irreversible doom.
Of course, at this point, there was no use overthinking it.
Li Chang’an quickly composed himself and asked, "Governor Hu, the factory in Cangxuan City has officially begun operations. We expect to deliver the first batch of orders in about three months. As a shareholder, would you like to visit the factory and check on its progress?"
Hearing this, Hu Xiuyuan raised an eyebrow, his interest piqued. "Oh? Now that you mention it, I am rather curious. However, the regional tournament has just started, so I can’t get away at the moment. Once I’ve wrapped things up here, I’ll be sure to pay your factory a proper visit!"
Li Chang’an nodded.
Hu Xiuyuan and the faction he represented had been shielding him all this time.
’Now, while the momentum is strong, is the time to present something of value. It will make them understand my importance even more profoundly!’
...