Chapter 1 The So-Called Bastard

"Is that the so-called bastard?"

Gu Shen stood outside the rented small courtyard in the desolate outskirts of Yinghai District, his gaze penetrating the layers of obstruction, landing on Higashise Iori, who was bound.

Having finished the handover in the Ice Sea, he rushed back to Yinghai.

"Correct."

Song Ci crossed his arms, disgruntled. "Kidnapping such a figure is really embarrassing. I, the dignified leader of the North Hall of the Chengxin Society, should be doing something big."

"Don't worry, there will be some 'hard stuff' you'll like later."

Gu Shen smiled. "Has this guy's 'spiritual sea' been examined?"

"No."

Song Ci shook his head. "Neither Shen Li nor I are spiritual-type transcendents... rashly touching it might cause unknown chain reactions. It's better to leave this kind of thing to you."

"Okay, you guys wait for me here."

Gu Shen nodded.

He walked into the small courtyard alone.

Returning to East Continent, the first thing he had to do was investigate the "Higashise Family betrayal case."

This case could actually be big or small.

As Song Ci had said to Shen Li before, in East Continent, there were only five true aristocratic families.

Gu, Bai, Gong, Mu, Li.

As for the other families, they weren't even qualified to carry shoes for the five great families!

The Higashise Family's betrayal was a certainty; Higashise Yue's memory was the evidence.

So the simplest way to deal with it was to uproot them completely.

But the troublesome thing about this matter was... were other families doing the same thing as the Higashise Family?

If so, did it mean that there was an even greater power manipulating things?

...

...

In the small courtyard, a young man with a numb expression was tied to a chair.

Not quite the same as the playboys in the secular sense.

This young master Higashise didn't cry or make a fuss after being kidnapped, his expression was calm, and he was extremely composed.

Gu Shen was still wearing the ghost mask, appearing as the "evil ghost."

He didn't plan to reveal his identity yet, so even when facing a small figure like "Higashise Iori," he didn't intend to show his true face.

"Are you someone sent by Lu Nanzhi?"

Before Gu Shen could sit down, Higashise Iori spoke first.

"Oh?"

Gu Shen smiled and asked, "How did you guess that?"

"Song Ci is the number one expert in the underground of the Dadu District... the only one who could make him show up is Lu Nanzhi. Other than that, I can't think of any other possibility."

Higashise Iori stared into Gu Shen's eyes, he wasn't afraid of the evil ghost's dark and deep pupils.

"Well, you can think of it that way for now."

Gu Shen said indifferently, "You can guess however you want, anyway, I will erase these memories... Higashise Iori, can you guess why I kidnapped you?"

"I can't guess."

"Huazhi is a huge corporation, dozens of times larger than the Higashise Family. If you want to attack the Higashise Family, why kidnap me?"

Higashise Iori said coldly, "With Huazhi's strength, they can just do whatever they want. Even if they want to force my father to resign, there's no need for such base methods..."

While speaking, Gu Shen observed Higashise Iori's eyes.

This young playboy didn't seem to be the type who just ate, drank, and indulged in wine and women as the intelligence reports said.

These were eyes that concealed a sharp edge.

"Base methods?"

Gu Shen said, "You don't seem to know anything. I want to see if you're really as you appear to be."

The Higashise Family had already begun transferring assets and family members.

Although Higashise Iori was an illegitimate child, he was loved by the family head, so he should have been one of those being transferred.

The reason for choosing to attack him was to see if they could find an "information breakthrough"——

Gu Shen flicked his finger, releasing a wisp of blazing fire.

"Boom!"

Higashise Iori's pupils suddenly contracted.

The longevity lock he wore around his neck clanged, but it was instantly destroyed, unable to resist even for a second! This was a sealed item that could withstand a mental attack from a Fourth Order transcendent...

Just who exactly was this evil ghost?

He looked at Gu Shen in shock, his vision instantly filled with blazing fire...

Gu Shen gently touched Higashise Iori's forehead with two fingers.

His expression was somewhat subtle.

There was no "mental lock" in this Higashise Family's illegitimate son's spiritual sea, but it wasn't due to negligence.

Higashise Iori was completely outside the Higashise Family's transfer plan.

Such a huge family...

Wanting to transfer to another continent was destined to involve sacrifices.

Only a very small number could truly complete the "migration," as for the others, they were all sacrifices in the plan.

Once the crime of betraying East Continent was discovered, the Higashise Family would be subjected to a storm-like cleansing... the Tribunal wouldn't care about sentimentality at all.

Those in the family who hadn't participated in the plot would also be implicated.

He had thought that the beloved Higashise Iori would also be transferred.

Unexpectedly.

He was also a pawn.

However, after reading his memories, Gu Shen discovered some interesting things.

This so-called "illegitimate son" Higashise Iori was actually gilded inside but rotten outside, the nightly revelry was just an illusion to confuse people. There was an underground transcendent force in Yinghai District similar to the "Chengxin Society," called the "Kurosaki Group," but this force couldn't compare to Dadu, its scale and the strength of its transcendents were much worse.

Higashise Iori was responsible for contacting, recruiting, and settling the underground transcendent forces along the Yinghai Riverbank.

On the surface.

He was a playboy young master.

But in reality... he was responsible for handling many of the dirty and tiring jobs underground for the Higashise Family.

This was also why there were transcendent thugs in the entire private room when Song Ci showed up to kidnap him.

A moment later, Gu Shen released his fingers.

"Ugh..."

Higashise Iori groaned painfully and slowly opened his eyes, he felt his head was in a daze.

Seeing the shattered longevity lock.

He immediately understood everything, he had been hypnotized, the other party was an extremely powerful mental-type transcendent, at least a Deep Sea Eleventh Layer!

"What exactly do you want to do?!"

Higashise Iori felt uneasy for the first time, he felt that everything about him had been seen through, and he roared angrily.

"When I kidnapped you, I deliberately had Song Ci leave some traces."

Gu Shen didn't answer Higashise Iori, but said to himself, "If your father really cares about you, he will find those traces... a simple profiling is all it takes to know what happened there."

"You just want to see my father... is there a need for this?"

Higashise Iori said angrily, "Although I don't know who you are, but with your identity and background, wanting to see him, is there a need to go to such lengths?!"

"You're right."

Gu Shen said indifferently, "Coming to Yinghai, my purpose is really just to see your father... but I'm worried that if I reveal my true identity, your father will kneel down to welcome me, or even commit suicide out of fear, and not even dare to see my face."

"???"

As soon as these words came out, Higashise Iori was completely stunned.

He recalled the previous details.

Song Ci told him not to say his name no matter what.

"The strength of crushing the bullets, the severity of injuring these people, were all strictly controlled."

"If I remember correctly, doesn't the Higashise family have an elderly mental-type titled enshrinement?"

"Since he's a titled one, then his profiling will definitely be able to see these deliberately hidden details, and thus deduce that the strength of the perpetrator is at the Fourth Order pinnacle. It's not difficult for him to follow the profiling all the way here. I've given enough reminders on this road, even if he misses one or two, he can reach the end."

Gu Shen stood up, he looked at Higashise Iori and said calmly, "I hope my meeting with your father... can be a little more formal."

"It would be best if he could bring the most powerful thugs in the entire family to see me."

"Or rather, to kill me."

...

...

There were dark clouds covering the sky, the night was low, and thunder was rumbling.

Light rain was falling.

"Actually, I still don't understand some things."

Shen Li and Song Ci leaned against the small courtyard.

He looked up at the dark and uncertain black clouds and murmured, "This matter does seem to be not as complicated as I imagined, but is it necessary to be so 'complicated' just to kidnap an illegitimate son like Higashise Iori?"

"Ah ha, congratulations, you finally got the hang of it!"

Song Ci grinned, "Who was the iron egg who was facing a formidable enemy and guarding the door so tightly earlier?"

"That's because I didn't understand the situation yet."

Shen Li said helplessly, "Now I'm sure... Gu Shen's target is the Higashise family. Wouldn't it be easier to hand this matter over to Nagano or Huazhi to investigate?"

Nagano and Huazhi would have more manpower and more thorough arrangements.

"This matter is not as simple as you think."

Gu Shen walked out of the small courtyard and said slowly, "Whether it's notifying Nagano or notifying Huazhi, you need to give a clear source of information... it's not difficult to uproot the 'Higashise Family,' with the resources and power you control now, Shen Li, it's enough to launch a cleanup operation, but where is your evidence? The Third Division needs to pay attention to procedures when handling cases. You, Shen Li, are just going to slap the Higashise Family with the crime of betrayal and wipe them out, will Mountain Master allow you to act across districts like this?"

"..." Shen Li was speechless for a moment.

"As for notifying Huazhi... the same logic applies."

Gu Shen shook his head.

If he directly showed up, none of this would be a problem.

But now that he was hiding, he couldn't act like this.

"Of course, these are not the main reasons."

Gu Shen asked solemnly, "Think about it, why didn't I announce the news of my survival to the outside world?"

"Because... you don't want the people outside to know that you're still alive."

"Who are the people outside?"

"Guang Ming Bi Lei, the Tower of Origin, the Church..."

At this point, Shen Li and Song Ci both realized something.

Gu Shen's news was being kept secret from everyone, even Nagano and Central City were no exception. He only informed a very small number of people who he had to notify and who he could absolutely trust.

Song Ci's voice lowered, "You mean... we have a mole in our own house?"

"Betraying East Continent is a big crime."

Gu Shen said in a low voice, "The Higashise Family is willing to sacrifice a 'Yinghai Councilor' to transfer their base of operations. I don't believe there isn't a pusher behind them."

Song Ci murmured, "If there is, then it must be a huge iceberg..."

"Correct."

Gu Shen closed his eyes, feeling the rain falling, he smiled softly, "Before the truth is dug out, who knows what that iceberg looks like? Could it come from within?"

The Higashise Family's betrayal was a manifestation of the decay of the vast root system of East Continent's aristocratic families...

Because of this... Gu Shen, this "dead man," was the most suitable person to investigate this case.

It would be inappropriate to hand it over to any party for handling before the truth came out.

Not notifying any party was the greatest fairness and the greatest cruelty.

Shen Li and Song Ci both felt a thud in their hearts. Although they had great confidence in the forces they were loyal to...

But decay was often silent and invisible.

They didn't want to see the worst-case scenario.

"Okay, the main person has arrived."

Gu Shen opened his eyes, looking at the dark shadows in the distance.

Nearly a hundred figures holding black umbrellas and wearing long knives at their waists walked through the streets and alleys, eventually converging, a dark mass.

The Kurosaki Group.

The largest underground transcendent force in Yinghai District.

This group of people stopped, drew their long knives, and loaded their guns.

"You two..."

Gu Shen turned around and said softly, "Don't be too ruthless when you fight later, leave them a life. After I interrogate them clearly, I'll decide whether to kill them or spare them."

...

...

(ps: Four updates for today, asking for monthly tickets. Also, I need to make an outline tomorrow morning, so there won't be an update. See you tomorrow afternoon/evening.)