Chapter 262 - Mascarante
The final warning that Lu Chen said to Lao Mao was the last mercy he would be bestowing upon the Sy Clan. The people who are involved in the underground city and the one he's usually involved in for business in the general public are vastly different people. The so-called 'general public' was more fearful of the law, and they don't randomly kill people at the height of their emotions. He guessed he'd rather call it 'civilized'?
On the contrary, just like how the public perceives those people who are involved in the black market and underground city, it was filled with violence and all sorts of crimes. Murder, Illegal Trading, Drugs, and many more things would immediately get them in jail.
It is a place in which kindness doesn't exist nor it is for weakhearted people. That's why he pledged to not bring Xiu Mei here at all.
His son?
Of course, he's not fit to see this place yet. However, that was why he was training him carefully. He plans to choose him as his successor, and to become one, that kid must first learn the basics, most especially on how he can defend himself. If you leave yourself open to your enemies, there's no doubt you would be killed.
That's why he would only bring his child once he's really ready. Besides, this position will further help him in investigating his parents' death—which was Lu Chen's cousin and cousin-in-law.
This position may be dangerous, but it was also the best protection he could give to him.
That's why he couldn't let other people do what they want to trample his authority and take it for themselves. His master dedicated his entire life to making sure that all these dangerous people wouldn't go harm the normal citizens by keeping all of them under control through a contract. Of course, it wasn't easily done, but he was able to do it and decades had already passed so much and the contract is still effective.
If the Sy Clan was planning to move to the west, of course, he wouldn't say no to that. The Sy Clan migrating would equate to fewer people to worry about. But he knew the true intention of the Sy Clan especially the previous head and the current head.
Both of which who have tried to expand their authority, constantly challenging his late Master and now, his authority. The previous head was very ambitious. Too ambitious that he was so blinded by greed, and was caught on the act which made his late Master behead him in front of his vassals. That man sold government intelligence to the enemy country, then got in touch with many high profile mafia organizations while taking part in their massacre of innocent people, and the sudden jump of human trafficking within the country. He was on the verge of gaining strong support from those mafias and almost kicked his late Master from his position if it weren't for the dissatisfaction by the other organizations as well.
His actions caused not only serious trouble for the government but also within the illegal trades as well. He was dominating all trades and income that the other underground organization was more offended than frightened so using their protest to his advantage, Lu Chen's master did public persecution to remind all the others that their actions similar to the late Sy Clan head wouldn't be condoned. It was such a big move considering that the Sy Clan's power back then was already on par with the Legion, yet his late Master was able to subdue the Sy Clan's protest and killed their highest superior without difficulty.
And it seems like Lao Mao intends to walk on that same path as well.
Lu Chen sneered. Was he thinking that because his late Master is gone, he can now achieve what the late Sy Clan head failed to do?
Directly ignoring his existence and challenging his authority, it seems like he's been so softened by his wife that it now affects even his other identity.
Lu Chen glanced at the summary report of the Sy Clan's movements for the past five years, included in it were the reports he already received ever since he ordered monitoring them early on for the past two years.
He tapped his fingers on the table as he pondered about something.
He was more interested in how the Sy Clan got involved with Albert. Was it Albert who approached them first or was it the other way around?
Hmm….
On the other hand, Xiu Min and Xu Mo Ruo were also having their own separate meeting in regard to their investigation progress.
"It was so hard to dig that info ah. Whoever was manipulating all these men and putting them in their positions, he sure hides like a ghost. That took me a lot of people to find." Xiu Mo Ruo slumped on the sofa and tossed a USB to his twin. Xiu Min caught it easily with his reflexes and inserted it on his own secured laptop to analyze the files.
"You didn't even group the files, you dimwit." Xiu Min almost cursed seeing the messy files reflected on the screen. He kicked his twin's ankle in frustration.
"Don't you have something like a brief report or something? Are you expecting me to read all of this today?" He grabbed anything within his reach and threw it straight to his head with great precision.
"Do you think I have that much free time?" Xiu Min added as he continued scolding his useless twin.
"Did you think I have that much free time either?!" Xiu Mo Ruo's eyes twitched as he refuted, "I could barely visit you when you were in the hospital because of this you know! I was running back and forth between two different countries with a distance of many miles and this is how you treat me!"
Xiu Min ignored his complaints. "Then at least be useful for the last time. I can only read all of these tomorrow since I still have to go somewhere so at least tell me all the most important points I need to remember from here."
Xiu Mo Ruo was still rubbing his head that was hit by his twin. His brows furrowed as he tried to recall the conversation he had with someone in America who provided him a piece of really vital information in their investigation.
"The man said that he was there when two Chinese men made the deal. He said he heard from his colleagues that one of the men was connected to an underground organization with great connection in politics."
"What about the other one?"
"He didn't know. His position was low so he didn't know what kind of bigshot made a deal with the underground organization."
"Did he say what was the premise of the exchange?"
"No, he couldn't understand the language. They were speaking in Chinese so he couldn't understand what they were talking about."
Xiu Min was confused. "Then how sure are we that the other man was really from an underground organization if he didn't understand what they were talking about?"
Xiu Mo Ruo leaned back on the sofa with his arms behind his head as he calmly answered the question, "One of his colleagues was a Chinese and he heard it in passing when the guy nonchalantly commented how scary the other man was."
"Then wouldn't it be useful if you talked to the other man instead?"
Xiu Mo Ruo scoffed as he flashed a fake smile and spoke sarcastically, "Oh, then you go dig that person from the ground to interview him."
"..."
Ah. Makes sense.
"I was already lucky enough to find an informant that was willing to speak ah. Shouldn't you be thankful instead?"
Xiu Min's mouth twitched as he rolled his eyes at his twin. "Then what group does he belong to?"
"What?"
"You said the man told you that his position was too low to know the bigshot they were working under was. What group did he belong to?"
"Ah. I remember asking that too. It's definitely in a file somewhere there."
"Then what is it?"
"Can't you just find it there?"
"I told you I won't be able to read this until over the weekend. Are you deaf?"
Xiu Mo Ruo scratched his head as he tried to squeeze his brain for the nth time. He originally has a very great memory, ah, but that five hours sleep within fifty hours was making his brain malfunction and fail him completely.
"What was it again? Uh… it was some kind of Italian or french something. Ma….Masiarcante? I think that's the name? Wait, lemme think about it some more." Xiu Mo Ruo lowered his head to think failing to notice his other twin's reaction.
Xiu Min's expression dimmed as he recognized the name.
Not Masiarcante.
Mascarante.
It's one of the deep-rooted mafia families in the west.