The people of Mangliang City had never seen an official like this.
Although he often cursed in the streets and acted somewhat overbearingly, they could clearly feel that he was someone who truly worked for the common people.
Consequently, Su Baadao became incredibly popular. Every day, many people would wait outside the Command Center, hoping to catch a glimpse of him.
This caused significant trouble for the Security Bureau. After all, who knew if there were cultists among the crowd?
In the end, Su Baadao had to step out himself.
“I don’t want to be famous, and I don’t need to be!”
“Instead of coming here to photograph me, you’d be better off taking more pictures of the South District.”
“That is the future of our Mangliang City!”
These few simple sentences gave the people a fresh perspective on Su Baadao once again.
Mangliang City thus settled into a state of stability, appearing peaceful and serene on the surface.
However, both Su Baadao and Wang Gen knew very well that this was only skin-deep.
Those lunatics from the True Knowledge Society would never let things go so easily.
...
“How is it going?”
Having just finished signing a document, Su Baadao set down his pen and pinched the bridge of his nose with his fingers.
Wang Gen, who was sitting on the sofa opposite him, stood up and spoke.
“We’ve already located three strongholds. We’ve sensed two Sequence 6s and several Sequence 7s.”
“I didn't rush to take action, fearing we might alert the enemy.”
“Mm.”
Su Baadao stood up, walked to the window, and took a long stretch.
“The numbers don't add up. They should have at least two Demigods.”
“Sometimes I wonder where these cults get so many Demigods from.”
“Whether it’s the True Knowledge Society or the Shadow Lotus Church, I’ve personally killed at least a dozen Demigods, yet they keep coming in an endless stream!”
Wang Gen replied solemnly, “The crooked path is naturally faster than the righteous one.”
Su Baadao glanced back at him.
“That’s because you’re not a genius. If you were a genius, any path you took would be fast.”
This retort nearly choked Wang Gen. He thought to himself, 'Fine, you’re amazing, you’re noble, go ahead and show off while using me as your background character!'
Su Baadao walked to the fridge and took out a bottle of water.
“Keep an eye on those families too. If I hadn't just taken office and couldn't make any major moves yet, I would have dealt with them long ago!”
“Rest assured.”
Wang Gen’s reply was decisive. He was quite experienced in such matters.
Su Baadao gave a hum of acknowledgment and unscrewed the cap.
“Did you use any sealed objects to investigate their whereabouts?”
“No.”
“Why not?”
“I was afraid of being blacklisted.”
Su Baadao didn't even take a sip of water; he just stared at Wang Gen.
Wang Gen said with extreme seriousness, “Mangliang City only has two sealed objects. If we get blacklisted again, we’ll have nothing left to use.”
The word 'we' made Su Baadao’s eye twitch, as he recalled the days he had been blacklisted back in Meng City.
It was a humiliation.
...
“Oh, look at you, look at you! Why are you actually giving me money?”
“Xiao Yang, your auntie really doesn't lack this.”
“I understand, I understand.”
Yin Yang pushed the red envelope forward again.
“Auntie, you’ve introduced four clients to me this month, and all the deals went through.”
“In my eyes, you’re not just an ordinary auntie; you’re my God of Wealth.”
“Now that the God of Wealth is right in front of me, if I don't treat you right, how can I expect to make a fortune?”
Yin Yang’s words made the auntie exceptionally happy. Only then did she ‘reluctantly’ accept the red envelope, promising Yin Yang that she would promote him well when she went out for square dancing in the evening.
Yin Yang agreed readily, then went downstairs to leave on a shared electric scooter.
The auntie stood at the building entrance, looking at Yin Yang with a sigh of emotion, wondering how such a fine young man could still be single.
A gentle breeze blew, and the sunlight was just right.
Yin Yang wove through the small alleys on his scooter, eventually stopping at the East District.
There was no other way; shared electric scooters couldn't enter the East District.
The scooters had electronic locks that automatically engaged upon reaching the East District.
Supposedly, this was because the people of the East District felt that shared scooters were an eyesore, so they weren't permitted to enter.
Not just shared scooters—even ordinary taxis were forbidden from entering the East District.
The only ones allowed to pick up and drop off passengers in the East District were East District taxis.
They could pick up and drop off passengers anywhere in Mangliang City.
However, taxis from the West, South, and North Districts were not allowed into the East District.
Yin Yang had been stunned when he first learned of this, thinking to himself that even Central City might not have such rules.
Though Mangliang City was not small, it wasn't exactly a bustling metropolis, yet it certainly had plenty of rules.
“Meow~”
A tabby cat wearing sunglasses jumped out of an alley—it was Canned Food.
Yin Yang continued forward, and Canned Food leaped lightly onto his shoulder.
“Meow~”
“Mm.”
Canned Food was pointing the way for Yin Yang. A few minutes later, the two stopped before a building with a unique architectural style.
The building looked like three large cubes stacked together, giving it a very modern, artistic feel.
The door was shaped like a triangle, and a logo was painted on the main entrance—a burning demon’s head.
“This is the place?”
“Meow~”
Hearing this, Yin Yang opened his backpack, took out a pen, and drew some symbols in a hidden corner of the wall before patting the ground.
From the shadow beneath his feet, a streak of black light merged into the ground.
“Have your underlings keep searching.”
“Meow~”
...
“I think giving Su Baadao a little lesson is enough.”
“Not long ago, Elder Li discovered a stone book in some ruins. Based on the descriptions in the murals, that book likely records the Origin of Pathways!”
“Instead of wasting time here, we should go back and study that book.”
“Perhaps we can discover the secrets of the pathways and change the world!”
Inside a private bar, a relatively young man in black robes spoke with a look of longing.
Hearing this, a middle-aged man beside him laughed.
“Our True Knowledge Society discovers dozens of those strange things every year. Every time, we think they’ll change the world, and what happens? Has anything changed?”
“That Su Baadao has killed more than one of our society's Demigods. If we don't give him a lesson and make him feel the pain, what if he comes for our heads next?”
The young man fell silent at this, clearly finding the argument reasonable.
“But the problem is, we have no way to teach him a lesson right now. Su Baadao is a lunatic. We incited the workers to go on strike and protest, and he actually used a sealed object to suppress them directly!”
“You’ve seen his popularity in Mangliang City now. Smearing his name won't work in the short term. What other good ideas are there?”
The bar fell silent. The few men exchanged glances and continued drinking.
“Everyone.”
“Weren't we planning to target his political achievements?”
“If we can't deal with Su Baadao, can we not deal with those commoners?”
Hearing this, everyone turned to look at the speaker.
The man did not flinch. He drained his glass in one gulp and said,
“If man-made calamities don't work, we’ll use natural disasters!”
Rate on N.U.
