While Su Tao was waiting for Yan Wujin’s reply, he received a call instead from Yuan Lan, who told him about Yan Wujin’s response before he felt relieved.

After that, he glanced out the window and wondered where Tang Shi was right now. She wouldn’t be so sad anymore after hearing that, right?

After he entered the bathroom, Su Tao turned on the sprinkler and took a simple shower, feeling more comfortable after that.

While Yan Wujin did not disappoint him, he also did not disappoint Yan Wujin.

If Fire Beacon was an organisation that didn’t respect the lives of their members, Su Tao would absolutely refuse to join because he knew his own character well; he couldn’t be cold-blooded.

If he had to choose between the interest of the collective and personal feelings, he would make a compromise to act out accordingly.

Take the matter of exchanging Ying Xiong for Hei Jin, for example. Su Tao had made a unique choice to save Hei Jin, and at the same time, assassinate Ying Xiong.

Although there might be risks involved in keeping Ying Xiong alive, Hei Jin’s life was equally as important to him.

If it wasn’t for the fact that he was the greatest contributor to this epidemic, he would definitely not qualify to make this request.

Then again, his decision also meant that his contributions would be erased to balance out.

However, Su Tao wasn’t bothered about those contributions. He liked his current lifestyle, following his heart and living freely.

It felt blissful to bring health to patients and become the pillar amongst those around him as a physician.

“What?! Fire Beacon is requesting to release Ying Xiong?” Qin Jingyu looked at the Dragon Emperor with disbelief in his eyes in the Dragon Group’s base.

After Ying Xiong was captured, Qin Jingyu felt satisfied, albeit to a little disappointment. After all, the Dragon Group suffered a significant loss by falling into Ying Xiong’s traps.

Although Fire Beacon had also suffered a loss, they regrouped themselves under the higher hierarchy’s instructions to lay out a net, ultimately capturing Ying Xiong.

“That’s right. They’re planning to swap Ying Xiong for one of their members who was captured by the enemy.” The Dragon Emperor calmly replied.

“No way!” Ying Xiong roared, “Our Dragon Group suffered a great loss for this matter, so how can we release him?!”

“The higher hierarchy has already given the orders.” The Dragon Emperor swept a glance at Qin Jingyu and continued, “We have to hand all the duties over to Fire Beacon on this matter, and we do not have any authority to negotiate.”

“I’m sorry to disappoint you!” Qin Jingyu lowered his head since he knew what the Dragon Emperor meant.

“It’s not terrifying to fail, but the experience matters. There have been mistakes in your recent orders, causing many members to sacrifice their lives in vain. I hope that you can learn something from that. If you continue to make mistakes, then I’m afraid that I can only change my mind.” The Dragon Emperor’s cold voice echoed out.

Qin Jingyu arranged the Third Dragon’s group to assassinate Su Tao in Russia, which resulted in an international dispute. As for this incident, not only did they fail to resolve the crisis, but they even lost many members in the process, ultimately allowing Fire Beacon from the south to win. It made the Dragon Emperor extremely unhappy.

“I will learn from my lesson!” Qin Jingyu was covered in sweat since he knew that he had violated the Dragon Emperor’s bottom line because the Dragon Group had lost to Fire Beacon in this confrontation.

The mysterious Fire Deity was the natural enemy of the Dragon Emperor, since both of them fought for decades. The two of them had both victories and losses, but the Dragon Emperor was furious since he wasn't willing to lose to his arch-enemy. This was the dignity of an old soldier king.

“Who is the Fire Deity?” Qin Jingyu asked since he wasn’t about to keep his curiosity in control.

After a brief silence, the Dragon Emperor sighed, “His identity isn’t important because he’s my opponent, not yours. Now that both of us have found our successors, you have an enemy of your own.”

“Who’s the successor of the Fire Deity?” Qin Jingyu pursued.

“That’s your job to find out.” The Dragon Emperor shut his eyes before he went on with a solemn voice, “I have finished what I have to say. Keep in mind that you only have one last chance given to you, so don’t disappoint me.”

After the Dragon Emperor sounded his intention to get Qin Jingyu to leave, the latter immediately stood up and left the room.

Abruptly opening his eyes, the Dragon Emperor looked at the chandelier hanging from the ceiling and sighed, “Old friend, just what’s going through your mind?”

The Dragon Emperor and Fire Deity weren’t only enemies, but they’re also close friends. They fought for so many years with one common objective, and they could even give their lives to the country.

Since the country has granted them authority, that meant that they’re responsible for keeping the country safe.

Hence, the Dragon Emperor had emphasised on one principle in his management over the Dragon Group: lives can be sacrificed without any hesitation for the collective benefits.

The Fire Deity could give up on a sinner of the entire race for an ordinary member in Fire Beacon, and only the Fire Deity would do something so ridiculous.

“First Dragon, what do you think about this matter?” The Dragon Emperor sighed as a man walked out from the screen behind him. The man had a tall figure with spectacles on the bridge of his nose. He had fair skin and seemed to be a fragile scholar.

“If I’ve guessed correctly, Fire Beacon should be planning to release the tiger back into the mountain before capturing it again.” The First Dragon’s voice wasn’t loud, but it was refined.

The First and Second Dragon weren’t under Qin Jingyu’s management. The two of them had a transcendent position in the organisation, and they’re under the direct orders of the Dragon Emperor. That meant that Qin Jingyu could only command the two of them officially after passing the test given to him by the Dragon Emperor.

Unlike the other members, the First Dragon did not have any combat abilities. However, he’s the brain of the entire organisation. He’s responsible for all the overall planning, akin to an advisor.

“They’re going to send people to assassinate Ying Xiong?” The Dragon Emperor sighed before he continued, “That fits the old fox’s style. This is what’s hateful about that fellow. He always has a chivalrous mindset, and he’s too willful in major issues.”

“Chivalrous?” It was rare for the First Dragon to hear the Dragon Emperor commenting on his arch-enemy.

The Fire Deity was too mysterious, and even the First Dragon didn’t know about his identity. In the world, only the Dragon Emperor understood the Fire Deity the best.

“Looking at it in a positive view, he likes to be chivalrous, and he will always help out whenever he encounters injustice. But looking at it in a negative view, he lacks overall consideration and only seeks the satisfaction of vengeance in his heart.” The Dragon Emperor’s eyes flickered with a complicated light.

Listening to those words, the First Dragon inwardly sighed, since it seemed that the Fire Deity was completely opposite to the Dragon Emperor. The Dragon Emperor was like a cold machine without any emotions, and he would only deal with the problem from the country’s benefits. That also meant that the Dragon Group was akin to an emotionless machine. The moment someone joins the organisation, it meant that their lives belong to the country.

“It’s the country’s fortune to have you and the Fire Deity.” The First Dragon lamented and continued, “You represent system and authority, while he represents human emotions. This is the only way that society can achieve balance.”

Raising his eye to glance at the First Dragon, the Dragon Emperor asked, “What do you think about Qin Jingyu? Is he worthy of your loyalty?”

“Commander Qin is an intelligent person, and strictly speaking, he can be considered an ambitious and ruthless person. Even without the Dragon Group, he still has boundless prospects elsewhere.” The Fire Dragon replied after a brief pondering and added, “He has been mimicking you, but he can’t be as selfless as you.”

“It’s too risky to let someone with selfish motives to control the Dragon Group.” The Dragon Emperor deeply sighed.

The First Dragon did not continue any further since he knew that the Dragon Emperor was tired. As he slowly came out of the house, he looked at the nightscape and sighed, shaking his head.

The successor of the Dragon Group wasn’t someone that the Dragon Emperor could determine. Based on the rules that were previously set, the successor of the Dragon Group required a discussion between the few families who founded the Dragon Group back then. So even if Qin Jingyu wasn’t the best candidate, there’s nothing the Dragon Emperor could do about it. He could only give Qin Jingyu more time, slowly guiding him to become the new qualified Dragon Emperor.

Leaving the Dragon Group’s base, Qin Jingyu’s gaze was burning with fury as the Dragon Emperor’s warning made him feel nervous and ashamed.

Entering the backseat of his vehicle, Qin Jingyu gave a call to Tong Zuoqing, “I need your help to investigate someone.”

“Who is it?” Tong Zuoqing bitterly smiled. He had suffered a great misfortune lately to be suppressed by both the Ye and Ni Families for standing in Qin Jingyu’s camp. Every week, there would be several inspections by the authorities to his teahouses, causing his business to fall.

Although his teahouses weren’t making much money, to begin with, the cash flow was at least balanced. But through this event, Tong Zuoqing could only toughen his scalp and do his best to manage, suffering losses in the process.

“The new Fire Deity!” Qin Jingyu replied.

“Young Master Qin, times are different now. You know that my teahouses are doing badly recently, so how can I gather information without any eyes and ears?” Tong Zuoqing helplessly complained.

“I have already got someone to deal with this matter for you, and if it goes according to my expectations, the Ye and Ni Families will cease tomorrow.” Qin Jingyu responded in a solemn voice before he added, “As a return, you have to help me find out the identity of the new Fire Deity as soon as possible!”

Tong Zuoqing knew that this wouldn’t be easy, but he could only follow Qin Jingyu now and smiled. “Please be reassured, Young Master Qin. As long as my teahouses can last through this crisis, we will be your utmost loyal eyes and ears.”

“Loyal?” Qin Jingyu smiled with disdain and added, “Only interest matters to me.”

When Qin Jingyu ended the call, Tong Zuoqing’s face turned cold. He had started to regret being so close to Qin Jingyu.

Qin Jingyu was an absolute utilitarian. He didn’t have any trusted aide, nor did he have any solid alliances. Furthermore, he had a great desire for power, and he wouldn’t allow anyone to split the cake.

However, there were also benefits to following someone like Qin Jingyu.

As long as he did his job well, he would be able to receive endless benefits. So, personality-wise, the two of them belonged to the same kind of people. They could do anything to achieve their objectives, the only difference was their methods. Qin Jingyu was more forceful, while Tong Zuoqing was slick.

Tong Zuoqing was in a pretty good mood since his teahouse could return to normal operations starting tomorrow. Tuning up the radio to the loudest, his fingers gently tapped on the armrest of the costly yellow rosewood chair.