But before Ryan Ling could say anything, General Kenneth Li suddenly slammed his fist against a nearby tree and shouted, "Those damned Japanese bastards! They took advantage of our internal chaos and swallowed up four or five listed companies, even forcibly seized several mines! The worst part is, we can't do a thing about it. It's infuriating!"
As soon as Kenneth finished, Gabriel Xue chimed in, "These Japanese are just like leeches—if you relax for even a second, they'll swarm in and suck you dry. And you can't just squash them all at once!"
Hearing them talk like that, Ryan immediately realized how serious this was and quickly asked what exactly had happened.
Kenneth then explained everything to Ryan in detail: Jiangnan has always been a target for Japanese encroachment. The situation here is complicated; even though Ryan wiped out the entire Mitsui Group branch, that was just a subsidiary—the Mitsui Group itself is still huge back in Japan. And besides Mitsui, there are giants like the Fuji Group and the Mitsubishi Group, all controlling vital parts of the economy. They're pillars of Japan’s own country, and their global influence is massive. Outside of Europe and America, plenty of smaller nations have basically become their economic vassals, with their lifelines almost completely in these conglomerates' hands.
And China has always been their dream prize. Ever since the Ming Dynasty, Japan has had its eyes on the Central Plains, and even now they just won’t let go. Jiangnan is their springboard.
Originally, Jiangnan was pretty calm—everyone’s attention was on the Qin Family, all focused on Ryan’s showdown with them. That gave those Japanese conglomerates an opening. While Jiangnan was in chaos, they went nuts grabbing China’s resources, and they did it so cleanly that you couldn’t even find an excuse to go after them.
Now that the Qin Family is gone, the real power over Jiangnan has landed in Ryan's hands. Plus, he just got canonized as a Saint and is a major general in the Jinling Military Region. He's racked up plenty of anti-Japan achievements, so naturally this mess is his to deal with.
"Got it. But we need a breakthrough point for this—those Japanese are super cautious, so we can't be sloppy either. If we're going to do this, we have to rip them out by the roots. You guys go get ready. If you need me to step up, I'll do it without hesitation!" Ryan declared right away.
"Alright, today was just a heads-up. We wiped out the Qin Family and stabilized Jinling—next step is kicking those Japanese bastards out of Huaxia!" Kenneth was clearly full of hate for Japan, and Gabriel Xue nodded fiercely beside him.
Ryan nodded along. He knew perfectly well this was a huge deal—rushing in with brute force alone wouldn't cut it.
Watching Kenneth Li and Gabriel Xue leave, Ryan Ling suddenly felt a hidden pressure creeping up his back. Last time he steamrolled Mitsui Group’s branch, it was a big hit to the Japanese, but now, barely any time has passed and they’re already making moves again. Clearly, someone on the inside must be helping them out.
Back in East River State, the Azure Dragon Society was always in bed with the Japanese. Now, I’ve broken with the Heaven and Earth Society, and I bet those guys are the ones stirring up trouble for me. If I can’t root out these traitorous tumors, I’ll never be able to sit tight as Jiangnan’s top boss.
“You’re spot on, Ryan. This whole mess probably has the Heaven and Earth Society’s fingerprints all over it. You’ve got Guihai One-Blade backing you as Jiangnan’s number one boss, but plenty of folks aren’t happy about that. Lots of people are itching to trip you up, so you’ve gotta wipe out these Japanese bastards and prove you’re the real deal!” Ghost Elder chimed in, analyzing the situation. Then he added, “And one more thing—you only have a tiny sprig of the Primeval Heavenwood right now. That’s just a piece. I’ve been helping you hunt down the rest, and it looks like some of the real fragments are still back in Japan. Those bits are way stronger than your little sapling. If you can snag them, the Heavenwood could explode in power—might even bloom or bear fruit, and could help you absorb Immortal Realm energy!”
“Absorb Immortal Realm energy?” Ryan blinked, totally floored.
“No kidding. If you get your hands on the whole Primeval Heavenwood, it’ll be as strong as a top-tier Immortal artifact—a real treasure!” Ghost Elder’s voice dropped to a conspiratorial whisper.
“A top-tier Immortal artifact? That’s nuts!” Ryan was blown away. He knew the Heavenwood was insane, but this was next-level.
“It’ll supercharge your power, no doubt. You’re still a long way off, though, so don’t get ahead of yourself. For now, take care of your baby Heavenwood. It’s already synced up with you, heart and soul, and only recognizes you as master—plus, your wood-element Immortal arts make it impossible for anyone else to snatch. Just keep feeding it and don’t slack off!” Ghost Elder advised.
“Got it. Once I finish cleaning up Jiangnan, I should take a trip to Japan! They’ve run wild on Chinese turf for way too long—time for me to go raise some hell in Japan!” Ryan grinned darkly.
Ghost Elder cracked up. “Japan’s crawling with hotties like Chiharu Mitsui—plenty for you to go wild with!”
Ryan shot him a look. “Sounds like you’ve already raised some hell in Japan yourself, huh? Come on, spill—confession time!” He grabbed Ghost Elder for good measure.
Ghost Elder instantly panicked, blurting, “Don’t go spreading rumors! If Granny Soul hears about this, I’m toast!”
“Oh yeah? How about you cough up some hush money and I’ll keep quiet!” Ryan laughed. After all the times this old guy squeezed him, it was about time to get some payback.
[Web-novel system prompt: This chapter isn’t over yet~ Click next page for more awesome content!]
“You little punk, you trying to blackmail me?” Ghost Elder’s face turned green at the mention of hush money—he clearly valued his cash more than his life!
Just then, Sophie Su inside the room couldn’t wait any longer. She called out in a sultry, impatient voice, “Ryan, they’re all gone—what are you still doing out there? Get in here already! I’ve been waiting so long I’m all dried out down below!”
Ryan almost spit blood hearing that.
Where’d that sweet, innocent Sophie go? Hanging out with Anqi Chen really turned her into a little seductress!
Ghost Elder snickered and took the chance to bolt, shouting as he ran, “Trying to blackmail me, you dumbass? Let Sophie squeeze you dry instead! Don’t underestimate her—she’ll probably wear you out!”
Ryan shot Ghost Elder a dirty look, but before he could argue, Sophie’s voice rang out again from inside: “Ryan, how much longer are you gonna leave me lonely in here? If you don’t come in, I’ll get mad and find myself another wild man! Hmph!”
Ryan felt a cold sweat drip down his neck. He hurriedly called back, “I—I’m coming!”
Ryan rushed in, barely three steps at a time, and as soon as he entered, Sophie tackled him to the floor.
“Whoa, easy there!” Ryan stammered, a little freaked out by Sophie’s sudden dominance. Maybe Ghost Elder was right to warn him...
“Easy? I’m dying over here! Hmph!” Sophie huffed, drooling a little, then spread her legs wide and shouted, “If you’re a real man, come and get me! Stop being all shy—I hate soft guys!”
“Soft? You calling me soft? I’ll show you what your man can do!” Ryan didn’t hesitate, flipping her over and pinning her down.
The whole room erupted in shouts and moans!
The floor was instantly soaked!
Wind and rain all night—finally, mission accomplished!
Next morning, Sophie woke up glowing—face flushed, totally blissed out.
“So? How many rounds last night?”
“Not that many!”
“Yeah right! You expect me to believe that with all that noise?”
...
Ryan was speechless. He’d just stepped out and Anqi Chen was already grilling Sophie—bet that wild girl was spying on them all night!
Suddenly, someone rushed up, panicked: “Ryan, bad news! Your dad’s back just broke out with a bloody five-finger mark, and inside it are a ton of tiny dead faces, all squirming…”