Chapter 35 The Road to Power

From the very beginning, they believed that undermining Qin Guosheng’s power might pose some difficulties. Yet, up to this point, Lin Li had systematically dealt with everyone close to Qin Guosheng. With Su Lan on their side, they could easily take control of the entire Qin family; whether Qin Guosheng lived or died no longer mattered.

Lin Li paid no heed to the words Qin Guosheng uttered now.

Qin Guosheng’s face was filled with despair. For the first time in his life, he felt death looming so near.

“Since you’re determined to kill me, why bother tying me up here?” he asked.

Lin Li responded, “I simply want you to understand, before you die, that every deed you’ve committed has only brought you closer to this end.”

Lin Li glanced at Su Lan, who merely nodded calmly. At this point, she had fulfilled all her objectives and had nothing else on her mind.

Though fear still gnawed at his heart, Qin Guosheng could do nothing but watch helplessly as Lin Li and Su Lan left. Powerless and enraged, he tried to intimidate them with his outbursts, but Lin Li, who had prepared for every contingency, was not so easily frightened.

[System notification: Significant villainous act detected. Villain points increased by 30,000.]

Shortly after Lin Li and Su Lan departed, he heard the system’s prompt—an indication that Qin Guosheng was now entirely taken care of. No matter how arrogant the man once was, he had become nothing more than a pitiful soul, soon to be forgotten.

After all was done, Su Lan seemed utterly drained, as if her very soul had been exhausted. On the drive back, she leaned against Lin Li. “Even now, it all feels unbelievable,” she murmured. “Freedom is something I had never dared to imagine.”

Now that Qin Guosheng was gone, she no longer needed to worry about his control. Lin Li remained silent; although they had resolved the matter of Qin Guosheng, many challenges still lay ahead. The Qin family could not fall into chaos—for if it did, the other families would surely dismantle what remained in no time.

Upon returning to the villa, Lin Li advised Su Lan to rest while he summoned all his most trusted followers. Originally, due to Lin Li’s predecessor’s character, these confidants would never have betrayed Qin Guosheng. Lin Li himself had been under deep mental control, and these people owed their positions to him. Their gratitude toward Lin Li even surpassed what they felt for Qin Guosheng. If Lin Li had asked them to kill Qin Guosheng, they would have complied without hesitation. This was precisely why the plan had proceeded so smoothly.

Unbeknownst to himself, Lin Li’s influence within the Qin family had grown far more substantial than he had ever anticipated. This time, his goal in gathering them was simple: to further inflame the conflict between Ye Aotian and the Qin family. Only through such provocation could the Qin family be galvanized into unity.

The very next morning, news of Qin Guosheng’s death swept across Jiangchen. The four great families were stunned—did this not mean there was no hope left for the Qin family? The wolves began to circle, each one eager to carve up the Qin family for themselves.

Meanwhile, Lin Li accompanied Su Lan to the Qin Group’s headquarters. There, they met with Qin Guosheng’s three core associates: Zhou Huaji, Qiu Bisheng, and Fang Tai. These men had been Qin Guosheng’s closest brothers-in-arms, each commanding a portion of the Qin family’s forces. If Su Lan wished to take control, she would have to win them over first.

The group sat around the conference table, each man lost in his own thoughts, while Lin Li stood silently behind Su Lan.

For years, many had dismissed Su Lan as nothing more than a pretty face, lacking any real ability. What they didn’t know was that her talents had been suppressed by Qin Guosheng’s iron grip. Now, with him gone, there was no longer anything holding her back. Without those shackles, she could accomplish far more than anyone imagined.

Su Lan understood well what was in their hearts, so she turned her gaze upon them.

“You must all be aware of what happened yesterday,” she began. “The boss led a team against Ye Aotian. The battle was fierce. Amidst the chaos, our own people spirited him away. By the time we found him this morning, all that remained was his corpse.”

Her voice carried a trace of anger as she spoke.

Zhou Huaji, Qiu Bisheng, and Fang Tai were all utterly bewildered. The entire incident had unfolded too rapidly for them to react. Only yesterday, Qin Guosheng had phoned them, instructing them to go all out against Ye Aotian and to gather any information they could find. Now, he was dead.

Anyone faced with this situation would find it deeply perplexing, and they were no exception.

Zhou Huaji asked, “The boss has always been meticulous. How could he possibly lose this time?”

Qiu Bisheng nodded in agreement. They both believed in Qin Guosheng’s abilities. If he weren’t absolutely certain, he would never have moved against Ye Aotian at such a critical moment.

Su Lan had anticipated such questions. “The boss had indeed recruited some of the underworld’s top experts,” she explained. “With them overseeing matters, there should have been no issues. Yet none of us expected Ye Aotian to have such close ties with those very experts—so close, in fact, that they turned their backs on the boss and abandoned the alliance.”

At these words, shock spread across their faces. The men of the underworld prided themselves on honor—who could have predicted they would be the ones to betray Qin Guosheng?

Fang Tai, the most hot-tempered among them, rose from his seat, slamming the table. “Damn it! Those so-called men of honor preach loyalty with every breath, yet in the end, they were the first to betray the boss!”

Seeing him lose control, the others immediately intervened to stop him. Even Su Lan sternly commanded, “Sit down.”

Her anger brought the men to heel, and Fang Tai hastily complied.