Chapter 638: Who Will Control the Lair?
Meng Chao did not quite understand Phantom Bear Xiong Wei as a person.
He only knew that the gang leader of Black Bone was a rather traditional gang member and was used to fighting and plundering.
When most of the gangs were moving toward legal businesses and industrialization while thinking about how they should earn money, Black Bone retained the style it used during the lawless era when order had collapsed. Its improvement speed was the slowest.
Jin Wanhao had lurked in the underground lab for more than half a year, but Xiong Wei still could not replace him. It showed just how strong Jin Wanhao was, and it also showed that Xiong Wei was unable to win people’s hearts and make them accept him as a leader.
This sort of person might have a hard time turning the lair into a better place and changing the living environment of the countless people living at the bottom of society, including the Leprosy Village.
Lu Siya could tell what Meng Chao was thinking.
“Looks like we’re thinking about the same thing,” the Queen Bee said. “Phantom Bear Xiong Wei is an inferior version of Saber Jin Wanhao. He’s a fighter who lives in a law-based society, but his mind is still stuck in a time decades ago. If we let him become the master, it will only bring trouble and disaster to the lair.
“I’m not a rich young lady who doesn’t know about the pains of the people. I can tell just how bad the lives of the people in the lair are.
“But there are plenty of problems that Jin Wanhao couldn’t fix even after spending decades trying to solve them. Are we supposed to expect that the lair will become anew at lightning speed once Xiong Wei takes over?”
Meng Chao’s expression was grave as he slowly shook his head.
“Exposing Red Brows Su Lun’s true colors and killing the Vortex are just swift actions to solve an imminent problem, but if we want to promote harmony between Leprosy Village and the lair, change the lair’s living environment, lead the gangs toward industrialization and regularization, and make all the lair citizens have safe, legal, and dignified jobs as well as live dignified, humane lives… it’ll be hard. It’s just too hard. It’s not something that you can do overnight, much less something that Phantom Bear Xiong Wei can do. He’s too much of a traditional gang member,” Meng Chao said gravely.
“That’s right. Killing the Vortex is just getting rid of the symptoms, not the cause. If the lair remains as chaotic as it is now, and there are plenty of gangs in it while the people at the bottom of society live harsh lives and can’t see hope, then the monster civilization might send the second and the third abnormal beast. They will bring more Deification Capsules, and a new wave of chaos will stir up soon enough.”
With sparkling eyes, Lu Siya said, “Xiong Wei can’t solve the cause of the problems in the lair. He doesn’t have the right to become the master of the lair.”
Meng Chao thought about this for a long time, but he still could not figure it out. “Big Sis Ya, you’re right. But there’s no other suitable candidate for the position, so we have to choose the second best. Xiong Wei is the most outstanding and fearsome of the gang leaders. If he doesn’t have the right, then the other gang leaders don’t have the right either. We can’t let the lair stay without a leader and watch as everyone becomes a disunited mess, right?”
“Having no other suitable candidate for the position and having to choose the second best is indeed the problem.” Lu Siya smirked in an enigmatic fashion. “But isn’t there a suitable candidate not from the gang members?”
“Choosing a suitable candidate that is not part of the gangs? You mean, outside the lair? You want to have a powerful person from the outside world control the lair?” Meng Chao was slightly stunned. He exchanged a glance with A’Ji and shook his head. “Big Sis Ya, you know that the lair is very averse to outsiders. The higher ranking gang members are all born in the lair, and over the years, Red Brows Su Lun was the only exception.
“But one, the moment Su Lun came here, he had full trust and support from Jin Wanhao. Yet he was also just a vice gang leader. On top of that, he swiftly became the famous God of Wealth. He helped everyone earn money. He also appeared to be powerless and didn’t threaten the interests of the gangs. That’s why the gang members agreed to let him stay.
“We’re talking about the master of the lair right now. Even if you cast your sights outside, you wouldn’t be able to find a candidate who can gain the lair citizens’ trust and support as well as compete against Phantom Bear Xiong Wei.”
Lu Siya was still smiling as she said calmly, “The others will naturally be unable to, but there is a person who first put a stop to the conflict that might lead to Leprosy Village and the gangs being severely injured, then exposed the true colors of the monster puppets who lurked among the core members of the gangs, saved all the gang leaders’ lives, killed the cunning abnormal beast that was the cause of the chaos in the lair, successfully got rid of the flames raging in the lair, contributed greatly to the lair’s survival, and most importantly, gained such favor from the former Underground Emperor and master of the lair that he treated him as his heir and taught him Celestial Tyrant’s Star Shattering Slash and gave him Golden Tooth Saber, which are the symbol of status and strength in the lair.
“He also personally signed his will and put a bloody fingerprint on it to show that the position of Golden Tooth’s gang leader had been given to this talented, successful, and selfless young adult.
“By the way, this young adult has a good relationship with the mega corporations and other related departments. He also has a high-tech enterprise that is developing rapidly right now. He is also the club leader and director of several large civil society organizations. He could help the lair find more business chances and get loads of investments, thus creating more business opportunities. He’s a God of Wealth who is even better than Red Brows Su Lun.
“Do you think that such a person would be qualified to compete for that position with Phantom Bear Xiong Wei, who’s just a brute with only brawns and no brains?”
Meng Chao and A’Ji had the same expression.
Their eyes widened slowly, and their jaws fell slack. Their chins nearly touched the backs of their feet.
Meng Chao’s brain cells burned as he swiftly thought about Lu Siya’s suggestion. He mumbled, “Are you saying that the Underground Emperor decided that I’d be the next Golden Tooth gang leader and will rule over the lair?”
“That’s right. Why are you acting so shocked? Are you unwilling to?” Lu Siya asked faintly.
Meng Chao’s mind raced as he narrowed his eyes.
A soldier tasked to be a vanguard could not change the major situations in the world. If it were possible, he definitely wanted to have more resources, connections, and authority for himself. In fact, it would be better if he were stronger too.
This was why he was willing to be the club leader of the Broken Star Club and one of the directors of Blue Home. It was also why he used all of his strength to try and make Superstar as big and strong as possible.
The lair was a chaotic place filled with good and bad people.
But the more chaotic it was, the more opportunities it provided. There were nearly one million citizens living in the lair. If Meng Chao could control this power, he would have powerful leverage that could change the future of Dragon City.
However, forget about becoming the master of the lair for a moment, was it even possible for him to seize the position of the next gang leader of Golden Tooth when he was an outsider that had nothing to do with Golden Tooth?
“Before Jin Wanhao died, he treated me as his heir and appointed me as the new gang leader of Golden Tooth? Isn’t it a little too far-fetched?” Meng Chao asked tentatively. “Would anyone believe it?”
“Looks like we’ve already solved the first problem. You’re willing to take over Jin Wanhao’s legacy,” Lu Siya said calmly. “Now, here’s the second problem. You know that when a person believes in something, it doesn’t matter whether that thing sounds believable and whether it’s the truth. It’s just related to whether the people are willing to believe it or not.
“Let’s talk about Golden Tooth first. They have two choices. The first is to make Song Jinbo the new gang leader.
“The problem is, Song Jinbo’s methods and fighting strength are only mediocre at best. He couldn’t even win against Red Brows Su Lun, let alone Phantom Bear Xiong Wei. If Golden Tooth ended up in his hands, it would become a second-rate gang, and that’s the best case scenario. The worst case scenario would be that the gang will collapse. This is something that even Song Jinbo himself knows.
“But if you become the gang leader, you will bring in loads of resources, connections, and fighting power from beyond the lair. This will help Golden Tooth retain its position as the strongest gang in the lair.
“What do you think Golden Tooth will choose?”
“But I don’t know anything about managing gangs,” Meng Chao said.
“This is a good thing, not a bad one.” Lu Siya analyzed the situation for him. “Since you don’t know how to manage Golden Tooth, you will have to rely on Song Jinbo and the other senior gang members, just like what you’re doing as the club leader of the Broken Star Club. Your position as a gang leader is like a brand and a spiritual symbol. Song Jinbo and the other senior members will be able to protect their interests, so they won’t question you or resist you, but will immediately welcome you with open arms.”
Meng Chao nodded slowly. “Makes sense. What else?”
“Black Bone will definitely not want an outsider like you to make a mess of the situation. But that’s okay, since there are three big gangs in the lair, Golden Tooth, Black Bone, and Poison Scorpion. Poison Scorpion’s supporter is Sky Pillar Corporation. They are against Universe Corporation, who supports Black Bone, and both of them are like oil and water. Sky Pillar Corporation will definitely not want to see Black Bone’s gang leader take the position as the master of the lair.
“Everyone knows about our relationship as well. So, Poison Scorpion will support you fully, too,” Lu Siya continued. “Then, let’s look at the Survival Committee. In truth, the related departments have always wanted to get rid of this tumor that has taken root deep in the city. The problem is, they have no place to relocate nearly one million citizens. They can’t even provide them with jobs, which is why they’re taking such a long time solving the problem of the lair.
“But as Dragon City continues developing, the government will clearly not tolerate the lair doing things according to its own rules any longer.
“Since the Underground Emperor is dead, there’s no need for them for a new Underground Emperor to appear, much less an inferior version of the original.
“If that’s the case, compared to the wild and untameable Phantom Bear Xiong Wei, as a warrior and a hero who lives in the staff apartment of the abnormal beast research department and has a good working relationship with the related departments, aren’t you a much better choice?
“The same logic applies to the nine mega corporations.
“In the past, Jin Wanhao might have been restrained by the mega corporations, but since they signed the Underground Alliance, he was able to maintain a relative independence that allowed him to stay clear. He didn’t have to side with any of the nine mega corporations, but they tolerated him.
“As for Phantom Bear Xiong Wei, he’s bound too tightly with Universe Corporation. Black Bone is practically its branch company in the lair and has no independence whatsoever. Since it has a rather aggressive style, it has also offended the gangs supported by the other mega corporations multiple times. If there’s a choice, the other eight mega corporations will not want Xiong Wei to take the position.
“We share a pretty good relationship, and Superstar is still quite independent. You have worked plenty of times with the other mega corporations aside from Sky Pillar Corporation, too. You also share a good relationship with Universe Corporation’s Shen Yupeng, which is why Universe Corporation might not be against you.
“By the looks of it, aside from Black Bone, all the other people will think that you’re more suitable than Xiong Wei to be the master of the lair. You would have obtained Jin Wanhao’s acknowledgement and legacy, too. You would have Golden Tooth Saber in your hand and would even be able to execute Celestial Tyrant’s Star Shattering Slash. If true gold does not fear the test of fire, why should you have any worries?”