The car rolled off the road and crashed violently into the window of a store, shattering the glass and bringing the vehicle to a halt.

“Get out…” Someone shoved Tong Zhanyan.

Every inch of Tong Zhanyan’s body ached. The excruciating pain left him unable to think; he could only crawl instinctively toward the window.

Almost the moment he crawled out, the overturned car was crushed flat by a single stomp.

Tong Zhanyan immediately turned to look back.

Blood was rapidly seeping out from under the car.

Tong Zhanyan’s lips trembled, his mind going blank for a moment.

Dead?

Yang Hong and the others… because of him…

“Roar—” The attacker, realizing he wasn’t inside the car, crouched down to rush into the house.

“Wooof—” A wolf suddenly pounced from the side.

That wolf was Yang Hong.

Caught off guard, the man was knocked aside, tumbling and scrambling, and the two were instantly locked in a struggle.

Tong Zhanyan looked toward the doorway; besides Yang Hong, there were several others standing by the roadside.

They had all summoned their Spirit Beasts.

On the street, bystanders scattered in panic. Beyond them, two or three hundred people were rapidly closing in from all directions.

There were only five or six of them, and one had already fallen. Facing two or three hundred opponents, they stood no chance even if they fought with everything they had.

“Yang Hong, we can’t win this. Run—”

Yang Hong immediately turned back.

In that brief moment, the two or three hundred people, radiating murderous intent, were already only a dozen or so meters away. Those at the front had even entered their fusion state and were charging toward them.

Yang Hong and his group immediately entered their fusion state.

One of the un-beastified men grabbed Tong Zhanyan and hoisted him onto another man’s back.

Before they could even settle, Yang Hong and his group of men undergoing beastification charged forward.

Tong Zhanyan clung tightly to the fur of the man beneath him while summoning his Spirit Beast.

Fiery red wings swept past his eyes, followed by a sky-filling inferno spreading outward.

After the initial pain, he was now consumed by rage.

As if sensing his fury, the blue sea of fire roared and boiled.

Those men must have investigated him long ago; they showed no surprise. Yet because everything happened so suddenly, the dozen or so in the front were still scorched.

But that didn’t make them fear or retreat; on the contrary, it only made them more excited.

If they were capable of such a thing, they were never good people to begin with.

“Roar…” A group of them skirted around the sea of fire and gave chase from the side streets.

Two of them could fly and came straight down from above.

Flames appeared out of nowhere, instantly surrounding them.

The air was filled with screams and the smell of burning flesh.

Yang Hong and his group took advantage of this opportunity to create some distance.

Two or three hundred humans who had undergone beastification were sprinting down the street at full speed, causing destruction no less devastating than when the beasts had stormed the city.

In an instant, countless nearby buildings were smashed to pieces, cars were trampled and kicked into the air, and screams rang out ceaselessly.

In their quest to kill him, those people cared about nothing else.

Yang Hong and his group were running toward the city gates.

“To the base!” Tong Zhanyan shouted.

They were still far from the city gates, but the base wasn’t too far away, and there was plenty of open space there.

“We can’t go to the base,” said one of the two who had retained their human forms.

Those people were clearly after Tong Zhanyan; if they were actually taken back to the base, it would be destroyed in an instant.

Tong Zhanyan was about to say something else—after all, a destroyed base could be rebuilt, but once people were dead, they were gone—when the group suddenly changed direction.

The path ahead was blocked; those chasing them had flanked them from the front.

No sooner had they changed direction than several massive figures loomed ahead once more; among them were some who moved with incredible speed—some could even fly.

This time, Yang Hong, who was leading the group, did not change course but instead accelerated to force his way through.

Seeing this, the others followed suit and sped up as well.

Tong Zhanyan crouched low, clutching the hair of the person beneath him with all his might.

At the same time, flames surged toward the group blocking their path.

The group immediately scattered.

Just as Yang Hong was about to accelerate again, a figure suddenly appeared from the left and knocked him flying—it was the man Yang Hong had previously sent flying at the shop entrance.

Seeing Yang Hong break away from the group, the others didn’t slow down one bit.

They had already discussed this among themselves: if they ever faced real danger, they would prioritize Tong Zhanyan no matter what.

Many of them had already died once; it was because of Tong Zhanyan that they had managed to survive this long.

“Yang Hong!” When Tong Zhanyan turned to look, Yang Hong was already surrounded by more than ten people.

Yang Hong showed no fear; he scrambled to his feet, picked a random opponent, and charged at him.

When it came to brawling, he was never one to back down.

Seeing his reckless, all-or-nothing stance, the others—who had intended to take advantage of his vulnerability—were actually taken aback.

But that was only for a moment; the next second, even more people closed in.

Tong Zhanyan looked up at his own Spirit Beast, which immediately flew toward Yang Hong.

Before it could get close, a volley of gunfire rang out.

The men chasing Tong Zhanyan had taken aim at it.

Spirit Beasts and their masters are one and the same; killing the Spirit Beast is the same as killing the master.

Even if the master survives, the excruciating pain of a torn soul would drive them mad.

Tong Zhanyan recalled his Spirit Beast.

This brought it out of the range of the bullets, but as a result, Yang Hong was left far behind.

Just as he could no longer see them, a surge of anger and resentment welled up within Tong Zhanyan—and in that instant, several figures lunged forward, slamming violently into the attackers targeting Yang Hong.

Immediately afterward, more figures ran up from behind, attacking those in pursuit.

“It’s people from the base,” said one of the figures beside Tong Zhanyan, who had retained his human form.

They had notified the base the moment the attack began.

In addition to the base, Qing Jiyue had stationed troops outside as well—all of whom were highly skilled in combat.

The group escorting Tong Zhanyan did not press forward but began weaving through the alleys to rendezvous with the approaching reinforcements.

Faced with this situation, however, their attackers were not prepared to give up so easily; many continued to pursue them.

This caused the area of the city affected by the chaos to grow even larger.

Dodging and weaving, they turned down two streets. Just as they saw their own people ahead, a hail of bullets swept toward them.

The group had no choice but to turn.

This left them surrounded once again by their attackers.

Tong Zhanyan immediately summoned his Spirit Beast.

Before the flames could even erupt, the attackers surrounding them were suddenly knocked to the ground by an invisible force.

Immediately afterward, a snow-white figure emerged from the far end of the alley.

It was a tiger—a white tiger with a massive gash on its right side.

Upon hearing the news, Qing Jiyue immediately rushed over in his fused form.

Along the way, seeing the people injured in the chaos, the collapsed buildings, and the crashed vehicles, his heart felt as if it were being squeezed so tightly it could no longer beat.

He was terrified—terrified that the next moment he would see Yang Hong and the others, terrified that the next moment he would see Tong Zhanyan’s lifeless body.

“Roar—” Qing Jiyue charged toward Tong Zhanyan, then, as he drew near, leaped over them and charged at the group still pursuing Tong Zhanyan from behind.

The moment his front paws touched the ground, an invisible force rippled out.

Blood spattered, staining the entire street red in an instant.

When Tong Zhanyan looked back, the air was thick with the color of blood.

It made his breath catch for a moment.

He had seen Qing Jiyue fight while fully conscious before, but that was on video; this was the first time he had witnessed it with his own eyes.

The few people who had been helping Tong Zhanyan escape were also taken aback. The next moment, the group stopped fleeing and began rushing toward him.

The area around Qing Jiyue was safe.

While keeping an eye on their group, Qing Jiyue moved at high speed, clearing out all the pursuers in the vicinity in an instant.

Yang Hong was also rescued.

Seeing so many of their own fall, the hundred or so people lagging behind finally felt a flicker of fear—they were mad, but not stupid.

They immediately fled into the distance.

Qing Jiyue gave chase at once, and in the blink of an eye, another cloud of blood mist engulfed the area.

The fused state was far too conspicuous; those with quicker reflexes immediately reverted to human form, attempting to blend into the crowd.

That strategy proved effective; by the time Qing Jiyue finished dealing with those still in their fused state and turned back, it was already difficult to distinguish them from the others.

Qing Jiyue’s gaze grew even colder, but he did not persist in the chase. After confirming it was safe, he turned to look at Tong Zhanyan.

He had resumed his human form.

His severe injuries had not yet healed; though he had not sustained any new wounds during this ordeal, his face remained somewhat pale.

Tong Zhanyan dismounted from the person who had carried him to safety. “Are you okay?”

Qing Jiyue shook his head. “Let’s return to the base first.”

It might not be safe here yet.

As for this place, he would send people to handle it.

Tong Zhanyan had no objections.

The group quickly climbed back onto Yang Hong and the others’ backs.

Beastification was not permitted in the city—it would cause significant destruction—but they had no time to worry about that now.

A few minutes later, they arrived at the base’s back gate.

People were gathered both inside and outside the gate.

They wanted to go in too, but someone had to stay behind to watch the base.

Seeing Tong Zhanyan return, the group breathed a sigh of relief, only to immediately furrow their brows.

Tong Zhanyan was covered in dust, and there was a wound on his forehead.

Especially the wound on his forehead—it looked deep, and blood was still oozing out even now.

“Who were they?”

“Did you catch them?”

The crowd questioned Yang Hong and his team.

“We don’t know. They got away…”

As they spoke, the group entered the base and headed toward the mess hall.

The space there was large enough, and Tong Zhanyan and his team needed to have their wounds bandaged and examined.

As they entered and took their seats, the doctor stationed at the back door quickly stepped forward to bandage Tong Zhanyan’s wounds.

Tong Zhanyan had been in such a state of extreme excitement earlier that he hadn’t felt a thing, but the moment the antiseptic touched his wound, he realized it wasn’t just a headache—every part of his body was screaming in pain.

Especially his head—he must have hit it in the car earlier. He felt not only dizzy but also nauseous.

Those were signs of a concussion.

Qing Jiyue watched, his brows furrowed.

The others around him looked just as concerned.

The live stream was in an uproar at that moment.

The commotion from the earlier attack had been so intense that someone had posted a video of Tong Zhanyan and his group being attacked online, and people immediately recognized Tong Zhanyan.

Someone shared that video in the live stream’s comment section.

Within five minutes, the video shot to the top of the trending list.

The live stream erupted in response.

Tong Zhanyan, attacked.

And it was the kind of attack where neither side would back down.

Putting all this together, they realized almost immediately what was going on.

Crops that previously wouldn’t grow suddenly thriving—that might have been a good thing.

But when Tong Zhanyan openly shared the technology behind it without holding anything back, he had already encroached on the interests of many.

If Tong Zhanyan had cooperated, they could have reaped far greater rewards.

But at this point, Tong Zhanyan had done little more than annoy them and make their lives difficult.

After all, if they didn’t get it, neither would anyone else, and the crops remained rare and valuable.

But when Tong Zhanyan started lowering prices—and kept lowering them again and again…

That was like cutting into their flesh.

“I’m going crazy. Are they out of their minds?”

“I’m going to kill them.”

“Is Senior okay?”

“With such a deep gash on his head, how could he possibly be okay?”

“Don’t let me find out who did this. I’ll kill them for sure.”

“So many people are counting on Senior’s crops to save their lives. What kind of mind would do something like this?”

“I feel like my head is about to explode. Two or three hundred people—we have to kill that senior.”

“Have you guys seen the message from the Victims’ Alliance? Is there anyone here with tech skills?”

“What?”

“The video shows several humanoid creatures trying to escape. We should be able to reconstruct their photos, and there’s surveillance footage there too. Anyone with tech skills?”

“Me.”

“Count me in.”

“Join the group—the group number’s in the comments…”

……

“Tong Zhanyan!”

Ning Langdong and the other four rushed over from the front entrance the moment they heard the news.

Seeing Tong Zhanyan’s forehead covered in blood, the muscles in their faces twitched involuntarily.

Especially Ning Langdong—in that instant, his eyes were filled with murderous intent. He even wanted to rush to the scene of the attack and hunt down the remaining bastards to kill them.

They had all seen the video of the attack.

“I’m fine…” Tong Zhanyan tried to smile, but he couldn’t manage it.

As he gradually calmed down, he recalled the person who had pushed him out of the car.

Tong Zhanyan explained the situation to Qing Jiyue, “Earlier in the car…”

“I’ll have someone handle it,” Qing Jiyue said.

Tong Zhanyan wanted to say something else, but he had no idea what to say—after all, the other person had died because of him.

He knew he had disrupted the interests of many people, so he had always been cautious, but deep down, he wasn’t really afraid.

Because he believed what he was doing was a good thing, the right thing.

Since he had a clear conscience, what was there to fear?

But he had never imagined that the things he’d done would ultimately lead to the deaths of those closest to him.

Once the wound on his forehead was treated, it was time to tend to the rest of his body.

Qing Jiyue shooed the others out.

He knew they cared deeply for Tong Zhanyan, but having dozens of people crowded around here wasn’t a solution.

The security camera from the back door flew over at that moment.

When he walked back in, Tong Zhanyan had already taken off his shirt with the doctor’s help.

Seeing the extensive bruises on Tong Zhanyan’s back and arms, Qing Jiyue’s hands, hanging at his sides, clenched involuntarily.

He had promised to build a wall around Tong Zhanyan, yet now he had allowed him to get hurt.

Half an hour later, after all his wounds had been treated, Tong Zhanyan was taken back to the small house.

He needed rest.

Upstairs, Qing Jiyue watched as Tong Zhanyan changed his clothes and lay down.

Qing Jiyue said, “It wasn’t your fault. Don’t dwell on it.”

Tong Zhanyan’s breathing was slightly labored, but his face was blank. “What?”

Qing Jiyue looked at Tong Zhanyan quietly.

Tong Zhanyan could no longer keep up the pretense; he looked away. “…I don’t even know his name.”

Over by the back door, there were more than eighty guards, including Yang Hong. He only remembered that the man, like Yang Hong, had come here to participate in the experiment for treatment.

Because he had come from the front lines and had combat experience, he was recruited to serve as his bodyguard.

At the time, that man probably had a chance to crawl out, but he chose to push him out first.

“You did nothing wrong,” Qing Jiyue repeated with conviction. “It wasn’t your fault.”

Tong Zhanyan remained silent.

Not knowing what else to say, Qing Jiyue reached out and took Tong Zhanyan’s hand.

Feeling the warmth in his palm, Tong Zhanyan’s taut nerves slowly began to relax.

After the intense excitement, sleepiness quickly set in.

Feeling Tong Zhanyan’s deep sleep, Qing Jiyue stopped trying to hide his worry; just as his brows furrowed, the terminal rang.

He hurried out the door.

“We’ve retrieved the photos.” It was Yang Hong contacting him.

Qing Jiyue paused, “That fast?”

“It wasn’t our people,” Yang Hong said with mixed emotions. “It was online… there’s a group called the Victims’ Alliance. They gathered a team, retrieved all the surveillance footage from that area, and then restored and captured screenshots of those people’s photos.”

“A total of thirty-two people fled.”

Qing Jiyue was somewhat surprised, but considering the number of followers in Tong Zhanyan’s livestream and his unique circumstances, he understood. “I’ll have someone start investigating immediately.”

Yang Hong’s mood grew even more complicated, and his tone reflected it. “You’d better move fast. The people from the livestream and the Victims’ Alliance are also organizing their teams.”

In the livestream.

“They probably haven’t left the city yet.”

“The photos have already been posted in the comments section.”

“I’m not going to work today. If I don’t take them down, I’ll change my name to ‘Dog’.”

“What should we do now? Go look for them directly? Won’t that be too hard? If they just hide out somewhere, we won’t be able to find them.”

“Lock down the city first.”

“Don’t let them leave the city, then we’ll search them out slowly.”

“I’ve already taken the day off.”

“They’re locals. Our boss is organizing us to take to the streets right now.”

“Is it still possible for me to fly there in time?”

“Don’t let me find them. If I do, I’ll kill them.”

“Don’t be impulsive. If you kill them, how will we find out who’s behind this? Two or three hundred people—I don’t believe there’s no mastermind pulling the strings.”

“Then beat them half to death first.”

“I say we beat two-thirds of them to death—as long as their brains aren’t fried and they can still talk.”

……

Qing Jiyue had just exited the livestream when he arrived downstairs.

Old Wang and Old Xu had already contacted the Planting Alliance to help track down who was behind this.

Ning Langdong, Tian Xinqing, and Su Yanran were currently standing anxiously in the downstairs living room.

Their relationship with Tong Zhanyan went beyond that of employer and employee—they were friends—so this incident hit them even harder.

“He’s asleep,” Qing Jiyue said. “I’ll send some people over to join you.”

The other side had immediately dispatched two or three hundred men—they were determined to kill Tong Zhanyan. They might send more men while we’re lulled into a false sense of security.

He had already ordered additional personnel around the base, but it never hurts to be extra cautious.

“Are you leaving?” Tian Xinqing asked anxiously.

“I’m heading to the back gate,” Qing Jiyue said coldly. “We have to find out who’s pulling the strings behind this. Otherwise, this isn’t over.”

Tian Xinqing paused for a moment, then nodded.

Indeed.

Watching Qing Jiyue leave, Ning Langdong and the others exchanged glances, falling into silence.

Watching Tong Zhanyan take each step to where he is now, they actually felt a deep sense of pride.

Because they, too, had made a contribution, and because they all knew that Tong Zhanyan was doing something truly remarkable.

They, who had helped with the harvest, knew better than anyone just how valuable those crops were. They also knew all too well just how much profit Tong Zhanyan could generate if he chose to.

But Tong Zhanyan hadn’t done that. He genuinely wanted to grow the crops to maturity, was truly willing to share his farming techniques, and genuinely wanted to drive down the prices.

They didn’t understand why things had turned out this way.

They dared not even imagine what would happen if something were to happen to Tong Zhanyan…

“Those bastards.” Ning Langdong rarely cursed, but at that moment, he felt like killing someone.

Tian Xinqing and Su Yanran felt the same way.

When Tong Zhanyan woke up, it was already night.

For a split second, he had forgotten what had happened earlier, until he tried to sit up and was hit by a wave of dizziness and pain.

It took Tong Zhanyan a while to recover.

He turned on the light.

Soon, there was a knock at the door.

Tong Zhanyan thought it was Qing Jiyue, but it was Ning Langdong who opened the door.

Tian Xinqing and Su Yanran were there as well.

The three of them held medicine and water, their faces filled with anxiety and guilt.

Tong Zhanyan found it amusing—after all, they weren’t the ones who’d tried to kill him.

“Qing Jiyue is at the back door. Should I send for him?” Ning Langdong asked after watching Tong Zhanyan take his medicine.

“No need.” Tong Zhanyan declined. With such a major incident, Qing Jiyue must be very busy.

“What’s the situation now?” Tong Zhanyan asked.

Ning Langdong and the others exchanged glances, their expressions somewhat complicated.

“The city’s been locked down.”

“They’re still investigating.”

“Eighteen have been found; fourteen are still on the run.”

Tong Zhanyan was somewhat surprised. “Locked down?”

Wasn’t this causing too much of a stir?

“……Yeah.” Tian Xinqing wasn’t sure if he should tell Tong Zhanyan; Tong Zhanyan should be resting right now.

Ning Langdong said, “It wasn’t Qing Jiyue who ordered the lockdown; it was the people in your livestream who organized it on their own.”

“Livestream?” Tong Zhanyan opened his terminal.

In the Live stream.

“How many have been found?”

“Eighteen.”

“We’ve already combed through East City once; no one else was spotted.”

“Have you checked the sewers?”

“We’ve checked…”

……

Finding nothing useful in the live stream, Tong Zhanyan paused for a moment before navigating to the Green Shade homepage.

He had intended to search for relevant keywords himself, but the moment the page loaded, he saw a list of trending searches.

Tong Zhanyan clicked on one at random.

The top result was a video.

Under the pitch-black night sky, on the outskirts of the city, a group of people stood or crouched, holding flashlights.

Without exception, they all faced the city, their brows furrowed.

In the video, the line formed by countless people stretched along the city’s edge all the way to an invisible horizon.

What Tian Xinqing had said about the city being sealed off was not an exaggeration, but a fact.

The city really had been surrounded.

Tong Zhanyan’s lips parted slightly, his heart pounding, unsure for a moment how to react.

Ning Langdong said, “They organized themselves spontaneously. Less than half an hour after you were attacked, they had already surrounded the city. It’s been over eight hours now.”

“There are also groups of people searching for them all over the city. Those eighteen people were all found by them.”

Tong Zhanyan looked over.

Tian Xinqing and Su Yanran looked over as well; Ning Langdong was talking a bit too much.

A bitter taste filled Ning Langdong’s throat. “They all want to help.”

Don’t be disappointed in them, Tong Zhanyan.

They aren’t that bad.

At least most of them aren’t that bad. At least most of them are genuinely grateful to Tong Zhanyan.

Understanding the meaning in Ning Langdong’s eyes, Tong Zhanyan couldn’t help but give a wry smile, and the tension in his nerves—which had tightened again upon waking—immediately eased.

He knew it—not everyone was that bad.

Qing Jiyue, Old Xu, Old Wang, Old Jin…

It was precisely because he had encountered so many “good people” along the way that he had been able to reach where he was today.

Tong Zhanyan thought again of the person who had pushed him out of the car earlier.

Tong Zhanyan took a deep breath, forcing himself to stop dwelling on it.

The next moment, he looked at Tian Xinqing. “Can you get a camera up here?”

He had enabled anti-surveillance on the second floor, so the camera couldn’t reach up.

He was suffering from a concussion now, feeling dizzy and nauseous, and didn’t have the strength to disable the settings and summon a camera.

“Sure.” Tian Xinqing wasn’t quite sure what Tong Zhanyan was up to, but he quickly headed downstairs anyway.

A few minutes later, Tian Xinqing came back up with the old security camera closest to the small house.

Tong Zhanyan drained the water from his cup and set it down.

Tian Xinqing realized Tong Zhanyan wanted to speak and hurriedly adjusted the camera to point at him.

In the live stream.

“Senior?”

“Ah, ah, ah, it’s Senior.”

“Are you okay?”

“You need to get plenty of rest.”

“Does the wound still hurt?”

“Why did you get up? Lie back down.”

…

Tong Zhanyan smiled. “I’ve heard about the lockdown. Thank you, everyone.”

“Don’t worry, everyone. I just have a mild concussion; I’ll be fine after resting for a couple of days.”

The number of viewers in the live stream was rapidly increasing.

Many people were busy helping with the lockdown search and didn’t have time to watch the stream until they heard Tong Zhanyan had appeared in the live chat.

The crowd wasn’t buying Tong Zhanyan’s reassurances.

To have two or three hundred people chasing him and trying to kill him, and to come away with just a concussion, was a stroke of luck for Tong Zhanyan—it didn’t mean the situation was simple.

On the contrary, seeing Tong Zhanyan’s bandaged head and his pale complexion—after searching for seven or eight hours and gradually calming down—the rage in their hearts flared up again instantly.

If Tong Zhanyan had run just a little slower earlier and failed to dodge, he would already be dead.

“I’m going to rest in a bit.”

Faced with the outpouring of concern in the live chat, Tong Zhanyan’s tone lightened slightly; he was starting to feel more like his usual self.

“I came online mainly to tell everyone something.”

Tong Zhanyan smiled broadly at the camera in front of him, as if he were looking right through it at those on the other end who hated him with a passion and wanted nothing more than to kill him.

“I’ll keep growing my crops, I’ll keep selling what I grow, and I’ll keep lowering the price until everyone can afford it—until it’s two yuan per jin.”

If they had the guts, they could really kill him.

They’d better kill him—otherwise, he’d definitely make good on his word.

It might be hard for him alone to feed everyone, but he still had so many “students.” He believed he wouldn’t be the only one willing to lower the price.

With a smile, Tong Zhanyan didn’t bother to check the reactions in the live stream; he simply turned off the screen.

He looked at Tian Xinqing. “I’m counting on you.”

Tian Xinqing paused for a moment before realizing what was expected of him. He took the camera and headed downstairs to put it away.

Inside the house, Ning Langdong and Su Yanran both stared blankly at Tong Zhanyan until they saw him try to lie down.

The two hurried over, one helping to tuck the blanket around him, the other bringing a pillow.

Once they were done, the two stared blankly at Tong Zhanyan again.

“I think I’ll sleep a little longer,” Tong Zhanyan said with a smile.

He still didn’t know the infection rate of this batch of cherry tomatoes in the lush fields; the fertilizer issue remained unresolved; he wasn’t sure if they could defeat the cabbage white butterflies; he didn’t know if the shrimp and fish could improve the water quality; and he hadn’t figured out a solution for the wheat yet…

He had to get better as soon as possible, because he still had so much to do.

Ning Langdong and Su Yanran moved like puppets, filing out the door in a single file.

Until the door closed, until Tian Xinqing came back upstairs.

In the empty living room, the three of them looked at each other.

“He…” Tian Xinqing spoke first.

“He said he wanted to sleep a little longer.” Su Yanran didn’t know what kind of emotion he was feeling as he said those words.

Ning Langdong also tried to say something, but his lips parted again and again, and he still couldn’t get the words out.

His mother was locked up behind that back door right now.

So he understood all the more clearly just how heavy Tong Zhanyan’s words had just carried for them—for family, friends, and lovers—those consumed by frenzy.

It was a weight that made his blood boil and left a heavy ache in his chest.

In the live stream.

“Two yuan per jin? You’ve got some nerve.”

“I even get the feeling he has a concussion.”

“He already has a concussion.”

“…He didn’t actually damage his brain, did he?”

“Don’t you think this is so typical of Senior? Back then, when he said pinching flowers and leaves was good for crops, no one believed him. Later, when he said composting could help crops grow better, no one believed him either. Now…”

“Prices will keep dropping… so the previous price cuts were really Senior’s doing? He actually wanted to drive the price down?”

“Senior, you…”

“Why do I feel like he’s not just talking to us?”

“And to those who want to kill him, too.”

“Great. Now I feel like I can take on three of them by myself. Where are those bastards? They were so aggressive before—why are they hiding now?”

“I know you guys who ordered those attacks on Senior are watching this livestream too. Let me tell you this: as long as we’re here, no one will lay a finger on Senior.”

“You bunch of trash, just you wait.”

“Once we track down those who ran away and figure out who you are, you’re finished.”

……

Back door, cafeteria. Qing Jiyue stared silently at the figure on the screen—a man with a smile on his face, yet eyes sharp and piercing.

He hadn’t caught the live stream, but Tong Zhanyan’s words had been recorded and were now looping on the most prominent spot of the Green Shade homepage.

Someone entered through the door.

After watching it once more, Qing Jiyue shut down the terminal and looked up.

It was Yang Hong.

His injuries had only been treated superficially, but they didn’t affect his condition; the pain served as a stark reminder of what had happened earlier.

“Did you get anything out of them?”

Yang Hong’s eyes were cold and bloodshot. “Not just one. Six families in total. Apparently, they’ve formed an alliance. But so far, we’ve only identified one. The others are clever—they’re all hiding behind the scenes.”

“Who?”

“The Yan family.”

Qing Jiyue’s eyes darkened slightly; he remembered that name.

After the last incident, the Yan family had been shunned by everyone and went bankrupt at an astonishing speed.

After that, he had sent people to speak with them—it would be best for them to behave themselves from now on.

It seemed now that he should have simply thrown them all outside the protective barrier back then.

“I’ll send someone over immediately,” Qing Jiyue said.

“I’ll go too,” Yang Hong said.

Qing Jiyue glanced at him but didn’t refuse.

Having already slept for seven or eight hours earlier, it took Tong Zhanyan a while to fall asleep again.

By the time he woke up, it was already fully light outside.

After sleeping twice in a row, the dizziness and nausea in his head had eased slightly, though the pain in his body had become even more pronounced.

After lying there for a while longer, he finally got out of bed.

There was someone in the living room—it was Ning Langdong.

Seeing that he was awake, Ning Langdong immediately approached him.

Knowing that he was fine and just wanted to stretch his legs, Ning Langdong nervously followed close behind, matching his every step.

Tong Zhanyan sighed in exasperation and obediently made his way back to the bedroom.

A noise came from downstairs, as if someone was approaching.

Tong Zhanyan moved toward the window.

The person approaching was Qing Jiyue.

Seeing that he was up, Qing Jiyue came upstairs.

Everyone knew that Tong Zhanyan had been going to the hospital every day lately. Seeing that it was Qing Jiyue, Ning Langdong tactfully went back downstairs.

Tong Zhanyan sat down in front of the sofa. “How’s it going? Did you find anything?”

Qing Jiyue hesitated, unsure whether to tell the truth.

After a moment’s thought, he decided to be honest. “We found some leads.”

Tong Zhanyan’s mood was indeed somewhat complicated.

“Some leads”—that meant there was more than one company involved.

“Who is it?”

“I’ll handle it.” Qing Jiyue looked intently into Tong Zhanyan’s eyes; this time, he would never give them another chance to make a comeback.

“I want to know,” Tong Zhanyan said.

“One company originally dealt in building materials but later wanted to switch to farming; they have a best-selling liquid fertilizer. The other two companies grow and sell crops themselves; their businesses were all doing quite well until…”

Qing Jiyue didn’t finish the sentence, but Tong Zhanyan knew what he meant.

There was a moment of silence in the room.

After the silence, Tong Zhanyan asked about another matter, “Have the fugitives been caught?”

Those people were clearly desperate criminals; if they were allowed to escape this time, who knew what they might do next.

“Only two remain at large.” Speaking of this, Qing Jiyue’s mood grew complicated.

He had witnessed the ferocity of Tong Zhanyan’s fans in his livestreams and knew just how ruthless they could be. But this time, he had truly been taken aback.

When they said “siege,” they meant a literal siege.

When they said they’d catch them, they really meant they’d search high and low—even every corner, even the sewers.

When they said they’d beat them half to death, not a single person handed over to them could walk on their own.

“Did you bring that person back?” Tong Zhanyan asked.

Qing Jiyue immediately realized Tong Zhanyan was referring to the deceased. “We brought him back.”

“I want to go see him.”

Qing Jiyue said nothing.

The body was badly mutilated.

“Has his family been notified?”

“They’ve been notified. They’re on their way,” Qing Jiyue replied.

Tong Zhanyan really wanted to say he’d go too, but the words died on his lips.

He didn’t know how to face the man’s family.

The man had come to him for treatment; he’d finally seen a glimmer of hope, and now…

“I’ll go with you when the time comes,” Qing Jiyue said. He’d intended to tell Tong Zhanyan to leave it to him, but changed his mind at the last moment.

“Alright.” Tong Zhanyan felt a slight surge of strength.

At the same time, his entire body went limp on the sofa.

Perhaps he shouldn’t go out casually anymore.

But even if he hid in the base, if those people really wanted to kill him, they might wipe out the entire base.

Just as Tong Zhanyan was feeling miserable, something white appeared at the edge of his vision.

Qing Jiyue had summoned his Spirit Beast at some point.

The little tiger’s ears were flattened back, its face full of reluctance.

Qing Jiyue nudged the little tiger.

The little tiger trudged slowly toward Tong Zhanyan.

Tong Zhanyan watched it silently, making no move.

It was indeed cute, but he really wasn’t in the mood for it right now.

Not being picked up immediately, the little tiger’s eyes widened slightly in disbelief.

The next moment, a hint of worry flashed in its eyes.

Spirit beasts are far more intelligent than ordinary animals; it knew exactly what was going on.

Just as Tong Zhanyan was about to say thank you, the little creature lifted a front paw to brace itself against his knee and stood up.

Then it spoke, making a sound that was like a cat’s but not quite: “Meow…”

Tong Zhanyan, don’t be sad.

At worst, it would let Tong Zhanyan pet its belly.