Naming Technique of the Night

Shadow finished the call to Qing Ye.

Walking alone in the nighttime silence of Ginkgo Manor, he was not heading down the mountain, nor was he opening the Door of Shadow.

Instead, he was walking all the way to the mountain peak.

There were no spectacular views at the summit, just a field of the Qing's Family ancestors' gravestones.

Zhang Yugou.

Xu Man.

Qing Shen.

Luo Lan.

Qing Yi.

Some were well-known to the world, like Luo Lan, Qing Yi, and Xu Man, who were written about in the history textbooks of various financial groups.

Others were unknown to the world; Zhang Yugou and Qing Shen, hardly anyone knew what they had done, yet the Qing's Family had placed them at the highest point.

On each person's tombstone, there was only a lonely name, and a simple phrase.

"Success doesn't have to be mine."

Some of them may not have been of the Qing's Family, but all had made great contributions to the clan.

The ancestor who placed these tombstones at the pinnacle did so with the intention of having them watch over the bustling world alongside the Qing's Family.

Shadow sat down amid the gravestones, looking at the brilliant lights of City No. 5 below.

He was a bit unsure whether this lively world was what the ancestors had wanted or whether it was what they despised.

What is it that sustains a family?

If the Li Family is governed by internal order, then the Qing's Family is characterized by their ruthlessness towards outsiders.

The Family Heads born from the competition amongst Shadows were likely to be among the most ferocious people in the world.

Such individuals, inevitably, could lead the family to survive in this fierce world.

The Qing's Family believed in a principle: the most formidable person is always forged through struggle.

Each generation's battle amongst Shadows invariably accompanied the fall of eight other Shadow Candidates.

This downfall was not necessarily death; it could also be a setback from which one never recovers, losing all ambition and lofty aspirations.

But the one who survives, the one who wins in the end, will most likely become a legend of the age.

This era needs such people, doesn't it?

Shadow thought the same, and he had never wavered.

Only today, he felt a bit desolate.

"Seen enough," Shadow stood up, took one last look at City No. 5 below, and then opened the Door of Shadow to return to the Secret Prison.

Seeing him return, his subordinates bowed their heads: "Boss, it was our oversight this time."

However, Shadow had lost the fury he had when he left, and instead, he started to laugh and said, "What does this have to do with you?"

The subordinates looked at each other in confusion, not understanding the meaning of his words.

Shadow, still smiling, said, "The Family Head, after two years of silence, made his move for the first time to influence the world. Isn't it normal for us to lose once?"

Seeing that everyone was speechless and doubtful, Shadow did not explain any further.

That's really what he thought.

He was indeed a formidable Shadow, but wasn't that Family Head also a Shadow?

Moreover, not only had the opponent emerged victorious from the fight amongst Shadows but had also, in the contest between Shadows, eventually gained control of the Qing's Family's power.

Such a person, after two years, at the most critical moment, with the most ingenious strength, aims to achieve a result they need.

Who could possibly stop them?

Therefore, Shadow didn't feel there was anything to be anxious or regretful about; even he and Qing Chen, no matter how clever, couldn't prevent the most formidable person within the Qing's Family from taking action.

"Boss, what do we do now? Shall we go rescue Qing Chen?" one of the subordinates asked.

Shadow shook his head: "The mission to rescue Qing Chen is being handled by Yan Chunmi and Qing Ye. If even they can't find him, our going would be useless."

He had absolute and full trust in Yan Chunmi and Qing Ye's abilities.

Shadow looked at his subordinates: "Li Changqing should have received the news as well. She's more conveniently located in the north than us. Let's go kill some people to unwind; my tea plantation could use some new fertilizer."

From that night on, the Spy Bureau under Shadow's command, like a slumbering behemoth suddenly awakened.

In 12 cities across the south, the factions within the Qing's Family began to be purged.

Within their intelligence system, 219 people were secretly executed overnight, all of whom were Insiders planted by the various Qing's Family factions.

Only at this moment did many of the Qing's Family elders understand that their so-called covert operations had all been watched by Shadow.

The previous inaction towards these individuals was simply because there had been no need to act.

Not just that, Shadow also wiped out 21 of Jindai's intelligence stations in the south overnight.

Jindai Members of PCA Intelligence Unit One were all found dead in their homes.

Everyone thought Shadow had gone mad, seemingly ready to reignite a war within half a month after the Federation's ceasefire.

This behavior lacked necessary political wisdom and rationality.

Until the early hours of the morning, Shadow called Qing Ye again: "Any leads yet?"

Qing Ye responded, "Boss, Yan Chunmi and I have tried everything, but due to the hurried nature of the operation, we still haven't found any leads. The preparation of the opponent... is very thorough."

"Definitely sufficient, after all, an A-Class expert took action himself. If he wants to live and return to the north, naturally he has to be well-prepared," Shadow said calmly.

"Boss, did I hear right that you went on a killing spree in the city?" Qing Ye cautiously asked.

"Hmm," Shadow responded.

Qing Ye mumbled, "But by doing this, isn't it a bit irrational? Some people, aren't we supposed to keep them around for the long con? And aren't you afraid they'll blame it all on Qing Chen?"

Shadow calmly said, "At this point, the hardships Qing Chen has to endure are unavoidable. If I want him to survive, I have to prove to the outside world that he's important enough. That way, Jindai will keep him alive and well. Otherwise, what would Jindai use to negotiate with me?"

The people of Qing's Family are all crazy.

The Family Head and Shadow must be the craziest of them all.

The former wants to use extreme methods to give Qing Chen a logical grip on power.

The latter, on the other hand, wants to tell Jindai through extreme revenge that this person is important, that keeping him is in your best interest.

As long as Qing Chen is not dead, he will always find a way to save him.

"Has Li Changqing been notified?" Shadow asked.

"She has been notified," Qing Ye replied, "She said nothing and just hung up the phone."

"Good."

"Everyone's gone mad," Qing Ye muttered softly and then hung up the phone.

On the other side, Qing Ye looked at the row of kneeling black market intelligence personnel and shrugged, "My boss has gone mad, and you guys don't want to talk about the airship information, so I guess I have to kill a few to fit in, seeing as none of you are good people!"

The information brokers panicked, "We really don't know anything about any airships; there have been no civilian airships leaving City 10 or City 18 recently!"

"Is that so," Qing Ye nodded, "Then I'm very sorry!"

With that, he waved his hand, signaling his subordinates to open fire.

After a burst of gunfire, the information brokers who used to strut around in the black market all fell in a mix of gun smoke and blood.

That night, many people couldn't sleep peacefully.

Some hurried to their safe houses, only to be dragged out by the Spy Bureau's agents from within.

Others trembled in their homes, only to find that no one came to kill them by daybreak.

Everyone felt that a change was coming, yet since Qing Chen's incident had just occurred, most people were still unaware of the reason behind it all.

They wondered what could make that Shadow act so insanely.

…

…

In City 19,

Outside the villa where Li Changqing stayed, six or seven city council members in formal attire were waiting anxiously.

The villa occupied 2,100 square meters, making it the largest residential villa in City 19.

It used to be the mayor's official residence but was now offered to Li Changqing.

The city's residents joke that this is Li Changqing's palace in City 19, and the current mayor is like her chief eunuch now.

After the ceasefire agreement was signed, Li Changqing came to this city, recently known as Spy City, and it finally began to recover its peace.

She didn't go on a killing spree against the intelligence personnel of various forces as she did in City 1.

Before, she was just in charge of part of the intelligence system, and being domineering helped her accomplish many things, intimidating many evil spirits and monsters.

But now she's the head of the Li Family's intelligence agencies, so she can't always use such harsh methods.

If she continued to work like that, many would be afraid to cooperate with her.

Therefore, Li Changqing is now exercising a policy of overall appeasement — even though she knows that intelligence personnel from various powers are all over City 19, she still hasn't wiped them out.

After all, clear water has no fish, right? Everyone could collaborate more; harmony brings wealth, and peace is most precious.

For a while, many influential people in the city crowded forward, hoping to get a share of the pie after the strong woman took over the city.

Tonight, there was supposed to be a small meeting.

City 19 is about to re-elect council members soon, and everyone is hoping to gain the support of Li's Financial Group.

However, it's strange that as soon as Li Changqing walked into the villa's council hall, she received a phone call.

Everyone could feel this woman's aura change, becoming unusually fierce and inscrutable.

The woman, who was usually full of smiles, now had a stern face, causing the newly renamed Lao Shijiu, formerly Lao Jiu, to drive all the outsiders out of the villa.

Leaving the council members all out in the cold wind.

All of the City 19 council members felt baffled. What had happened that caused such a drastic change in Li Changqing's demeanor?

Someone whispered, "We couldn't have made some mistake, could we?"

"No, everyone has been walking on eggshells recently; who dares to make a mistake..." someone else murmured.

At that moment, the villa's front door opened.

The council members all stopped talking and looked towards the entrance of the villa.

However, everyone was stunned when they saw Li Changqing: she had taken off her usual formal wear and was dressed in the uniform of a major general of the Federal Group...

In that instant, everyone suddenly realized that the Scorpion woman seemed to be making her comeback.

…

I am having a meal; there will be another chapter tonight.