Morning ca soon and it brought along different reactions to households in Beijing.
The commoners or a modern term – ordinary people went about their normal routine of – Wake. Work. Eat. Repeat. They flip through their social dia pages looking for so giggles or so hot gossip. The financial news was hardly read.
Those who read the local financial/business news spent a few minutes reading a particular article. Few brushed it off with a click of their tongue making offhand remarks and others made calls to clarify what they read.
In the upper echelons, the news article was accompanied with more indepth information. It caused a great unease.
"Are sure about this news?" One patriarch asked his butler.
"Yes, Old Master." The man had an equally pensive expression on his face. They both read over the email that was sent a few minutes ago.
The Old Master's wife and two sons were mildly curious about what the two were talking about and didn't press further.
At another estate, the head of the family was quiet when he read the news and simply showed his kids what happened. His three grown children were shocked on the surface and were silently pushing down their fear.
Others in the know didn't say much, they opted for silently warn their children not to be another example like those people in the report.
The major families, to put it clearly the first families felt like they were slapped in the face.
"How dare that pick up little bastard!!"
"Heh. Isn't this stepping on our faces? He's our junior and already putting up a farce. He's new to the position he should be working hard to have us on his side."
"It's that old dog letting him act this way. Who gave him the right to act this way?"
"Bunch of fools! Of course, they got caught! The Li Clan stood above us all for decades, how can they not handle that idiotic attack they call ambush."
"Did they really look like …. Zombies?!!"
The five families were cursing the sky hoping the Li clan can hear. On top of the hidden news, the ssenger from that family delivered to them the date and ti of their hosted gathering.
Three days later was the scheduled event.
How can the new patriarch act this way, with no respect for his elders? It was part of etiquette to host a gathering for a formal introduction but plans had to be made beforehand and invites had to be sent out. This was considered a show of respect and sowhat of submission because Chen Kai was the first of the younger generation to take over the reins of his family's wealth.
In their 'reasoning', Chen Kai should co and pay respects to them and accommodate them readily.
What did they receive? An invitation to a luncheon at a random five-star hotel, present patriarchs or future heirs were invited.
They didn't care who attended, once they represented the family.
Wasn't that too perfunctory?
The Xi family took this little snub harder than others.
"WHAT THE FUCK IS THIS?!!"
At the Li Estate…
"So you're saying you gave your visitors a parting gift?"
Old Li had an impassive expression on his face as he questioned this eccentric nephew of his.
"Yes."
Chen Kai didn't stop eating. He was pretty focused on the breakfast specially created for him as a welco from the chef. He was practically humming in rrint as he tasted dish after dish.
Old Li glanced at xiao Ming. The poor kid couldn't hold the questioning gazes of his elders for long; his head was getting lower and lower into his bowl of crystal shrimp dumplings.
"Oh." Old Li replied.
Chen Kai smiled at his uncle and took a sip of tea to refresh his taste buds.
Old Tong watched his little apprentice without saying a word.
Tong Ming couldn't hold on; how could he? This was his great-uncle.
"Heh~ heh~ Uncle what is it?" Tong Ming was back to his teen years back then his uncle's iron fist and savage gaze frightened him to death.
"What did you do?"
"Nothing"
"…"
Tong Ming realized he answered too quickly. His eyes widen upon realization.
Elder Tong raised a brow in question.
"…. We demoted them and…."
"Demoted? What's this young people talk?"
Chen Kai chuckled at Elder Tong's grumblings.
Old Li's eyes held a fond fatherly look as he watched his nephew laugh so carefreely. The cherished image of his deceased niece rged with Chen Kai's youthful appearance – the two were so alike. A wave of nostalgia hit him but was overco with a feeling of peace because of his great-nephew's presence.
The last descendant of the Li Clan.
"Tell , boy. What did you do?" Old Li folded his arms and leaned back to listen to Chen Kai's explanation.
The sun filtered through the overhead trellis placing playful sunspots on Chen Kai's fair skin; his dark eyes glittered with amusent when he looked up at his uncle. The child inherited many points from his mother and eccentricity is one of the major ones he inherited apart from the jade beauty looks the Li kids had.
"They wanted to test so I gave them results." Chen Kai's wide smile spoke volus; it was one part chilling and one part filled with excitent.
"I also received free test subjects."
"Free.. Test subjects?" Old Li rubbed his forehead seemingly knowing where this would lead to.
"Do you rember the poison I created in South Arica? I got the results I wanted from them. Cradle 48 is reacting just the way I expected it to work. We just have to wait to see the side effects after its gone."
"You used a newly created drug on low-level dogs on the first night since you returned." Old Li sighed tiredly and turned a blind eye to Chen Kai's giddy smile and those eyes that were saying, 'Praise ! What do you think?'
Elder Tong silently pressed Xiao Ming for more details of the young master's creation. The latter resigned himself in being the explainer since his dear young master was more focused on eating and reveling in other's pain.
"The poison mimics one of his favorite fictional creatures – zombies. Pale sickly skin; stiffened limbs; loss of faculties; excruciating internal pain; montary loss of clarity. On top of that, one's appearance will be ghastly, I'm talking about the color of the poison reflecting on your already sickly pale skin. Blood leaking from god knows where and the pain they will be in. I'm sure those guys are freaking out now. The poison lasts for 48hours in the body and it should have so long-term side effects. We don't know what it will be though."
The two elders looked at their little patriarch with complicated expressions. Isn't this sothing a spoiled kid would do?
"…" Well, he is the only young one in the Li Clan so they can let him act spoiled right?
"Poor bastards." Old Li lanted for the few who provoked Chen Kai's an streak. "Send a ssage to the Xi family before they do sothing stupid."
Elder Tong sent a one-sentence ssage to the Xi family's butler and placed that part of their morning at the back of his mind.
At a Xi family property, a young assistant was looking at his superior's phone in confusion.
What kind of ssage is this? Is this so new type of taunting between the influential?
Whatever, he will let Butler Xi handle this silly ssage from that dying family. He, along with the Xi family's patriarch and butler were at the family's private hospital. The young assistant in training didn't know the contents of the call which made his bosses rush to this place so early and he didn't ask.
His job was to field any calls and ssages for the patriarch until 1 pm. He was paid to follow orders not question their decisions.
Shaking his head at the absurd ssage, he made a beeline for the secluded ward he was told. There were little dical staff and many ard bodyguards at the main entrances and along the corridor. After many security checks, the little assistant finally entered the isolated wall. There was an observation gallery above the large room, looking over five patients strapped onto single hospital beds.
They looked horrendous. Their sickly and unsightly appearance disgusted him. When he entered the observation room, he caught a few parts of an ongoing conversation.
"…. It may be a virus that was injected into them, They found identical entry marks and recorded the brutal way their fingers were removed. When did the Li family beco so ruthless?! This is basically biological warfare! How dare they touch my people….."
"This isn't Old Li's M.O. He wouldn't be so ….. unhinged."
"Don't tell you think it's the little dog they picked up, did this? A bastard who no one knows can't be like this. This thod is probably from soone with years of blood on their hands to do sothing like this."
The three n were trying to keep their expressions as composed as they could as they spoke. Seeing this struggle on his bosses face, the assistant took another look at the five n who were sent to probe the Li estate.
It was a full-blown realistic depiction of zombies he read in manwhas when he was younger. They were writhing in pain struggling against the leather cuffs; their skin was a sickly grey pallor with purple marks, eyes were red and unfocused.
Fuck. Even the blood the hazmat suit wearing nurses were drawing was another depiction from novels. The black blood was frightening. This was the third ti for the morning this was done.
From what he heard, they were testing it for various infections and viruses but all tests ca back negative.
Not once did it enter the doctors or bosses minds that they should be tested for poison.
Who can bla them? Can a poison do this amount of damage? The five 'patients' were in pain and this was due to the poison affecting them internally; their insides were slowly eating away. To give a better description – its like thousands of fire ants nibbling at your insides. The pain will also ss with their ntal faculties, they were in both ntal and physical torture.
"Old Master Xi. What should we do?" The Long family patriarch was at a loss. These were his n; he spent a lot of resources on them to make them the best under his family na and now…. A fucking brat destroyed all of that. A wayward pigeon is being dressed up as a phoenix. How an he stand this embarrassnt?
The Xi family patriarch had nothing to say. This was the first ti encountered sothing like this.
Which one of his enemies went to this extre in retaliation? None! They all point their attacks to their businesses or social life, not their people.
"I.. don't know," the old man said quietly.
He moved to the seating area and waited for the lab results. It has been a long morning. This event is already spilled to outsiders. This along with the blow from the Li family was more like a slap in the face than a subtle warning.
When did young people beco so disrespectful?
The assistant held his fort in the corner of the room, his gaze transfixed on the five n. He witnessed shaless and despicable acts from his bosses towards their competitors but this was too much.
What the hell!!!
This is cruelty.
The young one was so caught up in his silent curses towards the new Li family head that he didn't notice that ti passed and the results were out.
"All negative." Old Master Xi's face was grim.
They don't have a clue as to what happened to these young n. They know that they were injected with so kind of serum but its not a virus nor an infection. Due to their limited movents, they didn't put another possibility to mind.
"Are we going to let them live like this? They were my best n; I can't have the money and resources I used to nurture them go up in flas over so unidentified virus. Call Li, let him tell us what he did!" Patriarch Long was becoming hysterical with anger. Though those with him knew he was angrier in losing money than the now withering lives of his people.
"sigh~ Old Li hasn't called since. Word has it that he has been hands-off since last year and all communication goes through the new steward." Old Xi scoffed at the Li family's decision. When news ca that an heir was found, they thought it ridiculous and only took a surface look at the so-called new patriarch. They were only going by the basic information that they gathered.
"I wonder what brainwashing magic that stray gave Old Li and Old Tong. He can't be compared to Young Master Xi who has been cultivated on the right path."
Ah, Old Long, sucking up to the golden thigh in this situation. Lackey 101.
"Heh, when my Xiao Han attends that gathering, he will show that civet cat who is really the top of his generation. As for these n, I'm sorry old friend but drastic asures must be taken. We can't truly confirm if what they have isn't contagious. We have one solution to this." Old Xi stood up and faced the ward below.
Old Master Long put on a difficult expression on his face, he understood what this solution may be but waited for Patriarch Xi to rescind it.
He waited for a few seconds and it didn't co.
"Get rid of them."
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