Starting Cultivation in Wasteland-Chapter 551 - 421: The Mastermind

Shortly after the City Guard arrived, the Patrol Guards also showed up.

The injured were quickly sent to the hospital, surveillance footage was pulled out to be reviewed, checkpoints were set up at every intersection... a series of processes unfolded.

The Patrol Guards extracted the blood of the injured gunman, and through genetic comparison, discovered that he was a notorious fugitive.

This fugitive was just an ordinary person, having received two Genetic Potion injections, and then was eliminated.

He believed that his elimination was the result of underhanded dealings, and his antisocial personality drove him to seek revenge.

In official terms, this person exhibited a strong antisocial and anti-human personality...

In short, he’s a desperate character with more than a dozen lives taken, and the official bounty on him reached a hundred thousand.

To put that in perspective, C-level peak Bellini, a teacher at a high-level Academy, only had a basic monthly salary of around two thousand.

This guy was just an ordinary person, and a hundred-thousand bounty is almost the cap, illustrating his danger.

However, the key to the shooting incident is not here, it’s about hiring a hitman to find this guy; evidently, the buyer isn’t just anyone.

The Patrol Guards did a little analysis and knew that this matter probably wasn’t directed by Poliana.

After all, she was part of the Government, colluding with such a vicious criminal would ruin her future if exposed.

More likely it’s the Ye Family... perhaps they have such connections, as they are involved in many industries.

Ye’s father was still in a deep sleep when he was awakened by a call from his cousin—his cousin was in the City Guard.

Upon hearing about the recent events, he was momentarily stunned.

Ye’s mother was also awakened in shock. Seeing her husband in a daze, she couldn’t help but ask, "What’s wrong?"

"Alas," Ye’s father sighed deeply, "How hated must that family be?"

He was certain that Poliana wasn’t behind the shooting incident—wouldn’t she be wary of the killer turning against her?

So it must have been the work of Romel Clan’s adversaries, even though the mastermind’s motives remain unknown.

Be it pure revenge, adding insult to injury, or seizing the industry... it’s really hard to say.

Ye’s mother snorted lightly, "Serves them right, that’s karma... let them keep being so arrogant."

"Maybe it’s just that the family is so big, they’ve caught people’s attention," Ye’s father still thought rationally.

Then he sighed again, "The crux of the matter is... now two families are involved."

This is what depressed him the most!

Ye’s mother froze for a long time before reacting, "You mean, our family is very suspicious?"

"Isn’t it obvious?" Ye’s father shook his head with a wry smile, "This is... where can we go to argue?"

"How could we possibly collude with such people?" Ye’s mother said indignantly, "If they’re going to suspect us, they should have evidence, right?"

Finding such connections... really isn’t particularly difficult, Ye’s father knew this well.

He shook his head, "Speaking of evidence, do you think that family cares about evidence?"

Ye’s mother was speechless for a while before asking, "So, is this what’s troubling you?"

"It’s no longer troubling me," Ye’s father shook his head and spoke expressionlessly, "Since there’s no choice, we’ll join the fray."

Ye’s mother was stunned, then slowly nodded, "If Romel wants to go crazy, we’ll play along to the end... let’s see who backs down first!"

Romel really went mad, his eldest son was already dead, his second son had a congenital brain disorder, and the third son was considered the eldest.

The murder of his third son and daughter-in-law made him lose control completely; he immediately wanted to wipe out the Ye Family and Poliana.

But while he was mad, the rest of the family couldn’t join him in his madness, and seven or eight people came to console him immediately.

To say console also meant to watch over him, fearing he’d impulsively drag the whole family into it.

To be honest, the Starr Family dealing with Poliana or the Ye Family alone wasn’t particularly difficult.

But taking on both at the same time was really not feasible; their own strength might not be enough.

Moreover, as the family developed to this stage, many enemies had been made.

Those enemies usually found it inconvenient to act, but if the Starr Family sought their own demise, those people wouldn’t mind rushing in.

So they advised Romel: going against two is too risky, we must identify the mastermind before taking action.

When the news of the bar shooting incident arrived, Romel couldn’t hold back.

"Both families are involved now, and both have had casualties, what are you waiting for, waiting for the Starr Family to be completely wiped out?"

His state annoyed everyone, but he did hold considerable social status and was considered the face of the family.

So everyone expressed that the truth might not be what he thought, and that they should investigate clearly before acting.

If they truly wanted to take on both families, personnel would have to be brought in from the Outer Star Realm to have any confidence.

In fact, everyone knew that aside from Poliana, the Ye Family didn’t lack people in the Outer Star Realm either.

Romel wanted to lose his temper but couldn’t; his cultivation had been abolished, and he couldn’t even fight a formidable Modified Warrior.

The rest of the Starr Family made a decision for a complete withdrawal of family members.

They would no longer provoke actively, and when going out, they had to bring guards and move in groups.

Even the person holding a stake in the bar showed no strong desire for aggression.

He just indicated that this matter is definitely not finished, and I will send people to investigate—if it’s going to be dirty, we’re not afraid.

In any case, the Starr Clan already feels that their situation is dire.

Even dozens of children who were attending school did not go the next day and instead gathered in a large family courtyard.

The courtyard was built by the first generation Pioneer of the Starr Clan, heavily fortified, housing hundreds of people is no problem.

By near noon the next day, more bad news came: a gas station caught fire and exploded.

This time no one died, but two were seriously injured, and more than a dozen were lightly injured.

This gas station is a family asset of the Starr, newly built on Star No. 4 where planning for things like gas stations is very strict.

The Starr Clan had thought of many ways to get four gas stations approved, and now one has exploded!

This is not a problem of four minus one equals three, but with a gas station explosion, the city will definitely investigate potential hazards.

Thus, the remaining three gas stations must temporarily cease operations.

Furthermore, since the other party can blow up one station, they can blow up a second one.

So, the remaining three stations not only need to strengthen their guards but also inspect the vehicles coming for fuel.

However, this is a service industry, raising so many demands on customers would drive them away, wouldn’t it?

Can Fengrao City really lack a gas station of such size?

So it’s not just a problem of only three stations remaining, but that the cash cow might not be profitable for a long time.

As soon as the gas station was bombed, even Romel wasn’t acting crazy, "What the hell is going on here?"

Three serious incidents, all with different methods and styles, especially the shooting and bombing incidents, are definitely not of the same type.

The shooting incident was about killing at sight, purely to create chaos and panic, while the bombing incident was timed for when there were few people before detonating.

In other words, at least three forces are involved.

Even if the Ye Family and Poliana took action, unknown forces are also intervening.

Romel certainly mourns his son’s death, but if he goes crazy again, the Starr Clan would face a survival crisis.

So he made a decision, "Temporarily back down, contact the Outer Star Realm for personnel!"

After all, retreat is only temporary, his grievances have not been resolved—definitely not over!

At the same time, someone also stepped in to facilitate a talk with the three families.

There’s no choice, what has Fengrao City become, with gunshots and explosions here and there?

If you want evidence, aside from tax investigations, which indeed the Starr Clan secretly instigated, there’s no evidence for anything else.

But do you need evidence for this kind of thing? The wise know exactly why these three families are having conflicts.

However, things cannot be openly discussed, only hinted at discreetly.

Starr Clan’s response is very clear, we will no longer target anyone, and will focus wholeheartedly on proper business.

And the Ye Family and Poliana’s reactions are similar: I don’t understand what you are talking about.

As for Fengrao City’s public order? Everyone hopes for peace and stability and will contribute to the city’s prosperity and development!

It sounds like a platitude, essentially suggesting: if the other party is willing to calm down, they can consider ceasing hostilities.

The three families have no more choices, the situation is getting bigger and no one can handle it continuing.

Even Romel, who was calling for reinforcements from the Outer Star Realm, knew deep down that bringing in people wouldn’t help.

Anyway, all three families have shown a willingness for peace, but the Starr Clan remains very cautious.

They haven’t forgotten that there are three forces against them, and currently, only two have been basically identified.

Whether that unknown force will strike again is hard to say.

So the Starr Clan’s children continue to huddle in the large courtyard and those who can’t attend school will continue to take leave.

However, their reactions didn’t escape the eyes of Poliana and the Ye Family, and interpreted it differently.

If they could consider with empathy, they might understand Starr Clan’s predicament.

But that’s impossible, as the Imperial culture doesn’t promote understanding others through oneself.

Actually, even if they could understand, they wouldn’t risk their own children.

The Starr Clan did have people die, and it’s rumored there are conflicts within the family.

Hence, these two families followed suit and also restricted their children from going to school.

Although some consensus has been reached, the situation has evolved to this stage.

Among the three families, the Ye Family has the clearest understanding of the situation.

Seeing the situation hasn’t eased at all, but instead became more tense, they too feel helpless.

Reluctantly, Ye Father discussed with Ye Mother, "Shall we contact someone from Green Water just in case?"

He knows very well that they are the true masterminds behind the scenes, who haven’t yet exerted their force.

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