Night falls at the Kowloon Group headquarters building.
The meeting room was eerily quiet at the moment.
The person sitting in the head seat at the very top is no longer the once all-powerful Kowloon Shih-hsin, but the Ninth Generation Pear Blossom.
She was dressed in a solemn kimono, her beautiful face unable to conceal her exhaustion.
The eight sect leaders who used to sit together below were no longer present.
Half of those usually arrogant faces and powerful figures who could command respect in the underworld had vanished.
The leaders of the four factions belonging to the Shanxin group were all absent without even offering an excuse to ask for leave.
In the huge conference room, only three people were scattered around.
Kurosaki Kimyuu and his subordinate Genryukai.
Of course, there's also Liu Longren.
There was no one else.
None of the four people present spoke first.
Yuan Longhai was originally a taciturn man who only knew how to wield a knife and kill people. Apart from Kurosaki Junlong's orders, he had no interest in this kind of power game and looked like he was in a daze at the moment.
As for Liu Longren, his position and status made it his best option to remain silent in this situation.
After all, that's his mother.
"Smack."
The silence was broken by the crisp sound of teacups clinking together.
Rikako Kyuusei slowly put down her teacup, her gaze filled with inquiry and probing as she looked at Kurosaki Kimiryu, who was seated at the head of the left.
"President Kurosaki, aren't Zennobu and the others coming?"
Kurosaki Kimyu sat cross-legged on the cushion, his back slightly hunched, holding a folding fan and waving it idly.
This was the first time in decades that he felt this meeting room, which had once represented honor and power, was so unfamiliar.
The familiar figure in the main seat was gone.
Before Rinka came, I heard that my older brother was unwell and wouldn't be attending events for a while.
Those brothers who used to argue and always sat together even when they disagreed have all left or scattered.
Is this massive Kowloon Group ultimately going to fall apart?
Kurosaki Junlong sighed silently in his heart, but he was, after all, an old man of Kowloon, a veteran who had watched this building be built.
He stopped waving his fan.
"Today is the day for bidding on the land on Wuming Street."
"That kid Ryuzaki Makoto went to participate in the bidding today, while that guy Zenshin Yoshitatsu, I heard he brought people to block his way early on."
When Ninth Generation Rikako heard this, her eyes flickered.
She was not entirely unaware of the situation and was also following its development through other channels.
Rinka placed her hands on her knees with her arms crossed and leaned slightly forward.
"And then what happened?"
Kurosaki Kimyu smiled and snapped his folding fan shut.
"President, you can rest assured, this is all good news for us."
Ninth-generation Pear Blossom raised her head.
"Could it be that Ryuzaki really failed to take over Nameless Street, and was even killed by Zenshin?"
If that's the case, it would indeed be good news for the Kowloon Group now, a solution that would solve the problem once and for all.
After all, Ryuzaki is currently the biggest external threat, while Shanxin Jilong, though unruly, is at least still one of Kowloon's internal personnel.
However, Kurosaki Kimryu gently shook his head, the light in his eyes intriguing.
"No, no."
He held up two fingers.
"First, Ryuzaki Makoto, as a dark horse, won the development rights of the nameless street, and those so-called conglomerates did not gain any advantage in front of him."
"Secondly, that old fellow, Zenshin Jilong, also failed to kill Ryuzaki Makoto."
"snort!"
Just as Kurosaki Kimryo finished speaking, a cold snort rang out.
Liu Longren remained silent, his brows furrowed, his face grim.
"What kind of good news is this? Is Chairman Kurosaki getting old and his mind is getting a little muddled?"
In his view, this was simply terrible news.
Longqi has grown stronger, while Shanxin Jilong has lost face outside. Where is the face of the Kowloon Group?
Where is the dignity?
Kurosaki Junryu glanced at Liu Longren out of the corner of his eye, and sighed helplessly in his heart.
That fellow is truly not worth discussing anything with.
How can this not be good news?
From a broader perspective, Ryuzaki Makoto's acquisition of the auction rights means that his main focus in the short term will be tied up in that massive development project.
Given this, the Kowloon Group had no reason to launch a direct assault on the nameless street and confront it head-on.
Without having to wage war against other countries, there is no need to expend manpower, which gives the severely weakened Kowloon a chance to recuperate.
That's one point.
Secondly, the believer Jilong suffered a setback outside, not only failing to succeed but also losing many men.
Given that old man's temper and his cunning, his current anger and all his attention are definitely focused on Ryuzaki Makoto, thinking about how to get revenge.
In this way, he won't target the group's internal affairs, and he won't rush back to fight for power and profit.
Looking deeper, these two events are a godsend for the Kowloon Group, which is currently facing internal weaknesses and constant external troubles.
As for whether Ryuzaki Makoto will be able to free up his hands to fight against Kowloon in a short period of time after taking over Nameless Street?
Kurosaki Kimryu wasn't worried about that at all.
To put it bluntly, as long as they obediently guard their own territory and do not actively cause trouble, even if Ryuzaki Makoto has extraordinary abilities, where would he find a suitable opportunity or excuse to attack them?
After all, the eastern part of the city is still Kowloon's territory.
Thinking of this, Kurosaki Kimryu felt an even deeper sense of sorrow.
Brother, why did you choose this mother and son?
Your woman has no sense of the bigger picture, only prone to suspicion and infighting.
Your son is nothing but an arrogant and conceited good-for-nothing who only knows how to talk big.
Are you really willing to entrust your life's work to this kind of person and watch Kowloon Group be doomed?
Kurosaki Jinryu is ambitious; he also wants to become the next president of the Kowloon Group.
However, his ambition was based on protecting Kowloon's interests, and at its core, he wanted to lead this somewhat dilapidated ship further and sail to a wider sea.
These people right now, whether it's the short-sighted Pear Blossom, the foolish Lau Lung-yan, or even the hot-tempered believer Kee Lung, are all pushing Kowloon into a fire pit.
In that instant, the image of Ryuzaki Makoto inexplicably appeared in Kurosaki Kimryo's mind.
Although I had only glimpsed the young man's appearance a few times in television news or in file photos.
But that young man gave him a completely different feeling.
Calm, ruthless, strategic, and most importantly, possessing an innate leadership quality.
If Liu Longren had even half the talent and magnanimity of that young man, he would probably be willing to set aside all his pride and wholeheartedly assist him in achieving great things.
Unfortunately, there are no "what ifs".
The more Kurosaki Kimryu thought about it, the more disheartened he became.
Is there any need for this so-called weekly meeting?
Without their elder brother backing them up, the believers' faction will no longer take the Ninth Generation Pear Blossom Fairy seriously. They'll probably stop pretending and never come back.
Those left staring at each other were, on one side, the only two remaining members of Kurosaki's faction, and on the other side, Rikako and her good-for-nothing son.
To put it bluntly, it's just the two families having fun behind closed doors.
What else is there to say?
"Why."
Kurosaki Kimryu, looking somewhat tired, slowly stood up.
Seeing his actions, Ninth Generation Rikako's face instantly turned even more unpleasant, her tone sinister:
"Chairman Kurosaki, the meeting isn't over yet, are you leaving already? Don't you even have time to let me finish speaking?"
This is using one's status to intimidate others.
In the past, Kurosaki Kimyu might have been more considerate of his pride, but now, he really didn't want to play house with this mother and son anymore.
He put his hands on his hips, stretched out a big yawn, and his joints cracked all over.
"Oh dear, Mr. President, what are you saying? I'm just getting old and useless. I can't stay up late anymore, and my back and waist are aching."
He patted his lower back with a regretful expression.
"I think it would be better if we could hold meetings during the daytime if there's nothing particularly important going on, or we could just have everyone make a phone call and chat for a bit."
"Running around late at night, and having to listen to people complain, my old bones are really not taking it anymore."
After saying this, Kurosaki Kimyu gave Yuan Longhai a wink.
The two left the conference room without looking back.
He knew that there was nothing he needed to do now; the more he did, the more mistakes he would make.
At this critical juncture of rapid change, the wisest course of action is to remain calm and observe the situation.
After all, his strength was also damaged by internal strife. Preserving his strength and waiting for a new turning point was the way to survive.
As Liu Longren watched Kurosaki Junlong's departing figure disappear completely outside the door, his eyes were so gloomy they seemed to drip water.
He turned his head and looked at Ninth Generation Rikako, who was still sitting in the main seat in a daze, and called out softly.
"Mother..."
Ninth-generation Rikako suddenly waved her hand.
Her tone was irritable and stern, even somewhat neurotic.
"You'd better stay put at the company headquarters and don't go anywhere else! Things are really chaotic outside right now. If anything happens to you, I really won't have anyone else to rely on!"
"Visit your father in the hospital more often when you have time."
After saying all that, she had no desire to stay in the empty room any longer, so she stood up and left somewhat disheveled.
Watching Rikako's slightly flustered figure disappear, Liu Longren stood there, his expression uncertain.
"Ring ring ring..."
A sudden, urgent cell phone ringtone broke the silence of the conference room.
Liu Longren was startled and subconsciously took out his phone from his pocket.
The moment he saw the caller ID, the corners of his mouth actually turned up slightly.
Liu Longren quickly answered the phone.
"Hey Bro, what brings you to contact me now..."