Chapter 2583 — Waiting for News, Which Left the Branch's Big Boss—That Is, Brother Dafeng—With No Say at All, Effectively Sidelined
The Blossom Guardian · Page 1 of 3
At the time, the lackey had been thrilled. If he played his cards well, then after a few years he might just claw his way into the position of second-in-command—and since the big boss was a mere figurehead, being second-in-command would effectively make him the boss himself, reporting directly to Military Advisor Zhuge.
Of course, wishes are lovely things, but reality is cruel. He had not enjoyed more than a few days of the good life before Military Advisor Zhuge was beaten to death, and he, the lackey, was about to be plunged into an abyss. Even if he could no longer stay in the branch, he could always return to headquarters—but at headquarters he would be nothing but a foot soldier for the rest of his life. No one would dare put him to use again; they would all think him cursed with bad luck. Any hope of advancement was gone. Even eating his fill and waiting to die would be a fine outcome; what he dreaded was being picked as a scapegoat, shoved out to take the fall—then everything would truly be finished.
After all, the Red Conch was a mysterious outfit, but it was also a registered, large-scale drug-trafficking and terror organization. Whoever walks long by the river will one day get his feet wet—the police were bound to catch them out on something eventually. And within the Red Conch there were always a few good-for-nothings kept around precisely for the purpose of take the fall. If this lackey went back, there was every chance he would end up in exactly that category.
His mood was foul indeed—not that he hated Wei Zhao; it was Military Advisor Zhuge he loathed with all his heart. He was a clever man and knew that debts have their creditors and grudges their sources. If Zhuge Junshi had not gone swaggering about, throwing his weight around and picking on people, offending an expert he had no business offending, how would he have lost his life?
Just look at how Guan Daifu Pharmaceutical had flourished in such a short time—how could that be possible without a powerful backer propping it up? And this Military Advisor Zhuge even styled himself the reincarnation of Zhuge Liang; he was more like the reincarnation of a pig. Even pigs were smarter than him! What a fool!
Yet for all his inward cursing and grief, he still had to follow the rules and report the matter to Brother Dafeng. Though within the domestic branch it was Military Advisor Zhuge who held power and Brother Dafeng who had been sidelined, in truth Brother Dafeng was the greater. It was not that he could not skip Brother Dafeng and report straight to headquarters—but now that Military Advisor Zhuge was dead, he had no backer left. If someone were to smear him with a charge of failing to follow procedure, that would be no different from casting him into the eighteenth level of hell, leaving him fit only to be shoved out as a scapegoat.
"Brother Dafeng, this is Little Tongzi…" the lackey said, listlessly dialing Brother Dafeng's number.
On his end, Brother Dafeng was in fact waiting anxiously for news. He did not know whether Wei Zhao could really take care of Military Advisor Zhuge. Wei Zhao had sounded full of confidence when he spoke of it, but after all, Military Advisor Zhuge was an expert of the early Heaven rank!
"Oh? Little Tongzi, is something the matter?" Brother Dafeng said, feigning calm, while inwardly he was stirred beyond measure. In times past, Little Tongzi would never have called him—the man had always run with Military Advisor Zhuge. How could he possibly call Brother Dafeng?
But a sudden call like this surely meant something had happened, and the only thing Brother Dafeng could think of was Military Advisor Zhuge. Only if something had happened to Military Advisor Zhuge would Little Tongzi be calling him.
"Brother Dafeng, something's happened—Military Advisor Zhuge is dead!" Little Tongzi said, his face crumpled with grief. "He was beaten to death!"