The Favored Heiress
Chapter 631: Godfather of Black Hawk

Chapter 631: Chapter 631: Godfather of Black Hawk

On the phone, it was Xiao Yehui’s voice.

Still as mild and meticulous as ever, yet upon close listening, one could discern a hint of light mockery.

Li Qiao rose and leaned against the headboard, her fingers caressing the quilt, "Is the tacit understanding you speak of just having me stand by and watch coldly?"

"How is this standing by and watching coldly?" Xiao Yehui seemed to chuckle, "Could it be that your feelings for him have grown so deep that you would ignore Yin Mo’s fate? Xiao Qi, you understand, if it weren’t for Shang Shaoyan, things between us wouldn’t have come to this point.

You can blame me or resent me, but in the end, it’s all because of Shang Shaoyan. Do you really think I’m unaware of the little maneuvers you’ve been making behind the scenes?"

Li Qiao’s expression remained unchanged as she raised an eyebrow, "You won over those thirteen AI engineers and had them defect to Qianmu Group with the Yan Emperor’s prototype to hold a press conference. You’ve had your share of moves, as well."

"Isn’t that normal? Business warfare is just like that. If he can’t solve even this small problem, doesn’t that mean he’s incompetent?"

Li Qiao threw off the quilt, got out of bed barefoot, and stood by the window, "Indeed, when it comes to being despicable, he’s no match for you."

This neural prosthesis launch event was a trap set by Xiao Yehui from the start.

Originally, Li Qiao thought he truly intended to tap into the AI technology market, which was why he had reached a cooperation with Qianmu Group.

But after meeting Gu Chenn today, she realized she had been wrong.

Xiao Yehui never considered cooperating with Qianmu. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have let Qianmu launch a press conference using a Yan Emperor prototype.

His real aim was to direct all the blame towards Yan Emperor.

If it weren’t for her interference, this neural prosthesis would have gone on sale officially after the press conference.

If nothing went wrong, Xiao’s Technology and Qianmu Group could profit immensely.

But if there were any errors in the chip conduction system, facing the condemnation of countless consumers would be an inevitable disaster.

And those thirteen engineers who defected could have had access to Xiao’s Technology’s chip development. By then, they could easily shift the blame to Yan Emperor, conspiring with Qianmu Group to bite back.

For instance, claiming Yan Emperor Group’s engineers defected to gain trust but sabotaged from within, thereby even affecting consumers.

Business competition is always a mixture of truth and deception.

The public doesn’t care for the underlying web of interests, they just follow the media narrative and condemnaticulously.

As a result, Yan Emperor would inevitably become the target of public criticism.

And Xiao’s Technology along with Qianmu Group would instead appear as the victims of business competition.

Thus, the AI project of Yan Emperor Group would forever be branded with the stigma of vicious competition and deceit of consumers.

Xiao Yehui calculated a good game, but he had overlooked the biggest variable in the equation, Li Qiao.

If not for her, the press conference wouldn’t have been disrupted halfway.

Gu Chenn also became furious, ruining all of his plans.

At this moment, hearing her sardonic tone, Xiao Yehui laughed instead of getting angry, "Xiao Qi, you really surprise me. In terms of intelligence and tactics, you are a hundred times stronger than Yin Mo.

It’s just a pity that you refuse to join forces with me. I’ve waited so long, and since I still can’t change your choice, then from now on, don’t blame me... for not cherishing old affections anymore."

"When have you ever cherished old affections?"

Xiao Yehui shook his head with a laugh, "I’ve explained it to you before, but you were unwilling to believe my intentions. You can’t possibly be naive enough to think that those few years of old affections are worth me setting aside the grudge of a severed arm, can you?"

You could choose Shang Shaoyan, but you can’t blame me for not caring about our past. Did any of you ever ask me what happened back then? Has anyone ever tried to understand how I got to where I am today?

Li Qiao, not everything is as you think it is. The bond between us was gone the moment you chose Shang Shaoyan.

Of course, after tonight, you might hate me even more, but that’s okay. It’s all our choice, and no one else is to blame."

The call ended there.

Li Qiao stood barefoot on the floor, expressionlessly moving away from the phone.

This was the first time she had heard Xiao Yehui speak to her in a tone filled with hatred, declaring war on her word by word.

She knew that the eldest of the Seven Sons had finally died.

But Li Qiao didn’t have much time to mourn the past because Xiao Yehui’s last sentence was clearly suggestive.

...

At 11:30 PM, Li Qiao drove her Ferrari into the night.

Bai Yan’s voice came continuously through the Bluetooth headset, "I’ve already informed Z, and he will join us soon. Don’t try to tough it out on your own. There are at least fifty mercenaries who have infiltrated Aida State, and we’re not joking around with that number."

"Whose organization?"

Li Qiao gripped the steering wheel with both hands, pressing on the accelerator as she weaved through the streets and alleys of Aida City.

Taking a drag on his cigarette, Bai Yan’s voice was very hoarse, "No organization, they’re all retired veterans from home and abroad, acting as a group independently. Blame Z if you must. If he hadn’t organized that artificial intelligence convention, Aida State wouldn’t have seen such a surge of people in just a few days.

Most of these mercenaries are likely mixed in with the expert teams acting as bodyguards. I took a rough look at the entry list in the customs system, and there are also quite a few retired MI6 members."

Li Qiao’s gaze turned cold, "Quite the grand gesture indeed."

"There are many underground organizations in Aida State, and the Flame Alliance doesn’t have much influence here—just a small part is in the hands of Z. If you need help, just talk to him directly."

After a brief silence, Li Qiao declined Bai Yan’s suggestion, "No need, Gu Chenn’s identity must remain hidden for now."

Xiao Yehui didn’t know that Gu Chenn was a core member of the Flame Alliance. If he did, he would never collaborate with Gu Chenn.

This thread, she wouldn’t let him discover it unless absolutely necessary.

In a blink, Li Qiao’s car stopped in front of a towering office building, right across the street from the state government office building.

Sitting in her car, she tilted her head, looking up at the Black Hawk emblem at the top of the building.

Suddenly, another black Maserati pulled up beside her. Gu Chenn got out of the car and tapped on her window, "The boss sent me to help you."

Li Qiao looked at his hair tousled by the night wind. Perhaps because he was in a hurry when leaving, that tuft of long hair on the top of his head wasn’t tied up and hung on either side of his head, a typical traitor’s hairstyle.

She pursed her lips, leaned out of the car, and nodded towards the building, "What is this place?"

Gu Chenn raised an eyebrow, looking a bit awkward as he replied, "Aida State’s largest local organization, the headquarters of the Black Hawk Party. You didn’t know?"

"Oh."

She truly did not know much, except for recognizing the Black Hawk emblem.

Seeing her nonchalant demeanor, Gu Chenn threw in another heavy statement, "Quite a few of Aida State’s politicians come from the Black Hawk Party. Their current Godfather of Black Hawk was once hunted down by the entire party, but he turned the tables and killed them all by himself, how badass is that?

Not only that, but it’s said that the Godfather of Black Hawk has a deep relationship with the leader of the International Club. One of the Eight Major Groups of the International Club, the Strategic Bureau, is located in Aida State."