Starting Cultivation in Wasteland-Chapter 561 - 431: Still Waters Run Deep

After Qu Jianlei took care of these two, he appeared at the academy library on time the next day.

As for whether to inform Gradi and gain more rewards, he hadn't decided yet.

Generally speaking, ever since he knew the middle-aged man had an organization backing him up, and it seemed troublesome to deal with, he chose to be cautious.

Actually, from the very beginning, he never decided to necessarily gain benefits from Gradi.

It merely gave him an extra reason to make a move.

Now he plans to sit and wait, observing how things develop, since those two's disappearance will eventually be noticed by the government.

Once a thorough investigation takes place, anomalies will naturally be discovered; then it depends on whether the officials decide to pursue it.

Hence, he truly has no need to proactively inform Gradi. As for whether they would suspect him, that's none of his concern.

Qu Jianlei never planned to deal with that mysterious organization, nor did he think they'd specifically target him; this time was just a coincidence.

Honestly speaking, his strength simply would not allow it.

But if they become persistent, endlessly harassing, he can only retaliate, enduring until he's strong enough to settle it once and for all.

Like when he was understanding intermediary situations with the woman, he just wanted to gather relevant information, not to eliminate anyone.

Of course, if they fall into his hands again, or if circumstances allow it, he would deal with them conveniently.

As for the mastermind behind the scenes, the Starr Family, Qu Jianlei indeed does not plan to let them go.

But this matter... how should one say? Every grievance has its source, and currently, the Starr Family's greatest rival is not him.

He obtained quite a number of explosive materials from the storage talisman, enough to trouble that family.

However, the Starr Family's old mansion is not far from the bustling city, and the estate is quite large.

The quantity of explosives is too low to cause much damage, but if increased, it might inadvertently harm the surroundings.

Just having scolded the female consultant for ignoring the lives of ordinary people, how could he commit such acts?

Therefore, he decides to read diligently, determined to wait and see.

That afternoon, the Starr Family received news that two guests from the Celestial Bow Star Realm were missing.

Initially, they thought the duo was preparing for something major.

After all, their assault on Gwendolyn was executed beautifully, generating significant impact. Remaining low-key temporarily seemed reasonable.

But when they still couldn't contact them by noon the next day, the Starr Family began to worry.

At the same time, both Poliana and the Ye Family received mysterious warnings to be vigilant against Starr Family hiring killers from the Outer Star Realm.

Both parties were of local influence, the former being a small family, but her high position attracted many who wanted to curry favor.

Swiftly, they identified some suspect targets, and the missing two killers came under their scrutiny.

Initially, their attention level wasn't too high.

The reason for the attention, aside from being from the Outer Star Realm, was also due to them checking out the hotel the day Gwendolyn was attacked and switching to another.

But after switching hotels for a day, they mysteriously disappeared, which was quite absurd—could it be they've realized the wind was getting tight, and went into hiding?

Further investigation revealed that on the first day of their lodging, the patrol guard's elemental sensor detected a shadow.

This was secretive information accessible only to patrols and high-level personnel, certainly beyond the reach of those with lesser ability.

However, when these three doubts were combined, the suspicion concerning the two killers grew significantly.

Gradi received news relatively early, and informed the two families because it was more convenient than doing it herself.

With ready manpower available, she could simply observe the results coldly.

Upon learning they were suspects, she mentioned it to her husband Hertman—this was beyond her capabilities. 𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

The Guard Captain felt quite displeased with his brother-in-law, not wanting to assist, but couldn't avoid it due to familial ties.

If he showed no reaction, those aware might say their relationship was cold, while the unaware might think he couldn't protect his family.

Therefore, he arranged for his trusted aide to subtly reach out to the Celestial Bow Star Realm people to inquire about these two individuals.

The approach was tactful, yet he was after all the first deputy guard captain of Star No. 4, so the other side took it very seriously.

Whether or not information could be uncovered is uncertain, but they had to show effort—regardless of results, at least they made an effort.

This disturbance instantly alerted some individuals, and soon, the news spread.

The Starr Family had not contacted the two killers for three days, feeling lost until they received communication from the Outer Star Realm.

The other side told them they were currently busy investing in new projects, unable to attend family funerals, and very sorry.

Interstellar communication allows easy eavesdropping, thus it was unsuitable for the opposing side to speak too clearly.

Soon after, additional documents arrived, containing vague codes with ambiguous messages.

Unfortunately, a mere small family lacked depth, and basic codes could deceive regular individuals but wouldn't withstand professional decoding.

The general meaning of the code indicated that both parties were still relatives and should visit more often.

Upon receiving the communication, the Starr Family instantly realized: those two killers... probably met an untimely fate.

Whether dead or not is hard to say, but at the very least, they were no longer in control of their own fate.

As for who did it, it's really hard to guess, because the higher-ups of the Starr Family are aware of the assassination order.

The first in line, Gwendolyn, has already been targeted; Panda, the second, is currently unharmed, and the third and fourth haven't had their turn yet.

The Starr Family acknowledges this order of revenge—every enemy has made the list, feasible with minimal backlash.

However, when two assassins got into trouble, they were at a loss since any of these four could have targeted the assassins.

Most probable was the Guard Captain, with the least likelihood being Panda, but who actually did it?

The Starr Family urgently retracted once again—losing two A-levels just like that, who wouldn't be terrified?

This abnormal reaction was immediately noticed by others; before the fourth-tier leaders could act, their subordinates were already refusing.

Damn, we agreed to let this matter go, so what kind of nonsense is your family up to again?

The Starr Family felt wronged but couldn't explain—speaking factually, they were the ones who broke the agreement first.

But the truth is not so simple; they also wanted to adhere to the agreement, but unfortunately, the killers arrived.

Feiyang Group is a manufacturer, not a Pioneer Team; finding assassins from the Outer Star Realm and sending them takes a process.

This is thanks to Feiyang's materials being related to military production; otherwise, it would take even longer.

The Starr Family decided to change their plan upon learning the assassins had arrived—since they were here anyway.

Ultimately, they were not very confident about the agreement and felt that after losing so many of their own, some revenge would be acceptable.

After being scolded by the fourth-tier leaders, the Starr Family dared not retreat further, but they were also uneasy about letting people out.

As for the idea of relocating the entire family away from Star No. 4? That was impossible!

Several generations had toiled to build such a large industry and established so many social connections; how could they just leave?

Besides, selling off assets at this time would not fetch a good price.

Only those who have truly experienced it know the greed of those vultures is beyond an ordinary person's imagination.

So they could only explain that their family intended to hold an internal selection soon to find good talents for focus training.

Few believed this explanation, but it wasn't entirely without reason.

Anyway, such a selection doesn't take long; investigators told them: you only have three days.

As soon as the investigators left, the Starr Family began discussing whether to send some younger members away.

The code in the document had already stated: Hope to keep in contact.

The basic meaning was to send a few people over, for easier communication and in case something happens, ensuring the bloodline isn't lost.

This needed to be done quickly; any delay might render it too late.

The Hope Star Realm is at the Edge Star Realm's fringe; moving to the Core Star Realm is difficult, though occasional travel is manageable.

At this time, they really couldn't think of anything more; best to send people away first.

Next was to scatter some members to other places—continuously gathering everyone, the Government would not approve.

Robinson wanted to go to the Outer Star Realm; he was the family's star of hope, studying at a top academy, close to reaching C-level.

If he weren't so important, the family wouldn't have dealt with Panda—this was to foster his sense of belonging to the family.

However, this time, the family unanimously denied his request: others could leave, but he could not!

In the end, this whole unforeseen disaster in the family was triggered by you. Without your insistence, how could we confront the teacher?

This wasn't a punishment for Robinson but because if necessary, sacrificing him might earn the opponent's forgiveness.

It's not that the family is heartless, but once certain things are done, one must be prepared to bear the consequences.

Without sustained effort from the family, he wouldn't have made such rapid progress nor developed such a proud character.

If possible, who would want to sacrifice such a promising talent? But the family's overall interests must outweigh personal interests.

Ultimately, he is just a budding talent, and whether he can mature is uncertain.

If the opponent refuses to accept reconciliation after sending him away, even reaching C-level or B-level wouldn't matter; he'd still be eliminated!

With two A-levels already missing, what makes you think you can escape?

Thus sending Robin Hood away would be nearly useless and might even anger the opponent, better to reserve these resources for others.

Wanting to send some promising talents away did require some effort.

The family, not wanting to draw attention, at first sent only four children on a trip, accompanied by two adults for supervision.

The second batch left that afternoon, with slightly more people—eight.

However, unfortunately, they got stuck at the port, claiming their paperwork was incomplete.

For heaven's sake, what complex paperwork is needed for a trip? Clearly, someone was targeting them.

Later, news came that it was arranged by Hertman's subordinates.

The Imperial operates on the principle of survival of the fittest, so the Government's power is relatively weak, but setting such minor obstacles is really easy.

(To be continued, requesting monthly votes, subscriptions, and recommendation votes.)