Chapter 351: Internal Strife

Yaoguang stepped onto the rooftop.

Tianji sat on the edge, looking down at the Muke District.

High-tech skyscrapers and broad highways acted as dividing lines, carving the massive Anthill into fragmented blocks.

Thick, billowing smoke rose from across those fragmented blocks of the Anthill. Mixed with roars, screams, and howls, the glow of the fires dyed the once-colorful sky a bloody red.

The chorus had reached its climax.

Now, they only had to wait for those bottom-rung citizens to hit their breaking point and strike back.

"Why are you back here?"

Tianji glanced back at Yaoguang.

"I figured you'd be throwing a tantrum for at least two days."

Everyone knew Yaoguang had the worst temper in the Seven Stars.

"You've been exposed."

Yaoguang opened with a critical hit, causing Tianji's eyes to instantly narrow.

"What do you mean?" He stood up from the ledge.

"Exactly what I said." Yaoguang looked him in the eye, enunciating every word:

"The Law Enforcement Agency knows the Seven Stars are behind this incident, and they've pinpointed you as their target."

"Impossible!" Tianji instinctively denied it. "How could those useless fools figure it out?"

"It's the truth." Yaoguang's expression was dead serious. "I've already received the intel."

"Who told you?" The moment the words left Tianji's mouth, he realized he'd overstepped.

Although the Seven Stars were a single entity, they didn't share their intelligence networks.

They even maintained subtle internal cliques.

Yaoguang, for instance, preferred acting alongside Tianquan, who specialized in machinery, while Tianji favored working with Yuheng, the master of information networks.

By directly asking for Yaoguang's source, Tianji had broken a taboo.

Yaoguang's face turned ice-cold.

"That's none of your business. If you don't believe me, have Yuheng look into it."

"Though the Law Enforcement Agency has already cast a net. Any communication right now risks exposure."

"Honestly, I was surprised too. But my source wouldn't lie to me—otherwise, they wouldn't have been able to name your exact alias."

Tianji's face darkened, but he still had Yuheng run a check.

Soon, Yuheng replied.

A mole inside the Law Enforcement Agency confirmed the news was true: they had indeed locked onto Tianji as the mastermind behind the operation.

"Fuck!" The smile vanished completely from Tianji's face. He simply couldn't figure out how he'd been exposed.

He had created the biological agents, Yuheng had spread the rumors, and the sales channels were buried under multiple layers of obfuscation. The target demographic was the powerless underclass of the Anthill.

Yet now he was being told they were already onto him.

"Give it up."

Yaoguang spoke flatly.

According to the rules of the Seven Stars, being targeted by the Law Enforcement Agency before a plan was completed meant the operation had to be aborted immediately.

Otherwise, if things went south, he would bear the consequences alone. No one was going to clean up his mess.

"No, there's still a chance."

Tianji was clearly unwilling to let it go. His breathing grew slightly heavy.

"The plan is already in motion. As long as I'm not caught, it doesn't matter if they know it was me."

"You weren't followed, were you?"

He looked up at Yaoguang, a vicious gleam in his eyes.

"No."

Yaoguang's face remained calm.

"But I haven't told you the rest—they already have countermeasures in place."

"The leader of the Intellect Brain has been secretly detained. Tomorrow morning, when the conflict between the two sides fully erupts, he will step forward and claim responsibility for orchestrating this entire incident."

"When that happens, not only will the conflict dissolve, but the public will subconsciously feel a sense of guilt."

"Your plan will be utterly shattered—"

Bam! Before Yaoguang could finish, Tianji lunged and grabbed him by the collar.

Ranked fourth in combat strength among the Seven Stars, he was a whole tier higher than Yaoguang.

"It's not over yet." He stared into Yaoguang's eyes, his own entirely bloodshot, enunciating every word:

"It doesn't matter if they drag out the Intellect Brain. All I have to do is make the public disbelieve them."

"It's just the Intellect Brain. Their influence is limited in the end."

"Now I just need to expand the impact. Expand it until the masses believe the Intellect Brain is just a scapegoat pushed out to take the fall."

"There's still time."

"..." Yaoguang's gaze darkened.

"If you continue to expand the impact, more blood will be spilled."

"Bloodshed is inevitable!" Behind his gold-rimmed glasses, Tianji's eyes carried undisguised brutality. He practically growled, "What change has ever come without bloodshed!"

"But they were forced into this!" Yaoguang's voice was just as loud.

"They aren't ready, and many of them don't even understand the situation! They're just sacrifices!"

Bang! Tianji's right arm violently swelled into a colossal, dozen-meter-long limb, smashing Yaoguang directly into the concrete and embedding him there.

The muscles on the arm bulged, thumping as if each cluster possessed a life of its own. Veins twisted and knotted like tree roots, and a thick layer of stiff hair covered the skin.

No one would have ever imagined that Tianji, who looked like the most refined member on the television screens, was actually a bionic species.

Right now, he looked far more savage than any rampaging bionic species out on the streets. His terrifying giant arm radiated a heavy, murderous intent.

"This is my plan, and Tianshu has already approved it."

Tianji tried his best to control his voice, but it was still as gruff as a beast from the Wasteland, overflowing with killing intent.

"I have the right to purge anyone who tries to stop this plan."

" Cough, cough... "

Yaoguang coughed up blood as he slowly stood from the shattered concrete. The cuffs of his black tailcoat had been shredded by his own mechanical iron fists, which he held crossed defensively in front of him.

Yet he didn't back down. Ignoring Tianquan's shouts in his earpiece, weird energy surged around his body.

"Then let's fight."

"Let's see how long it takes for those enforcers to arrive."

He truly was the one with the worst temper in the Seven Stars.

"..."

"..."

Tianji fell silent for a few seconds. He reined in his killing intent and slowly flipped his palm over, revealing a black mechanical device the size of a soybean.

"This is a recording device I just found on you. I don't know who you've been in contact with, but do you really think they have such good intentions?"

With that, he used his massive claw to press the play button.

A playback of their conversation rang out:

"Bloodshed is inevitable! What change has ever come without..."

"You know what kind of impact it'll have on the Seven Stars if this recording leaks, right? I shouldn't need to tell you what the person feeding you intel is plotting."

Tianji said slowly.

Listening to the recording play from the device, Yaoguang's gaze darkened. Finally, he slowly turned around.

"Bear the consequences yourself."

It wasn't until he had left the building that Tianquan's voice came through his earpiece.

"He planted that recording device on you just now when he grabbed your collar."

"I know."

Yaoguang's tone was icy.

"But I can't stop him. He's already gone mad."

"If he's willing to frame me in advance just to convince me, there's nothing he won't do."

"But I don't think he's going to succeed."

Tianquan asked, "Why?"

"Because I keep feeling like someone is watching us," Yaoguang said slowly.

"Impossible. I didn't detect any life signs. There's only a very weak electronic signal," Tianquan said.

"It should just be the recording device in Tianji's hand."

"Maybe." Yaoguang shook his head.

There was no point talking about it now. When the conflict fully erupted, the direction of the story would naturally become clear.