Chapter 22

"It is good to see that you aren't hurt." Peng Zedong's father told her. This was the first time in her entire life that she was in real danger. As unclear which it may have seemed concerning his feelings towards her and Yao Ling at this moment, what was clear was that he was deeply concerned for his daughter's safety.

Finally able to witness that he was in fact worried about her, Peng Zedong felt that the bond which the two shared was closer than ever before. Usually, she would assume he cared more about Yao Ling's safety, but at the end of the day, Yao Ling was not his biological daughter.

"I am sorry father, if it wasn't for the fact that Yao Ling wanted to go to that particular place for lunch, this would have all been avoided. I'm ashamed for being unwilling to put my foot down when facing her." Peng Zedong replied before talking over all of the events throughout the day.

"I see, I see. Well in any case, I sent quite a few men of ours to assist Zheng Qigang so that those individuals realized we would not be playing their game without winning. You may have heard me earlier, but after speaking to the chief of police, I was told to withdraw completely and to let them handle their investigation."

"The fact that our Peng family's business is very public, him telling me this is just his way of looking after our best interests. What he doesn't realize, is that your fiance is a new Crime Lord who is also located within Maple City and has countless men at his disposal."

"Things may change very soon, and your safety from here on out must be a priority over all else. I am unsure what will be decided, but you are the next generation of our family and you must be protected at all cost."

"When we get back, I want you to head to bed as I talk things over with some of my advisors. I do not want to hold you captive within our compound, you are still too young for something that drastic being done. Do not worry though, just leave everything up to me to figure out." Peng Zedong's father told her before the car became silent once again.

In her mind, Peng Zedong refused to believe that her father would trap her in the mansion regardless of the circumstances, but she was still completely in the dark concerning the aftermath of the events which happened earlier in the day.

Finally arriving at the Peng family mansion and knowing that her night had come to a close, Peng Zedong ran upstairs to her room as her father was winding down with a nice small glass of alcohol. He still was not willing to disclose his conversation with Yao Ling's grandfather, but anyone could tell at this moment that it took a toll on him.

Peng Zedong sat down at the small desk in her room and her demeanor completely changed. The loving and concerned young woman's presence switched to a hardened leader who wanted nothing more than to lead her army into battle and destroy the opposing side.

"You can come out now, for your sake, I hope that the report you have will please me." Peng Zedong said as she still had her body facing the wall. Suddenly outside of her open window which led to her deck, was what looked to be a man dressed in all black in order to blend in with the night sky.

"My lady, with the help that your father had sent to assist him, Zheng Qigang and his men were able to completely dominate the opposing Crime Lord. However, the other two Crime Lords in the city chose to step in and to protect him from losing his position and sent more reinforcements than what could be handled by the collective force."

"Zheng Qigang until the very end before finally retreating, led the collective force by himself into battle and personally took down many men. I wouldn't dare make the assumption, but if you were to ask me, if he were given enough time to develop, he would be worthy of your hand in one thousand years." the man said before falling to one knee to await Peng Zedong's reply.

"Knowing my father, he would want nothing more than to use me to birth grand children since he is unaware of what I have built all of this time. Luckily, I was able to become a Crime Lord in a city in the southern region of the Flower Continent. If one had to be present to rule as a Crime Lord, it would have alarmed everyone."

"Except, after hiring that man to be the face of my personal forces, it seems that I could be a hidden Crime Lord and could continue expanding our territory and forces. Tell your boss that it will be difficult even for you in the near future to sneak into our mansion. Since my father believes that I am just a helpless little girl, he will buff up the current security."

"Still, we can continue with the current plan since only one remaining Crime Lord within Apricot City is left not under my control. Once our forces invade her district, she will have no choice but to join us. I am not in a rush, but taking down a measly Crime Lord with only a single fighter should not take long. Only report back once she is taken down, otherwise, do not bother me with anything insignificant for at least another three weeks." Peng Zedong told the man before dismissing him.