Chapter 172: Chapter 68 Prometheus Group (Thanks to Lengbinghan520 Silver Alliance)
Nanming Family, in the courtyard.
Dean Nanming was flipping through the investigation materials, while Nan Mingyuan stood quietly by his side.
These materials were extremely detailed, recording everything about Xiao Li, and mainly focused on the last few days.
The assassination planned by Xiao Li couldn’t have been premeditated for long, after all, Xu Mo had only recently decided to enter Nanming Academy.
Therefore, the focus was on who he had been in contact with these past few days, and with whom he had communicated through his communicator.
All of these details were meticulously noted in the materials.
Of course, it was unavoidable to investigate Xiao Li’s past—who had the ability to incite him to kill? To make Xiao Li disregard the cost, ignoring his own life.
Dean Nanming’s face turned extremely sour while looking through Xiao Li’s information.
Although he had long since stopped inquiring into the internal affairs of the academy and was not familiar with Xiao Li, the fact that such a talented student had behaved so hideously behind closed doors was very detrimental to the academy’s reputation. If this were to be made public, it would be considered a scandal at Nanming Academy.
The insidious forces in Steel Dome City were indeed pervasive, dragging down the outstanding talents of the Extraordinary Academy.
Given everything Xiao Li had done, even if he were to enter important departments in the future, there would still be leverage held over him.
Now, it was possible to speculate about some of the situations.
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“How is the Security Bureau’s investigation going?” Dean Nanming inquired.
“According to deductions, Xiao Li must have been coerced. This aligns with my view. I’ve interacted with Xiao Li at the academy before. He is outstanding but has a strong ego and cares greatly about his face. I’m afraid he cannot accept the exposure of his actions.”
Once exposed, Xiao Li’s reputation would be directly tarnished, and he could even be suspected of criminal activity, facing a future shrouded in darkness, not to mention public opinion and the scrutiny of those around him—likely more than Xiao Li could bear.
For Xiao Li, all of these things were possibly more terrifying than death itself.
“This matter is related to the underground casinos, with many people involved. The authorities at the Security Bureau are somewhat inadequate for this investigation; to continue digging might unearth more individuals. Moreover, these people seem to have no connection with Xu Mo. Looking at Xiao Li’s recent contacts and communication records, we haven’t yet found any suspects with a motive,” said Nan Mingyuan.
Dean Nanming frowned—there seemed to be deep waters behind this.
“Keep investigating,” Dean Nanming ordered. “Those underground, corrupt forces need a cleansing. It seems humanity is indeed the least capable of remembering.”
“Should we conceal the matter regarding Xiao Li?” Nan Mingyuan asked in a deep voice.
If this matter were to be publicized, it would be a scandal for Nanming Academy, damaging the academy’s reputation as well.
“What do you think?” Dean Nanming asked, looking up at Nan Mingyuan.
“The academy has been too lenient on students these years, lacking clear guidelines and allowing students to develop freely. It’s about time we rectify the academy’s ethos. However, some of the elder family members may not agree,” Nan Mingyuan said, lowering his head.
Dean Nanming rarely interfered with academy matters anymore. The academy was controlled by the family, and the elder members held far more influence than Nan Mingyuan.
The Nanming Family was not just his lineage alone.
Dean Nanming looked at Nan Mingyuan and said, “You have been lying low these years, and I know you are capable, but you need an opportunity. This incident could be one.”
“Make it public, handle it strictly. The academy indeed needs a thorough rectification, including some stubborn old-timers.”
Dean Nanming’s eyes conveyed a sense of stern determination—it was not just the academy that needed a cleansing, but also the backgrounds of these dark forces.
“Yes, Father,” said Nan Mingyuan, turning to leave with his back straightened.
Dean Nanming’s gaze was sharp.
The Day of Shame had passed hundreds of years ago, Byron Star had been destroyed, and it had also broken humanity’s spine.
In the entire Byron Star, financial tycoons roamed unchecked, and the upper echelons were corrupt.
How many steadfast defenders remained in today’s Byron Star?
Since the incident occurred at Nanming Academy, it was naturally the academy’s responsibility to address first.
After announcing everything about Xiao Li, it sparked a huge uproar.
All the major media outlets in Steel Dome City broadcasted the scandal involving Xiao Li.
Nanming Academy came forward to apologize, and with strong wording, promised to rectify the atmosphere in the academy and regulate the behavior of its students, to prevent nurturing parasites of humanity.
This self-exposed scandal proved to be a very effective crisis management approach for Nanming Academy.
Subsequently, public opinion in Steel Dome City shifted towards corruption issues.
Based on investigations, Xiao Li was directly involved with the underground casinos in Steel Dome City, along with some backgrounds.
Undercurrents surged in Steel Dome City, with many falling from power due to the incident, and many high-level corrupt officials in Steel Dome City felt threatened.
As the digging into these hidden forces deepened, it even led to struggles among several factions in Steel Dome City, stirring up dark undercurrents.
A significant number of corrupt forces were cleansed, but still, the mastermind behind Xiao Li remained at large.
The casinos behind him had been upturned, many were arrested and imprisoned, but none had direct connections with Xu Mo or had incited Xiao Li to assassinate Xu Mo. They more resembled collateral damage.
Of course, they were not wronged.
Steel Dome City’s upper echelons were shaken, but the trail had gone cold; the true mastermind behind the scenes remained uncovered.
At the Nanming Family, Nan Mingyuan reported to Dean Nanming about the incident.
Dean Nanming’s brow was deeply furrowed.
Hidden so deeply?
The trail had actually gone cold.
“Has he investigated?” asked Dean Nanming.
“The Li family?” Nan Mingyuan looked at the Old Dean and replied, “They had no contact with Xiao Li, and furthermore, they had no motive.”
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“Yes,” Dean Nanming nodded, “How do you view the matter between him and Huo Wu?”
“Huo Wu has her own opinions, and her lifelong affairs should take her own thoughts into account, rather than the opinions of the old folks in the family,” Nan Mingyuan said.
Dean Nanming nodded, “You may go now.”
Nan Mingyuan left.
After he left, Dean Nanming furrowed his brows deeply.
Despite such great efforts, they had not been able to find the mastermind behind the scenes; how troubling this would be when explaining to an old friend.
…….
Noah Academy.
The elder sat in the courtyard, having received a call from Dean Nanming.
After connecting the communicator, Dean Nanming’s face appeared on the other end.
“Have you found anything?” the elder asked sternly.
“Old man, I’m afraid I’ll have to disappoint you this time. The instigator behind the scenes is very well hidden; we still haven’t found the person responsible,” Dean Nanming replied.
The elder frowned.
The fact that Xu Mo had been assassinated several times since his identity was revealed was a serious matter. What if they couldn’t find the culprit and similar incidents occurred?
Moreover, not finding the person behind the scenes also meant that their methods were strong and the danger was even greater.
“Could we be looking in the wrong direction?” the elder suggested.
Intentional assassinations always leave traces.
There is no such thing as a perfect crime.
“I’ve thought the same. The lack of evidence might be because we haven’t considered the true motive of the assassination,” the dean said.
Understanding the motive for the assassination might lead to clues.
For example, he speculated that it might have been because of the ‘matchmaking’ rumor implicating the Li family, so they investigated the contact between the Li family and Xiao Li.
But now, with the leads broken and no way to find the person behind the scenes, they could not help but suspect they were heading in the wrong direction.
The motive behind Xiao Li’s assassination attempt on Xu Mo was beyond their expectations.
“Could it be intended to stir up conflict between us?” Dean Nanming asked.
If Xu Mo were assassinated at Nanming Academy, would the two old men turn against each other?
“Whose interests would it serve to provoke our conflict?” the elder responded, considering the possibility.
“It would benefit many,” Dean Nanming replied.
There are probably not a few who hope to see them at odds.
However, this would carry significant risks.
“This happened at your Nanming Academy, don’t tell me you’ll let the matter rest if you can’t find the killer,” the elder said.
“Do you think I’m not looking?” Dean Nanming retorted, “I will continue to pursue the killer, but the current issue is, how do we handle this matter before the killer is found?”
“In the previous incident, wasn’t there someone behind the Ming Group?” the elder noted.
“What do you imply?” a hint of something flashed in Dean Nanming’s eyes.
“Although the Ming Group has fallen, we cannot simply let this account rest,” the elder stated.
“You’re getting old, but you’re becoming more calculating,” Dean Nanming responded, “Fine, I’ll cooperate with you.”
The last incident hadn’t directly affected him.
However, he was in the wrong with this assassination case, and it was only fair for him to bleed a little.
The elder’s intentions were clear—tying him to the same battlefront, finding someone to vent on also served as a warning and deterrent.
Regardless of whether this assassination had anything to do with them, they couldn’t escape responsibility for the last one.
The two hung up the communicator, and Steel Dome City would again face tumultuous times.
“Teacher, can’t they find out?” Xu Mo came over; he had almost fully recovered.
“Yes,” the elder nodded, “According to the information we have, it’s possible that the person trying to assassinate you has an unknown motive.”
Xu Mo furrowed his brow—this feeling of being watched by someone in the shadows was very uncomfortable.
“Don’t go out for the time being, and also, we’re planning to warn the company, to shoot the tiger as a warning to the others. The company has always been in the shadows, but from now on, they may well step into the light,” the elder said, “Perhaps, they’ll make direct contact with you.”
Xu Mo showed a hint of concern—were they about to make contact with the company?
Was Mia at the company now?
Irina, presumably a member of the internal family of the company but possibly not central to it—if she took Mia to the higher-ups, then Mia might very well be with them.
“How strong is the company’s influence?” Xu Mo asked. Perhaps Lin Xi didn’t know everything.
“The Prometheus Family, the financial tycoon of Byron Star, founded the Prometheus Group. They proclaim their corporate vision as creating the most perfect humans to guard our homeland,” the elder explained to Xu Mo. “The Prometheus Group’s influence spans across all major cities on Byron Star, and its subsidiary in Steel Dome City is controlled by the four top families of Steel Dome, representing the Prometheus Group’s influence here.”
Xu Mo was inwardly shaken—this would have been considered a top multinational corporation in his previous life. Indeed, it was an empire of wealth.
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