chapter 40 One dragon, two tigers and four chaebols

In Sedrick's office, Clarence and Rachel sat on the genuine leather sofa, while Sedrick stood to the side. Clarence lightly tapped the tabletop and said, "A month ago, my family, the Van Family, had an incident at this hotel." "Does this have anything to do with you?" Clarence's words were casual, but to Sedrick, they sounded like funeral bells, sending a shiver down his spine. "Mr. Van, your family's affairs have nothing to do with me. Chad and I were friends. How could I do such a thing?" "Was there any sign before the wedding?" Clarence continued to ask. He had checked, and Sedrick should have no connection to the matter. But Clarence didn't want to overlook any clues. Sedrick tried to recall the events of that day and said solemnly, "I only know that many guests arrived that day. I was busy and didn't notice anything unusual." "When the wedding banquet reached its climax, a group of masked men suddenly appeared, killing and slashing indiscriminately. Their targets were members of the Van Family, but some innocent people were also implicated." Rachel's delicate body couldn't help but tremble as if recalling the fear of that day. Luckily, she had gone to the dressing room to touch up her makeup at the time, or she might have fallen victim too. "Are there any surveillance recordings?" Clarence asked slowly. Sedrick gave a bitter smile. "Those people were probably professional killers. The surveillance was destroyed long ago, leaving no evidence." Clarence nodded. He had already anticipated this. The four major families had joined forces to seize all the assets of his foster family, but the true killers of his foster family were still at large. "However, I have a piece of clothing stained with blood that Chad left behind after the incident. I don't know if it will be of any use." Sedrick suddenly said. Clarence was taken aback. "Where is it? Show it to me." Sedrick nodded and reached under the desk to retrieve the piece of clothing, handing it to Clarence. It was a snow-white shirt, soaked with blood, with more than ten knife marks visible on it, illustrating how tragic Chad's end had been. Clarence clenched his fists, a palpable aura of killing intent bursting forth. The temperature in the room dropped rapidly as if it were the depths of winter. The knife wounds were neat, each only about three inches long, indicating that the killer was highly skilled with a knife. Clarence put away the blood-stained clothing and looked at Sedrick. "Thank you. Here's my phone number. If you find anything, remember to notify me immediately." Clarence placed his phone number on the table and prepared to leave with Rachel. "Wait!" Sedrick suddenly called out. "Is there something else?" Clarence frowned slightly. Sedrick took a deep breath and said, "Mr. Van, are you determined to seek revenge? Do you know that although Zensea seems small, it hides many hidden dangers?" Clarence smiled faintly and sat back down, showing considerable interest. "Well, why don't you tell me exactly how deep the waters of Zensea are?" Sedrick had already anticipated that Clarence, being away from Zensea, didn't understand the situation, so he felt it necessary to give Clarence a wake-up call. If Clarence continued like this, he would surely run into trouble sooner or later. "Zensea has always been known as having one dragon, two tigers, and four major financial families." "The dragon refers to the figure on Thessader Mountain outside Zensea, the one who retired from Yahetcaster. Though he doesn't directly engage with the various powers in Zensea, no one dares to defy him." "The two tigers refer to the Foursea Trade Alliance and the Celestial Martial Union in Zensea. These two organizations, one focused on commerce and the other on martial arts, control all aspects of power in Zensea. Most merchants are members of the Foursea Trade Alliance, while martial arts schools and security services need approval from the Martial Union." "As for the four major financial families, they are undoubtedly Zensea's Norman Family, Michael Family, Campbell Family, and Randy Family. You should know about them." Upon hearing this, Clarence's expression turned cold with a hint of killing intent. "Are you suggesting that my Van Family's affairs involve not only the four major families but also this so-called dragon and two tigers?" Sedrick was momentarily speechless. "No, that's not what I meant. What I meant was, although Mr. Van has some background in the war zone, if he doesn't rein it in, he might sooner or later provoke these powers." "The major families in Zensea are deeply intertwined. If one thrives, all thrive; if one suffers, all suffer. When the time comes, I'm afraid..." Clarence's smile turned cold. "If they don't know what's good for them and provoke me, I'll uproot them without mercy." With that, Clarence left with Rachel. Sedrick was left bewildered. He hadn't expected Clarence's words to be so reckless. Where did he get the courage? Could it be that he truly had the power to shake all of Zensea? Regardless, Clarence had finally left, and Sedrick could finally breathe a sigh of relief. Dealing with this man was truly too much pressure. Even standing in his presence felt suffocating. In the car back to Desvail Mountain, Rachel remained silent, lost in her thoughts. "Sis Rachel, I didn't consider your feelings. I'm sorry if I brought back painful memories." Clarence's large hand rested on Rachel's trembling shoulder, emitting a warm, comforting feeling. Clarence had intended to have Rachel stay behind to review the scene, but he hadn't anticipated triggering Rachel's sensitive nerves. Rachel's tense nerves gradually relaxed as she faintly smiled and wiped away her tears. "I'm fine. Since everyone's gone, there's nothing to be sad about. I just feel useless, unable to do anything but watch that tragedy unfold. I feel so powerless." Clarence shook his head. "Encountering such things, anyone would feel afraid. Sis Rachel, you just need to manage Nyse Group well. Leave the rest to me." Looking at Clarence's determined gaze, Rachel seemed to see Chad's shadow and hesitated before nodding in agreement. Back at the villa, Clarence handed the blood-stained shirt to Maxine and instructed her to start investigating, hoping to find some clues in the shirt. Decco approached with a bow. "The Honorable, there are a few matters that require your attention." "Go on." "Norman Family has received Maddox's body and has begun preparations for his funeral, scheduled for burial in two days." "Additionally, Lillian has ordered a substantial sum of money to be allocated for resettling the residents of the shantytowns." Clarence nodded. Norman Family was wise enough to understand public sentiment. If they hadn't allocated this money, their reputation in Zensea would have suffered. Decco continued, "The Honorable, there's one more thing. I've noticed that April's house is being surveilled."