/ good day, readers! i’ve updated the novels page and added an index for this story; you can now also subscribe via email from the menu. thank you for all your enthusiasm! “next chapter” links will lead to an error page unless the chapter has already been released. /

Chapter 12: The Real Story

No one responded. Xiao Yun's injury was of utmost concern, so the group quickly returned to Qi Clan territory, where a medical professional was immediately made available for him.

A golden-haired man stood in the room with them, peering outside a window with an ashen face. An endless stream of people kept coming in to report things to him.

"How is it?" The man asked one of the men, turning around after a long moment of silence. "Will it affect the race?"

"It's a superficial wound," the other man replied respectfully. "However, it may affect the muscle there. For a race that requires such muscle sensitivity and control, it might be a problem."

The golden-haired man furrowed his brows and glared at Xiao Yun and the rest with a stony face. "I told you people to be careful, to be cautious, and to not leave the perimeters of our protection," he said. "What am I supposed to tell the boss?"

"It's just driving," Xiao Yun bit back. "No matter how badly I'm injured, it's not like I've never driven a car before. It's not a big deal, and I'm not looking to blame you guys or anything. There's nothing to say."

"We chose to go out, so it's our responsibility," Jun Qi added. "We won't humiliate you guys tomorrow."

It didn't escape Li Xin that neither Xiao Yun nor Jun Qi mentioned that she was the reason they left at all. Wu Sen said nothing, but his silence showed his support.

"Red Falcon, the Williams family was behind the attack. Their goal was simply to prevent Xiao Yun from joining the race, not to kill him."

Wu Sen and Jun Qi shared a look at this latest report to the golden-haired man. No wonder they ended up in the middle of a gang fight. It hadn’t just been pure coincidence. And Xiao Yun's leg wound — killing him would have been easy, but the bullet was only meant to injure him.

Red Falcon — whether that was the man's name, pseudonym, or ranking, none of them could be sure — let out a harrumph. "The Williams family are the Blue Clan's dogs," he sneered. "The Blue Clan are the only ones who would dare provoke us. They'd better prepare themselves for our retaliation."

After he issued his threat, Red Falcon once again swept a glance over Xiao Yun and the rest. He appeared to regain control of his emotions, and said quietly, "Take care of the injury. We'll take care of the rest."

He left them alone in the luxurious room, and the group was submerged in a moment of silence. It occurred to Jun Qi that Li Xin had yet to say a word. "It's okay, the injury's not too bad," he said, walking up to her with a smile and taking her hand."It'll just sting a little. He's not a man if he can't handle that bit of pain. You don't have to feel bad."

"Yeah, this is nothing. I'm just driving, and they didn't tell me to fight for the Race King t.i.tle or anything," Xiao Yun agreed. "You don't have to be sorry at all. Although I wouldn't mind a bit of pity. Come on, Li Xin, you should give me a kiss and heal my injured heart."

To which Xiu Shui chimed, "Last time I checked, the injury was on your leg, not your heart."

Xiao Yun rolled his eyes at her.

"Since the culprit turned out to be Qi Clan's biggest opponent, Blue Clan, then we couldn't have predicted when and where they'd attack. Something like this would have happened sooner or later. It's really fine." Li Xin raised her eyes to see Wu Sen looking at her. Xiao Yun was also looking at her with an easygoing smile on his face. Jun Qi was the same, and Xiu Shui was nodding earnestly.

There was a long pause, and then Li Xin's eyes flashed. "That's good. I'm going to bed then, I'm exhausted," she murmured, spinning around and exiting the room.

Once in the hall, she caught sight of Red Falcon walking up ahead and ran up to him. Upon seeing her, the man asked coldly, "What?"

Li Xin glanced around at the men following him. "I want to know what your endgame is," she said quietly.

Red Falcon raised an eyebrow and appraised her. She gazed steadily back at him and he saw that she lacked the skittishness and carelessness that defined her presence when she first came. He dismissed his men with a glance before replying, "What right do you have to ask?"

"Xiao Yun won't get too far in the race tomorrow with his injury. If you tell me, I'll give you someone better than him. I'm sure you guys will need them."

The stony expression on Red Falcon's face disappeared, and he leaned against the wall, eyes seizing the woman in front of him up. "You're a smart one," he said finally.

Li Xin grinned, though she had no idea if he'd been complimenting her or not. She'd been drifting around the underworld for years. Although robbery was different from organized crime, it still had its place in the underworld. The fact that the Qi Clan, famed arms dealers, would go out of their way to ask one of the top three candidates in underground racing to race for them was definitely not coincidence.

She also doubted that the Blue Clan would openly attack in Qi Clan territory over some underground racing t.i.tle. The two clans wouldn't be fighting over something so arbitrary. There was definitely something going on. Li Xin wasn't opposed to helping them, but she had to know the truth so she wouldn't be taken by surprise.

Red Falcon took in her confident pose. It was true, they did desperately need a better candidate than Xiao Yun right now. It would be excellent if she was able to provide them with one; if not, he would make her regret her impulsiveness.

"The part.i.tioning of the Southeast Asian market is going to be determined by the race," he explained.

This startled Li Xin. The boss that held the monopoly over Southeast Asia had just pa.s.sed away earlier this month. Now, they were already redividing the territory. Crime syndicates were so aggressive and a.s.sertive. However, the underworld had always had their own rules, as with the business world above. Qi Clan seeking help from Xiao Yun, who came from the business world, meant that the territorial war had become white-hot.

Honestly, it was all incredibly dramatic. Using car racing instead of brute strength… it was hard to determine whether the race was trivial or yet another form of war.

"I want all of the prize money and profits," Lin Xin said. She observed the cold gaze Red Falcon had on her. The fact that he was being so straightforward indicated that he was not concerned that she would divulge anything to anyone.

"That's fine."

Li Xin nodded, then whispered something to him. He looked at her, shocked, before responding. They ended up walking back outside together.

~~~

The next morning, every crime syndicate in the world was seated on a platform within F1 Stadium. They each sat in their own designated areas and carried an aura of vindictiveness about them. F1 was not a car racing stadium today. It was a war zone.

Elsewhere, exhilarated roars sounded across the stadium. The underground race was a once-a-year tradition, and this year, it was being held earlier than usual, from sunset to the next morning. As a result, spectators were beyond excited.

"Where in the world is Li Xin? Could something have happened to her?" Xiu Shui was sitting in Qi Clan's designated resting area on the verge of tears, her face scrunched up in worry. Everyone had thought Li Xin went to bed the day before, but when they went to find her in the morning, there was no one there. Now, they were all freaking out.