Chapter 83: Ants

"What? All the key members have been killed?" Gao Ting answered the phone, and upon learning that the entire upper echelon of the Wolf Gang had been massacred, he was shaken to the core.

He sat numbly on the sofa, his expression full of terror.

Not long ago, Zhao Hua was murdered, and now it's the higher-ups of the Wolf Gang.

Could this be a coincidence?

Clearly not; it was an intentional assassination.

"This must be connected to Yuanfu Catering Group. Is someone from Yuanfu Catering Group helping them from behind the scenes?"

Gao Ting pondered silently, piecing together the recent events in his mind.

After all, all these matters were linked to Yuanfu Catering Group.

But he had no idea who was secretly aiding the group.

Whoever could handle Zhou Zhenming and slaughter the Wolf Gang's top brass clearly possessed extraordinary means.

At this thought, a chill of dread swept over Gao Ting.

Because he, too, had been involved in these affairs.

"Could something have happened to Gao Quan?" As this possibility struck him, Gao Ting slumped on the sofa, seeming to age by several years in an instant.

Gao Quan had been missing for a long time, completely unreachable.

Now, Gao Ting was certain his son had been killed.

In this situation, it was already beyond his means to resolve.

With this realization, he pulled out his phone and made a call.

Once the call connected, Gao Ting took a deep breath before reporting, "The entire Wolf Gang leadership has been wiped out. I can do nothing more. You'll have to handle it yourselves."

"I'll send someone over," came a low, chilling voice from the other end.

Nothing more was said; the call was abruptly ended.

Gao Ting lay back on the sofa, closed his eyes, and silently prayed that the storm would not turn on him.

He was now convinced his son had met his end.

Meanwhile, at the construction site, the workers toiled day and night, continuing to dig as Yang Fan had instructed.

When the excavation reached a depth of over two hundred meters, Yang Fan ordered the workers to stop digging and focus instead on pumping out the water.

He then descended alone to the bottom, searching for the location of the spirit stones.

The fluctuations of spiritual energy were already quite distinct—he could sense their presence clearly.

"There aren't many. What's going on?" Yang Fan was puzzled.

He realized that the aura of the spirit stones was not as abundant as he’d expected—not like a true spirit vein.

He kept digging, and after about five more meters, he finally caught sight of the spirit stones.

The bottom was all hard rock, but in the center lay more than a dozen crystals, radiating a dense spiritual energy.

"So, it's only a nascent spirit vein. What a pity," Yang Fan thought, understanding the situation.

There were so few spirit stones because the vein was still in its infancy, and the stones had just begun to form.

It would take more than a thousand years for a full spirit vein to develop.

Yang Fan could not afford to wait a thousand years. He dug out the formed spirit stones and stored them in his spatial ring.

After refilling the earth, Yang Fan left the underground chamber.

He had obtained fifteen spirit stones in total, all low-grade, but enough for his cultivation for some time.

Though these fifteen stones would not allow him to break through to the late stage of Qi Refining, at the very least, he could reach the peak of mid-stage Qi Refining.

As long as he found some other spiritual items, he could break through.

Back above ground, Yang Fan instructed the workers to refill the pit, then departed.

The workers were momentarily stunned by the order to refill. After so many days of digging, now they were to just fill it back in?

Though puzzled, they did as they were told.

With fifteen spirit stones in hand, Yang Fan was in high spirits.

As he and Wang Gang walked down a sparsely traveled road, they suddenly realized they were surrounded.

"Come out," Yang Fan halted and called out coldly.

Wang Gang immediately shifted into a combat stance, his eyes scanning the surroundings.

He had not spotted the enemy, but he trusted Yang Fan.

"As expected, you noticed us," an elderly man emerged, his face full of admiration as he addressed Yang Fan.

As the old man stepped forward, more than three hundred people surged out from all sides, each gripping a weapon, their eyes fixed on Yang Fan and Wang Gang.

Seeing this, Yang Fan knew the opposition had come well prepared.

"Zhang family's Enforcer He, what makes you so confident you can take me down?" Yang Fan stared at the old man, his gaze icy. "If you think these men are enough, you are sorely mistaken."

"Heh, so the Yang family’s abandoned son is not as simple as he appears," Enforcer He chuckled. "The Yang family cast you aside—a tremendous loss for them."

Enforcer He was well aware of Yang Fan's formidable strength. Since he dared come, he must have a backup plan.

Yang Fan did not reply, but his gaze upon Enforcer He grew colder.

"Hand over the spirit stones, and I’ll let you live. Otherwise, you’ll both die here," Enforcer He’s voice was laced with menace and confidence.

"Oh?" Yang Fan raised his brows, his eyes landing on the middle-aged man standing behind Enforcer He. "Is that your trump card? In my eyes, he's not worth a damn."

Yang Fan had long since noticed the unique aura—the faint spiritual energy—emanating from the man behind Enforcer He.

However, the man had not broken through to the Qi Refining stage, so Yang Fan did not take him seriously.

Still, the middle-aged man's strength was certainly greater than Enforcer He’s.

"Hmph, at most you’re at the late stage of the Martial Artist realm. The two of us together are more than enough for you," Enforcer He sneered.

This time, the sect had sent his senior brother along.

With his senior brother taking part, he was confident they could capture Yang Fan.

He did not believe Yang Fan had reached the Innate realm.

"Then go ahead and try. Since you’re courting death, I’ll oblige you," Yang Fan’s tone grew colder, a chill flashing in his eyes.

"You talk big for someone so young. Let’s see what you can do," the middle-aged man snorted.

"Senior brother, let's attack together," Enforcer He said solemnly.

The middle-aged man nodded, and the two charged at Yang Fan.

"Take care of yourself," Yang Fan said to Wang Gang, then rushed to meet his opponents.

With a surge of energy, a terrifying aura burst forth from Yang Fan, sending a chill down the spines of all present.

Sensing the power radiating from Yang Fan, Enforcer He’s expression changed, a strong sense of danger welling up within him.

The two men attacked from either side, their strikes ferocious and powerful, their fists carrying overwhelming force.

"Mere tricks, not worth mentioning," Yang Fan sneered.

He moved like a phantom, his speed astonishing.

In a flash, his hands shot out, catching Enforcer He and the middle-aged man’s fists.

With a surge of strength, Yang Fan’s grip tightened.

A sickening crack resounded.

"Ah!"

Enforcer He and the middle-aged man’s fists were crushed to powder.

Before they could retreat, Yang Fan closed in, his fists slamming into their chests with devastating force.

Their chests caved in instantly.

Eyes wide, the two died with terror etched into their faces.

They had thought that, together, they could deal with Yang Fan. The reality was brutally different.

When the others saw Enforcer He and the middle-aged man killed, they scattered in panic.

Having dealt with the trouble, Yang Fan and Wang Gang quickly departed.