…What is most lacking in Kyushu?

Or rather, what kind of people are most lacking in Kyushu?

This wass a question so simple that even a three-year-old with a bit of common sense could answer it, yet Tao Fengche suddenly fell silent.

It wasn’t that he didn’t know the answer, but the answer, combined with the earlier conversation, was so shocking that it evoked a long-forgotten fear in him.

Tao Fengche’s pupils slightly dilated, and he found it hard to maintain his facade of calm confidence.

When he decided to call Lawyer Li, he never anticipated that things would develop as they did now.

“It’s…”

He murmured involuntarily, but couldn’t bring himself to continue.

Lawyer Li waited for a long time, but hearing no further words from Tao Fengche, who was only breathing more heavily, he finally chose to reveal the answer himself: “It’s omegas.”

Tao Fengche closed his eyes tightly.

Cold sweat slowly seeped from his pores, gradually soaking his back. His heart pounded violently in his chest, and with it came a creeping chill throughout his body.

Though the beginning of autumn had passed, Jingpu was still as hot as a furnace. For a young alpha with strong vitality, even staying in an air-conditioned room couldn’t calm the restlessness in his heart.

Yet at this moment, Tao Fengche felt a bone-chilling cold.

After some hesitation, he finally stammered out, “The old man… no, I mean… my father, did he always know and agree to this?”

He was nearly incoherent.

His mind was in chaos, like a ball of yarn that had been violently unraveled by a cat, with no thread to follow. The once indomitable figure in his heart was now showing signs of collapse, with pieces crumbling away, teetering on the edge.

Tao Fengche bit down hard—he didn’t even know what kind of answer he wanted from Lawyer Li.

…Was Tao Zhixing aware of this?

If he was, then did he allow, or even condone, such a heinous act by those under his command?

If not…

Tao Fengche suddenly smiled, a self-mocking grin appearing on his face.

How could that be possible?

Tao Zhixing was a man with an immense desire for control. He never allowed things to develop beyond his plans; he was always in control, always composed. During those three days in the mourning hall, Tao Fengche had reflected on his father’s life, realizing that the only thing Tao Zhixing hadn’t foreseen was his own death.

But later, Sui Yuesheng took the will and ring, pushed open the door to the mourning hall with undeniable authority, and swiftly took control of the Tao family…

In hindsight, perhaps even his own death was within Tao Zhixing’s expectations.

For someone so meticulously calculating, dealing with such a large business, how could he possibly be unaware?

Although Tao Fengche often referred to his father as “the old man,” and had been at odds with him since adolescence, the truth was he had always secretly admired him, even hoping to become like him…

Now, Tao Fengche felt a deep sense of sorrow.

“The master knew, and didn’t know,” Lawyer Li gave an ambiguous answer. Before Tao Fengche could question it, he continued, “Things might not be exactly as you think, young master.”

“What you’re thinking of is probably kidnapping and human trafficking?” Lawyer Li hit the mark with his guess.

Tao Fengche responded with a vague, affirmative syllable.

“Kyushu is the most developed country in the Eastern Continent, with the most comprehensive social security and welfare systems. Additionally, due to the ‘Unified Script’ policy implemented by the leaders when the country was founded, all affiliated nations use Kyushu’s language and script; even non-affiliated nations have made Chinese one of their official languages. You’re aware of this, right?”

“Mm.” Although he didn’t understand why Lawyer Li was suddenly giving a history lesson, Tao Fengche nodded.

“Among the three ABO genders, omegas are the absolute minority. In some underdeveloped countries, omegas are considered assets, even communal property. Living in such countries is a miserable fate for omegas.”

“For this reason, some desperate omegas hope to come to Kyushu to live. Liu Tianlei, or rather some subordinates of the Tao family, were involved in human trafficking, but to be precise, it was more about smuggling. Kyushu lacks omegas, and omegas from other countries want to come here, so they acted as intermediaries, becoming the bridge between two nations.”

“This business has been going on in the Tao family for some years. Master Tao never really approved of it. After inheriting the Tao family, he intended to shut it down, but many omegas who had come to Kyushu through this channel pleaded with him. Given the mutual consent, he turned a blind eye.”

“But eventually, something went wrong,” Tao Fengche said firmly.

“Yes.” Although he knew Tao Fengche couldn’t see him, Lawyer Li still habitually nodded on the other end of the phone. “It was about ten years ago, I’m not too sure of the details, I just know that something went wrong. Master Tao was furious, executed many people, and after that, the business was completely shut down.”

…Wait.

Tao Fengche’s heart suddenly sank, and he had a bad premonition.

“Ten years ago?” He asked, his tone demanding, “Do you have an exact number?”

“Let me think. It seems, it seems like…” The event was so long ago that Lawyer Li struggled to recall, but after some time, he confirmed, “It seems it was exactly ten years ago, but Master Tao kept it secret from even me, and ordered everyone to keep quiet. However, too many people were executed at the time, so some rumors leaked out.”

“I don’t know much more, only that it was a huge scandal, and those involved either died or were exiled overseas. But since Liu Tianlei is still alive, he probably wasn’t deeply involved…”

Lawyer Li was still analyzing the situation, but to Tao Fengche, his words had turned into incomprehensible noise. He was completely stunned.

“Ten years ago,” again, “ten years ago.”

What could have driven Tao Zhixing to take such drastic measures, keeping it even from Lawyer Li?

Tao Fengche couldn’t help but recall that snowy night ten years ago, the thinly clothed omega shivering under Tao Zhixing’s down jacket, dirty all over, saying, “My name is Sui Yuesheng,” remembering how good he was at fighting, how he couldn’t read…

As cold sweat continued to pour, Tao Fengche realized he might have touched on the biggest mystery surrounding Sui Yuesheng, and it seemed he was close to unraveling it.

He wasn’t sure how much Lawyer Li knew about Sui Yuesheng, but the more he spoke, the more likely he was to make mistakes. He forced himself to suppress his inner doubts and continued with the topic of Liu Tianlei: “At first, I thought he was involved in smuggling, like smuggling drugs.”

So now, having taken over the production base, he’s back to his old business, filling his own pockets.

Lawyer Li was taken aback: “To be precise, trafficking people also counts as smuggling, right?”

…Well, in that case, it doesn’t seem to be a problem.

Tao Fengche gave a bitter smile, half advising and half threatening Lawyer Li to keep it confidential before ending the call. He then slumped into the chair as if completely drained.

The central air conditioning working diligently in the room seemed to be in vain. In the short time it took to make the call, Tao Fengche’s clothes were already soaked with cold sweat. He was shrouded in bone-deep exhaustion, but things still needed to be verified.

He straightened up slowly, regulated his breathing, and was about to press the bell when he suddenly changed his mind and made a phone call instead: “Uncle Xu, please come to the study.”

Xu Song opened the door and coincidentally ran into Tao Fengche’s unreadable face, causing him to let out a bitter laugh. Who would have thought the young master would use the interrogation skills he had learned on him?

As his thoughts briefly shifted, he practiced his tone, his face full of helplessness: “Young master, I really…”

“Uncle Xu, stop pretending.” Tao Fengche cut him off directly, raising an eyebrow slightly. “I already know. Sui Yuesheng came over as an omega smuggled in, right? But how did he get connected with the old man?”

Xu Song was somewhat surprised: “Did Lawyer Li tell you?”

These past events, there were very few people who knew about them now. Among those Tao Fengche could contact, only Lawyer Li could ensure complete confidentiality.

Tao Fengche was not surprised Xu Song could guess the situation and nodded: “He didn’t go into details, only saying that Liu Tianlei used to be in the human  trafficking business, acting as an intermediary for omegas wanting to be smuggled in, and was demoted ten years ago because something went wrong. Sui Yuesheng happened to come over ten years ago, and before that, I just happened to check Liu Tianlei’s resume.”

He didn’t mention catching him secretly producing drugs, just stating clearly: “Liu Tianlei’s resume from ten years ago is completely blank.”

A misstep.

Xu Song slightly frowned. Tao Fengche hadn’t mentioned that he had checked Liu Tianlei’s resume…

“Uncle Xu, answer my question.” Tao Fengche didn’t give him any time to catch his breath, pressing on relentlessly.

Seeing that he could no longer hide the truth, Xu Song sighed deeply: “Young master, what you want to know is actually Sui Yuesheng’s background, right? Indeed, it was because of him that this business was stopped, but things are not exactly as you think.”

Another ambiguous answer.

Tao Fengche felt that something seemed to be beyond his expectations, but before he could ask further, Xu Song continued: “These matters were also explained to me by the master before…”

In Xu Song’s detailed narration, the events from ten years ago unfolded like a long-forgotten painting, slowly revealing itself before Tao Fengche.