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“Action!” Dr. North’s voice was somewhat serious. Gu Ci nodded and dialed the video call, but it didn’t connect. A text message reminder came in: “In a meeting, inconvenient for video.”

Gu Ci didn’t need Dr. North to teach her. She had urgent matters to discuss via video.

Jiang Junlin replied, “What’s going on? You can tell me, and I’ll get back to you later.”

Gu Ci squinted and drew a conclusion, “He’s not my brother. I have an urgent matter for a video call. A real brother, no matter how busy, would definitely call me back first.”

“He’s in trouble!”

Gu Ci’s face changed slightly. The campus was not the place to discuss this. “Master, let’s go home and talk on the way. Do you know my brother?”

The two left the campus and headed towards the Blue Fields Villa.

Dr. North explained, “Six years ago, 1 was under your brother’s command. 1 betrayed him in pursuit of freedom, but even now, I remain under his command.”

She skipped over the details and briefly explained their relationship. “Jiang Junlin is the true master of the underworld, orchestrating its operations from behind the scenes. The previous leaders of the underworld were just figureheads. But something’s happened to him. His personal guards have all disappeared without a trace, and there’s no news. This isn’t normal. Something must have happened in Paris.”

Gu Ci was shocked. Her brother was the master of the underworld?

He had been the figurehead for all those previous leaders?

But the underworld…a mysterious force in the shadows, and her brother? It didn’t make sense. Her brother came from a reputable, scholarly family, refined, morally upright, and certainly not involved in criminal activities! “After the gold was stolen, 1 began to suspect, but the Jiang family has a long, distinguished history, deeply rooted in tradition. 1 never suspected he would be the underworld’s master. 1 thought he was merely collaborating with them to combat the Black Hawk and prevent them from disrupting the domestic financial market.”

The world of finance was ever-changing, a cipher for wealth and a wellspring of evil.

“Cici, your brother has been the underworld’s master for nine years and has eliminated three previous underworld leaders!” Dr. North said calmly. The underworld changed leaders every three years, but because Jiang Junlin had amassed so much power, he controlled it like a one-man show. The previous underworld leaders, whom he had helped rise to power, resented being under his thumb and had turned rebellious.

Rebellion, once ignited, often led to death!

Gu Ci’s mind was in turmoil. This revelation shattered her preconceptions. She knew what kind of business the Black Hawk and the underworld were involved in, and Third Master was far from a saint, straddling the line between good and evil.

But her brother…in her eyes, he was the kind of man who didn’t need to wear a military uniform to exude an air of righteousness!

“How did you realize he was missing?”

“A day ago, I tried to contact him, but couldn’t reach him. 1 attempted to reach Zhang Qiang as well, but 1 couldn’t get through. That was very strange. Even if he’s busy, Zhang Qiang can be reached 24/7.1 tried calling, but no one answered. That’s when I knew something was wrong,” Dr. North explained. “The underworld’s secrets have never leaked because all the information is centralized with him. Once he’s in trouble, all connections and personnel will go silent. No one will contact anyone else.”

“The drawbacks are immense!” Gu Ci immediately grasped the significance. The drawbacks were indeed substantial, but they still adhered to this system, which meant there was only one possibility: the hidden secret was immense.

If something happened, sacrificing Jiang Junlin alone could protect everyone else, and replacing him with another person would be possible.

This system… sounds all too familiar.

“When was the last time you saw him?”

“The night before New Year’s.”

“If he disappeared on New Year’s, it’s been seven days!” Nors’ heart skipped a beat. She had clear grievances and knew exactly what she wanted. Back when she betrayed Jiang Junlin, it was for her own freedom, and even though she failed, she never regretted it.

After that call with Jiang Junlin, she had once again become his subordinate, and she had no intention of betraying him again.

Betray once, and you won’t be trusted a hundred times.

Jiang Junlin was willing to give her another chance, but she wouldn’t make the same mistake twice.

“Master, what do you want me to do to help you?”

“When you were in Paris, did anything unusual happen?”

Gu Ci recounted everything, including the incident where Lu Zhiyuan was manipulated into a car accident by Pei Qiuying. She didn’t hold anything back. “After he got into trouble, I’ve been taking care of him in the hospital. I must admit that I neglected my brother a bit. After Lu Zhiyuan’s identity was exposed, my brother went to support Chen Rushi. Before 1 returned to China, I met with Chen Rushi, but he didn’t reveal anything. Lu Zhiyuan was injured, and 1 left the matters of the Black Hawk to Rong Li and Ji Chi. Chen Rushi needed my brother’s support to break free from the Black Hawk, so his opponent was Ji Chi.”

“Ji Chi is not a match for the Master!” Dr. North said. “He’s still too young.”

Gu Ci pursed her lips, feeling an inexplicable sense of strangeness. Was Ji Chi really that inexperienced? Yes, he was only twenty-one, and in front of Dr. North, he seemed like a young kid, nothing to be feared.

But in her previous life, Ji Chi had imprisoned her brother!

“I’ll call Ji Chi!” Gu Ci said and dialed Ji Chi’s number.

Ji Chi did answer, but his voice sounded rushed, as if he was busy. “Miss Gu Ci, please keep it short. I’m quite busy.”

“I can’t reach my brother!” Gu Ci got straight to the point. “Can you reach him?”

Ji Chi’s voice was filled with anxiety. “I can’t reach him either. I’m going crazy. These past few days, I’ve been looking for him. My brother must be angry with me and doesn’t want to see me.”

Gu Ci felt a sense of unease. “When was the last time you saw your brother?”

“On New Year’s Day, we had dinner together and stayed up late. After that, I haven’t seen him,” Ji Chi’s voice was anxious. “It must be Pei Qiuying and Chen Rushi. I won’t let them get away with this!”

“Ji Chi…”

“Miss Gu Ci, I have to go. Don’t worry, I’ll find him!” Ji Chi was resolute and determined, leaving no room for doubt.

She asked Dr. North, “Do you suspect… Lu Zhiyuan?”

Dr. North shook her head. “He’s not capable of this!”

Gu Ci saw the hesitation in Dr. North’s eyes and felt a sinking feeling in her heart. “Do you suspect… Lu Zhiyuan?”

“Besides him, who else could make Jiang Junlin go silent?”

Gu Ci’s face paled, and her head throbbed. Could it really be Lu Zhiyuan?

Paris, Ji Chi’s residence.

After hanging up the phone, Ji Chi opened a hidden room and descended slowly. Jiang Junlin had changed into clean clothes, but his complexion wasn’t great. There were bruises and bloodstains on his face from the fight with Ji Chi. Ji Chi also didn’t look much better, with a swollen cheek from the slap he received. Ji Chi gazed at Jiang Junlin, who was locked up but appeared to have been violated, and licked his lips.

Even as a captive, Jiang Junlin was the most seductive captive!

“Gu Ci finally called me. She’s realized you’re missing!”

Jiang Junlin remained silent, and Ji Chi slowly descended the steps. He held a tube of bruise ointment in his hand, used for treating contusions..