NOVEL NEXT Chapter 371 - 371: Are Ji Chi and I Dead?
Chapter 371: Are Ji Chi and I Dead?
Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation
Gu Ci had long suspected this, so when Jiang Junlin brought it up, she wasn’t surprised, just a bit earlier than she had expected. “I’m still in my freshman year, is it too early to take over the underworld?”
Being young and Jiang Junlin’s sister, it might not gain approval easily!
“I’ve pondered this question many times. 1 kept thinking about it in the Paris prison. My identity has been exposed, and the underworld has only one master. 1 can simultaneously manage the dark web and the underworld. In the past, the role of the underworld master was to protect the existence of the dark web, to keep it hidden from exposure. The master was like a gatekeeper. Now, although the management system of the underworld is not completely exposed, many people know about it. Should 1 appoint another hidden master? I’m very hesitant. The matter of the underworld dark web is limited to the knowledge of the underworld and Black Hawk. They have discretion and won’t casually reveal it, even if Chen Rushi, who straddles the fence, knows about it. I have too many things to oversee, and the underworld dark web occupies almost two-thirds of my time. In addition, my identity is now known to Old Zhang and the others. In the future, I will have to deal with even more responsibilities. 1 need someone I can trust completely to manage the underworld when I’m in trouble or unable to act.”
Not only did he need to be the underworld master, but he also needed to be able to manage the underworld when he was not around.
A fish took the bait, and Jiang Junlin reeled it in. It was a nearly three-pound tilapia. Jiang Junlin chuckled, “This fish is great; we’ll have fish soup tonight.” Gu Ci listened quietly to Jiang Junlin’s analysis. After putting down the fish, Jiang Junlin baited his hook again and cast it into the river, continuing, “Dr. North is a possibility, but she has betrayed me before. 1 can use her without grudges, but giving her a hundred percent trust is difficult, especially with Little Cherry around. For Little Cherry, she can do anything, and many things can change in an instant. 1 can’t take that risk. Little Cherry… she’s more suited to be a soldier than a general. As for Zhang Qiang… I trust him enough, but the situation is similar to Little Cherry’s. The eleven directors of the underworld dark web are all trustworthy, but they already hold important positions and can’t take on more roles. Everyone has their own specialization, and I can’t find anyone to replace them. The management system of the underworld is different from that of Black Hawk. Lu Zhiyuan can let Ji Chi and Rong Li handle business as he pleases, but we can’t. We are a single blade, and every decision must be made carefully and responsibly. It’s because of my excessive self-confidence in these years that 1 haven’t been able to cultivate a second person capable of taking over.”
The eleven directors of the underworld dark web are equivalent to Ji Chi and Rong Li’s positions in Black Hawk, but Jiang Junlin can’t use them as casually as Lu Zhiyuan.
Lu Zhiyuan doesn’t care who ends up with Black Hawk.
Jiang Junlin has to be extremely cautious in handling every instruction of the underworld dark web. If there’s a mistake, it could cost countless lives.
Someone with Ji Chi’s personality could never take over the underworld dark web. If he did, it would surely stir up trouble and provoke disasters. Gu Ci has a personality similar to Ji Chi’s, and even more reckless, but when she was rescuing in Paris, she could make decisive decisions. Jiang Junlin knew she could handle it.
“Another important point is that you excel in the financial market and can also restrain Lu Zhiyuan. This makes you a safer choice to lead the underworld.”
“Brother, actually, you don’t need to mention my ability to restrain Lu Zhiyuan. 1 understand it very well. Whether 1 have a relationship with Lu Zhiyuan or not, I’m still your best choice.” Gu Ci spoke softly, “Give me a few days to think about it, okay?”
“Of course!” Jiang Junlin smiled gently. “Take your time to consider. If you do decide to take on this role, we’ll wait until you’re in a more stable state of mind.”
“Brother, as for the master, it’s because she betrayed you. For Little Cherry, she can give her all for you. What about me?” Gu Ci took a deep breath, suppressing the pain in her heart. “If there comes a day when Lu Zhiyuan’s life is in danger, I…”
Jiang Junlin gently moved the fishing rod, and the float drifted in the river, interrupting Gu Ci’s words. “If that day comes, brother will help you.”
Gu Ci’s nose tingled with tears. She was truly blessed to have such a good brother.
“Okay!” Gu Ci smiled and said, “I will cooperate with Master’s treatment. I promise, brother, because 1 want you to live more freely, and I want to protect you and this family.”
From a young age, her brother had shouldered the enormous burden of the underworld dark web. He had to think twice before every action and word, couldn’t talk about love, and had loyalty engraved in his bones. He had lived too cautiously for too long.
After the recent incident, both Jiang Junlin and Gu Ci realized that the underworld dark web needed someone who could replace Jiang Junlin.
Gu Ci remembered her loyalty and duty while protecting her principles and integrity.
Jiang Junlin patted her head. “I’m sorry to have burdened you.”
Gu Ci’s eyes welled up with tears. “We’re a family, and we should help each other, support each other.”
Jiang Junlin caught another tilapia, a pair of them now. He let out a sigh of relief and asked Gu Ci, “Cici, did both Ji Chi and I… die?”
Gu Ci’s pupils shrank, and her heart ached. She knew exactly what Jiang Junlin was asking. “When Gu Chuyun and Lu Shijie got engaged, I injured Lu Shijie and went to prison. Five years later, I was released and married Lu Zhiyuan, so you never saw me. Gu Chuyun exposed her identity and also robbed Hualan Bank, sending people to injure you, which resulted in your legs being broken. Later, you were imprisoned by Ji Chi…”
“Impossible!” Jiang Junlin categorically rejected, “She doesn’t have the intelligence or capability for that. If I were crippled by Gu Chuyun, I would have wasted my twenty-eight years.”
“After I was released from prison, 1 felt very inferior due to disfigurement and lost hands. I’ve been reclusive and didn’t contact the outside world, nor did I reunite with you all. I heard many of these news secondhand.” Gu Ci cautiously glanced at him. She had spent so many days with Jiang Junlin, and he didn’t seem to have the temperament described in rumors. “After your legs were broken, there were a series of family tragedies. Grandpa and grandma passed away, and you were deeply affected. You fell into alcoholism and decadence, and Hualan Bank eventually fell into Gu Chuyun’s hands.”
“Wait…” Jiang Junlin couldn’t even concentrate on fishing anymore. “Who told you all of this?”
“Ji Chi…”
“Is there a possibility that this little rascal is lying to you?”
Seeing Jiang Junlin’s expression of refusal to accept this narrative, Gu Ci shook her head. “1 saw what you looked like drinking heavily in a wheelchair.”
Jiang Junlin turned his head silently, staring fixedly at the float in the river. Suddenly, he raised the fishing rod and caught another tilapia. His tone remained calm. “Go on.”
“Brother, that’s all I know. 1 held grudges and was very reclusive, and you were distant after the incident. So we didn’t have much interaction. Later… Ziyu was not born yet when Lu Zhiyuan died. Li Jiang and Ji Chi protected Ziyu and me all those years. During that time, 1 was living in a daze. Later on, I heard that Ji Chi had taken control of Black Hawk, and then, I also died. 1 don’t know what happened after that.” Gu Ci didn’t inquire about the events that followed..