Su Mo: "Master Wen, was it you who called off those mercenaries?"
Master Wen: "Yes, it was me. This situation has turned into such a farce that everyoneâs laughing at us. We need to sit down and talk properly."
"You donât need to worry about anything happening at Edge Mansion while youâre away. My face still has some clout. When I say no one moves, no mercenary dares to act."
With Master Wenâs status, this was not just empty talk; Su Mo believed it was true.
The timing couldnât have been better, as everyone at Edge needed a breather.
Moreover, with someone like Master Wen stepping in personally, there might be a turning point, so Su Mo replied, "Understood, Iâll be there on time."
Master Wen grunted in acknowledgment and hung up the phone.
Su Mo turned to Chu Nanyi behind him and said, "Xiaochu, I have some matters to attend to tonight. There shouldnât be any attacks before I get back, so everyone can take a break."
"But to be safe, you should stay on the medical floor in case of any emergencies. Thank you for your hard work."
Chu Nanyi nodded: "Donât worry about it. Go ahead."
Just as Su Mo was about to leave, Dongdong came up and grabbed his sleeve, saying worriedly, "Boss, itâs so chaotic outside, itâs a bit dangerous for you to go alone. Let me go with you."
From what Su Mo knew of Master Wen, he was a respectable person and unlikely to set up a trap.
But there would probably be others at this meal, and it might not be pleasant, perhaps even with some verbal confrontations.
Su Mo admitted he wasnât skilled at arguing, so having Dongdong as backup might not be a bad idea; thus, he decided to bring Dongdong along.
Master Wen was very considerate of Su Moâs feelings in setting up this meal.
The White Diamond Hotel is in the Lakefront Business District, less than 10 kilometers from Edge Mansion. If anything happened, Su Mo could quickly return to handle it, which gave him a slight favorable impression of Master Wen even before meeting him.
The black ark arrived at the White Diamond Hotel and landed in the open-air parking lot. A man in black came over to help open the door and nodded a greeting to Su Mo.
Looking around, each entrance to the White Diamond Hotel was guarded by similar men in black, who were presumably security arranged by Master Wen himself.
Entering the hotel and reaching the top-floor private room, it was already full of people.
There were more than twenty attendees, including the most famous Mercenary Corps leaders and intermediaries in New Moon City and a few unfamiliar faces, likely Great Mercenaries from out of town.
Sitting in the main seat was an old man in a fiery red Tang suit, with skin the color of dark brown bark, looking nearly a hundred years oldâthis was the legendary, rarely seen Master Wen.
Though it was already the appointed time, two people who should have been present were absent.
One was a major intermediary, Audiana.
Another was Captain Mo Xue, Shangguan Li of Yao Guang Star.
Master Wen gently tapped his cane on the ground and said to Su Mo in a seniorâs tone, "Take a seat. Audiana said she wasnât feeling well today and couldnât come."
"Director Su, she used to look after you a lot. Remember to pay her a visit when you have the time; this kind of courtesy is necessary."
Su Mo asked Dongdong to stand behind him, nodded slightly upon sitting down, and said, "I appreciate the lesson, sir."
Lucifer, resting his hands behind his head, teased, "Why didnât Shangguan Li come? As a Prosthetic Implanter, she canât be sick, right?"
Chiyoda Shinnai laughed playfully, "Canât you see? Little Sister Shangguan is in a dilemma now."
"On one hand, she doesnât want to hunt Nuobai, risking a fallout with Edge."
"On the other hand, she doesnât want to offend us and wants to continue in this mercenary trade."
"She doesnât want to upset either side, so she pretends to be sick. Smart move, isnât it?"
At this point, Dongdong suddenly snapped back, "Shut up, you bastards. What does it matter to you whether Captain Shangguan comes or not? Who gave you the right to bark?"
Lucifer and Chiyoda Shinnai, caught off guard by the insults, were dumbfounded.
Lucifer gradually regained his composure and glared at Dongdong, "What the hell did you say?!"
Dongdong: "I said, youâre not supposed to yap like that. Master Wen hasnât even spoken, and youâre barking awayâwhat, is this your dinner party today?"
Lucifer, enraged, picked up a teacup to throw it.
Xuan Hui, sitting nearby, extended a hand to stop him, reminding him solemnly, "Master Wen is here, donât be reckless."
Lucifer subconsciously glanced at the indifferent-faced Master Wen.
Though his father was an executive at the Hegemony Company, holding a position far above ordinary mercenaries,
he still couldnât afford to be too disrespectful to this living legend.
He could only suppress his anger, put down the teacup, and pointed his finger warningly at Dongdong.
Dongdong simply flipped him the bird, causing Luciferâs face to twitch.
Master Wen looked at Dongdong, with a profound tone, "So young and unknown, yet bold enough to challenge the leader of the Seven Stars. They say young calves are not afraid of tigers, and today Iâve witnessed it."
Su Mo replied neither arrogantly nor humbly, "My Dongzai has this temper; I hope youâll excuse him, sir."
Master Wen smiled faintly, "Someone with a fierce temperament canât be tamed unless treated with genuine intention."
"It seems Director Su is indeed someone who sincerely treats friends, otherwise you wouldnât protect Nuobai so earnestly."
Unknowingly, the topic was steered to the main issue.
With a serious expression, Master Wen continued, "This meal was initially supposed to be hosted by Captain Zhou Hanyan, but heâs been tied up with some matters recently and asked me to step in. Given the festive season, I had to pull myself out of my warm bed."
"You young ones are really overdoing it sometimes. Being a mercenary is supposed to be a career that operates in the shadows, but what about you all? Displaying your battles for the whole world to see. Youâve made such a spectacle!"
Lucifer, unable to hold back, commented, "Master Wen, it was a public bounty, and everyone is clamoring for it. If we donât fight for it, others will. We canât be blamed for that, can we?"
Master Wen frowned, speaking sternly, "I didnât say you couldnât fight for it. Use some methods, wonât you?"
"Youâve been bombing Edge Mansion in broad daylight. The media headlines are all over it; do the authorities not need face anymore?"
Lucifer irritably scratched his head and, too lazy to argue further, simply turned his head aside.
Su Mo asked, "Master Wen, should I understand that you support Edge in sheltering and protecting Nuobai?"
This was a key question, directly affecting the subsequent developments.
Master Wen, a person of his stature, had connections not only in the mercenary realm but even in the authorities and organizations like the Hegemony Company, Iron Blood Alliance, and Black Domain Group. He had influence.
If he supported Edge, all the forces would have to give him some face.
Then, the mercenaries wouldnât be able to act rashly,
because you couldnât openly defy Master Wenâs authority, or else youâd be finished in New Moon City.
And the five-billion public bounty would essentially be nullified.
Everyone silently watched Master Wen, waiting for his answer.
Master Wen took a sip of tea from the table, and said slowly, "Director Su, from a personal standpoint, I absolutely support you."
"When I was a young mercenary, I was hunted down on more than one occasion. It was only with the help of friends that I survived to this age."
"Sheltering friends is human nature. If anyone here canât understand this, they shouldnât be a mercenary. They need to learn how to be a human being first."
Lucifer and others frowned upon hearing this, their expressions turning somber.
Was he leaning towards protecting Edge?
However, the next two words Master Wen said shifted the situation drastically.
"However," Master Wen looked at Su Mo with profound eyes and his tone suddenly turned cold, "Director Su, she canât escape this disaster."
"Iâve heard of this mercenary Silent Death God beforeâefficient, neat, and tidy in her work."
"Her reputation is quite good, except for the last mission where she bailed, which greatly displeased Iron Blood."
"But displeasure isnât irreconcilable. If she had come forward to pay some damages, apologize, I couldâve maybe stepped in once, and this matter could have been resolved."
"But her mistake was not cleaning up her mess, leaving a lot of trouble behind and retiring abruptly."
"She didnât inform anyone, just left the community, and now when something has happened, she comes back seeking protection from usâis that how things are done?!"