Chapter 705: Lavish and Grand

Chapter 705: Lavish and Grand

Zhang Yi was a bit surprised by the Deng Family’s invitation.

He didn’t have much of a connection to them—he had only visited Deng Manor once before, and that was because of Deng Shentong’s invitation.

Now that Deng Shentong had died in battle, he assumed Deng Yuanbo would be too grief-stricken to deal with external matters.

Who would have thought he'd invite him over for lunch?

Zhang Yi pondered for a moment. Though he wasn’t sure what Deng Yuanbo’s intentions were, he had a strong feeling it was related to Deng Shentong’s death.

The Deng Family held considerable power in the Jiangnan District, and since the family head was personally inviting him, Zhang Yi decided to show proper respect.

He looked at the two bodyguards and smiled, “Mind if I bring a few friends along?”

The two guards looked at Yang Xinxin and Liang Yue, then nodded.

“Of course.”

Their job was only to escort Zhang Yi. Whether he brought others or not wouldn’t affect the conversation.

“Alright then. Thank you.”

The two bodyguards stepped aside respectfully. “This way, please.”

Zhang Yi and the others followed them into a car, which headed toward Deng Manor along a road Zhang Yi found somewhat familiar.

The black luxury vehicle was very spacious in the back—warm and lavish, with a built-in fridge stocked with alcohol and drinks.

Zhang Yi looked at the driver and the guards up front and quietly pulled out his satellite phone.

He exchanged a glance with Liang Yue and Yang Xinxin. Both instantly understood—he wanted to communicate via text.

Zhang Yi: “The Deng Family invited me to lunch. What do you two think? Is this a friendly gesture… or something more hostile?”

Liang Yue furrowed her brow and thought for a while. “I’m not sure either…”

Hua Hua, sitting on Zhang Yi’s thigh, curiously jumped onto his shoulder. It couldn’t read, but still acted interested, wanting to join the fun.

Yang Xinxin smiled and quickly typed on her phone:

“Recruitment.”

Zhang Yi glanced at her and typed another question: “How do you figure?”

Yang Xinxin’s lips curved into a mysterious smile.

“Based on current intel, Blizzard City doesn’t have many top-tier combatants. We know of the six Investigation Captains, Chief of Operations Tu Yunlie, and Sun Luxuan, the bodyguard at Zhu Zheng’s side.”

“Given the city’s management structure, it’s unlikely that hidden powerhouses exist—and even if they do, not many.”

“The Deng Family heavily relied on Deng Shentong, a top-level superhuman, to maintain their position.”

“Now that he’s dead, that’s going to seriously shake their standing.”

“And with Bian Junwu also having fallen, the power balance in Blizzard City is seriously off. A reshuffling may be imminent.”

“Inviting you here isn’t about targeting you—it wouldn’t help them at all.”

“Most likely, they want to bring you in. Make you one of theirs.”

Yang Xinxin’s analysis made perfect sense, easing some of Zhang Yi’s nerves.

In the world ahead, top-tier strength would determine the rise and fall of factions.

Regular soldiers—even hot weapons—were slowly losing dominance on the battlefield.

Otherwise, how could the thirteen members of Moon of Corrosion be so arrogant in the Jiangnan District?

“They want to recruit me?”

Zhang Yi frowned.

He typed: “But I don’t want to get involved in Blizzard City’s power games.”

He’d never been someone who sought power.

If he had, after taking down Yuan Kongye, he could’ve gone straight to Zhu Zheng to claim credit.

Yang Xinxin thought a bit and replied: “Just feel them out first. But clearly, the Deng Family won’t openly oppose you right now. Even if you’re going to say no, you should still leave them some hope.”

Zhang Yi nodded in understanding.

He knew how these social games worked.

Still, he found it amusing—after all this apocalyptic chaos, people still clung to such etiquette wherever social structures remained.

Half an hour later, the vehicle arrived at Deng Manor.

The place looked just as he remembered, though it now felt colder and heavier.

Even the expressions of the Deng Family’s guards seemed more grim than before.

The Celestial Squad’s failure and Deng Shentong’s death had cast a long, somber shadow over this family.

It was a gloom that hadn’t lifted since.

Upon arrival, they were greeted by a sharply dressed, elegant man.

He looked around forty years old, but was strikingly handsome and had the demeanor of a gentleman.

This was Lian Cheng, the Deng Family’s butler.

“Mr. Zhang, Miss Yang, Miss Liang—welcome to Deng Manor. The Master has prepared a grand lunch and invites you to join him.”

Hua Hua, nestled in Yang Xinxin’s arms, let out a dissatisfied “meow,” seemingly unhappy at being ignored.

Lian Cheng was surprised, then quickly smiled. “Ah, my apologies for the oversight—I’ll have some cat food brought immediately!”

Satisfied, Hua Hua narrowed its eyes and snuggled back into Yang Xinxin’s arms.

It mostly slept during the day anyway—too lazy to care about much else.

The three of them followed Lian Cheng forward.

Zhang Yi had never been to Deng Yuanbo’s residence before.

Upon entering the parlor, he saw dozens of women in elegant qipaos lined up on both sides, bowing politely.

“Welcome, Mr. Zhang Yi, Miss Yang, Miss Liang!”

The room glittered with gold and jade, and it stretched so far you couldn’t see its end—it was impossible to tell how vast the space truly was.

With all these beautiful women lined up, Zhang Yi could clearly feel Deng Yuanbo’s sincerity.

Yang Xinxin, however, frowned slightly—she wasn’t a fan of this kind of reception.

Walking beside Zhang Yi, Lian Cheng smiled and asked, “Mr. Zhang, are you satisfied with the environment?”

Zhang Yi thought: I’m very satisfied.

But in front of Yang Xinxin and Liang Yue, he had to suppress his grin and gave only a cool nod.

“Not bad.”

This level of calm? Zhang Yi was giving himself full marks.

Even Lian Cheng was surprised by Zhang Yi’s composure.

He thought, No wonder the Master thinks so highly of him—what nerves! I used to dismiss him as a mere warehouse clerk. I was wrong.

Soon after, they passed through an opulent hallway and arrived at the dining room.

The entire place was decked out in red—lively, even a bit festive.

It felt… odd to Zhang Yi.

Deng Shentong’s body wasn’t even cold yet, and they were already throwing such a grand affair?

But maybe the old man liked liveliness. Understandable.

After the Ice Age arrived, many people had developed a fondness for the color red—it gave them psychological warmth.

Deng Yuanbo sat at the massive round table, wearing a bright red Tang suit, smiling warmly.

Lian Cheng announced, “Mr. Deng, Mr. Zhang Yi and guests have arrived.”

Zhang Yi stepped forward and greeted him politely, “Hello, Mr. Deng. Sorry to intrude.”

Yang Xinxin and Liang Yue also said calmly, “Hello, Mr. Deng.”

Author's Note