869: Chapter 858: Can Tulips Be Trusted?
869: Chapter 858: Can Tulips Be Trusted?
Ning Fan had no idea what kind of ridiculous events unfolded at Teng Yunge Shang after he left.
After leaving Teng Yunge Shang, he felt a sense of relief.
For now, the Umbrella wasn’t a direct threat to him, and that so-called Night Five had startled him, but in the end, it all amounted to nothing.
The only thing worth paying attention to now was Teng Yunge Shang’s next move.
However, gaining the upper hand in this situation took Ning Fan by surprise—it should count as an unexpected win, right…?
Although he didn’t understand why, he had a hunch that, unknowingly, he had caused Teng Yunge Shang a fair bit of trouble.
But so what?
Even if that were true, Teng Yunge Shang’s discomfort was a good thing for Ning Fan.
After all, he didn’t enjoy seeing Teng Yunge Shang and his group doing well.
Everyone had been scheming against each other from the start—no one was truly innocent.
Leaving Teng Yunge Shang’s place, Ning Fan headed straight for the Shadow Base.
He found Ouyang Feifei and began asking her about the investigation.
“Anything new about the events that day?”
The “events that day” naturally referred to the matter involving Night Five.
That’s what Ning Fan was investigating now.
After the cryptic situation that followed, Ning Fan had overheard Chen Fengnan mentioning that, on the same day he had been with Fei Peilie, there had been a fierce battle somewhere in Zhonghai.
The commotion had been enormous but was eventually forcibly suppressed, preventing it from causing a public uproar.
Once he learned of this, Ning Fan had asked Ouyang Feifei to help investigate what had happened that day.
“I’m not entirely sure; this is all we’ve managed to gather so far.
Take a look.”
Ouyang Feifei furrowed her brows slightly.
Over the past few days, she had been organizing people to investigate the task Ning Fan had assigned, but unfortunately, they hadn’t made significant progress.
While nothing in this world is completely impermeable, this particular situation had made waves and was then forcibly suppressed by higher-ups.
As a result, there wasn’t much information to dig up.
Despite leveraging Ning Fan’s network and pulling many strings, Ouyang Feifei still hadn’t uncovered much at this point.
“Who orchestrated the battle that day?”
The known information was that Night Five was ambushed that day.
However, the real question lingering in Ning Fan’s mind was: who exactly attacked them?
Based on descriptions from Tulip and Fei Peilie, Night Five was a formidable squad.
Whoever managed to force them into retreat had to possess terrifying strength.
At the same time, Ning Fan wondered why someone would target Night Five from the Umbrella.
That was a mystery that warranted attention as well.
“A figure in black—is that all we have?”
Ning Fan frowned, a hint of dissatisfaction in his tone.
His eyes reflected frustration.
Hearing this, Ouyang Feifei rolled her eyes at him.
“Do you really think it’s that easy to investigate?
And I don’t know why, but the officials seem super sensitive and even dismissive about Night Five.
Honestly, isn’t that good news for you?”
In Huaxia, organizations like the Umbrella simply weren’t welcome.
From Ning Fan’s perspective, that should count as a win.
Take Night Five’s ambush as an example—clearly, they had provoked someone.
Otherwise, such an incident wouldn’t have occurred in the first place.
To Ouyang Feifei, this hinted at a crucial message: Night Five wasn’t a welcomed presence in Huaxia.
On the flip side, groups like Night Five and the Umbrella weren’t seen as guests in Huaxia.
That was ultimately advantageous for Ning Fan—it meant these threats would have to tread carefully, accounting for the various local factions and organizations.
The depths of Huaxia’s underworld weren’t something those foreigners could easily grasp!
“It is good news for me, but I’m still very curious about who made the move!”
Ning Fan had even asked Qian Nengde about it, but no answers were forthcoming.
Even when he consulted the old man directly, the response was simply to avoid investigating the matter too deeply.
But unknown to them both, Ning Fan was already at the eye of this storm.
Avoiding further entanglement simply wasn’t an option.
His current situation wasn’t going to change unless some major event occurred.
“Does knowing who it was matter that much to you?”
Ouyang Feifei asked curiously.
This was Huaxia—a place teeming with mysterious experts.
Wasn’t it normal?
In this ancient civilization, the existence of hidden powerhouses was hardly unimaginable!
Ning Fan shook his head, then nodded.
His reaction was complex, leaving Ouyang Feifei puzzled as to what exactly he was expressing.
“Anyway… let’s leave it at that for now.
I have another question to ask you, but you need to answer me seriously!”
Seeing no progress, Ning Fan decided to put the matter on hold temporarily.
Although he was very curious about who acted against Night Five, he didn’t plan to pursue it further for now.
After all, it didn’t seem like an answer was within reach at the moment.
Suddenly, Ning Fan’s expression grew serious, which startled Ouyang Feifei.
It took her a while before she composed herself.
She matched his serious demeanor and nodded.
“Go on, ask.”
“Can Tulip be trusted?”
Ning Fan asked earnestly.
It was clear he remained highly concerned about the matter regarding Tulip.
Tulip’s identity was still a sensitive topic in Ning Fan’s mind.
Ouyang Feifei understood this well.
Seeing Ning Fan bring it up again, she began seriously contemplating the matter.
After a long while—about five minutes—she finally responded, “Tulip is very afraid of you.
There’s a shadow in her heart because of you.
She’ll live under that shadow for the rest of her life!”
That answer made Ning Fan thoughtful.
So, she was deeply afraid of him?
Ning Fan wasn’t entirely satisfied with the response, but at least he gained some insight into Tulip’s current state.
Tulip’s situation was awkward.
Having betrayed the Umbrella, she couldn’t return.
However, even in the Shadow Team, Ning Fan kept her at arm’s length, filled with suspicion.
It was only because Ouyang Feifei valued Tulip’s peak Object-Manipulating Realm ability that she was even allowed to stay.
Otherwise, she might not have had anywhere to go.
Within the Shadow Base, the only place Tulip found solace was with Ouyang Feifei, a fellow woman.
Yet, even in Feifei’s presence, Tulip often felt a sense of inferiority.
“Can she be trusted?”
Ning Fan asked again.
He needed a reason.
At the very least, he wanted to see Ouyang Feifei nod after carefully weighing the matter.
“…Yes!”
Ouyang Feifei took a deep breath.
She understood the implications of saying such a thing.