Chapter 24: Is It Finished?

Xu Lang was a bit stunned, and there was a trace of timidity in his gaze toward Fang Nian. He had believed himself capable of standing on his own, able to play a significant role among the prominent families, yet now, in front of Fang Nian, he felt utterly insignificant.

Fang Nian let out a cold laugh before turning his eyes to Jin Jindao.

"Very well, let me settle accounts with Young Master Jin. I believe I have made myself clear just now. Not only did your Jin Family Hunting Grounds participate in this plot to frame the Xia Family's hunting grounds, but you also misled hunters through false advertising. Your actions are both unethical and in violation of the regulations governing hunting grounds."

"I would like to thank all the members of the media who came here today. I assume Young Master Jin will give the public and the Xia family an explanation, won't you?"

Jin Jindao was so enraged by these words that he felt his chest about to burst. He hadn't expected this man to act so mercilessly. In a fit of anger, he grabbed a wooden stick nearby and aimed it at Fang Nian.

But before Fang Nian could even react, a thunderous voice echoed through the room.

"Jindao, stop! Haven't you embarrassed yourself enough?"

At the sound, Jin Jindao immediately lost his bravado and looked back sheepishly.

"Father."

At the same time, the bewildered Xu Lang also lowered his head.

"Father."

As their voices faded, two middle-aged men in their forties emerged from the crowd—Jin Tai'an, the second son of the Jin family, and Xu Kun, the eldest of the Xu family.

They approached Xia Hong, bowed respectfully with clasped fists, and said, "Elder Xia, we apologize for the trouble our children have caused. We hope you won't hold it against them."

Xu Kun shot Xu Lang a stern glance before turning back to Xia Hong. "Elder Xia, we truly had no idea these two brats could be so reckless. For all the losses your family has suffered, the Jin and Xu families are willing to pay double in compensation. The authorities will also be informed. We hope you'll let the matter rest."

Xia Hong fixed them with an icy glare, his demeanor far from the kindly old man he appeared to be.

"Hmph. Since both of you have come to sincerely apologize, I'll let them off this time. But you had best discipline them well. If anything like this happens again, the Xia family will not take it lightly."

Jin Tai'an and Xu Kun quickly voiced their agreement, and with a final look at Fang Nian, they turned to leave with Jin Jindao and Xu Lang. As they departed, they shot Fang Nian a meaningful glance, as if to say, "The mountains may not meet, but the rivers will."

Xia Junhui was far from satisfied.

"Father, are we just going to let them go like that?"

Xia Hong sighed deeply. "What else can we do? Right now, their power outweighs ours. We must bide our time and wait for our chance."

With that, Xia Hong smiled at Liu Long. "Manager Liu, about our loan..."

Liu Long was only a deputy branch manager. He had been all too ready to kick someone when they were down—after all, that's how the financial world operates. But when it comes to a client as big as the Xia family, unless they're facing utter ruin, they're to be treated as ancestors, not offended.

At Xia Hong's words, he hastily waved his hands. "Ah, just a misunderstanding, Elder Xia! Please carry on. I have matters to attend to at the bank. I'll be on my way."

With that, Liu Long made a hasty exit. Seeing him flee, the suppliers who had just been clamoring for payment no longer had the nerve to stay. They all scattered in a rush.

Once the dust settled, the entire Xia household could finally breathe a sigh of relief. Xia Hong looked at Fang Nian with great satisfaction, nodding approvingly.

"It seems our family has found a treasure."

…

In the end, this farce finally came to a close. Fang Nian, an obscure son-in-law scorned by countless young men, had managed to turn the tables.

The tale of the "useless son-in-law" outwitting the Jin and Xu families single-handedly and saving the Xia family from disaster spread far and wide.

Yet just as Fang Nian imagined the Xia family might reward him as a hero, he found that no one paid him any attention at all. From Xia Hong and Xia Junyi to Xia Moyu and Xia Feifei, everyone was busy beyond measure. Even Xia Moyan was nowhere to be seen.

Fang Nian was left helpless, but there was nothing to be done. The Jin and Xu families had suffered a heavy blow from this incident—especially the Jin family, which now faced not only compensation for the hunters' losses but possibly a forced suspension of business due to fraudulent activity.

With the Xia family now on the offensive, this was their best opportunity to strike back. The business world is a battlefield, and the situation changes in the blink of an eye. They had to seize this long-awaited chance.

To help his wife stabilize the situation, Fang Nian had uploaded the videos he’d commissioned, edited to highlight his role as the Xia family son-in-law battling against all odds. The footage caused a sensation in District 16, creating a tidal wave of public opinion against the Jin and Xu families.

Originally, both families had intended to negotiate, but under such pressure, they had no choice but to compromise. Compensation was paid out swiftly, and the Jin Family Hunting Grounds were forced to close for a week of rectification. Only after Fang Nian received satisfactory results did he remove the videos and have the original uploader anonymously clarify that the footage had been edited to deliberately smear the Jin and Xu families. Only then did public opinion begin to settle.

Having fulfilled his part, Fang Nian did not expect the elders of the Xia family to unite in harmony after this ordeal. In his view, they were all merely feathering their own nests.

At such a critical time, Fang Nian had no desire to draw further attention. Keeping a low profile was the wisest choice, and so he stayed out of business matters, enjoying a rare moment of peace.

Back in his room, with nothing better to do, Fang Nian opened the system menu, intending to further analyze this hellish task.

Although he had successfully cleared the F+ level hunting ground, according to the mission description, he needed to find "its" shadow within the hunting ground. This "it" was shrouded in mystery. Fang Nian knew that its presence seemed not to be part of the hunting ground’s established system.

The unexplained wound on his shoulder during "Buried Alive" still haunted him; it was dangerous. Compared to the system rewards, what Fang Nian truly wanted was to understand what "it" really was.

Despite remaining highly vigilant and searching thoroughly in the hunting ground, he had found no clues. Yet, when Fang Nian opened the system mission menu, he was stunned.

"Completed?"

Hell Difficulty: (Has your first hunting experience made you notice something? Do you have the courage to keep exploring?) Find its shadow in any hunting ground above F+ rank. (Double rewards) (Completed)

Fang Nian was dumbfounded. How had he completed it? He had replayed every scene from "Deadly ID" in his mind countless times but gained nothing.

But this—

"No, if the mission is marked as complete, that means I must have encountered it in the hunting ground. So where was it?"

Fang Nian fell into deep thought, immersing himself once more in the hunting ground, replaying every detail of every frame from "Deadly ID." Time ticked by, sweat soaking through his clothes, cold droplets rolling down his forehead.

"The accident site... the motel room... the warehouse... the parking lot... the doctor... the bald manager... the kid, wait—a moment. The manager?"

Suddenly, Fang Nian became excited, the scene in his mind flashing back to the motel reception.

"The registration form... the front desk... the medical record... the child... Yes, that's it."

He remembered: when he had exposed the bald manager, he'd already suspected that this manager was an imposter. So where was the real manager? Was he dead, or...

"According to the final setup of the hunting ground, I'm certain there were only ten personalities, including myself. That means there were only ten characters present. If that's the case, what about the motel manager? Even if murdered, that would still count as a personality."

"So, someone must have infiltrated 'Deadly ID,' and that person's identity was the 'it' mentioned by the system. In other words, it exists among the ten, always by Fang Nian's side..."

With that realization, goosebumps rose all over Fang Nian's skin, and a chill swept through his entire body.