As the two brothers were making their plans, a human dressed in black silently slipped into the main hall on Sean's side.

"Your Highness, the matter you instructed us to undertake is progressing well!"

After hearing his words, Sean turned around and glanced at the other person.

"Tell me, what have you found?"

"The Zhao family has now officially joined Lu Yuan's group and is sending them signals from inside the shelter. I think we can start by targeting them to tie Lu Yuan down for a while, which will give us a better chance of completing our plan!"

After hearing his words, Sean didn't say anything, but instead paced back and forth in the room for a long time.

"I need to think this over carefully. However, we can make good use of the Zhao Group. How is Lu Yuan treating them?"

"If they can't get information about Sky Company right now, they can only rely on the Zhao Group to act as informants. I think the Zhao family is still quite useful to Lu Yuan!"

"Since they're useful, let's bring them all back. I want to have a good talk with them. I think the Zhao Group isn't just likely to join Lu Yuan and his group; perhaps they're just under too little pressure!"

"No problem, I think this method is feasible. If Your Highness needs it, I should be able to do it for you!"

"Then I'll have to trouble you. Make sure you do things cleanly. I'm quite satisfied with you!"

"Haha, thank you for your trust, Your Highness. I'll be going now!"

After saying that, the dark figure vanished from the room in an instant.

At this moment, they were inside the Zhao Group's family building within the shelter.

Zhao Qing sat in the spacious conference room, his face ashen as he looked at the people below the stage.

"Everyone, you are all elders of the family, how can you still not see the situation clearly? The Sky Company has lost the support of the people, and you still want to fawn over them? Think about how they have dealt with us!"

A middle-aged man below looked at Zhao Qing with a hint of displeasure on his face.

"Xiaoqing, this is where you're wrong. In terms of benefits, Lu Yuan gave us nothing but nothing, while Cangqiong Company is willing to provide us with such a large amount of resources."

"We only need to sign one contract. Look at us now, we're barely scraping by, and you still want to help Lu Yuan? What benefits can he possibly give you?"

The people around them also chimed in.

"That's right, Xiaoqing, you're the clan leader now, you have to shoulder the responsibility and keep your eyes open. The Sky Company has been more than fair to us, you can't just pass them over because of a little mistake, we have to make a living too!"

"Yes, we can forgive their previous actions. After all, we are competitors, and there's nothing that can't be resolved. It's just that there are some conflicts of interest!"

Standing on the stage, Zhao Qing's face turned ashen, and he blinked sharply.

"Enough! Listen to what you're saying. My father has only been dead for a short time. He was assassinated by them. Now you're making these demands. Are you even human?"

"This isn't how you act as lackeys! If we sign that contract, it's tantamount to us agreeing to become lackeys of the Azure Sky Company. How can you even bear to sign it?"

After saying that, Zhao Qing threw the things on the table and picked up the torn pieces of the contract.

"Let me tell you, as long as I, Zhao Qing, am the patriarch of the Zhao family, I will never agree to this news. Forget about it!"

After saying that, Zhao Qing slammed the door shut and turned to leave the room.

The other high-ranking members of the Zhao family exchanged glances, sighed helplessly, and turned to leave.

It was past 10 p.m. when Zhao Qing, who had been busy at the company until late, rubbed his shoulders and stood up to look out the window.

Looking at the night view, the whole city was still immersed in its bright lights and bustling activity, and everyone seemed to be living a happy life.

The city seems to have reverted to a pre-apocalyptic state.

However, there are some differences here; there are more ape-like features.

These apes have now even become core members of the entire city.

A new law was enacted in the refuge, which declared that apes were considered the superior race.

Moreover, apes possess the highest abilities and are not bound by legal provisions. They are the masters of the entire city, and everyone must bow to them. Furthermore, the high-ranking ape nobles can enjoy the most abundant resources in the entire city.

An advertisement projected onto a distant lighthouse using a 3D projector features a newly promoted ape-woman striking a seductive pose.

Seeing the other person's appearance, Zhao Qing felt nauseous.

I glanced down and saw that it was already midnight.

Zhao Qing sighed, lit a cigarette, and then turned and left the building.

The underground parking lot was pitch black, and the motion-sensor lights hadn't even turned on after Zhao Qing coughed twice.

He frowned slightly; their place was now completely dilapidated. Compared to the Sky Company, it was like the difference between a rural area and a city.

Just as he was about to get into the car, he suddenly heard a sound of water behind me. It was the sound of my feet stepping on the puddles, which sounded so abrupt in the quiet underground parking lot.

Zhao Qing felt a sense of oppression coming over him, and when he turned around, he saw a man in a gray robe standing behind him.

The other person's face looked as if it were obscured by smoke, making it difficult to see clearly.

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!