He remembered his father holding his hand before his death and saying, "Yuxiao, the Gu family is like a big tree. It may look lush and flourishing, but its roots are crawling with termites. You have to be the axe. You would rather chop off the rotten branches than let the whole tree fall down."
Now, the borers have crawled from the roots to the trunk.
He pressed the pager on the bedside, and Ying quickly returned, pushing an encrypted communication terminal.
"Boss Gu, the Dark Web's Level 1 combat readiness has been activated. Of the 172 Dark Web guards currently on missions abroad, 98 have arrived back home and are on standby."
He called up the troop deployment map.
"The 'Canglong' nuclear submarine of the 'Black Sea' Fleet has left its home port and entered a silent patrol state in the East China Sea, ready to be deployed at any time."
"Very good." Gu Yuxiao looked at the flashing red dot on the screen, as if he was looking at a chess game where a move was about to be made.
"Connect to the 'Dark River' channel and find Chao Youye."
The communication terminal emitted a slight electrical sound. After a few seconds, a clear and cold voice came from the headset: "Mr. Gu."
"Boss Chao." Gu Yuxiao deliberately made his voice sound weaker, "I'm awake."
There was silence on the other end of the phone for two seconds, followed by a knowing chuckle: "It seems we have both slept long enough."
Gu Yuxiao heard the suppressed anger in Chao Youye's voice and knew that he had also discovered Chao Zhenshan's conspiracy.
"How does the 'gift' from Chao Zhenshan and Ye Linyuan taste?" He asked knowingly, tapping his fingertips on the terminal keyboard to pull up the recent capital flows of the Chao family.
"Unforgettable." Chao Youye said succinctly, "From Mr. Gu's side, your second uncle's greetings must have been very thoughtful, too."
"It's just a small trouble, we're dealing with it." Gu Yuxiao didn't want to waste time on details.
"The problem now is that Chao Zhenshan is cunning and calculating, Ye Linyuan is vicious and cruel, and together with my second uncle, we form a three-way confrontation. Fighting alone will only allow them to defeat each one separately."
"You want to join forces." Chao Youye pointed out directly.
"Smart guy." Gu Yuxiao's lips curled up slightly. "I will provide the Gu family's secret guard resources and the firepower support of the 'Black Sea' fleet to help you clear out Chao Zhenshan's peripheral forces; you will use the 'Dark River' intelligence network to help me monitor my second uncle's movements. As for Ye Linyuan..."
He paused and said, "Leave it to Ye Qingliu. We will be his backup."
There was silence on the other end of the phone for even longer, so long that Gu Yuxiao thought Chao Youye would refuse.
After all, letting two equally proud people in power join forces is a dangerous game in itself.
"Okay." Chao Youye finally spoke, his voice filled with unquestionable determination, "But Chao Zhenshan must be dealt with by me personally."
Gu Yuxiao had anticipated this: "No problem. As long as his death doesn't hinder my plan, his head is yours."
What he cared more about was taking this opportunity to eliminate the pests within the Gu family and expand the Gu family's territory in the business world.
After finishing the call with Chao Youye, Gu Yuxiao immediately contacted Ye Qingliu.
When the equally hoarse but smiling voice came from the headset, he knew that the gears of the tripartite alliance had begun to turn.
"Mr. Gu, it seems that I am not the only one playing the game of pretending to be asleep." Ye Qingliu's voice was weak due to illness, but it could not hide the sharpness of his wisdom.
"Smart people always have a tacit understanding." Gu Yuxiao leaned against the head of the bed, feeling the pain of his wound becoming more and more obvious, but his mind was more agile than ever before.
"Ye Linyuan has the support of Chao Zhenshan and my second uncle. You are seriously injured now, and the Ye family is unstable. We need help."
"How do you want to cooperate?" Ye Qingliu asked directly.
"Information sharing and resource complementarity."
Gu Yuxiao repeated the plan he had told Chao Youye.
"Mr. Chao and I will help you stabilize the situation of the Ye family, and you can focus on dealing with Ye Chenghai. In return, you need to cooperate when we take action against Chao Zhenshan and my second uncle."
Ye Qingliu was silent for a moment, as if he was assessing the pros and cons. "What are your conditions?"
"No conditions." Gu Yuxiao looked at the beating electrocardiogram on the screen. "We have a common enemy and a common goal. Cooperation is the only option."
"Okay." Ye Qingliu agreed straightforwardly, "Ye Linyuan, I will handle it myself."
After the communication ended, Gu Yuxiao closed his eyes and took a deep breath.
The pain in his chest made his vision go black, but he could feel a cold force gathering in his body.
He remembered the explosion of the Star, the flames lighting up half the sky red, Mu Xinrong's terrified scream, Chao Youye risking his life to protect his lover, and Ye Qingliu's bloodstained shirt when he was blown away by the air wave... These images were like branding, engraved on his retina.
They all survived, not because of luck, but because of the ruthlessness and tenacity in their bones.
"Ying." He opened his eyes, his gaze as sharp as a knife, "Push me up."
Ying immediately stepped forward and tilted the bed to 45 degrees.
Gu Yuxiao leaned against the head of the bed and took the tablet computer handed to him by Ying. The screen displayed the list of the core management of the Gu family who were about to hold a video conference - the eldest elder, his second uncle Gu Yumou, the head of the third branch... These people who were respectful to him on weekdays were probably planning how to divide his power at this moment.
"Before the meeting starts, edit the interrogation video of Zhang Kui." Gu Yuxiao slid his fingers across the screen and selected several key clips.
"The focus was on how he contacted his second uncle, how he modified the security system, and…" He paused, a cruel smile flashing in his eyes, "add the video of his son's broken leg, and claim it as 'caring for the families of his subordinates.'"
Ying understood what he meant. Such "concern" was enough to send shudders down the spines of all the participants.
"Mr. Gu, are you really going to attend in person?" Ying looked at his pale face with some concern, "Your health..."
"My body is stronger than those old guys think." Gu Yuxiao interrupted him and lifted the quilt to reveal his bandaged right shoulder. Although the movement pulled the wound and made cold sweat seep out of his forehead, his eyes were extremely firm.
"I need to let them know that I, Gu Yuxiao, am still alive and... very angry."
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