Chapter 158: The Final Fall of the Wang Family

Inside the Long family residence, Long Ming looked at Elder Long with unconvinced eyes and said, "Elder, are we really just going to give up like this? If we don't get the overseas agency rights for Future Technology, we'll quickly be surpassed by other families. Didn't Feng Lin hand all the handling authority over to the Xie family? Why don't you go talk to them, Elder?"

Long Ming was very emotional, and Elder Long was equally anxious. However, he was at least still able to see the current reality clearly. Unable to help himself from shattering Long Ming's last shred of illusion, he said, "Do you think the Xie family still dares to cooperate with us? If they were to cooperate with us, believe it or not, Feng Lin would be the very first to come out and deal with the Xie family."

After finishing, Elder Long let out a sigh of deep regret. "It truly was one wrong step leading to total defeat. Right now, our family isn't even the most miserable one. The most tragic ones are the Murong and Wang families. The Murong family had no prior grievances with Feng Lin, and he even promised Elder Murong that he wouldn't touch them, leaving them to fend for themselves. But the most pathetic of all is probably the Wang family; from now on, they will likely be wiped out from the capital's records."

Elder Long's premonition proved extremely accurate. In the business world, many people already knew that the Wang family was in deep trouble. Virtually all companies with commercial ties to them had cut off contact. Commercially speaking, the Wang family was practically finished, and Feng Lin could wipe them out at any moment.

As for the political and military arenas, quite a few members of the Wang faction had been targeted for cleanup by the President and the Premier because of their involvement in this matter. Right now, the Wang family was treated like a plague in the capital, with everyone keeping a respectful distance from them.

Inside the Wang family residence, Elder Wang looked on with eyes full of grief at the remaining direct descendants sitting before him. Only Wang Manyi and his father were left. Fortunately, Wang Boyi had resolutely cut ties with the Wang family from the very beginning, managing to extricate himself in time. The state had ultimately granted Wang Boyi a way out and left him untouched.

"Dad, I'm sorry. I never imagined I would drag the Wang family into this current situation," Wang Boyi said, feeling a deep sense of desolation. The Wang family had once been a prominent and well-known clan in the capital, but now they had been reduced to rats scurrying across the street with everyone shouting for their lives. It was nothing short of ironic.

"Heh, you can't entirely blame yourself. Didn't I also endorse your opinions back then? I'm afraid we won't be able to get through this cleanly. Let's try one last resort and see if we can smuggle Manyi out of China; at least that way we can preserve his life," Elder Wang said with a bitter smile, looking at Wang Boyi with a desolate expression. At this point, offering apologies and expressing regret was truly too late.

Elder Wang's proposal lit a spark of hope in Wang Manyi's eyes, as he had been plunged deep in grief within the grand hall. If there was a chance to avoid death, who would want to rot in a prison cell for the rest of their lives? He immediately stood up and ran excitedly to Elder Wang's side, hoping the elder would continue.

However, the hope Elder Wang had just given Wang Manyi was instantly extinguished by Wang Boyi. "Elder, forget about it. Remaining in the country is the best possible outcome for Manyi. Although he'll be locked up, he'll at least stay alive. If he goes abroad, I guarantee you that the moment he crosses China's borders, he'll lose his life. Do you take Feng Lin for a pushover? While he might still exercise some restraint domestically, once abroad, with the kind of influence and network he holds overseas, he's probably already watching our family's every move and waiting for Manyi to show up."

Wang Boyi's analysis struck Elder Wang like a bolt from the blue; he truly had overlooked Feng Lin's overseas reach. Elder Wang cried out indignantly, "Does Feng Lin really intend to drive the Wang family to extinction, refusing to leave even a single path of survival for my grandson?"

"Elder, he has already left one. Otherwise, Eldest Brother wouldn't be as comfortable as he is right now; the state leaving him untouched is the best proof of that. As for Wang Manyi, he is the person Feng Lin detests the most within the entire Wang family. Now that such a perfect opportunity has presented itself, how could he possibly let it slip by?" Wang Boyi's current state of utter despair had finally opened his eyes, but unfortunately, this realization came far too late.

Inside the Murong family residence, Elder Murong returned with a face full of disappointment, accompanied by Murong Xue. The second-generation members of the Murong family, who had long since received the news, anxiously crowded around them.

"Elder, how could it turn out like this? Is the Lin family really being so ruthless this time, refusing to give you even a single chance? After all, you walked the same path as Elder Lin back in the day and even worked together for a period," Murong Wu was the first to speak out, unable to hold back his question any longer.

Unable to answer, Elder Murong let out a heavy sigh and retreated desolately to his study alone, closing the door behind him and leaving the other members of the Murong family in silence within the hall.

***

Despite the President and the Premier learning that Feng Lin was unwilling to compromise and insisted on leaving, and despite their best efforts to mitigate the subsequent fallout caused by the incident, they had still underestimated Future Technology's influence within the country.

"Sigh, Lao Liu, we can't go on like this. Many foreign forces are seizing the opportunity to fan the flames, and the situation outside is getting a bit out of hand. We can't suppress it much longer," the Premier said with a worried expression as he looked at the statistical reports handed over by his secretary.

The President felt an immense headache as he looked over those data sheets. Initially, many netizens didn't understand the underlying reasons, and upon seeing that Future Technology was about to pull out, they raised a tremendous uproar online. With the added push from hostile foreign forces, there were vague tendencies toward impending riots.

"This matter must be resolved immediately, lest prolonged delays lead to even greater chaos," the President rubbed his throbbing temples and replied gloomily to the Premier.

"How do we solve it? I don't have the slightest clue. If Feng Lin were willing to step forward and issue a statement directly through Future Technology, it would be far more persuasive than anything we could say or do. It's just a pity that young man's mind is made up," the Premier said irritably, tapping his desk repeatedly with the data sheets.

Hearing the Premier bring up Feng Lin again made the President's blood boil. Why did those people have nothing better to do than provoke Feng Lin day in and day out!

"How are the people involved in this matter being handled?" the President suddenly asked about their status.

"Lao Liu, rest assured, this time I've brought out the real blade; I haven't softened my stance. It's just that far too many people were involved; if we struck at all of them, the situation would likely become even more chaotic than it is now. We can only deal with the ringleaders first," the Premier said grimly when mentioning these individuals.

The President nodded after hearing this, but a moment later, he asked once more, "How are you handling the Murong and Wang families?"

The Premier didn't understand why the President would ask such a question, but he answered truthfully nonetheless: "As for the Murong family, Feng Lin said he wouldn't touch them, and Murong Xue is just a reckless kid who can't bear any responsibility at all. She was likely dragged into this by the Wang family's Wang Manyi, so I haven't touched the Murong family for now. However, the Wang family has pretty much been cleaned out, with just a few individuals left waiting for your decision."

"Hmph, no need to wait, just take action directly! Lately, these rising families have reached too far. It's time to chop off their hands and teach them a warning," the President said to the Premier with a face full of murderous intent.

The Premier nodded, mentally noting down the directive.

Having settled that matter, the conversation shifted back to Future Technology. The President continued, "It looks like we'll have to make another trip to see Feng Lin and ask for his help. Otherwise, if this is just handled by us officially, it genuinely won't get resolved. But before we go, we must deal with the Wang family as just discussed—consider it an explanation to Feng Lin."

The Premier reasoned that this made sense. Ultimately, they still needed Feng Lin to take action, and if they wanted to request his help, they had to give him a satisfying answer first.

After conferring with the President, the Premier immediately instructed his secretary to launch the operation to arrest members of the Wang family. Although Elder Wang was a veteran covered in meritorious service, unfortunately, in his twilight years, he had been implicated by his grandson and burdened with such grave charges, destroying his hard-earned reputation at the end of his life.

***

The other prominent families in the capital had witnessed the downfall of the Wang family. Those officials who had been involved in the incident but had not yet been hauled in for questioning lived in constant terror every day, terrified that their turn would come next and drag their families down with them.

The Murong family, in particular, felt the pressure most acutely. Although they were one of the four great families of China, the impact of what they had done this time was simply too severe—enough for the state to strike against their clan. Even an elder of such lofty status as Elder Murong, who had witnessed countless storms throughout his life, found himself unable to sit still in his own home.

Having dealt with the Wang family affairs, the President and the Premier once again came to the Lin family residence to pester Feng Lin.

"What? You still want our company to step forward and help solve the problem? I'm the victim here, okay? I advise you to dispel that notion early on. Just not adding to the chaos is already showing enough courtesy to the state," Feng Lin said with exasperation and an angry tone the moment he heard the purpose of the President's and the Premier's visit.

"This, this..." Blocked completely by Feng Lin's words, the President momentarily found himself at a loss for what to say.

Fortunately, Premier Zhu was quite familiar with Feng Lin's personality and persisted with soft tactics. "There's really no help for it; the situation is already getting out of hand. We've tried very hard to handle the issue, and I'm sure you've heard the rumors. Right now, many foreign forces are seizing the chance to incite the populace domestically. They don't know the inside story, but they're full of a sense of justice, and many of them are hardcore fans of Future Technology's products. It's very easy for others to exploit them. You simply have to step in now!"

"That's your problem to deal with. As a private individual, I can't help," Feng Lin remained unmoved and continued to rebuff the Premier.

Seeing that trying to persuade Feng Lin directly was ineffective, the Premier turned his gaze toward Elder Lin, hoping the elder would help persuade his grandson.

As it turned out, Premier Zhu's tactic worked. Although Elder Lin had been displeased with that group of people earlier, the ringleaders among them had already been dealt with—especially the Wang family, which had nearly been uprooted entirely, with only Wang Boyi, who had distanced himself long ago, surviving unscathed. Elder Lin was actually quite satisfied with the top leadership's attitude in handling the matter.

Being from the older generation who had lived through times of war, they had always detested foreign forces stirring up trouble within the country and abhorred any internal turmoil.

After pondering for a moment, Elder Lin finally looked at Feng Lin with a serious expression for the first time. "Feng Lin, Premier Zhu is right. You should step forward and help out. Do as much as you can; at the very least, you need to pacify the netizens online and those dissatisfied citizens."

Elder Lin's attitude exceeded Feng Lin's expectations. He was the one person who never imagined Elder Lin would hold such a view, especially given how unhappy the elder had been with them previously. Why had his stance suddenly shifted?

Noticing Feng Lin's puzzled and curious expression, Elder Lin simply offered a calm explanation: "The country cannot fall into chaos, and the nation must remain stable!"