Black Tiger Yang Lie, a native of Nest City No. 3, turned 30 this year just after the New Year.

It's said that he was originally born into a happy and prosperous middle-class family, but a financial crisis in the '60s left his family impoverished, not only losing everything but also accruing massive debts.

Normally, such families in Nest City were dime a dozen, and their ultimate fate was to fall to the slums, becoming the very lower-class drifters they once looked down upon.

But Yang Lie, who by a stroke of luck became an Apprentice Death God, changed the fate of his family.

His talent wasn't particularly strong, only managing to become an Apprentice Death God at 24 by the skin of his teeth, and by all logic, his future achievements should not have been significant.

Yet, no matter how down-and-out, he was still an Apprentice Death God, part of the ruling class of Nest City.

Thus, through his efforts, the originally bankrupt family rapidly rose, and the previous creditors were all so moved by his "personal charisma" that they tactfully forgave his debts...

As for those who were less tactful, they naturally vanished into thin air.

Later, through his own efforts, he founded the Tiger Head Heavy Industry Group, and by leveraging his network as an Apprentice Death God, rapidly expanded it. In just a year, this small family business grew into a monopolistic mining company dominating a whole district, with a market value exceeding one billion Yabi.

However... what Yang Lie is most renowned for is his "character" in conducting business.

Rumor has it online that because Yang Lie experienced hard times in his youth, he understands the plight of the ordinary people, so the Tiger Head Heavy Industry Group he founded treats regular workers quite well.

Not only does it offer annual leave, which is almost unheard of in Nest City, but the salary level is also high, and it even provides workers with health insurance, making it one of the most conscientious companies of its kind.

Many reporters have interviewed Yang Lie, praising this Apprentice Death God without reservation and even electing him as a "Person Who Moved Nest City"...

In front of the camera, Yang Lie always wore a cheerful demeanor, friendly and sincere, seemingly impeccable.

However, only Yun You knew what kind of person this guy truly was.

The so-called "excellent treatment for workers" was just something he exaggerated.

Like most bosses in Nest City, Black Tiger was very conscious of his public image.

Therefore, he spent a significant amount of money on crafting a benevolent image, hiring people to write news articles praising him.

In this era, companies even controlled the "right to know," monopolizing the distribution of online news and television programs.

As long as you paid, it could turn a scoundrel into a saint, confusing the public with a deluge of false or curated information.

As for those suffering miners... who could hear their voices? Even if a reporter was brave enough to cover it, their article would never get published.

This is the reality.

Aurora's father, old Miles, worked in the mines for 20 years, year after year without rest, yet the earnings weren't enough to cover Aurora's medical expenses.

And he was a senior engineer!

The so-called excellent treatment was nothing more than empty words from Yang Lie.

As for being "kind-hearted"... that's nothing but dark humor.

If Xie Kang is a demon who will stop at nothing for his ideals, then Yang Lie is a pure psychopath who sees killing as a normal way to relax.

Yun You knew him all too well.

The young girl had etched the memory of this enemy deep into her soul.

She thinks about it almost every moment... dreaming of one day savoring the sweet moment of revenge.

However...

Yang Lie came first.

"Everyone."

Yang Lie blew the smoke off his hand, smiling as he observed the crowd.

But for others, his demeanor was just a perfunctory fake smile... it was only towards Yun You, a fellow Apprentice Death God, that he showed a rare hint of sincerity.

"Interrupting someone speaking so thoughtlessly is quite rude, you know~"

"Unless there's something extremely urgent, let's hold off and hear us out first."

On hearing this, everyone was stunned, but Xie Kang beside him smiled, shook his head, and in a teasing tone said, "Lord Yang, you still love to talk about your secrets and plans, huh..."

"Naturally."

Yang Lie grinned, saying leisurely, "We in the Eastern Hemisphere have an ancient saying: to return home wealthy is like wearing a rich robe walking at night... it means success without someone to share it with greatly reduces its pleasure."

"So I have a habit, that is, after succeeding, I must tell the victims the whole story... or satisfy their wish to know the truth before they die."

"If I don't do that, I always feel like something's missing."

"Haha, what a strange hobby indeed."

Xie Kang chuckled, shaking his head and replied, "But I'm the same... that's why we get along so well."

Yang Lie was about to continue when Jack, who had been silent, suddenly spoke up, interrupting their conversation.

"Black Tiger Yang Lie, Mad Dog Sequence Apprentice Death God..."

Jack gripped his pistol tightly, asking in a grim voice, "From the beginning, you were in cahoots with Xie Kang, weren't you?"

"Of course."

Yang Lie shrugged, not denying it.

"I came here a year ago."

"At that time, I was granted a reward by my superiors, allowing me to choose any city district to serve as a Civil Protection Officer and establish my own enterprise."

"I didn't choose a prosperous commercial area, but rather this mining base..."

"Back then, I thought, if developed properly, having a mining realm entirely my own would definitely be worth more than those mixed commercial areas."

"And facts proved that my choice was right... because here, there are not only rare minerals but also a treasure that even higher-ups covet deeply."

"The Immortal Magic Potion—Tai Sui."

Yang Lie reached over and hooked his arm around Xie Kang's shoulder, smiling and saying, "Back then, the old man's research hit a bottleneck, hoping for my help."

"He promised to share with me the research results, and naturally, I gladly agreed."

"Since then, we formed a partnership."

"I provided him with materials needed for some experiments, smoothing over troubles during inspections, and when necessary, could eliminate anyone or any creature threatening him."

"We're friends who talk about everything, as well as cooperative partners."

To these words, Xie Kang nodded in agreement.

"Lord Yang truly is a great partner."

"Without him, this experiment likely wouldn't have proceeded at all..."

"So, I sincerely thank him and am willing to pledge allegiance to him."

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