Chapter 389: Dudu

Chapter 389: Dudu

Zone 1, Jiangnan University, Jiangnan.

A woman with gold-rimmed glasses and a smart, tailored suit sat at the head of the table.

Below her were the newly integrated high-level officials from Jiangbei University and Dong University.

These big shots, who usually acted with an air of arrogance, now sat with lowered eyes, not daring to take a breath.

After all, the woman at the podium was the one who kept the entire Southern Alliance on edge.

Jiangnan's Jiang Yuesheng was powerful, wasn't she?

She was the leader of Jiangsu Province, and even the highest-ranking officials didn't dare breathe a word in her presence.

And Zhang Yuchou from Jiangbei, wasn't she formidable?

She had swept through all the universities in the Alliance.

She was the most powerful in the entire Alliance and was even close to reaching the Epic rank.

Yet, she couldn't last more than three moves against this woman.

Even the Governor of Jiangbei, who had turned the region into her own fiefdom, treated this woman with the utmost respect.

Her formidable presence was evident to all.

Some had even quietly started calling her Empress Pang.

In the Southern Alliance, she was the uncrowned queen.

Even if someone from the Alliance headquarters came, whether they stood or knelt depended on her mood.

The pressure of facing such a figure was unimaginable.

Compared to others, Zhang Wentao and Zhao KaMing felt an added sense of unreality.

Looking at the woman at the podium, they couldn't help but think.

Could this really be the same silly girl who, after Lu Wu's death, knew nothing and almost got tricked by Wu Mei into selling herself?

When Lu Wu died, Zhang Wentao thought Jiangnan University was finished.

They never expected that without Lu Wu, Dudu would step up.

She burst forth with Archmage-level strength and forcefully took over Jiangnan University.

Under her leadership, not only did Jiangnan University not decline, but it became even more prosperous.

Now, she had also merged with Jiangbei University and Dong University and proposed the University Alliance plan.

Once this plan succeeded, not only would Jiangnan University become the top university in Zone 1, but Dudu's status would also change dramatically.

At that time, even the Education Department would be like a younger sibling before her.

Thinking about Dudu's actions over the past few months, Zhang Wentao felt like he was dreaming.

Dudu, unconcerned with the emotions below, calmly assigned task after task.

"The construction of the new school must be expedited.

Also, the Alliance matters need to be addressed.

You have three months of freedom, and the tasks I've assigned must be completed within this time frame.

Is that clear?"

"Yes, ma'am!"

"Good, meeting dismissed!"

After Dudu dismissed the meeting, she stood up and left.

Throughout the process, no one dared to move, and everyone respectfully bowed their heads as they saw Dudu off.

Only after Dudu had left the conference room did they dare to raise their heads.

On Dudu's side, after leaving the conference room, she returned to Lu Wu's research institute.

Every corner of Jiangnan University was undergoing renovation and expansion, except for this place, which Dudu insisted on keeping untouched.

She wanted Lu Wu to return to the original state of this institute.

And in the institute, since the little skeleton and the little dragon had run away from home, it had become much quieter.

Without his two little friends, Tuntun could only eat and sleep all day, feeling especially lonely.

When Tuntun saw Dudu return, he was especially happy and rushed to greet her.

He eagerly burrowed into Dudu's embrace, and she picked him up and strode into Lu Wu's cultivation chamber.

In this chamber, there was currently a giant mirror.

Dudu approached the mirror, and instead of her reflection, she saw the image of a little dragon.

It seemed to be trapped at the bottom of the sea, surrounded by massive pillars chained in place.

Each pillar seemed to have a dragon's silhouette.

The little dragon, meanwhile, cowered in a corner, shivering.

Seeing the little dragon's helplessness, Dudu frowned and waved her hand, turning off the little dragon's image and switching to the little skeleton's side.

At this, Dudu couldn't help but be taken aback.

The mirror's image had gone dark.

Dudu furrowed her brow and picked up the phone to make a call.

The other end quickly answered, "What's the matter?"

"The mirror, why did the image go black?"

"It's probably because it's out of tracking range, or the tracking device was destroyed.

Or maybe the signal is unstable. Try again later.

By the way, how's it going on your end?"

"So far, it's going smoothly. It'll be done within three months at most.

"That's good. When you control the University Alliance, Lu Wu will naturally be able to return openly."

The person on the other side lifted a corner of their mouth in a smirk, while Pang Dudu's brows furrowed as she listened. "That's fine for now, but I advise you not to let me find out you're using me. Otherwise, I'll wring your neck."

With that, Dudu hung up the call and turned to stare at the mirror before her, a cold glint in her eyes.

"Elder Council, Zero Organization, and you three, Lu, Hai, and Kong! Just you wait!"

She wouldn't let anyone who had wronged Lu Wu off the hook.

Not even Lu Wu's own father.

In Dudu's eyes, if he hadn't been so weak, would Lu Wu have been forced to flee so far from home?

...

In Zone 11, at the headquarters of the 8th Apostle.

Lu Wu made a decision that left him feeling down for a long time.

Under the guidance of the 72nd Apostle, he arrived at the place where the Sakuragi family was being held captive.

When he came, he was in high spirits.

He thought he could rescue the Sakuragi family, but upon arrival, he saw a scene of carnage.

Over a hundred members of the Sakuragi family, and by the time Lu Wu arrived, less than thirty were still alive.

Among these thirty, neither Sakuragi Kousuke nor Sakuragi Hanako were present.

"Sakuragi Kousuke died due to severe injuries and his old age, unable to withstand the interrogation. As for Sakuragi Hanako, she was tortured to death for refusing to reveal your information."

Lu Wu listened to the report from the 72nd Apostle, and a long silence followed.

He couldn't help but think of that silly girl who was so much like Dudu.

He felt a twinge of self-blame.

Perhaps he shouldn't have appeared in that girl's life at all.

If not for his presence, that innocent and carefree girl would still be living a carefree life.

Instead, she had withered in the prime of her youth and endured such agony before her death.

"Oh, right, this is Miss Sakuragi's item, it seems to be for you."

The 72nd Apostle lacked sensitivity at this moment.

He didn't notice Lu Wu's low spirits and proceeded to hand over a wristband at this time.

When Lu Wu saw the wristband embroidered with the words 'Righteous Great Lord's Prosperous Martial Fortune', he couldn't help but feel a sting in his nose.

For the first time, he realized he was nothing but a scumbag.

His chest tightened as if the wristband had blocked something within him.

He didn't know where to direct his anger.

The 8th Apostle? He's already dead; who else is there to blame?

It seemed he could only blame himself.

After a long silence, Lu Wu lifted his head and patted the 72nd Apostle's shoulder.

"Do two things for me. Gather all the personnel involved in the interrogation and let them experience the same torture the Sakuragi family endured until death.

Having given these orders in a fit of anger, Lu Wu fled from the dungeon.

He emerged from that dungeon.

Lu Wu's mood was at an all-time low.

At this moment, he didn't even feel like plundering the 8th Apostle's assets.

He found a quiet place to lick his wounds.

In a 69-book bar, he found an error-free version!

It was then that Lu Wu realized some things were truly more agonizing than a thousand cuts, and some decisions could lead to genuine regret.

The 9th Apostle observed Lu Wu at this moment, feeling concerned. She wanted to comfort him but hesitated, unsure of what to say.

Strictly speaking, they weren't particularly close.

She wasn't sure she could offer Lu Wu the comfort he needed, so she decided not to disturb him.

While Lu Wu was feeling down, she took charge and cleaned up the mess.

With the death of the 8th Apostle, the 9th Apostle became the strongest force in Zone 11.

Despite her severe injuries, no one in the secret sanctuary of Zone 11 could challenge her.

The 9th Apostle was the ruler of the zone.

She had her own methods for management and operations.

With a few simple tactics, she quickly took control of the headquarters without the 8th Apostle.

She suppressed the 8th Apostle's confidants and promoted some previously marginalized individuals.

Coupled with the 9th Apostle's authority and the record of slaying the 8th Apostle, these tasks were easily accomplished.

In less than a day, she had completed her mission.

After settling everything, she returned to Lu Wu's side.

When she came back, Lu Wu seemed much better.

At least on the surface, he appeared to have adjusted his mindset and temporarily put Sakuragi Hanako's matter aside.

Upon seeing her, a smile graced his face.

However, upon examining the wristband on Li Wu's hand, the Ninth Apostle knew that this hurdle would not be easy to overcome.

But this was Li Wu's personal matter; no one could help him.

The only thing the Ninth Apostle could do was to divert Li Wu's attention.

"Aunt Ninth," he called out.

"Here!" she replied, handing Li Wu something.

"What's this?" Li Wu asked, taking the item.

"Some confidential intelligence from the Eighth Apostle, along with other useful items found in his treasury," she explained. "The first document is about Pang Dudu."

At the mention of Dudu, Li Wu immediately straightened up and pulled out the intelligence related to her.

As he read through the report, Li Wu's eyes narrowed.

To be precise, the document was an order.

The signatory of this order was the Fourth Envoy.

The order instructed the mobilization of Zone 11's Null Order for an upcoming operation.

The nature of the operation was not specified.

However, the target and timeline were clearly stated.

The primary objective was to disrupt Pang Dudu's upcoming University Alliance initiative.

The secondary goal was to capture Pang Dudu herself.

The operation was set to take place in three months.

Reading this intelligence, Li Wu fell into deep thought.

Undoubtedly, Dudu was caught in a vortex of trouble.

There was more to this than just the Null Order; Li Wu couldn't fathom why the organization would target Dudu.

Moreover, Li Wu noticed something else in the report.

It seemed that the Null Order had previously collaborated with others.

This implied that someone else was planning to make a move on Dudu, and the Null Order was merely a tool in their hands.

This reminded Li Wu of what Feng Xiu had said about the Elder Council.

"It's clear that Dudu's University Alliance has affected someone's interests. They don't want to see the alliance succeed, hence this move.

There's also another aspect to this."

Li Wu's eyes narrowed further.

"And behind this, I suspect, is Zhang Yuni."

Li Wu made this deduction because he had personally met Zhang Yuni and knew she was not as simple as she appeared.

Additionally, he was well aware of his daughter's nature.

She was a bit naive.

Without his guidance, she couldn't accomplish much.

Now, hearing that she had suddenly swallowed up Dongda University and even Jiangbei University within a few months and was planning a university alliance, Li Wu couldn't believe it.

He was certain that his daughter Dudu couldn't have done this on her own.

Therefore, Li Wu's suspicions naturally fell on Zhang Yuni.

Undoubtedly, Zhang Yuni was the one pulling the strings behind the scenes.

Otherwise, Dudu wouldn't have had the power and means to do all this.

This made Li Wu's blood boil with rage.

Why had he left Zone 1 in the first place? To calm the storm and buy time for his growth, ensuring Dudu's safety.

For this, he had agreed to Zhang Yuni's plan of feigning death.

But now, she had turned around and pushed Dudu into the spotlight, putting her at the center of attention. How could Li Wu not be furious? How could his killing intent not surge?

"I must return as soon as possible," he said, his heart burning with urgency.

He couldn't even imagine what Dudu, without him by her side, would be feeling now that she was in the eye of the storm.

He wanted nothing more than to rush back to Zone 1 to protect her.

However, Li Wu was also aware that this wasn't the right time for him to return.

Although he had nearly reached epic-level strength, he was still a step away. Going back now wouldn't be very helpful.

His presence might even cause the situation to escalate further.

Furthermore, the operation against Dudu was planned for three months later, so there was no point in rushing back now.

Therefore, instead of blindly rushing back and potentially making things worse, Li Wu decided to make use of the next few months.

"My power is almost at its peak; the only thing holding me back is my mastery of my domain. Once I improve in that area, my strength will increase.

With three months of focused effort, I should be able to reach at least the 3-Star King level.

If luck is on my side, I might even break through to the epic rank."

Only by attaining the epic rank could Li Wu have the initial strength to change the situation and protect Dudu!

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end