Starforce Warriors

Chapter 167: You Bear The Original Sins

"How could that be?" Li Xiaofei maintained his calm expression, speaking coolly, "My grandpa has been dead for a long time; he's from a different generation. How could he be me?"

"You've got a good poker face," Xiao Hongye said with a smile. "You're quite convincing, but your denial is pointless. My peak sixth-generation light core mainframe, the most advanced computing device in all of Liuhe Base City, has matched you with Your Grandpa through 10,004 comprehensive comparisons. It’s 99 percent certain that you are Your Grandpa... The light core never makes mistakes."

Li Xiaofei took a sip of the red wine and changed the subject, "The taste is average."

Xiao Hongye laughed heartily, "Does that mean you’re admitting it?"

Li Xiaofei replied indifferently, "I don't know what you're talking about."

"It doesn’t matter if you don’t admit it. I know you are Your Grandpa," Xiao Hongye said, not pressing the issue further.

She trusted her own judgment more than Li Xiaofei’s verbal acknowledgment. This was also one of the reasons she had invited him.

"Do you know why I asked you to come here?" asked Xiao Hongye as she sipped her wine, her hair cascading over her shoulders like a waterfall.

Li Xiaofei replied, "Not yet."

Xiao Hongye said, "You need a manager, and I’m the best fit."

Li Xiaofei looked surprised.

"Principal Xiao..."

"Call me sister."

"Alright, Sister Principal Xiao, you’re the head of a school, and you also specialize in being a manager?"

"Many students from Hongye High School have signed management contracts with me," Xiao Hongye explained. "The various leagues within Great Xia have developed over hundreds of years, with mature systems and increasing commercialization. Star students have immense commercial value, similar to the sports stars in legendary old leagues like the NBB, Serie P, Premiera League, Lala Liga, and Bondesliga."

Li Xiaofei instinctively nodded. Xiao Hongye's example made sense. However, the high school league in Liuhe Base City was at best comparable to the English Championship. The only leagues that could truly be compared to the Premiera League, Lala Liga, or the Bondesliga were the university leagues in Great Xia.

Moreover, as far as Li Xiaofei knew, Great Xia wasn't the only place with leagues. Other major administrative regions, and some key countries, both distant like the Bayer Federation and the Yiggs Union, and closer like the Jiepeng Empire, also had various levels of leagues.

The important thing in the era of the Star Council was talent. What kind of talent was most crucial? Warriors and scientists. The former were the first line of defense for human survival. The latter provided the strongest shields and the sharpest spears for the former. Both warriors and scientists were selected through various layers of leagues.

In this era, there was an unprecedented emphasis on education by various countries. It was seen as the key to the survival of the human race. Therefore, star students emerging from the leagues were akin to the sports giants and entertainment stars from five hundred years before.

Those who took to the battlefield and achieved merit in the human-beast wars, whether warriors or scientists, held an even higher status. They were the top-tier celebrities of humanity. In contrast, the status of entertainment stars and idols had significantly diminished. In this era, even most top-tier entertainment stars struggled to compete with martial stars, battle heroes, and scientific giants. This was dictated by the survival environment of humanity.

Li Xiaofei was slightly surprised that Xiao Hongye knew the names of football and basketball leagues from five hundred years ago. Given the Great Catastrophe and the sudden attack of the star beasts, almost all human civilization was destroyed, and much historical information had been lost in the slaughter by star beasts and the following nuclear winter.

People now knew very little about events from five hundred years ago. Many cultural heritages from the peaceful era had been severed. Many once-commonplace things had been lost to history and become unsolved mysteries. Humanity itself nearly faced extinction, let alone their cultural heritage.

Xiao Hongye’s knowledge means that there are still people in this current era who understood things from five hundred years ago. Therefore, I need to be cautious about revealing too much information about five hundred years ago. I don't want to attract the attention of certain individuals and expose my secret of time travel.

"You’re starting to make a name for yourself, and soon you’ll attract more attention. What the Golden Eagle Guild did to you will happen again. Zhao Bufan was just a nouveau riche and couldn’t really harm you. But if the five major families decide to sign you, it won’t be so easy to resist. If they can't get you, they can certainly destroy you," Xiao Hongye warned.

Li Xiaofei raised his chin, radiating confidence, "I hold dual badges and have a relationship with City Leader Tan and Commander Ding. Inspector Li is my teacher... I can’t see why the five major families would dare to move against me."

"You’re forgetting something," Xiao Hongye added.

"Oh?" Li Xiaofei asked, "Do I have some other advantage that I don’t know about but you’ve noticed, Sister Principal Xiao?"

Xiao Hongye said, "You’ve also captivated the city leader’s daughter."

"Uh... we’re just friends," Li Xiaofei said earnestly.

"But all of that isn't enough," Xiao Hongye began to analyze. "City Leader Tan is deeply involved in his administrative duties and doesn’t have the time to look after your affairs. Commander Ding is the same. There’s still no clear information on the whereabouts of the Grade Five star beast Yinji Moon Fox. These intelligent star beasts hold grudges. Once it heals, it’ll definitely come back. He’s extremely busy right now and can’t keep an eye on you all the time. Finally, Inspector Li is known for not meddling in city affairs and maintains a detached stance... These bigwigs don’t have the time or energy to be at your beck and call."

"The two badges are just symbols. They only hold power when acknowledged; otherwise, they’re meaningless. As for the city leader’s daughter, her influence is still not enough in some situations." Taking another sip of her wine, Xiao Hongye asked, "Do you still think you can roam the base city unchallenged?"

Li Xiaofei said, "I have to admit, Sister Principal Xiao, you make a lot of sense. But surely I don't have that many enemies? Who would go out of their way to target me?"

Xiao Hongye replied, "Don’t forget, besides being a rising star in the high school league, you’re also the president of the Cloudy Sky Gang."

Li Xiaofei said, "The Cloudy Sky Gang is now a group of law-abiding citizens, and recognized by the garrison as a unit with close ties."

Xiao Hongye said, "Many things in the base city are decided by the five major families."

Li Xiaofei said, "So I don’t provoke the five major families."

"Killing Ye Chenglong isn’t provoking them? Disrupting the Ye family's plans in the slum isn’t provoking them? Defeating Xiong Zhigang at the banquet, thereby discrediting Jiepeng’s New Martial Arts surgery, isn’t provoking them?" Xiao Hongye fired back rapidly.

Li Xiaofei rubbed his nose.

She has a point.

Xiao Hongye smiled faintly. "You’ve risen from the slum to where you are now, but you are surrounded by powerful enemies. The more exceptional you are, the more people you will offend. Unless you’re willing to become a dog for the five major families, they have countless ways to destroy you outside the arena... because you bear the original sin."

Li Xiaofei’s expression turned serious, recognizing the gravity of her words. The path he had taken was fraught with dangers, and navigating it required more than just strength—it required alliances and careful strategy.