498: The mastermind behind it all?

“Heh, he really found a good loophole…” Li Yang’s lips curled into a slightly mocking smile, his eyes full of scrutiny.

He paused, then continued, “However, the Yu Beast Association offered me at least one Flawless Energy Crystal per month. As for you…”

He deliberately dragged out the end of his sentence, his gaze fixed on Ma Dong, wanting to see how much they were willing to pay for him, this so-called “human citizen.”

In his opinion, this game of interests was like a brilliant chess match, and he wanted to see what moves the other side would make.

Hearing the words “Flawless Energy Crystal,” Ma Dong’s eyes widened slightly, and he couldn’t help but look at Bai Luo.

A hint of surprise and jealousy flashed in his eyes, and he muttered to himself, “This woman… she’s really generous…”

Flawless Energy Crystals were extremely precious resources, each containing immense energy, worth a fortune on the market.

Bai Luo was so extravagant to win over Li Yang, which somewhat surprised Ma Dong.

Meanwhile, the Rogue Wolf Gang members, ever since they saw Ma Dong’s Imperial Official uniform, had given up on competing.

Their eyes revealed a hint of helplessness and fear; after all, their Rogue Wolf Gang was much weaker than the other two factions.

They knew very well that if they truly clashed with the Imperial Citizen Association, the Rogue Wolf Gang would be unable to withstand the Imperial Citizen Association’s strike.

In this dog-eat-dog world, strength was everything, and they could only choose to retreat.

“How about this…” Ma Dong took a deep breath, his eyes revealing a determined resolve to win.

He raised his voice slightly and said, “I’ll give you at least two Flawless Energy Crystals per month, plus a 3% share of business profits, and…”

At this point, he deliberately paused, a hint of mystery flashing in his eyes.

With that, Ma Dong slowly leaned towards Li Yang’s ear, lowering his voice and whispering, “Since you already know about the contraband, I’ll tell you a secret… this business is backed by big figures from the Longlan Star Cluster Administration Department.”

His voice was very low, afraid of being overheard, but his tone was full of boastfulness and temptation.

He hoped to use this secret to impress Li Yang, letting him know that joining the Imperial Citizen Association would bring more benefits and security.

Upon hearing Ma Dong’s words, Li Yang’s face didn’t show much surprise.

He had already anticipated this; after all, a high-risk, high-profit business like contraband smuggling, if done openly relying only on the Administration Department on Bianlong Star, would be truly strange.

In this complex smuggling network, without powerful backing, it would be impossible to carry out contraband smuggling so recklessly.

However, both the Speaker and Vice Speaker had previously been demoted for their involvement in smuggling, so who was this new big figure Ma Dong spoke of?

A strong desire for answers surged within Li Yang.

He knew very well that this hidden figure behind the scenes might be the key to unraveling the many mysteries of Bianlong Star’s chaos.

With the intention of investigating thoroughly, Li Yang cleverly disguised himself, feigning a look of surprise.

He widened his eyes slightly, a perfectly timed expression of astonishment on his face, and lightly gasped, then couldn’t help but ask, “But I heard that the Speaker was dealt with, so how could there still be someone supporting this in the Longlan Star Cluster Administration Department?”

His voice carried a hint of doubt and curiosity, as if he truly knew nothing about the matter.

“Heh, you don’t know about this, do you?” Ma Dong’s lips curled into a slight, smug smile, as if he held some incredible secret.

He crossed his arms over his chest and said unhurriedly, “That Speaker only joined this business midway; the real supporter isn’t him. As for who it is, to be honest, I don’t know either; I’m afraid only our Minister knows.”

His tone carried a hint of regret, as if he too was curious about this mysterious big figure.

Ma Dong revealed all of this without hesitation; in his view, since Li Yang already knew about the contraband smuggling, letting him understand more insider information would better show him the benefits of joining the Imperial Citizen Association, thus prompting him to make up his mind to join them.

In Ma Dong’s opinion, the conditions he offered were already very generous.

In the current situation, he felt that Li Yang had no reason not to be tempted.

After all, the Imperial Citizen Association desperately needed someone with human citizen rights to continue expanding their business territory.

In Ma Dong’s understanding, traces of humans were hard to find in the entire Longlan Star Cluster, let alone on Bianlong Star where they were located.

Humans held a special status in the Empire; having human citizen identity was like possessing a powerful business tool.

Once this identity was added, the Imperial Citizen Association’s business would become more stable and powerful.

Imagine, when they go to foreign civilizations for trade, they only need to say, “We have the support of an Imperial human citizen,” and other civilizations, hearing this, will surely be amazed.

In their eyes, Imperial human citizens were like nobles in the Empire; if even such nobles supported a business, the goods would naturally be without problem.

This way, transactions would become smoother, and profits would roll in.

At this moment, Li Yang fell silent after hearing Ma Dong’s words.

If the Speaker wasn’t the mastermind behind this contraband smuggling business, then who was truly qualified to control all of this from behind the scenes?

He constantly pondered, trying to make sense of the existing clues.

“How about it? Interested in joining our Imperial Citizen Association?” Ma Dong wore a look of certainty, convinced that Li Yang would not refuse his olive branch.

He felt that the remuneration he offered and the insider information he revealed were enough to tempt Li Yang and make him willingly become a member of the Imperial Citizen Association.

However, Li Yang merely sighed softly.

To be honest, the results of this covert investigation had already satisfied him greatly.

Although he hadn’t found more detailed evidence yet, the current information he had was valuable enough.

At the very least, that Flawless Energy Crystal was a crucial breakthrough; with it, it was enough to define the illegal and criminal facts existing on the entire Bianlong Star.

“I’m sorry, comrade Ma Dong, I don’t think I can join you.” Li Yang’s voice was clear and firm, echoing through the slightly quiet hall.

This simple sentence was like a giant stone dropped into a calm lake, instantly stirring up ripples in everyone’s hearts.