Chapter 202: Lee vs Lee, Tensions Escalate!

Chapter 202: Lee vs Lee, Tensions Escalate!

Raymond, Melody, and Greg rose from their seats, their faces twisted with deep displeasure. A heavy ripple of annoyance spread through the restaurant patrons as they watched the trio's dramatic exit. The Lee siblings sneered at the onlookers, completely indifferent to the scene they were causing, while Greg gripped his fists in silent fury.

Raymond paused at the threshold, turning to lock eyes with me as a cold, confident smirk spread across his lips. "You think this makes you a winner?" Raymond scoffed, his voice dripping with venom. "Sure, play your stupid games and let's see who wins the stupid prize. I will show you my connections in Star City. Let's play."

We watched their figures retreat past the glass doors before Linda turned to me, her fingers trembling slightly as she clutched my sleeve. "Should we have just ignored them instead?" Linda asked, her eyes wide with mounting concern. "I did not want to cause problems."

I gently placed my hand over hers, offering a reassuring squeeze to my poor, naive Linda. "No, I just slapped him first," I said, guiding her gaze back to mine to ground her. "He has no intention of doing nothing, otherwise he would have not openly provoked me. His Lee clan now wants to suppress me with my Grandfather gone. They suppressed my whole family one by one, and now they want to push my new strength down."

I stood up smoothly, keeping a firm grip on Linda's hand to help her up from the booth. "The Lee sent Melody as a token of gratitude to entice Jill's husband to openly stir up conflict," I continued, scanning the room to ensure no one was lingering too close to our table. "They want to make the Feng break away from our wide grasp of the major families. I expected this to happen, but not for at least a year. It seems with whatever is going on in Central, they are getting nervous to deal with me."

Linda nodded quickly, her expression softening into determination as she adjusted her business blazer. "I will listen to you, so I will talk with you more about the happenings in my company."

We walked toward the exit together, my bright-blue eyes scanning the surrounding street as I leaned down to whisper in her ear. "Be mindful of the things you say in your office and what not for a while, until I send a security team to sweep for bugs," I warned, guiding her toward the sidewalk. "The Lee has a very good hacker, and you know how scary hackers are. Don't worry about your smartphone, because you have Harem-Chat on it and your computer, so it is protecting you. Just mind your business dealings at work."

"Yes, Rick," Linda replied, her voice firming up as she stepped toward the curb.

I opened the door to her waiting limousine, ensuring she was safely seated inside before sealing the door to send her back to work.

I walked toward the pickup lane, spotting Mercy standing tall beside my new 2027 Armored BMW custom-built four-door luxury sedan. She smoothly opened the rear door for me, her eyes sweeping the perimeter for threats. "Afternoon Master, how was lunch?" Mercy asked, her posture impeccably rigid yet graceful.

"Hello Mercy dear," I said, sliding into the plush leather seat and sighing heavily. "Well... It was annoying with flies buzzing. We also have new foes to guard against, so let us get in and go."

The heavy door thudded shut, and the distinctive ringtone of my phone echoed through the cabin the exact moment I settled into the seat, the screen flashing with Lucy's name. I pressed answer, and her voice came through the speakers.

[Sorry dear, but I wanted to wait to tell you about your grandfather until you found out like this,] Lucy's voice chimed through the electronic encryption. [No one outside of the Government is supposed to know he fled, so to make sure your reaction was the right one, I watched and waited. Don't worry, I have already sent the signal to all of our forces warning of the Lee coming to Star City. So, are you mad?]

"Not at you, but the fact they are using Linda and Jill this way," I replied, running a hand through my hair while watching Mercy mirror my movements in the rearview mirror. "I have our conversation recorded so we can use it. Oh, and Ling Ling was doing something with them, do you know what she was up to?"

[First, I need you to keep calm about what Raymond just did, can you do that?] Lucy asked, her tone shifting into a rare, deadly seriousness.

"Not if he is hurting someone I care for..." I growled, my knuckles turning white against the armrest.

[He is not causing physical harm, but he just called his family to have Mary suspended and then fired for being married to a Syndicate Leader,] Lucy explained, her words cutting through the car's quiet ambiance. [Sadly, they do have precedence for this. The local government has always overlooked this because of her amazing record, but with the Traditionalist connections, persuading or threatening her bosses was easy.]

"Well, you saw this as a possibility," I muttered, forcing my breathing to slow down as the sedan smoothly merged into traffic. "Now, what is up with grandfather?"

[This is why my father made me die and vanish...] Lucy sighed, the digital line crackling slightly with static. [They finally confirmed my mother's death, and openly went to imprison him, but the military loyal to him gave him a heads up. I know you are confused why he went to China, but it was a plan your father started when you were 5 years old. The enemy of our enemy is our friend. But when we defeat our enemy, don't trust the last enemy. That is where Star Wars will come in later. Now the Traditionalist plans of war will be announced this week for the world to see. Your grandfather will publicly announce to the world what the Traditionalists are planning.]

"Will this accelerate war?" I asked, leaning forward as the weight of the revelation pressed into my chest.

[No, because the Political faction of Lee does not want war,] Lucy answered swiftly. [Now that father is not leading the SDF, our country is vulnerable to more than just China. The Traditionalists have always controlled foreign wars, but our family controlled the SDF. Now no one is leading them and the Traditionalists are putting their hands on it, seizing control of over half of our country's military, and causing friction with the Political Lee. Central has some ways of combating the militant nature of the Traditionalists, but without my father, it is difficult.]

"What about Mei?" I asked, my thoughts racing to our hidden assets.

[Don't worry, there is no trail left from father leaving,] Lucy reassured me, her voice regaining its confident edge. [He always kept anything important in his head, or had me deal with it. When the Traditionalists come in, they have nothing, it has never existed on the computer or file for them. Father destroyed everything leading to you, me, Mei, or any Chinese operatives in Eurasia. Going after father was the absolute worst mistake the Traditionalists made.]

"I was planning on putting Raymond's recording on the national news," I said, tapping my fingers rhythmically against the window glass. "Should I wait till after the world announcement or do it now?"

[I think playing after it is known will have more impact, showing the government covered it up intentionally from the people,] Lucy analyzed. [Also, the reason Ling Ling was there was to administer that poison to Greg. I just erased the video showing the vial that I personally used in the past on Sam. So in a day, Greg will find some interesting developments in his well, dick.]

"Wait, why Greg?" I blinked in sheer confusion, staring blankly at the dashboard. "What is the point of that?"

[No idea,] Lucy admitted with a short laugh. [I do not talk with her, only Mei occasionally works with her. But she looked at the camera and winked at it as she carried the drinks out and then left.]

"So the million-dollar question," I said, narrowing my eyes as the stakes grew higher. "What do we do about Jill? She knows who I am and she is around the Lee, won't she tell them? Do I need to activate our family escape plan?"

[Jill is the biggest unknown variable in the game,] Lucy stated, the sound of keyboard clacking faintly echoing in the background. [As of yet she has not exposed you. I think she is torn with herself and is talking with her father next week to clear her thoughts, so do not push her too much as of now... The last thing I want to do is kill Jill Feng, but you know I will, right?]

"I don't want her dead either..." I murmured, looking out at the passing buildings of Star City. "But, I want my family to be more safe... I trust you to do what is best, Lucy."

[Don't pass on your meeting next week, go in with your head held high and don't hide,] Lucy commanded. [Just buy time and let the politics and watchers watch. I have already sent the orders to God Squad and they will arrive in Star City by tomorrow night. So do not worry about your safety.]

"Alright, I am cancelling my plans this afternoon and will go to Mary right away," I said, shifting my posture to signal Mercy. "I want to be there when she gets her bad news, love you."

I disconnected the call as Mercy seamlessly steered the armored sedan around a sharp corner, navigating the direct route toward the precinct.

"Master, should I have my father prepare the Mu Clan to leave Eurasia?" Mercy asked, her eyes catching mine through the rearview mirror with fierce intensity. "We will follow you to our deaths if need be."

I reached forward, patting her leg affectionately to soothe the rigid tension in her muscles. "No, we are not at that point yet, my love," I said softly, ensuring my voice carried total certainty. "Just know I will not abandon or sacrifice the Mu clan. Keeping you and Lee is one of my top priorities."

Mercy swerved the car slightly as she gripped the steering wheel tighter, a sudden warmth flushing her cheeks. "Rick, my husband," Mercy spoke, using my true name for the first time in an entire year. "This is the reason the Mu are loyal to you. But we are warriors and we will fight to the bitter end. And this is how it has been for 30,000 years. But, make sure our son Lee does not suffer. And I will fight at your side till the bitter end. I know I am only a Master, but I love you. Don't say anything corny, just smile, Master~!"

I offered her a silent, knowing grin in the mirror, acknowledging that words were entirely useless now that our path was unalterably set.

Mercy and I walked through the glass double doors of the police station, stepping directly into a heavy, suffocating atmosphere. The entire bullpen was in utter disarray, with officers trading looks of deep confusion, profound sadness, and burning anger over the sudden political execution that had just taken place.

Before I entered, Mary had already called me while sobbing uncontrollably on the line. I told her I was coming straight over, but she could barely choke out the words as she explained that she had been suspended immediately. They ordered her to gather her personal belongings on the spot, forcing her to leave her badge and gun behind on the desk.

The high-ranking traditionalists completely miscalculated the fallout of firing Mary from the force. She was the absolute heart and soul of the officers at this precinct, anchoring the entire department for years. Finding out she was brutally canned solely because of her marriage to me floored every single uniform in the building.

I stepped into her private office, where Mary was carefully placing the final framed picture of our child into a cardboard box with tears pooling in her eyes. The moment she saw me walk through the door, she dropped the frame and ran directly into my arms, weeping against my chest. I gently patted her back to soothe her raw panic while Mercy stood completely silent, guarding the entrance.

"This is all my fault," I whispered into her hair, my chest tightening with genuine guilt. "The Lee clan is actively moving against me now. They pulled major political strings just to hurt me through you, my wife... I am so sorry..."

Smack! To my utter surprise, she swung her hand down and fiercely smacked my ass.

She pulled back to pout at me, her tear-stained face suddenly morphing into a look of sheer defiance. "That Lee clan has always hated our family, so this is not your fault!" Mary snapped, crossing her arms tightly. "Don't you ever apologize for what those assholes do. I am only sad to stop doing my dream job, but I still have you, Sally, and my sisters. As long as I have that, I am perfectly fine... It was just too sudden, that's all."

Seeing her turn her anger toward our enemies instead of wallowing made me feel a tiny bit better, prompting me to suggest something I usually hate saying with all my being. "Well, you did say the other thing you wanted, if this job ever stopped, was making a little sister or brother for Sally, right?" I asked, looking into her eyes.

Mary’s eyes opened incredibly wide the exact moment she heard me suggest having a second child. In her heart, she had never wanted to burden my hectic life with more responsibilities, but hearing me freely offer that to her at her lowest moment caused the lingering sorrow to vanish instantly.

"Rick... Are you serious?" she gasped, her voice trembling with a completely new kind of emotion.

"But only if you take mom's role and become the permanent stay-at-home mother for the kids," I bargained, flashing her a gentle smile. "What do you say?"

She immediately spun around to grab her purse, pulled out a small plastic pillbox, and slammed it down on the desk next to her discarded items. She then leaped straight into my arms, locking her lips with mine to deeply kiss me. Yeah, she was leaving behind her contraceptive pills right alongside her official badge and gun, which was a pretty hilarious sight.

After a quiet moment, I used my thumb to clean the remaining tears from her face, and the three of us began our long walk out of the station. The massive, radiant smile stretching across Mary’s face completely stunned the officers lingering in the hallways. As we crossed the main bullpen, several uniforms stepped forward, their voices echoing off the walls.

"Sergeant Lee, it ain't right, I ain't staying here!" one veteran officer yelled, throwing his cap on a desk.

"Yeah, I have been here a long time," another detective shouted, stepping out of his cubicle. "If they fire you over politics, I will quit right now too!"

"Sister Lee, I-I don't agree with this at all!" a younger rookie stammered, pulling off his badge.

"Yeah, I quit!" a third voice bellowed from the back of the room.

Soon, over half of the entire station was in a roaring uproar as angry murmurs turned into a full-blown mutiny. Mary felt deeply touched to see so many loyal officers risking their livelihoods for her, so she raised her hands to speak. "Thank you, everyone, but this is actually good for me," Mary announced loudly, her voice carrying over the crowd. "I am going to grow my family with another child now, so please don't leave your stable jobs over this."

I grew up knowing some of these guys around the neighborhood, so a brilliant business idea immediately flashed in my mind. "I just so happen to need highly trustworthy security personnel over at my SEG Entertainment studio," I announced loudly to the entire room, my voice booming over the chaos. "Any officers now out of a job will be guaranteed hired by me personally. You will get triple your current wages plus full benefits, so don't listen to my silly wife! Come on, ha-ha!"

By that night, the Star City News was completely ablaze with breaking reports about the unprecedented police station walk-out and mass quitting over the unfair treatment of a loyal sergeant. The situation got so desperate that neighboring precincts had to frantically dispatch units to rescue the prisoners left entirely unattended in the holding tanks. Mary's old station had to be shut down completely for the foreseeable future while the city administration struggled to reshuffle the remaining force across the city. Internal investigations into the corrupt Police Commissioner due to this mass incident are already officially underway.

Later that evening, Mei offered for Mary to officially join our shared bedroom rotation. To my absolute surprise, Mary was very eager and ready to spend a wild night with us all to celebrate her new freedom.

Before diving into the fun, I pulled out my smartphone and fired off a direct text to Raymond's personal number.

[Rick Tang: You were right... "Play stupid games and win stupid prizes!" :P]

I hit send and blocked his number right after like a total child, smiling to myself as the phone went quiet.