Xu Jiekang frowned and said, "The Xiao Liang you hit is the youngest son of Xiao Zhi."


    Huaqing Energy Group is the company operated by Xiao Zhi, involving the energy industry. You should be able to imagine the power behind Xiao Zhi."


    Qin Hao had never heard of this group, but Xu Jiekang''s solemnity was sufficient to illustrate the Xiao Family''s strength.


    Xu Jiekang continued, "Xiao Zhi''s father, Xiao Xionghai, had retired from that place."


    After that, he pointed north.


    Qin Hao felt somewhat surprised; he understood what Xu Jiekang meant, but hadn''t expected such a significant background.


    Who could it be but someone extraordinary who had retired from the center of power?


    Xu Jiekang said, "The current top leader in Jianghai and the top leader in Nanyue Province are Xiao Zhi''s brothers.


    I will talk to the family head about this. Xiao Hao, you must be mentally prepared; after all, the Xu Family does not have the same management as the Xiao Family.


    So, we might be at a disadvantage in this regard, but rest assured, the family head will think of something."


    Qin Hao nodded slightly, "Mr. Xu, you should rest early; I''ll be going now."


    Xu Jiekang nodded, "Thank you, Xiao Hao."


    Qin Hao drove back, heading directly to the villa complex.


    When he got home, Qin Hao saw Han Meng and Han Qiaoer asleep on the sofa.


    He frowned; hadn''t Qiao''er and Meng slept all night?


    Seeing that they were sleeping soundly, Qin Hao didn''t wake them; he picked up Qiao''er and carried her to the bedroom.


    Then he came back and carried Han Meng to the bedroom as well.@@@@


    After doing all this, Qin Hao lay in bed and started to think.


    From what Xu Jiekang implied, if the Xiao Family really made a move against him, the Xu Family''s help might not be very effective.


    After all, the Xu Family''s network is in the military, not the political arena.


    Although the Xu Family also has connections in the political realm, they aren''t as strong; asking them to offend the Xiao Family would be difficult!


    Qin Hao opened the system and upgraded the skills of basketball, calligraphy, singing, gaming, driving, Go, and piano—all to level five.


    When upgrading the last skill, wilderness survival, he ran out of skill points.


    He checked and found he was short by sixty-three thousand achievement points to fully upgrade the last skill.


    Qin Hao took out his phone and called Feng Xiangyi.


    Feng Xiangyi: "Hello, Mr. Qin."


    Qin Hao stretched his body and then approached the kitchen doorway, "Meng, did you guys stay up all night?"


    With her back to him, Han Meng''s cheeks flushed slightly as she nodded gently.


    Qin Hao said, "Meng, why be so silly? If I''m not back, you should just take Qiao''er to bed. Why wait up for me?"


    Han Meng said softly, "It''s... it''s fine!"


    Qin Hao pulled out his trump card, "If it happens again, I might get mad."


    Hearing Qin Hao''s words, Han Meng quickly nodded. Although she had never seen Qin Hao angry, she was afraid of him getting angry more than anything.


    Seeing how Han Meng was, Qin Hao felt she needed some proper guidance.


    Uncle, you''re back. What were you doing last night?" Han Qiao''er, her eyes still heavy with sleep, walked out of the bedroom. Seeing Qin Hao, she happily ran over.


    Qin Hao squatted down and lifted her into his arms, "Last night uncle had something to take care of with a friend, so I couldn''t come out."


    Han Qiao''er asked, "Oh, so is your friend okay now?"


    Qin Hao smiled and replied, "Everything''s fine now. Go brush your teeth and wash your face, you little wild girl."


    Han Qiao''er giggled, slid down from his embrace, and ran into the bathroom.


    Qin Hao sat on the couch and turned on his system, the upgrade had been completed.


    He opened the system store and then was taken aback; now inside there were a dazzling array of items available.


    The system store had almost every category imaginable, covering food, clothing, shelter, transportation, and more.


    He opened the military category and the first thing that caught his eye was: Stealth Falcon fighter jet research technology (Exchange Achievement Points: 100,000).


    Killers battle robots (Exchange Achievement Points: 100,000); Particle Beam Energy Cannon (Exchange Achievement Points: 100,000).


    Neutron Beam Cannon (Exchange Achievement Points: 100,000); Charge Cannon (Exchange Achievement Points: 50,000); Nano Reconnaissance Technology, Nano Bombs, and so on.


    In addition to these high-tech weapons, there were also smaller weapons: Devourer Rotary Laser Beam Machine Gun; Destroyer Bomb, Laser Pistol, and more.


    Seeing these, a hint of pleasure crossed Qin Hao''s face. The anxiety that had been unsettling him was now replaced by excitement.


    However, he quickly calmed himself down. Though these items were good, they weren''t needed for now.


    They might be needed in the future, and these were key to strengthening himself.


    He browsed for a long while and, in the system store''s medical technology category, he found something.


    Anti-Cancer Drug Research Technology: Utilizes a combination of various Chinese and Western medications, capable of treating various types of cancer patients and preventing the occurrence of cancer. Redemption requires 30,000 Achievement Points!


    [You have such a ruthless heart, can''t you give some votes?]


    ```