The moment the words fell, the entire room fell into a profound silence, so quiet that a pin drop would be audible.
But in the next second…
“Insolent!”
As the angry roar subsided, the white-haired elder standing to Mr. He’s right fixed his icy gaze upon me, his voice sharp and accusatory, “Ignorant junior!”
“The boss invited you here merely to verify some information. You’d best adjust your attitude!”
“Verify information?”
Upon hearing that phrase, I couldn’t help but chuckle.
This scene, this display, this attitude…
Anyone with eyes could see that this was hardly a verification of information. It was an outright accusation!
With a cold laugh, I met the white-haired elder’s gaze without yielding, saying, “If you truly wanted to verify information, given your standing in the Macau underworld, you could obtain the desired intel in mere minutes.”
“After obtaining that information, you should be well aware that I am a victim of that incident!”
“If it weren’t for the need to save my own life, who would willingly risk binding explosives to themselves?”
Hearing my words, the middle-aged man, who had remained silent until then, couldn’t help but sneer, “Heh heh~ Whether you are a victim or not, we will use our connections to investigate. However…”
“You are the one who stirred up this trouble, and you are the one who caused the commotion. Therefore, you must give us an explanation!”
“Let me give you a heads-up. From now until six o’clock this evening, if you cannot devise a satisfactory solution to resolve this matter and minimize the impact, then you might as well not leave!”
As soon as the middle-aged man finished speaking, I immediately understood.
I had to admit that those who followed Mr. He were not lacking in intelligence or cunning.
It was clear that my and Yu Shuang’s identities had been thoroughly investigated after the incident, and we had each been targeted.
The difference was that I had been exposed, while Yu Shuang remained safe.
The middle-aged man asking me to devise a solution to minimize the impact of the public disturbance caused by the explosives was, in essence, subtly hinting for me to find Yu Shuang.
And then… exchange one life for another!
If Yu Shuang were found and the instigator of this matter handed over to them, I would live.
Conversely, if Yu Shuang could not be found, I would be the scapegoat.
Whether I was dealt with directly by Mr. He’s men or handed over to the authorities, my death would be used to quell public opinion and mitigate negative repercussions.
To decide a person’s fate without lifting a finger, with just a few words… is this the power of top-tier magnates?
Understanding the middle-aged man’s intentions, I immediately retorted, “Why? I am the true victim!”
“My enemy wanted to kill me, and I’m not allowed to defend myself?”
Just then, Mr. He suddenly chuckled.
“Heh heh~”
“Young man, if it weren’t for that half of the Qian Wang Ling, do you think you’d still have the chance to stand here alive and speak with me?”
“In fact, you should be thanking me!”
“If you didn’t possess something I desire, given your disruption of Macau’s public order at this time, threatening the property safety of the general public and the many tourists who flock to Macau, it would be perfectly justified for me to kill you!”
“Tell me, isn’t what I’m saying reasonable?”
A certain underworld figure once said: When aspiring to make a name in the underworld, rules are like a pile of dung in their eyes; but once they carve out their own territory or achieve success, they become guardians of those very rules!
Hearing this, I was utterly stunned.
It seemed Mr. He had indeed investigated me thoroughly, and…
If he hadn’t known for sure that I still held half of the Qian Wang Ling, I might have been sunk at the bottom of the Pearl River on the night of the incident.
Now, Mr. He was essentially offering me a lifeline, albeit a precarious one, because of that half Qian Wang Ling.
Asking me to find Yu Shuang was a way for me to atone.
If I couldn’t find her, then undoubtedly it would be me…
In trouble!
While I was still reeling, Mr. He had already risen from his seat.
The moment Mr. He stood up, the white-haired elder and the middle-aged man on either side immediately moved closer to him.
As they followed Mr. He out of the room, the middle-aged man suddenly stopped and turned to look at me, saying, “Kid, remember this!”
“By six o’clock this evening, give me your solution!”
“And absolutely do not even think about running! Otherwise, heh heh heh…”
The middle-aged man’s smile was sinister, causing my facial muscles to involuntarily twitch.
After speaking, without regard for my reaction, the middle-aged man turned and left.
Watching his receding back, an endless rage welled up within me, accompanied by a profound sense of powerlessness.
I had initially thought that Mr. He would not let me off easily when he summoned me today.
But to my surprise, he had never even deigned to look at me directly.
Having his subordinates speak to me was already a significant concession in terms of status.
I believed that if it weren’t for that half Qian Wang Ling, I likely wouldn’t have even had the opportunity to meet Mr. He and these individuals.
It seemed I had been too presumptuous before.
Given my current identity and status, I simply wasn’t qualified to engage in an equal dialogue with these people, let alone bargain with them…
………………kanδん
After Mr. He left, the empty room was left with only me and the beautiful woman.
Since entering the room, apart from speaking a single sentence at the beginning, the beautiful woman had acted as a spectator throughout.
I surmised that her status was not on par with the white-haired elder or the middle-aged man.
If nothing unexpected happened, she would be the one responsible for monitoring me for the next few hours.
Glancing at the beautiful woman, I said with a dejected expression, “Beautiful lady, rest assured, I definitely won’t run!”
Hearing this, the beautiful woman first gave me a knowing smile, then suddenly asked, “Do you want to know where that woman is hiding?”
“You, you how…”
Before I could finish, the beautiful woman raised a finger to her lips, signaling me to be quiet and indicating that we should talk outside.
Despite my overwhelming curiosity, I suppressed my voice and nodded in agreement.
Subsequently, I followed the beautiful woman, walking unimpeded out of the Grand Lisboa and into her Grand Cherokee.
Unlike when I arrived and was confined to the back seat, surrounded and blocked, this time I sat in the front passenger seat, with no one watching me.
After getting into the car, apart from the sound of the seat adjusting, neither the beautiful woman nor I spoke first.
As I subconsciously left a gap in the car door, intending to light a cigarette to calm my nerves, I suddenly heard the beautiful woman say, “Before I tell you where that woman is hiding, can you answer one question for me first?”