"Wow, this is quite the spectacle. Truly worthy of Hu Po."
"No doubt. Boss Hu is a big shot these days, at the forefront of everything. Compared to him, we're all nobodies."
"Alright, enough. Disaster comes from the tongue. Speak less."
At the entrance of the Long Teng Hu Yue Hotel, dozens of burly men in black suits, sunglasses, and all over six feet tall stood guard.
Their mere presence exuded a calm and imposing aura, inspiring awe in onlookers.
As one luxury car after another pulled up to the hotel entrance, more and more people entered the establishment.
With ten minutes left until nine o'clock, the number of cars outside the hotel grew steadily.
The car carrying Du Fei and Shen Xiong, among others, joined the flow of traffic and arrived at the entrance of the Long Teng Hu Yue Hotel.
"Apologies, Boss Shen. Due to limited space, you can only bring one subordinate inside later."
As soon as the car stopped, the person in the passenger seat turned with a smile and addressed Shen Xiong and his companions in the back of the business vehicle.
"I..."
Zhao Tao, hearing this, was about to flare up again.
However, this time, Shen Xiong stopped him preemptively.
Feeling the hand on his shoulder, Zhao Tao swallowed the curse he was about to utter.
After all, in front of outsiders, Zhao Tao naturally had to show respect to his boss, Shen Xiong, and not just focus on his own satisfaction.
"Du Fei will accompany me inside later."
Shen Xiong looked at Sun Cheng and Zhao Tao behind him and said calmly.
Although he didn't know what Hu Po's intentions were for today, with Du Fei by his side, Shen Xiong felt completely unfazed.
Sun Cheng and Zhao Tao looked at Shen Xiong. Since their boss had made his decision, they said nothing more.
Shen Xiong extended his hand towards Du Fei, signaling him to get out of the car first, showing him great respect.
But Du Fei just smiled and didn't move.
Seeing this, Shen Xiong had no choice but to get out of the car himself.
He had shown the necessary respect; there was no need to be overly deliberate.
As Shen Xiong alighted, he noticed the scene at the hotel entrance and was slightly taken aback.
However, he quickly regained his composure and walked into the hotel alongside Du Fei.
...
Hu Po, the super-big shot of Dian Province, was on the phone.
Despite standing straight, his face was filled with deference.
"Alright, I understand, sir. Please rest assured, after today, there will be only one voice in the southwestern region."
"I understand."
Hu Po waited until the call was hung up by the person on the other end before moving the phone from his ear and placing it on the table.
"Was that an adult on the phone just now?"
As soon as Hu Po put down the phone, Lin Gongfeng, who had been sitting on the sofa, inquired.
"Yes," Hu Po nodded. "If there are any issues later, I will have to trouble you, Master Lin. However, I have already assessed these people beforehand, so it might not be necessary to trouble you then."
Hu Po's attitude towards Lin Gongfeng was extremely respectful.
Firstly, Master Lin was sent by the 'adult' behind him to help him deal with any dissenting voices at the gathering of regional magnates in the southwest.
Secondly, Hu Po had witnessed Lin Gongfeng's masterful skills, and the awe he felt compelled him to be respectful.
When Hu Po unified Dian Province, although he had the backing of that 'adult', he was still full of vigor and felt invincible.
But after personally witnessing Lin Gongfeng in action, he immediately realized that there were many people in this world who could take his life in an instant.
Lin Gongfeng said calmly, "It's not about whether it's trouble or not. As long as the adult's instructions are followed, you and I will do our respective jobs."
"Yes, yes, Master Lin is right," Hu Po then picked up the box he had prepared earlier and pushed it towards Lin Gongfeng. "Master Lin, this is a small trinket that one of my subordinates received. I heard you like thumb rings, so I present this as a token of my regard."
Initially, Lin Gongfeng intended to push away what Hu Po offered. However, upon hearing the word "thumb ring," he changed his mind.
Then, as he opened the box and saw a lustrous, translucent, and vibrant green thumb ring lying within, Lin Gongfeng's gaze became fixated.
Seeing the other person's reaction, Hu Po let out a satisfied smile.
He knew that this small thumb ring had cost him tens of millions.
After admiring it for a while, Lin Gongfeng closed the box.
He looked up at Hu Po and said, "I like this thumb ring very much. Regardless of your intentions, for the sake of this ring, if you encounter trouble in the future, I will help you once."
"Thank you, Master Lin!"
Hu Po's face lit up with excitement upon hearing Lin Gongfeng's words.
However, he also knew that he shouldn't appear too excited or deny anything at this moment.
Because in front of someone like Lin Gongfeng, lying would only anger him.
Just then, one of Hu Po's subordinates entered from outside.
He then approached Hu Po and whispered a few words.
Hu Po nodded, then waved his subordinate away.
"Master Lin, time is almost up. Shall we head in?"
Lin Gongfeng nodded, then stood up with Hu Po and they walked outside.
When Hu Po entered the hotel lobby, the previously bustling hall fell silent instantly.
One had to admit, this was the aura of a super-big shot.
Under everyone's gaze, Hu Po walked with Lin Gongfeng to the table in the center of the hall.
Lin Gongfeng sat down, while Hu Po stood there, scanning the entire room with his eyes.
At this moment, Hu Po was like a lion surveying his domain.
"Everyone, I have sent out invitations this time to gather you all here because there is a great opportunity I wish to share with you."
"That is, I have discussed with some friends, and they all feel that we should not act independently but should unite as one."
"So I have an idea to establish an alliance and bring everyone together."
Hu Po's voice was not loud, but it was enough to reach everyone's ears in the hall, which was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
However, as his voice faded, the previously silent hall erupted into an uproar.
"What? Establish an alliance? What is Hu Po trying to do?"
"Damn it, we're all in the underworld. Forming an alliance now is ridiculous."
"Hmph, what alliance or no alliance? I think this is just Hu Po trying to expand his territory."
"Dian Province is no longer enough for Hu Po's appetite, is it? This guy is already aiming to be the boss of the entire southwestern region."
"Whatever you guys think, I disagree. I'd rather remain a local emperor."
For a moment, everyone in the hall was surprised and blurted out their reactions to Hu Po's words.