The banquet hall was silent!
The wealthy individuals present, despite not knowing the other party's intentions, knew something was terribly wrong the moment they saw the masked figures enter, wielding sharp blades.
Especially when the blades were stained with blood, even the dimmest mind would realize that trouble had arrived.
Ye Cangtian's brow furrowed at this moment.
A total of ten bronze masks.
This meant, including Li Jiu, there were eleven Yellow-ranked members.
Adding Xuan Shi Wu, that made twelve people!
But what had Xuan Shi Wu said last night? The other party had clearly stated that including himself, there were only nine people in total.
It seemed that person did not trust him and hadn't told the truth!
Although it was only three more Yellow-ranked members than he had anticipated, Ye Cangtian did not think of it that way.
A full eleven Yellow-ranked members indicated that besides Xuan Shi Wu, who was a Xuan-ranked individual, there was a Xuan-ranked supervisor who might have also come, and was likely hidden in the shadows.
However, one thing surprised Ye Cangtian greatly!
He had initially thought these people were after him, and at most, they would gang up to kill him.
But now, it seemed their true objective was the wealthy elites of Yangzhou. As for killing him, it appeared not to be that important in their eyes.
Were they collecting wealth for the Dark Association?
It made sense; the Dark Association had always supported underground forces to amass wealth crazily.
But how much wealth could underground forces bring?
Far less than kidnapping a wealthy individual, let alone the sheer number of magnates gathered here, representing almost half of Yangzhou's commercial wealth.
Therefore, Xuan Shi Wu intended to kidnap all the wealthy individuals in Yangzhou City!
"They're really bold!"
Ye Cangtian raised an eyebrow. Fortunately, he had been prepared. Otherwise, if these people had succeeded, the magnates present would truly be in grave danger.
Furthermore, if the wealthy elites of Yangzhou were collectively kidnapped, this incident would shock all of China.
Under widespread panic, the entire nation would face numerous problems.
The wealthy individuals were all somewhat panicked.
Some even made a dash for the exit.
As a result, a bronze-masked assassin instantly moved, and the person who had not even reached the door fell straight to the ground, blood flowing.
At this, no one dared to flee. The magnates who had also intended to escape were scared back.
Tao Wenyu's face turned deathly pale.
He couldn't help but ask Li Jiu, "Steward Li, what… what is going on with them?"
He had never expected things to turn out differently than he imagined. These people were supposed to be invited by Steward Li to help him, so why were they now killing other wealthy individuals?
Li Jiu glanced at him indifferently, a cold sneer on his lips. "My young master Tao, I apologize for deceiving your Tao family for so many years. I had my own purpose in going undercover in the Tao family!"
"Undercover?"
Tao Wenyu's body grew ice-cold. He collapsed onto the ground, looking at the other person with disbelief.
Li Jiu continued, "The Tao family has considerable assets, and my objective in approaching the Tao family was for your family's wealth. Thanks to the trust of you and your father, more than half of the Tao family's assets have now been transferred out."
"And now, young master, you have presented us with a great gift. With so many top magnates here, such immense wealth is enough for me and my superior to complete the organization's mission!"
"No, impossible!"
Tao Wenyu, now slumped on the ground, felt as if all his strength had been drained. He knew this might all be true.
It was because his father had trusted this Steward Li too much.
But he truly refused to believe it, as it meant the end of their Tao family!
"Hahaha, everyone had best not make any rash moves. Just cooperate with us!" Xuan Shi Wu, wearing a silver mask, laughed.
The magnates below looked tense.
Some furtively took out their phones to call the police, only to find that their phones had no signal whatsoever.
Gradually, everyone began to despair.
Xuan Shi Wu took in the expressions of these magnates. He chuckled softly, "Everyone, there's no need to be nervous. Our objective is simple. As long as you cooperate with me and hand over all your property, I guarantee you will all come to no harm!"
All their property?
Upon hearing this, everyone's expression changed slightly.
Most of the magnates present were extremely wealthy, and while they might agree to hand over some money to save their lives, giving up everything? Who could willingly agree to that?
At this moment, Elder Fu coughed and asked, "Although we are all merchants and have considerable net worth, our liquid capital is not that much..."
"Then sell off all your assets, stocks and the like, and convert them to cash!" Xuan Shi Wu said sternly.
Now everyone understood.
These were not ordinary robbers, but a group of experienced individuals. They intended to make all the magnates liquidate their fortunes in the shortest possible time.
Anger flashed across the magnates' faces. These assets were accumulated through their hard work. If they had to hand them all over, how would they live in the future?
A moment of silence fell upon them.
Xuan Shi Wu glanced at these magnates and said with a killing intent in his cold laugh, "Anyone who refuses to hand over their property will be killed!"
Many trembled in fear. The other party's intention was clear.
Did they want money or their lives?
Just as everyone was unsure how to choose, Ye Cangtian finally spoke.
"Has the Dark Association become this rampant?" he said with a smile, looking at Xuan Shi Wu.
"Ye Cangtian?"
Xuan Shi Wu sneered, "Don't worry, we'll deal with you later. But since you even know about the Dark Association, it seems you must have joined China's Dragon Group."
Ye Cangtian did not deny it, looking at the ten bronze masks, no, eleven!
Because the Li steward of the Tao family was now also wearing a mask, and was a Yellow-ranked member.
He shook his head and chuckled, "Eleven Yellow-ranked members, two Xuan-ranked supervisors. The Dark Association has truly spared no expense this time!"
"Two Xuan-ranked?" Xuan Shi Wu was startled and frowned.
"Heh heh, since you're here, why hide?" Ye Cangtian said, looking in a certain direction.
At that moment, a window not far away suddenly opened.
A figure leaped in through the window, also wearing a silver mask.
Even Xuan Shi Wu looked somewhat surprised and asked suspiciously, "Xuan Si, why are you here?"
"The higher-ups were worried about your mission this time and feared any unforeseen circumstances, so they sent me to follow secretly."
The man called Xuan Si finished speaking, then looked at Ye Cangtian and chuckled, "I didn't expect your vigilance to be so high, you even detected me."
"What unforeseen circumstances could there be? Even if this kid is from the Dragon Group, I wouldn't fail!" Xuan Shi Wu's expression was somewhat displeased.
He had brought eleven Yellow-ranked members this time; he wasn't afraid even if there were complications.
Although he was somewhat resentful, he dared not say more. He was very wary of Xuan Si!
Ye Cangtian's expression also turned solemn upon seeing Xuan Si appear.
That person was very strong!
He was likely one of the strongest Xuan-ranked experts he had ever encountered, similar to Xuan San whom he had met on the relic island.
This made Ye Cangtian feel fortunate.
Fortunately, he had discovered it early. Otherwise, with such a powerful expert lurking nearby, if they attacked from the shadows later, the situation would not be optimistic.
"Two Xuan-ranked experts now, is that all?"
Ye Cangtian exhaled slightly. If there were no more, he would prepare to cast his net.