How could anyone be so blind, so audacious?
This thought simultaneously arose in everyone's minds, their expressions utterly aghast.
Although Li Zhonglou had displayed god-like prowess earlier, dismembering their arms with nothing but a ballpoint pen.
But might was one thing, power was another.
In this day and age, it was no longer a barbaric era; there were laws and civilization.
To barge into Jin Hong, wreak havoc, and demand death.
This… this was utterly villainous!
"Brother, you're not joking, are you?" Old Ghost, still composed, sneered after a moment of stunned silence, "You want me dead?"
"What benefit would my death bring you? This isn't the past, where we settled things with violence twenty years ago."
"This world, now, only recognizes money."
"You're risking your life for Ning Lang; there must be a price. Name it!"
He assumed Li Zhonglou's words were just bluster.
After all, he often used such threats himself.
Threatening to kill someone or another, in reality, usually just meant crippling them. Since surveillance cameras were installed everywhere, fewer assassination contracts were taken.
With a large and prosperous business, why earn money only to have no life to spend it?
Everything had a price; if Li Zhonglou was fond of money, he could be bought.
"Did you fail Chinese class? Or is there something wrong with your IQ?" Li Zhonglou walked around the desk, hands behind his back, heading towards Old Ghost.
Startled, Tu Hong trembled, not daring to lift his head.
He was so terrified of Li Zhonglou, it was ingrained in his bones.
In his entire life, only Li Zhonglou treated him like less than human, subjecting him to arbitrary torment. Even his father, who struck fear into the hearts of others, was still so audacious in this man's presence.
This man was a madman.
"Then how do you intend to kill me?" Old Ghost laughed in fury, his face showing no hint of panic.
He had weathered greater storms, survived gunfire, and was not afraid of a mere youngster.
"Did I say I was going to kill you myself?" Li Zhonglou feigned surprise, walking up to Old Ghost and meeting his gaze.
His eyes flashed with sharp brilliance as he declared, "I only said you would die, never that I would do it myself."
"You know how many innocent lives you've taken, don't you?"
"They have come to claim your life; I am merely their guide!"
Supernatural mumbo-jumbo!
At any other time, if someone spoke like this, Old Ghost would have slapped them away.
He wouldn't have taken it seriously.
But coming from Li Zhonglou's mouth, it carried an unsettling, chilling tone.
Tu Hong shivered, goosebumps erupting from head to toe.
"You don't want money, you won't negotiate, it seems you've come prepared today," Old Ghost narrowed his eyes, his voice turning cold. "Since you're with Ning Lang, you should know there's a powerful figure behind me."
"His direct order is that in Yong'an, Ning Lang and I share governance, fifty-fifty. Anyone who oversteps will face death."
"You're very capable, but I advise you not to play with fire."
"Otherwise, there might be no one to collect your body in the future!"
This was a blatant threat.
It was also Old Ghost's trump card.
He knew the significance of that powerful figure, the absolute power over life and death.
Anyone who wished to live would have to bow before that individual. The excellent public order in Yong'an, with the near disappearance of violent crimes over the years, was largely attributable to him.
In this world, anyone with even a little fortune did not want to die.
Only those with nothing to lose courted death.
If Li Zhonglou wasn't an idiot, he would have reservations.
"May I ask who this great figure you speak of is?" Li Zhonglou asked calmly, walking past Old Ghost's shoulder.
He continued to the bodyguard with two pens stuck in him, crouched down, and with a rip, tore a piece from his shirt to wrap his hand. Then, he retrieved a pistol from his waist.
The man's eyes widened, unsure of Li Zhonglou's intentions.
Old Ghost's expression grew increasingly bewildered.
After all that had been said, what else did Li Zhonglou intend?
Did he truly have no fear of death?
Impossible. Who would have no fear of death!
As these thoughts raced through his mind, Li Zhonglou returned to his side, grabbing Tu Hong's hand.
Gently prying open his clenched fist, he placed the gun into it.
Then, moving behind Tu Hong, he controlled his arm, lifting the gun level and aiming it directly at Old Ghost's forehead.
Tu Hong trembled violently like a chick, tears streaming down his face for what felt like the hundredth time, his complexion deathly pale.
"Old Ghost, I'll give you a choice: you and your son can only have one survivor. Which do you choose?" Li Zhonglou's voice seemed to carry a certain magic as it echoed in the ears of Tu Hong and his father.
Old Ghost's eyes widened. "You little beast, how dare you!"
As a seasoned veteran of the underworld, he understood instantly that Li Zhonglou intended to use a borrowed knife to kill.
What was this "one survivor" business? This was a death trap.
"Tu Hong, look at your father. It's clear he doesn't want to die. So, it must be you then," Li Zhonglou said softly.
With every word he spoke, Tu Hong's body tensed a fraction more.
He had never been a good person.
Ever since his imprisonment in his past life, and the wrongful death of his mother, he had no intention of being good ever again.
It wasn't until he met Lin Zhendong, who guided him meticulously, and after his release, was treated like family by his senior sister, that his heart began to thaw, but by then, he had already seen through the nature of humanity.
The subsequent decades spent studying antiques gradually smoothed over the hatred in his heart, but it didn't change his deepest obsession.
Anything that threatened his loved ones had to be eradicated.
That's why he had come to find Old Ghost.
And yet, Old Ghost had just threatened him implicitly, saying no one would collect his body.
What did that mean?
Was he going to target his family?
Seeking death!
If that was the case, then he would play a little game of humanity with them, father and son.
"Dad… Dad… I don't want to die!" Tu Hong wept like a heartbroken child.
"Shut up. No one wants to die. He's using you, can't you see that?" Old Ghost reprimanded sharply, his expression contorted.
He had never imagined that one day he would be pushed to such a predicament.
His own son, holding a gun to his head.
"I am using you. You have three seconds to choose: you live, your father dies, or your father dies, you live!" Li Zhonglou's voice was light, as if he were murmuring.
But it pierced directly into Tu Hong's soul.
He deliberately repeated the words, implanting a psychological suggestion in Tu Hong.
To make him choose to live, and his father to die.
In that instant, Tu Hong's eyes changed.
From childhood, he selectively forgot all the kindness Old Ghost had shown him.
He only remembered the times Old Ghost cursed him, hit him, or insulted and belittled him.
The desire to survive within him swelled infinitely,
Hatred brewed and churned in his mind, his grip on the gun tightening.
"Rebellious son, put the gun down for me..." Old Ghost also sensed something was wrong and roared desperately.
This roar, precisely, shattered the extreme fear in Tu Hong's heart.
BANG!
Before he could finish speaking, a deafening gunshot exploded in the office.
Old Ghost's voice abruptly ceased, a gaping bloody hole appearing on the top of his head.
His eyes were filled with shock and confusion.
He fell straight to the ground.
"Don't scold me! Why did you scold me? I hate you… I hate that you never treated me like a normal person… Ah…" Tu Hong, still holding the gun, went mad, screaming hysterically.
He unleashed a barrage of three more shots at Old Ghost's fallen body.
It was as if the accumulated hatred in his heart had been completely vented at this moment.
All the bodyguards were stunned.
No one could believe what they were witnessing.
Young Master Tu had actually shot and killed his own father, Old Ghost, the overlord of the West City.
This…
At this moment, Li Zhonglou had already made his exit, quietly leaving the office.
His face was etched with coldness.
Human nature can never withstand tests and instigation.
Especially among the majority of Chinese parents and children, the perverted desire for control has unconsciously made parents enemies in their children's hearts.
It's just that due to relationships and interests, no one can face this hatred squarely.
It lies hidden in the depths, fermenting and growing, potentially buried for a lifetime.
But it could also collapse one day, leading to heinous acts that violate ethics.
Just like Tu Hong at this moment.
As the instigator, he knew this was inevitable, and it was the most insidious and cruel act he had committed since his rebirth.
But he had no choice.
If Tu Hong had people try to hit him today, he might have people kill his mother and wife tomorrow.
As long as he wasn't eliminated, there would be no peace.
Moreover, he needed Ning Lang's protection for his family, so this had to be done.
As for Old Ghost, he deserved his fate!
The entire Jin Hong building quickly descended into chaos due to those four gunshots.
By the time the police arrived, Li Zhonglou had already taken a taxi and left.
Soon, his phone rang; it was Xiao Yun calling.
She already knew that her driver had been hit and sent to the hospital and was very worried about Li Zhonglou.
Upon hearing that Li Zhonglou was unharmed, she breathed a long sigh of relief.
After a few caring inquiries, she reassured him that she would find the culprit.
"No need, sister. The culprit was the West City's Old Ghost, and his own son has already killed him," Li Zhonglou replied calmly.
Xiao Yun was silent for a full five seconds.
Then she agreed, "I understand. Leave the aftermath to me; it won't affect you in any way."
Xiao Yun was an extremely intelligent woman; otherwise, she wouldn't have been able to control the Xiao family for so many years.
If she couldn't understand the implication of Li Zhonglou's words, she wouldn't have lived this long.
Given the Xiao family's influence in Yong'an, as long as Li Zhonglou himself didn't commit the murder, she would protect him.
Li Zhonglou grunted and hung up the phone.
He returned to Ning Lang's residence.
Ning Lang immediately took him into the study.
With a troubled expression, he sighed, "Brother, you've gotten yourself into immense trouble."
"Are you referring to Old Ghost's death?" Li Zhonglou was not surprised.
"I have informants among Old Ghost's subordinates, and I know what happened. Although you didn't kill him, that influential figure will never believe you are uninvolved," Ning Lang stated truthfully. "The only way out is for you to quickly take your family and leave Yong'an."
"I've already arranged for transportation and a boat to take you abroad until the storm passes."
Ning Lang's anxiety was evident in his eyes as he spoke.
He hadn't been this nervous even when he knew Li Zhonglou had crippled that Mr. Huang.
This indicated that the "figure" he mentioned must have an extraordinary background.
But so what?
Li Zhonglou was never one to shy away from reality.
He was responsible for this; Old Ghost was already dead. Did he expect him to take his family and flee abroad?
Then, let that powerful figure come out and have a talk, to see if that was necessary.
"Brother Ning, when in Rome, do as the Romans do. If I leave, you'll likely face immense trouble."
Li Zhonglou smiled and refused, "You protect me, so I'd like to see what kind of great figure can make someone like Brother Ning willing to bow!"
His tone was resolute, leaving no room for negotiation.