All the fighters removed the guns from their backs and aimed them at the security guards. Their solemn faces revealed a piercing intent to kill.
With just a single command, these men could be turned into human sieves.
"Oh, crap!"
Every one of the five hundred security guards immediately squatted down. They held their short blades high above their heads and tucked their faces into their crotches—a routine they seemed to have mastered with unsettling proficiency.
Fight?
Fight, my foot!
Could they just stop joking around?
***
*Clap! Clap!*
The fighters split into two rows. To the stunned amazement of everyone present, a man in tactical gear walked quickly toward Lin Ce.
"Instructor Su Mingwu of the Third Combat Zone, Zhonghai Division, Jiangnan City. Reporting with two thousand fighters! Please give your orders!"
Su Mingwu’s eyes burned with reverence as he looked at Lin Ce. His muscular frame trembled slightly with excitement.
Ever since he had offended Lin Ce at Xu Huaishan’s home in Jiangnan City, he had voluntarily returned to the combat zone to plead for punishment. He had spent his nights tossing and turning, consumed by guilt and terror for having offended the honorable Northern Dragon Head.
Who would have thought that he would be given such a golden opportunity today to serve the Northern Dragon Head? How could he not be excited?
"Enter combat readiness. If there is any resistance, kill without mercy!"
"Yes, sir!"
Su Mingwu acknowledged the order, drew his handgun, pulled the slide, and aimed it at Cheng Xiong.
The other fighters followed suit, chambering their rounds and placing their fingers on their triggers. If anyone dared to make the slightest move, they would undoubtedly end up with a gaping, bloody hole in their body.
*Gulp!*
The entire scene was filled with the sound of people swallowing hard.
They were all men who had seen their fair share of chaos, but they swore to the heavens that they had never witnessed anything like this before. Usually, they just relied on their numbers to bully others or engaged in some unscrupulous dirty work. At their most extreme, they might chase someone down with machetes.
But now? This was the military. This was an absolute dimensional strike!
Even Cheng Xiong couldn't stop gasping.
As for the horse-faced man from earlier, his knees went weak and he collapsed to the ground. He shook like a leaf, and a pungent odor of urine drifted up from his trousers—he had been scared out of his mind by this blood-soaked spectacle.
Just moments ago, they were bragging about their numbers. One or two hundred? They had five hundred men!
But were five hundred men really that many?
Someone had made a single phone call, and two thousand men showed up! Two thousand men armed with live ammunition!
Moreover, when this man was treated with such gravity by an active-duty instructor, it was clear that a single word from him would result in everyone present being riddled with bullets.
"Director Fang, what... what is happening here?"
"We aren't well-informed. Could you take a look and tell us—is that young man alright?"
Auntie Liu and the others stood on their tiptoes, trying to peer into the crowd.
Fang Hongxin’s breathing was heavy, and his fists were clenched tight. Who on earth was this young man? How could he dispatch so many soldiers?
My god, this was the Southern Combat Zone! Ever since he arrived in Zhonghai, he had never seen a military unit appear in the city like this. Today, he had truly learned something new.
Lin Ce walked slowly to Cheng Xiong. "A moment ago, you wanted to kill me?"
The single sentence made Cheng Xiong stumble backward, nearly losing his footing.
*Damn it! What a mess.* The Chu family was going to be the death of him. A single phone call had summoned two thousand soldiers to blockade the shantytown. How was he supposed to fight this?
"I... I..." Cheng Xiong’s lips twitched; he didn't know what to say.
"With these few men, you thought you could act like a tiger and bully your way through Zhonghai? Very impressive, right?"
"No, I wouldn't dare. Sir, I was blind and spoke out of turn. Please, I beg you, do not hold this against me." Cheng Xiong lowered his head, his voice trembling, though a flash of resentment and indignation flickered in his eyes.
Lin Ce snorted coldly. "If you know you were blind, then grow a pair of eyes next time you go out!"
"Today, I will only kill the ringleader. As for the rest of you, get out of here and kneel for three days to repent! Scram."
The "ringleader" naturally referred to Chu Weilong.
At that moment, Chu Weilong’s body shuddered, and he collapsed to his knees.
"Spare me! Lin Ce... no, Mr. Lin, Grandfather Lin, please, I beg you to spare me! I was wrong, I was truly wrong!"
He was terrified. He never in his wildest dreams imagined that Lin Ce would have such influence. If he had known this would happen, he wouldn't have dared to come here and act recklessly, even if he had a hundred times the courage.
"Spare you?" Lin Ce looked at him with interest.
"Embezzling public funds, misappropriating relocation payments, and using violence to drive away three hundred and eighty-five families from the shantytown, leaving them homeless and destitute."
"To satisfy your lust, you kidnapped women, causing Xia Yu’s knees to be crippled, leaving an orphan and a mother to weep in tears day and night."
"What punishment do these two crimes deserve?"
Bahu stepped forward and said in a deep voice, "In the North, these crimes are punishable by firing squad!"
Lin Ce smiled indifferently. "That’s the North. Things are different here."
Chu Weilong felt a glimmer of hope. *Right, this is Zhonghai! This is a place governed by the law. How could he dare to execute me on his own?*
But at that moment, Lin Ce spoke again:
"A firing squad is too unoriginal. Give him a more painful death."
Bahu grinned coldly. "As you command!"
Bahu moved with lightning speed, grabbing Chu Weilong’s fingers and snapping them one by one. Then two, three... Then his ribs, his cervical vertebrae, his lumbar bones...
*Ahhhh!*
Chu Weilong let out a blood-curdling scream. He fainted from the pain, only to be jolted awake by the agony again.
Amidst the incredibly somber atmosphere, Bahu carried out one of the Northern Frontier’s most brutal punishments: the Bone-Breaking Torture.
"Ah! Lin Ce, I won't let you go even after I become a ghost!"
"Don't, please don't! Spare me, Master Lin, spare my wretched life!"
...
The five hundred men from the Black Gold Security Group, kneeling outside, were pale with fright, cold sweat pouring down their faces.
A moment later, Bahu stopped, looking quite innocent.
"Lord, this guy was too fragile. He died after I only broke 58 bones."
A human body had one thousand three hundred and sixty-eight bones that could be broken, but almost no one could endure the entire process. It was a torture worse than hell.
"Fine. Since the Chu family doesn't value integrity, go prepare a coffin and have that 'Fierce Wolf' deliver it back to them."
Bahu was unsure of Lin Ce’s intent. "Lord, are there any requirements for the coffin?"
Lin Ce glanced at him. "Do I look like a bad person? Just make sure it’s big enough for him to lie down in."
Bahu grinned. "I understand, Lord. There are some discarded wooden planks nearby; I’ll just use a few nails."
"Suit yourself."
Lin Ce left the alley and walked to the street. The sun was setting in the west, casting a warm glow on everything.
"Dragon Head, the leader of that Black Gold Security Company seems to have disappeared." Su Mingwu approached Lin Ce.
"It seems some people are not worth pitying. Forget it. Resolve it on your way back. Thank you for your hard work this time."
Su Mingwu hurriedly bowed, appearing deeply terrified. "I wouldn't dare, sir. I am willing to go through fire and water for you, no matter the cost!"
Lin Ce chuckled and shook his head. "Save that loyalty for Black Phoenix. Scram."
"Yes, sir!" Su Mingwu grinned and led his troops away.
Meanwhile, on a suburban road, a Mercedes-Benz was speeding along. Cheng Xiong slammed his hands against the steering wheel in rage.
"Damn it! He wants me to kneel in that dump for three days? I’ll make *his* grandmother kneel!"
"Just because he has connections in the combat zone, what’s there to be so arrogant about? Having guns is great, right? Well, I have guns too!"
Once he returned to the Black Gold Security training base, he would make sure to find his elder brother and bring men back to exact his revenge. This had nothing to do with the Chu family anymore; this was a personal vendetta between him and Lin Ce!
He refused to believe that someone could just call up that many soldiers whenever they pleased. Maybe they could do it once, but twice or three times? Who would believe that?
He sneered, already visualizing the scene of Lin Ce kneeling and begging for mercy.
However, at that very moment, a camouflaged heavy-duty truck barreled toward him head-on.
*BOOM!*
In the blink of an eye, the truck ran right over them without even slowing down, continuing on its way as if nothing had happened.
The Mercedes-Benz, along with Cheng Xiong inside, was completely flattened.
***
After Bahu finished the coffin, he had Fierce Wolf load Chu Weilong’s corpse into it and head back to the Chu family to settle the score.
Just as Lin Ce and Bahu were about to leave, they noticed Fang Hongxin waiting at the alley entrance.
"G-Great... Sir." Fang Hongxin rubbed his hands together, not knowing how to address him.
"What is it?"
"Well, the residents asked me to thank you for solving such a big problem for them."
Seeing his hesitant look, Lin Ce understood immediately. He turned to Bahu. "Bahu, leave my number with him."
"If anyone from the Chu family comes looking for trouble in the future and doesn't pay fair market compensation, just call me."
Fang Hongxin was clearly worried that once they left, the Chu family would continue to harass them, leaving the residents helpless. But even though he was spineless, he wasn't a bad man at heart.
Upon hearing this, Fang Hongxin was overjoyed. "Thank you so much! Truly, thank you. You are so generous and kind. You are, in everyone’s eyes..."
As Fang Hongxin continued to babble on, he looked up and realized that Lin Ce and Bahu were already far away.
...
The two drove to the place arranged for Xia Yu and her daughter in Qili. Half an hour later, they pulled up in front of a residential complex.
"Lord, Xia Yu and her daughter are in Unit 805, Building 2."
"Good. You guys stay here. I’ll go up alone."
Lin Ce walked into the complex. He stood before the door of 805 and rang the doorbell. Soon, the door opened.
"You... you’re actually okay?" Lin Wan'er widened her large, watery eyes, examining Lin Ce up and down as if he were a curiosity.
She had assumed Lin Ce would certainly get into trouble, or if he didn't, he would at least be injured. But looking at him now, he didn't seem to be missing even a single hair.
"Why? Did you hope something would happen to me?" Lin Ce arched a brow.
Lin Wan'er curled her lip. "I didn't say that. Don't put words in my mouth, or my mom will scold me again."
"So, are you settling in okay?" Lin Ce asked with concern.
"We just moved in. How could I be 'settled in' yet? Seriously."
After saying this, Lin Wan'er swayed her hips with a haughty air and walked inside. Lin Ce offered a bitter smile—she had a point. He followed her into the living room.
"Lin Ce, I’m glad you’re safe. I was so scared earlier. How did things go over there? If everything is handled, we should head back now." Xia Yu pushed her wheelchair over, busy trying to make tea for Lin Ce.
"Auntie Xia, don't worry about that. You should stay here comfortably. The conditions in the shantytown are too poor and aren't conducive to your recovery."
Lin Wan'er placed a teacup indifferently on the table in front of Lin Ce. "My mom’s legs are beyond saving. There’s no such thing as recovery."
Lin Ce smiled slightly. "Who said they can't be saved?"
Lin Wan'er froze, then suddenly grabbed Lin Ce’s arm. "What do you mean? Are you saying my mom’s legs can still be healed?"
"Leave it to me. Just focus on your studies, and leave everything else to me."
Lin Ce was about to say more when his phone began to vibrate. He checked it and saw it was a call from Ye Xiangsi. He didn't pick up immediately.
"Auntie Xia, I have a few things to attend to. Here is twenty thousand yuan. Please, take it."
Lin Ce didn't want to give too much at once, fearing it would put too much pressure on them.
Xia Yu quickly refused. "I can't take this. We’ve already troubled you enough. I can’t take your money."
"Mom, why not? Besides, the Lin family owes us this anyway." Lin Wan'er took the money directly, bit her lip, and looked at Lin Ce with a complex expression.
Lin Ce nodded faintly. This girl was very strong-willed; that she could accept his care was actually a good thing. It meant she wasn't as resistant to him as before.
"Oh, right, Auntie Xia, do you still have the medical records and scans from the hospital? If you do, I’d like to take them with me."
"Ah, I think they’re at the old house. I’ll go get them right now." Lin Wan'er moved to leave.
"No need. I’ll send someone to fetch them. You stay here with your mom. And don't forget, you aren't allowed to skip class from now on," Lin Ce warned.
Lin Wan'er lifted her swan-like neck. "That remains to be seen. It depends on my mood."
"This child, she’s really been spoiled," Xia Yu sighed, shaking her head. She then looked at Lin Ce. "Lin Ce, if possible... I’d like to go see him... them. Is that alright?"
After all, Xia Yu had no official standing, but now that they were gone, fighting for a title seemed ridiculous. She just wanted to pay her respects.
"Alright. In a few days, I’ll arrange a time to visit the family graves, and we can all go together."
Xia Yu nodded, her eyes glistening as she fought back tears.
Seeing the situation, Lin Ce didn't linger. He stood up to say goodbye. Under her mother’s urging, Lin Wan'er saw Lin Ce downstairs. They remained silent the entire way.
"Lin Ce, are you very powerful?"
Just as they were about to part ways, Lin Wan'er suddenly asked this out of the blue.
Lin Ce thought about the question seriously.
"Hmm, I guess I’m alright."
Lin Wan'er was clearly unsatisfied with the answer. "What do you mean by 'alright'? Powerful is powerful; not powerful is not powerful."
Lin Ce shook his head with a smile. If he were to say he was powerful—he was one of the Four Dragon Heads, sitting in the Northern Frontier, beneath only one, above millions.
But it was also reasonable to say he wasn't powerful; Huaxia was vast and deep, and both the Jianghu and the imperial court held powers that even Lin Ce found hard to contend with. He hadn't reached the point of arrogance where he considered himself the undisputed master of the world.
"Alright, I suppose I’m quite powerful."
"Fine, I get it. Go on now." Lin Wan'er waved him off impatiently.
Lin Ce froze for a moment, shook his head again, and walked away.
Perhaps only with this younger sister could he be so indulgent. If anyone else dared to boss him around like that, they wouldn't have enough heads to lose.
Walking outside the complex, Lin Ce said to Bahu:
"Go handle two things."
"First, go to the shantytown, find Xia Yu’s medical records, and send them to the Northern Frontier. Have them draw up a treatment plan."
"Second, keep an eye on the Chu family for the next couple of days and report any movements to me."
"As you command!" Bahu acknowledged and left.
Lin Ce and Qili got into the car, and then he remembered Ye Xiangsi’s call, so he dialed her back. The call connected immediately.
"Sister Xiangsi, is something the matter?"
"Little Ce, where are you? If you have time, can you come back to the Longyun Mountain Villa No. 1?"
"Some... guests have arrived at home. They say they want to see you."
***
After Lin Ce returned to Longyun Mountain Villa No. 1, he noticed that besides Ye Xiangsi’s parents, there was a strange woman sitting on the sofa.
She was about forty, with dyed red wavy hair, wearing a black cheongsam with high slits and heavy makeup. Not far away, Ye Xiangsi was busy fetching tea and water, serving her with great diligence.
"At this hour, shouldn't you be at the company handling the Qianlong Bay real estate project in the Guhua District?" Lin Ce asked with a strange expression.
Ye Xiangsi gave a bitter smile. "Little Ce, we have guests at home. Mom and Dad insisted I come back."
Liu Cuixia’s face hardened. "Lin Ce, that’s not the right way to talk. My daughter is the president of Beiyu Group now. She can let her subordinates handle the trivial matters. Look at any big boss—they don't spend every day in the office."
"So you’re Lin Ce, the adopted son of the Lin family? *Tsk, tsk.* You look decent enough, but what a pity—such bad luck, your entire family is dead."
Lin Ce frowned slightly and turned to the woman in the cheongsam.
"And who are you?"
Seeing Lin Ce looking annoyed, Ye Xiangsi hurried over to smooth things over. "Little Ce, this is Liu Xuemei, my aunt."
Ye Xiangsi’s aunt?
"What is she doing here?"
As soon as Lin Ce said this, Liu Xuemei slammed her hand on the table and yelled, "What do you mean by that? Why can’t I be here? This is my niece’s villa; I can come here whenever I want."
"Hmph! And you, a grown man—the younger brother of my niece’s dead husband—living under the same roof as my niece? If this got out, how would my niece ever hold her head up again?"
"She’s a big president, for heaven’s sake! Doesn't she have a reputation to uphold?"
"Some people just have no sense of decorum, clinging to someone else’s house and refusing to leave. Honestly, it’s laughable."
Lin Ce examined Liu Xuemei with interest. Was she... trying to drive him out?
"Aunt, how many times do I have to tell you? This villa was a gift from Little Ce. Otherwise, the three of us wouldn't even have a place to live. How can you say that?" Ye Xiangsi retorted firmly, standing by Lin Ce’s side.
"So what? He thinks having a little money makes him something special?"
"Oh, he gives you a villa and you’re suddenly head over heels for him? Xiangsi, I don't blame your mother for complaining; you’re just too naive. Someone gives you a little favor and you lose all your sense!"
Liu Xuemei was clearly even more unreasonable than Liu Cuixia. She pulled Ye Xiangsi behind her, as if protecting her young.
Liu Cuixia had wanted to say these things for a long time, but given her position, it was hard to voice them. Liu Xuemei, however, didn't care. After all, nobody wanted an outsider living in their villa.