Chapter 427: The Object in the Box

Xu Shaochen opened the box.

Inside lay a piece of jade, a very neatly cut oval jade.

The quality of the jade was excellent. Despite being weathered for many years, it still gleamed, transparent and flawless.

“Damn, this thing is worth billions? Damn it, they’re definitely scammers inflating the price.”

“At most, it’s worth a billion. These people are just too exaggerated.”

“Yeah…”

After seeing the actual item, Mei Liangxin and the others were a bit disappointed.

Xu Shaochen reached out and touched it. A unique warmth spread through his palm, causing him to raise an eyebrow.

Jade is normally cold; why is this one warm?

It seems this jade might hold some unknown secrets, and those who bid high prices probably know the true value of this jade.

Forget it. I’ll keep it for now.

I’ll find those who inflated the price one by one later.

“I have something to do. I’ll be leaving now. We’ll stay in touch.”

As Xu Shaochen finished speaking, he pocketed the jade and stood up to leave. Before exiting, he nodded at Wang Genji in thanks.

He didn’t pay for the lockpicking because he knew Wang Genji wouldn’t accept it.

He had just saved him from Fifth Brother’s hands, so Wang Genji helping him pick the lock made them even.

“Something to do? Hmph, isn’t it just busy spending time with a woman?”

Watching Xu Shaochen’s back, Mei Liangxin sneered.

“Nonsense, who else is he going to spend time with, you?” Zhao Qing scoffed at Mei Liangxin.

Mei Liangxin glanced at Zhao Qing. “Where do you, a single guy, get the courage to talk to me like that?”

Zhao Qing: “…”

That comment left him speechless because unlike Mei Liangxin, who had a proper girlfriend, Zhao Qing still didn’t.

…

Vietnam.

In the forest.

This was the largest private armed camp in Vietnam. It was well-hidden in the mountains, and its complex terrain made it difficult for other armed forces to attack.

In a wooden building.

Two young men were kneeling on the ground with guns pointed at their heads.

These two young men were Gu Jun’s brothers. They were captured early in the morning at a shady inn, and each had been shot in the leg to prevent escape.

A dark-skinned middle-aged man looked down at the two.

He was the ruler of this camp, Li Taijin, with nearly two thousand men under his command and thousands of guns. People called him Li Commander.

“Who took my object?”

Li Taijin asked the two calmly, but if one looked closely, they would see his hands on the table were faintly trembling.

He had already secured a buyer. Thirty billion. Thirty billion!

With this money, he could recruit more men, buy more guns and bullets. Once the funds arrived, he could even directly confront the local government troops.

He could fight against the armed forces in Vietnam and the ones in Myanmar.

So many lives had been sacrificed to get that object.

But now, it’s gone. Everything’s gone. How could he not be furious?

He never expected that anyone from Longguo would dare cross the border to steal something, or he would have sent more than a dozen men as escorts.

“Commander Li, we were just hired hands. We don’t even know who the other party is. I really don’t know where the object is.”

The young man on the right spoke. He certainly wouldn’t betray Gu Jun, as they had saved each other’s lives.

“Bang!”

Before he finished, Li Taijin picked up the handgun on the table and pulled the trigger.

A blood mist burst from the young man’s chest, and he slowly collapsed to the floor, twitching a few times before dying completely.

“Six…Liuzi!”

The young man on the left was devastated by the sight, but fear quickly overtook him. Cold sweat instantly dripped from his forehead.

Li Taijin pointed the gun at him. “You saw his fate. Think carefully before you speak. I’ll give you five seconds to consider.”

“I’m very angry right now. This is not a joke. Five, four, three…”

With each number Li Taijin counted, the young man’s trembling intensified. Finally, unable to bear the psychological pressure, he closed his eyes and yelled:

“I’ll talk! I’ll tell you everything! Don’t kill me! Don’t kill me!”

He wasn’t afraid to die in a gunfight, but this situation terrified him. The torment was unbearable.

“You’re a smart man. I like smart people.” Li Taijin put the gun back on the table.

“It was Gu Jun. He used to work in Vietnam; you should be able to find him. Now he’s back in his country, supposedly working as a bodyguard for some young master. I don’t know any more, I really don’t.”

The young man cried and shouted hysterically, completely selling out Gu Jun.

“Bang!”

As soon as he finished, Li Taijin picked up the handgun and shot him without hesitation.

The young man’s eyes were filled with unwillingness and disbelief as he fell to the ground.

“How could you trust the words of a private armed leader?”

Li Taijin said coldly, then turned to a young man beside him. “You heard him. Take a few clean men to Longguo. Bring the object back at any cost.”

“Yes, Commander!”

The young man straightened up and responded, then exited the room.

“Drag the bodies out and feed them to the dogs.”

…

Xu Shaochen was now at Liu Rushuang’s house.

He felt a bit tired after just finishing two rounds of battle.

He originally wanted to finish it all in one go, but Liu Rushuang absolutely refused to cheer for him simultaneously with her sister, which left him a bit disappointed.

“What are your thoughts on the Yunbei Industries situation?” Liu Rushuang asked as she looked at Xu Shaochen.

Xu Shaochen played with her soft, delicate hand and said, “I’ll meet with Director Zhang tomorrow. If she still tries to poach people, I’ll kick her out of Jiangzhou.”

“We’re businesspeople; we need to follow the rules.” Liu Rushuang frowned. She believed that not following the rules would eventually lead to trouble.

Xu Shaochen chuckled. “Rules? What are rules? In Jiangzhou, my word is the biggest rule. Want me to make one right now?”

“Exactly! I like that attitude. Rules are for the weak to protect themselves. The strong don’t need to follow them.”

Liu Ruxu was much more wild than Liu Rushuang. She kissed Xu Shaochen on the cheek and smiled happily.

Liu Rushuang pouted and also kissed Xu Shaochen on the cheek. Hmph, it had to be fair.

After chatting with the two sisters for a while longer, Xu Shaochen left; it was time to placate Mei Liangying.

That woman was the most difficult to deal with.

After all, these women more or less knew he was undoubtedly also involved with other women—they just didn’t know he was regularly juggling multiple relationships.

But Mei Liangying, she still believed she was his only woman, which made things tricky.

Sigh, why did I come to Jiangzhou?

P.S.: Some of the characters are intentional, to avoid censorship.