Chapter 463: A Collision of Loyalties

Having made up his mind, he turned his gaze out the car window, fully prepared.

Up ahead, Vice President Xiao kept driving obediently; hearing Lu Xin take a call from the rear compartment left him too nervous to even breathe deeply.

All he could catch were Lu Xin’s words – the context was elusive, yet they carried an undeniable air of impressive resolve.

Through the rearview mirror, he saw Lu Xin calmly seated in the back. Pulling out his Satellite City phone, Lu Xin coolly said, “Who’s on the other end?” “Everything comes second to work.” “Then you arrange it,” among similar remarks. His commanding demeanor even surpassed that of his old master and other superiors.

Almost reflexively, his back straightened as he focused intently on the road ahead.

He decided to forget anything he wasn’t meant to overhear.

………

The car sped along; in about twenty minutes they had entered the East District of Second Satellite City—an upscale villa area marked by elegant construction. Following a gravel road, they parked outside a row of tall courtyard walls; this was the villa where Gao Yan usually resided.

Lu Xin gave the villa a long, assessing look. It was clear that the property must be quite valuable.

“Little Lu, what do we do now?”

Vice President Xiao halted the car and turned, his face drawn with seriousness as he regarded Lu Xin.

A mix of tension, fear, and an odd spark of eagerness played across his features.

Lu Xin looked at him with a puzzled expression, wondering what was so unusual about Vice President Xiao.

How did a company vice president—who initially exuded quiet authority—gradually transform into such an endearing, almost cute, character?

He sighed lightly and advised, “Just make sure you stay safe.”

“Alright, alright.”

Vice President Xiao immediately nodded obediently, his compliance almost endearing.

………

With Gao Yan still unconscious, Lu Xin arrived at the imposing iron gate of the villa and politely pressed the doorbell.

After waiting ten seconds, he rang it again.

He intended to force entry if no one answered inside.

At that moment, the iron door was abruptly shoved open with a heavy thud. Along with the sound of hurried footsteps, Lu Xin caught sight of the courtyard—and a cluster of dark, menacing gun muzzles aimed right at his face, exuding a palpable sense of danger.

“Uh, what…”

Instinctively, Lu Xin stepped back and saw a row of rugged, formidable faces staring at him.

Had the Gao family long known he was coming, even preparing men to deal with him?

His eyelids twitched involuntarily. Then, facing that wall of gun muzzles, he forced a smile:

“Hello.”

“Here in Satellite City, carrying a gun is illegal—you do know that, right?”

“…”

Inside the villa, a line of gunmen stood in formation, exchanging puzzled looks as their cold expressions softened slightly with unease.

“You must be Lu Xin?”

At that moment, as the array of gun muzzles fixed on him, a voice resonated from within the courtyard.

Peering through the tightly packed gunmen, one could see a tall, sharply dressed middle-aged man, bearing a faint resemblance to Gao Yan. With commanding presence, he glared at Lu Xin, his voice thick with fierce anger:

“Once an orphan from Red Moon Orphanage, he secretly trained with the Scavenger Team. Outwardly, he’s just an ordinary staffer at the Xiao Business Transport Group—but behind the scenes he works as a hitman handling private commissions, debt collection, assassinations, and even extramarital affairs. Having successfully completed a mission for a major figure in Main City, he earned his patronage.”

“So with that record, you’ve grown overly bold, even brazen?”

“…”

The middle-aged man bellowed, then turned his glare to the crimson-injured Gao Yan at Lu Xin’s side. Suppressing his own seething anger, he continued, “You dare take such drastic measures over a trivial matter?”

“Hmm?”

Lu Xin felt a wave of confusion wash over him.

What on earth was happening?

When had he turned into a private hitman?

It soon became clear: this was the fake identity set up by Han Bing. As absurd as it sounded, to this extraordinary middle-aged man it was a carefully uncovered secret through powerful connections.

This secret conveniently explained Lu Xin’s actions without raising alarms.

Of course, he couldn’t let the facade collapse—but he couldn’t afford to lose face either.

So he nodded and explained calmly, “For clarity’s sake, I’ve never taken on any extramarital affair jobs.”

The vigilant middle-aged man grew even more exasperated at those words.

“Young man, this is no time for witty comebacks.”

“…”

At that glance, the armed men outside surged forward toward Lu Xin.

Several had already cocked their guns, fingers on the triggers, poised to fire at any moment.

Under normal circumstances, Satellite City’s strict no-gun policy meant few dared to fire within its walls.

But with heavy incentives in play, brave souls emerged. Some, guaranteed protection by major figures, would shoot and then hide beyond the high wall for years until the heat died down before resurfacing. Among these gunmen, only a handful would really pull the trigger.

Of course, even with the Gao family’s might, such desperados couldn’t be too numerous.

At the moment, though the courtyard was crowded with armed men, only two or three were truly willing to shoot.

………

“I’ve heard that Gao Yan recently had a spat with some friends,”

Gao Chang, standing behind one of the bodyguards, glared coldly at Lu Xin and said in a measured tone:

“But I never expected you all to stir up such a massive storm over something so trivial!”

“You have someone in the Administration Hall backing you up, and I can call Main City with just one phone call. Don’t push your luck too far.”

“…”

Waving his hand dismissively, he commanded, “Go—get Gao Yan to the hospital immediately. As for you…”

Clearly distraught by his son’s severe injuries, his anxiety was obvious.

In truth, as a businessman he preferred to avoid trouble unless absolutely necessary.

The moment Gao Yan was injured, he had received notices from his bodyguards.

His initial reaction wasn’t anger but sheer panic.

He knew that only either reckless fools or very well-connected individuals would dare to fire a gun within High-wall City. Ever cautious, he dismissed the chance of encountering a fool and instead sought to uncover this man’s background.

Years of networking had allowed him to quickly pinpoint a minor employee from the Xiao Business Transport Group.

He then moved swiftly to acquire that employee’s dossier.

Even after uncovering Lu Xin’s background, he had no intention of shooting him on his own doorstep.

After all, even if he could cover this up, a private gunshot within High-wall City would invite a lot of complications.

So, for now, his orders were to protect his son at all costs.

Upon hearing Gao Chang’s command, several bodyguards stepped forward to support Gao Yan’s shoulder.

But Lu Xin immediately stepped back, saying, “Don’t touch him—it’s too dangerous.”

“Swish,” “Swish,” “Swish”

Seeing Lu Xin’s resistance, several guns were raised, nearly pointing at his face.

In an instant, the atmosphere turned oppressively tense, thick with the scent of impending danger.

“No… don’t rush, Uncle Gao—it’s me, Xiao Yuan…”

At that very moment, an anxious voice echoed out.

Vice President Xiao hurriedly stepped out from behind Lu Xin, his legs trembling as he faced the imposing line of gun muzzles.

Yet he gathered his courage and moved closer to Lu Xin, tiptoeing toward the villa as he called out, “Uncle Gao, please don’t misunderstand. We’re here to help Gao Yan. It’s clear something’s wrong with him—you know that, right?”

“And you still have the nerve to call me Uncle?”

Gao Chang glared angrily at Vice President Xiao and shouted, “You and Gao Yan have been inseparable since childhood—over twenty years of friendship—and now because of a petty scuffle over a girlfriend, you bring outsiders to break Gao Yan’s legs?”

Vice President Xiao’s face flushed bright red as he hurriedly protested, “That’s not it at all, Uncle Gao…”

“Enough.”

Gao Chang abruptly swept his hand, his brows furrowing, “Hand over Gao Yan now or don’t blame me for being ruthless.”

Immediately, nearby bodyguards lunged forward, trying to seize Gao Yan’s arm.

Lu Xin frowned slightly in response.

“Screeeak…”

At that very moment, a faint electric hum emerged over the channel, followed by a man’s voice: “Mr. Lone Soldier, this is Captain Wu Xiu of the Third Battalion from Second Satellite City Security Hall. We’ve just received orders from above and have arrived nearby. Our sniper will be in position within a minute. Do you need us to rush in to support your mission?”

“Security Hall personnel?”

Lu Xin was taken aback by the unexpected involvement.

Normally, the Security Hall’s armed units focus on maintaining order, not handling special pollution incidents.

So how did they end up being deployed here?

“Hold on a moment.”

In his urgency, he could only manage a brief reply while mentally confirming several points as he surveyed the chaotic scene.

First, the Gao family indeed held significant power—mobilizing an array of armed bodyguards in a flash.

Second, they had arrived so quickly that the Gao family likely hadn’t had time to shift any suspicious items.

Third, Vice President Xiao’s behavior proved his loyalty; even trembling, he was willing to stand by Lu Xin’s side.

In no time, Lu Xin had sorted out his next move. Looking up at Gao Chang, he said, “Mr. Gao, there’s no need to rush. I’m here to handle an abnormal incident and mean no harm to your family. If we can sit down calmly and talk things through, I should be able to quickly investigate everything and then get your son treated.”

“For starters, don’t you have a daughter in your home who was reportedly abused by your son?”

“I need to see that girl first.”

“…”

Lu Xin’s voice was earnest, his gentle smile genuine and disarming.

Yet in a scene where gun muzzles were pointed at his face and danger hung in the air, his sincere tone came off as disturbingly surreal.

Gao Chang’s heart skipped a beat at his words.

He was suddenly reminded of the girl his son had locked in the basement, confirming Vice Yuan’s true motive.

Had his son not been injured and then taken hostage, it would only solidify his kidnapping charges.

“There is no girl here you’re looking for.”

He said coldly, his eyes reddening as he strode forward and snatched a gun from a bodyguard. Cocking the safety forcefully, he aimed it at Lu Xin’s face and warned, “I’m laying down the law today. If you truly have no regard for your life, then I’ll…”

“Uh, what…”

Lu Xin frowned, surprised that this man had such detailed knowledge of Mental Pollution.

Moreover, he had even conducted tests on his son’s mental power fluctuations.

So now, did he think Lu Xin was a fraud?

For a moment, even Lu Xin was at a loss as to how to respond.

With a gun pointed at his head, he felt an indescribably strange sensation.

Though he should have been terrified, a smile involuntarily appeared on his face as he looked at the tearful Gao Chang and said, “If you’re going to be this uncooperative, then I…”

Before he could finish, a terrified shout burst through the channel:

“No, they’ve threatened Mr. Lone Soldier!”

“Sniper, open fire immediately…”

“…”

Gao Chang, angrily pointing at Lu Xin’s forehead, hadn’t finished his threat when gunfire rang out.

“Bang!”

His hand suddenly turned to mush as blood and gore exploded; the gun flew off into the chaos.

He couldn’t finish his sentence, his vision locked on his severed hand.

The surrounding bodyguards were equally stunned; one even absentmindedly wiped the blood splattered on his face.

“Charge in now!”

Next to Lu Xin’s glasses, the channel exploded with another shout, followed by the rapid sound of footsteps.

“Boom!”

A smoking cylindrical object was hurled through the wall, unleashing a sharp, acrid smoke that immediately filled the area.

Not long after, there were the sounds of a heavy object smashing through the main gate, staccato bursts of submachine gunfire, the thud of shields colliding with bodies, frantic gunshots, and a booming order: “Quick, protect Mr. Lone Soldier!”

Finally, a group of riot shield-bearing personnel formed a solid barrier behind him.

Before Lu Xin could even process the situation, he was left dumbfounded by the chaotic scene.

The once bodyguard-packed courtyard of the villa was now crammed with riot shield team members in black tactical uniforms, strategically scattered like models as they disarmed and subdued the gunmen.

“What is going on here?”

Lu Xin was increasingly unnerved; this wasn’t how he usually handled missions.

At that moment, a burly, bearded man in a black tactical uniform, clutching a submachine gun, approached Lu Xin with a relieved smile and said, “That was incredibly dangerous, Mr. Lu Xin. Thankfully, our sniper took position just in time…”

“Otherwise…”

He glanced at Lu Xin and added, “You were in serious jeopardy…”

“Jeopardy?”

Regaining his composure, Lu Xin asked the bearded man, “What are you doing here?”

The bearded man, slightly taken aback, replied, “We’re here to protect you.”

“I don’t need your protection…”

Lu Xin stated firmly, “All you need to do is stand guard outside to prevent any further spread of the contamination!”

The bearded man looked perplexed, “They’ve already pointed guns at you. If we don’t come inside, what’s the point of just waiting outside?”

For a moment, Lu Xin was at a loss for words.

The two men stood in silence, casting disapproving glances at each other.

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