Chapter 855: The Tense Stand-Off

Then let’s go!

After receiving Mr. Zhang’s answer, Chen Jing said nothing more—she simply gave him a cold glance before turning away.

Mr. Zhang slumped into a chair, sitting silently for a long while.

Even Mr. Su, who had remained quiet until now, stood up and tapped the table lightly, as if he wanted to speak but couldn’t decide. After a long hesitation, he only let out a heavy sigh and said to Chen Jing, “It’s best not to blow this out of proportion…”

Chen Jing paused for a moment, glanced at Lu Xin, then turned to Mr. Su and said, “We’ll do things by the book.”

“So whether things escalate isn’t up to us.”

“It’s determined by those who break the rules.”

“…”

After leaving that nameless building, Lu Xin, along with Chen Jing and the others, boarded the Jeep once again.

Because of what happened, he was determined to get to the bottom of it—to release the feelings he’d been bottling up inside.

The reason he had been silent since returning to Qinggang was that Chen Jing had already said everything on his behalf.

And now, when it was time to finally confront that person, he simply couldn’t be absent.

Unexpectedly, Number Five, Number Three, and Number Fourteen were also curiously trailing behind.

It seemed they too wanted to see how this would all turn out.

Although Mr. Zhang’s conversation hadn’t named anyone specifically, Chen Jing clearly had someone in mind. Once aboard the Jeep again, she drove straight for a secluded and heavily guarded area in the eastern part of Qinggang Main City.

This place was distinctly different from other districts.

The roads were wide and smooth, yet hardly any vehicles could be seen.

Instead, there was a sentry every fifty meters and cameras from every angle were fixed on every corner.

Clearly, this was where Qinggang’s true elites lived.

Perhaps someone had sensed the growing tension and left early, so the Jeep encountered very few people, driving deep into the area until it reached a series of detached villas with neatly trimmed gardens and serene cobblestone paths.

As the Jeep approached a villa by the lake, it saw a dense crowd gathered.

They were all dressed in plain clothes, crowding around the villa with their hands tucked into their jackets.

Although they looked unremarkable, their demeanor, posture, and piercing eyes revealed that they were well-trained armed personnel—perhaps soldiers freshly off duty.

Now, they guarded every entrance to the villa, quietly and alert.

Seeing the Jeep approaching, not one of them stepped aside.

With no other option, the Jeep slowed to a stop, making Chen Jing on board furrow her brows.

……

……

“It seems this guy isn’t planning to surrender…”

Number Three, sitting in the car, idly tapped his fingernails as he said to Lu Xin, “Number Nine, want me to go get him? I haven’t killed in years, but I’d say there isn’t a person in this world I can’t catch…”

Lu Xin turned to look at him and saw a hint of madness brewing beneath his gloomy eyes.

Not only him—Number Five and Number Fourteen’s eyes also began to glisten with anticipation.

Even his sister seemed eager to join the fray; she was so impetuous.

“If you’re that good, why don’t you go fetch the Orphanage Director?”

Slightly exasperated, Lu Xin sighed and replied, “No need.”

Then he glanced at Chen Jing in the front passenger seat and murmured:

“If we want to break through their ranks and grab him, there are at least a hundred ways to do it.”

“But since we’re in Qinggang…”

“I don’t want to use any of those methods. I just want to walk in through this gate with pride.”

“…”

Chen Jing understood Lu Xin perfectly. She nodded slightly and said, “Then we enter through this gate.”

As she spoke, she pulled out a walkie-talkie and announced, “Everyone, get ready. Load your bullets and prepare for a firefight.”

“We’re going in to arrest someone. If there’s any resistance, shoot immediately.”

“…”

“Received!”

Responses came from the armed vehicles following the Jeep, and then teams of armed personnel in black combat suits jumped out, quickly advancing while taking up their weapons and targeting the opposition, escorting the Jeep forward.

The guards around the villa started to stir uneasily at the sight.

Their hands, hidden in their jackets, seemed ready to be drawn, yet they exchanged nervous glances as if waiting for an order.

“Stop any unnecessary resistance,” one of them murmured.

As the Jeep moved forward and neared the group, Chen Jing coldly addressed the onlookers, “If you can hear me, I hope you understand.”

“By coming in with a gun, I’m already sparing you the worst of it. You should know that.”

“…”

The onlookers exchanged uncertain glances, and no one spoke for a long while.

Then, after a brief two-second silence, Chen Jing suddenly declared, “In three seconds, my car will ram right in.”

“My men will start shooting as well.”

“So, make your decision now!”

“…”

The Jeep’s engine roared, and the armed guards on either side of the vehicle unlocked the safeties on their guns.

An invisible pressure began to fill the air.

Then, about two seconds later, the leader of the group blocking the Jeep seemed to receive a command through his headset.

He sighed deeply and made a forceful gesture.

Immediately, those in front of the Jeep began to retreat quickly—some so hastily that they ended up on the adjacent lawn.

“Let’s go in!”

Without further delay, Chen Jing, right on cue at three seconds, gave the order.

With a roar, the Jeep accelerated, ignoring any obstacles, and drove straight through—along the cobblestone path toward the large iron gate of the villa. Not only was there no one blocking its way, the gate was already open. The Jeep drove into an expansive courtyard where a large crowd had gathered outside the villa.

They were dressed impeccably in finely tailored clothes, clearly among the wealthy elite. Groups huddled near the villa’s hall, some clutching thick files as if waiting for a summons from an important figure.

Seeing the approaching vehicle, everyone lowered their heads, too fearful to meet the gaze of those inside.

Amid the crowd, Vice President Xiao was speaking with his father, CEO Xiao, “It’s alright, Dad. Don’t worry…”

“I know a Brother Lu who’s exceptionally capable and has connections with those mysterious departments.”

“This matter shouldn’t touch us. Even if we’re tangled up now, we can always call on him for a favor later…”

“…”

“Sigh, you don’t understand…”

CEO Xiao, pulling Vice President Xiao down, said worriedly, “Even if the man you know has an understanding of mysterious powers, he’ll be of no help here. On one side, there’s the notorious madmen department; on the other, this top gentleman of Qinggang. Who has the guts to intervene?”

“After all these years, you’re still a little naive…”

“That’s exactly why I’m reluctant to hand the company over to you.”

“…”

“Huh?”

Vice President Xiao paused and said, “I always thought you kept the company’s power from me to leave it for my siblings…”

CEO Xiao: “…”

While he was considering how to dodge that topic, he suddenly noticed Vice President Xiao freeze.

From a furtive glance downward, the young man abruptly lifted his head to face those coming down from the car.

CEO Xiao was about to pull him back, but then saw Vice President Xiao first freeze and then exclaim in confusion, “B-brother Lu?”

“Huh?”

Just then, Lu Xin, who had stepped out of the car, also paused.

Once he was sure that the man before him was indeed his leader, he quickly mustered a smile and greeted, “Vice President Xiao…”

Then, turning to Number Five and Number Three, he introduced, “This is the leader from my other company.”

Both Number Three—with his cool demeanor—and Number Five, who looked like a youthful girl being carried on the back of a stooped, burly man in a white coat, turned to nod at Vice President Xiao, their subtle arrogance barely concealed.

“I have some business to attend to. I’ll catch up with you later.”

Lu Xin didn’t ask why Vice President Xiao was there; he simply smiled and nodded.

Chen Jing, witnessing the scene, also nodded as if committing it to memory, then said to Vice President Xiao and his father,

“Leave immediately.”

“…”

With a few brief words, the group entered the villa, leaving a crowd staring blankly at the Xiao father and son at the center.

“I can’t believe it—this really is Brother Lu…”

Only then did Vice President Xiao, almost in disbelief, look back at Lu Xin’s retreating figure and exclaim, “Did he get promoted again?”

CEO Xiao, however, just stared blankly at his son.

Suddenly, brimming with excitement, he grabbed his son’s wrist and said, “Let’s go. We don’t need to wait here any longer…”

Vice President Xiao, a bit puzzled, craned his neck to get a better view of the unfolding scene.

“Hurry, go back…”

CEO Xiao anxiously said, “Go back to the company and finish handing over the procedures. It’s time for me to retire and enjoy my later years…”

……

……

Even the brief incident with Vice President Xiao hadn’t affected the overall situation.

After Lu Xin and the others entered the villa, they saw many people waiting outside, while inside it was unusually quiet. Only a few people with anxious expressions were coming down from the upper floor. As soon as they saw Chen Jing and the others, they quickly lowered their heads, wishing they could cover their faces.

Clutching thick files, they hurried past and dashed out of the villa.

“Who let you in?”

Just a few steps into the villa, a young man in a suit suddenly shouted hoarsely from a row of sofas on the right side of the entrance hall.

Looking over, it turned out he was sitting with several men and women—apparently family members—each looking worried, while he himself appeared pale, with bloodshot eyes.

“Do you even know what place this is?” he bellowed, standing up and clutching a gun in his hand.

With eyes reddened in anger, he shouted at Chen Jing and the others, “No one dares to barge into my home to arrest someone. You lunatics…”

“Bang!”

Chen Jing fired a shot to his heart, then calmly slid her gun back into its holster.

She nodded slightly toward Lu Xin and said, “This is Song Family’s Second Young Master—a bully who’s lost all sense of boundaries.”

“I already warned you: anyone who resists will be shot immediately. I always keep my word.”

“…”

The entire interior fell silent; not even those outside dared to peek in.

Song Family’s Second Young Master clutched his chest, stared blankly at the spreading blood, and slumped onto a sofa.

He opened his mouth, but no words came out.

As life ebbed away, fear began to creep across his face.

Beside him, his family didn’t dare approach; their stifled cries and pleading glances said it all as they looked toward the second-floor stairwell…

“Let’s not cause any more casualties…”

At that moment, an old man in a robe appeared at the stairwell.

His features still held a touch of elegance—a testament to the power and self-discipline honed by strong confidence—but his messy hair and worn face betrayed his exhaustion. Gazing at the wounded Song Family’s Second Young Master, his lips moved slightly, though no words were uttered.

The sheer fatigue on his face made him look at least ten years older in an instant.