149: Binglan and Li Qin are drunk...

Huang Tian didn't believe it at all.

What kind of international joke is this?

That shrapnel near Elder Zhou's heart had been declared a "forbidden zone" by countless top experts both at home and abroad, essentially a death sentence!

Let alone removing it, even touching it could cause the heart vessels to rupture or the heart valves to block, leading to immediate death!

The more he thought about it, the more absurd it seemed.

He sneered, his eyes full of mockery: "Deputy Captain Wang, even if you want to back him up, you don't have to make up such an outrageous lie, right? Who would believe that?"

Old Wang didn't say a word, just watched him quietly. That gaze was so calm that it inexplicably made Huang Tian feel creeped out.

But more than that, he felt annoyed.

He took a step forward, his tone aggressive.

"Stop beating around the bush! Well? Tell me!"

"If he can really do it, I, Huang Tian... will call him Grandpa right here and now!"

As soon as the words left his mouth, he regretted it a little; this bet was too harsh.

Calling his enemy Grandpa? What if it actually happened...

But words spoken are like spilled water, and besides, he was in front of so many subordinates.

He stiffened his neck, forcibly maintaining that arrogant "I don't believe in evil" stance.

Upon hearing this, Old Wang revealed a hint of helplessness on his face and shook his head.

"Then I'm afraid... you really will have to call him that."

Huang Tian: "???"

Old Wang ignored his shock and continued calmly.

"He did indeed do it."

"Not only did he remove the shrapnel from Elder Zhou, but I have also seen the surveillance footage. He only used a few Silver Needles, and it took just the time it takes to brew a pot of tea to remove the shrapnel."

"The most astonishing thing is that not even a scar was left behind."

"And he did it in full view of everyone, right in front of the national medical expert, Elder Zhang Sansheng."

"He even wanted to become his apprentice, but was rejected."

Huang Tian: "???"

Elder Zhang? That Zhang Sansheng, hailed as the "Living King of Hell," a titan of traditional medicine who even the top leaders had to show respect to?

Even he wanted to become an apprentice? This... this is fucking ridiculous!!!

However, Old Wang's next sentence completely shattered his remaining luck and pride.

"Also, just this afternoon, in the lobby on the first floor of the Tianyao Group."

"Ye Chen, alone and unarmed, took down all eighteen members of our Third Action Team, including Captain Old Chen."

"From the start of the fight to the end, it took less than a minute."

Old Wang paused, giving Huang Tian a complicated look.

"Oh, right, I was among them."

"I didn't even see how he attacked before I took a hit to the chest; it still feels a bit tight now."

"Do you think... he deserves this 'Special Consultant' title?"

Huang Tian: "???"

He froze in place, like a stone statue eroded by wind and rain.

The anger, unwillingness, and doubt on his face receded like the tide, leaving only sheer horror.

One person... took down an entire Dragon Group action team? Including the captain and deputy captain???

If the matter with Elder Zhou and Zhang Sansheng was nonsense, then the current matter was even more preposterous.

But he knew Wang Anxing's character very well; he was someone who valued team honor more than his own life.

It was absolutely impossible for him to use his own reputation to prop someone up...

And he himself, that afternoon at the restaurant, had been defeated by Ye Chen in three casual moves, coughing up blood...

So, it wasn't that he was too weak and needed help. It was that the opponent was too strong. So strong that... it was beyond his scope of understanding!

First, the miraculous skill to bring the dead back to life, then the martial prowess to crush the elite of the Dragon Group... For such a person to serve as a Dragon Group Special Consultant, it's not just "deserving" it? It's practically the Dragon Group striking gold!

But he really wasn't reconciled... But. What was the use of not being reconciled?

If what Wang Anxing said was true, then the few elite fighters from the Huang Family he had secretly gathered probably wouldn't even be enough to fill the gaps in Ye Chen's teeth.

Going there would just be seeking death. He must return to Yanjing! He must plan for the long term! He had to figure out that kid's true background before plotting revenge!

In a flash, these thoughts raced through his mind. The muscles on Huang Tian's face twitched violently, and then he gritted his teeth and said.

"Fine... I will go back with you."

Old Wang looked at him and sighed inwardly. He was a scion of a noble family, used to being arrogant; having kicked an iron plate this time, he probably wouldn't let it go easily.

He took a deep breath and gave a well-intentioned warning.

"Huang Tian, I advise you to put away any improper thoughts you might have."

"The authority the Group Leader gave to Consultant Ye explicitly includes the right to 'act first and report later'."

"The target of this 'report later'... is not just enemies."

Old Wang stared into Huang Tian's eyes, enunciating every word.

"When necessary, it includes 'our own people' who hinder missions or endanger national interests."

"So, don't bring trouble upon yourself or the Huang Family."

Huang Tian jerked his head up, his pupils constricting, and he cried out involuntarily.

"What? Act first and report later? Including our own people?!"

"On what grounds? This kind of authority—in the entire history of the Dragon Group, no more than three people have held it at the same time!"

"What virtue or ability does Ye Chen have???"

Old Wang was silent for a moment, then said slowly: "Just because... that lady from the Tianyao Group spoke up."

Huang Tian felt as if he had been struck hard, staggering back half a step and bumping into the coffee table behind him.

Bai Wanqing... It was actually her!

For Ye Chen's sake, she had used such a heavy favor to ask Group Leader Xuanyuan for such an "amulet" and "Imperial Sword"!

That kid... did he feed her cream puffs or pour her a love potion???

Endless anger and frustration burned through Huang Tian's internal organs like poisonous fire. His hands, hanging at his sides, clenched tightly.

Old Wang took in his state, knowing the warning had been delivered and there was no use saying more.

He stepped aside to clear the way to the door and made a "please" gesture.

"Please, Huang Tian. It's time for us to hit the road and return to Yanjing."

Huang Tian snorted coldly, turned abruptly, and strode out of the suite, radiating a vicious aura.

The six Huang Family elite fighters looked at each other, not daring to ask any questions, and quickly lowered their heads to follow.

Old Wang watched their backs disappear at the end of the corridor, shook his head, and waved to the team members behind him. "Pack up."

After taking Bai Wanqing home, Ye Chen didn't linger. He politely declined her invitation to stay for dinner and drove straight back to the Dijing Garden.

Just as he pushed open the door to his home, the rich aroma of hot pot wafted over him.

Ye Chen perked up and closed the door, looking inside.

Under the warm yellow light, a red-oil hot pot was set on the large round table, surrounded by an array of hot pot ingredients—it was truly a feast.

Bing Lan was wearing an apron, placing the last plate of hand-cut lamb on the table.

Li Qin was fiddling with the bowls and chopsticks nearby, sneaking a piece of tripe in the process.

Seeing Ye Chen enter, she greeted him while chewing: "You're back, Younger Male Cousin! Hurry up and wash your hands, time to eat! Sister Bing Lan really splurged today; this soup base is amazing!"

Ye Chen walked forward and said with a smile: "It smells so good."

Bing Lan looked up at him. "Go wash your hands, it's ready to eat." "Okay."

Ye Chen washed his hands as told. When he returned, Ye Huasheng and Zhuang Yufen also came out of their room. The elderly couple wore smiles on their faces.

After everyone was seated, they began to eat.

An hour later, Ye Huasheng and Zhuang Yufen had finished eating, so they stood up and returned to their room. With the elders gone, the three young people felt more relaxed.

As it turned out... the three of them had been drinking, and the two women had unknowingly become tipsy.

Ye Chen watched Bing Lan's cheeks slowly flush a crimson red, and her eyes seemed to be veiled in a mist of water; his heart stirred slightly.

He knew that Bing Lan actually had a very low tolerance for alcohol.

Sure enough, after a while, Bing Lan gently shook her head, propped her elbows on the table, and rested her chin in her palms. This slightly lazy posture appearing on her had a surprising, contrasting charm.

Li Qin was even more direct, laying her head flat on the table, muttering, "I'm not drunk... I can still drink ten more bottles! Younger Male Cousin, teach me that move, the strike across the mountain..."

Ye Chen smiled helplessly and first walked over to Li Qin, gently patting her shoulder: "Qin Qin, go back to your room and sleep."

"Hmm... back to my room?" Li Qin looked up, dazed, staring at Ye Chen with unfocused eyes, then suddenly giggled, "Younger Male Cousin, you're in for a treat tonight. I'm drunk, and Sister Bing Lan is drunk too. Are you planning to have one king with two queens?"

Ye Chen: "..." Damn! It had to be Li Qin; what wouldn't she dare to say? Was he that kind of person? He almost threw her back onto the chair.

"What nonsense are you talking about! Go to sleep!" Saying this, he slid his arms under her knees and back, and with a slight effort, scooped her up horizontally.

Li Qin took the opportunity to wrap her arms around his neck, resting her head in his shoulder socket, still giggling. "I... I'm serious! I'm so pretty, and Sister Bing Lan is even more beautiful... And we both have such great figures, you're really hitting the jackpot!"

"Hiss!" Ye Chen gasped upon hearing this. Because. He already felt a certain gaze falling on him from the side... His scalp tingled a bit, and he quickly carried Li Qin toward the guest bedroom with long strides. This girl, she really dares to say anything when she's drunk!

Ye Chen finally managed to get Li Qin, who was drunk like an octopus, into the guest bedroom, and just as he was about to lay her on the bed...

"Hmm... Younger Male Cousin!" Li Qin suddenly rolled over, her arms wrapped around Ye Chen's neck, and using the momentum of the alcohol, she pulled him forward!

"Bang!" The two of them fell onto the big bed together. Caught off guard, Ye Chen was pinned firmly under Li Qin.

Li Qin's eyes were hazy with drunkenness, her lips pursed, and she was about to kiss him.