503: Chapter 503 The Eagle Kingdom Princess Kidnapped?

Ye Chen picked up his teacup and gently blew on the tea leaves, not responding.

From the very beginning when they were picked up at the pier, Ye Chen had already seen that Ma Tianlai had ulterior motives.

Now that it was fully exposed, Ye Chen was quite displeased.

Ma Tianlai's heart sank bit by bit.

He knew that if he didn't state his position today, his image in Ye Chen's heart would likely plummet...

In an instant.

He gritted his teeth, stood up abruptly, and bowed deeply to Ye Chen.

"Instructor Ye, it was my lack of consideration."

"For tonight's dinner, I did indeed have a bit of selfishness, wanting to use Instructor Ye's reputation to bolster the Ma Family's prestige."

"I know my mistake, please punish me, Instructor Ye."

He spoke candidly, keeping his posture extremely low.

A man in his seventies, a figure who could shake the Guang City business world with a stomp of his foot, was now bowing before a young man in his twenties, not even daring to lift his head.

The others at the table watched this scene with mixed emotions.

Some felt Ma Tianlai lacked backbone, some felt he was too shrewd, but most were secretly relieved...

Relieved that they had only followed along with a few toasts and hadn't said anything out of line.

Ye Chen set down his teacup and suddenly smiled at Ma Tianlai's terrified appearance.

"Old Master Ma, don't be nervous."

"I didn't say I was going to do anything to you."

"But, let this be the last time."

Those last seven words sounded sweeter to Ma Tianlai's ears than any heavenly music.

He straightened up abruptly and nodded repeatedly: "Thank you, Instructor Ye! I've noted it, there will never be a next time!"

Ye Chen waved his hand, signaling him to sit down.

"Let's eat, the food is getting cold."

Ma Tianlai, as if granted a grand pardon, hurriedly sat back in his chair, picked up his wine glass, and offered another toast.

This time, his eyes held a few more degrees of heartfelt awe.

This man, Ye Chen, was much more shrewd than imagined.

He was simply not someone an ordinary person could scheme against!

Bing Lan watched the whole time without saying a word, but she felt a sense of relief at Ye Chen's approach.

As expected.

A-Chen is not someone who would let himself be taken advantage of.

The others at the table also breathed a sigh of relief, and the atmosphere gradually warmed up.

But just then—

"Wuu-waa—Wuu-waa—Wuu-waa—"

A sharp siren sound came from outside the club.

It wasn't just one or two cars, but an entire motorcade. Moving from far to near, the sound grew louder and more frequent, as if something earth-shattering had happened.

Everyone at the table was stunned and looked at each other.

Immediately after.

Bang!

The club's main doors were violently pushed open from the outside. A chaotic sound of footsteps drifted in, mingled with intermittent calls from walkie-talkies and people shouting while running.

From the commotion, it sounded like dozens of people had arrived.

Ma Tianlai's brow furrowed instantly, and his expression darkened slightly.

Bailu Terrace was his most frequent haunt, and the owner was very familiar with him; such a thing had never happened before.

Now, not only was he hosting a dinner, but he had also just been "admonished" by Ye Chen.

If something went wrong at this critical juncture, then in Ye Chen's eyes...

He would probably have no value left.

"Old Chen!" he shouted toward the door.

A sturdy man immediately ran in from outside; it was Ma Tianlai's personal Bodyguard captain.

"Master, something has happened outside!" Old Chen's face didn't look good.

Ma Tianlai asked in a low voice: "What is it?"

Old Chen glanced at Ye Chen, then at the others at the table, hesitating to speak.

Ma Tianlai's brow furrowed: "Speak!"

Old Chen took a deep breath and lowered his voice even further.

"The outside of Bailu Terrace has been cordoned off by the police. At least twenty police cars have arrived, and even the SWAT team has been deployed."

"I heard... it seems a princess from the Eagle Country was traveling in Dragon Country under a hidden identity and was taken hostage at Bailu Terrace."

As soon as these words were spoken, a deathly silence fell over the private room.

Holy crap?

What a damn coincidence!

A princess of a nation was actually hijacked at a time like this?

Ma Tianlai's expression changed completely.

Bailu Terrace was the top private club in Guang City. Those who could afford to spend here were either rich or noble, and security measures were always tight.

How could a distinguished guest of a Eagle Country princess's level be hijacked at Bailu Terrace?

And it just had to be tonight, just when they were dining here?

He subconsciously looked at Ye Chen.

Ye Chen held his teacup, his expression unchanged, only his brow twitching slightly.

Bing Lan, sitting beside him, also looked up, a hint of surprise flashing in her eyes.

Ma Tianlai took a deep breath and asked in a low voice: "Do we know who did it?"

Old Chen shook his head.

"It's not clear yet. The outside is cordoned off; no one can get in or out."

"The owner of Bailu Terrace is going crazy with worry and is downstairs communicating with the police."

Ma Tianlai nodded, waved his hand for Old Chen to leave first, then turned to Ye Chen with an apologetic look.

"Instructor Ye, I am truly sorry that such a thing has happened..."

Ye Chen set down his teacup and shook his head.

"No matter."

He turned his head and looked at Bing Lan, "Shall we go take a look?"

Bing Lan nodded.

This matter could be large or small; Bing Lan knew Ye Chen's identity, so she didn't stop him.

Ye Chen set down his teacup and stood up unhurriedly.

"Everyone, please excuse me for a moment."

Ma Tianlai hurriedly stood up as well: "Instructor Ye, I'll accompany you!"

President Sun, President Liu, Mrs. Zhou, and the others looked at each other and also stood up.

"Instructor Ye, we'll go together too!"

"Yes, yes, yes, if there's anything we can help with, just say the word!"

"Exactly!"

...

Though they said they were accompanying him, everyone had their own thoughts.

If word got out that a Eagle Country princess was hijacked at Bailu Terrace, these business moguls present would be implicated to some extent.

Especially since...

They all happened to be here!

But if they could follow Ye Chen, the Chief Instructor of the Dragon Group, they could somewhat clear themselves of any connection.

Moreover...

They truly wanted to see just how much divine ability this legendary Instructor Ye possessed.

Ye Chen didn't say much. Holding Bing Lan's small hand, he pushed open the door of the private room and strode out.

The corridor was already a mess.

In the club lobby, over a dozen SWAT officers with live ammunition had cordoned off all entrances and exits.

Leading them was a capable man in his thirties, with two bars and one star on his epaulettes, speaking in low tones with the owner of Bailu Terrace.

The owner, in his forties, was drenched in sweat, constantly wiping his forehead with a handkerchief.

"Captain Zhao, this really has nothing to do with us!"

"That Eagle Country princess came on her own using a pseudonym; we had no idea of her identity..."

"Saying this now is useless." Captain Zhao interrupted him, his face ashen, "This happened in your club; you cannot escape responsibility."

"I..."

The owner wanted to say more, but out of the corner of his eye, he saw a group of people coming out of the corridor and quickly shut his mouth.

Ye Chen walked at the front, followed by Ma Tianlai and a crowd of Guang City business moguls.

The formation looked very much like a great figure making an appearance.

Captain Zhao's brow furrowed, his gaze falling on Ye Chen at the front.

"Who are you people?"

"This place has been cordoned off. No one is allowed to move around freely."

Ye Chen didn't waste words. He took out his Chief Instructor of the Dragon Group identification from his pocket and handed it over.

Captain Zhao took the ID, flipped it open, and his pupils suddenly contracted.

He looked up abruptly, sizing Ye Chen up, then looked back down at the photo and the steel seal on the ID. After confirming it was correct, he stood at attention and saluted.

"Greetings, Chief!"

Ye Chen took back the ID and asked calmly: "What's the specific situation?"

Captain Zhao took a deep breath and reported quickly.

"Chief, twenty minutes ago, we received a report that someone had taken hostages at the outdoor pool on the sixth floor of Bailu Terrace."

"It has been confirmed that the hostage is the Eagle Country Princess Euphemia. She came to Dragon Country for a private tour and happened to be dining at Bailu Terrace."

"There are three hijackers in total. Their identities are currently unknown, but each one is armed!"

"The entire sixth floor has been secured, and the SWAT team's negotiators have already gone up!"

"But the other party is taking a hard line and refusing to communicate, only saying they want to see someone from the Eagle Country Embassy!"

Ye Chen listened and then nodded: "I'll go up and take a look."

Captain Zhao was stunned and hurriedly spoke.

"Chief, it's very dangerous up there!"

"The other side is armed. Our snipers are in position, and the assault team is ready. Should you..."

Ye Chen waved his hand, interrupting him.

"You just maintain order down here. Leave the matters upstairs to me."

Captain Zhao wanted to say more.

Ma Tianlai, standing to the side, stepped forward to interrupt.

"Captain Zhao."

"If it's something even the Chief Instructor of the Dragon Group can't solve, your team might not be able to solve it either."

As soon as these words came out, Captain Zhao was instantly jolted awake.

That's right...

Chief Instructor of the Dragon Group—what level was that?

That was simply not an existence he could question!

"Yes!"

His breath hitched, and he hurriedly said, "Chief, do you need me to send men up with you?"

"No need."

Ye Chen finished speaking and stepped toward the elevator.

Bing Lan naturally followed behind him.

Ma Tianlai and those several business moguls hesitated for a moment, then followed one by one.

Well...

They couldn't help with the action, but they could try to help Ye Chen negotiate with money.

One person's money isn't enough?

Then add another!

There were several of them, after all!