125: Chapter 125 The Hongmen Banquet of Taisheng Group

Sitting inside the bulletproof rolls-royce arranged by Ye Bai, Lin Fan closed his eyes to rest.

Leng Xing sat beside him and lowered her voice: "Boss, I observed earlier. That officer's collar insignia belongs to the Mankou Northern Military District. Taisheng Group is indeed in collusion with the military. Tonight's banquet is definitely a Hongmen Banquet."

Lin Fan let out a cold laugh.

"A Hongmen Banquet? I'm afraid his pot isn't big enough to stew a dragon like me. Contact Shen Bing immediately. Have her send over the stock acquisition agreement for Taisheng Group's arch-rival—Zhengda Group in southern Mankou. Today, I'm going to pull the rug out from under them."

Leng Xing's eyes lit up, and she immediately took out an encrypted laptop to begin the operation.

Upon arriving at the Peninsula Hotel, Ye Bai dropped them off at their room and left, saying he would send a car to pick them up in the evening.

The presidential suite was incredibly luxurious.

Lin Fan took off his coat, walked to the floor-to-ceiling window, and looked down at the bustling streetscape of Mankou.

Leng Xing walked over and handed Lin Fan a glass of red wine.

"Boss, President Shen's side has already finalized it. Thirty percent of Zhengda Group's shares have been transferred to your name. You are now the second-largest shareholder of Zhengda Group," Leng Xing reported.

Lin Fan took the wine glass and swirled the red liquid inside.

"Well done. Ye Bai thinks he covers the sky with one hand in Mankou; today, I'll let him know what it means to be crushed by capital." Lin Fan drained the wine in one gulp.

At seven in the evening, a stretch Lincoln parked at the hotel entrance.

Lin Fan changed into a sharp black suit, while Leng Xing remained in her black leather outfit. The two got into the car and headed straight for the Taisheng Group headquarters.

The Taisheng Group building was located in the center of Mankou, magnificent and golden.

In the banquet hall on the top floor, the lights were brilliant.

When Lin Fan walked in, he found that besides Ye Bai, several old acquaintances were also sitting there.

One of them was precisely the Second Elder of the Chen Family, Old Man Chen, whose four subordinates Lin Fan had crippled back in Tianhai City!

Old Man Chen sat in the seat of honor, with a middle-aged man in a gray robe standing beside him. That middle-aged man's temples bulged high, and his eyes flashed with sharp light; one look was enough to tell he was an ancient martial arts expert even more terrifying than Old Man Chen.

Seeing Lin Fan enter, Ye Bai greeted him with a smile.

"Boss Lin, come, let me introduce you. This is the Second Elder of the Chen Family of the Capital, and this is the Great Elder of the Chen Family, Chen Tianfang. They are also very interested in your Solid-state Battery technology. We're all friends here, why don't we sit down and talk together?" Ye Bai put on the facade of a peacemaker.

Lin Fan pulled out a chair and sat down, crossing his legs.

"Friends? I, Lin Fan, am very picky about making friends. Not just any random cat or dog can sit at my table," Lin Fan insulted them without hesitation.

Old Man Chen slammed the table in fury.

"Lin Fan! You're facing death and you still dare to be so stubborn! In Tianhai City, you had the Shen Family protecting you, but here in Mankou, I'll see how you can possibly escape today!" Old Man Chen gnashed his teeth.

Chen Tianfang raised his hand, stopping Old Man Chen.

He looked at Lin Fan, his tone flat yet carrying an indisputable pressure.

"Young man, having a backbone is a good thing, but being too arrogant is seeking death. Hand over all the technology for the solid-state batteries and then cripple your own martial arts; I can leave you with an intact corpse." Chen Tianfang spoke as if passing a sentence.

Lin Fan laughed out of sheer anger.

He turned his head to look at Ye Bai.

"Ye Bai, are you planning to play the 'black eating black' game? Aren't you afraid my Tianyang Group will cut off your supply?"

Ye Bai shrugged.

"Boss Lin, men die for wealth just as birds die for food. The Chen Family offered five billion for your life, plus sharing the technology with me for free. Any fool would know how to choose in this deal. If you sign the transfer agreement today, you might at least die a bit more quickly." Ye Bai completely tore off his mask.

Lin Fan sighed, pulled a document from his pocket, and tossed it onto the table.

"Ye Bai, you've calculated this quite well. Unfortunately, your intelligence work is far too poor." Lin Fan pointed at the document.

Ye Bai picked up the document in confusion, and his face instantly turned deathly pale.

"Thirty percent of Zhengda Group's shares?! How... how could you possibly have bought them!" Ye Bai cried out in shock.

Zhengda Group was the mortal enemy of Taisheng Group; the two had fought tooth and nail for the Southeast Asia new energy market. If Lin Fan became a shareholder of Zhengda Group and gave the technology to them, Taisheng Group would be completely finished.

"Now, do you still think the Chen Family can protect you?" Lin Fan looked at Ye Bai coldly.

Ye Bai was drenched in sweat, his hands holding the document trembling. He knew he had been checkmated by Lin Fan.

Seeing this, Chen Tianfang let out a cold snort.

"Bluffing! Ye Bai, ignore him. As long as we kill him today, this document is nothing but a scrap of waste paper!" Chen Tianfang suddenly stood up, and a terrifying aura erupted from his body.

The glass cups in the entire banquet hall shattered instantly.

Great Elder Chen Tianfang was at the Ancient Martial Grandmaster Realm!

Lin Fan's eyes narrowed. He could feel that Chen Tianfang's strength was an entire major realm higher than his own. If they fought head-on, he would definitely lose his life here today.

"Leng Xing, get back!" Lin Fan shouted loudly, his Nine Yang Internal Power circulating frantically within him, the Taiji Force-Shedding Method ready to be deployed at any moment.

Chen Tianfang's figure flickered, appearing before Lin Fan like a ghost.

"Die!"

Chen Tianfang struck out with a palm; the wind from the strike howled, carrying an extremely frigid internal power straight toward Lin Fan's chest.

Lin Fan's hands traced a circle, meeting the strike with the Taiji Force-Shedding Method.

Bang!

The two internal powers collided, producing a deafening, muffled explosion.

Lin Fan felt an overwhelming force surge into his body. Although the Taiji Force-Shedding Method neutralized most of the power, that frigid internal power still caused his blood and qi to churn violently.

Pfft!

A sweet taste filled Lin Fan's throat as he spat out a mouthful of blood, retreating seven or eight steps before he could steady himself.

Too strong! An ancient martial artist of the Grandmaster Realm was simply not someone he could contend with right now.

Seeing this, Leng Xing's eyes turned blood-red, and she drew her short blade, about to rush forward to fight to the death.

"Don't come over!" Lin Fan roared, wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth.

Chen Tianfang stood with his hands behind his back, his face full of disdain.

"To take a palm strike from me and not die, you can be considered a genius. Unfortunately, you provoked someone you shouldn't have." Chen Tianfang raised his palm once more.

At this critical juncture, a system warning sounded in Lin Fan's mind.

"Ding! Detected that the host is facing a life-and-death crisis. Triggering Ultimate Counter-Kill Mission: Use the terrain and props to kill Chen Tianfang. Completion Reward: Second Level of the Nine Yang Divine Art, Southeast Asia Business Overlord Aura. Failure Penalty: Obliteration."

Lin Fan gritted his teeth, his brain working at high speed.

Fighting head-on meant certain death; he could only win through wit.

He glanced at the massive crystal chandelier at the top of the banquet hall, which weighed several tons.

"Old dog, if you want to kill me, you're not qualified enough!" Lin Fan roared. Instead of retreating, he proactively charged toward Chen Tianfang.

Chen Tianfang sneered, thinking Lin Fan was going to fight desperately.

"A mantis trying to stop a carriage!"

The moment Chen Tianfang struck out with his palm, Lin Fan suddenly lowered his body, performing a slide tackle past Chen Tianfang's armpit and rushing directly to a load-bearing pillar in the banquet hall.

Lin Fan concentrated all the remaining Nine Yang Internal Power in his body into his right fist and smashed it ruthlessly into the power control box on the pillar.

Boom!

The control box exploded, and the entire banquet hall instantly plunged into darkness.

"Not good!" Chen Tianfang cursed inwardly, just as he was about to turn around.

A tooth-aching sound of metal snapping came from overhead.

Lin Fan's punch just now had not only blown up the power supply but also shattered the load-bearing steel rods connecting the crystal chandelier.

The crystal chandelier, weighing several tons, came crashing down toward Chen Tianfang's head with terrifying potential energy.

Although Chen Tianfang was a Grandmaster, he was still flesh and blood. In the darkness, he had no time to dodge.

Rumble!

A massive explosion shook the entire building.

The crystal chandelier smashed solidly onto Chen Tianfang, with countless glass shards flying in all directions.

Chen Tianfang didn't even have time to scream before he was crushed into a pile of meat.

The lights flickered back on as the backup power kicked in.

The banquet hall was a complete mess.

Looking at the crushed remains of Chen Tianfang, Old Man Chen was so terrified that he collapsed onto the floor, a puddle of yellow liquid flowing from his crotch.

Ye Bai was even more frightened, his face devoid of color as he knelt directly on the ground.

Lin Fan leaned against the pillar, gasping for breath. His body was now completely empty, making it difficult even to stand. Yet he forced himself to walk over to Ye Bai.

"Now, this contract—will you sign it or not?" Lin Fan's voice sounded like an Asura from hell.

Ye Bai didn't dare say a single word of refusal. Trembling, he picked up the pen and signed his name on the contract.

"Ding! First stage of the main quest completed. Rewards have been distributed."

A warm current instantly flowed through his entire body. Lin Fan's previously withered dantian became full once more, and the Nine Yang Divine Art successfully broke through to the second level.

Lin Fan glanced at the slumped Old Man Chen and said coldly, "Get back to the capital and tell your Family Head that I, Lin Fan, will personally settle this debt in the capital sooner or later!"

Old Man Chen scrambled out of the banquet hall on all fours.

Lin Fan turned to look at Leng Xing, a weak but arrogant smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.

"Let's go back to the hotel. Your boss lost a lot of blood today; you'll have to give me a good massage when we get back."

Leng Xing quickly stepped forward to support Lin Fan, tears in her eyes, yet she nodded heavily.

"Mhm, whatever way the Boss wants the massage, that's how I'll do it."