39: Chapter 39 I also want to keep a low profile, but my strength won't allow it.
In the first-floor lobby of the nightclub, the originally ambiguous and luxurious atmosphere had been torn to shreds by the clamor of violence.
Fragments of the crystal chandelier were scattered across the floor like spilled diamonds, refracting a cold, chilling gleam under the remaining lights.
Several expensive leather booths had been overturned, and amber liquid flowed from shattered bottles, mixing with the scent of blood to stain the handmade Persian rug beyond recognition.
"Get your boss out here! Is he a coward hiding in his shell?"
A burly man with a full beard and a tactical vest was standing on the bar counter.
He held a modified desert eagle in his hand, its dark muzzle swaying carelessly, terrifying the nearby waitresses dressed as bunnies, who were huddling together and screaming.
This man was known as "Mad Bull" Bob, the leader of that group of arms dealers.
Relying on his smuggling routes, he was accustomed to running rampant in San Verde.
Tonight, he was clearly drunk—or perhaps someone had given him some kind of "confidence," making him feel he could run wild here.
"Is this wine horse piss? It's as bland as water!"
Bob grabbed a bottle of Louis XIII worth three thousand dollars and smashed it hard against the wall.
"We want 'Dali'! That kind of magical water that sends people to heaven! Who are you trying to fool with this garbage?"
"Sir, 'Dali' is a controlled substance; only members can..."
Old Jack wiped the sweat from his forehead, attempting to step forward and explain.
"Slap!"
A heavy slap landed on Old Jack's face, knocking his gold-rimmed glasses flying.
"Screw your membership!"
Bob sneered, grabbed Old Jack by the collar, and pressed the muzzle directly against his forehead.
"I have a gun, and that's my membership card! Get that Chen guy out here! Tell him if he doesn't come out and offer me a drink, I'll burn this dump to the ground!"
The surrounding lackeys erupted in wild laughter, and someone even began using a lighter to burn the expensive curtains.
Just then, a slow, unhurried round of applause came from the staircase on the second floor.
"Clap, clap, clap."
The sound was crisp and stood out sharply in the noisy lobby.
Everyone's gaze was instantly drawn over.
Chen Yuan was standing on the stairs, one hand in his pocket, the other clapping lightly.
His expression was as calm as stagnant water, showing no trace of anger, but rather a sense of mockery, as if he were watching a monkey show.
"Brilliant, truly brilliant."
He walked down the stairs step by step, his leather shoes making a rhythmic sound against the marble steps.
"Mr. Bob, is it? It seems my wine really isn't strong enough to shut your mouth."
Bob narrowed his eyes, looking at this Easterner who was excessively young.
Although he had heard rumors that Chen Yuan had wiped out the Vulture Legion, emboldened by the alcohol and the dozen gunmen behind him, he felt that was just an exaggeration.
"You're that Chen Yuan?"
Bob jumped off the bar, pushed Old Jack aside, and swaggered up to Chen Yuan, reeking of alcohol.
"You look like a girl. What's the matter, I heard you have that medicine that can make people young again? Hand it over, and I'll spare your life tonight."
Chen Yuan stopped two meters in front of him and waved his hand in disgust, as if trying to dispel the nauseating bad breath.
"I don't like people getting too close to me."
He said calmly, his tone as polite as a gentleman's, "Also, that's my property. If you want to buy it, you can get in line; if you want to steal it, you don't have the qualification."
"Qualification?"
Bob acted as if he had heard a huge joke and laughed wildly at the sky.
"In this hellhole, a gun is the qualification! I have a dozen guns pointed at your head right now, and you're talking to me about qualifications?"
As his words fell, the dozen or so arms dealers around them simultaneously pulled their bolts, and the dark muzzles instantly locked onto Chen Yuan.
The atmosphere was tense, and the air seemed to have frozen.
Sophia stood by the railing on the second floor, her palms full of cold sweat.
She was just about to have the Red Queen activate the defense system when she saw Chen Yuan make a "stop" gesture with his hand behind his back.
"Young man, don't be too arrogant."
Bob raised the desert eagle, the cold barrel poking directly into Chen Yuan's forehead, a cruel smile on his face.
"I know you have those big bodyguards, but where are they now? By the time you call them out, your head will have already blossomed."
"Now, kneel down and call me Grandpa."
Chen Yuan felt the cold touch on his forehead and sighed softly.
It was a sigh full of helplessness and regret.
"I originally wanted to be a law-abiding businessman."
Chen Yuan looked at Bob, a trace of pity in his eyes.
"I wanted to keep a low profile and convince people with virtue. But why... you idiots, why do you have to force me to act?"
"Force you? Hahahaha!"
Bob laughed until tears almost came out.
"I am forcing you, so what? If you have the guts, bite me..."
"Ah!!!"
Before the words had even faded, a piercing, extremely shrill scream suddenly exploded.
There was no warning whatsoever.
And no one saw what had happened.
Suddenly, from the shadows of the lobby ceiling, a scarlet afterimage shot out.
The thing was as fast as red lightning, instantly wrapping around Bob's right hand that was holding the gun.
"Crack!"
The sound of bones shattering was clearly audible in the deathly silent lobby.
Immediately following was a teeth-grinding tearing sound.
Bob's wrist, along with that desert eagle, had been ripped clean off by that red shadow!
Blood gushed out like a fountain, instantly splattering all over Chen Yuan.
But he didn't even blink, still maintaining that posture with his hands in his pockets, as if the bloody scene unfolding before him was just a magic show.
"My hand! My hand!"
Bob clutched his stump of a wrist, rolling wildly on the ground in pain, his piercing howls making everyone present feel horrified.
"W-what is that?!"
The group of arms dealers were scared out of their minds, frantically raising their guns and spraying fire at the ceiling.
But there was only the swaying crystal chandelier and a deep darkness there.
"Hiss—"
A low, reptilian-like hiss came from above everyone's heads.
Everyone stiffly looked up.
Hanging upside down above the massive crystal chandelier was a bright red, skinless monster.
Its muscular body was tightly pressed against the ceiling, its massive brain directly exposed to the air, and its long, barbed tongue was curling around a severed hand, slowly feeding it into its blood-red maw that split all the way to its ears.
"Gulp."
The sound of swallowing.
Everyone's legs went weak.
What kind of monster is this? An alien? Or Resident Evil?
"Licker."
Chen Yuan took out a handkerchief, elegantly wiped a drop of blood splattered on his cheek, and introduced it with a smile, "This is my watchdog. It's a bit shy, and... it especially hates it when people point guns at its master."
He walked up to the still-screaming Bob, stepped on his remaining intact hand, and ground his foot down hard.
"Ah—!"
The scream went up another octave.
"Now, can we have a proper talk about 'qualifications'?"
Chen Yuan leaned down, looking at Bob, whose face was twisted in pain, his eyes cold.
"Or are you saying you want it to taste your head?"
The Licker overhead lowered its long tongue right on cue, and thick saliva dripped onto Bob's face, carrying a stench of death.
At that moment, Bob's psychological defenses completely collapsed.
Whatever toughness or face he had, in the face of the fear of being eaten alive, it all turned to dog shit.
"Don't... don't kill me! Please!"
Bob was snotting and crying, using his remaining hand to cling desperately to the floor.
"I have money! I have goods! I'll give it all to you! Don't let that monster eat me!"
"I'm not interested in your money."
Chen Yuan looked at him coldly.
"Give me a reason not to kill you. If this reason doesn't satisfy me..."
He looked up at the Licker.
The monster cooperated by opening its huge mouth, revealing a mouthful of razor-sharp teeth.
"I'll tell you! I'll tell you!"
Bob, as if grabbing at the last straw, cried out loudly, "I know a secret! A huge secret! It can make you a fortune!"
"Oh?" Chen Yuan raised an eyebrow. "Let's hear it."
"Outside the city... that wasteland outside the city!"
Bob panted heavily, his eyes full of fear and obsequiousness.
"We were originally hiding weapons there, but... but when we were digging a cellar, we dug up something black!"
"It's oil! We discovered oil there!"
"And..."
Bob swallowed his saliva, his voice dropping extremely low, as if afraid of being overheard by the devil.
"And there seems to be something else underneath... Our detectors always malfunction in that area, as if something is interfering with the magnetic field!"
Oil?
Chen Yuan's pupils shrank slightly.
Discovering oil in a godforsaken place like San Verde was a bombshell in itself.
But what interested him more was the so-called "interfering magnetic field."
Ordinary oil wouldn't interfere with a magnetic field.
Unless...
What was buried there wasn't just oil.
In Chen Yuan's mind, the Red Queen's database instantly began searching, comparing San Verde's geological structure map with secret archives from World War II.
A few seconds later, a red warning box popped up on his retina.
【High-energy reaction source detected.】
【Suspected: Bio-energy ore (type-z ore).】
The corners of Chen Yuan's mouth slowly curled into an arc of ecstasy.
It was right here all along, found without any effort at all.
This is no oil.
This is the key to the "Gundam" era!