57: Chapter 57 When my motorcade goes out, even the president has to give way.
The midday sun scorched the asphalt roads of San Verde, and the air was filled with the dry scent of dust.
Vendors on both sides of the street were lazily shooing away flies, and passersby hurried along, with no one willing to linger at this hour.
However, a low and dense roar of engines, like muffled thunder rolling across the ground, broke the afternoon silence.
The tremors from the ground traveled up through the soles of their shoes, and the glass in the shop windows began to buzz.
"Is it an earthquake?"
A taco vendor looked up in confusion, the spatula in his hand nearly slipping into the deep fryer.
"No, look over there!"
Following the direction of the passerby's finger, everyone's gaze froze.
At the end of the main road leading to the city center, a suffocatingly massive black convoy was slowly approaching like a steel python.
Leading the way were two heavily modified riot armored vehicles, their thick bulletproof steel plates and the heavy machine guns mounted on the roof gleaming with a chilling cold light in the sun.
The massive all-terrain tires rolled over the road, emitting a dull crushing sound, as if nothing could stop their advance.
Following closely behind were thirty full-sized black Chevrolet Suburbans.
Every vehicle was polished to a shine, their pitch-black bodies reflecting the surroundings like mirrors.
The windows were tightly shut and covered with dark explosion-proof film, making it impossible to peer inside, yet one could feel that suffocating murderous aura.
On both sides of the convoy, a dozen police motorcycles were clearing the way.
The sirens were sharp and piercing, the police lights flashing frantically, and those usually arrogant police officers were now acting like the humblest servants, loudly ordering passing vehicles and pedestrians to get out of the way.
"Move! Everyone move!"
"Stand aside if you don't want to die!"
The entire main road instantly descended into chaos.
Private cars scrambled onto the sidewalk, pedestrians huddled in corners like frightened sheep, and everyone held their breath, watching this funeral procession that seemed to come from hell.
"Good God... which big shot is coming?"
The taco vendor was dumbfounded, his mouth open wide enough to fit an egg, "Could it be the President coming for an inspection?"
"The President? The President doesn't have this kind of turnout when he goes out!"
A well-informed thug nearby lowered his voice, his eyes full of awe and fear, "Look at those license plates, that's an 'Umbrella' car! It's that Easterner!"
"Chen Yuan?"
As soon as this name was mentioned, the surrounding crowd instantly fell silent.
In the current San Verde, you might not know who the mayor is, but you absolutely must know who Chen Yuan is.
He was the man who had caused the stock price of the Johnson & Johnson Group to plummet by half, chased a gang godfather to the countryside to go fishing, and was even rumored to keep a group of monsters.
He was the new king of this city.
In the center of the convoy, a stretched bulletproof Lincoln, like a black monarch, drove steadily within the protective perimeter of the escort.
Chen Yuan sat in the spacious backseat, swirling a glass of whiskey with ice in his hand, coldly watching those fearful gazes outside the window through the one-way glass.
"Boss, how does this feel?"
Victor sat in the passenger seat, his face flushed with excitement, "With this turnout, I think even the Governor would have to take a detour if they saw it."
"It's alright."
Chen Yuan took a sip of his drink, his tone indifferent, "It's just going out for a stroll, no need to make it so tense. Tell the police leading the way to turn off their sirens; the noise is giving me a headache."
"Yes!"
Victor immediately picked up the walkie-talkie to give the order.
A few seconds later, the piercing sirens disappeared, leaving only the uniform roar of the engines; this silent pressure was even more unsettling.
The convoy slowly drove into the city center and finally stopped in front of a skyscraper.
That was the landmark of San Verde—the Transamerica Pyramid. Forty-eight stories high, entirely covered in a golden glass curtain wall, it shimmered in the sun, symbolizing the wealth and desire of this city.
However, it used to belong to several multinational banks.
And today, it had a new owner.
"Screech—"
The convoy stopped in unison, and the doors of all thirty vehicles opened almost simultaneously.
More than a hundred bodyguards in black suits and sunglasses quickly got out of the cars, standing with their hands behind their backs, forming an impassable human wall on both sides of the red carpet.
Their earpieces crackled with static, and their sharp eyes vigilantly scanned every high point in the surroundings.
These were no ordinary bodyguards.
Through the gaps in their sunglasses, one could vaguely see their grayish-white skin and emotionless pupils.
They were T-103 Mass-Produced Tyrants disguised as humans.
Chen Yuan pushed open the car door and stepped out.
Flashbulbs instantly lit up the area, and countless media reporters tried to break through the blockade like madmen, only to be forced back by that invisible murderous aura.
"Mr. Chen! May I ask if you bought this building to serve as your new headquarters?"
"We heard you are entering the real estate market, is that true?"
"Is the scandal involving the Johnson & Johnson Group related to you?"
Facing this barrage of questions, Chen Yuan simply smiled, adjusted the buttons of his suit, and walked straight toward the bright red ribbon at the entrance of the building.
He took the golden scissors handed to him by Sophia, stood in the center of the red carpet, and turned to face the cameras.
Behind him, the massive "Umbrella" logo was slowly being hoisted by workers, covering the original bank sign.
That red and white Umbrella logo looked particularly striking, and particularly glaring, under the blue sky and white clouds.
"Ladies and gentlemen."
Chen Yuan's voice echoed across the entire square through the loudspeakers.
"Many people have asked me why I bought this place."
He looked up at the skyscraper towering into the clouds, his eyes flashing with a near-arrogant confidence:
"Because I feel that only by standing higher can I see clearly who is bowing their heads to me."
"Snap!"
The golden scissors cut through the red silk.
Ribbons fluttered down, and ceremonial cannons fired in unison.
Applause thundered, and cheers rang out to the skies. At this moment, Chen Yuan seemed to have truly become the king of this city, enjoying the glory of being the center of attention.
However, at this most boisterous moment.
Chen Yuan's private phone in his pocket suddenly vibrated.
It wasn't a normal vibration, but a specific frequency that only triggered when receiving the highest level of encrypted information.
Chen Yuan's smile froze slightly.
He calmly took out his phone and swiped the screen open.
It was an anonymous text message.
There was no sender, no location, just a short line of text, as glaring as if it were written in blood:
【Congratulations on the completion of the new building. However, a friendly reminder: the price on your head has gone up on the dark web.】
【One hundred million US dollars.】
Chen Yuan looked at those words, his eyes showing not a trace of fear, but instead, a playful smile slowly emerged.
One hundred million?
It seems that in the eyes of those big shots, I really am quite a hot commodity.
He put away his phone and looked up at the top floor of the building opposite; a reflection seemed to flash by there.
"Boss?"
Alice, who was beside him, sensed something was wrong and stepped forward, shielding Chen Yuan's side.
"It's nothing."
Chen Yuan gently pushed her aside, adjusted his hair, which had been ruffled by the wind, and made a gun gesture toward the direction of the reflection.
"Just a mouse wanting to congratulate me on my housewarming."
He turned around and strode into the revolving door that had just become his, his voice as cold as a blade:
"Since you've come, don't bother leaving."
"It just so happens that my new office is missing a decoration."