36: Chapter 36 Dare to intercept my listings? I'll just take them back!

Lin Chen picked up the phone, and his expression instantly darkened.

This was the small warehouse behind Uncle Zhao's Grocery Store. The lighting was dim, with only a single yellowed bulb glowing overhead. Cardboard boxes half as tall as a man were piled in the corners, and a thin layer of dust covered the floor. The only bright light came from the cold glow of the mobile screen in his hand.

Uncle Zhao's voice on the other end was urgent and agitated; his anger was palpable even through the receiver.

"Little Chen! This is bad, really bad! Those two old houses we settled on a few days ago were hijacked midway!"

Lin Chen leaned against the mottled wall, his fingertips lightly tapping the phone's casing. His tone was steady, without a hint of panic. "Who hijacked them?"

"Who else! David's people!" Uncle Zhao panted heavily, his voice rising several notches. "I had almost finished talking with those two homeowners, and the contracts were ready to be signed. Then David's people suddenly charged in and offered two hundred more per square meter, poaching them on the spot! Kid, David's people are moving too fast; they're clearly gunning for you!"

A flash of coldness flickered in Lin Chen's eyes.

David was indeed coming for him. First, he had Marcus cause trouble in the Slum District, and now he was moving to snatch property listings. His mind was truly sinister.

"Uncle Zhao, don't worry." Lin Chen's voice was calm, instantly soothing Uncle Zhao's emotions. "Besides these two, have any other houses we've discussed been touched?"

"Just these two for now. I noticed early and didn't dare to clash with them head-on, so I called you first." Uncle Zhao paused, then added, "I also asked around. David has been buying houses like a madman lately. He's snatched up several prime locations near the street entrance of the Slum District. He's being incredibly generous with his offers!"

Lin Chen gave a hum of acknowledgment and silently commanded in his mind: "AI, retrieve David's recent property acquisition data. Compile the quantity, locations, and source of funds."

The next second, a pale blue pop-up window lit up before his eyes:

[Properties acquired by David: 5 sets]

[Location: Core street-facing areas of the Slum District]

[Financial Status: Short-term bridge loans; cash flow is tight; difficult to sustain high-priced acquisitions long-term]

A line of key information caused a cold smile to curl at the corners of Lin Chen's mouth.

So it wasn't that he had a lot of money, but rather that he was robbing Peter to pay Paul. He wouldn't last long.

"Uncle Zhao, I understand." Lin Chen spoke into the phone with a decisive tone. "Continue negotiating for the remaining listings we've targeted. If the other side raises the price, we follow suit. As long as we can secure them, a slightly higher price is acceptable."

Uncle Zhao was stunned. "Raise the price further? Little Chen, do you have enough funds? David is driving prices up like crazy!"

"It's enough. Go ahead and handle it; don't worry about the money." Lin Chen's tone was certain. "David won't last long. As long as we snatch the core location houses before he does, he'll be out of moves."

Although Uncle Zhao felt uncertain, Lin Chen had been reliable every single time before. He immediately nodded. "Alright! I trust you! I'll go contact the other homeowners right now and try to finalize two more sets today!"

"Thank you for your hard work, Uncle Zhao. Let me know as soon as there's news."

Lin Chen hung up the phone, stuffed it back into his pocket, and turned to look at Li Wei, who had been standing nearby with his ears pricked, listening.

The warehouse was quiet, save for the faint buzzing of the light bulb. Li Wei stood straight; his face still had bruises from the previous fight that hadn't faded, but his gaze was exceptionally focused.

"Brother Chen, I heard everything." Li Wei took a step forward, his tone urgent. "David is stealing our houses; we can't just let this go! I know most of The Homeowners in the Slum District. I'll go contact them right now and secure all the houses David hasn't targeted yet!"

Lin Chen looked at his proactive attitude and nodded. "Go. Tell The Homeowners that our prices are fair, our payments are fast, and we don't delay or owe—we're much more reliable than David's side."

"Understood!" Li Wei replied crisply, turned, and walked out of the warehouse with rapid strides, not wasting a single second.

Lin Chen remained alone in the dim warehouse, his fingertips lightly stroking his chin as he asked the AI in his mind again: "Based on David's capital chain, how many more high-priced acquisitions can he support at most?"

[AI Deduction: At most 2 more sets. His funds will completely rupture, and he will be unable to raise prices further.]

With this result, Lin Chen felt completely confident.

David wanted to squeeze him out by relying on temporary high prices, but he had miscalculated. He thought he could win by throwing money around, not knowing his foundation was already so thin it would break with a single poke.

As long as he snatched the key listings before David's capital ruptured, he would surely win this acquisition war.

The listings in the Slum District might seem unremarkable, but they were the key to taking root in the old city area. Since David wanted to hijack his layout, he would simply block the man's path entirely.

Lin Chen walked out of the warehouse and leaned against the wall by the door, waiting for news from Li Wei.

People came and went at the street entrance; street vendors shouted their wares, and residents passed by in small groups. No one knew that a silent war over property listings had already begun in this unremarkable Slum District.

He didn't wait long—only about half an hour—before hurried footsteps echoed from a distance.

Li Wei was drenched in sweat, running over at a trot with uncontrollable excitement on his face. He ran up to Lin Chen, panting heavily, and immediately delivered good news.

"Brother Chen! It's done! I contacted an old homeowner who is desperate for money. They're willing to sell us a prime street-facing house at a low price!"