41: Chapter 41 David's men block the door and seize the house, exposing his weakness on the spot.

David's men were blocking both sides of the apartment door.

The wooden door of this old-style apartment was already narrow; white paint had chipped off the frame, and the corner was piled with old cardboard boxes, a mop with a cracked handle, and half a bag of clumpy lime left behind by the previous homeowner. With people blocking both sides, the entire corridor was packed tight, leaving no room even to turn around.

The one leading the blockade was David's most capable lackey, Scarface. He had a faint scar on his face and was usually the most arrogant, riding on David's coattails. He leaned against the doorframe, his eyes staring gloomily at Lin Chen inside the room, his opening words carrying the tyranny of someone looking to steal.

“You're Lin Chen, right? Don't play dumb with me. Hand over those two properties you just acquired, and do it fast.”

Lin Chen stood his ground, his expression showing not a hint of a ripple. He didn't even move his feet, his tone flat yet carrying an unquestionable firmness.

“I spent money to buy these properties, the procedures are complete, the contracts are signed, and the thumbprints are pressed. Why should I hand them over?”

As soon as he finished speaking, Li Wei immediately took a large step forward, solidly blocking the space in front of Lin Chen. His arms were tense, his fists instinctively clenched, and his eyes glared fiercely at Scarface, not intimidated in the slightest.

“If you want to touch Brother Chen, you go through me first! You want to steal the properties? You'll have to step over my body!”

Scarface was momentarily choked by Li Wei's momentum. The flesh on his face twitched, and he reached out to shove Li Wei, trying to act tough.

“Refusing a polite offer, are we? You dare block something Brother David wants? Today, you're handing over these properties whether you want to or not!”

Li Wei didn't retreat an inch. He shouldered Scarface's hand away with a hard shove, raising his voice with even greater momentum.

“I dare you to try! If it comes to blows, who's afraid of who!”

The situation turned tense instantly, the narrow corridor thick with the smell of gunpowder. The two lackeys behind Scarface also leaned forward, assuming a stance ready for a fight.

Just then, a pale blue AI virtual screen popped up in front of Lin Chen's eyes. Only he could see it; the text flickered rapidly, the information clear and direct.

[Detected intent by David's subordinates to seize acquired properties]

[David's real-time financial status: Recently hoarding properties frantically, borrowed 650,000 from private high-interest lenders, 130,000 from private loans, cumulative funding gap of 780,000. Urgently needs properties to liquidate and fill the hole]

[Hidden Information: The two properties being seized have already been included in the municipal demolition zone. Demolition compensation far exceeds the purchase price. David intends to get something for nothing]

Lin Chen quickly scanned the information. A cold sneer curled at the corner of his mouth. His tone remained calm, yet every word stabbed into the opponent's heart.

“David has no money, so why are you acting so tough?”

Scarface's movements jerked to a halt, the arrogance on his face freezing. He immediately raised his voice to retort.

“Bullshit! Brother David has plenty of money. Why do you need to worry?”

“Plenty of money?” Lin Chen leaned forward slightly, his voice not loud but precisely striking the other's pain point. “A 650,000 high-interest loan, 130,000 in private loans—a 780,000 gap in total. He's about to go into hiding from his creditors himself. What's he going to use to give you a cut?”

As soon as these words came out, Scarface's face changed instantly, turning from an arrogant red to a guilty white. His eyes unconsciously drifted toward the ground, clearly having his secrets exposed.

He had been with David the longest and knew David's recent predicament—robbing Peter to pay Paul everywhere. The money for acquiring properties was all borrowed. This matter was extremely secret, and he never expected Lin Chen to know it so clearly.

“You... stop talking nonsense!” Scarface tried to maintain his momentum, but his voice had weakened by half. His knuckles turned white from clenching his fists, his blustering facade completely exposed. “Believe it or not, I'll beat you up!”

Seeing this, Li Wei immediately took another step forward, blocking even more firmly, his fists cracking loudly.

“Come on then! I'd like to see you try to touch Brother Chen!”

Lin Chen raised his hand and lightly pressed Li Wei's arm, signaling him not to get agitated. His gaze remained fixed on Scarface, his tone calm but carrying an overwhelming confidence.

“Beat me up? Do you dare? If things really escalate and David can't fill that 780,000 hole, the first one pushed out to take the fall will be an errand boy like you. He can't even protect himself; can he still protect you?”

Scarface's lips trembled. He opened his mouth but couldn't squeeze out a single tough word for a long time. He knew in his heart that David was a paper tiger now. If creditors really came knocking, David would definitely push him out to take the blame without hesitation.

He had originally thought that coming over and acting intimidating would make seizing the properties easy. He didn't expect Lin Chen not only to not back down but also to know David's secrets inside out. This was a battle he couldn't win.

“Fuck you!” Scarface held it in for a long time before only managing to curse once. His momentum had mostly dissipated. “You just wait! This isn't over! We'll see!”

After throwing out this weightless parting threat, Scarface didn't dare stay longer. He glared fiercely at Lin Chen and Li Wei, then turned and led his two lackeys scurrying downstairs. Even their footsteps sounded panicked, lacking any of the arrogance they had when they were blocking the door.

It wasn't until their figures disappeared around the corner of the stairs that Li Wei breathed a sigh of relief. He turned to look at Lin Chen, his face full of admiration, his tone excited.

“Brother Chen, you're amazing! You sent that kid running with just a few words. I was just about to start fighting!”

Lin Chen withdrew his gaze, glanced at the old junk piled in the corner, then looked back at the properties he had just acquired. He spoke calmly, without a hint of smugness.

“No need to fight; they had no confidence to begin with. David is at the end of his rope now; he won't last long.”

As he spoke, the AI screen in front of him refreshed again, popping up a new prompt.

[Two properties confirmed to be in the demolition zone. Compensation expected to be issued in three months. Conservative profit estimate: doubled]

Lin Chen understood. No wonder David was so anxious to steal these two houses; he had his eye on the lucrative demolition compensation and wanted to get something for nothing. Unfortunately, he had miscalculated.

Before he could think further, the AI screen skipped over the redundant information and prominently displayed the final prompt: marking 3 risk-free, low-priced properties.