47: Chapter 47 Caught Red-Handed! Threatening the Homeowner? The Evidence Is Right Here!

Lin Chen pushed open the old security door. The hinges let out a sharp, muffled screech, instantly puncturing the tension in the room that had been stretched to its breaking point.

This was a cramped, narrow old apartment. The living room was no more than ten square meters, cluttered with an old sofa and a wooden cabinet, making it difficult to even turn around. In the center stood a peeling old wooden table, on which a home purchase agreement lay spread out. The pen tip was pressed firmly against the signature line, not daring to descend.

The Homeowner was a man in his fifties with graying temples. His face was as pale as paper, his hands tightly gripping his pant legs, knuckles white. He kept shrinking back in his chair, clearly cornered with no way out.

On either side of the table stood two muscular men in black T-shirts, their heads shaved. They flanked the old man in his chair, their faces fierce and eyes menacing, like two wrathful deities blocking the way.

Standing at the doorway, Lin Chen swept his gaze over the agreement on the table, then fixed it on The Homeowner's trembling hands. In an instant, he understood the situation. Without any preamble, he spoke up and exposed it on the spot.

"You're here threatening him into signing. Do you really think no one sees?"

His voice wasn't loud, but it carried an undeniable force, directly pinning the two muscular men in place.

The two men were startled by the sudden intruder. They turned to look at Lin Chen, first stunned, then the taller thug immediately puffed up with arrogance. He took a step forward, scowling fiercely.

"Where did this brat come from, daring to interfere in our business?" The tall thug planted his hands on his hips, his voice booming. "We're legitimately discussing a deal with The Homeowner. What do you mean 'threatening'? Don't you go spewing nonsense and making wild accusations!"

The shorter thug also stepped forward, reaching out to shove Lin Chen. "Get lost, this has nothing to do with you. Keep shouting nonsense and we won't be polite!"

Lin Chen didn't budge. His eyes turned icy cold. He raised his hand and precisely blocked the other's push, his force steady and accurate. The shorter thug was shoved back a step, staggering and nearly crashing into the wall.

"Legitimate discussion?" Lin Chen scoffed, pointing at The Homeowner's bloodless face. "A legitimate discussion scares a man like this? Shoving a pen into his hand, forcing words onto paper. Do you think I'm blind and can't see?"

The tall thug's face darkened. He immediately invoked his backer to intimidate. "I'll say it again. We're Mr. David's men. Acquiring the property is official business. You, an outsider, stay out of it! Leave now, and we might still let you walk away in one piece!"

He thought dropping David's name would scare Lin Chen off, but Lin Chen didn't even blink.

Li Wei, who had been following Lin Chen, chose that moment to step forward. He held up his phone, its screen bright, waving it at the two men, a clever and mocking smile on his face.

"Mr. David's men? So impressive?" Li Wei tapped his phone screen. "Unfortunately, I recorded the entire process of you pressuring Uncle to sign just now. High-definition video, crystal clear audio. Want to watch it now?"

The two thugs' faces instantly changed.

The arrogance on the tall thug's face froze on the spot. His eyes fixed on Li Wei's phone, panic impossible to hide. He instinctively reached out to grab it. "You dare record us? Delete that video now!"

"Delete it?" Li Wei deftly stepped back, stuffing the phone into his pocket and covering it securely. "You were pretty tough just now, forcing him to sign. Scared now?"

The shorter thug also lost his earlier ferocity. He leaned close to the tall thug, his voice panicked. "Bro, if this video gets out, Mr. David will never forgive us. We never leave evidence. How did we mess up this time..."

The tall thug knew better than anyone. They were just errand boys for David. Usually, they could bully people relying on his name, but if real evidence of coercion was left behind, David would sacrifice them to save himself. They'd be the ones in trouble.

He mustered the last shred of bravado, glaring at Lin Chen and Li Wei. "Don't push it too far! We already settled this property deal. You're just here to stir up trouble!"

Lin Chen couldn't be bothered to argue with him. He turned to look at The Homeowner, shrunk in his chair. His tone was steady, his confidence solid, offering full reassurance. "Uncle, buying and selling property should be voluntary. No one can force you. If you don't want to sell, no one can make you."

The Homeowner looked up at Lin Chen, then at the two panicked thugs. Remembering the fear of being cornered and forced to sign, he instantly made up his mind.

He took a deep breath and swept the home purchase agreement off the table onto the floor. His voice, though still trembling slightly, was exceptionally firm. "I'm not selling to you anymore! This house, I'm selling to him!"

He pointed at Lin Chen without a moment's hesitation.

The two thugs' faces immediately turned green.

The tall thug jumped in agitation. "Old man, you dare go back on your word? You know Mr. David's temper. Can you bear the consequences?"

"Even if I regret it, I won't sell to you bandits!" The Homeowner straightened his neck. With Lin Chen backing him, his courage grew. "The moment you stepped in, you forced me to sign, drove the price into the ground. This isn't buying, it's robbery! I'd rather let it rot than sell to you!"

At this point, with The Homeowner's firm stance and Li Wei holding the video evidence, the two thugs knew the deal was completely dead today. Making more of a scene would only blow things up further, and they'd be the ones left holding the bag.

The tall thug shot Lin Chen a venomous glare, pointing a finger at his nose. "Fine, you've got guts! This isn't over. Mr. David won't let you off. We'll see about this!"

With that, he gave the agreement on the floor a hard kick, grabbed the shorter thug, and pushed the door open, fleeing in disarray.

The door slammed shut with a bang. The tense atmosphere in the room finally relaxed.

The Homeowner let out a long sigh, slumping into his chair. He wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and repeatedly clasped his hands in gratitude towards Lin Chen. "Young man, thank you so much! If you had been a step later, I would have been forced to sign today. This house is what my late wife left me. I really couldn't sell it to those vicious people."

Lin Chen bent down, picked up the agreement from the floor, crumpled it into a ball, and tossed it into a nearby trash can. His tone was flat. "No need to thank me. I came here to discuss buying the property with you. I just happened to run into this."

"I know, I know!" The Homeowner quickly nodded. "The price you discussed with me before was fair, and you were polite. A hundred times better than those people. I'm definitely selling this house to you. Let's draft a new agreement right now. I'll sign immediately!"

Li Wei chimed in with a smile. "Uncle, don't worry. We'll do everything by the book, no pressure. The price is still what we agreed on before, not a penny less."

The old man nodded repeatedly, finally showing a relaxed smile on his face. He turned and headed into another room to find paper and pen to prepare a new agreement.

Lin Chen stood where he was, fully aware that by snatching this property, he had completely torn up any pretense with David. The other party would definitely not let it go.

He was just about to say a few words to Li Wei about follow-up precautions when a semi-transparent blue AI pop-up window suddenly appeared before his eyes, the cold white text starkly visible.

[Warning! Hostile target movement detected!]

[Marcus has been informed of the situation here. He is rushing back at full speed, about to return for revenge!]