67: Chapter 67 Highway Blockade, Fierce Standoff

Lin Chen chased down Marcus and cut him off directly. The tires of the second-hand pickup truck ground harshly against the gravel of the suburban highway, emitting a piercing screech. Lin Chen slammed on the brakes, positioning the pickup horizontally in front of the dilapidated Chevrolet, nose to nose, completely blocking Marcus's path. The moment the handbrake was pulled to the max, the vehicle swayed. Li Wei pushed open the passenger door and charged out, his movements crisp and decisive.

The suburban highway was desolate, the road surface pitted and uneven. Withered yellow weeds grew from the cracked gaps, and the roadside brush was waist-high. A gust of wind kicked up a cloud of dust that stung the eyes. Looking out, only a few bare utility poles stood lonely by the road; there wasn't a single passing vehicle or pedestrian. In such a remote place, even if a major disturbance occurred, no one would come to intervene.

Sitting in the driver's seat of the Chevrolet and seeing his path blocked, Marcus's eyes were as red as a bloodshot rabbit's. He jerked the steering wheel, trying to maneuver through the gap beside the pickup. The wheels crunched over the gravel. He had barely moved half a meter when Li Wei stepped in front of the hood, slamming his large hand onto the metal with a heavy thud. He glared at Marcus with a vicious look: "Stay put if you don't want a beating!"

Marcus's lackey huddled in the passenger seat, head buried low and hands clutching the hem of his shirt, not even daring to look up. Having been in a frantic flight just now, he had long since lost his nerve; seeing Li Wei's imposing stance now made him tremble all over. Marcus, however, was still trying to hold his ground. He suddenly pushed open the car door and leaned out, his face turning the color of pig liver as he shrieked at the top of his lungs, "Lin Chen, you dare block me? Are you looking for death?"

Only then did Lin Chen slowly push open the car door and step out. Between his fingertips, he held those two transparent sealed bags; the US dollars and the IOU inside were clearly visible. He walked slowly to the Chevrolet's window, standing tall. The wind caught the hem of his clothes, but it didn't disturb his composure in the slightest. His tone remained calm and restrained, yet filled with authority: "The evidence is all here. You can't escape."

"Evidence? What bullshit evidence!" Marcus reached out and shoved Lin Chen's arm away, cursing under his breath. "This is forged! You're intentionally framing me! Boss Julio won't believe you. Just wait until he gets here and see how he deals with you, you yellow-skinned brat!"

Lin Chen stepped aside to avoid his hand and held the sealed bag up to his eyes, tapping the IOU inside with his fingertip. "Forged? Your fingerprints are on the money, and the IOU is in your own handwriting. Lily is currently at the warehouse at The Pier waiting to testify for Julio. Do you think he'll believe a traitor who's embezzling gang funds, or the hard evidence?"

These words struck Marcus's Achilles' heel. Panic instantly filled his eyes. His lips moved, but he couldn't utter a single word of rebuttal for a long time; he only instinctively clenched his fists. After freezing for two seconds, he suddenly seemed to go mad. He lunged out of the car, reached behind his waist, and pulled out a shiny switchblade. With a sharp click, he snapped it open, pointing the tip at Lin Chen with a distorted expression: "At worst, we'll go down together! If you dare push me, I'll stab you to death today! Since I've got no way out anyway, taking you with me is worth it!"

Seeing this, Li Wei immediately stepped forward to shield Lin Chen. He reached behind his waist and whipped out an ASP baton, which extended instantly. He pointed it at the tip of Marcus's knife, his eyes fierce and his tone full of disdain: "With your pathetic state, you think you can take us down with you? Get past me first! If you touch a single hair on Brother Chen, I'll cripple that hand of yours today!"

Li Wei had spent over a decade in the Slum District and had some martial arts training; his movements were sharp. As he took his stance, his aura was even more menacing than Marcus's. Marcus looked at the baton, then at Lin Chen's calm face. Fear began to bubble up uncontrollably in his heart. The hand holding the switchblade started to shake, and his feet unconsciously retreated half a step, though he still blustered: "You dare? I'm a member of the Wild Scorpion Gang! if you touch me, Boss Julio won't let you off!"

"Wild Scorpion Gang?" Lin Chen gave a light chuckle. He pulled a second-hand flip phone from his pocket and opened a screenshot Doubao AI had saved earlier, holding it in front of Marcus. "The slanderous message you sent to Julio—saying I framed you and stole your money—Doubao intercepted it long ago. There's also the video of the warehouse where you hid the stolen loot and the recording of Lily's testimony. All the evidence has been sent to The Pier. What do you think Julio thinks of you now?"

Marcus looked down at the phone screen. The chat records and the warehouse footage were crystal clear. His face instantly turned as white as paper. His grip on the switchblade loosened, and the knife fell to the ground with a sharp metallic clang. He stumbled back two steps, leaning against the body of the Chevrolet, his eyes filled with despair. All his previous arrogance had vanished.

"Impossible... impossible..." he muttered to himself, looking as if all his strength had been drained. "That bitch Lily... she actually dared to testify..."

"Men die for wealth just as birds die for food. You didn't even care about her debts, so why wouldn't she testify against you to save her own skin?" Lin Chen put the phone back in his pocket, stepped forward, bent down to pick up the switchblade, and tossed it casually into the roadside weeds. "Now, come with me to The Pier to see Julio and admit your mistake. You might still keep your life. If you keep being stubborn, there's only a dead end."

Marcus slumped against the car, speechless for a long time. His lackey got out of the car, cautiously tugged at his sleeve, and whispered, "Brother, maybe... let's just go and admit our mistake. Lin Chen has the evidence; we can't run."

"Get lost!" Marcus violently pushed the lackey away, roaring with bloodshot eyes, "It's all your fault! You were so slow to report back just now. If you'd said something sooner, I would've been long gone! Now that we're trapped here, you dare say that!"

The lackey was pushed to the ground and didn't dare speak again, only sitting there wiping away tears.

Just then, the roar of engines echoed from the distance. The sound grew closer, accompanied by a strong vibration, as if multiple vehicles were driving together. Li Wei tilted his head to listen, then turned to Lin Chen and said, "Brother Chen, I hear cars coming from the direction of The Pier. Judging by the sound, they're SUVs. Likely people from the Wild Scorpion Gang."

Hearing this, Marcus's eyes instantly lit up as if he had caught a final lifeline. He snapped upright and shouted toward the direction of the sound, "Boss Julio! I'm over here! Lin Chen framed me, hurry up and take care of him!"

Thinking it was Julio coming to save him, a smug smile appeared on his face. He tilted his chin at Lin Chen: "See that? The Boss's people are here. You're finished! No one's getting off easy today!"

Lin Chen looked toward the source of the sound. Dust swirled in the air as two blinding beams of headlights pierced through the haze, rapidly approaching. The roar of the engines grew louder, making the ground tremble slightly. He remained calm, merely tapping his palm with his fingertips. He knew that what was meant to come had finally arrived; this standoff was about to reach its conclusion.

Li Wei gripped his baton tightly and stood beside Lin Chen, ready for anything. His eyes were locked onto those two beams of light; if the other side dared to make a move, he was ready for a direct confrontation.

The headlights drew closer and finally stopped ten meters away. Two black SUVs cut their engines, and the roaring ceased abruptly. The surroundings fell into an instant silence, broken only by the rustling of the wind through the weeds.

The gang's vehicles had stopped behind the two of them.