166: Filial piety and parental love: Xiao Zhenhai's "wise" choice

The corridor was long, with oil paintings of unknown authenticity hanging on the walls.

Iron Head walked at the very front, turning back to look every few steps.

Behind him, three bruised and swollen fops were huffing and puffing as they carried the Young Gang Leader, who had long since passed out.

The sight was much like a scene of slaughtering pigs for the New Year.

“Young Master Lin…”

Iron Head couldn’t hold back any longer. He stopped, his voice extremely low.

“Your Excellency… isn’t this a bit too impulsive?”

He wiped a bead of cold sweat from his forehead.

“That’s the Gang Leader’s only son. He usually can’t bear to say a harsh word to him. You beat him like this, and now you’re taking him directly to the Gang Leader…”

Iron Head swallowed hard.

Lin Yuan walked in the middle. Hearing this, he stopped and looked at Iron Head.

“If the Black Shark Gang’s Gang Leader can’t even distinguish right from wrong…”

The smile on his face faded, his tone flat.

“Then this Gang has no reason to exist.”

“Coincidentally, I think this place has good feng shui. Turning it into a seafood barbecue restaurant should be quite profitable.”

Iron Head stiffened all over.

He dared not speak again, lowered his head, and quickened his pace.

Soon.

Two heavy mahogany doors appeared before them.

Four guards stood at the entrance. Seeing this strange group, they were about to raise their guns.

“Get out!”

Iron Head roared, venting all his fear and frustration on the guards.

The guards froze for a moment, and before they could react, the door was already pushed open by Iron Head.

The conference room was very large.

An oval table occupied the center.

In the main seat, directly opposite the door, sat a middle-aged man in a Zhongshan suit.

He held a cigar between his fingers, his expression obscured by the swirling smoke.

On either side of him sat three men with extraordinary Aura, clearly high-ranking members of the Gang.

At this moment, they were fiercely debating something.

The sudden opening of the door made everyone stop what they were doing, all turning to look at the entrance.

Immediately after.

The three fops’ hands loosened.

Thud!

The Young Gang Leader’s face, swollen like a pig’s head, hit the carpet.

A burly man sitting on the left side was the first to react.

He slammed the table, causing several cracks to appear in the solid wood surface.

“Impudent!”

The bald big man rose abruptly, his muscles tensed, and the Aura of a C-rank Peak exploded forth.

“Who are you! How dare you beat the Young Gang Leader like this?!”

“Do you have a death wish?!”

With his roar, the fops who had been carrying the Young Gang Leader were so scared their legs went soft, and they immediately knelt on the ground, trembling.

Lin Yuan, however, acted as if nothing had happened.

He even waved his hand dismissively, dispersing the secondhand smoke drifting in front of him.

“Stop yelling, it’s deafening.”

Lin Yuan strode into the conference room. He pointed at the Young Gang Leader on the floor.

“The goods have been delivered. Remember to give a five-star review.”

After speaking, he waved at the kneeling fops.

“Alright, your mission is complete, scram.”

The fops, as if granted a great pardon, scrambled out of the conference room.

The big man’s face twitched with anger.

Just as he was about to make a move.

The man in the main seat spoke.

“Sit down.”

The big man paused. Although his face was full of unwillingness, he still sat back down resentfully.

The man in the Zhongshan suit stood up.

He extinguished the cigar in his hand and looked at Lin Yuan.

“I am Xiao Zhenhai, the Gang Leader of the Black Shark Gang.”

He adjusted his cuffs, his tone terrifyingly calm.

“Your Excellency, you injured my son and trespassed into my headquarters. What exactly is your purpose?”

Lin Yuan walked nonchalantly to the opposite side of the long table, his hands in his pockets.

Su Wanqing stood half a step behind him, an ice spike already clutched in her hand.

“Lin Yuan.”

Lin Yuan stated his name, then shrugged.

“As for my purpose…”

“Originally, I wanted to come for a meal and discuss business.”

“But your service attitude was too poor, so I took the liberty of conducting some pre-job training.”

“Lin… Yuan?”

Xiao Zhenhai searched his mind for the name, his brows slightly furrowed.

Just then.

The Young Gang Leader on the floor let out a groan.

He groggily opened his eyes, his vision gradually clearing.

When he saw Xiao Zhenhai sitting in the main seat, his previously cloudy eyes lit up.

“Dad!!!”

A shrill scream rang out.

The Young Gang Leader scrambled towards Xiao Zhenhai, hugging his leg, snot and tears smearing his trousers.

“Dad! You must do something for me!”

He pointed at Lin Yuan, his finger trembling.

“It was this bastard! He hit me! He even forced Ah Qiang and the others to hit me!”

“He doesn’t put the Black Shark Gang in his eyes at all!”

“Kill him! Dad! Quickly tell someone to kill him! I want to chop him into pieces and feed him to the dogs!”

With a backer, the Young Gang Leader’s arrogant demeanor returned. He glared fiercely at Lin Yuan.

Lin Yuan didn’t speak.

He just slowly raised his right hand.

“Ah—!!!”

The Young Gang Leader shrieked like a cat whose tail had been stepped on.

He cowered behind Xiao Zhenhai, clutching his head with both hands, trembling all over.

The entire room was stunned.

Just a simple raising of a hand, and their Young Gang Leader was scared to this extent?

How much suffering must he have endured?

“Bastard!”

The big man from before could no longer hold back.

A minister dies if his lord is humiliated.

To intimidate the Young Gang Leader in the Black Shark Gang’s headquarters, in front of the Gang Leader himself.

If they could tolerate this, the Black Shark Gang wouldn’t need to operate in Nine Ring Island anymore.

“Kid, prepare to die!”

Boom!

The big man pushed off with his foot and charged at Lin Yuan.

His fist glowed with a metallic sheen, heading straight for Lin Yuan’s face.

High-tier C-rank Ability — [Adamantine Fist].

If this punch landed, it could punch through even steel plate.

Su Wanqing was about to make a move.

But Lin Yuan moved first.

Instead of retreating, he advanced, extending his palm towards the fist.

Clap.

A soft sound.

That iron fist, capable of splitting mountains and cracking stones, was firmly caught in Lin Yuan’s palm.

Motionless.

“Quite a bit of strength.”

Lin Yuan looked at the big man in front of him and grinned.

“Too bad, the conductivity is too good.”

The next second.

Zzzzzzz—!!!

Blinding electricity erupted from Lin Yuan’s palm.

Enveloping the big man’s entire body.

“Ugh ah ah ah ah—!!!”

The big man let out a scream, doing a breakdance in place.

His bones popped under the stimulation of the electricity, his hair stood on end, and a puff of black smoke shot from his mouth.

Lin Yuan released his hand.

The big man collapsed, still twitching occasionally.

Lin Yuan shook his hand in disgust, glancing at his palm.

[Energy Output: 1.5%]

[Evaluation: Waste.]

“Tsk, a loss.”

Lin Yuan mumbled.

Then he raised his foot.

Bang!

Directly hitting the big man’s chest.

The two-hundred-plus-pound strongman crashed through the conference room door and rolled into the corridor.

“Who’s next?”

Lin Yuan patted the dust from his trousers and looked at the other two hall masters.

Their expressions changed, and they pulled their hands under the table.

What a joke.

The third brother was the strongest in defense among them, yet he was instantly defeated by one move.

This young man was unfathomable!

Seeing that no one dared to move, Lin Yuan nodded with satisfaction.

He turned around and looked at Xiao Zhenhai, who was still standing in the main seat.

“Gang Leader Xiao.”

Lin Yuan’s smile returned to his face.

He pointed at the Young Gang Leader hiding behind Xiao Zhenhai.

“Your son not only flirted with my female companion downstairs but also tried to hit someone.”

“I, you see, am quite warm-hearted.”

“Seeing his lack of upbringing, I took the liberty of disciplining him for you.”

Lin Yuan spread his hands, his face sincere.

“No need to thank me, it’s what I should do.”

“I wonder, Gang Leader Xiao, about my handling of this matter…”

Lin Yuan took a step forward, faint lightning flickering around him.

“Do you have any objections?”

Xiao Zhenhai looked at the young man before him.

Then he looked at his subordinate still twitching on the floor, and his terrified son behind him.

He was a smart man.

And a ruthless one.

To be able to make the Black Shark Gang powerful in a place like Nine Ring Island, he relied not only on force but also on his foresight to assess the situation.

This young man’s strength was at least B-rank.

Moreover, his background was mysterious, and he acted without any scruples.

To clash with such a strong person for an unaccomplished son?

It wasn’t worth it.

Xiao Zhenhai took a deep breath.

“No objections.”

He said.

“Of course not.”

He turned around.

Looking at his son, who was still clutching his trouser leg, waiting for his father to avenge him.

“Dad, you quickly…”

Slap!

A resounding slap.

Heavier than Lin Yuan’s earlier blows.

The Young Gang Leader flew sideways, crashed into the wall, and immediately passed out.

Now the world was quiet.

Xiao Zhenhai didn’t even glance at his son, turned around, and cupped his fists at Lin Yuan.

“My son is ill-behaved and offended an honored guest.”

“Thank you, Young Master Lin, for disciplining him and teaching him a lesson.”

Lin Yuan raised an eyebrow.

A ruthless character.

Able to bend and stretch, even capable of such a harsh hand against his own son.

This was the demeanor of someone who achieved great things.

“Gang Leader Xiao, you’re too kind.”

Lin Yuan reined in the lightning around him, pulled out a chair, and sat down grandly.

“Since personal matters are settled.”

He took out the cherry blossom token from his pocket and threw it onto the table.

The token slid across the smooth tabletop and stopped in front of Xiao Zhenhai.

“Then, can we talk about business now?”

Xiao Zhenhai lowered his head.

Looking at the token engraved with a cherry blossom, he was slightly startled.

“This is…”

“A meeting gift.”

Lin Yuan leaned back, propping his feet on the conference table.

“I think, Gang Leader Xiao, you must be in great need of allies right now, right?”

“Especially the kind that can help you… uproot those charlatans from the Sea God Cult.”