After about twenty minutes, the commotion in the car gradually subsided.
A short while later, the car door opened, and Luo Yu stepped out, casually closing the door behind him.
Lei Yu chuckled, "That fast?" Several others joined in the laughter.
Luo Yu replied, "Who's fast? Boss Lei, don't speak carelessly. Xing Jifu will be here soon. We can't delay important matters."
Sun Yuan glanced at the car but couldn't see inside clearly. He asked, "How is she?"
Luo Yu smiled faintly and said, "She was disobedient, so I knocked her out."
The three of them burst into loud laughter.
Just then, faint movements could be heard from the foot of the hill. Someone was approaching.
Lei Yu made a hand signal, and his subordinates all stood ready. A lookout bandit lowered his binoculars and reported, "One person coming, an old man."
Sun Yuan asked, "Anyone behind him?"
The subordinate replied, "No one else in sight."
Yet the three leaders all wore grave expressions, as if they were facing a hundred men.
At this point, no one paid attention to Jing Ping and Xu Mengshan anymore, leaving only two men to guard them. Instead, Xing Yanjun, Huang Long, and Guo Feirong were brought forward under heavy guard.
The sun disappeared behind the clouds, casting shadows over the mountain ridge. From afar, everyone saw a tall, lean man in his fifties ascending to the hilltop. It was Xing Jifu.
Xing Jifu wore casual athletic clothing with a bulletproof vest over it. In his hand, he carried a briefcase containing the account books of his primary businesses, personnel lists, and some important, illicit documents for large assets—all items Luo Yu had demanded. With these, control over Xing Jifu's main underground operations would essentially change hands.
Despite this, everyone on the hilltop was slightly taken aback.
The old man had come alone, yet he showed no trace of panic. His expression was serene, his innate pride evident between his brows, and his every movement exuded the refined elegance of a scholar, as if he were merely strolling through a garden.
Sun Yuan felt an inexplicable unease and blurted out, "Is he planning some trick?"
No one answered him.
Even Luo Yu suppressed his usual sinister smile, watching Xing Jifu with a solemn expression.
Thus, Xing Jifu made his way up the hilltop. None of the over twenty bandits raised their guns at him. He stopped a few meters away from the three leaders, scanned the area, and his gaze settled on Xing Yanjun. He nodded slightly.
Xing Yanjun's eyes reddened.
Xing Jifu then turned his attention to Luo Yu. By now, he understood everything clearly and simply asked, "Why?"
Luo Yu replied, "Man strives for higher grounds, water flows to lower places. Boss, you've always treated me well, but I'm too greedy. I want too much. I'm more suited than you, than Yanjun, than the two of them..." He pointed at Huang Long and Guo Feirong, "...to sit in that position."
Xing Jifu locked eyes with him for a moment before asking, "Where is my daughter?"
Only then did Luo Yu smile and say, "Boss, don't worry. I cherish her too much to harm her. First, take the Heir back with you. She and I will return to Xiangcheng later. It's only reasonable for you to pass everything to your son-in-law. She'll be fine—she just won't be a police officer anymore. I'll marry her."
Xing Jifu remained silent for a while, then finally nodded. His gaze shifted to Lei Yu and Sun Yuan.
Facing the once-powerful Xing, whose influence was waning but authority still lingered, the two men felt cautious inwardly but maintained cold expressions.
Xing Jifu said lightly, "You've set up quite the trap here."Lei Yu said, "You flatter me. To receive a word of praise from Boss Xing truly brings me honor."
Xing Jifu merely smiled without responding further, turning his gaze to Xing Yanjun. "Yanjun, come here. Remove his handcuffs."
Luo Yu nodded to his subordinate, and someone unfastened Xing Yanjun's handcuffs. Xing Yanjun stumbled forward unsteadily.
"Where's the item?" Sun Yuan reached out his hand.
Without even lifting an eyebrow, Xing Jifu replied, "Wait a moment. Let my son go down the mountain first."
No one moved. Xing Yanjun walked to his father's side, and Xing Jifu leaned close to his son's ear, lowering his voice to say, "Run downhill as fast as you can. A hundred meters away, my men are lying in ambush."
Xing Yanjun protested, "But you..."
Xing Jifu gave a faint smile. "Your father won't be harmed. The Xing family's century-old foundation isn't something they can shake so easily. They wouldn't dare."
Gritting his teeth, Xing Yanjun—who had always trusted his father implicitly—knew he would only be a burden if he stayed. "Dad, you must return safely," he said.
Xing Jifu nodded.
Xing Yanjun turned and sprinted down the mountain, quickly disappearing into the distance.
Lei Yu commanded, "Open the case."
Xing Jifu took a few steps forward, closing the distance slightly, then unhurriedly placed the case on the ground, opened the lid, and stepped back.
Luo Yu crouched down and saw that the case was indeed filled to the brim with everything he had demanded. These items were far more valuable than today's batch of goods and money. Seeing this, Lei Yu and Sun Yuan grew envious and edged closer, peering down at the contents.
After inspecting the items in the case, Luo Yu gestured to the two men and began to rise, but suddenly froze.
His hand had inadvertently brushed against the bottom of the case, revealing that it was solid and noticeably thicker than a normal compartment. There was something inside. With a light touch, he could discern shapes—it couldn't be...
"Nobody move," Xing Jifu growled.
Sun Yuan and Lei Yu both wore grim expressions. Luo Yu slowly straightened up and said, "But Boss Xing, if you press that button, you'll die too, and so will your men. Are you really willing to do it?"
Xing Jifu replied, "Luo Yu, you've spent too much time with me. You've likely seen my merciful side too often and don't truly understand me. In this lifetime, I can die, I can be left penniless, I can even kill relatives and friends—there's no evil I wouldn't commit. The one thing I will not tolerate is being threatened. That's why, when I took over, I killed four of my five uncles. A serial killer the police couldn't catch murdered my woman—I skinned him alive and wiped out his entire family. You ask if I'm willing to press the button... Huang Long, Feirong, tell them—would I press it?"
Huang Long, who had been seething with pent-up rage and hatred all along, burst into loud laughter. "Boss, press it now! I don't want to negotiate with these scum. So many brothers have died—what does it matter if we join them?"
Guo Feirong also shouted, "Boss, what is there to fear in death? We'll follow you anywhere!"
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