Wu Tianzhen, upon entering, had guessed that this rather impolite boss would be a burly fellow with a fierce face, fangs, and tattoos of dragons and tigers adorning his body.
However, to his surprise, the man he saw upon entering was an elderly gentleman with a kind expression and a head full of white hair.
This elder was dressed in a sharp suit, making him appear like an elegant gentleman. He even motioned for them to sit down as they entered, seeming no different from a family elder.
It wasn't until Fatty glanced at the suit, twitched his lips, and subtly gestured a "six-figure sum" to Wu Tianzhen that the illusion was broken.
"I bet this big shot isn't here to make small talk," Fatty grunted, squeezing the words out from his throat to Wu Tianzhen.
Wu Tianzhen offered a strained smile and whispered back, "I'm not stupid."
The elder seemed not to notice Wu Tianzhen and Fatty's exchange of glances, or perhaps he saw it but didn't care.
He lightly raised his cane, signaling his attendant to pour tea for the two of them. Then, he slowly opened a peculiar device on the table, a smile appearing as the instrument chimed.
"After all, our upcoming conversation is quite important to me. To avoid unnecessary trouble, some shielding measures are necessary."
"I'm sure Mr. Wu and Mr. Wang can understand a bit of this old man's caution, right?"
Wu Tianzhen, who was secretly recording, was speechless.
He hastily forced a smile as a response and looked down, indeed seeing that his optical computer had gone black.
Mentally cursing, Wu Tianzhen didn't ask the foolish question, "How did you know our names?" Instead, he decisively slammed the dead optical computer onto the table and spread his hands.
"Since you're so well-prepared, sir, let's not beat around the bush."
"What exactly do you want to know?"
"Refreshing!" the elder exclaimed, clapping his hands lightly. "Then I won't preamble."
He rested his hands on the edge of the table, leaning forward slightly. His aged eyes fixed on the two of them, sharp and profound, exuding a sense of urgency and anticipation.
"I want to know, what did you see when the bronze door appeared?"
...In truth, they hadn't seen anything. At that moment, their entire focus was on Zhang Qiling, and they hadn't even gotten a clear look at the bronze door itself.
Thinking of Zhang Qiling, Wu Tianzhen's anxiety grew, so he coldly stated, "I don't know. I didn't see anything."
"...It seems the two gentlemen haven't seen my sincerity."
The elder paused, then leaned back in his chair and clapped his hands at his attendant.
A black briefcase was placed on the table. It was small, only about the size of a palm.
Seeing this, Fatty felt a flood of memories from countless movies resurface, and he couldn't help but scoff, "No way, no way, old man, you're not planning to bribe us with money like in those gangster movies, are you?"
"If that's the case, this is too pathetic. With this little money, even if you stacked it, it would only be ten thousand or so. Are you trying to send away beggars?"
The elder chuckled, waving away the attendant who was about to beat Fatty for his insolence, and opened the case with a "click."
"How could that be, Mr. Wang?"
A flash of gold erupted, nearly blinding Fatty's 24k golden eyes.
"What you're thinking is already outdated."
Inside the case was a stack, a large stack of neatly piled gold cards!!!
Fatty: ...Holy crap!
Fatty's hand almost instinctively shot out, but he managed to restrain himself.
He knew that Zhang Qiling entering the bronze door would satisfy the old man, but even though Fatty was as greedy as ever, he would never trade information about his brother for it.
"...Well, this won't work either," he forced himself to look away from the gold cards. "If you don't know, you don't know~"
Wu Tianzhen was amused by Fatty's deliberate playful tone and nodded vigorously, suppressing a smile.
But at that moment, there was a loud bang!
"Im-POSS-ible!" The elder, who had been so gentle, suddenly grew cold, slamming his hand down on the table.
He was now like a demon that had shed its skin, his deep wrinkles contorted, and the light behind him cast heavy shadows.
He bared his teeth, his white molars showing a hint of age-induced decay, like a monster ready to devour.
"If you saw nothing, why are you waiting here after coming out?!"
"You must have seen something, so why aren't you saying it? Surely these cards aren't enough to satisfy you?"
"Young people!" He laughed again, but his expression was grim. "Don't be too greedy!"
His outburst, however, ignited Wu Tianzhen's temper. Wu Tianzhen took two deep breaths and abruptly stood up, unable to bear it any longer, intending to rush out the door.
Those smiling young men surrounded him again, like an iron fence, forcing him back step by step.
"What do you mean by this?" Wu Tianzhen vaguely had a bad feeling, but a sliver of his inherent innocence made him believe things wouldn't be this dire.
But soon, the elder's words shattered his hope.
The old man lightly blew away the tea leaves and calmly took a sip, as if making an ordinary observation.
"Your country's tea is indeed very good."
...Foreign?!
Wu Tianzhen and Fatty's hearts sank. Despite the old man's appearance and language being identical to that of their own countrymen, they hadn't expected him to be a foreigner. This made matters even more complicated.
As expected, the old man slowly said—
"I've heard that quite a few people die in the Forbidden Land every year. It's quite normal if you disappear inside after entering frequently, isn't it?"
"You—!!!"
Wu Tianzhen glared at him.
Fatty, seeing that the situation was spiraling out of control, his mind raced.
...He would never reveal anything about Xiao Ge, no matter what. If it came to that, he might as well make up some story about the bronze door to fool this old geezer for now. A wise man knows when to bend. They could settle the score later!
Just as he was about to speak, he heard the old geezer take another sip of tea and say,
"By the way, although I'm not very powerful, I've collected quite a bit of information about the bronze door. I can tell whether something is true or false just by hearing it."
"Before you two speak, it would be wise to think carefully."
Fatty: ...Are you kidding me?!
The situation thus fell into a stalemate. Wu Tianzhen and Fatty sat frozen in their seats, the pressure in their hearts growing.
...It seemed they wouldn't be allowed to leave if they didn't speak, but how could he possibly do that?!
Wu Tianzhen's mind was a mess. For some reason, he suddenly started worrying about other things.
...What if they really died?
...If they really died, what would happen to Xiao Ge? Who else would look for him besides them?
...Might as well fight! Go all out and break out no matter what!
Just as Wu Tianzhen was about to lose his patience and slam the table, a sudden commotion erupted from outside the room!
The sounds of bodies hitting the ground and collisions followed one after another. The old man grew uneasy and slowly stood up.
And the tightly shut door was kicked open from the outside!
Amidst the flying splinters of wood, the rushing attendants were thrown back like sandbags, crashing to the ground with cries of pain.
Then, a figure in pink slowly strode in, leisurely wiping their blood-stained leather shoes on the clothes of the fallen attendants.
"Old geezer, you're in quite a mood, aren't you?"