A minute passed quickly.
Before the white-haired elder could speak, I lowered my head and said, "Let my friends go, and I'll give you the Qian Wang Ling!"
Ever since Luo Tuo and Cheng Minglang were brought in, I immediately understood one thing.
Unless I could turn a deaf ear and treat Luo Tuo and the others' lives as worthless, the initiative would no longer be in my control.
But I couldn't do that, to watch them die alive before my eyes.
So, in this round, I... lost!
I knew that the time that followed was a countdown for me, so I had to make the best arrangements possible within that limited time.
Hearing my words, the white-haired elder reached out and stroked his chin, revealing a smile that was full of meaning. He said, "Heh heh~ Congratulations, Chen Xiang!"
"You've made the wisest decision of your life, sacrificing yourself for the greater good!"
"Enough nonsense!" I waved my hand impatiently and said to the white-haired elder, "First, let my friends go!"
It was evident that the white-haired elder was the leader among these cooperating individuals. Ever since he started conversing with me, Yu Shuang and the middle-aged man had not spoken a word.
He still maintained his nonchalant demeanor, his smile deepening.
"Chen Xiang, I think you might have misunderstood something! That is..."
"You have no right to negotiate with me!"
"Now, immediately... hand over the other half of the Qian Wang Ling, or tell me where it's hidden!"
"Otherwise, you will permanently lose one of them!"
"I'll count to three, and you decide!"
"One!"
"Two!"
As he shouted "Two," the bodyguards holding guns all simultaneously pulled their bolts, chambering bullets.
I understood that this was the white-haired elder using his power to pressure me into complete submission.
Just as the white-haired elder was about to shout "Three," Mr. He, who had been selectively ignored until then, suddenly interjected indifferently, "Dong Chengpeng, you ungrateful old dog, you're quite imposing today!"
"After you get the Qian Wang Ling, will you turn around and deal with me for your master behind the scenes?"
As he spoke these words, Mr. He unleashed his full aura, instantly transforming from a sunset-bound elder into a rising magnate.
Even though the room was filled with rebels and traitors, and he had no helpers by his side, Mr. He's eyes showed no trace of fear.
On the contrary, when he looked up at the white-haired elder named Dong Chengpeng, his eyes were filled with disdain, even a hint of mockery.
Although I wasn't sure why Mr. He chose to speak up at the critical moment of my decision, his action was effectively buying me time.
Therefore, I immediately seized the opportunity to concentrate and began to brainstorm, constantly deducing ways to break through this crisis...
For some reason, even though Mr. He was the weaker party in this room, as soon as he spoke, Dong Chengpeng, who had previously appeared so nonchalant, lost some of his imposing presence.
Not only that, but under the oppressive aura of Mr. He, Dong Chengpeng, that old dog, stammered for a long time and couldn't utter a single word.
Instead, the middle-aged man, with a nonchalant expression like a dead pig unafraid of boiling water, stepped forward to take Dong Chengpeng's place.
"So what? You old fellow who only knows how to put on a show!"
Upon hearing this, Mr. He frowned slightly and asked the middle-aged man, "Rui Lin, I hired you from outside at a great cost to manage the Grand Lisboa. Why are you getting involved in my family affairs?"
The middle-aged man named Rui Lin, as if making a stage appearance, paced forward and let out a hearty laugh. "Hahahahahaha~"
"Old man, are you suffering from dementia? So what if you paid a lot to bring me here to manage the place? Now that there's an opportunity for me to make a lot more money, why wouldn't I seize it?"
"As for your damned family affairs, forgive me for being blunt..."
"If this deal goes through, you won't be the one calling the shots in the He family and Macau anymore!"
After speaking, Rui Lin couldn't help but laugh again, his demeanor exuding arrogance and dominance.
Ignoring Rui Lin's triumphant attitude, Mr. He pressed on, "Who is your master, Dong Chengpeng? Is it the second brother? Or the third? Or..."
Before Mr. He could finish his question, Rui Lin's expression changed instantly, and he coldly reprimanded Mr. He, "Dead people don't need to know too much!"
"Don't rush, old man. After we've settled the Qian Wang Ling matter, we'll send you on your way!"
After saying that, Rui Lin walked up to me and blew a whistle.
"Uncle Dong's interruption doesn't count. Now I'll continue counting!"
"One!"
"No need to count further! Even if you count to a hundred... the gunshots won't ring out!" Mr. He suddenly interjected.
"Heh heh~ Is that so, old man? Who are you trying to scare?" Rui Lin twitched his mouth unnaturally as he touched his head.
At this moment, Dong Chengpeng seemed to realize something and quickly glanced at the bodyguards, pointing at one of them and shouting, "You, shoot!!!"
After his words fell, the person remained motionless.
Seeing this, Dong Chengpeng, unwilling to accept defeat, quickly pointed at another bodyguard, his face contorted with rage as he yelled, "You, shoot quickly!"
As before, the bodyguard remained completely unresponsive, standing still.
Witnessing this scene, I, who had been racking my brain, immediately stopped my thoughts and snapped back to attention.
As expected of a top-tier magnate!
The scene before me could no longer be considered a predicament, but a genuine desperate situation! And yet, he could still pull off a comeback from the brink of disaster!
If it were anyone else, betrayed by their most trusted subordinates simultaneously, forget about a comeback, just not kneeling and begging for mercy on the spot would be considered good.
I'm impressed! Truly impressed!
If I had known that Mr. He had this move up his sleeve, I would have followed him in showing off a little!
But there was one thing I couldn't understand.
Given that everyone here was villainous, how exactly did Mr. He bypass Dong Chengpeng, Rui Lin, and their subordinates to accurately perceive and orchestrate all of this?
...
Seeing the bodyguards, who were holding pistols with bullets chambered, remain completely unresponsive, Dong Chengpeng and Rui Lin, who had felt confident of victory, immediately panicked.
On the contrary, Yu Shuang, who had not stepped forward to steal the spotlight, suddenly emerged from the corner with a cold laugh.
"Mr. He, my promise has been fulfilled. You, shouldn't you also..."
Before Yu Shuang could finish, Mr. He waved his hand and said, "The traitors are mine, Chen Xiang is yours!"
Me: ...
What is truly meticulous planning? Today, I have truly opened my eyes!!!
It was only at this moment that I realized Yu Shuang's previous transaction wasn't about dealing with a tiger, but a scheme of "driving the tiger to devour the wolf"!
The tiger she was driving was the elderly Mr. He!