In the pitch-black night, within the grounds of the abandoned fertilizer plant, car headlights shone brightly.
The light illuminated the dark, lacquered handgun in Chen Jinyu's hand, making it stand out.
Seeing the gun raised high in Chen Jinyu's hand, Qin Chuan's pupils contracted sharply. He then strode forward with long strides, moving quickly.
"Boss, look!"
Chen Jinyu hurriedly handed the handgun over.
Qin Chuan took it in his hand, feeling its substantial weight. It was the real deal, no doubt.
"This is a classic Type 54 pistol. The serial number has been filed off, indicating it's from the black market," Bai Xiaoguang said quickly.
Qin Chuan cast a somewhat surprised glance at Bai Xiaoguang. Guns were strictly controlled items in China, and ordinary people had no access to them, aside from homemade firearms in rural areas. He had encountered them for a period in his previous life.
He skillfully removed the magazine, his dark eyes narrowing again.
The magazine was fully loaded with bullets. This meant the gun was safety-off and ready to fire at any moment, capable of becoming a lethal weapon.
"Search this vehicle more thoroughly, every inch, inside and out."
Qin Chuan's expression turned extremely grim. The appearance of this gun had escalated the night's atmosphere, which had been relatively calm, to a completely new level.
Bai Xiaoguang and Chen Jinyu immediately resumed their meticulous search of the car, and Hong Jinlong joined them.
Shortly after, another mobile phone and a sharp dagger were found in the car.
A handgun, a mobile phone, and a dagger!
These three items were practically the standard equipment for hardened criminals, and they had all three.
When Qin Chuan placed these three items in front of Hai Kuisheng and Zhang Yuying, the couple, Hai Kuisheng's face was filled with embarrassment. He forced himself to remain calm and explained, "Brother! Please don't misunderstand!"
"These three items are indeed ours, but they were all for self-defense."
Hearing the word "self-defense," Qin Chuan suddenly seemed to recall something and said quickly, "Go, check the other car."
The other car, of course, referred to the one driven by Hai Kuisheng.
Soon, the results were in.
It was exactly the same as the car driven by Zhang Yuying. A Type 54 pistol, a mobile phone, and a dagger were also found inside.
Looking at the three items laid out before him, the back of Qin Chuan's shirt was damp with sweat.
He had been cautious and meticulous, yet a slight oversight had almost led to a disaster.
At this moment, Qin Chuan was extremely grateful that Hai Kuisheng had been unconscious on the way, and that before the incident, the other party had no chance to get into the car.
Otherwise, if the other party had been conscious and had carelessly retrieved a gun from under the seat, everyone would truly have been finished!
In the face of such deadly weapons, even the most formidable martial power was useless.
Looking at the two handguns, two daggers, and two mobile phones laid out before them, it wasn't just Qin Chuan. Qin Yang, Qin Gang, Chen Jinyu, Bai Xiaoguang, Hong Jinlong... everyone felt a sense of having narrowly escaped death.
They seemed to have inadvertently brushed past the gates of hell, narrowly avoiding death.
"Brother! Brother, these... these things were really for self-defense."
Hai Kuisheng, sensing the tension, hurriedly explained.
"If we had any ill intentions, my wife would have raised the handgun and shot all of you when she got out of the car just now, instead of walking right into the lion's den."
"Besides, my wife came alone. Knowing I was kidnapped, she didn't call for help but chose to attend the meeting by herself, bringing so much money and gold bars. This is enough to prove that we truly had no other intentions!"
"Everyone is in this business for a living. Unless it's an absolute last resort, who would want to be responsible for a murder case, right?"
Hai Kuisheng's explanation indeed eased the expressions of Qin Chuan's group considerably, but their guard remained up. After all, the sudden appearance of the two handguns had truly startled everyone.
"Master Hai, you're playing a much bigger game than I imagined!"
"To have such professional equipment readily available in your car."
Qin Chuan remarked.
"Heh heh, when you're in this line of work, everything is out of necessity! Utter necessity!"
Hai Kuisheng kept chuckling apologetically.
"We truly had no intention of harming you all, nor did we want to escalate tonight's affair any further."
At this point, Zhang Yuying spoke up. This woman maintained a remarkably strong composure, earning admiration.
"If someone were to die, it wouldn't be good for anyone."
"The most important point is that we are not from the same city, and we have no direct conflict of interest."
"Since you gentlemen don't want those antiques, we will hand over the remaining money to you as soon as the bank opens tomorrow, how about it?"
Qin Chuan pondered for a moment, then said, "Madam Hai is truly remarkable, possessing courage, wit, and considerable resolve."
"Since that's the case, we will have to trouble you both a little longer!"
"We will leave after we've sorted things out here tomorrow."
"From here on, our paths will diverge, and we shall not interfere with each other."
Zhang Yuying nodded quickly, "This is also what my husband and I wish to say."
"Alright then, we will stay here tonight. If you two are tired, you can rest in the cars separately."
After Qin Chuan instructed them, he turned and left, taking the two guns with him.
He didn't plan to sleep tonight. It was already past three or four in the morning, and dawn would break soon.
"Boss, if you're tired, you can take a nap in the car. We'll stand guard outside." Bai Xiaoguang suggested.
Qin Chuan shook his head and suddenly asked, "Xiaoguang, do you know a lot about guns?"
Bai Xiaoguang's eyes flickered, and he grinned, "Reasonably well. I've dabbled a bit in the past."
Qin Chuan didn't press further. Everyone had their secrets. He suspected that each of his trusted brothers had an extraordinary background, otherwise, they wouldn't know about firearms.
"Then... you take this gun for now, just in case."
Qin Chuan thought for a moment and handed over one of the guns he was holding.
Bai Xiaoguang hesitated for a moment before reaching out and taking it, his expression serious. "I guarantee I will not fail the boss's trust!"
Qin Chuan then called Hong Jinlong over and took out a few hundred yuan from his pocket, handing it to him.
"Boss Qin, what are you doing?" Hong Jinlong hastily retreated.
"What are you thinking? I'm sending you to buy some food and drinks. We've been running around all night, everyone's hungry!" Qin Chuan chuckled and chided.
Hong Jinlong breathed a sigh of relief. He had thought it was a reward from Qin Chuan.
"Can Qin Gang and I go together?" Hong Jinlong asked with a grin.
"Yes, go and come back quickly."
The sky gradually brightened without them noticing, a white glow appearing in the east.
Qin Chuan began to arrange the day's tasks.
Qin Gang would take the money to the bank to settle the loan debts, ensuring everything was resolved by the end of the day.
Qin Chuan and Hong Jinlong, meanwhile, needed to take Ma Xiaolian to attend to some matters.
The remaining Qin Yang and Bai Xiaoguang would continue to guard Hai Kuisheng, Zhang Yuying, Cao Yuqing, and the two injured bodyguards here. With these two formidable generals on guard, it was the safest option.