This unexpected turn of events left the henchmen surrounding Lin Chen and his two companions dumbfounded. Accompanied by Hack's screams of pain, the henchmen pointed their guns at Lin Chen, almost firing.

But just then, Huck suddenly spoke up: "Stop! Are you all fucking idiots? We've been surrounded and we don't even know it!"

Upon hearing this, the underlings were all taken aback.

In the pitch-black night, Lin Chen and Ruan Qing'an sat on a bench by a streetlamp, along with mercenaries standing nearby. Hark and his men surrounded them, but after being ambushed, Hark turned back with a ferocious expression—

As expected, Lin Chen's men were lying in ambush.

The mercenaries who should have been at the casino were now quietly gathering on the cruise ship, and some were lying in ambush by the roadside.

Just like how Hack's henchmen pointed their guns at Lin Chen, there were at least a dozen people pointing their guns at Hack alone. He was certain that if he made any unusual move, his head would be blown off instantly!

Of course, Lin Chen, who was being held at gunpoint, was also in a stalemate. For a moment, both sides were deadlocked because either side had enough power to blow the other's boss's head off in an instant!

At such close range, no one can dodge a bullet.

“…Young Master Lin, I underestimated you.”

Hark's expression was somewhat distorted. Under the intense pain, his rage that had broken through his reason was finally extinguished. He calmed down and looked at Lin Chen coldly, wishing he could devour him alive.

Lin Chen, however, remained calm and composed, replying, "You flatter me."

Huck: ...I wasn't fucking praising you!

Hearing Lin Chen's shameless and arrogant words, Hack really wanted to spit on him, but now that they were at an impasse, no one dared to make a move other than engage in empty talk. Hack was like that, and he believed Lin Chen wouldn't dare either, not to mention—

Thinking of this, Hack looked coldly at Ruan Qing'an, who was sitting on the other side of the bench under Lin Chen's protection. The girl was still radiant.

Hack paused, then said, "Young Master Lin."

"Even if you have the guts to fight me to the death, we can just die together and shoot each other. But what about the girl next to you, Young Master Lin? Are you going to drag her down with you?"

"..."

Upon hearing this, Lin Chen did not answer. His heart sank a little, but he showed no sign of it on his face, remaining completely unconcerned: "So?"

He said that, but Lin Chen knew in his heart that he was the one who had dragged Ruan Qing'an into danger this time. The fact that the cat didn't cry in front of him or tremble with fear was already a great favor.

Lin Chen made no demands on Ruan Qing'an. She didn't need to do anything; she just needed to be cherished like a rose in his palm.

He was happy to provide for her without any limits and indulge her.

The atmosphere was silent. Hack suddenly laughed, but just as he was about to say something, the girl who had been sitting there acting as a decorative figure suddenly reached out and grasped Lin Chen's hand, looking up at him.

"Let's die together then, what else do you want to say?"

"..."

Seeing how nonchalant Ruan Qing'an seemed.

Hack was so angry he almost spat out a mouthful of blood. He wanted nothing more than to shake the woman's shoulders and ask her if she knew she could die at any moment!

However, Nguyen Thanh An clearly knew this.

Her eyes flickered slightly: "You don't need to sow discord. I may not know anything, but—all I need to do is trust him and stand by his side."

That's all, even if it means death.

Even when the girl spoke harshly, her soft voice sounded like she was being coquettish, but the heavy meaning in it made it hard to breathe. Lin Chen could feel her hand on the back of his hand; the touch was delicate and soft, just like Ruan Qing'an's.

She was like a parasitic plant clinging to a strong person, clinging tightly to Lin Chen to grow—and he, coincidentally, was addicted to the feeling of being completely relied upon by her, almost to the point of addiction.

He wants to keep his cat.

Regardless of whether what Ruan Qingan just said is true or false.

【Affection Level: 60】

By the time Ruan Qing'an finished speaking, Hack was completely speechless. He just wanted to crack open Ruan Qing'an's head to see if she was going to develop a love-struck brain. And what's more—she's Lin Chen's stepmother, isn't she afraid that Lin Qisheng will tear her apart?

Just then, a low, husky, and magnetic laugh rang out.

Lin Chen grabbed Ruan Qing'an's hand, which she had placed on the back of his hand to bolster her aura, and with a slight force, he forcefully suppressed all resistance from her small hand, pressing it into his palm.

He looked up at Huck: "Alright, stop talking big, Huck. Which of us would actually dare to die here?"

"..."

Upon hearing this, Hack's expression grew increasingly cold.

His underlings had already bandaged his injured ear; the gauze covered half his head, which looked rather comical. Moreover, due to excessive blood loss, Huck's face was as white as a ghost.

He said coldly, "Where are my goods?"

"I don't know, and also—what are your goods?"

"It's something Lin Qisheng promised me. I fucking paid him fifty million in advance, a full fifty million!"

Hark roared as if he had lost his mind, but when Lin Chen continued to question him, he seemed to be wary of something and refused to say anything, only insisting on asking Lin Chen for the goods.

In a moment, their tempers flared, and Hack said, "I've already paid enough. Even if Lin Qisheng doesn't give it to me, Young Master Lin, the sins of the father must be paid by the son, so you have to give it to me!"

"Even if I don't want the goods, I still want my money!"

Hearing Hark's words, Lin Chen's expression turned slightly cold: "You really think you've got me cornered and I won't dare to make a move?"

"I've sacrificed so much, we'll die together!"

Lin Chen chuckled and suddenly made a hand gesture. Hark subconsciously looked over and heard sounds coming from the cruise ship behind him—or more accurately, the movements of mercenaries.

A sense of unease rose in my heart.

Hack couldn't help but swallow hard. When he subconsciously turned around, he saw that the mercenaries who had been pointing their guns at them had all switched to rocket launchers and were lined up in a row.

Hack was completely speechless.

Damn it, Lin Chen went a bit too far!

Just then, Lin Chen's voice came: "I've already told you, I'm an arms dealer, how come Mr. Hark can't remember that?"

Upon hearing those eerie words, Hack's heart sank to the bottom. He disregarded his injuries and instantly lunged to the side, rolling several times on the ground before finally taking cover. He then shouted, "Grab Lin Chen!!!"

Killing them is out of the question; otherwise, the losses would be irrecoverable.

But just as Hack was still holding back, Lin Chen's mercenaries had already made their move. The moment Hack finished speaking, a deafening sound rang out, unstoppable!

'boom--'

The rocket launcher fired, causing chaos below. Many of Hark's henchmen were killed or wounded. Hark trembled with fear, shouting, "Has Lin Chen gone mad? Isn't he afraid of dying too?!"

But when Huck looked over again—

Lin Chen and his two companions were nowhere to be seen on the bench. They had clearly escaped while Lin Chen was distracted and trying to avoid them. And those rows of rocket launchers were clearly meant to intimidate Hark. How could Lin Chen dare to let the mercenaries unleash their full firepower?

Upon realizing Lin Chen's plan to exploit this chaos, Hark nearly coughed up blood in anger, but before he could recover—

The shockwave from the explosion sent the already injured Hack flying!

He suffered another bout of internal injury.

"Lin Chen, go to hell with you!"

"Cough cough cough—"

But as soon as he finished speaking, his strong voice and imposing manner instantly weakened, and Hack coughed up another mouthful of blood.

The internal injuries caused by the explosion are not important; the internal injuries caused by anger are the most important!