About twenty minutes passed before the movements in the car gradually subsided.

After a while, the car door opened. Luo Yu stepped out, casually closing it behind him. His hair and clothes were disheveled, with his belt partially undone. He fastened it unhurriedly, his face still flushed and eyes gleaming with satisfaction.

Lei Yu laughed out loud, “That quick?” Several others joined in the laughter.

“Who’s quick?” Luo Yu retorted. “Don’t jump to conclusions, Boss Lei. That was just round one, and I’m still ready for more. But Xing Jifu will be here soon – we can’t delay the main business.”

Sun Yuan glanced at the car, unable to see inside clearly, and asked, “How is she?”

Luo Yu smiled slightly. “She was uncooperative, so I had to knock her out.”

The three men burst into laughter.

Just then, there was subtle movement at the bottom of the hillside. Someone was coming.

Lei Yu made a gesture, and his men snapped to attention. A lookout lowered his binoculars and reported, “One person approaching – an old man.”

“Anyone behind him?” Sun Yuan asked.

“No one visible,” the subordinate replied.

Yet the three leaders’ expressions grew grave as if they were facing a hundred men rather than one.

No one paid attention to Jing Ping and Xu Mengshan anymore, leaving just two men to guard them. Instead, Xing Yanjun, Huang Long, and Guo Feirong were brought to the front, watched by several guards.

The sun slipped behind the clouds, casting shadows over the ridge. In the distance, they saw a tall, thin man in his fifties making his way up the hillside. It was Xing Jifu.

He wore casual athletic clothing with a bulletproof vest over it, carrying a briefcase containing his main business ledgers, personnel lists, and various high-value asset certificates that couldn’t see the light of day. These were what Luo Yu had demanded. With these documents, Xing Jifu’s main underground operations would effectively change hands.

Despite this, everyone on the hilltop was slightly taken aback.

The old master had come alone, yet showed no sign of panic. His demeanor was serene, with an inherent pride in his bearing. Every movement exhibited the unique scholarly grace of a learned man as if he were simply taking a stroll.

Sun Yuan felt an inexplicable unease and blurted out, “He’s not planning something, is he?”

No one answered.

Even Luo Yu’s habitual sinister smile vanished as he watched Xing Jifu, his expression growing serious.

So Xing Jifu made his way up the hillside, and remarkably, none of the twenty-plus bandits raised their weapons against him. He stopped a few meters away from the three men, looked around, and nodded when his gaze fell on Xing Yanjun.

Xing Yanjun’s eyes reddened.

Xing Jifu then turned to Luo Yu. At this point, everything was clear to him, and he asked simply, “Why?”

Luo Yu replied, “As they say, men seek high positions, as water flows downward. Boss, you’ve always treated me well, but I’m too greedy. I want too much. Compared to you, to Yanjun, to both of them…” He pointed at Huang Long and Guo Feirong, “…I’m more suited for that position.”

Xing Jifu held his gaze for a moment before asking, “Where’s my daughter?”

Luo Yu finally smiled again. “Don’t worry, Boss. I’ll cherish her more than anything. Take your son back first – we’ll return to Xiangcheng later. Handing everything over to your son-in-law makes perfect sense. She’ll be fine, just no longer a police officer. I’ll marry her.”

After a moment of silence, Xing Jifu nodded, then turned his gaze to Lei Yu and Sun Yuan.

Though they still harbored caution toward this declining yet still-imposing Boss Xing, their faces showed only coldness.

Xing Jifu remarked lightly, “You’ve set up this trap quite well.”

“You flatter us,” Lei Yu said. “It’s an honor to receive such praise from Boss Xing.”

Xing Jifu merely smiled without further comment and looked toward Xing Yanjun. “Yanjun, come here. Remove his handcuffs.”

Luo Yu nodded to his men, and someone unlocked Xing Yanjun’s handcuffs. Xing Yanjun stumbled forward.

“The items?” Sun Yuan reached out.

Without raising an eyebrow, Xing Jifu said, “Wait. Let my son go down the mountain first.”

Everyone remained still. When Xing Yanjun reached his father’s side, Xing Jifu leaned close to his son’s ear and whispered, “Run downhill as fast as you can. My men are waiting in ambush a hundred meters away.”

“But what about you…” Xing Yanjun started.

Xing Jifu smiled slightly. “Father will be fine. The Xing family’s hundred-year foundation isn’t so easily shaken. They wouldn’t dare.”

Xing Yanjun bit his lip. He had always trusted his father and knew staying would be pointless. “Dad, you must return safely.”

Xing Jifu nodded.

Xing Yanjun turned and ran down the mountain, quickly disappearing.

“Open the briefcase,” Lei Yu commanded.

Xing Jifu stepped forward, coming slightly closer to them. He unhurriedly placed the briefcase on the ground, opened the lid, then stepped back.

Luo Yu crouched down and saw that the briefcase indeed contained everything he had demanded. These items were worth far more than today’s goods and money. Lei Yu and Sun Yuan’s eyes gleamed with greed as they stepped closer to look.

After examining the contents, Luo Yu made a gesture to the other two and was about to stand when his body suddenly stiffened.

His hand had inadvertently touched the bottom of the briefcase, revealing it was solid and notably thicker than a normal false bottom. There was something else inside. As his hand traced the shapes, he realized what it must be…

“Nobody move,” Xing Jifu commanded sharply.

Sun Yuan and Lei Yu froze. Somehow, a remote control had appeared in Xing Jifu’s hand. He smiled at them.

Sun Yuan and Lei Yu simultaneously drew their guns and aimed at him, while Luo Yu kept his head down.

“This bomb is powerful enough to level the entire hilltop,” Xing Jifu said. “Though you three, being closest, will likely be reduced to dust scattered in the valley.”

Sun Yuan and Lei Yu’s faces darkened. Luo Yu slowly stood up and said, “But Boss Xing, if you press that button, you’ll die too, and so will your men. Are you willing to do that?”

“Luo Yu,” Xing Jifu replied, “you’ve been with me too long. You’ve seen too much of my kindness and don’t truly understand me. In this life, I can accept death, poverty, and even killing family or friends – I can do any evil deed. But the one thing I won’t accept is being threatened. That’s why when I took over, I killed four of my five uncles. When an uncatchable serial killer murdered my woman, I flayed him alive and eliminated his entire family. You ask if I’m willing to press this button… Huang Long, Feirong, tell them – would I press it?”

Huang Long, who had been suppressing his anger throughout this ordeal, burst into vengeful laughter. “Boss, press it already! I don’t want to negotiate with them. So many brothers have died – what’s wrong with joining them?”

Guo Feirong shouted as well, “Boss, what’s there to fear in death? We’ll follow you anywhere!”