Chapter 118: Who Do You Think You Are?

Wu Long's fury flared at Guo Lei's tone.

It was infuriating.

'A lowly thug under my command... who the hell does he think he is, talking to me like that?'

"Guo Lei, do you have a death wish? Think carefully about who gave you the status you have today!"

Wu Long berated him.

Guo Lei strode quickly toward Wu Long and, without warning, kicked out.

The henchman holding him jumped in shock and instinctively let go.

Wu Long was kicked right back into his hospital room.

He was seething, pointing at Guo Lei as he roared, "Guo Lei, you're fired!"

Guo Lei chuckled. "Didn't you already fire me? You even sent a Yang Family master to kill me. From that moment on, I stopped considering myself your man."

"You'd better stay in your room. Otherwise, I can't say what might happen to you."

There was no emotion in Guo Lei's eyes. He looked at Wu Long as if gazing upon a soon-to-be corpse.

After all, ever since witnessing Mu Lin slaughter the Yang Family's expert, Guo Lei had been convinced that Mu Lin would become a major force in Anhua.

The rise of this power would bring something extraordinary to the world.

Guo Lei walked in slowly, his presence overwhelming.

Only then did Wu Long see two other men standing obediently behind Guo Lei.

These were the brothers who had fought by his side to build his empire, the kind of brothers who, back when they were broke, would even share the same prostitute.

But now, they stood obediently behind Guo Lei.

"Are you two insane? Betraying me to follow a dog."

One of the two men looked at him with sorrow. "I'm only telling you this because I still see you as a brother. The times have changed. Don't try to hang on. Get out of the Jianghu. Staying alive is more important than anything."

Guo Lei added, "Mr. Mu said that if you don't transfer Yuelong Group to the Li Group within a few days, you're a dead man. He'll treat you when you complete the transfer."

"There's not much time. You need to decide quickly!"

But Wu Long paid his words no mind. 'I'm the ruler of the underworld. How could I let you people intimidate me?'

"To hell with you all!"

"Every last one of you, tearing down your own and propping up an outsider! I despise people like you more than anyone!"

Guo Lei sneered. "Chairman Wu, why don't you ask how Ye Si is doing?"

Wu Long suddenly remembered that Ye Si was the expert the Yang Family had sent to help.

But of course, he wouldn't ask. Asking would mean falling into Guo Lei's trap.

"So what happened to him?" one of the old brothers beside him asked, playing along.

They had actually witnessed the details firsthand, but there was no harm in playing dumb.

Guo Lei said simply, "Mr. Mu killed him. It took only one move. I saw it with my own eyes. I've never in my life seen someone kill so cleanly and decisively."

Wu Long's expression faltered. Ye Si was one of the most formidable and versatile masters he had ever seen, skilled with both hidden weapons and the Yang Family's Tyrant Spear.

Even Wu Long couldn't help but admire such skill.

'But, they're saying Mu Lin killed Ye Si?'

'And my own brother is the one saying it...'

The color drained from Wu Long's face. "No, no, I don't believe it! There must be some mistake."

In a panic, he grabbed his phone and called Ye Si.

A ringtone sounded from the hallway.

Guo Lei pulled out a phone. "Chairman Wu, you see... The ironclad truth is right in front of you. Please cooperate with me. Otherwise, you'll only end up suffering more."

Goosebumps erupted all over Wu Long's body.

'To think he was really killed.'

'Is Mu Lin's power really that terrifying?'

Wu Long felt that any notion of his own freedom was now a complete joke.

But Mu Lin, for all his calculations, had overlooked one thing: the Yang Family was extremely protective of its members.

Their policy was to hunt down offenders no matter how far they fled. Even if you escaped to the other side of the planet, they would still kill you without a second thought.

That was the most terrifying part.

"Guo Lei, you worked for me once. For old times' sake, let me tell you something. Mu Lin won't last long against the Yang Family."

"Come back now, and I can pretend none of this happened. This is your last chance."

"You've been a manager for so long, you must know how vast and terrifying the Yang Family is, right?"

As Guo Lei listened, his expression turned grim.

The prestige of a behemoth like the Yang Family, whose power blotted out the sun, was indeed suffocating.

But he had already committed to following Mu Lin. Wu Long could never give him the respect that Mu Lin, at the very least, did.

For that reason alone, it wouldn't be a loss to follow Mu Lin to the death.

"It's pointless, Chairman Wu," Guo Lei said, taking two steps back and shrugging. "Your era is over."

Wu Long, on the other hand, grew calm. "If you're determined to die, I can't stop you. When the Yang Family's fire spreads, you won't survive either."

"Then so be it!"

Guo Lei's resolve was set. He wouldn't think about it anymore.

He compared his life in the past to his life now.

He could see the difference clearly.

He might as well stand with Mu Lin and face the pressure. At least Mu Lin didn't beat and curse him.

Wu Long used his phone to call Young Master Yang, but it didn't connect.

He tried calling Yang Guangming, but again, it didn't connect.

'What's going on?' Wu Long was filled with resentment, with no outlet for his immense frustration.

'Maybe they're busy dealing with Mu Lin, so they don't have time to answer the phone?'

Wu Long did his best to console himself, otherwise his fragile body might not have been able to take it.

Lu Baichuan walked up to the door of the hospital room and said respectfully, "Chairman Wu, perhaps we could discuss the matter of our cooperation again..."

With nothing else to do, Wu Long said patiently, "Alright, let's talk it over..."

The Lu Family father and son were overjoyed. 'Finally, our chance has come!'

「Li Villa, after dinner.」

Li Xue stood absently in the small garden, lost in thought.

The Old Master knew what was on her mind and told the family not to disturb her.

Mu Lin walked over. "Are you still scared about what happened this morning?"

Li Xue didn't want to admit it, but she bit her lip and nodded.

Mu Lin said, "You don't need to worry too much. The Yang Family no longer has the strength to fight back."

"I feel sorry for the workers who died... They had parents and children to support, yet they met such a tragic end. It's horrible."

Mu Lin also felt a pang of sympathy. He stood in silence with Li Xue for a moment before asking, "Then how will their compensation be paid?"

"We'll follow procedure... The company has comprehensive insurance. Each person is covered for at least four million, which is top-tier in the industry. Even Yuelong Group doesn't have benefits like that."

"But, if we make a claim like this, our premiums will go up next year. I don't think it's worth it, especially since it wasn't our fault."

"What do you mean it's not our fault? Our workers died on our construction site. Whose fault could it be but ours?"

Mu Lin pressed his lips together. "Have you forgotten what I told you at the site? This was a man-made incident. The Yang Family can't wash their hands of this!"

"Really?"

"Why else would I have put you down and chased after someone?"

Li Xue had been terrified at the time, her mind a blur. She hadn't understood. But with Mu Lin's reminder, the fragmented memories slowly began to piece themselves together.

"So it really was them! How despicable!" Li Xue pursed her lips so tightly they turned white.

"It must have been Wu Long's request. We're just small fry; they wouldn't have even bothered with us otherwise."

"I guess so..." Mu Lin thought for a moment, scratching his head.

"But will they be willing to compensate? We're completely outmatched, it will be too difficult..."

Mu Lin said, "I've already reached an agreement with the Yang Family. They're willing to give one hundred million to each family."

If they didn't give it, Mu Lin felt it wouldn't stop him in the slightest from going to the Yang Family and taking the money himself.

So, in a way, his statement was true.

Mu Lin's words left Li Xue stunned. There were so many things wrong with his statement, she didn't even know where to begin her retort.

"Hey, what on earth are you thinking?" Li Xue pointed at Mu Lin. "You're just a small fry, and you think you can negotiate with a behemoth like the Yang Family? Who do you think you are, some kind of big shot?"

Mu Lin just smiled. "What if?"

Li Xue's face hardened. "If you're just going to tease me like this, I'm not talking to you anymore!"

"I'm not teasing you. When have I ever teased you?" Mu Lin said with a gentle smile.

"You just have to wait for the results!"

Mu Lin turned and went back inside, leaving Li Xue alone in the small garden.

Li Xue gazed at the sky. After Mu Lin's reminder, the morning's events unexpectedly became clearer in her mind.

'It was so dangerous. A split second later and I would have died on that construction site.'

'Mu Lin's skills are the real deal. Sending Chen Xi and the others to teach him a lesson was definitely a bad idea.'

'It's no wonder Chen Xi was subdued.'

'If he hadn't submitted, he probably would have been beaten until he was psychologically scarred.'

Suddenly, she smiled, though she didn't know why.

Perhaps she had recalled something amusing?

Li Xue herself wasn't sure.