Chapter 409 408: Scared to Death

Mu Lin's words actually left Grandmaster Wu completely stunned.

He was clearly astounded by Mu Lin's status as a Peak Grandmaster, but Mu Lin didn't seem to think it was a big deal at all.

'Is he just trying to show off? Or what?'

To be honest, it was the first time Grandmaster Wu had ever seen such a young Grandmaster, and a full-fledged one at that. It simply shattered his worldview.

But Grandmaster Wu would not show weakness. He hadn't gotten this far by being subservient to others.

He, too, gathered all his strength and raised a hand, instantly releasing a formidable power that radiated outward.

This, too, was the external projection of force, and its display was several times more impressive than Mu Lin's.

The sheer power of it was enough to drive a person mad.

A hint of a smirk touched Grandmaster Wu's lips, but it was instantly replaced by shock. He looked down, staring at his own chest in disbelief.

A large hole had been blown through his chest.

'How is this possible? My defenses shouldn't be this weak.'

'Why?'

In that brief moment, a thousand thoughts raced through his mind, but the ferocious power showed no signs of abating. It stormed through his body, ravaging his internal organs and tearing everything apart.

He burst.

Grandmaster Wu fell backward, stiff as a board. In the final second before losing consciousness, one thought still lingered in his mind:

'How can a Grandmaster's projected energy be this strong... It can't be...'

Before he could finish the thought, he lost consciousness, his fate unknown.

Nearby, the Sun father and son trembled in fear. Grandmaster Wu had been sent by Elder Deng to help them handle some... troublesome matters. It was a huge favor.

Now that Mu Lin had left him in this state, how could they possibly explain it to Elder Deng!

If their explanation wasn't good enough, what would Elder Deng do? He would surely hold them accountable. How could their insignificant lives possibly be compared to that of a Peak Grandmaster?

Sun Tianwei could already imagine their fate.

If they were lucky, it would be a quick death. If they were unlucky, they would face unspeakable torture.

Mu Lin watched Grandmaster Wu collapse, then turned his gaze to the Sun father and son.

Sun Yicheng was scared to death and immediately dropped to his knees. "I was wrong! I was wrong! I'll never target you again!"

Sun Tianwei was furious seeing his son in such a pathetic state.

'So disgraceful. How could you do this?'

'I really don't know what's going through your head.'

But on second thought, he couldn't think of a better solution either.

'Mu Lin just took out a Grandmaster. Who else could possibly stop him?'

With that thought, his anger toward his son dissipated.

Mu Lin looked down at them and felt an urge to laugh.

'This is getting a little boring.'

"You..." As Mu Lin began to speak, Sun Tianwei's legs gave out, and he too fell to his knees.

"Spare us! Please, spare us!"

Mu Lin was speechless. "With so many people watching, do you really think I'd kill you? Don't flatter yourselves. It's boring."

Sun Tianwei trembled uncontrollably. He really needed a moment to process this.

After a moment's reflection, Sun Tianwei realized Mu Lin was right.

"What do you know about Elder Deng?" Mu Lin asked.

Sun Tianwei shivered. "What... what do you mean, sir? I don't quite understand."

Mu Lin smiled. "You're free to say nothing. That's your choice. But once I'm done with Elder Deng, you'll just be one of his accomplices."

"I'm a special agent of the Military Suppression Bureau. I've been tasked by the Bureau to come to Lanyang and investigate certain matters they can't look into directly."

Hearing this, Sun Tianwei began to shake violently, consumed by terror.

Military Suppression Bureau... special agent... tasked with an investigation...

The string of words sent a tremor through Sun Tianwei's entire body. He was utterly terrified.

He had, in fact, done a great deal of dirty work for Elder Deng.

If Elder Deng were to fall, he would be among the first to be taken down with him.

For Mu Lin to come here to investigate in this capacity meant the Military Suppression Bureau had already identified him as a problem. They were just here to collect the evidence.

Under these circumstances, there was absolutely nowhere for him to hide.

Large beads of sweat dripped down Sun Tianwei's forehead, his face a mixture of fear and indecision.

Mu Lin didn't press him. "I've laid out the stakes for you. Think it over, and think fast. Don't mistake my kindness for weakness. Your time is running out!"

With that said, Mu Lin turned to head upstairs.

"Mr. Mu!" The voice belonged to Meng Fang, calling out from a distance.

Mu Lin turned his head. It was Meng Fang.

"Captain Meng, thank you for coming," Mu Lin said politely.

Meng Fang returned a polite bow, their exchange perfectly courteous.

As Meng Fang approached, he was surprised to see the Sun father and son kneeling on the ground.

"Patriarch Sun, what's wrong? Are you unwell? Should I call a doctor for you?"

At this moment, these were the people Sun Tianwei feared most. His whole body convulsed.

Before he could answer, he looked up and saw someone who scared him motionless.

"Mr. Xiao Longjiang!"

He was stunned. Why was Xiao Longjiang, the wealthiest man in Nanjiang, here?

Xiao Longjiang maintained his decorum, giving a slight nod to Sun Tianwei on the floor.

Then, Xiao Longjiang turned his attention to Mu Lin.

"You must be Mr. Mu Lin? I heard you were the one who saved my daughter?"

"Hello, Mr. Xiao," Mu Lin said.

Xiao Longjiang smiled faintly. "Actually, you can just call me Uncle Xiao. I'd prefer that."

Mu Lin nodded earnestly. "Uncle Xiao!"

Meanwhile, Xiao Hongling was looking Mu Lin up and down. "You're the one who saved me?"

She no longer looked as disheveled as before. She was wearing very high-end clothing; Mu Lin couldn't identify the brands, but he could tell she had an elegant bearing.

"It was nothing, really. I was mainly there to save someone else. Please, Miss Xiao, don't worry about it."

Mu Lin offered a faint smile.

"Hello, my name is Xiao Hongling. Thank you for saving me when I was in danger."

Xiao Hongling said, "Uncle Meng was singing your praises the entire way here. It seems he wasn't exaggerating!"

Mu Lin glanced at Meng Fang, who quickly offered an apologetic smile. "Captain Meng doesn't know me that well," Mu Lin said. "If he did, I'm afraid he wouldn't reach the same conclusion."

Xiao Longjiang said, "Let's not stand around talking here. We can talk upstairs. It's getting late, and we can't let Mr. Mu go hungry."

The atmosphere was pleasant as the group turned and headed upstairs.

No one paid any mind to the Sun father and son still on the floor.

A dead silence fell over them.

Sun Yicheng ventured, "Dad..."

"Shut your mouth!" Sun Tianwei finally snapped back to reality.

"You disgraceful son! You've completely ruined my reputation!"

Sun Yicheng thought, 'Mu Lin is overwhelmingly powerful. I couldn't possibly withstand that kind of pressure. Isn't it normal to kneel and beg for mercy?'

'Besides, Dad knelt too. He's in no position to criticize me.'

Sun Tianwei, however, was pondering another question. 'The lockdown at Celestial Dragon Temple... was that actually related to Mu Lin?'

'And even Xiao Longjiang is being so deferential to him. I just don't understand.'

'How did things turn out like this? What else is going on that I don't know about?'

「Upstairs, inside the private room.」

Mu Lin and the others took their seats, and Xiao Longjiang offered another round of formal thanks to Mu Lin.

Mu Lin, however, frowned slightly. "Uncle Xiao, you're the wealthiest man in Nanjiang. How could you have so little reaction when your daughter went missing?"

Xiao Longjiang let out a long sigh. "I was worried that acting rashly would endanger Hong Ling, so I had people investigate covertly. We did trace them to Celestial Dragon Temple, but I had no idea where exactly they were holding her. All I could do was wait and observe."

"So the people who took Miss Xiao... what did they want? They must have contacted you, right?"

Xiao Longjiang said, "They told me to wire them money. As long as I paid, they wouldn't harm Hong Ling."

Meng Fang chimed in, his voice filled with indignation, siding with Xiao Longjiang.

"It's outrageous! To think something like this could happen in broad daylight! This is a failure on our part! I swear I'll catch the culprits. Such a brazen kidnapping and extortion... they have absolutely no regard for the law!"

Mu Lin gave a noncommittal smile. 'So, upholding the law for Xiao Longjiang warrants this kind of performance. I doubt Captain Meng would care so much about the law when it comes to ordinary people.' He'd been off the mountain for a while now; he'd seen enough of the world.

"They had me wire the money to an overseas account," Xiao Longjiang continued. "I had the account checked out—it was clean, nothing to leverage. Worried for Hong Ling's safety, I had no choice but to pay them..."

Mu Lin nodded. "You did the right thing, Uncle Xiao. The culprits will be caught sooner or later anyway. The money you paid will just end up coming right back to you."