Chapter Sixty-One: Absolute Intimidation

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In the darkness of night, this section of the inner ring expressway was as bright as day. Five armed helicopters hovered overhead, their engines roaring. In the middle of the road, a seemingly indestructible black Land Rover military vehicle erupted like a firework, scattering countless fragments of fire in all directions. Several nearby cars were immediately caught in the inferno, engulfed in flames.

Screams echoed continuously as mercenaries trapped in the sea of fire fell into chaos. The power of a single rocket was evident—those close by were blown to pieces, while those further away were gravely wounded. It was nothing short of hell on earth.

Yan Hongde and Long Worm watched this terrifying scene, swallowing hard. What had just unfolded was far beyond the imagination of underworld bosses like them. Without a single threat, without any warning, a rocket was fired without hesitation, reducing the cars behind them to rubble.

Who were these people? Both men stared blankly at the helicopters above, feeling terror for the first time.

Captain Wang was filled with despair. He had thought that although Guanyu was not on the same level as Blood-Red Security, they were still a renowned force in the industry. Surely Blood-Red Security would show some consideration. Who could have guessed that Blood-Red Security would ignore them completely, not even giving them a chance to surrender, and instead fire a rocket straight away.

If Blood-Red’s mercenaries had only wanted to stop them from rescuing Xiao Cheng, there would have been no need to attack without a word. Even if Blood-Red Security was confident of annihilating them, they would still have to pay a price. That rocket alone was worth half a million—a loss no mercenary group would willingly accept.

Could it be that they had provoked someone absolutely untouchable?

Now, with things as they were, Blood-Red’s mercenaries would surely leave no survivors. He had no room to maneuver; all that was left was to fight.

"Snipers, prepare to target the helicopter pilots! Everyone else, open fire indiscriminately—"

He hadn’t finished speaking before another flash of red streaked through the sky—a second rocket was on its way, aimed directly at the two Land Rover military vehicles behind him.

"Scatter!" Captain Wang roared.

A rocket traced a graceful arc and struck the two Land Rovers.

With a deafening boom, the vehicles exploded, sending shrapnel everywhere.

In the helicopter, a cold and proud woman lowered her rocket launcher without emotion, then raised the machine gun, aimed it forward, and pulled the trigger. The gun roared to life, bullets streaming down in glowing trails toward the mercenaries below.

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The woman’s expression remained indifferent, as if the people under her gunfire were mere ants. She was the epitome of composure, yet also utterly insane. Her prominent chest heaved with each burst of recoil, but no one dared to admire such a sight.

After a round of machine-gun fire, the ground was a scene of devastation, blood everywhere. Of the dozen or so mercenaries, only six remained, all wounded and incapable of resistance. Yan Hongde and Long Worm, against all odds, had survived unscathed—their skills evidently superior to the mercenaries, as one would expect from men who had risen so far in the underworld.

Yet now, all their hearts were chilled to the bone, knowing they were finished. Rockets and machine guns—the attackers were clearly leaving them no chance to survive.

Once, they had believed that Xiao Cheng and Zhuo Qinglian had no hope of escape tonight. Who would have thought that Xiao Cheng had never intended to flee, but would instead meet violence with violence? Numbers seemed impressive—until now, when Xiao Cheng proved he was even more formidable.

The five helicopters descended, stopping about ten meters above the ground. Then, fifty heavily armed special forces mercenaries rappelled down like dumplings dropping into boiling water. Upon landing, they rolled and immediately aimed their weapons at the remaining survivors.

In an instant, the group was completely surrounded, every escape sealed off.

At some point, Xiao Cheng and Zhuo Qinglian had stepped out of the Lamborghini and now stood before the survivors, their expressions unreadable.

He had witnessed everything that just happened. Who would have thought that the “big sister-in-law” herself would come, and take such an insane course of action? No one but the madly murderous Ning Jingzhe would do such a thing. Xiao Cheng glanced up at Ning Jingzhe, who sat sideways in the helicopter’s door, feeling a strange emotion in his heart.

"Young master, are you alright?"

Li Zirui emerged from behind Xiao Cheng, pulling off his mask and anxiously wiping sweat as he asked.

A simple question, but in the ears of Captain Wang, Yan Hongde, and Long Worm, it sounded entirely different. The shock in their hearts was beyond words. Upon seeing the badge on Li Zirui’s chest, it was clear he held a high position in Blood-Red Security. Yet here he was, speaking to Xiao Cheng with such urgency and respect, calling him "young master."

Could Xiao Cheng be the heir of Blood-Red Security?

Xiao Cheng, the young master of Blood-Red Security—these were the people they had dared to oppose. How laughable that they had thought victory certain. Now they saw they were merely ants trying to shake a giant tree—pathetically overestimating themselves. In Xiao Cheng’s eyes, they were nothing.

No wonder Xiao Cheng had remained so calm, even when faced with two dozen guns. No wonder Blood-Red’s mercenaries showed no mercy—they were defending their own.

Yan Hongde and Long Worm’s feelings were now extremely complicated, their faces ashen with regret. If they had known Xiao Cheng’s true background, not even a thousand lives would have tempted them to cross him. Now, words of surrender stuck in their throats—they had already burned all bridges.

Long Worm forced a bitter smile, as if he finally understood. All along, he had seen Zhuo Qinglian as a proud, aloof woman. But a woman is a woman—how could she resist the allure of marrying into a powerful family? It was only natural for the phoenix to find the finest perch.

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No wonder Zhuo Qinglian had always ignored him. No matter how well he performed, in her eyes he was probably just a pawn—nothing compared to the illustrious Xiao Cheng.

Xiao Cheng waved off Li Zirui’s concern, signaling he was fine. Without giving the others time to process their shock, he strode up to Yan Hongde and asked coldly, "Be honest—who put you up to targeting Qinglian?"

Guanyu Security, though not a match for Blood-Red, was still a well-known force in the city—far beyond the means of ordinary underworld figures to hire. There had to be something more to this. Xiao Cheng had already suspected as much while in the car, realizing the truth was far from simple.

Yan Hongde managed a wan smile—what was there left to say? He knew he was doomed. If he was going to die anyway, what was the point in betraying his backers?

"And what good would it do me to tell you?" he asked.

"Good? The good is that I’ll make your wife a widow. Isn’t that good enough?" Xiao Cheng replied coldly. He had no reason to show mercy—if they could hire mercenaries to go after Zhuo Qinglian, why should he offer terms?

Yan Hongde froze. The words were calm, but their meaning was clear—if he stayed silent, his wife wouldn’t even survive to mourn him. Ruthless, but Xiao Cheng had every right to say so.

Yan Hongde’s face changed several times before he finally sighed. Falling into Xiao Cheng’s hands, he had no regrets—he was simply outmatched.

"It was Qiao Junhao. He told me to go after Zhuo Qinglian and helped me contact Guanyu’s mercenaries. Please, Young Master Xiao, spare my wife!" With that, Yan Hongde’s legs gave way and he collapsed, eyes lifeless, knowing only death awaited him.

So, it was the Qiao family’s doing? Xiao Cheng frowned. When had the Qiao family grown so bold?

It made sense, though—after all, Qiao Yifeng had died by his hand. But what he didn’t understand was, if the Qiao family knew Qiao Yifeng had died because of him, why didn’t they attack him directly? Why target Zhuo Qinglian? More importantly, the Qiao family were respectable pharmaceutical tycoons—how had they managed to connect with a mercenary group like Guanyu Security?

It seemed he would have to pay the Qiao family a visit if he wanted answers.