Outside the Tianxing Hotel.
A dense swarm of black cars, like a dark tide, completely surrounded the hotel entrance, leaving no room to pass.
The guests who had originally come to spend money were all terrified by this spectacle.
"Holy crap! What's going on here?"
"No idea. Look at these guys in black, they look murderous. Probably here for revenge?"
"Who are these people?"
"It's the Ten Thousand Dragons Society! I heard they have a grudge against the East Sea Alliance behind this hotel. Coming straight to the East Sea Alliance's headquarters like this, they probably want to wipe them out in one go."
"Damn... That ruthless?"
"........."
Otherwise, there was simply no explanation for why this group of men in black would go to such lengths to press down on this place.
As soon as the hotel manager saw the dark mass of figures outside, he rushed to the lobby in a frantic hurry.
At that moment, Ma Da was directing his men to block all exits to prevent Zhao Tianxing and his crew from escaping in the chaos.
"Team One, guard the back door. Teams Two and Three, secure the elevators, stairs, and fire escapes. Team Four, go guard the electrical room. Don't let anyone cut the power and escape in the darkness. The rest of you, search floor by floor! Move it, be quick!"
"........."
As soon as Ma Da and his men finished their arrangements, the men in black immediately sprang into action according to instructions.
Seeing this, the manager couldn't stand by any longer. If he let them continue causing trouble, there'd be no business left to do, and the boss would surely skin him alive.
Although the manager was very afraid of these aggressive men in black, the thought that his boss was, after all, the head of the East Sea Alliance, and this was their turf, gave him some courage.
A powerful dragon shouldn't crush a local snake; a real fight would be bad for everyone.
With this confidence and what he believed to be the imposing aura of the local snake, the manager hurried over to Ma Da and the others.
"Gentlemen, welcome to the Tianxing Hotel! I'm not sure what has prompted such a grand mobilization. Was there some aspect of our service that was lacking? We can talk things over. With this kind of display, you'll scare the guests, and even if you don't scare the guests, scaring the flowers and grass isn't good either..."
Before he could finish, Ma Da, without even looking at him, delivered a clean, sharp, and powerful backhand slap!
Slap!
The manager was sent spinning ninety degrees to look at the ceiling, stunned.
"All that yapping, like a damn fly. Take him away and deal with him on the spot!"
"Yes, Brother Ma!" Immediately, two younger men in black walked over with wicked smiles.
When the manager snapped out of his daze, he quickly backed away a few steps, spouting threats.
"Hey! You dare touch me? Let go! Do you know who I am? I'm the manager of Tianxing Hotel, I'm with Boss Zhao, Zhao Tianxing of the East Sea Alliance!"
"Don't get too cocky! This is East Sea Alliance territory! Boss Zhao is upstairs, he... he won't let you get away with this!"
Hmm? An unexpected bonus?
Ma Da immediately raised his hand to stop them. "Wait, you said Zhao Tianxing is upstairs? Which floor?"
The manager threatened again, "Let me go now, kneel and apologize, and there might still be time. I might even put in a good word for you with Boss Zhao! Otherwise, when Boss Zhao comes down, you... none of you will get away..."
"Ow... ow! Easy, big brother! Dear brother! I was wrong, I was wrong! I was a bit too loud just now, I'm really sorry! Ow, ow..."
Two Ten Thousand Dragons Society underlings expertly slipped an 'Anti-Beatup Non-Injury Vest' on him. After just one punch, the previously tough-talking manager instantly turned cowardly as a dog, crying and begging for mercy.
"Talk. Where is Zhao Tianxing?"
"The top floor. The Imperial Suite on the top floor."
Just as Ma Da was about to order an assault on the top floor, a ding sounded.
The elevator doors on the first floor opened simultaneously, and dozens of thugs wielding clubs and machetes poured out—East Sea Alliance members stationed at the hotel for security.
"Damn, which blind fool dares to cause trouble on East Sea Alliance turf... Holy shit?! So many people?!"
When those thugs saw the lobby nearly filled with a dark mass of... not clouds, but men in black, their eyes nearly popped out.
Immediately after, some of their walkie-talkies crackled to life.
"The boss says, take down one troublemaker, get a thousand! No upper limit!"
"If you get hurt by accident, he'll take care of your wife and family."
The thugs thought to themselves: Such a good deal? So no worries then?
The thugs glanced at each other, thinking that with the boss backing them, they let out a roar and charged.
"Kill them!"
Unfortunately, their bravado seemed utterly laughable in the face of the silent black tide opposite them.
Ma Da couldn't even be bothered to move, taking only a half-step back. Li Xiaohui, who had been waiting eagerly at his side, immediately pulled out a megaphone and shouted.
"Beat them to death for your grandma!"
At the command, the dozen or so elite Ten Thousand Dragons Society members at the front moved simultaneously.
Swish!
Over a dozen reinforced telescopic batons snapped out in unison.
In the next second, these men in black, as if by tacit understanding, quickly formed into attack formations and met the charging thugs head-on.
Then, screams began to ring out continuously.
The fighting style of the Ten Thousand Dragons Society guys completely overturned the East Sea Alliance thugs' understanding. If they had time, they'd probably want to give a thumbs up and shout: "Bro, professional!"
The men in black operated in groups of three: one blocking, one on main attack, one finishing the job. Their movements were fluid, without a single wasted motion.
The thugs' street-style wild swinging was utterly no match against this efficient attack formation.
Almost immediately upon contact, the first dozen or so thugs were all rolling on the ground, howling in pain.
Those behind hadn't even grasped the situation before they were tripped by their fallen comrades, then precisely targeted by batons, instantly losing their ability to fight.
One minute? Maybe less.
Only groaning thugs, unable to even crawl, and weapons scattered all over the floor remained in the center of the lobby.
The vast majority of the men in black hadn't even moved. With just over a dozen men deployed, those several dozen East Sea Alliance thugs were all down.
A complete crushing defeat!
On the Ten Thousand Dragons Society side, those who had acted silently returned to their ranks as if nothing had happened.
Only a few had some blood on their batons. They casually wiped them on the clothes of the thugs on the ground before returning to formation, their practiced movements sending chills down the spine.
The entire lobby fell into an eerie silence once more.
The hotel staff and guests who hadn't managed to escape, cowering in the corners, saw this scene and were scared to tears.
This is just too damn terrifying!
Since when did such a terrifying force appear in Bright Pearl City?
Ma Da stepped expressionlessly over a twitching thug on the ground as if stepping over a bag of trash, then said to the men behind him, "Go inform the young lady. First-floor obstacles cleared. Target is the Imperial Suite on the top floor."
"Understood!" A man in black immediately went outside to deliver the message.
Liu Yutong was sitting in the car parked right outside the hotel's main entrance, talking on the phone, a faint smile still on her face, as if completely unaware of the commotion inside the lobby.
"President Ji, you said someone has already arranged things for you? Alright then, we'll talk more later. I happen to have a small matter to attend to myself."
After hanging up the phone, she finally got out of the car.
At the same time.
In another luxurious private room on the top floor of the Tianxing Hotel.
The investors Ji Zhe and Chu Hai, along with three other investors they had invited to participate in the Series A financing talks for Wanlong Group Purchase, were dining and chatting with a local boss surnamed Zhao in a white suit, Deputy Commissioner Liu of the Bright Pearl City General Police Headquarters, and a leader from the investment promotion department.
With so many well-known investors arriving, it was normal for the investment promotion official to come and receive them. If any investment could be secured, it would be solid political achievement.
Overall, the conversation between the investors, the two officials, and the host, Boss Zhao, was quite pleasant.
To boost the investors' confidence, the official in charge of investment promotion specifically pointed to Deputy Commissioner Liu beside him and said, "Rest assured, gentlemen. Public security in our Bright Pearl City is under Commissioner Liu's direct supervision, and it is managed extremely well. Your funds invested here will be as safe as in a vault, absolutely no problem..."
Before he could finish his sentence.
Suddenly!
Crash! Bang! Clatter!
Heart-wrenching screams and cries for help erupted from the corridor outside.
"Ah—!"
"Stop hitting! Oww!"
"......"
The several investors: "......."
The two officials: "......."
After a long pause.
The investment promotion official looked at Deputy Commissioner Liu in confusion: "Commissioner Liu, is this... an anti-terror drill organized by the police department? I must say, it sounds quite realistic."
...........
