The hall was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
Everyone stared in shock and disbelief as Qi Tianhu, the local kingpin of Jinchuan, was led away by the police.
No one had expected the grand spectacle to end this way.
They had all seen that Tiger Qi was trying to set a trap for the Wanlong Association.
He had spread rumors, filed reports, called the police, and more…
In the end, the police really did show up—but the ones they arrested weren’t members of the Wanlong Association. They were Tiger Qi himself and his lackey, Wang Fei.
The reversal had come so quickly and violently that no one had been able to react.
“What exactly is the Wanlong Association’s background?”
“I have no idea, but it must be incredibly powerful. Otherwise, how could even Tiger Qi have ended up getting taken down?”
“My God, didn’t that Chief Wu just cuff him and take him away without even bothering to explain? He couldn’t even be bothered to come up with a reason.”
“Exactly! Shouldn’t the police normally tell people what crime they committed before arresting them?”
“Then I guess they didn’t have a reason…”
“Whew… When you put it that way, it’s kind of terrifying!”
“…”
Zhang Ting and Xie Jichuan began whispering among themselves as well. Neither of them had expected things to turn out this way.
“Mr. Xie, do you think we should keep competing with the Wanlong Association? This company may not be involved in organized crime, but its connections are truly extraordinary.”
“Why wouldn’t we keep competing?”
“If we give up, why did the two of us fly all the way from Hong Kong to Jinchuan? To watch them put on a show? The reserves of this Qingyan Mountain lithium mine rank among the top three in the country. You know how rapidly the smart-phone industry is developing overseas. Demand for lithium from batteries and other downstream industries will only continue to grow. I’m very optimistic about the future value of lithium mines. In fact, I would never simply hand it over just because the other side has powerful connections.”
He paused, then added, “Besides, how many projects have we invested in on the mainland? The officials we know are no fewer than theirs. If the Wanlong Association can make arrangements in advance, so can we. As long as everyone plays by the rules, it’s still anyone’s game.”
His words gradually restored Zhang Ting’s confidence.
Thinking it over carefully, he realized that Xie Jichuan was right.
The Wanlong Association had not used any illegal means from beginning to end. The police had arrested people in accordance with the law, which showed that the other side played by the rules.
And when people played by the rules, things were much easier to handle. In a business competition, the final contest was still one of strength.
What the two of them had feared most at the beginning was that the other side was involved in organized crime and that they would provoke a ruthless gang. For businessmen who valued their lives, that was the greatest risk of all.
But now, it seemed that the Wanlong Association was not in that line of business after all. The one who truly belonged to the underworld might have been Qi Tianhu.
If that was the case, then let them compete on the strength of their businesses!
“Fine. Let’s keep bidding!”
After the interruption had passed, the auctioneer onstage finally continued, “The Wanlong Association Group’s Ms. Xu has just bid three billion yuan. Three billion once…”
“Three point one billion!”
Xie Jichuan immediately raised his bidding paddle.
The entire hall erupted once again.
Those two men from Hong Kong actually dared to keep bidding?
Hadn’t they seen what happened to Tiger Qi? Their courage was unbelievable!
Xu Shishi turned and glanced at Xie Jichuan.
These two men from Hong Kong were far bolder than she had expected.
She had originally assumed that after such a dramatic reversal, none of the bidders present would dare compete with the Wanlong Association anymore. She hadn’t expected these two men from Hong Kong to be willing to give up just yet.
But the boss had already made it clear that they were determined to acquire the lithium mine, so she had no intention of showing them any mercy.
However, just as she was about to raise her paddle…
Something unexpected happened!
A heavy thud suddenly came from the street outside the auction hall, as if some massive object had fallen from a great height and slammed into the ground.
The next moment, a wave of screams rang out from outside.
“Someone jumped!”
“Oh my God! Someone just fell from the building!”
“A human flying through the air!”
“Someone’s dead! Someone’s dead!”
“…”
When the people in the auction hall heard the commotion, their hearts inexplicably tightened. One after another, they rose from their seats and rushed toward the entrance.
Across the street stood a commercial building more than twenty stories high. At its foot, a person lay motionless on the cold asphalt. A glaring pool of crimson was slowly spreading out from beneath him.
The police immediately moved in to secure the scene.
Qi Tianhu, who was just about to be put into a police car, heard the commotion and instinctively looked over. When he recognized the clothes of the person on the ground, it was as if he had been struck by lightning. He let out a heart-rending roar.
“Qi Licheng!!!”
Qi Tianhu struggled desperately, trying to break free from the officers beside him and rush over. But several officers held him back firmly, refusing to let him approach the scene.
All he could do was stare at the body, his eyes bulging with rage, and howl in anguish:
“Licheng! My son!!!”
“Ahhh!!!”
In that instant, the notorious Jinchuan kingpin seemed to age ten years. He could barely remain standing.
After spending his whole life hunting wild geese, he had finally been blinded by one himself.
For twenty years, he had ruled Jinchuan. No one in the city had dared provoke him. He had even come to believe that he was the emperor of this land, its absolute master.
Yet in the end, he had been left to suffer the tragedy of a white-haired parent mourning a dead child.
Qi Tianhu suddenly whipped around. His bloodshot eyes locked onto the entrance of the auction hall, and he roared in a voice filled with near-curse-like hatred:
“Wanlong Association!!!”
“I’m going to war with you bastards! It won’t end until one of us is dead!!!”
His agonized voice carried into the auction hall, making many people’s hearts jolt.
That man’s gaze was terrifying!
Then, almost in unison, they turned to look at the two Wanlong Association representatives standing at the entrance and watching the spectacle as well. Their eyes were filled with fear.
Damn it, this confirmed it, didn’t it? You really are criminals!
You actually forced the man’s only son to jump from a building right in front of the police!
When Yang Xin saw the looks on everyone’s faces, his first thought was:
We’re screwed! The company’s reputation has taken another hit!
Wait—why “another”?
Yang Xin and Xu Shishi truly hadn’t expected Qi Licheng to jump from the building in front of so many people.
They had originally thought that once they dealt with the nuisance known as Qi Tianhu, they could focus on bidding for the lithium mine in peace.
But in the blink of an eye, Qi Tianhu’s son, Qi Licheng, had put on a spectacular display of human flight for everyone.
What were the odds?
Regardless of what had actually happened, at least in the minds of everyone present, the Wanlong Association had now been branded as a criminal organization.
And it was the kind of label that could not be shaken off, no matter what they did!
The local businessmen, in particular, couldn’t help but arrive at the same thought.
“The sky over Jinchuan is even darker now.”
