You went on a blind date and presented an A-level wanted criminal as a meeting gift?

The deathly silence in the banquet hall of the state guesthouse lasted for less than three seconds.

"Whoosh—"

The next second, the entire venue exploded as if a depth charge had been dropped on it!

"What? It's fake?!"

"Industrial waste costing less than three thousand yuan? This... how is this possible!"

"My God, Zhao Tiansheng actually put a fake item up for a charity auction? He's making a fool of us all!"

Countless shocked, questioning, angry, and contemptuous gazes, like sharp swords, pierced the pale-faced, swaying figure on the stage.

Zhao Tiansheng, the "great philanthropist" who had just been elevated to a pedestal, was kicked down by Lin Chen in the most brutal way in an instant, and smashed to pieces!

His carefully cultivated public image, built over a decade, crumbled in an instant!

"You...you're spouting nonsense!"

Zhao Tiansheng finally snapped out of his shock, pointed at Lin Chen, and let out a roar that sounded fierce but was actually weak.

His brain was racing, trying to find a way to fix the situation.

"I spent a fortune to buy this Xuande incense burner from overseas! It comes with a complete certificate of authenticity! What makes you, a mere kid, think you can tell it's fake?!"

"Certificate of authenticity?"

Lin Chen laughed, a laugh tinged with utter contempt.

He snatched the so-called "certificate of authenticity" from the dumbfounded host, and without even looking at it, tore it in half with a "rip" in front of everyone!

"You dare to show off those worthless pieces of paper that you can get for a few hundred yuan at Panjiayuan?"

Lin Chen's gaze was like two sharp scalpels, relentlessly piercing Zhao Tiansheng.

"Do I need to tell you which workshop made this stove? Do I need to tell you that the old craftsman who did the aging work for you had an old scar on the second knuckle of his left hand?"

"Or do you want me to call the middleman who connected you with the workshop here right now for a face-to-face confrontation?!"

With each word Lin Chen spoke, Zhao Tiansheng's face grew paler.

In the end, he was trembling like a leaf in the wind, his lips were shaking, and he couldn't utter a single word!

A tremendous storm raged within him!

How could Lin Chen know so much?!

It was as if he had witnessed himself orchestrating all of this!

He wasn't guessing at all; he was stating a fact he already knew!

fear!

An unprecedented, deep-seated fear instantly gripped Zhao Tiansheng's heart!

He knew he was finished.

Before Lin Chen's devilish eyes that seemed to see through everything, all his pretense and all his sophistry seemed so pale, powerless, and ridiculous!

"Security! Security! Throw this troublemaking lunatic out of here!"

Zhao Tiansheng let out a final, hysterical scream.

However, before the security guards could come up, Jiang Tingxue walked up to Lin Chen with a cold face and took out a bright red ID from her handbag.

"The Ministry of State Security is carrying out its duties; who dares to touch it?"

The cold voice, coupled with the identification card representing the highest level of state power, instantly froze all the security guards who rushed forward, as if they had been struck by a spell.

Lin Chen was too lazy to look at Zhao Tiansheng's deadpan face anymore. He turned around, walked off the stage, took Jiang Tingxue's hand, and calmly left under the gaze of countless people filled with awe, shock, and complex emotions.

All that remained was Zhao Tiansheng, the "Earl," whose dignity and reputation had been utterly shattered, slumped on the stage, and a charity gala that had become a laughingstock throughout Beijing.

……

Back inside that heavily modified Mercedes-Benz Sprinter campervan.

Zhao Tiansheng had completely lost all of his previous elegance and demeanor.

He ripped off his bow tie and smashed his gold-rimmed glasses on the ground, crushing them to pieces!

His face, twisted with rage and resentment, was contorted with bulging veins and bloodshot eyes, making him look like a wild beast ready to devour its prey!

"Lin Chen! Lin Chen!!"

He roared through gritted teeth, slamming his fist hard onto the mahogany table in front of him, cracking the hard surface with a spiderweb-like pattern.

"Fuck your mother! You dare embarrass me in public! You're asking for it!!"

He was breathing heavily, his chest heaving violently, and the murderous intent in his eyes was almost tangible.

He took out an encrypted satellite phone and dialed a number.

"it's me."

His voice was as cold as the wind from hell.

"Immediately launch the 'Scavenger' plan!"

"Yes! It's that guy who checked our customs declaration! I want him dead! Dead beyond recognition!"

"I don't care what methods you use! I want Lin Chen to know that messing with my 'Earl' will come at a bloody price! I'll cut off his arm first! Let him taste what pain really is!"

After hanging up the phone, the count revealed a cruel and sinister smile.

Lin Chen, do you think you've won?

You're too naive.

The game has only just begun!

……

at the same time.

Inside the heavily guarded archives of the General Administration of Customs in Beijing.

Li Mingyu, accompanied by two young police officers, was nervously and methodically reviewing Tiansheng Group's customs declarations among rows of towering, massive filing shelves.

"Be careful, everyone! Consultant Lin said the problem lies with these inspection-free permits!"

As Li Mingyu flipped through the pages, he whispered instructions to his subordinates.

The archive was very quiet, with only the rustling sound of papers turning.

For fire prevention, the fire protection system here uses state-of-the-art inert gas extinguishing devices.

However, at that moment...

"hiss--"

Without warning, the hundreds of tiny fire sprinklers on the ceiling activated simultaneously!

What was sprayed out was not a white inert gas, but a colorless, odorless, and completely invisible deadly toxic fog!

This was a premeditated and extremely malicious assassination attempt carried out by someone remotely hacking into the fire protection system!

"Cough cough... What's going on?"

A young police officer was the first to notice something was wrong; he felt a sharp pain in his throat and found it extremely difficult to breathe.

Before he could finish speaking, his whole body convulsed suddenly, his eyes rolled back, he foamed at the mouth, and he fell straight backward!

"Xiao Wang!"

Li Mingyu was horrified. Just as he was about to rush over, he felt himself inhale a breath of that strange gas.

moment!

A burning sensation, as if it could melt his lungs, shot straight to his brain from his respiratory tract!

His vision began to blur rapidly, the world spun around him, and the strength in his limbs receded like a receding tide.

[Colorless and odorless nerve gas]!

This is an extremely potent military-grade poison. Once inhaled, it can completely destroy the human central nervous system within thirty seconds, leading to respiratory failure and death!

"Little...Little Zhang..."

Li Mingyu watched helplessly as another police officer collapsed to the ground, convulsing, his life rapidly slipping away.

The shadow of death, like a cold tide, instantly engulfed him.

Just as his consciousness was about to completely sink into darkness.

Lin Chen's face, always sporting a mischievous smile, and the words he had spoken before flashed through his mind.

"Mingyu, this underwear could save your life in a pinch."

"Remember, never take it off."

[Non-Newtonian fluid carbon nanotube composite gel bulletproof underwear]!

A lifeline!

Li Mingyu mustered his last bit of willpower, used all his strength, opened his mouth, and bit down hard on the collar of his police uniform!

"Snap!"

A very faint cracking sound.

He successfully bit into a high-pressure detox capsule, specially made by Lin Chen using his god-level chemical knowledge, which was hidden in the collar lining!

next second!

A powerful, extremely cool stream of air, with a minty scent, instantly rushed from his mouth into his lungs, then circulated through his bloodstream and surged throughout his body!

That domineering neurotoxin was actually forcibly suppressed by the impact of this cool airflow!

Li Mingyu's heart, which was about to stop beating, was miraculously protected!

"Heh...heh..."

He breathed deeply, and his blurred vision cleared slightly.

His survival instinct unleashed unprecedented power in him!

He roared, like a mad bull, turned around abruptly, and with all his might, slammed into the thick tempered glass window of the archives!

"Bang—crash!"

The glass shattered instantly!

Li Mingyu tumbled out of the second-floor window and crashed heavily onto the lawn outside. Before losing consciousness completely, he used his last bit of strength to press the emergency distress button on his police communicator.