Power and wealth bring fragrance

The once grand and luxurious villa hall instantly became empty and deathly silent.

The last two footsteps faded into the distance, and the door slammed shut, cutting off all outside sounds.

In the vast space, only Liu Ding and his wife remained.

The air was so heavy it was suffocating, and the cold light from the chandelier fell on the two of them, casting an aura of desolation and coldness throughout the room.

Liu Ding's wife trembled slightly, her face as pale as paper, her lips moving repeatedly, and after a long while she finally managed to squeeze out a hoarse, broken voice.

"Those who pressured you...were they the same people who killed Gang'er?"

One sentence left Liu Ding frozen on the spot.

A complex emotion flashed in Liu Ding's eyes, a mixture of forbearance, resentment, fear, and an unspeakable sense of guilt.

He remained silent for a long time, so long that the air in the living room almost froze, before finally uttering three words in a dry voice: "I don't know."

This is the truth.

He truly didn't know.

Although he strongly suspected that Chu Lingyi and her group were behind Liu Gang's death, he had no evidence, and Chu Lingyi herself had said that they were not the ones who did it.

"have no idea?"

The woman repeated it in a low voice, as if mocking herself, or as if she had given up entirely.

The next second, the grief, despair, and resentment that had been building up for days finally broke free of their shackles.

She suddenly stood up, and a sharp, shrill roar suddenly exploded in the empty living room.

"I'm not leaving!"

"I'm not going anywhere!"

"I haven't avenged Gang'er yet, and my only son died under mysterious circumstances. What right do I have to flee in such a sorry state?!"

Her eyes were bloodshot, her hair was disheveled, and all the dignity of a dignified noblewoman had been shattered, leaving only the madness and despair of losing her child.

The emotions she had been suppressing for days finally erupted at this moment, almost threatening to engulf her entirely.

Liu Ding frowned deeply, feeling extremely irritated. Suppressing his impatience, he said in a deep voice, "Calm down."

"As long as we're alive, we can always fight another day. The enemy is at the height of their power and extremely ruthless. Staying here now would only be a pointless death for them!"

"Let's leave Deepsea City first, avoid their sharp edge, and consolidate our position. As long as we live, we'll always have a chance to turn things around, and we'll always have a day to avenge Gang'er!"

These words represent a rational weighing of pros and cons, and also a way out in desperate situations.

But at this moment, Liu Ding's wife was no longer willing to listen to any advice.

The pain of losing her son burned through her very being, and her husband's concessions and cowardice chilled her to the bone.

She stared intently at Liu Ding, all tenderness vanishing from her eyes, leaving only a chilling coldness and resentment.

"fart!"

She roared hysterically, her voice hoarse and torn, each word dripping with blood.

"Don't think I don't know what you're thinking!"

"Gang'er is dead, and you can't wait for me to leave, to die!"

"From now on, all those bastards and mistresses you keep outside can openly enter my house and take everything from my son, right?!"

"I'm telling you, Liu Ding, you're dreaming!"

"As long as I live, those people will never set foot in this house again! They will never take anything from my son!"

These words pierced Liu Ding's heart like a sharp blade, instantly causing the anger and frustration that had been building up inside him to explode.

His face was ashen, and his eyes were filled with rage. Looking at his wife, who was completely out of control and unyielding, he could no longer bear it and gave the driver at the door a cold look.

The driver was his distant nephew, who had followed Liu Ding for many years. He was quick-witted, reliable, and understood Liu Ding's thoughts best.

With just a glance, he understood instantly.

He immediately stepped forward, his face softening with a gentle, conciliatory expression, and said respectfully, "Auntie, please calm down. My uncle was forced into a corner and had no other choice but to resort to this tactic. He cares about Gang Ge more than anyone else."

"Don't upset yourself. We'll have plenty of opportunities in the future. Have some water and calm down first."

As he spoke, he turned and strode into the kitchen, returning a moment later with a glass of warm water.

The water glass was clear and transparent, and looked quite ordinary.

However, the driver had secretly added sleeping pills he was carrying to the water.

The driver gently comforted her, half-persuading and half-helping her as he handed her the water glass.

The woman was emotionally broken, completely exhausted, and filled with grief and confusion. Without any warning, she mechanically took the water glass, tilted her head back, and drank it all in one gulp.

The medication takes effect very quickly.

In just half a minute, her struggling and trembling body suddenly went limp, and the light in her eyes gradually faded.

His eyelids became so heavy that they closed completely, his body slumped to the side, and he fell into a deep sleep.

Liu Ding breathed a sigh of relief and spoke irritably.

"Pack your things."

The driver quickly responded and nimbly turned around to get started.

The two had a clear division of labor and worked extremely quickly.

All the cash, gold bars, jewelry, precious jade artifacts, and rare collectibles in the villa that could be converted into cash and were easy to carry were packed away.

In the huge villa, not a single valuable item that could be moved was left behind; only the property, luxury cars, and permanent furnishings that could not be taken were abandoned on the spot.

The wealth and glory he had accumulated over half his life amounted to nothing more than a few cartloads of valuables, which became his only means of survival when he was destitute and on the run.

Time ticked by, and the two-hour deadline was fast approaching.

The sounds of car engines could be heard one after another outside the villa.

All of Liu's relatives who had previously scattered returned hastily with large bags of luggage, their faces filled with fear and their eyes with panic. Not one of them dared to stay.

Everyone gathered at the villa entrance, fully prepared and waiting quietly for Liu Ding's instructions.

Liu Ding took one last look at the luxurious villa that had witnessed half a lifetime of glory but was now nothing but ruins. A trace of lingering affection flashed in his eyes before he turned and left.

"Walk."

There were no extra instructions, no extra sentiments.

A group of vehicles drove away from the villa gate in an orderly fashion, disappearing into the distance and heading straight for Longkou City next door.

There is a private resort there that Liu Ding invested in in his early years. It is in a secluded location and unknown to most people.

At this point, being at their wits' end, they have become the perfect refuge.

A dozen luxury cars lined up end to end, forming a long convoy, and drove out of the villa area, speeding towards the highway.

The roads in the suburbs are remote and desolate, with few pedestrians and no traffic.

Once he gets on the highway ahead and heads straight to Longkou City, he will be able to completely escape the sphere of influence of Shenhai City and temporarily get rid of all the crises.

Liu Ding leaned back in his chair, closed his eyes slightly, and kept calculating in his mind.

But just as the convoy turned onto a quiet side road, about to connect to the highway toll gate...

In the very middle of the road, a huge semi-trailer truck was blocking the entire passage.

The truck was leaning precariously, its hazard lights flashing incessantly, and it had broken down in the middle of the road, completely blocking the narrow lane and leaving no room for passage.

The convoy came to an instant, with vehicles jammed together, unable to move forward or backward.

The Liu family members inside the car were already anxious, and this sudden turn of events caused them to panic. They all craned their necks to look around, their eyes filled with unease.

Liu Ding suddenly opened his eyes, his brows furrowing deeply.

After peeking out, Liu Ding gave instructions to the driver.

"Go down and ask them to move the car, clear the road as soon as possible, and don't delay your journey."

The driver responded and got out of the car, walking quickly toward the semi-trailer truck that had broken down ahead, intending to negotiate and urge the other party to move the truck and make way as soon as possible.

But just as he reached the front of the truck and was about to speak to the driver, before he could utter a single word, the driver, who was standing in front of the truck, suddenly and without warning threw a powerful straight punch that landed squarely on his face.

boom!

A dull thud suddenly rang out.

The driver didn't even have time to scream before he was punched to the ground, his body slamming heavily onto the road, instantly losing all ability to resist.

This happened so fast, in the blink of an eye, that Liu Ding in the car saw it all clearly, his pupils instantly shrinking to the size of pinpoints.

What's going on?

Before he could react, someone gently knocked on the car window beside him.

Thump, thump, thump.

Three soft sounds, neither hurried nor slow, yet they struck Liu Ding's heart like heavy hammer blows.

Liu Ding froze, then abruptly turned his head to look.

Outside the car window, a tall figure stood quietly.

The man's face was stern, with a faint smile at the corner of his mouth, but his gaze was as cold as ice, devoid of any warmth.

What terrified Liu Ding the most was that the man's right hand, hanging by his side, was holding a completely black pistol.

The gun barrel was raised steadily, pointing precisely at him inside the car.

The cold, metallic edge pierced through the car window, and a bone-chilling cold instantly swept over Liu Ding's entire body, making him feel as if he had fallen into an ice cave, his blood almost freezing.

Who is this?

Qin Xiao ignored Liu Ding's horrified expression, raised the muzzle of his gun, pointed it at the car window, and signaled Liu Ding to lower the window.

Liu Ding trembled uncontrollably, his back was already soaked with cold sweat, and his limbs were as stiff as a marionette.

He didn't want to surrender, but seeing the gun in Qin Xiao's hand that seemed to be pointing at him, he dared not refuse.

Liu Ding's teeth chattered, his fingers stiffly searching for the window button, mechanically and slowly lowering the window.

The moment the car window was completely rolled down, the night wind outside, carrying a biting chill, rushed into the car.

Qin Xiao leaned down slightly, his gaze calmly falling on his face. His tone was polite, but his killing intent was chilling.

"Mr. Liu, please."

"I've been waiting for a long time."

These words, once spoken, instantly struck Liu Ding's mind like a bolt of lightning.

Liu Ding's eyes widened suddenly as he stared at Qin Xiao in utter shock, his hair almost standing on end!

In an instant, countless pieces of information collided wildly in his mind, sparking countless flashes of inspiration.

An extremely terrifying thought instantly surfaced in his mind, causing him to tremble uncontrollably.

"You...were...sent by Chu Lingyi?"

Qin Xiao remained expressionless and silent, but Liu Ding interpreted this as tacit agreement!

A fiery rage, as intense as magma, surged into Liu Ding's heart. In that instant, he wished he could devour Chu Lingyi alive!

He has already handed over the company, why do you still want to kill him?

But Liu Ding's anger dissipated instantly, like a punctured balloon, leaving only endless fear and panic.

He figured it out.

This vicious woman probably planned to do this from the very beginning.

All that talk about signing an agreement and nine hundred million was just to lull him into a false sense of security!

Liu Ding's hands trembled even more violently, and the despair in his heart grew stronger.

Clinging to his last shred of hope, he looked at Qin Xiao pleadingly.

"The money is in the car, take it as you like!"

"Please...give me a way out, give me a chance!"

At this moment, he no longer possessed any of the former grandeur of a deep-sea tycoon; all that remained was the wretchedness and humility of someone at the end of his rope.

Faced with his pleas, Qin Xiao's smile remained unchanged, but his eyes showed no emotion whatsoever.

He has no right to make decisions for the people his elder brother specifically named to deal with.

Not a single unnecessary word.

Qin Xiao's wrist suddenly moved, and the black gun butt was raised sharply, as fast as lightning.

Bang!

A dull thud suddenly rang out.

The spearhead slammed into Liu Ding's skull.

A sharp pain instantly swept through his body, Liu Ding's eyes rolled back, his mind went blank, and all his pleas and fear came to an abrupt end.

He didn't even have time to utter a sound before his head lolled to the side and he completely lost consciousness in his seat.

Qin Xiao casually put away his pistol and waved his hand expressionlessly.

The next second, all the doors of the semi-trailer truck, which had been quietly parked on the road, opened.

Twenty or thirty dark figures leaped off the car one after another. Each one moved swiftly and skillfully, with a cold and stern expression. Their actions were orderly and without the slightest hesitation.

The group quickly split up, forming pairs, and instantly surrounded Liu's dozen or so cars.

The Liu family relatives inside the car were terrified, screaming, crying, and begging for mercy, but no one paid any attention.

This group of people moved with lightning speed and their methods were swift and efficient. They gagged, restrained, and pinned people down with fluid movements, without any unnecessary actions.

Everyone on the bus was forcibly taken away; no one was able to resist or escape.

Meanwhile, several other people quickly took over the convoy, got into the driver's seat, and started the dozen or so luxury cars one by one.

The roar of engines echoed through the night as vehicles turned in an orderly fashion.

From taking action to intercept and subdue the personnel and take away the hostages, to clearing the road and driving away all vehicles.

The whole process took less than ten minutes.

The once congested and noisy secluded road, teeming with people and vehicles, is now deserted in an instant.

The ground was spotless, without even a single skid mark, as if they had never been there before.