Yang Chen was taken aback—someone was pointing a gun at his head again.
If he remembered correctly, this was the third time.
The first time was at the Guan family's place. Back then, a hundred armed men had swiftly appeared and taken everyone from the Guan family away. If the Guan family hadn't still held some value, they would have been completely wiped out.
The second time was at the Yang family in Zhoucheng. Over a dozen gunmen had been instantly killed by Yang Chen, and the family had been annihilated.
And now, this was the third time. Yang Chen found it somewhat amusing that, in the less than two months since his return to Jiangzhou, someone had already pointed a gun at his head three times.
Qin Xi and Su Shan were completely stunned by the scene before them. As ordinary women, they had never witnessed anything like this.
Almost instinctively, Qin Xi moved to shield Yang Chen, but at that moment, he firmly grasped her hand and pulled her behind him.
"Boss Liu, can't handle losing?" Yang Chen narrowed his eyes, his voice calm. There wasn't a trace of fear in him, though his mask concealed his expression.
"Kid, I've already admitted defeat and agreed to let these two women go with you. But I never said you could just walk away like this."
Liu Kai's face was full of menace. "Now, I'll give you two choices. First, work for me from now on—I'll pay you ten million a year. Second, leave your life here."
Liu Kai hadn't drawn his gun to kill Yang Chen. Instead, he was impressed by Yang Chen's skills. Despite being certain that Yang Chen had cheated, he couldn't figure out how.
Someone like this, if kept by his side, could elevate the King's City to rival the four great families of Jiangzhou—it was only a matter of time.
"You two, wait for me outside."
Yang Chen suddenly turned to Qin Xi beside him.
At this point, Qin Xi no longer cared about hiding her relationship with Yang Chen. She tightly gripped his hand, her face full of worry. "What about you?"
Su Shan had always believed Yang Chen was the villain who had taken her best friend away. Only now did she realize that things might not be as she had thought.
She didn't know, but Liu Kai had long been aware.
After all, this was his territory. The moment he learned that two stunning beauties had appeared, he had already known that Qin Xi and Yang Chen had come together.
Yang Chen looked at Qin Xi with gentle eyes. "Xiao Xi, trust me. Nothing will happen. Listen to me—go wait outside."
His voice was magnetic, making Qin Xi instinctively want to agree. But thinking of Yang Chen's predicament, she couldn't help but worry.
"Trust me!"
Yang Chen's expression was firm. Qin Xi knew that staying here would only burden him. Finally, she nodded, her eyes red. "I'll wait for you outside. If anything happens to you, I won't live on alone!"
"Don't worry. I'll be fine. Go wait for me outside." Yang Chen smiled.
Only then did Qin Xi nod, pulling Su Shan along as they left.
Now, inside the private room, apart from Yang Chen, everyone else was Liu Kai's man. All of them wore mocking expressions as they stared at Yang Chen.
"You don't seem afraid of me at all?"
Liu Kai suddenly asked, his expression growing solemn. Yang Chen's composed demeanor gave him an inexplicable sense of pressure.
Not to mention Yang Chen's performance at the poker table earlier—it all made Liu Kai feel uneasy.
Yang Chen suddenly stepped forward. Though Liu Kai was the one holding the gun, he was the one who began to tremble slightly, his grip on the weapon unsteady.
Seeing this, the others swiftly drew their guns from inside their suits, all aiming at Yang Chen.
Yang Chen didn't pause. He walked straight to his seat at the table, casually removed his mask, placed it on the table, and sat down.
A bald man beside Liu Kai widened his eyes in shock the moment he saw Yang Chen's face—as if he had just seen the most terrifying person imaginable.
"Jiangzhou is too small a place. No one here is qualified to have me work for them. And you—you're even less qualified."
Yang Chen's tone was indifferent as he picked up a playing card from the table and began fiddling with it.
"So you're choosing the second option—death?" Liu Kai gritted his teeth.
At this point, he felt trapped. If he had just let Yang Chen leave earlier, none of this would have happened. But now that things had escalated, he had no choice but to see it through.
"You think you can kill me?" Yang Chen suddenly smiled—a strange, unsettling smile.
A flicker of fear flashed in Liu Kai's eyes. Yang Chen had multiple guns pointed at his head, yet he showed no fear. Instead, he remained calm and even joked around.
A person like this was either a fool or a madman.
Since Yang Chen had forced him to admit defeat, he clearly wasn't a fool. That left only one possibility—he was a madman.
"Are you thinking that since there are people outside, if I shoot, it'll expose me?"
Liu Kai could only assume this was Yang Chen's reasoning. Gnashing his teeth, he said, "But let me tell you—on this floor, I am the king. Whether it's in this private room or out there, if I kill you, nothing will happen. Do you believe me?"
"Too much talk!"
Yang Chen sneered, sweeping his gaze across the men. "I'll give you all a chance to rise. Whoever kills him will take control of Jiangzhou's underground."
Liu Kai's eyes bulged with rage. Yang Chen was openly inciting his own men to kill him and take his place!
"Kid, you've got a death wish—"
Before he could finish, something cold pressed against the back of his head. He didn't need to look to know it was a gun.
"Baldy Qiang, what the hell are you doing?!"
The others, seeing Baldy's actions, immediately turned their guns toward him.
Yang Chen watched with great interest. He had met Baldy before—he was Wang Qiang, the boss of the Nightless City. Last time, he had schemed to trap Qin Daqiang into owing him five million, only for Yang Chen to bring a truckload of coins to settle the debt.
Liu Kai didn't dare turn his head. Clenching his teeth, he said, "Wang Qiang, have you lost your mind? Pointing a gun at my head?"
"Liu Kai, save your breath. Tell your men to lower their guns, or I'll blow your brains out!"
Wang Qiang's face was fierce, his eyes burning with hatred.
"You wouldn't dare!" Liu Kai roared.
"Want to test that?"
As Wang Qiang spoke, his finger tightened on the trigger. Liu Kai heard the faint click of the mechanism and paled, bellowing, "All of you, lower your guns!"
Only then did Wang Qiang ease his finger slightly, though the killing intent in his eyes remained strong.
"Wang Qiang, even though I took over your Nightless City, I didn't treat you badly. I promoted you to second-in-command of the King's City. So why are you pointing a gun at my head now?" Liu Kai asked bitterly.
"You think I'm an idiot?"
Wang Qiang roared, "Second-in-command? What's the point if I have no real power? You even had me watched. The only reason you've kept me alive is to stabilize my old faction. Once you fully control the Nightless City, I'm dead!"
"Calm down. If you don't want to be second-in-command, I can return the Nightless City to you."
The moment Liu Kai finished speaking, he suddenly crouched. At the same time, the gun he had been pointing at Yang Chen swung toward Wang Qiang's chin, his finger already on the trigger—his movements fluid and seamless.
Wang Qiang hadn't expected Liu Kai to move while under his gun. By the time he reacted and tried to adjust his aim, Liu Kai's gun was already pressed against him.
"Go to hell!"
Liu Kai's face twisted with malice as he pulled the trigger.