The gun clattered from Du Ying's hand, blood instantly pouring from the wound.
Erik had already dealt with the men outside. He pushed the door open and strode in casually.
Seeing them, Du Ying frowned. These two dared to barge into the Eagle Gang's stronghold alone?
"Who are you? What do you want?" Du Ying demanded. Janelle's gun had a suppressor, and the men outside had been killed by this man.
Erik didn't answer. He walked over and stomped his foot hard onto Du Ying's chest.
Du Ying was furious. Since coming to the border and founding the Eagle Gang, everything had gone smoothly. This was his first major defeat.
"Where is Madalyn?" Janelle didn't waste words. She just wanted to find her mother.
Du Ying understood immediately. This young woman must be Janelle, Westin's daughter!
Du Ying stayed silent. The hostage was his leverage. As long as he didn't talk, no one could find Madalyn. So, they wouldn't dare harm him seriously!
Seeing his silence, Janelle shot his other hand.
"Ah!" Du Ying couldn't suppress a scream.
"Don't make me ask twice," Janelle said ruthlessly. She was never one to turn the other cheek. If provoked, she could be cruel.
Both of Du Ying's hands were useless now.
"Do you know who I am? How dare you attack me like this?" he spat. No one had ever dared threaten him like this!
Erik stomped down hard on his chest again. The man's strength was immense; Du Ying coughed up blood.
"Talk!"
Faced with two ruthless opponents, Du Ying had no choice. Erik hauled him up from the floor.
"Move. Take us to her."
Du Ying had never been so humiliated, but with a gun pointed at him, he had to obey.
The Eagle Gang's base was indeed vast. Soon, others spotted Erik and Janelle.
"Freeze!"
Over a dozen guns were aimed at them, yet neither flinched. Erik just glanced at Du Ying.
"Nobody move!" Du Ying barked, terrified. He couldn't let his men act rashly now.
Seeing Du Ying in their hands, a subordinate quickly called Du Ming. Du Ying was the boss, Du Ming was the boss (in his own way), and Du Ying was Du Ming's brother. If anything happened to him, Du Ming wouldn't let them off easily.
Du Ming rushed over upon receiving the call. Seeing the two young people and the injured Du Ying, his face darkened.
"Bring Madalyn here. You have ten minutes. If I don't see her, I kill him."
Du Ming tried to play it cool, attempting to distract them. Janelle wasn't having it.
She shot Du Ying directly in the leg. Du Ying collapsed, unable to stand, landing heavily on the ground. Blood flowed freely from his hands and leg; without treatment, he'd bleed out even if they didn't kill him.
"Du Ming, go get her!" Du Ying ordered. His life was at stake; he couldn't die here today. That would be a colossal loss.
Du Ming had no choice. He sent men to fetch Madalyn.
Erik sat back casually, utterly relaxed despite being surrounded in hostile territory.
"Come sit for a bit. You must be tired." She hadn't rested properly since her mother disappeared. She had to be exhausted.
"I'm fine. They won't dare act," Janelle replied, vigilant. The place was crawling with Eagle Gang members; she had to be extra cautious.
"Who are you people?" Du Ming probed again. Were they Janelle's hired help to rescue Madalyn?
"How much did Westin pay you? I'll double it! Today's incident can be wiped clean. What do you say?" Du Ming offered, trying to tempt them.
"Hah." Janelle found it laughable, not even bothering to respond.
"That is Janelle," Du Ying groaned, exasperated. Wasn't his brother supposed to be smart? What was wrong with him today? Couldn't he tell?
Du Ming looked at Janelle. Dressed head-to-toe in black, her face was stunningly beautiful. Utterly expressionless, yet all the more captivating.
Erik didn't like it. This Du Ming dared to stare openly at his woman. He aimed his gun at Du Ming.
Du Ming jumped. "What are you doing?"
"What are you staring at? Do you want to lose those eyes?" Erik's gun was pointed directly at Du Ming's eyes.
Du Ming panicked. "I wasn't staring!" Seeing this, the other Eagle Gang members tensed, ready for action. The man's aura was too fierce, utterly intimidating. Even with numbers, they were scared. Nobody wanted to die.
"Really, I was just confirming she was Janelle."
"Stop talking. You have five minutes left," Janelle stated coldly. Five minutes had already passed.
Her icy demeanor only made her more alluring. She must have done many missions before. Mission-mode her was cool and explosive.
"And you, sir? How should I address you?" Du Ming pressed, unwilling to give up. He wanted to drive a wedge between them. Janelle wanted to save Madalyn, but this man might have different motives. If they could turn him, everything would be easy.
Janelle instantly saw through Du Ming's ploy. Erik naturally understood too.
"Lorenz."
"Mr. Lorenz," Du Ming said smoothly, "you must know what the Eagle Gang represents on the border! Crossing us won't end well." [...] The implication was that crossing Erik would end well?
"Oh?"
"Tell you what," Du Ming offered, "put down your gun, and you can join the Eagle Gang. Become our third-in-command." He dangled the bait.
"Conditions?" Erik raised an eyebrow.
"Simple. Kill this woman." Du Ming was blunt, hiding nothing.
Erik pretended to look troubled. "You're really putting me in a difficult spot. Woman or money?"
Du Ming thought he was swaying. He pressed on. "Brother, don't get me wrong, women are everywhere. With money, you can have any woman you want."
"But I just shot Du Ying," Erik countered. "You'd really let that slide? Do I look like a child to you?"
"My brother won't hold a grudge," Du Ming assured him. "You are impressive, daring to storm our stronghold alone. We need talent like you in the Eagle Gang."
"Two minutes left," Janelle cut in, utterly bored with Du Ming's spiel.
Seeing the time almost up, Erik rose from the chair. Seeing him stand, Du Ming instinctively took a step back.