A hatchet swings and clashes fiercely with the opponent's steering wheel.

Crack...

Metal collides, sparks visible to the naked eye splattering forth.

"Ouch..." The driver instantly feels a stabbing pain in his right palm, as if an electric current is coursing through his arm, causing unbearable agony.

Upon seeing this, Zhou Kai launches a kick, striking his opponent hard.

Bang...

With that kick, the opponent is immediately sent reeling backward, flying out.

"Get him!" Two underlings rapidly dash out from behind.

Brandishing aluminum alloy baseball bats, they coordinate an attack on Zhou Kai from both sides. Lu Dapao, upon seeing this, bellows furiously: "Kid, two against one, what's the point? If you dare, come at me!"

Without hesitation, Lu Dapao charges into the fray.

A fierce battle unfolds, both parties engaging in brutal combat. Lu Dapao swings his watermelon knife repeatedly, hacking sideways at his adversaries. Unfortunately, they dodge left and right, avoiding his blows, and Lu Dapao's knife wears out several notches.

Zhou Kai gives a cold smile, eyeing the man in front of him, he says, "Come on, let's settle this!"

Without another word, Zhou Kai rushes forward. His hatchet harshly cleaves towards his opponent. The opponent spins away from Zhou Kai's hatchet, hastily dashing forward with speed; he believes he can overwhelm Zhou Kai with his agility. Little does he know, Zhou Kai has undergone professional special forces training. As Zhao Zhonghai is mighty, it's said that a tiger doesn't father a dog; a strong master would not produce a weak disciple.

Crack...

The hatchet in Zhou Kai's hand suddenly flings forward.

The back of the axe head slams into the opponent's chest, instantly knocking him down. Two ribs in his chest break on the spot.

"Ow..." The man screams in agony, his condition taking a turn for the worse.

He cries out in excruciating pain, clutching his chest with pale complexion, as if the fractured bones cause him immense suffering. Zhou Kai walks over slowly, smirking coldly, "President Ding, are you going to get out of the car yourself, or shall we smash the windows and invite you out?"

Inside the car, not a sound can be heard. Due to the black film on the windows, it is impossible to see inside; there's no response at all.

At this moment, five or six underlings quickly surround the car, brandishing their weapons.

Just as Zhou Kai is about to smash the window, the car door opens, and Ding Dahua hurriedly descends from the vehicle. He stares coldly at Zhou Kai and says, "Who has the nerve to mess with my people?"

"Oh, President Ding, even now, you still talk pretty big, huh?" Zhou Kai sneers.

"Hmph," Ding Dahua snorts coldly and replies, "In Jiangbei City, my name, Ding Dahua, carries weight. Who is your boss? I'll call him. Do you really think he wouldn't give me face?"

"Forget it," Zhou Kai disdainfully retorts, "You'll get to meet our boss if you come with us now, won't you?"

"You!" Ding Dahua grinds his teeth and declares, "Fine, let's go. Who's scared?"

"Please get in, President Ding," Zhou Kai laughs heartily.

Huang Bo hastily opens the door of the van, and Ding Dahua, flicking his sleeve, dives right into the vehicle. Zhou Kai and the others swiftly board as well, and the two vans speed away from the scene, leaving behind Ding Dahua's three underlings to make a fast exit.

The driver hastily helps the other two men up, with one's complexion deathly pale, he says, "Take me... to the hospital, I... I've broken two ribs!"

"Damn, let's go, hurry!" The driver, left with no choice, quickly escorts them to the hospital.

Eight Horses Tea House is where Lin Chuan frequents.

Aside from attending to his duties at the City Committee, Lin Chuan usually spends his time at this teahouse. Although he isn't particularly knowledgeable about tea, he enjoys savoring it. There are a few beautiful girls at the teahouse who often enlighten Lin Chuan about tea, introducing him to the culture of tea. As time passes, he comes to absorb this knowledge naturally.

Two Jinbei vans arrive at the foot of the Eight Horses Tea House.

Zhou Kai and his men drag Ding Dahua out of the vehicle.

"Take it easy!" Ding Dahua roars: "Damn it, I'm Ding Dahua, not some nobody you can push around."

"President Ding, no use putting on airs now," Zhou Kai replies scornfully, "You're a prisoner now. Do you still think you're some big boss, that you can strut around all high and mighty?"

"You!" Ding Dahua gritted his teeth, "I make in a day what you couldn't earn in your entire life!"

"That's right." Zhou Kai nodded, "With just a flick of my finger, you won't live to spend the money you've made your whole life!"

As he spoke, Zhou Kai brandished the axe in his hand, its menacing aura as if he were about to chop down at Ding Dahua's neck.

Ding Dahua shrunk his neck in fear and quickly dodged to avoid it, lowering his head, not daring to speak any longer.

"Hurry up, get moving!" Zhou Kai barked.

Ding Dahua dared not disobey and could only walk toward the upstairs, asking confusedly, "Strange, isn't this Feng Taibao's territory? Don't tell me your boss is Feng Taibao?"

"No!" Zhou Kai shook his head.

"Then who?" Ding Dahua hurriedly asked.

"Haven't you been paying little attention to the underworld recently?" Zhou Kai responded irritably, "Don't you know a new number one has emerged in the eastern district?"

"This…" Ding Dahua asked awkwardly, "Who?"

"You'll know once you meet him." Zhou Kai snorted coldly.

Ding Dahua was stunned for a moment and hurriedly took out all the money from his wallet, saying, "Brother, here's five thousand. Take it for tea. Could you… give me a hint?"

Zhou Kai was taken aback for a moment, then unceremoniously pocketed the money and said with a smile, "Alright, then I'll give you a hint."

"Eh, tell me!" Ding Dahua hurriedly asked.

"He is Lin Chuan." Zhou Kai smiled, "Everyone calls him Brother Chuan. Got it?"

"Lin Chuan?" Ding Dahua was startled and said, "I've never heard of this person."

"Let's go, you'll hear about him soon enough." Zhou Kai chuckled gleefully, thinking how easy it was to make five thousand just with a few words.

After that, Zhou Kai pushed Ding Dahua further inside.

Lin Chuan was drinking tea on the third floor, and when Zhou Kai pushed the door open, Lin Chuan was meditating with his eyes closed. The room was filled with a faint fragrance of ambergris, pleasant to the nose and seemingly very comforting. Immersed in this scent, Lin Chuan felt like he was experiencing a sense of being in the womb.

"Brother Chuan." Zhou Kai entered pushing the door.

Lin Chuan opened his eyes and asked, "Where's the man?"

"Brought him!" Zhou Kai smiled, then dragged Ding Dahua inside from outside.

"Let me go!" Ding Dahua was very uncomfortable, having been a chairman for over ten years and a big brother in the underworld all his life, he never expected to be pushed around by some kid at his age. Extremely annoyed, this made Ding Dahua feel a surge of rage.

As Ding Dahua walked in, he saw Lin Chuan was just a green youth and laughed, "Oh, who do I think it is? Turns out to be just a wet-behind-the-ears kid, you dare to call yourself a boss at your age? And even claim to be the number two figure in the eastern district?"

"Ding Dahua, President Ding?" Lin Chuan glanced at him, "Thirteen years old the first time you went to the police station, for speculation and profiteering. At twenty, you were arrested for raping a girl from the same village and got out on bail due to connections. At twenty-two, you made your first pot of gold through smuggling. At twenty-four, you established your company…"

Lin Chuan read out Ding Dahua's life history in one breath, which greatly shocked him. A man in his forties, with such rich and colorful life experience, had no idea how this youngster could have such a clear grasp of his past, which made Ding Dahua even more puzzled.

"What… what do you mean?" Ding Dahua dared not underestimate Lin Chuan.

"President Ding, someone has to be accountable for the gymnasium incident, right?" Lin Chuan smiled, "You running away like this, isn't it throwing all the responsibility onto Tang Yumeng? Secretary Tang, being a woman, do you have the heart to watch her be caught in the whirlpool of public opinion?"

"What's that got to do with me?" Ding Dahua shook his head vigorously, "The gymnasium affair has nothing to do with me. It's all Chen Minghua's doing – he provided substandard steel, all inferior materials. If not for the issues with his steel, the building I constructed would have had no problems, and the design from my company was also flawless."

"You're the direct responsible person, Chen Minghua is the indirect one," Lin Chuan gently sipped his tea before speaking, "So now, we need someone to step up and take responsibility."

"Don't, don't look at me!" Ding Dahua shook his head hurriedly.

"So many people died, and you still think you can just walk away." Lin Chuan's expression became stern, his eyes filling with anger.

In that instance, the room inexplicably chilled, the temperature plummeting several degrees. A powerful pressure surged towards Ding Dahua in a flash. He staggered backward several steps, his face showing an expression of shock, feeling incredibly terrified. He never expected that this young man would possess such an imposing pressure.

In his lifetime, Ding Dahua had encountered all sorts of individuals - he had met seasoned old-timers, big bosses, and even national leaders. Yet none had the overwhelming presence that Lin Chuan had just exhibited. The greatness of Lin Chuan's aura lay in its almost lethal intensity, like an invisible blade held to one's neck, overwhelming him with its force.

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