"After receiving your call, I examined these blueprints. This was once the secret passage used by Poison Dragon for illegal transactions, now it's an abandoned basement with a door that connects to the city's underground sewers, which I've locked from the inside. The rest of the area is just standard business premises. If Poison Dragon is indeed here, this warehouse is the most likely place. However, to enter, he must pass through the main hall to get to the basement, where security guards are stationed, making it difficult for anyone to come and go."

"If it's Poison Dragon, he must have the key to this door." Once Xiao Lin confirmed the location, he searched for a way to enter and exit here without going through the building. "Since it's the city's underground sewage system, the building should have its drainage pipes. Where is the nearest underground pipe entrance to this area?"

Liang Feng pulled out the pipeline distribution map and overlaid it on the previous diagram. "The nearest opening is in the underground parking lot, here at this manhole cover."

"Alright, this is the place."

"Brother Xiao!" As Xiao Lin turned to walk out of the office, Liang Feng called out to him.

"Don't worry." Xiao Lin returned, patting Liang Feng's cheek. "You're not allowed to follow."

In the underground parking lot, relying on memory, Xiao Lin quickly found the manhole cover. His assumption was correct; from the loose gaps, it was evident someone had moved it.

The edge of a long untouched cover should be covered with dust and sand, but here were clear signs of removed debris and drag marks. Xiao Lin jumped down the entrance, the underground water covering his calves, and after looking around, he headed to the left.

Throughout, he used his fingers to feel the wall, tapping the stone with his knuckles to measure the wall's thickness.

Approaching an elevated platform, Xiao Lin found the door. He threw his bag onto the platform, and jumped up, pressing against the door, listening for movement inside.

Poison Dragon smoked incessantly, filling the small space with swirling smoke. Lian frowned at the door, the smoke entering her trachea through her nostrils, making her extremely uncomfortable. She coughed continuously, further irritating the already irate Poison Dragon, who came over and yanked her up.

"Damn it, keep quiet!" he said, letting go, causing Lian to fall to the ground. "Half an hour, and your man hasn't arrived yet."

"I told you already, you've got the wrong person." Lian suppressed the itch rising in her throat, knowing any slip could provoke this man's negative emotions against her.

"Trying to fool me?" Poison Dragon spat and moved closer to Lian, his cloudy eyes lighting up with a lascivious glint.

"What do you want to do?" Seeing Poison Dragon acting strangely, Lian instinctively stepped back, her fingers working faster to loosen the ropes on her hands, just a bit more, and they'd be free.

"What do you think I want to do? With such a beauty here, how could I not take some action?" Fatty Wang told him not to come on too strongly, but who would listen to him? With Elder Guo gone, what could Fatty Wang possibly do? Money is useless in this case.

"I'm warning you, you'd better not try anything funny." Lian positioned her foot against Poison Dragon's shoulder, trying to keep him at bay.

Poison Dragon grabbed her ankle and yanked her closer, causing Lian to fall to the ground. Just as Poison Dragon was about to pounce, Lian freed her hands, striking his chest with her palm. Unprepared, Poison Dragon took a solid hit to his chest. Infuriated, he twisted her ankle, hanging her upside down and flung her away.

With a loud crash, she slammed against a cabinet, falling to the ground. As she tried to stand, Poison Dragon was already there, kicking her in the abdomen. She raised her arms to block the foot, pushing upward to create space, then quickly scrambled to her feet, dashing toward the exit.

"Trying to run?" Poison Dragon caught her hair as she reached the door, dragging her back toward him. As Lian lost her balance, she eyed the cabinet to the side, using it to vault over and, despite the sharp pain in her scalp, aimed a blow at Poison Dragon's chin. The impact forced him to release her; he didn't expect such resistance from a woman and pulled out his gun, firing at Lian.

Hearing the gunfire from inside, Xiao Lin didn't hesitate. He took out a makeshift bomb from his bag, attached it to the door lock, connected the wires, and jumped off the platform.

With a loud boom, the door was blown off its hinges, crashing to the ground with a deafening noise. Poison Dragon stared at the rising dust, ignoring Lian lying on the floor. No one emerged from behind the door, and as the dust settled, it was empty. Cautiously, he approached the destroyed door, his gun steady.

"Come out!" he shouted toward the entrance, but no one responded.

Yet another loud explosion occurred behind Poison Dragon, a wall blown open to reveal a hole. He turned abruptly as a dark figure closed in. Before he could react, a sharp pain surged through his nose. He clutched it, feeling warm blood seep through his fingers.

The shadow moved again, but this time Poison Dragon didn't dare be reckless. He chose to back away, abandoning the idea of a head-on showdown in favor of a retreat.

After the attack, Xiao Lin frantically searched for any sign of Lian but couldn't spot her in the cramped space. Angered, he glared at Poison Dragon, who seemed equally confused about where Lian had gone. Left without leverage, Poison Dragon was also searching for her, knowing that capturing her would ensure Xiao Lin obeyed his commands.

Lian had hidden herself in an abandoned cabinet following the first explosion. A bullet from Poison Dragon had grazed her arm, though thankfully leaving no penetrating wound. Breathing heavily, the pain radiating from her lower abdomen made her wince. Xiao Lin had warned her against using martial arts, as it would only hurt her more. She chuckled softly but decided against emerging after seeing Poison Dragon guarding the exit. She stayed put, realizing leaving would only complicate things for Xiao Lin.

"I'm here, hand over the person." Xiao Lin stood just an arm's length from the cabinet where Lian was hiding.

"Where's Chu Fangxiu?" Poison Dragon noticed only Xiao Lin had come and realized the other party never intended to spare him.

"Do you think I'd give you the chance to threaten me?" Xiao Lin couldn't help but raise a cold smile. "Even your master doesn't want you anymore, and you still think you can negotiate terms with me? Hand over the person, and I'll leave you a whole corpse."

"You're the one joking, right?" Poison Dragon's eyes darted around. With no cards in hand, it would be better to escape first and talk later. The old man with the surname Guo died at his hand; Xiao Lin would be no match for him either.

Xiao Lin seemed to know what he would do, as before Poison Dragon could move, Xiao Lin had already lunged in front of him, a sharp scalpel appearing in his hand, slicing diagonally past Poison Dragon's chin.

A red mark stood in stark contrast on his dark skin. "This is a warning! Next time, I'll sever your throat." Xiao Lin blocked the doorway, preventing any possibility of escape.

"Your woman is not in my hands." Poison Dragon touched his chin. He hadn't even touched her, yet he was already bleeding profusely. This difference in strength made him feel like he had reached his end.

"Who do you think is more formidable, you or the old man from Southeast Asia?" Xiao Lin asked himself. "Do you want to know how he died? His arteries were crushed, losing consciousness bit by bit. Do you want to try it too?"

Poison Dragon was stunned; he had never heard of this method, but he knew this man wasn't lying. "Your woman is not with me."

"I know, I trust she can protect herself well."

"Let me go, and I can help get rid of Fatty Wang for you."

"Do you think I'd trust someone like you? You have no qualifications to negotiate terms with me." Xiao Lin's eyes swept past Poison Dragon to the cabinet behind him. "You have two choices: one, die by my hand; two, testify against Fatty Wang, and spend the rest of your life in prison."

"Do you take me for a fool? With so many people backing Fatty Wang, I'd be killed as soon as I went in." Poison Dragon sneered, finding Xiao Lin's words laughable.

"So you're choosing the first option, then!"

"No, there's a third option." Poison Dragon chuckled grimly and suddenly leapt back, moving towards the cabinet.

Seeing this, Xiao Lin moved immediately, but it was still half a step too late. Poison Dragon had already pulled Lian out from the cabinet, his armament dyed with red.

"Did you hurt her?" Xiao Lin faced Poison Dragon with a strange smile, sending chills down his spine.

"So what if I did?" Having regained some leverage, Poison Dragon's confidence overshadowed his unease. As long as this woman was in his hands, he wasn't afraid Xiao Lin would act rashly. "I warn you not to act recklessly. I'm bad-tempered, and if I'm careless, who knows what sort of injury she might suffer."

Lian frowned, not uttering a word, as Poison Dragon held her neck, her hands resting on his tattooed arm, with blood seeping from her shoulder.

"Drop the knife." Poison Dragon barked at Xiao Lin, seeing him take no further action.

Xiao Lin obediently discarded the weapon in his hand and raised both hands, indicating he was unarmed. "What do you want now?" Xiao Lin asked calmly.

"Aren't you rich? Prepare a hundred million and a ship for me. Once I'm out of the country, I'll release her."

"Alright, but before that, you answer a few questions."

"Bullshit, you have no right to negotiate terms with me now." Poison Dragon angrily struck Lian's abdomen, eliciting a flinch from her body, touching on Xiao Lin. He made no further plans but instead raised his hands.

"You deserve to die." As soon as these words exited, a silver gleam flashed, and three beams of light struck respectively into Poison Dragon's forehead, philtrum, and throat.

The fear radiating from Poison Dragon's glaring eyes caused Lian to feel the hands suppressing her neck gradually lose strength. Without needing to look back, she knew the person behind her was already dead. (To be continued. If you like this work, you're welcome to vote for it on Qidian (qidian.com) with recommended tickets or monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation.)

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