Chapter 124: A Ruthless Gambit

Wang Daoquan then dialed Hu Rongqiang’s number, summoning his most capable right-hand man.

Because his son, Hu Bin, was in a foul mood that day, Hu Rongqiang and his wife, Wang Yue’e, were out shopping to cheer him up and had not attended the gathering. At this moment, they were browsing a Seven Wolves specialty store; Wang Yue’e and Hu Bin were busy selecting belts, while Hu Rongqiang squatted on the steps outside the storefront, smoking heavily.

Upon receiving the call from Wang Daoquan, Hu Rongqiang uttered three consecutive "alrights," then swung his hand to discard his cigarette butt and spat firmly on the ground. Striding into the store, he gave a brief word to his wife and son before heading off to rally his men and storm the Brilliant Hotel to make arrests. He understood that the power structure of Bincheng was likely about to be reorganized. The winds in Bincheng were changing.

At the same time, inside the auditorium of the Brilliant Hotel, an unexpected turn of events had pushed the situation beyond Lin Yu’s control.

A few minutes late, Jia Quan’s bodyguard arrived at the hotel with a group of men in a flurry of activity. Seeing his savior and knowing that Wang Kezhou was planning to move against him, Jia Quan was instantly re-energized. He knew that while his dozen or so bodyguards were not of the highest overall caliber, his personal bodyguard, Wang Yan, possessed formidable combat prowess. A mere nobody like Lin Yu would be easily handled by Wang Yan alone.

When he first heard Wang Kezhou shout the word "smuggling," Jia Quan’s heart had turned cold. He was well aware of the truth behind his son Jia Qing’s fishing vessels. If this matter were leveraged by the opposing faction, he would surely be reduced to ashes, just like the fleet at the Battle of Red Cliffs. However, after a moment’s reflection, he reasoned that if he could just leave and handle things carefully—burying the evidence—an investigation might not lead to ruin. All he needed now was to race against time.

"Let’s go!" Despite his intense desire to retaliate against Lin Yu, Jia Quan decided to leave first for the sake of the bigger picture, once his bodyguards had arrived. He planned to use the time difference to remotely coordinate the destruction of evidence. If he succeeded, he would remain the top leader of Bincheng and could even seize the opportunity to land a fatal blow against Wang Kezhou.

"Stop right there! You cannot leave!"

Seeing Jia Quan attempting to depart, the first to stand up was not Lin Yu, but Mayor Wang Kezhou. He felt that since they had already dropped the facade, there was no need to maintain any pretense of civility.

"Ruthless," Lin Yu, watching from behind Wang Kezhou, silently assessed.

At this moment, Wang Kezhou truly possessed a commanding presence that could suppress the entire room. Moreover, with so many bodyguards on the other side, any hostile move against him would be a grave complication.

"He’s stalling for the police. We need to leave, now," Jia Quan whispered to Jia Qing and the others, ignoring Wang Kezhou’s warning. With that, the group of over a dozen men, accompanied by two glamorous female celebrities, began to bustle toward the auditorium exit.

"I said, for God’s sake, tell them all to stop! Are you deaf?" Seeing his orders ignored, Wang Kezhou pulled out a pitch-black handgun!

"Gasps!"

Many of the women in the room couldn't help but scream, especially the female officials standing closest to Wang Kezhou; their shrill cries were starkly at odds with their usual dignified images. In truth, it was hard to blame them for losing their composure. In their eyes, Mayor Wang Kezhou had always been a refined and scholarly figure; they could never have imagined him carrying a firearm. It was as if Li Yu had suddenly transformed into Zhao Kuangyin—the contrast was simply too jarring.

Faced with this scene, reminiscent of a showdown between two titans in the old Shanghai underworld, Jia Quan and his group naturally froze, unable to move another step. After all, with a gun pointed at them, no one dared to act rashly.

"What are you doing? You are breaking the law while knowing it, openly defying the laws of the nation!" Having endured countless shocks, Jia Quan was now utterly incensed and demanded loudly.

Seeing the usually unflappable Jia Quan lose control, Wang Kezhou gave a profound smile and said, word by word: "Article 128, Paragraph 1 of the Criminal Law of our country stipulates that those who violate gun control regulations by illegally possessing or storing firearms or ammunition shall be sentenced to fixed-term imprisonment of not more than three years, criminal detention, or public surveillance; if the circumstances are serious, they shall be sentenced to fixed-term imprisonment of not less than three years but not more than seven years."

Halfway through, his tone sharpened: "So, the most I will get is seven years. But you, and your son—you face grave charges of smuggling involving massive sums. You will surely be sentenced to life imprisonment or death!"

"This mayor is truly a ruthless character who does big things," Lin Yu thought to himself, evaluating Wang Kezhou’s performance. He felt that the mayor now resembled Du Yuesheng, the emperor of the Green Gang in the old Shanghai.

Standing a few meters away, Jia Quan was trembling with rage. He was no longer most furious at Lin Yu, but at his old rival, Wang Kezhou. The man’s stance clearly indicated an intent to see him dead. Having been a man of power for so long, Jia Quan’s mind remained sharp despite his emotional instability. After a brief thought, he gritted his teeth, looked at his bodyguard Wang Yan, and said calmly: "Xiao Wang, I’ve taken care of you for many years. Now, I am in a dire situation. Can you do one thing for me?"

"Uncle, tell me," Wang Yan said, his eyes misting over. It was the first time he had seen Jia Quan so wretched, and his heart ached.

"Help me kill this Wang Kezhou, or let him kill you! He wants to drag us down, so we’ll take him to the grave with us!" Jia Quan said coldly.

The statement made Jia Qing and the two female celebrities tremble. What was this? Total annihilation? Jia Qing, who hadn't yet realized the gravity of the situation, was truly terrified. No one understood Jia Quan better than he did. His father, in life and in office, had always been meticulous; yet now, he was ordering Wang Yan to kill. This was driving them toward a dead end!

"Dad, is it really that bad?" he asked in a low voice.

"Finish off this Wang Kezhou, and we still have a chance. If he lives, we’re both doomed. He is no simple man. There is a reason why your father is asking Wang Yan to kill him," Jia Quan explained to his son, then looked calmly at Wang Yan as he stepped forward, one pace at a time.

With each step Wang Yan took, it felt as though he were trampling on his own heart—heavy, so heavy. To the onlookers, his retreating back carried the tragic air of a warrior crossing the Yi River, never to return.

Logically, with so many people present, a collective rush would surely have been enough to restrain Wang Yan, a bodyguard with special forces training. However, the attendees were primarily government officials; who would be willing to risk their own lives to save another?

Jia Quan’s resort to such a low-handed tactic left Wang Kezhou in a difficult spot, his hand even beginning to tremble as he held the gun. He had heard of Wang Yan—reputed to be the bravest man in Bincheng and formidable indeed.

Knowing that Wang Kezhou absolutely did not want to trade lives with a bodyguard, Lin Yu stepped forward twice and made a gesture of invitation to Wang Yan.

"If you want to touch Mayor Wang, you’ll have to get through me first."