Hearing Xu Ke's words, Li Lang was still reluctant to act. "But what if you don't give me the antidote?"

Xu Ke replied, "Underneath the wooden plaque isn't just incense, but also a day's worth of the antidote. As long as you take it, the ulcer on your chest will improve."

Upon hearing this, Li Lang's entire body stiffened.

Finally, with no way out, a desperate Li Lang cursed, "You were planning to kill me from noon onwards?"

"You're so fucking despicable!"

The greater his hope for survival had been moments ago, the deeper his despair was now.

Everyone inside the villa was still celebrating their narrow escape…

But it turned out Xu Ke never planned to let any of them go from the very beginning!

Even if Li Lang took action and became the last survivor, his life was still in Xu Ke's hands. He would still be nothing more than a blade for Xu Ke to wield…

"Heh heh."

Xu Ke couldn't be bothered to acknowledge him.

Despicable? Was he even worthy of calling Xu Ke despicable?

"The ten-minute countdown starts now. Make your choice: your life, or theirs," Xu Ke said indifferently before hanging up.

Listening to the dial tone, a chill shot through Li Lang, and his body went rigid. A coldness rose from the depths of his heart, and he couldn't muster a single shred of strength.

What should I do? he muttered, his face deathly pale as cold sweat trickled down from his temples.

Killing Sun Luo and the others was a dead end. Even if he was coerced, the Huang Family and Wong Ting would not spare him.

How could the Li Family possibly survive caught between two behemoths?

But if I don't listen to Xu Ke, aren't I just as dead?

No, that's not right. There must be another way. There has to be, Li Lang swallowed hard, trying to hypnotize himself into a state of calm.

He quickly glanced at the people inside the villa. No one was watching him. He ran over to the wooden plaque and, after another cautious peek inside, dug out a plastic bag. Inside were three sticks of incense that smelled vaguely of sandalwood and a pill wrapped in paper.

Even through the paper, a refreshing fragrance from the pill drifted into his nostrils.

Excitement surged in Li Lang's heart. This really is the antidote!

Xu Ke has already left; he can't touch me now, Li Lang thought, clutching the paper, his words a desperate attempt to steady himself. I'll tell Wong Ting the truth. Surely someone under his command can analyze this pill and recreate the real antidote. Then, I can use this to accuse Xu Ke of premeditated murder and turn the whole situation around…

At this thought, a spark finally lit up in Li Lang's eyes, and his face flushed with excitement.

I can live! I can still find a way to survive!

With this in mind, he eagerly turned to head back to the villa and tell Chang Yi and Sun Luo the truth.

But just then, he noticed that the paper wrapped around the pill seemed to have writing on it.

Li Lang subconsciously stopped, unfolded it, and read the contents. All the excitement he had just felt vanished in an instant.

The words on the paper were concise and forceful:

*"This is not an antidote; it's a Poison Accelerant. It takes effect upon inhalation."*

*"Without the antidote by midnight, you will die."*

In horror, Li Lang threw the paper away, but the scent had already infiltrated his body.

The next moment, he felt a heart-piercing pain in his chest, and black blood began to flow from his orifices.

"Ah…" Li Lang screamed.

Pain. Such agony!

Li Lang felt as if he were being tortured in the eighteen levels of hell. His body couldn't withstand the agony, and he curled up on the ground. Luckily, his location was secluded and no one noticed. Otherwise, his ghastly condition would have been seen by all.

"Xu Ke, what did I ever do to you to deserve this torture?!" Li Lang wheezed, desperately clutching at the parts of his body wracked with pain. His fingernails dug into his own flesh as he tried to distract himself with a different agony, but it was no use.

I'm scared! I'm truly scared! Li Lang thought. Not only was he afraid, he was filled with regret. If only I had known it would come to this, why couldn't I have just cooperated with Xu Ke? Why did I have to provoke such a terrifying man with such sinister and unpredictable methods?!

Alas, there was no medicine for regret in this world.

Li Lang's agony lasted for just over a minute, but to him, it felt like centuries. He struggled back to his feet and silently returned to the villa through a small door to clean himself up.

Looking at the incense in his hand, Li Lang pulled out the sidearm he always carried.

「The Hall」

Chang Yi was sending Xu Ke's information to Huang Sheng. He then closed his eyes to rest, waiting for the Huang Family's people to come and pick them up.

Nearby, Sun Luo was swearing from time to time. "For fuck's sake, when are they going to get here?! Didn't you think to have a few spare cars on standby? Can't we call an ambulance?"

The pain was so intense he felt he was nearing death. But Xu Ke had also wrecked their cars when he arrived, leaving them stranded.

The only one who could speak to Sun Luo was Kang Dehui, who managed a forced smile. "Elder Sun, there's nothing we can do. Calling an ambulance would expose us."

"Motherfucker! Are you the only one who can flap his gums?" Sun Luo berated him. "You think I don't know that?"

Kang Dehui seethed but dared not say a word. The others were deathly silent. As for the men Xu Ke had run down, they were all but dead on the floor.

Just then, an unusual fragrance suddenly wafted through the living room.

Kang Dehui was the first to notice. He looked around curiously. "Why is there a fragrance?"

Hearing this, Chang Yi's expression changed abruptly. He had an ominous premonition.

At that moment, Li Lang emerged from the side. "Go check where that scent is coming from! It might be a trap left behind by that bastard Xu Ke. Don't let yourselves get poisoned by accident!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the faces of Sun Luo, Chang Yi, and Kang Dehui all changed. Li Lang's subordinates hurriedly scattered to find the source of the fragrance.

"That bastard is like a lingering ghost!" Sun Luo gritted his teeth. The scent was making him anxious all over again.

"Let's get out first. We shouldn't stay here," Chang Yi said, rising to his feet with a frown, not yet realizing something was amiss.

Just then, Kang Dehui suddenly exclaimed in horror, "Elder Chang, watch out!"

"What?"

Chang Yi's eyes widened, and he instinctively tried to gather his True Qi. But to his horror, it suddenly dissipated!

BANG—

In that instant, a bullet burst from the muzzle, piercing Chang Yi's heart and soaking his clothes in crimson blood.

He stared at Li Lang, the shooter, in disbelief. "Why... why?!"

But Li Lang ignored him, instead aiming the gun at Sun Luo. If they don't fight, they'll all die, he thought, then barked, "Sun Luo, fight back!"

Sun Luo had just opened his mouth to yell, "You motherfu—"

BANG—

A second gunshot silenced him.

Then, a third shot.

BANG—

Kang Dehui didn't even have time to react before he screamed and collapsed.

Looking at the three men lying in pools of their own blood, Li Lang expressionlessly massaged his wrist, which ached from the recoil.

"A traitor... You're a traitor?!" Chang Yi glared at Li Lang, his face a ferocious mask of pain, his eyes burning with towering hatred.

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