"Just give me a straight answer. Are you going to help me or not?"

"Can't help, I really can't. I genuinely don't know how to drive a tank."

"Is there no room for negotiation?"

"How about I introduce you to another rideshare driver?"

Lu Chuang stared intensely into Xia Liang's eyes, looking like he was on the verge of erupting, but he forced a smile in the end.

"I knew it wouldn't be easy to get you on board," he chuckled. "But don't think I don't have a backup plan."

"What backup plan could you have? I'm not looking for anything, and I don't need the money."

Xia Liang picked up a slice of bamboo shoot and put it in his mouth.

"That Hui Teng of yours broke down, didn't it?" Lu Chuang said mysteriously. "Ever heard of the Hongqi L90?"

Xia Liang blinked. Everyone knew Dragon Country didn't have any supercars of its own. Besides certain underdeveloped areas of technology, the main issue was the lack of a market.

For the same price of several million, everyone would choose a famous foreign brand. But this was only for regular brands. This time, Hongqi itself entered the fray, releasing the concept design for a top-tier luxury car, the L90.

And this wasn't just some baseless rumor or pie-in-the-sky promise.

"I've heard of it. So what?"

Xia Liang shook his head and took another bite of food.

Lu Chuang placed two empty bowls in front of him and pointed at one of them.

"Let's say this bowl is the L90, and the other is your favorite car model," Lu Chuang said, pointing. "If you were to combine the two, what do you think would happen?"

"You mean…"

An excited Lu Chuang clapped Xia Liang on the back.

"We'll have the L90's top design team custom-make a carbon-fiber body for you, but we'll use the engine and all the other components from your original car! Hahaha, think about it! After the transplant, it'll be lighter and stronger. What do you say?"

"Seriously? How can you guarantee the L90 design team will help?"

To be honest, Xia Liang was tempted. After all, driving a car of my own design... there would only be one in the entire world. That's way cooler than a Lamborghini Poison. If I could really get my hands on a top-of-the-line carbon fiber body and then pair it with the Hui Teng's super engine, this thing would literally fly.

"Don't you worry about how. Just tell me if you want it or not."

Seeing Lu Chuang acting drunk, Xia Liang shook his head and decided to let it go. Besides, I have the money. If it comes down to it, I can just start my own company to build one.

After several more rounds of drinks, Xia Liang still hadn't budged. Lu Chuang was out of options.

"Daughter, see Xia Liang out for me! Hahaha! You stubborn ass, just you wait! This Master will return to the Northern Border one day and tear down your command post!"

Even after stepping out of the entryway, Xia Liang could still hear Lu Chuang's incoherent shouting. He was probably completely plastered.

"Please don't laugh. Dad's always like this when he's happy," Lu Xumei said, sounding a little helpless.

"I'm not. I actually find him rather endearing. He doesn't put on the airs of a powerful man."

Xia Liang stretched lazily. All he wanted now was to go home and get a good night's sleep. His body wasn't tired, but his mind was exhausted.

Lu Xumei looked worried. "Are you sure you don't need a ride?"

"A little walk will help me sober up."

Xia Liang waved his hand.

"Alright then. See you next time, niece."

Lu Xumei's face darkened. "Who are you calling niece?"

"Your dad calls me his little brother. Going by seniority, shouldn't I call you niece?"

Xia Liang's logic was sound. While it made sense, Lu Xumei still found it hard to accept.

"Let's just keep our relationships separate."

But Xia Liang had already walked off and didn't hear her, which made Lu Xumei stamp her foot in frustration. Still, as he was a guest, she worried he might fall into a ditch or something on the way to his car, so she followed him from a distance.

When he reached the guard post, the sentry saluted him respectfully. Xia Liang returned it out of pure reflex. Having grown up in the military compound, Lu Xumei had seen her share of salutes and could tell his was standard and powerful. It looked good on him.

After watching Xia Liang leave, Lu Xumei returned home.

Her father was playing chess with her grandfather.

"Did he get into his ride safely?" the old man chuckled as the ever-dutiful Lu Xumei began massaging his shoulders.

"He caught a taxi, so it should be fine. Dad, why are you so interested in Xia Liang?"

"A child is just a child, unaware of the deeper currents," Lu Chuang said quietly, moving a chess piece. "Let's not even mention that I have a favor to ask of him. Just think about professions. When you do something long enough, you start to carry a certain... air about you."

"For example, you and Grandpa always smell like a laboratory. I always smell like gunpowder. But Xia Liang…"

Lu Xumei quickly asked, "What about Xia Liang?"

"He's very strange. So rich, yet he doesn't have the slightest hint of a merchant's aura."

「Meanwhile, the person they were discussing was sitting in the back of a taxi.」

Xia Liang glanced out the window.

"Driver, this road doesn't look right."

"There's some traffic, so I'm taking a slight detour. Don't worry, I won't charge you extra."

Xia Liang smiled and said nothing more, his gaze still fixed on the scenery outside. Qingyun City was indeed congested. During the evening rush hour, traffic on the main roads slowed to a snail's pace.

"Driver, you must be from out of town and new to this job. In Qingyun City, taxis are required to keep their rooftop advertising lights on at night. If the company catches you slacking off, you'll be fined."

The driver kept his eyes on the road. "Thanks for the reminder. I almost forgot."

Xia Liang chuckled. They had just reached a secluded side road that was perfect for a stroll. "Alright, you can just let me out here. I'll walk the rest of the way. How much?"

"Thirty-two yuan."

"Here you go."

BANG!

CRASH!

Under a deserted streetlight, the taxi's windshield shattered into countless pieces. Half of the driver's body lunged out through the broken windshield, his head streaming with blood.

"Talk. Who sent you? Confess, and I might be kind enough to hand you over to Yaoyao Ling."

Xia Liang got out of the car, walked to the front, and grabbed the driver by the head.

A glint of cold light! A bayonet with a faint, sinister glow!

The moment his head was grabbed, the driver shot a bayonet out from his sleeve, aiming straight for Xia Liang's neck!

But in the next instant, the driver's pupils contracted violently. The tip of the bayonet stopped just two inches from the spot between Xia Liang's eyebrows, unable to advance another millimeter.

Pinching the blade between two fingers, Xia Liang sighed.

"I gave you a chance, but you didn't take it. Now, I'm no longer interested in who sent you."

This was a premeditated assassination, likely set in motion the moment he entered the military compound. The only ones who would want to kill a mere rideshare driver like him would be the Great Star Company. They must have sensed something. Or maybe... Sacred Fire?

But no matter who it was, from the moment they attacked him, they were his enemy. And enemies could only be dead men. Pity? What's that? Can you eat it?

Xia Liang grabbed the assassin's head and slammed it hard against the car's hood.

CRACK!

The sound of a fracturing skull.

The assassin let out an agonized, bestial scream. His expression twisted with ferocity, and the murderous glint in his eyes intensified.

As Xia Liang gripped the wrist that held the bayonet, the assassin flicked two fingers, turning the dagger into a projectile that shot swiftly toward Xia Liang's eyes. This assassin was clearly specially trained; every part of his body could be used as a weapon.

Xia Liang tilted his head, and the blade grazed his cheek before disappearing into the darkness.

"Quite crafty."

He gripped the assassin's wrist, pushed it back, and then yanked it forward with all his might. With a sickening SNAP, the man's entire arm was dislocated.

Xia Liang wasn't finished. After dislocating the assassin's arm, he balled his other hand into a fist and punched the now-useless joint. Another horrifying crunch of breaking bone echoed through the air. The man's arm was completely ruined. Finally, Xia Liang grabbed the assassin's head and slammed it against the hood again.

Once!

Twice!

Three times!

Then... silence. The man was dead.

Xia Liang glanced at the warm blood on his hands before he began searching the assassin's body for clues.

Suddenly, he felt a cold, hostile presence lock onto him. Without a moment's hesitation, he threw himself into a roll.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

Three bullets struck the dead assassin's body in a tight triangular pattern. Even shooting a handgun was a display of skill. A novice, for example, would just shoot randomly, bullets flying everywhere. Someone with training could maintain a relatively stable trajectory. But an expert knew how to fire in a way that left their target no room to escape.

The middle-aged woman lurking in the shadows was just such an expert.

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