Chapter 098: Council at Sea East

By this time, in the large conference room at the far end of the corridor, the heavyweights of Haidong had already gathered.

These were all men who had made their names in the underworld of Haidong, figures with both standing and influence in the region, and many of them knew one another well enough to chat in high spirits.

Just then, the conference room door was pushed open, and Lin Le appeared before them in casual clothes, lean and slight of build.

At the sight of him, everyone exchanged glances.

“Kid, did you walk into the wrong room? This isn’t a place you can come,” sneered a burly one-eyed man with a black eye patch.

This one-eyed man was known as One-Eyed Mao. He was not from Haizhou, but a big shot from neighboring Su City.

The others erupted in laughter as well, thinking that some fool had blundered in here. Looking at Lin Le, it was like a lamb wandering into a pack of wolves.

Before Lin Le could speak, Guan Tianxiong stepped in behind him.

“Mind your manners. This is Mr. Lin Le, the one I invited to deal with Miao Shouren,” Guan Tianxiong said coldly, with a trace of anger.

It had taken him great effort to get Lin Le to agree to help; he did not want these foul-mouthed men to drive him away.

“What? Him? This is the so-called expert you found?” One-Eyed Mao cried in disbelief.

“Boss Guan, are you all right? Has Haizhou really fallen so low that you had to find a green little brat to save face? If I’d known this, I wouldn’t have come!” In Su City, One-Eyed Mao was no ordinary figure, and he spoke to Guan Tianxiong without the least restraint.

The rest of them were thrown into commotion as well.

Originally, Guan Tianxiong had said he wanted to discuss a plan with everyone to deal with Miao Shouren together.

Everyone knew how formidable Miao Shouren was, so they had all been wary and had not intended to attend the meeting. Only after Guan Tianxiong said he would bring in a martial arts master to hold the line did they see hope, and only then did they come all the way from Su City and Hang City.

Yet when they arrived, they discovered that the martial arts expert meant to steady the situation was merely a seventeen- or eighteen-year-old boy. At once, they became restless.

Was this not just treating them like fools?

“One-Eyed Mao, show Mr. Lin some respect, or I won’t be polite,” Guan Tianxiong said grimly. Though he could not handle Miao Shouren, dealing with One-Eyed Mao would be more than enough for him.

Before Guan Tianxiong could say anything else, Lin Le raised a hand to stop him, and Guan Tianxiong could only shut his mouth in irritation.

“You seem to doubt my ability?” Lin Le said lightly.

“And if I do? Someone like you wants to step forward and take on Miao Shouren? Do you think this is child’s play?” One-Eyed Mao said without a trace of courtesy.

Before he could finish, there came a sharp crack. In the very next instant, One-Eyed Mao, who had been shouting arrogantly a moment before, was slapped flat to the floor by Lin Le.

Everyone present was stunned senseless by Lin Le’s action. Even Guan Tianxiong and the others behind him widened their eyes in shock, hardly able to believe that this boy who looked like a high school student had actually dared to strike One-Eyed Mao in front of everyone.

After all, this was still Tianxiong Gang territory, and One-Eyed Mao, too, was a figure with name and rank. He had traveled all this way only to be beaten on their turf. Even Guan Tianxiong felt a little uneasy that the matter might spiral beyond control.

“You little bastard, you dare hit me? I think you’re tired of living…” One-Eyed Mao was furious beyond measure. No longer caring whose territory this was, he swung a fist at Lin Le.

But before his punch could land, there was a dull boom. Lin Le had already struck back with a fist, and One-Eyed Mao’s whole body was sent flying backward, crashing over five or six chairs.

“You dare lay hands on my boss? Watch me kill you!” Several of the men who had come with One-Eyed Mao, seeing him struck, rushed forward without another word to teach Lin Le a lesson.

Six bodyguards charged at once, and in an instant they were about to surround Lin Le.

But before any of them could reach him, Lin Le suddenly let out a thunderous roar.

“Roar!”

The sound rolled through the spacious conference room like a bolt of lightning.

It left everyone pale with terror, their scalps tingling. Some of the less courageous ones even dropped straight to the floor.

At the very same time Lin Le roared, a burst of white true energy exploded violently from his body.

The force was fierce beyond measure, shattering the air in an instant. One-Eyed Mao’s six subordinates had not even had time to react before they were all flung backward together.

With several heavy crashes, they each spat blood and fell hard to the ground, nearly fainting, too weak even to get back up.

This time, everyone was truly dumbstruck. The way they looked at Lin Le was filled with awe and fear.

“Does anyone still doubt my strength?” Lin Le asked calmly, sweeping his gaze around the room. Anyone he looked at felt a chill run down their spine.

He had already proven his power through action. With methods like his, these people were simply not in the same league.

“And you?” Lin Le looked toward One-Eyed Mao some distance away.

Though Lin Le had humiliated him in public, he had also shown him his terrifying means.

To One-Eyed Mao, if the other man wished it, then at any time, in any place, taking his life would be as easy as reaching into a pouch for something at hand.

Miao Shouren and the Red Beauty Society might be formidable, but this young man before him was even more terrifying than they were.

“I believe you! I believe you!” One-Eyed Mao no longer dared complain in the slightest and hurriedly nodded.

No one thought it beneath One-Eyed Mao, as a big shot, to be publicly disciplined by Lin Le and then publicly submit. On the contrary, they felt he was sensible. If he still dared to be stubborn now, that would truly be stupidity. Whether he could even make it back alive today was doubtful.

By now, someone had remembered a rumor that had once spread wildly through Haidong’s underworld: that Tianxiong Gang of Haizhou had been wiped out from top to bottom overnight by a martial arts boy of seventeen or eighteen.

They had all assumed it was only a rumor. But now it seemed unlikely to have come from nowhere.

The boy before them might well be the very martial arts prodigy said to have overturned the entire Tianxiong Gang.

Only then did they realize how suicidal their earlier contempt had been.

Just as everyone was preparing to sit down and discuss matters, the conference room door was opened again, and a man entered surrounded by several burly henchmen.

“It’s people from Black Flame Society!” someone recognized them.

Guan Tianxiong was also privately wondering. He had thought the North City side had never been on good terms with Tianxiong Gang and would not come, yet they had actually shown up.

Had they come to show him respect, or because they feared Miao Shouren and wanted to discuss countermeasures together?

Whatever the reason, since they were willing to come, he had to put on a proper front.

So Guan Tianxiong immediately forced a smile and greeted the other side’s leader.

But although Guan Tianxiong offered his smiling face and extended his hand, by the time he reached Qiao Kun, Qiao Kun acted as though he had not seen him at all and simply ignored him.

“I fucking…” Guan Tianxiong cursed inwardly, instantly angered.

Just as he was about to go argue with Qiao Kun, he saw Qiao Kun and his men walk straight up to Lin Le and bow respectfully together.

“Please forgive us, sir. We are late,” Qiao Kun and the others said deferentially.

This time, everyone was completely stunned.

What was going on? Guan Tianxiong of Haizhou’s South City and Qiao Kun of North City were supposed to be sworn enemies. And yet now they were both being so respectful toward this young man named Lin Le.

If that was the case, then was not all of Haizhou under his command?

And at that moment, the most astonished of all was Guan Tianxiong.

No matter what, he had never imagined that beyond himself, even their mortal enemies from North City knew Lin Le and treated him with deference.

At this moment, Guan Tianxiong felt more strongly than ever that he knew almost nothing about this youth he had already revered almost as a being above the clouds.