BOOM!

Just as Su Ke'er stepped out of the factory, the gate slammed shut behind her.

Staring at the tightly closed factory gate, Su Ke'er finally came to her senses.

She didn't leave right away, instead rushing toward the iron gate. She raised her hand to knock forcefully but then let it fall again.

What use would it be to go back inside?

It would only cause more trouble for Lin Mu.

"Ke'er, let's hurry and leave. It's too dangerous here," her mother said, pulling on her arm with a look of pure fear.

"Mom, how can you be like this? He came to save you, and you want to just walk away?" Su Ke'er's eyes reddened.

Her mother snorted coldly and said, "Save me? It was *they* who let us go, okay? Can't you see those bad men are after that Lin fellow? Stop sticking your nose where it doesn't belong and let's go!" Her mother tugged at her arm again.

Su Ke'er remained unmoved.

"Are you going or not?" her mother demanded. "If you're not leaving, I am. I don't want to stay here and get killed."

With that, she turned and walked away with large strides.

Watching her mother's receding figure, Su Ke'er felt helpless and hurried to catch up.

I'll take Mom somewhere safe, and then I'll come back. she had already decided. If anything happens to Lin Mu, I'll stay with him, no matter the cost. If he's unharmed, that would be even better.

Although she knew Lin Mu was highly capable, she also knew he was badly outnumbered.

Lin Mu, wait for me! If anything happens to you, I'll be right there with you!

Recalling the moments since she'd met Lin Mu—his bold actions, how he calmly told her not to be afraid because he would handle everything, how he resolutely stayed behind so she could leave—Su Ke'er's icy heart began to thaw, and tears blurred her vision.

「Inside the factory.」

Hearing no knocking at the gate, Lin Mu felt completely relieved.

I'm about to start killing people, and it's better if Su Ke'er doesn't see it. More importantly, if they used her to threaten me, my hands would be tied, and it would be hard to use my full strength.

"Heh, kid, let's talk," the young man said with a laugh. "If you want to negotiate, you'd better have something to back it up."

It seemed that letting Su Ke'er and her mother go didn't bother him in the slightest.

If he could catch them once, he could catch them twice.

His only goal was to keep Lin Mu here.

In his eyes, Lin Mu was like a fish on the chopping block, completely at his mercy.

"Something to back it up?"

Lin Mu stretched his back and said, "Don't worry, I won't disappoint you."

"You've gone to such lengths to lure me here," Lin Mu said with a faint smile. "It seems you have some big business to discuss."

"Smart!"

The young man snapped his fingers. "Since we're both straightforward, let's get right to the point."

He introduced himself, "My name is Fang Jian, from the Jiangling Fang Family."

Jiangling Fang Family?

Lin Mu had heard of the Fang Family. In Jiangling, they were considered a first-rate powerhouse. The family had numerous assets and countless industries under its name, with a history stretching back nearly a century.

But Lin Mu knew something more: the Fang family he had previously destroyed seemed to have a deeper connection with *this* Fang Family. That other Fang family was like an offshoot of descendants who had been kicked out of the main clan's records.

It seemed that by wiping out that lesser family, he had now drawn the attention of the main Fang Family.

Compared to the main Fang Family, the one he had destroyed was nothing more than a tiny ant; they were completely incomparable.

And from Fang Jian's methods, it was clear he was sending a message: even outside of Jiangling, his Fang Family had countless ways to deal with Lin Mu.

Perhaps an ordinary person, under the Fang Family's tyrannical might, would have no choice but to submit or surrender.

But Lin Mu was different.

The Fang Family was indeed powerful, but it seemed they hadn't thoroughly investigated his true identity.

Lin Mu chuckled. "The Jiangling Fang Family. Your reach is quite long."

"That's precisely what proves my Fang Family is qualified to do so," Fang Jian said with a confident smile. "My family was already planning to expand into River City. After investigating, however, we discovered that more than half of River City's influential enterprises have already partnered with your Boheng Pharma."

Smiling slightly, Fang Jian continued, "Now, I am very interested in your company's newly developed project."

There's a traitor in the company! This was Lin Mu's first thought. So that's why they went to such lengths to get their hands on Su Ke'er's mother. The company's new project could potentially change the direction of the entire industry, maybe even the public's way of life. As the general manager, Su Ke'er would know something about it. But they didn't get any information from her, so they turned their attention directly to me, the chairman. The person who leaked the information to Fang Jian must only know that Boheng Pharma is preparing a new product, without any of the specifics. As for the major players I'm cooperating with, none of them would dare to betray me. It seems the last cleanup didn't teach some people a lesson. Once I've settled this, I'll have to conduct a thorough investigation of the entire company. There can be absolutely no mishaps with this product's development! It's directly related to my future cultivation.

"Oh? What kind of interest are we talking about?" Lin Mu asked, his expression unchanged as he watched Fang Jian.

"You can either work with my Fang Family to make a fortune together, or you can hand over the formula, and I'll give you a generous sum," Fang Jian said, casually picking at his fingernails. "Of course, if you choose to cooperate, my Fang Family will naturally take the lead. Don't worry, whichever you choose, I won't disappoint you."

He was confident Lin Mu would agree. After all, he was a scion of the Fang Family.

"Oh? And you call that cooperation?" Lin Mu raised an eyebrow.

He was surprised Fang Jian had the gall to try and kick him out of the picture to take his formula for himself.

"This is the best option for you," Fang Jian said, staring into Lin Mu's eyes. "It's also your only option."

"And what if I don't agree?" Lin Mu said flatly.

"If you don't agree?"

Fang Jian nodded slightly. "Then I have ways to make you agree."

Behind him, a brawny man took a step forward. This man knew some martial arts, and his skill was considerable; an ordinary taekwondo black belt would be no match for him.

The group of thugs watched Lin Mu with mocking expressions. They had seen him in action earlier and figured he could fight a little, but against Wang Hu, he wouldn't stand a chance.

Only the quadruplet brothers stood with their arms crossed, their eyes seemingly closed in meditation, not even sparing Lin Mu a glance.

In their view, dealing with someone like Lin Mu probably wouldn't even require their intervention.

Lin Mu looked at Fang Jian and couldn't help but shake his head. "Idiot. If I were you, I would never choose this method to discuss a partnership."

"This isn't just my method."

Fang Jian threw his head back and laughed, his face radiating confidence.

"It's the Fang Family's style!"

With a wave of his hand, Fang Jian commanded, "Go on. Let him experience our style firsthand!"

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