Wu Xiong's words left Qin An deeply anxious. Wu Xiong was now their only liaison within the Dragon Group, so he couldn't let Wu Xiong die.

Watching Hong Ling take away the coffee, Wu Xiong's eyes narrowed slightly.

Wu Xiong wasn't foolish; from Qin An's actions, he could tell there was definitely something wrong with that cup of coffee. If not for his remaining value, the others might have found a way to make him drink it.

Shortly afterward, Hong Ling returned with a steaming cup of coffee. Qin An smiled and said, "Brother Wu, can you delay your departure for a few days and help us out?"

"No way, I don't want to stay in this hellhole for even a day longer. Old An, you shouldn't go back on your word!" Wu Xiong replied, clearly displeased.

Of course, he was pretending. In truth, Wu Xiong was delighted the others continued to use him, for as long as they did, he'd have the opportunity to gather more intelligence.

"No need to rush, Wu Xiong. Your stay here won't be for nothing. If you can provide us with valuable clues, we'll double your reward." Qin An said with a smile.

In truth, Qin An knew no matter how much he offered, Wu Xiong would never receive it because the other side was already marked for death, so making empty promises was of no concern.

Wu Xiong's eyes lit up upon hearing this. Doubling the pay was a temptation enough to move him.

After pondering a while, Wu Xiong finally seemed to make up his mind and said, "Alright, I can agree to that, but I'll only stay for half a month longer. After that, regardless of circumstances, I need to go abroad."

Wu Xiong's performance was spot on, leaving almost no flaws.

Thus, despite being shrewd, Qin An saw nothing amiss.

"Good, Mr. Wu, it's agreed. As long as you can complete the task smoothly, our Qin family won't mistreat you." Qin An said with a smile.

Wu Xiong chuckled lightly and bid farewell to Qin An.

Initially, Hong Ling wanted to spend some tender moments with Wu Xiong, but he refused, citing the tight surveillance and the need not to spend too much time outside.

For reasons unknown, during this encounter, Wu Xiong felt no affection for the woman whom he once yearned for night and day. Instead, he felt a sense of disgust.

Qin An suspected nothing of Wu Xiong's excuses, merely attributing them to cautiousness.

After all, a principal member of the Dragon Group had just died, so the other side was surely conducting strict checks; even though Wu Xiong was the head of Dragon Group, caution was always wise.

Wu Xiong was carrying a listening device, so everything was being monitored by Lin Chen.

Inside the surveillance van, Lin Chen gritted his teeth. The Qin family indeed wasn't clean, colluding with the Dark Alliance.

Qin An received the news without delay and returned immediately to the Qin family.

Qin Wei was shocked upon hearing Qin An's report. After all, if Lin Chen truly uncovered any evidence, the consequences for the Qin family would be devastating.

Qin Wei hastily dialed a number, soon greeted by a cold voice from the line.

"Your Highness, you promised our collaboration would remain secret, but I just received news that after your Dark Alliance members were captured, they confessed and exposed our alliance with you." Qin Wei's tone held a hint of dissatisfaction.

"Family Head Qin, are you joking? I would never disclose such crucial information to my subordinates, and none of them have been captured by the Dragon Group recently." The fourth prince replied coldly.

"What? So I was deceived?" Qin Wei's expression altered.

"It seems you've been played; there must be something wrong with Wu Xiong. Otherwise, he couldn't possibly know about the Dark Alliance. Well, that's your mess to clean up, so deal with it yourself." With that, the other party abruptly hung up.

Qin Wei dialed the number again, but there was no response.

"Damn it!" Qin Wei angrily smashed the phone on the ground.

Seeing the shattered phone, Qin An's expression changed too, "How did it go for the Family Head?"

"We've been played by Wu Xiong; that guy is now a liability." Qin Wei said coldly.

"Liability? How is that possible?" Qin An's face changed.

We have connections with the Dark Alliance, besides you and me, no one else knows, and Qin An exposed it in one sentence; this isn't Zhang Tian confessing but rather him tricking us.

Qin An's face turned pale at this realization, clearly his response might bury the entire Qin family.

He sat in his chair with a bitter smile.

"Playing with snakes every day and now bitten by one, who would've thought Wu Xiong was so unreliable?"

"What did you talk about at the meeting?" Qin Wei asked solemnly.

Qin An chuckled bitterly and recounted their conversation.

Qin Wei's face turned gloomy too. If Wu Xiong intended to, he likely recorded it, a possession enough to doom the Qin family eternally.

"Master, I deserve death; never anticipated I'd make such a blunder in my cautious life being so careless in old age." Qin An expressed his guilt.

"Old An, you can't bear full blame for this matter; I hold responsibility too, but we might still have a chance." Qin Wei said in a deep tone.

"A chance? What chance?" Qin An asked, slightly stunned.

"What if Wu Xiong wasn't captured but rather intends to leverage recordings against us?" Qin Wei said thoughtfully.

"Are you suggesting this guy plans to blackmail us?" Qin An's face shifted slightly.

Qin Wei nodded, "Wu Xiong is cunning and ambitious, doing such a thing wouldn't be surprising, yet this could be the best outcome for us."

"Master, what should we do?" Qin An asked.

"Wait, wait for his call; if he intends to threaten, he'll contact us soon." Qin Wei said deeply.

Just as Qin Wei finished speaking, Qin An's phone rang.

Seeing the number on the phone, Qin An revealed a delighted expression: "It's Wu Xiong calling."

Qin Wei nodded, signaling Qin An to answer the call.

Upon answering, Wu Xiong's mocking voice came through: "Old An, I suddenly changed my mind; I want my benefits to be tenfold."

"Tenfold? What are you saying, Wu Xiong?" Qin An feigned surprise.

Wu Xiong laughed coldly: "Qin An, let's not lie before a real person; the recording of our recent conversation is now with me, tenfold is non-negotiable, or it'll end up with Lin Chen."

"Wu Xiong, you bastard, do you have any morals left?" Qin An snapped in anger.

"Morals? In this world, can morals be consumed like food?" Wu Xiong mocked.

"Fine, aren't you thinking of Hong Ling?" Qin An asked coldly.

Wu Xiong sneered, "With money, what kind of woman can't I have? Why settle for someone used?"

"You..." Qin An was left pale-faced.

With Wu Xiong's status in the Dragon Group, uncovering Hong Ling's secrets wouldn't be hard.

"Fine, I agree with you." Qin An said as he looked at Qin Wei, who nodded at him, and took a deep breath.