CHAPTER 1024: CHAPTER 1031: DRIVEN INTO A CORNER

"Mr. Lin, if I may ask, what do you need people for right now?"

Lin Guodong glanced at the young man and said coldly, "I’m planning for the worst. Ji Gang and the others have been out of touch for so long. Who knows if something’s happened to them?"

"But... Mr. Ji is a top expert on the Heavenly List. Can Ling Chen and his group really handle him?"

"Nothing in this world is absolute. Besides, it’s better to be safe than sorry. If Ji Gang and the others have fallen, I’ll be in a very dangerous situation. If I don’t prepare now, should I wait for Ling Chen to come knocking and then figure things out? I don’t want to end up in his hands again."

Hearing this, the young man thought for a moment and said, "The security personnel at the villa are all top-notch. They should be enough to ensure your safety. How about we contact Zhu Hong and ask for their help? Zhu Hong’s master is also a top expert on the Heavenly List. If he’s here, we’ll definitely be safe."

"No way." Lin Guodong refused outright, without even thinking. "Do you think that boy Zhu Hong is a good person? Even though we’re partners, I don’t trust him at all. If he finds out about my current situation, he might take advantage of it." Lin Guodong paused and continued, "Go arrange a car. We’ll move to another place first."

"Yes, I’ll do it right away."

Soon, three Mercedes-Benz vans were ready, parked just outside the villa gate.

Once in the car, Lin Guodong took out his phone and dialed Ji Gang’s number again. But, as before, no one answered. Listening to the system prompt from the other end, Lin Guodong frowned even more deeply.

"Drive."

"Mr. Lin, where are we going?"

"Into the city."

"Into the city?" The young man hesitated and quickly said, "Mr. Lin, the city roads are all congested. If something happens, it’ll be hard for us to escape. I think it’s safer to stay in the outskirts. Besides, it’s closer to the highway entrance from here. Even if something happens, we can exit East Sea City quickly."

Lin Guodong snapped coldly, "What do you know? Don’t talk nonsense with me. Head to the city immediately."

The young man, not daring to disobey Lin Guodong, hurriedly instructed the driver to set off.

Shortly after Lin Guodong’s car hit the road, several sedans sped down the street and stopped outside the villa. Ling Chen jumped out from the driver’s seat, his face changing as he looked at the bleak, dark villa, and he quickly rushed inside.

Just as he feared, the villa was completely empty.

"Ling Chen, we’ve searched the area, but there’s no sign of Lin Guodong," Tang Guolun reported as he walked in from outside.

"That old fox must have sensed something." With that, Ling Chen turned and walked out of the villa. Looking at the road ahead, he said, "Lin Guodong shouldn’t have been gone for long. We need to catch up. We can’t let him escape."

Tang Guolun pointed to both ends of the road and asked, "Which way will you pursue? This way leads to the city, and that way leads to the highway. If I were Lin Guodong, I’d definitely choose the highway to escape."

Ling Chen pondered for a moment and said, "We can’t gamble on a fifty percent chance. Let’s do this, Boss Tang, you take a team and head towards the city. I’ll take a team towards the highway. Remember, if you discover Lin Guodong’s whereabouts, don’t act rashly. Given Lin Guodong’s status, there will definitely be experts protecting him."

"Don’t worry, I know what to do. Take care of yourself too!"

With that, Tang Guolun gathered a few people and drove straight towards the city.

Sitting in the car, Lin Guodong hesitated for a long time before finally dialing a number he could only remember by heart.

When the call connected, a deep voice immediately asked, "What is it?"

Facing the person on the phone, Lin Guodong abandoned his usual calm demeanor and respectfully said, "There’s been a major problem with the operation in East Sea City. I want to seek temporary protection."

"What about Ji Gang? With him protecting you, would you be in any danger?"

"I can’t reach Mr. Ji, and I don’t know his current situation. I’m worried something might have happened to him."

"Is that so?" After a moment of thought, the other party said, "Then come over. I’m at the old house—you know the location."

"Yes, thank you!"

Granted permission, Lin Guodong breathed a sigh of relief. As long as he reached that person’s residence, no danger could touch him.

Just after hanging up, Lin Guodong hadn’t yet put away his phone when the screen lit up again. Seeing the incoming call display, Lin Guodong immediately answered, "Zhao Zhengxiong, what do you want?"

"Mr. Lin, I’d like to ask for your help."

"Why come to me for help?"

"Jiang Hao is leading people to encroach on my territory. They have many people and several experts helping. I can’t hold them off much longer. Mr. Lin, when we agreed to cooperate, you promised that you’d help whenever I needed it."

"Zhao Zhengxiong, I have a lot on my plate. I can’t spare the manpower to help you. You’ll have to figure it out on your own."

"Hey! Mr. Lin, you can’t break your promise. I helped you significantly back then. You can’t just burn bridges once you’ve crossed them." Zhao Zhengxiong’s voice turned anxious over the phone.

Lin Guodong patiently replied, "I’m not refusing, but I simply can’t spare the resources right now. We’ll discuss everything once tonight is over."

"Mr. Lin," Zhao Zhengxiong responded coldly over the phone, "I trusted you. If you don’t help me, don’t blame me for doing something you’ll regret."

"Suit yourself," Lin Guodong replied indifferently with just two words and hung up the call before Zhao Zhengxiong could say more, choosing to turn off his phone.

"Mr. Lin, are you really not going to help Zhao Zhengxiong?" the young man in the passenger seat asked.

"If it were before, I would have helped him. But now, I genuinely can’t. I can’t even guarantee my own safety, let alone his. Besides, Zhao Zhengxiong is, at best, an expendable pawn. Though he controls a decent amount of power, he’s ultimately just a thug, unable to achieve much. Alright, don’t talk about it anymore. Tell the driver to hurry up."

After traveling for about half an hour, the three Mercedes-Benz vans were stuck at the city entrance due to the heavy traffic, unable to reach their destination.

"Why is it so slow?" Lin Guodong asked with a frown.

"Mr. Lin, there’s been an accident ahead, temporarily blocking the way. It’ll take some time before things clear up."

Lin Guodong urged, "Hurry up. I can’t afford delays. Ji Gang and the rest have been out of contact for so long, something must have happened."

After more than ten minutes passed, the congested section of the road finally cleared up. After the three Mercedes-Benz vans turned left at the junction ahead, the leading van suddenly came to a stop.

"What’s going on?" Lin Guodong asked urgently.