Chapter Fifty-Five: Reclaiming Two Generals

Chapter Fifty-five: Reclaiming Two Generals

Once again, he had underestimated Shen An's strength.

After weighing his options, Chen Hailong’s mind raced and he made a swift decision.

“Run!”

He suddenly spun around, his feet moving like the wind, and crashed straight through the wall, fleeing in the opposite direction.

But as Shen An saw this, he hurled the black iron blade from his hand.

The blade shot through the air like an arrow, thudding into the ground right at Chen Hailong’s feet, blocking his path.

Chen Hailong’s face twisted in panic. Seeing the blade before him, he suddenly pulled it from the ground.

“Shen An, you’ve lost your weapon! Hahaha—”

His laughter was abruptly cut off.

A hand appeared out of nowhere in his field of vision.

A powerful arm, as if forged from steel, loomed on his left.

Those hands gripped Chen Hailong’s arm—the one holding the blade—firmly.

“Didn’t anyone ever tell you? You’re not allowed to touch my sword.”

Crack.

Chen Hailong clutched his arm.

The alloy bracer on his forearm was crushed by Shen An’s grip, the metal pressing savagely into his flesh, making him scream in agony.

“Shen An!!!”

Chen Hailong’s roar echoed out.

Suddenly, he produced a pill and shoved it into his mouth.

In an instant, Chen Hailong’s body began to change—his flesh, his strength.

Even his injured arm started to heal.

“I never intended to use this. The side effects are much less than the one I gave to that brat Chen Ziliang. But you’ve forced my hand.” Chen Hailong seemed utterly deranged.

His eyes were no longer red, but a dark, ashen gray.

His body became a blur, the air exploding with his movement.

The spectators stood frozen with shock, not daring to blink.

At the same time, Shen An moved, vanishing from sight.

In the blink of an eye,

The two appeared again, clashing.

With his power greatly increased, Chen Hailong brimmed with confidence.

But when he faced Shen An again—

That young man with the black-and-white eyes smiled at him once more.

That smile...

Everyone stared at Shen An in disbelief.

“I told you before.”

An iron fist, like a pair of pliers, locked tightly onto Chen Hailong.

“You overestimate yourself.”

With his left hand, he struck Chen Hailong hard.

“You had your lackeys use the virus. You’re hardly worthy of being called human.”

The force in Shen An’s grip grew steadily.

That iron fist, gripping Chen Hailong, suddenly released.

But before Chen Hailong could retreat, Shen An seized him again.

Both hands gripped Chen Hailong’s arms, and he slammed him brutally toward the ground.

Boom!

The tremendous sound reverberated through the entire Chen family estate.

Dust billowed out from Chen Hailong as the center, spreading in all directions.

The ground here formed a clean, circular crater.

Shen An stepped forward, looking down at Chen Hailong, whose mouth was bleeding and who hovered on the brink of death.

He brought his foot down.

Crack!

Chen Hailong—dead.

Silence.

The crowd watching swallowed hard in unison.

Chen Hailong, after taking forbidden drugs, had been slain by Shen An.

At this realization, some among them began to extend olive branches to Shen An.

“Shen An, I am Xu Tianming of Zhicheng Pharmaceuticals. It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance.”

One of them broke the silence first, approaching Shen An.

“Oh?” Shen An turned, his gaze tinged with mockery. “How pleased are you?”

“Er…” Xu Tianming grew awkward—this Shen An didn’t play by the usual rules.

“Mr. Shen, I am Chu Yuxi’s father, Chu Dongwang.” A deep, hearty voice approached.

At the mention of Chu Yuxi, Shen An glanced at the man and smiled gently. “Hello, Uncle Chu. I know Yu Xi.”

This single sentence set the crowd murmuring.

The Chu family had now tied themselves to Shen An; this would be a momentous change.

If this was truly the case, then in the future, the Chu family might well become the overlords of Silver City.

Yet some could see that Shen An’s greeting was merely polite; he did not seem inclined for deeper conversation.

“Mr. Shen, I am...”

...

Three days later.

Imperial Grand Hotel.

It was the same private room.

After several days of meticulous repairs, the Imperial Grand Hotel had been restored to its former splendor.

To Shen An’s left sat Mu Linqiu; across from him was Jiang Meng.

Jiang Meng grinned foolishly without pause.

On the other side were Wang Yuan and Viper.

“Well, have you all made up your minds? Will you follow me, or continue to serve the Shadow Division?”

By now, Shen An was well aware that, many times, he was still somewhat isolated. Though his strength made numbers irrelevant, there were still areas where he was lacking—such as intelligence.

To take down an enemy, one must first gather information.

Chen Hailong was the example: he had amassed a good deal of intelligence on Shen An.

But unfortunately for him, he still underestimated Shen An’s power.

Mu Linqiu regarded Shen An with a complex expression.

They had once been partners, but now Shen An stood as a veritable overlord.

All the Chen family’s assets—including real estate and hotels—were now under Shen An’s command.

He had slain Chen Hailong, exposed the truth about the forbidden drugs and the virus to everyone, and even organized a counteraction against the virus. No one dared challenge him now.

Of course, the main reason was that nobody dared cross him at this moment.

“Fine, I’ll serve you. But the Shadow Division will never let this go. Shen An, can you guarantee my safety?”

Mu Linqiu stated her position, deftly shifting the burden onto Shen An.

Shen An smiled. “Of course.”

He said it with confidence.

Mu Linqiu breathed a sigh of relief. “Alright. I resign from the Shadow Division.”

With that, she had made it clear—she now stood with Shen An.

Shen An was more than satisfied. “A wise choice. One day, you’ll be grateful for this decision.”

Mu Linqiu rolled her eyes at him. “Stop your nonsense.”

Shen An turned to look at Wang Yuan.

Wang Yuan’s face was troubled; he didn’t dare meet Shen An’s eyes. “Mr. Shen, I’ll have to decline,” he said, attempting a smile, but it came out as a grimace. He shut his mouth and glanced nervously at Shen An before lowering his head.

“That’s fine. I respect your choice. Just don’t regret it later.”

With that, Wang Yuan breathed a sigh of relief.

“I’ll join you. But like Mu Linqiu, I want your guarantee that the Shadow Division won’t come after me,” Viper said, agreeing without hesitation.

To this, Shen An also gave his assurance.

And so, Shen An won over two top lieutenants.

“Boss, what about me? What about me?” Wang Meng had waited all this time, but Shen An hadn’t even glanced his way. He grew anxious.

“I was the first to pledge loyalty to you, Boss! You can’t forget me. Even if I’ve done little, I’ve at least suffered for your sake. My family scolded me brutally for following you—they nearly locked me in a dark room.”

Wang Meng had recovered from his injuries, and recounted his ordeal.

When he was sent to the hospital, his family learned of his situation and unanimously demanded he stay away from Shen An, knowing he’d provoked the Chen family.

But now that Wang Meng had barely recovered, they kicked him out and told him to follow Shen An faithfully.

“Just stick with me and you’ll be fine.”

Shen An smiled.

After a satisfying meal, Shen An made his way to the Chen family estate.