Livestream Conflict-solver: The Whole Internet Begs Me for Justice!

195: Is it a dragon or a worm?Getting touchy-feely right in front of his face?

A muscle twitched uncontrollably on Lowell’s face, a face that had weathered countless storms.

The powerful aura of the underground emperor he had just established was utterly destroyed by Zhang Ze’s intimate little gesture.

”Zhang? How did you end up in Los Angeles? And with my father, of all people?”

Sera finally recovered from her state of shock. She stepped forward and naturally linked arms with Zhang Ze, practically hanging off him.

”Why didn’t you tell me you were coming beforehand? I would have picked you up at the airport!”

Zhang Ze felt the soft sensation on his arm, but before he could utter a word, a dignified cough echoed loudly.

”Ahem, ahem!”

Lowell coughed heavily twice.

Sera stuck out her tongue and eased up a bit, but she still leaned intimately against Zhang Ze.

”Dad, what are you two talking about? The atmosphere is so serious.”

Lowell felt his blood pressure slowly rising.

[Damn! The father-in-law looks like he just swallowed a fly.]

[It was just a little cheek pinch, was that necessary?]

[We’ll be family sooner or later, what’s wrong with getting familiar ahead of time!]

He patted Sera’s back and said in an extremely natural tone, ”I came to Los Angeles for some business, and decided to visit you. I didn’t expect such a coincidence that your father found me first.”

”What kind of business?” Sera asked curiously.

”Grown-up business. Don’t ask,” Zhang Ze said, ruffling her blonde hair.

Sera puffed out her cheeks in dissatisfaction.

Lowell finally reached his limit.

”Sera, go back to your room.”

”But...”

”Now. Immediately. Move.”

Sera gave Zhang Ze a wronged look. Zhang Ze offered her a reassuring expression, and only then did she leave the study, looking back every few steps.

The heavy mahogany door closed once more.

But this time, the atmosphere was much more subtle.

Before, it had been an unclear confrontation between enemies.

Now, it was more like... uh, a rather unfriendly exchange between a father and his potential son-in-law.

Lowell sat back down in his chair and poured himself a glass of wine. He didn’t drink it, merely tracing the rim of the glass with his finger.

He remained silent for a long time, seemingly reorganizing his words and adjusting his strategy.

After a long pause, he finally spoke.

”Tell me, is Dr. Chen Jing, that precious asset of your Dragon Country, your target this time?”

That single sentence was earth-shattering.

An Yang and Chen Hu’s bodies instantly tensed up again.

He knew!

He actually knew the name of their target clearly!

The playful look on Zhang Ze’s face also subsided slightly.

[His intelligence capabilities are certainly impressive.]

[It seems there’s nothing in Los Angeles he doesn’t know.]

”It seems Mr. Lowell’s intelligence network is more formidable than I imagined.” Zhang Ze did not deny it.

Denying anything in front of a person like this was meaningless; it would only make him look stupid.

”Formidable?” Lowell gave a self-deprecating laugh. ”If I were truly formidable, I wouldn’t have let my daughter be run off with by an unknown Dragon Country agent.”

Zhang Ze raised an eyebrow.

[Oh, he’s starting to apply pressure.]

”Matters of the heart have nothing to do with identity,” Zhang Ze responded calmly.

”Is that so?” Lowell set down his wine glass, leaned forward, and his gray-blue eyes sharpened again. ”Then let me change the question. Dr. Chen Jing disappeared on the West Coast three days ago, appeared on the dark web a week ago, and the transaction location is right here in Los Angeles. There are many buyers: the CIA, the FBI, and even a few families who oppose me. And you, a top agent from the Dragon Country, dare to barge in with only three people. Tell me, what is your leverage?”

”Or rather, why do you think you can snatch the person away from the jaws of these hungry wolves?”

An Yang and Chen Hu could even hear their own heartbeats.

The information Lowell revealed was far more detailed than the intelligence they had received from home!

Zhang Ze leaned back on the sofa, the relaxed look returning to his face.

”Mr. Lowell, everything you’ve said boils down to one thing: you want to tell me that in Los Angeles, you are the King.”

”That’s right,” Lowell said, making no attempt to conceal his dominance.

”Without your help, we can’t move an inch, correct?” Zhang Ze continued.

”You could interpret it that way.”

”Then why don’t you just tie me up and hand me over to the CIA or FBI to gain some favor?” Zhang Ze asked the most crucial question.

Lowell smiled.

”Because you are the man Sera chose.”

”I need to see for myself what kind of man my daughter chose.”

”Is he a fierce dragon capable of soaring through the nine heavens, or just a foolish snake who will be skinned and gutted at any moment?”

”So, what you’re implying is...” Zhang Ze drew out his words deliberately.

”I know the whereabouts of Dr. Chen Jing.”

Lowell stood up, walked over to a large map of Los Angeles, picked up a red pen, and drew a circle in the eastern district, over a place called the ’Rust Warehouse District’.

”The transaction will take place here at ten o’clock the night after tomorrow.”

”The sellers are the ’Scavengers,’ a group of mercenaries who work for money—their methods are dirty, but professional.”

”This is all the information I can give you.”

Lowell turned around and looked back at Zhang Ze.

”I will not help you. Not a single person or a single gun from my organization will appear in that area.”

”The nights in Los Angeles are dangerous, especially for outsiders. My people will prepare three coffins here at the manor. If you don’t return before dawn, I will send someone to collect your bodies.”

”Of course, I will also tell Sera that her boyfriend unfortunately passed away due to an accidental street shootout.”

[Ding! Major choice detected for the Host!]

[The father-in-law’s approval is worth a thousand gold pieces!]

[Hidden Mission Triggered: The Godfather’s Test!]

[Mission Requirement: Successfully complete the ’Dragon Search’ mission without any assistance from Lowell!]

[Mission Reward: 1 Million fan favor value! Unlock New Skill ’Battlefield Intuition’! Lowell’s preliminary approval!]

Zhang Ze smiled.

He stood up, walked to the map, and looked at the red circle.

Then, he looked at Lowell.

”You don’t need to bother with the coffins; that’s a waste of wood.”

”However, if you could trouble the butler to prepare three servings of prime ribeye steak, medium-well, for us.”

”They’ll be our late-night snack when we return.”

A genuine hint of surprise finally appeared in Lowell’s gray-blue eyes.

He had envisioned many possible reactions from Zhang Ze.

Shock, anger, solemnity, or even bargaining.

The one thing he hadn’t expected was this level of nonchalance.

”Confidence is a good thing, young man,” Lowell’s voice was low, ”but arrogance will get you killed quickly.”

”Funny you mention that,” Zhang Ze grinned, showing a flash of white teeth. ”I’m a hard man to kill.”

Having said that, he stopped looking at Lowell and turned toward the door.

”An Yang, Chen Hu, let’s go.”

”Where are we going?” An Yang asked instinctively.

”To sleep.”

Zhang Ze’s answer was crisp and direct.

”Get some rest. We start tomorrow night.”