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

196: I’m taking you two under my wing so you can learn.Zhang Ze and the other two walked out of the study, and the heavy mahogany door slowly closed behind them.

An Yang and Chen Hu’s backs were instantly soaked with cold sweat.

They were out.

They had survived.

An Yang felt his legs were turning to jelly; those few dozen minutes just now were more exhausting than spending an entire day exchanging fire on the battlefield.

Mentally exhausted.

Chen Hu, meanwhile, subtly flexed his fingers, restoring blood flow to his stiff joints.

Only Zhang Ze, acting as if nothing had happened, strolled down the corridor lined with classical oil paintings, hands in his pockets, whistling

—looking exactly like a clueless tourist visiting the Louvre.

[Tsk, tsk, tsk, are these paintings real or fake?]

[If they’re real, snagging one means I’d be set for life.]

[Too bad, I don’t need the money.]

The old butler was still waiting outside the door, his perpetual poker face showing no discernible emotion.

He bowed slightly to the three men and made a ’follow me’ gesture, leading them toward the exit.

”Mr. Zhang, would you like me to arrange a car to take you and your friends back to the city center?”

”No need.” Zhang Ze waved his hand, then suddenly remembered something, stopping and turning to flash the old butler a toothy grin. ”Oh right, don’t forget about the steak.”

”Top-grade ribeye, medium-well, three servings.”

”These two brothers of mine eat a lot, so you might need to prepare extra.”

The old butler: ”...”

An Yang: ”...”

Chen Hu: ”...”

Big Brother, please, stop acting! If you keep pretending, you’re going to get struck by lightning!

An Yang was already imagining the tragic scene of his body being dumped into the ocean outside Los Angeles.

The old butler’s facial muscles twitched slightly, but his excellent professional demeanor kept him in his bowed posture.

”... Very well, sir.”

Stepping out of the main villa building, the cool evening breeze revived An Yang, making him feel alive again.

Lowell’s subordinates drove up in a black Lincoln Navigator.

”Mr. Zhang, please.”

The three men got into the car, which smoothly drove out of the fortress-like estate and merged into the traffic heading down the mountain.

Inside the car, the atmosphere was terrifyingly oppressive.

An Yang sat in the back, fidgeting restlessly.

After holding it in for a long time, he finally couldn’t restrain himself.

”Big Brother, are we... are we just leaving like this?”

”Or what?” Zhang Ze leaned back in his seat, resting his eyes. ”Should we stay for a midnight snack? They haven’t prepared the steak yet.”

”That’s not what I mean, Big Brother!” An Yang grew anxious. He leaned forward, lowering his voice. ”My point is, Lowell is clearly just putting on a show! He told us the location and the people involved, and then he expects us to go die ourselves!”

”He wants to kill someone with a borrowed knife! No, wait, he wants to use other people’s knives to kill us, his own knife!”

An Yang’s mind was spinning rapidly at that moment.

”His daughter likes you, so he can’t directly harm you, which is why he came up with this scheme! Once we die at the hands of the Scavengers, he can tell Miss Sera we died in an accident, and there will be no evidence to contradict him! He won’t have to bear any responsibility!”

”Big Brother, this old man is too wicked!”

The driver was expressionless, but his ears subtly perked up.

Chen Hu, sitting in the passenger seat, finally spoke.

”An Yang has a point. Lowell’s information is crucial, but it’s also equivalent to a trap.”

”I’ve heard the name ’Scavengers.’ They are a mercenary organization that drifted over from Eastern Europe, numbering between fifty and a hundred people. The core members are former Vympel Group elites. They don’t belong to any faction, they only care about money, and their methods are extremely ruthless. They specialize in handling all kinds of ’dirty work’: kidnapping, assassination, clearing out areas

—they do it all.”

Chen Hu’s expression was very serious.

”They are well-equipped, possibly even possessing heavy firepower. There are only three of us, with light weapons, and we aren’t even familiar with the terrain. In a direct confrontation, the chance of victory is zero.”

An Yang felt his heart sink halfway.

”Then... then what should we do? Big Brother, why don’t we report this to headquarters and request backup?”

”It’s too late.” Zhang Ze finally opened his eyes. ”If we deploy people from home, the situation will be settled before they even land. And will the USA allow them to come? Dr. Chen Jing can’t wait that long.”

”Then... then should we go to the Dragon Country embassy in Los Angeles?” An Yang came up with another idea.

”And then what?” Zhang Ze countered. ”Ask the embassy to step in and demand the person from the USA government? The CIA and FBI are already eyeing this prize themselves. Do you think they’ll help you? Don’t be naive.”

”These are the rules of the underground world; we must solve this using the underground world’s methods.”

An Yang completely deflated.

He realized all his ideas were too fragile to withstand reality.

”Big Brother, what exactly are you planning? You aren’t really planning for just the three of us to charge into that ’Rust Warehouse District,’ are you?”

[Or what?]

[Me bringing you two along is giving you a chance to learn and observe.]

[Otherwise, I could just sweep the place myself.]

Zhang Ze didn’t answer directly; instead, he spoke to the driver.

”Driver, don’t go to the city center. Find the best hotel nearby.”

The driver glanced at him in the rearview mirror, nodded, and changed direction at the next intersection.

”Big Brother, aren’t we staying at the estate?” An Yang asked.

”It’s inconvenient.”

The car soon arrived at a Hilton hotel at the foot of Beverly Hills.

An attendant opened the car door.

Zhang Ze walked straight to the front desk and pulled out his black card.

”I’ll take a presidential suite.”

The moment the blonde woman at the front desk saw the card, her service attitude immediately improved by three hundred percent.

”Certainly, sir. I’ll process that for you right away.”

Taking the room key card, the three men took the exclusive elevator straight to the top floor.

The presidential suite was the height of luxury, with massive floor-to-ceiling windows offering a panoramic view of the entire Los Angeles nightscape.

But An Yang and Chen Hu were in no mood to appreciate it.

”Big Brother, we’re in a desperate situation, and you still have the heart to stay in a hotel?” An Yang paced anxiously.

”Or what? Sleep on the street?” Zhang Ze took off his coat, tossed it onto the sofa, and sank into the cushions. ”What’s the rush? If the sky falls, the tallest person catches it.”

”You are the tallest person!” An Yang was nearly crying.

”Alright, stop whining.” Zhang Ze pulled his phone out of his pocket and tossed it to An Yang. ”Are you hungry? Order room service. Get whatever you want, it’s on me.”

An Yang: ”...”

He felt completely out of sync with Zhang Ze.

Chen Hu, however, was much calmer. He walked into the suite and habitually began checking every corner, searching for listening devices and surveillance equipment.

Zhang Ze expressed approval for Chen Hu’s professional conduct, then stood up and walked into the master bedroom.

”I’m going to rest for a bit and recharge my energy.”

”Don’t call me for dinner.”

With that, he slammed the door shut and locked it.

In the living room, only An Yang and Chen Hu remained, staring at each other.