On the lake, a small speedboat rippled across the water. Ling Tian and Aurora were on board, neither of them even bringing bodyguards.
One reason was that with their strength, there was no need for bodyguards. Another was that if a fight broke out, bodyguards would only be a hindrance, making escape more complicated as they'd have to consider them, rendering them practically useless.
The reason they took a small boat to this location was Ling Tian's idea, intended as a show of dominance.
Ling Tian was using his actions to tell the Gustav family that he was the one in charge and would not follow their arrangements. This was a form of negotiation strategy.
A few minutes later, a seaplane flew low over the water. Soon, several people disembarked, led by Mark Gustav.
Mark's expression was peculiar. He was inwardly furious but had to maintain a friendly facade. However, he was quite taken aback to see Ling Tian and Aurora arrive alone, without any bodyguards.
"Ms. Aurora, Mr. Lin, why didn't you take a plane? I've been waiting at the airport for a long time."
Mark's tone was casual, but both Ling Tian and Aurora could detect his displeasure.
Ling Tian replied with a chuckle, "Oh, Mr. Mark, I hope you can understand. Not long ago, Ms. Aurora and I were attacked by armed assailants at the airport while boarding our plane. Those assailants were vicious, but thankfully, they've all gone to meet God now! This incident has had quite a psychological impact on Ms. Aurora, so she's not planning to fly recently! Besides, we promised to arrive here on time for our appointment, and we haven't been late. We never promised to arrive by plane!"
Ling Tian's words, delivered in an ordinary tone, were laced with sarcasm. Mark was so taken aback he almost couldn't speak. He knew exactly what Ling Tian was referring to – the recent ambush at the Fuller Airport, where Zelenkov and his men attacked Ling Tian and Aurora just as they disembarked, only to be wiped out. Mark had been stunned when he received the news.
Mark Gustav was well aware of Zelenkov and his men's capabilities. To eliminate them would require at least several times their number in special forces, and a pre-arranged battlefield with an ambush. The Gustav family had paid a considerable price and agreed to many conditions to hire such formidable individuals, yet the outcome was that this pair emerged unscathed. Mark and Boris speculated that the attack on the Gustav Pharmaceutical factory might have been Ling Tian's retaliation for the airport incident.
Ling Tian's calm statement now seemed to confirm this suspicion and was indeed a direct jab at Mark. What made it worse was that Ling Tian's excuse was unassailable; they had been attacked and were now afraid of flying, so not going to the airport was understandable. Moreover, as Ling Tian pointed out, he hadn't promised to arrive by plane, making Mark's expectation seem rather foolish.
"My apologies, Mr. Lin, Ms. Aurora. Please."
There were electric sightseeing carts at the dock. Ling Tian and Aurora got into one, and Mark personally drove them to a manor located in the central part of the island.
"Mr. Lin, I have a question that puzzles me. Why doesn't Ms. Aurora bring more bodyguards when she goes out? After all, there are quite a few people who would wish her harm."
Mark's question was also a probe. He couldn't understand why these two dared to be so bold as to come to the Gustav family's territory alone.
Aurora Kuiyt remained her usual icy self, unwilling to utter an extra word. Ling Tian, however, answered with a smile.
"There's no need. Our strength is evident. If we can't handle opponents ourselves, bodyguards would be useless, merely a burden."
"It seems Mr. Lin is quite confident in his own abilities. Confident people are good..." While this sounded like a compliment, Mark's tone was subtly sarcastic.
"Mr. Mark, Ms. Aurora is not worried about her safety. I can reveal something to you. Ms. Aurora has established a revenge fund. If Ms. Aurora's safety is threatened, or if anything happens to her, this revenge fund will be activated. Specialized personnel will investigate the incident and, upon identifying the culprits, will issue bounties publicly. For the direct relatives of the perpetrator, the bounty is ten billion US dollars. For collateral relatives, it's one billion US dollars. This will continue until all relatives of the perpetrator and the mastermind are eliminated..."
"Don't worry about the funds; there will be a continuous influx of capital into this contingency fund..."
Upon hearing this, Mark Gustav's face turned somewhat green. He felt the situation was becoming tricky; this woman was a lunatic! If Ling Tian was telling the truth, and Aurora were to meet an untimely end on Belford Island today, the Gustav family would face utter destruction! This was no laughing matter. A bounty of ten billion US dollars for a single life would drive assassins worldwide into a frenzy. With such a reward, even members of the Gustav family would have to consider the loyalty of their own bodyguards! In such a scenario, everyone in the Gustav family would live in constant fear for the rest of their lives.
Just then, Aurora finally spoke.
"Mr. Lin is correct. In fact, I also have a will. If I die or go missing, the revenge fund will be activated, and all my assets will be injected into it. Everyone connected to the perpetrator, along with their families, will disappear from this world! The bounty is unlimited, and I will use any means necessary to deal with those who wish me harm!"
At this, Mark felt a chill run down his spine, from head to toe, as if he had been attacked by Aurora's absolute zero!
Meanwhile, in a distant villa, Boris Gustav, listening through an earpiece to the conversation between Mark, Ling Tian, and the others, also turned ashen. A miniature listening device had been planted on Mark, and Boris and Bis, who was beside him, heard every word of their conversation. Boris looked up at Bis.
"Ms. Bis, what do you think... this... should we adjust our plan? If what that Aurora said is true, our Gustav family truly cannot afford it!"