Jing Yan was now extremely eager to go to Hanoi, partly to meet with the Thai family, and partly to see Su Tianyu alone. The secret in his heart was something he couldn't tell anyone, so he had to coerce Su Tianyu into helping him.

...

Approximately two hours later, at the Gui residence.

"Old Gui, I share your sentiment. No matter who did this, we will definitely investigate to the end," Thai Zhengkang said, his voice slightly agitated. "Just understand one thing: our positions are always the same."

Gui Mengjun's father was nearly seventy years old. He sat on the sofa, his brow furrowed, his face filled with sorrow.

"The matter has already happened; we must accept it whether we want to or not." Thai Zhengkang reached out and patted Old Gui's thigh, continuing in a low voice, "You have to pull yourself together. You still need to step forward and preside over the overall situation at the expo."

Gui Mengjun's father sighed deeply, "My son is gone. What overall situation am I going to preside over?"

Silence fell over the group.

Gui Mengjun's father turned his head to look at Xiao Qinglong and the Pu faction's political assistants, his voice hoarse, "You two leaders, I'm old, and Mengjun has always been in charge of the military supplies trade. Now that he's gone, I really don't have the energy or ability to control such a big matter. The family has to hold a funeral, and we also have to investigate the cause of the incident… So, let someone else preside over the expo. It's important and can't be ruined in our hands."

Xiao Qinglong glanced at the expression on Gui Mengjun's father's face and slowly nodded, "I can understand your feelings."

Thai Zhengkang sat to the side, his face pained, as he tried to persuade him, "Old Gui, if you don't preside over the expo, who has the ability to do things well?"

"You step forward," Gui Mengjun's father said, looking at him. "Only you can do it well…!"

"Ah!" Thai Zhengkang sighed, gritting his teeth as he cursed, "We must find the mastermind behind this and inflict the most severe punishment!"

Gui Mengjun's father said nothing more, only staring blankly at the living room.

Xiao Qinglong observed everyone's expressions and didn't say much either.

...

On the outskirts of Hanoi, inside an abandoned small factory.

Xue Baolai sat on a wooden crate, feeling refreshed after eating two large bowls of spicy chicken noodles. "Satisfying!"

Su Tianyu and the others were tied to the wall on the left side, unable to move.

Xue Baolai casually picked up a beer bottle, tilted his head back and drank half of it, then swayed over to Su Tianyu. "I'm full and ready for some fun! Hahaha!"

Su Tianyu looked at him without saying a word, his mind only on Da Bai and Su Miaomiao.

"I'm talking to you. Why aren't you saying anything?!" Xue Baolai demanded, stepping on Su Tianyu's chest.

Su Tianyu frowned as he looked at him, feeling that this person was a bit abnormal.

Xue Baolai looked at Su Tianyu with a grin, then suddenly, without warning, swung his arm and brought the beer bottle down.

"Swish!"

Su Tianyu reacted quickly, dodging his head, and the beer bottle hit his shoulder without breaking.

"Ouch, damn, you dare to dodge? You've practiced, haven't you?!" Xue Baolai was messing with Su Tianyu purely to vent his anger because his cousin had died at the hands of Su Tianyu and Yao Doudou, and his own older brother had been kidnapped by Yao Doudou.

Su Tianyu looked up at him, his gaze cold and clear, still offering no response.

"You can dodge?! Hehe, I'll make you dodge!" Xue Baolai turned his head and roared, "Come here, hold him down. I'm going to break ten beer bottles over his head!"

"Whoosh!"

Five of the Xue family's henchmen immediately stepped forward, reaching out to hold down Su Tianyu's shoulders, arms, and head.

"Dodge? Dodge again, I dare you?!" Xue Baolai swung the beer bottle with bloodshot eyes and smashed it down on Su Tianyu.

"Bang, shatter!"

With a muffled sound, the beer bottle exploded.

Blood spurted from Su Tianyu's head, and he felt himself blacking out instantly.

"Damn you!" Su Tiannan, seeing his younger brother being hit, went completely berserk. He arched his upper body, directly knocking one of the men away, and used his body to press down on Su Tianyu as he roared, "Come on, hit me!"

"You think you're tough?!" Xue Baolai stepped on Su Tiannan and shouted, "I can't kill anyone else, but I can't kill you? Huh?!"

As he spoke, Xue Baolai used the broken bottle to stab wildly at Su Tiannan, who continued to use his body to shield Su Tianyu.

...

Around five in the morning.

Xiao Qinglong and the others left the Gui residence.

Inside the living room, Gui Mengjun's father sat on the sofa, his previously listless eyes now unusually grim.

"Dad!" The third son walked over and said in a low voice, "Xiao Qinglong clearly wanted you to speak up, to fight for the right to handle the expo. Why didn't you compete for it?"

Gui Mengjun's father slowly waved his hand, "There's a great threat outside, and a traitor within. Competing for it now would be putting ourselves in the crosshairs."

"A traitor?!" The third son was shocked.

"Hoo!"

Gui Mengjun's father let out a long breath, "Little Western King was just transferred to the Southwest Military Region, and his term is less than two years. If we don't work, he won't jeopardize his relationship with the local families over such a small matter. A troubled world calls for harsh measures, but a prosperous era requires politics!"

The third son was silent.

"No need to rush." Gui Mengjun's father slowly stood up. "Since they want me to step down, let's hold the funeral first. It must be done realistically, bleakly, and forlornly!"

"Understood," the third son nodded.

...

Inside the warehouse in the suburbs of Hanoi.

Xue Baolai was beating Su Tianyu and Su Tiannan like a madman.

"Tap, tap!"

Just then, a young man walked into the room and quickly came to Xue Baolai's side, saying, "Brother, Mr. Dales from the First District Intelligence Department is here. He wants to take Yu Mingyuan."

"Great!" Xue Baolai, exhausted, reached out to wipe the sweat from his forehead, turned around, and said, "Let's go meet the big shot from the First District."

On the ground, Su Tianyu leaned against the wall, his head covered in blood, his eyes staring at Xue Baolai without moving.

"I'll be back to play with you later."

With that, Xue Baolai turned and led his men out.

"Clang!"

Just then, the warehouse door was pushed open, and seven or eight men walked in,挟持 (xiéchí - forcibly escorting) two people.

Everyone looked up upon hearing the sound and saw that the people being 挟持 (xiéchí) were Da Bai and Third Sister!

These two were everyone's hope. Their arrival instantly filled everyone's hearts with despair.

"Hahaha!"

Xue Baolai looked at Da Bai and Third Sister, laughing loudly as he said, "You caught them?!"

"The helicopter swept the area twice and found them in a small hillside," the man replied.

"Very good!" Xue Baolai nodded repeatedly, then quickly walked out.

In the crowd, Da Bai, his head bleeding from being beaten, turned his head to look at the location of Su Tianyu and the others, his eyes strange.

Su Tianyu looked at Da Bai, his eyes anxious.