Zhao Jinhai looked at his brothers, a smile on his face. "Zhao Jinhai has so many people willing to die with me in this life, I can truly smile in the netherworld."
"But I absolutely cannot let you continue to follow me. It is precisely because of your kindness to me that I feel even more guilty."
"It's fine if I die, but I don't want to implicate you. Leave now and live ordinary lives. Don't follow me anymore."
"If you consider me your elder brother, then leave immediately."
His gaze and eyes were filled with seriousness.
Those men still wanted to say something.
But Zhao Jinhai glared at them, instantly silencing their words.
"If I tell you to leave, then leave at once. Unless you no longer consider me your elder brother."
Tears welled up in the eyes of those men.
This parting might truly be a separation of life and death, never to see each other again, unless they walked the path to the Yellow Springs.
It was at this moment that Lin Xiaotian's voice came through.
"Since they want to follow you, let them come along. At least these people are trustworthy."
"Unlike your other brothers who would turn tail and leave without a word."
"While it's true that what goes around comes around in this life, I can give you more time to repay your debts. Perhaps some information was leaked by you, but even if you didn't say it, someone else would have."
"I'm not that petty. I've always admired loyal people."
"Your brothers are not bad. They saved your life, and it was your decision to save your own life."
Lin Xiaotian said with a smile and walked directly into the office.
His words left those present in disbelief.
Their eyes churned like stormy seas, then turned to overwhelming excitement as they rushed to Zhao Jinhai's side.
"Boss, did you hear that? Lin Xiaotian actually said he'd spare our lives."
"And he said he didn't want us to die."
Looking at the excited expressions of his subordinates, Zhao Jinhai's lips curved in a bitter smile. He now realized that Lin Xiaotian had been manipulating them from the very beginning.
The so-called disbandment was likely just a reorganization.
It was just that he had too few men left, only about ten.
Even these brothers, his most trusted elites, would likely not achieve much.
But he dared not say anything more. If Lin Xiaotian were to go back on his word, he and these brothers would truly be buried here today. Their dozen or so lives were now in Lin Xiaotian's hands.
As for himself, he likely wouldn't survive.
But these were words he couldn't speak, as he didn't want to endanger his brothers.
The dozen or so men finally arrived at the office and saw Lin Xiaotian smoking. Zhao Jinhai took several deep breaths before speaking, "If there's anything you need us to do, please command us. From now on, my life is yours."
"But there might be people behind me who will come to seek revenge."
"You should have some idea of the situation. The organization behind me is not to be trifled with. They can control me tightly because they implanted a small bug in me."
"You can consider it a type of蛊 (gu) worm. If they discover I'm not loyal to them, the worm will activate."
"They might even have already guessed my actions."
"I probably can't hold on for much longer."
"But I hope you can ensure my brothers live good lives."
"They haven't done anything wicked. Even though we are caught in this vortex, we are not lawless."
Lin Xiaotian nodded with a smile. "Old Zhao, do you know why I let you go the first time, and the second time?"
Zhao Jinhai shook his head with a bitter smile. "I really don't know."
"But according to the information I've obtained, anyone who falls into your hands basically disappears without a trace."
"Those people, even if they didn't die, would never be able to appear before anyone again in this lifetime."
The smile on Lin Xiaotian's face became even more pronounced. "You guessed correctly. Even if these people are alive, they are now suffering endless torment."
"My hands are stained with the blood of my Lin family, so I want them to die in great pain. After all, letting them live for so many years was a form of grace. Now I'm taking back that grace, making them pay for it with more agonizing days."
"But I didn't harm you because you haven't been stained by our Lin family's blood."
"Moreover, you are a character who is neither entirely good nor entirely evil. While you've done some bad things, your targets were all heinous individuals."
"You don't usually bully people, nor do you do things that are utterly heartless. I thought you deserved a chance."
"And I am very satisfied with your actions this time. Since you are so loyal, your life is now mine."
"From now on, I won't let you do dangerous things, nor will I treat you as cannon fodder. What I want is for you to gather all the information in this city for me."
"I don't think this will be difficult for you."
"Your dozen or so brothers can help you. You don't need to think about them withdrawing from this conflict. Since you're already involved, trying to withdraw is a joke. They might even be stabbed in the back by their own brothers at any moment."
"Especially those who left. They absolutely won't want to see you do well, do you understand what I mean?"
Even though Zhao Jinhai was reluctant to admit it, he knew it was the truth.
Lin Xiaotian's willingness to talk to him so much was already a tremendous honor.
"I understand what you mean. From today onwards, you are my young master. I will unconditionally execute your orders. But you know my situation, young master. I can't last long."
"Even when they come, I might die a painful death. At that time, I hope everyone can grant me release."
A brilliant smile appeared on Lin Xiaotian's face. "This is the answer I wanted."
"Since you've agreed to be my person, I won't let them control you anymore."
"It's just a small worm. For me, it can be easily dealt with."
"Don't worry, relax your defenses."
Zhao Jinhai's face showed astonishment. "You can remove the worm?"
"Are you kidding me?"
"Those people control people through these worms. Otherwise, I wouldn't obey their orders. But that kind of painful torture is unbearable, even for a strong man."