Hades, the Urban Legend

Chapter 640: Chapter 643: Indistinguishable

Liu Qingshan's pupils contracted sharply. He wasn't a deity, and the self-strapped bomb on Old Deng was beyond his expectations. This setup was devised after he discovered his woman, Xu Ying, and Gao Yue colluding treacherously.

He had deliberately dismissed his bodyguards to make Xu Ying and the others believe he was unprepared. Meanwhile, he secretly replaced the people arranged by Xu Ying and Gao Yue with his own men and had pre-notified the surrounding area. Everything unfolded seamlessly.

Liu Qingshan's arrangement was meticulous. He used this incident to test everyone's loyalty. If anyone could staunchly support him in such a scenario, they would be trusted wholeheartedly in the future, ensuring that when Liu Minghao took over, there would be no rebellion.

If these people abandoned their loyalty at the critical moment, Liu Qingshan wouldn't hesitate to eliminate them, paving the way for his son's ascension. Liu Qingshan was a ruthless hero with an iron hand but also valued loyalty. Those who followed him were cherished, and those who opposed him had no chance of survival, depending on whether they seized the opportunity.

The plan was in its final stage. He only needed to execute everyone present to allow the Qinglong Association to transform, infusing fresh blood and welcoming a new leader. But this cunning Old Deng had been on guard from the start.

It turned out that Old Deng trusted no one and had come prepared with a bomb as a safeguard. Unexpectedly, he was right! Neither Xu Ying nor Liu Qingshan could be trusted!

"Old Deng, don't act rashly. These bombs are no joke," Liu Qingshan said calmly, while inwardly calculating how to handle the situation.

Sensing an opportunity, Old Deng laughed heartily. "What, scared? If you are, let us all go! We only want to live. Afterward, we each go our separate ways!"

Old Deng was clever. He said "we" instead of "I," ensuring that he involved everyone to get more support for escape.

In no time, the others echoed him loudly, demanding Liu Qingshan to let them go.

At this moment, Yang Chen, who had been silently sitting, suddenly stood up, calmly walked to a black-clad man, and snatched the submachine gun from his hands.

The man hadn't intended to give the gun to Yang Chen, but Yang Chen's speed and strength left him no time to react. He found the gun taken from him in a flash!

Liu Qingshan noticed this scene and frowned. The primary reason he had brought Yang Chen today was to gain his trust and respect. He wanted Yang Chen to see his transparency and also to understand that he wasn't to be trifled with.

This way, cooperation with the Red Thorn Society would be more solid, and Yang Chen, as his son-in-law, wouldn't dare offend him too much.

But now, Liu Qingshan regretted a little. If anything happened to Yang Chen, how would he explain it to Liu Mingyu and the others?

"Yang Chen, don't act recklessly. What are you doing?" Liu Qingshan said.

Yang Chen, holding the submachine gun as easily as a feather, played with it and smiled. "This guy really went all out to save his life. American C4 explosives. With so many sticks, if they all blew, not just the people here, but the entire venue would be flattened."

"What?! C4?" Liu Qingshan's face darkened, not expecting the situation to be so dire.

This kind of high-explosive used by the U.S. military wasn't obtainable through ordinary channels. Old Deng indeed paid a hefty price for this life-saving device.

Yang Chen ignored the horrified expressions of others and aimed the submachine gun at the bombs on Old Deng's abdomen!

"What are you doing?!" Liu Qingshan finally panicked, envisioning the impending explosion engulfing him.

Yang Chen shrugged. "You're still Mingyu's precious father. Don't worry; I won't let you die just like that."

Without minding the fearful looks of others, he pulled the trigger!

"Are you crazy?!" "Stop!" "Rat-a-tat-tat!"

A burst of bullets fired at the C4 explosives on Old Deng's abdomen!

"Boom—"

In an instant, before anyone could react, the terrifying roar of the explosives erupted in their ears!

Everyone instinctively closed their eyes, and with no time to escape, even the armed men in black could only choose to lie down!

Liu Qingshan kept his eyes wide open. He knew there was no use hiding. At such a close distance, if the explosives detonated, no one would survive. So, he preferred to watch and see what the young man would do!

It must be said that at the critical moment, Liu Qingshan's fearless courage proved his own boldness.

It was precisely this courage that allowed Liu Qingshan to witness a "miracle."

As the bullets ignited the row of C4 explosives, a scorching, blinding light erupted violently from Old Deng's abdomen!

Old Deng's body was instantly engulfed in a ball of fire, and the mixture of red, black, white, and purple flames surged, threatening to engulf everything around! But at the critical moment, the violent flames seemed to encounter an insurmountable barrier!

All the flames were eerily contained within a small area, around a foot radius from the detonation point on Old Deng, forming a sphere of light!

In this miraculous sphere of light, the explosive force was entirely contained. None of the shockwaves or high temperatures affected anyone else!

Finally, after a dreamlike ten seconds, the light sphere extinguished.

Liu Qingshan swallowed hard, seeing that Old Deng had vanished from his spot, leaving only a pile of black residue.

Carbonized!

A living person had been forcibly carbonized within a small area by extreme high temperatures!

At this moment, Yang Chen casually tossed the submachine gun back to the man he had taken it from, then walked over to the stunned Liu Qingshan, patting his shoulder with a wicked grin. "I know you brought me here to show me you're a tough guy, but father-in-law, you should know proving that to your son-in-law is pointless. Well, the business here is done. I'm in a good mood today, so I'm not interested in the massacre. I'll be outside waiting for you."

Under the near-dazed gazes of everyone, Yang Chen leisurely walked out of the conference room, even closing the door behind him.

Liu Qingshan stood motionless, suddenly realizing that everything he had done was like a pointless executioner's show in front of a grim reaper.

By the artificial lake in the center of the Qinglong International Resort Hotel, Yang Chen lazily reclined on a rattan bench meant for guest relaxation. He crossed his legs and gazed at the shimmering surface of the lake, humming a tune. This melody was one he had heard Hui Lin sing yesterday at the Yulei Entertainment branch. Surprisingly, after hearing it once, he remembered much of the melody, indicating how captivating Hui Lin's songs were.

Just a few minutes ago, the sound of gunfire, like firecrackers, erupted from the white building behind him. Yang Chen didn't need to think to know that Liu Qingshan had, after regaining his senses, killed everyone inside, including his mother-in-law, Xu Ying, and her lover, Gao Yue, whom he had just met a few hours earlier.

During this time, Yang Chen realized another aspect he hadn't considered before. Liu Qingshan had mentioned Liu Minghao taking over but never called him back from Zhonghai, not even making him appear in person. This was clearly unreasonable. If he had noticed this contradiction earlier, it would have been obvious that Liu Qingshan had a different agenda today.

Knowing that Liu Minghao's mother, Xu Ying, would likely be killed by his men today, Liu Qingshan prevented Liu Minghao from witnessing the scene. As for how he would explain it to Liu Minghao later, Liu Qingshan probably had a plan.

After an indeterminate amount of time, Liu Qingshan appeared beside the rattan bench, hesitated, then sat down next to Yang Chen. A faint smell of blood emanated from Liu Qingshan, indicating that the people inside the meeting room were likely all dead, their blood flooding the place, now being cleaned up.

"They're all dead, not a single one left," Liu Qingshan said calmly, as if his dead wife and long-time subordinates were strangers.

Yang Chen nodded. "Good."

After a moment of silence, Liu Qingshan suddenly chuckled bitterly. "I didn't expect you to be so strong, almost inhumanly strong."

Yang Chen turned his head away. "Who told you I'm not human?"

Liu Qingshan said, "Before deciding to ally with the Red Thorn Society, I naturally investigated everyone as thoroughly as possible, and you were a key target. My men told me you once single-handedly fought dozens of armed Ximen Society members and slaughtered them all, though there was no solid evidence. At first, I didn't believe it, but today, I do."

Yang Chen realized that Liu Qingshan was referring to the final banquet where he dealt with Situ Mingze.

"But being inhuman isn't necessarily bad," Liu Qingshan suddenly showed a gentle expression. "That way, even if something happens to me, Yuer will be safe with you."

Yang Chen hesitated for a moment, then curiously asked, "Do you love her?"

Liu Qingshan was stunned, then smiled bitterly. "If I didn't love her, I wouldn't have waited until today to do all this, nor would I have tested so much."

He was referring to Xu Ying, the woman who had been with Liu Qingshan for nearly twenty years and was now dead by gunfire.

Yang Chen fell silent. He couldn't tell if Liu Qingshan was telling the truth, as love was something he couldn't comprehend either.

Seeing Yang Chen's confusion, Liu Qingshan chuckled. "You're a man, and you have more than one woman. Do you feel true love for your legitimate wife or for our Yuer?"

Without hesitation, Yang Chen replied, "Both, both are true love."

Liu Qingshan nodded. "I feel the same. I love Yuer's mother, my first wife. I also love Xu Ying, the woman who fought alongside me in Yandu for twenty years. But loving her doesn't mean I had no reason to kill her."

"If I had to give a reason," Liu Qingshan sighed, "perhaps it's because Xu Ying was smarter than Yuer's mother."

Yang Chen remained silent, waiting for Liu Qingshan to continue.

"Comparatively, Yuer's mother wasn't as young, as smart, or as educated as Xu Ying. She spent her days worrying about household matters, saving money, waiting for supermarket discounts, thinking about how to nourish Yuer and cook for me, cut fruit, and make tea. Xu Ying was different. Her mind greatly assisted me in establishing the Qinglong Association. She could handle internal affairs and external matters with precision and decisiveness. She always came up with strategies that even impressed me. She was always an alluring woman."

Yang Chen responded, "But it seems you prefer my mother-in-law, Yuer's mother, more."

"Haha," Liu Qingshan laughed heartily. "That's right. Many people might not believe it, but deep down, I truly prefer Yuer's mother. That silly woman who spends all day fussing over household matters, who occasionally gives me headaches and adds to my troubles, actually makes me feel more grounded and more protective of her and our daughter."

"So, you're willing to risk Liu Minghao hating you for the rest of his life just to kill Xu Ying," Yang Chen remarked.

"Exactly," Liu Qingshan admitted frankly. "But there's another reason. If Minghao can't overcome the fact that I killed his mother, then he isn't fit to take my place."

"One day, he might kill you," Yang Chen stated bluntly.

Liu Qingshan laughed again. "Maybe. But don't worry. If he can actually kill me someday, I'll walk to the Naihe Bridge with a smile! It would mean he's capable. However, since our Yuer is with you, you'd better keep an eye out. If my daughter suffers even a bit, I will haunt you even as a ghost! Don't think that just because you're powerful, I can't deal with you."

Yang Chen grinned and chuckled. "Father-in-law, I'm starting to like you. Your personality is quite endearing, although you can be a bit foolish at times."

Liu Qingshan's face twitched. He couldn't tell if this was a compliment or an insult.