Chapter 167: Execution on the Spot

"Report, sir," a grenadier pushed open the door, "Wei Lianmu Si has been located."

Two soldiers escorted a middle‑aged man in a suit and overcoat into the office. Wei Lianmu Si's clothes were already somewhat rumpled, cold sweat seeped from his forehead, and the lofty bearing he usually projected was gone.

"Mr. Wei Lianmu Si," Lin Yu turned, a playful smile on his face, "we meet again."

Wei Lianmu Si's eyes immediately darted away. He forced a thin smile: "Lin… Director Lin, I have always respected you. Your prestige in Shen City, the contributions you have made to this city…"

"Is that so?" Lin Yu sneered, "So you conspired with the Japanese, the French, and filed a complaint against me before the Great Dry Court?"

Wei Lianmu Si's face turned deathly pale instantly: "This… this is a misunderstanding! I never…"

"Silence!" Lin Yu slammed the table, "You foreigners, you run amok in Shen City, that was one thing, but now you dare to file a complaint against me before the Court?"

He walked up to Wei Lianmu Si, looking down from his height at the once haughty senior councilor: "Do you think I don't know you have been colluding with Lei Nuo for a long time? Do you think I don't know you allied with the Japanese, intending to drive me out of Shen City?"

Wei Lianmu Si's legs began to tremble: "Director Lin, I can explain…"

"No need to explain," Lin Yu said coldly, "Lei Nuo is already in hell. Tell me, how should I deal with you?"

Wei Lianmu Si "thumped" onto his knees: "Director Lin, have mercy! I truly regret! I will never dare again!"

Ai Bot watched, mouth agape. This senior councilor, usually so proud, now knelt like a dog, begging for mercy.

"Regret?" Lin Yu sneered, "You foreigners have never regarded us as humans. Now you're scared? Too late!"

He suddenly drew the Browning pistol from his waist and aimed it at Wei Lianmu Si's forehead.

"No! Don't!" Wei Lianmu Si let out a harrowing scream, "Director Lin, have mercy! I'll say anything! I'll tell everything I know!"

"Bang!"

The crisp gunshot echoed in the office. Wei Lianmu Si's body stiffened for a moment, then collapsed heavily to the floor. Blood gushed from his forehead, spreading on the expensive Persian carpet.

Ai Bot, frightened, fell from his chair, collapsed on the floor, trembling all over. He watched Lin Yu holster the pistol, his expression as calm as if he had just performed a trivial, insignificant act.

"Duke Ai Bot," Lin Yu turned, "do you now understand my attitude?"

Lin Yu slipped the pistol back to his waist, looking down from his height at the collapsed Duke Ai Bot. Wei Lianmu Si's corpse remained on the floor, the warm fresh blood having already dyed that expensive Persian carpet a dark red.

"Duke Ai Bot," Lin Yu's voice was icy, "the few demands I just mentioned, have you memorized them all?"

Duke Ai Bot trembled all over, his speech faltering: "Mem… memorized…"

"Very good," Lin Yu nodded, "I hope you can accomplish them as quickly as possible. Otherwise…" He gave a meaningful glance at Wei Lianmu Si on the ground, "you will go down and keep him company."

Duke Ai Bot felt the world spin. He, a dignified British duke, the highest official of the Works Bureau, now sat on the ground like a bereaved dog. This unprecedented humiliation nearly suffocated him.

Yet he dared not resist, nor even look up at Lin Yu's eyes. Wei Lianmu Si's fate lay before him, the sound of the bullet piercing his forehead still ringing in his ears.

"I… I will definitely comply," Duke Ai Bot's voice trembled, "twenty‑million dollars, gathered within three days. The concession matters, I will arrange immediately…"

"Very perceptive," Lin Yu sneered, "looks like you're much smarter than Wei Lianmu Si."

He adjusted his collar, turned to leave. As he reached the doorway, he suddenly stopped: "By the way, Duke Ai Bot."

Duke Ai Bot shivered: "Any… any other orders?"

"You should be grateful," Lin Yu said without turning, "that I didn't raze the Works Bureau to the ground. Do you know what the Public Administration Bureau of the French Concession looks like now?"

Duke Ai Bot's face grew even paler. Of course he knew, the Public Administration Bureau of the French Concession had been blown into ruins. Lei Nuo and other senior officials died in the explosion, their bodies not even all recovered.

"Th… thank you, Director Lin, for your mercy." Duke Ai Bot whispered. He had never imagined that one day he would prostrate himself before a Chinese man so humbly.

"Three days," Lin Yu said finally, "I give you three days. I hope that when we meet next time, you can give me a satisfactory answer."

Having said that, he strode out of the office. The grenadiers immediately followed.

Duke Ai Bot still sat collapsed on the floor, looking at Wei Lianmu Si's corpse, then at the blood spattered everywhere.

From today onward, Shen City is no longer the Shen City where foreigners can do as they please. This young man named Lin Yu, with a single bullet, has completely altered the city's power structure.

Lin Yu exited the Works Bureau building; in the night, the silhouette of an armored vehicle still loomed majestically. He got into the sedan, just about to light a cigarette, when Zhou Wei hurried over.

"Chief," Zhou Wei leaned against the car window, lowering his voice, "Ma San just sent word. Just now, Shen Qingshan that old bastard gathered eight hundred gang members, seems he intends to support the British."

"Shen Qingshan?" Lin Yu scoffed, "the guy who made his fortune by running opium dens and casinos near the British Concession?"

"Yes, that's him." Zhou Wei nodded, "That old bastard is called the number‑one magnate of the British Concession, on par with Huang, Du, and Zhang, the three great tycoons, said to command three thousand men, and is a top figure in Shen City."

Lin Yu disdainfully flicked ash: "Three thousand men? Even if he had thirty thousand, it would still be insufficient before me. How is he now?"

"We moved too quickly," Zhou Wei laughed, "as soon as his eight hundred gathered, we heard the Works Bureau had already been taken by us. Now the flags are lowered, everyone is hiding."

"Ha," Lin Yu sneered, "in my eyes, any so‑called number‑one magnate of the British Concession is just a clown."

He brushed ash, his gaze suddenly icy: "Tell Ma San, within two days, I will erase Shen Qingshan completely."

"Your meaning is…"

"The Shen family, all of them, sink into the river," Lin Yu said slowly, "the whole lot. Let Ma San take the Axe Head Gang brothers to do it, clean and tidy."

Zhou Wei's eyes flashed a cold light: "Understood. Ma San now commands three thousand elites, more than enough to deal with a scum like Shen Qingshan."

"Hmm," Lin Yu nodded, "make sure Ma San remembers not to leave any after‑effects. Shen Qingshan, a guy who relies on foreigners to run amok, should go to hell together with his master."

"My subordinates will arrange it now." Zhou Wei turned and hurried away.

Lin Yu leaned against the car seat, watching the night outside. The Works Bureau matter had just been settled, Shen Qingshan jumped out. These guys who live off foreigners should each meet their end.

"Drive." He said to the driver.

The sedan slowly left the Works Bureau. In the distance, the tread of the armored vehicle still echoed. This night was destined to keep more people awake.