Chapter 194: Thunderbolt Reply

Shen City City Hall, Lin Yu's office.

Qi Ming Yuan stood at attention, reporting the reply he had just received from the two governors. Outside the window, the setting sun bathed the whole room in blood‑red.

Lin Yu sat behind the wide rosewood desk, carefully wiping a Browning pistol. The barrel gleamed with a cold metallic sheen in the sunset.

"Reporting, Commander," Qi Ming Yuan said. "The reply from Nanjiang Governor Lu Anxiang says twenty million is too much; he will only offer five million." He paused, adding, "He even blustered in the telegram that he would bring troops to Shen City..."

Lin Yu didn't look up, continuing to polish the gun in his hand. His movements were slow and meticulous, as if he were handling a precious work of art.

"Reply to Lu Anxiang." His tone was flat, yet carried an undeniable chill. "Tell him, twenty million, not a cent less. Send the cash to Shen City within three days."

He reassembled the pistol piece by piece, his voice growing colder: "Starting tomorrow, if the money isn't paid, I will chop off one of Lu Xiao's parts each day, preserve it on ice, and send it by special vehicle. Let him prepare to receive his son's 'keepsake'."

"Yes!" Qi Ming Yuan's heart clenched. Compared to Ma San, Lin Yu was far more like a terrifying, cold‑blooded madman.

"As for Sun Dingyuan," he continued, "his reply was more tactful, saying the sum is huge and he needs time to raise it, requesting a few days' extension. He also stressed that he hopes to guarantee Sun Lingyun's safety."

With a click, Lin Yu fitted the last part back into the pistol, the corner of his mouth curling into a cold smile: "He's clever, I'll give him that."

He raised the pistol, pointing it at the sunset outside the window, and said: "Reply to Sun Dingyuan: just say, 'Send the cash to Shen City within three days. Money delivered, person released.' Don't add a single word."

"Understood." Qi Ming Yuan quickly noted the order and turned to leave.

The office fell silent again. Lin Yu rose, walked to the window, and the Browning in his hand cast a long shadow in the sunset—like a sword hanging over the heads of the two governors.

His gaze was deep, fixed on the distant horizon, as if he were looking at two insignificant pawns.

This game was never about sparring with two worthless heirs from the start; it was meant to give those high‑and‑mighty governors a profound lesson.

Whoever dares to reach for Shen City will have their arms chopped off!

The air in the dungeon grew ever more gloomy.

A guard paced past, his baton striking the iron bars in rhythm. He suddenly stopped, his eyes falling on Lu Xiao curled in the corner, and a meaningful smile tugged at his lips.

That smile made Lu Xiao shudder all over. He didn't know why, but the malice in it sent a chill down his spine. After the guard left, he curled himself up even tighter, like a frightened child.

Sun Lingyun leaned against the wall, eyes wide open, staring at the dark ceiling. The dungeon's silence was more terrifying than ever—even the mice's scurrying had ceased, as if they too sensed the ominous atmosphere.

"Sun brother..." Lu Xiao's voice was soft, trembling, "Do you think... Lin Yu will really kill us?"

Sun Lingyun didn't answer. He didn't know how to. Over the past half month, they had personally witnessed Lin Yu's methods. That young man's ruthlessness and cruelty far exceeded their imagination.

Another chill swept over him, and Lu Xiao shivered. The burn on his hand began to throb faintly again—the mark left by Lin Yu's cigar. Each pang reminded him: in this place, in that madman's hands, their lives were like guttering candles in the wind.

Sun Lingyun closed his eyes. He knew this near‑motionless silence wasn't without cause. Lin Yu's silence over the past half month was like a hunter patiently waiting for prey to fall into despair. And now, they could both sense that something far worse was about to happen.

In the darkness, the two once‑proud heirs were now like lambs awaiting slaughter, able only to wait in fear and despair for fate's judgment.

Nanjiang Governor's Office.

Lu Anxiang was processing documents—or rather, using them as an ashtray. He had a cigar clenched in his teeth, idly tapping ash onto the papers.

"Governor... Governor!"

The aide's face turned deathly pale as he practically stumbled in, clutching a telegram, his hand shaking so badly he could barely hold it.

"What's wrong now?" Lu Anxiang snapped, looking up irritably. "Didn't I say five million—take it or leave it..."

"Yes... it's Shen City's reply..." the aide stammered, "Lin... Lin Yu said..."

"Read it!"

The aide swallowed and said, "Twenty million, not a cent less. Send the cash to Shen City within three days. Starting tomorrow, if the money isn't paid, I will chop off one of Lu Xiao's parts each day, preserve it on ice, and send it by special vehicle. Let... let the governor prepare to receive the young master's 'keepsake'..."

"What?!"

Lu Anxiang froze, as if he couldn't believe his ears. The next second he slammed his cigar and teacup onto the floor with a huge crash.

"Lin Yu! You bastard son of a bitch!!" he roared like a provoked beast, "You dare threaten me?! You dare lay a hand on my son?! I'll skin you alive and rip out your tendons!"

His face flushed red, veins bulging like a furious lion pacing the room. He kicked over a nearby chair and pointed toward Shen City, shouting curses.

"Son of a bitch! I'll tear you apart! I'll chop you into mincemeat! I..."

A stream of vulgarities filled the air, while the surrounding guards and servants were terrified into silence, not daring to breathe.

Yet beneath this extreme anger, a hint of fear he could not hide crept into his heart. Lin Yu's threat was too concrete, too brutal—far beyond the usual norms of the jianghu or officialdom.

Just the thought of his son possibly being sliced apart and sent back piece by piece made even his iron‑hard heart shudder. This wasn't extortion—it was clearly forcing him to watch his son be executed by lingchi.

"Twenty million... twenty million..." he muttered the number over and over, his eyes shifting unpredictably.

That's a full twenty million! Enough to buy half of Nanjiang's provincial capital! But... but if Lin Yu really means what he says...

He thought of Lu Xiao as a child. Though useless, he was still his own flesh and blood. Although he constantly called Lu Xiao a good‑for‑nothing, the idea of actually watching him being chopped to pieces...

Lu Anxiang panted, his eyes blood‑red, staring fixedly at the telegram as if he wanted to burn a hole through it. He faced an agonizing choice: continue to hold out, betting Lin Yu wouldn't go that far, or humiliatingly, painfully produce that huge sum to ransom the son he both loved and hated—a worthless good‑for‑nothing.

His roar still echoed in the governor's office, but mixed within it was a barely perceptible panic and wavering.