"No need." Lin Chuan shook his head and said, "I'm here to find someone."

"Find someone?" A few of the men were taken aback, then one of them brightened up and quickly said, "Looking for Liu Cheng? Liu Cheng is inside, busy entertaining some important people. I'll get him for you right away."

"Wait!" Lin Chuan hurriedly said, "I'm not looking for Liu Cheng."

"Then who are you looking for?" one of the men asked in confusion.

"Where's Song Ming's private room?" Lin Chuan asked.

"He is in a suite on the fifth floor," the man quickly replied.

"Alright, I'll go up myself." Lin Chuan smiled and said, "You guys go ahead and keep busy."

"Sure, Brother Chuan, take care." The men said respectfully.

After that, Lin Chuan walked towards the stairs by himself.

Five floors, there's both an elevator and stairs. The stairs are made from solid redwood, spiraling up from the right side of the lobby, looking very grand. On the redwood steps lay a pure handmade wool carpet imported from Australia, giving a high-end, grand setting feel. The moment you enter, you can sense the upscale atmosphere of the Sichuan Restaurant.

Lin Chuan stepped up the stairs one by one, the majestic solid redwood stairs, costing over tens of millions. Ordinary people may never have even seen redwood, but at Sichuan Restaurant, one can tread on redwood stairs to dine upstairs. Something unimaginable before has now become a reality, and everyone finds it quite remarkable.

He walked from the first floor to the fifth, counting a total of one hundred and eight steps.

At the entrance of a suite on the fifth floor, Lin Chuan stopped.

At the door, a female waitress in a Sichuan Restaurant uniform glanced at Lin Chuan and asked, "Sir, are you a guest of Secretary Song?"

"I am!" Lin Chuan nodded.

"Then please, come in!" The woman quickly nodded.

Lin Chuan smiled, pushed the door open, and walked in. Inside, the room was brightly lit, not very big, about a dozen square meters, with a square table for eight people, and seven or eight dishes on it but only set with two sets of bowls and chopsticks.

There was a set of sofas in the room, imported fabric sofas from Italy. The craftsmanship was excellent, with hand-embroidered flying phoenixes on the armrests, looking very beautiful. Just this embroidery should cost quite a lot of money.

Song Ming stood by the floor-to-ceiling window, back to the door, with one hand behind him, the other holding a cigarette. The cigarette was smoked down to the butt, and there were already five or six butts in the ashtray on the table. It seemed he had been waiting there for quite a while.

Lin Chuan walked in slowly.

The door of the room closed automatically.

"Deputy Secretary Song," Lin Chuan began, "You happened to invite me during dinner time, and I'm also conveniently hungry. This..."

Song Ming slowly turned around, and his head of white hair somewhat shocked Lin Chuan.

Suddenly, Lin Chuan felt a bit guilty. He had forgotten that Song Ming was not just a deputy secretary, but also a father. Although his son, Song Hao, was no good, and it seemed Song Ming himself was also filled with ambition and greed, fundamentally, he was still a father.

Though he was ambitious, though he was greedy, though he was...

The moment Lin Chuan saw Song Ming's hair, he was deeply shocked. He hadn't expected Song Ming to have changed so much. He could hardly believe it.

"You've come?" Song Ming's face showed a smile as he slowly walked over to Lin Chuan, his steps deliberate, walking with a passion. When he got to Lin Chuan, Song Ming suddenly extended his hand as if to shake Lin Chuan's hand. But then he remembered this wasn't an official affair, so he immediately withdrew it. Song Ming awkwardly said, "A bad habit developed from years in politics. Hard to change."

"It's quite alright." Lin Chuan smiled, "Deputy Secretary Song, have a seat."

Lin Chuan didn't sit first, after all, the guest follows the host's lead.

Song Ming sat down in one of the seats. Lin Chuan then took the seat opposite him. They sat facing each other, the table approximately 1.2 meters in length and width, meaning about 1.2 meters of distance between them.

The table held a total of eight dishes, eight quite ordinary dishes. The way they were made seemed fairly standard.

After a moment of silence, Lin Chuan took a cigarette from a soft Chinese pack on the table and lit it. He took a deep puff and then asked, "Deputy Secretary Song, may I ask what business you have with me? Surely it can't just be to treat me to a meal, right?"

"Actually, I have some matters I'd like to discuss with you." Song Ming began, looking at Lin Chuan.

"Go ahead, I'm all ears." Lin Chuan nodded.

"It's about my son, I wonder if you have the patience to listen?" Song Ming's expression suddenly darkened.

Lin Chuan chuckled and said, "Go ahead, I'm listening."

Lin Chuan smoked a cigarette while picking up food with his chopsticks. The chefs at Sichuan Restaurant were still the original team from Qin Han Restaurant, including most of the waitstaff. Sichuan Restaurant was merely a rebranded Qin Han Restaurant, as everyone in Jiangbei City knew. So, even with the name change, the business remained booming. In fact, opening up to the common folk made the business even more prosperous.

The state hid wealth among the people, and the consumption level of the common folk was also raised.

A strange smile appeared on Lin Chuan's lips. He pretended to listen closely, but inside he didn't take any of it seriously.

Song Ming smiled and then said, "Song Hao killed your mother, and I'm aware of that. I've also admitted it. So, when you took his life, I never sought to talk to you about it because, in my opinion, it's only right. An eye for an eye, a debt repaid..."

Song Ming rambled on, and although Lin Chuan heard some of it, he basically didn't pay much attention. Summed up, it was just this: My son killed your mother, I admit it, I apologize...

Suddenly, Song Ming changed his tone and said, "You killed Song Hao, and as his father, what do you think I should do?"

"Secretary Song, I'm really sorry about this." Lin Chuan finished a piece of chicken and placed his chopsticks on the chopstick rest.

"Since it's a matter of your underworld, use your underworld's rules to settle it. Your mother died, you got revenge for her..." Song Ming's face turned grim. "Now my son is dead, shouldn't I, as a father, seek revenge for him?"

Lin Chuan squinted his eyes and asked with a smile, "Secretary Song, what do you plan to do?"

Suddenly, an unexpected scene unfolded for Lin Chuan. Song Ming suddenly pulled out a black pistol from his pocket. It was a Browning Pistol, with a small muzzle and a body marred by signs of age. Judging from its condition, it seemed to be a piece with some history. Moreover, Lin Chuan distinctly saw a string of numbers on it. Apparently, this gun was an illegal item leaked from a military district.

Song Ming tightly gripped the gun, aiming it at Lin Chuan, his face twisted with rage, his right hand trembling.

"Lin Chuan, you killed my son, causing my wife to suffer frequent heart attacks, and now she's living in the hospital year-round. You've turned my hair white overnight, destroyed my family beyond recognition." Song Ming was almost hysterical as he roared in anger, "You made my life miserable, and I want to make you live a life worse than death."

Lin Chuan squinted, holding a chopstick in both hands, and sneered, "Secretary Song, your son's death was self-inflicted."

"Yes, that's right, self-inflicted." Song Ming nodded and said, "But he was my son nonetheless. You killed my son, so I must kill you. It needs no reason, it's only natural, it's a matter of course. Lin Chuan, prepare to die."

Song Ming gritted his teeth and pressed the trigger.

Whoosh...

Suddenly, a chopstick swiftly flashed past. The chopstick struck Song Ming's wrist with great speed.

"Ah!" Song Ming let out a miserable cry, and the gun fell onto the table.

Song Ming felt a sharp pain in his wrist, clutching it in agony. Meanwhile, Lin Chuan leisurely picked up the black Browning Pistol from the table.

Browning began developing pistols in the late 19th century, primarily manufactured by the FN National Factory in Belgium, and the Colt Weapon Company and Remington Arms Company in the United States.

Moreover, this particular model was Browning's high-power pistol.

The Browning High-Power Pistol was widely used around the world. Its automatic system worked through a short recoil operation, where the barrel and slide locked and moved back a certain distance before the barrel disengaged. The barrel then continued rearward a bit before stopping, while the slide continued moving back. Its chamber locking was achieved by the barrel's vertical movement; the firing mechanism had an exposed hammer design, and the firing system functioned only when the magazine was inserted, allowing for semi-automatic firing only. The pistol featured safety mechanisms against accidental and premature firing.

These pistols were once equipped by our military but were gradually replaced by the domestically developed Type 54 pistols.

Most of the phased-out Browning High-Power Pistols were recovered by the state and melted down. Of course, a small number ended up in private hands, becoming coveted collectibles. These Browning pistols were rarely seen in public.

This was Lin Chuan's first time seeing one. Lin Chuan laughed and said, "I never expected Secretary Song also served in the military."

"How did you know?" Song Ming was stunned, gritting his teeth in pain as he said, "Give me back the gun."

"Haha." Lin Chuan laughed heartily, "I never thought Secretary Song would dare to bring a military gun back. Aren't you afraid of being found out?"

"Mind your own business!" Song Ming roared angrily, trying to rush in and grab the gun from Lin Chuan.

"Don't move!" Lin Chuan suddenly shouted coldly.

Song Ming immediately froze in place, and Lin Chuan held the gun, pointing it at himself. This left Song Ming dumbfounded. He stared at Lin Chuan in shock and said, "Lin Chuan, give me the gun back. You have to give it back to me."

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