"Captain Chen, Master Liu has already said that this is not the time to be rash. The people inside are definitely experts, and they have hostages. Anyone who goes in will be at a severe disadvantage!" Long Tianyun said coldly from the side.

This was a polite way of putting it.

In fact, everyone understood that the current situation was a dead end. Liu Changhai, a master of internal arts, had run out in disarray after less than ten minutes inside. That spoke volumes about the severity of the situation.

Is Chen Zheng alone capable of resolving it?

"Whether or not I'm at a disadvantage is my problem. Since none of you can handle it, then anything I take from them has nothing to do with you, right?" Chen Zheng said calmly.

"You…" Long Tianyun was instantly infuriated.

She had made those remarks entirely out of concern for Chen Zheng's safety, yet this fellow not only showed no gratitude but was also obsessed with the spoils of war? She actually knew very well that Chen Zheng wasn't someone who could be easily persuaded. But if someone from the border region had a problem in the Central Plains, it would be a major incident. It was only natural to state the disclaimers upfront!

"Captain Chen, if you insist on going in and something happens, we will not take any responsibility!" Long Tianyun said angrily.

"Captain Chen, this…" Yang Chengxu also stepped forward, his voice tinged with worry.

He wasn't doubting Chen Zheng's strength. With his abilities, dealing with a minor situation like this should be no trouble at all! However, accidents could always happen. If something were to happen to Chen Zheng, the sky would fall.

"Don't worry. The border detachment is taking over now," Zhao Feng said in a low voice. "But since we are the ones taking action, any spoils will naturally belong to us. You two should understand that rule, right?"

On the battlefield, spoils of war weren't divided based on territory. The terms had to be agreed upon beforehand, otherwise things could get ugly later.

"Understood, understood…" Yang Chengxu nodded repeatedly, understanding the rationale all too well.

There were no other options left. Since they couldn't handle it themselves, they had to let someone else help. By that same token, any rewards would naturally belong to whoever succeeded.

"Since you refuse the clear path to safety and insist on charging into hell, then go right ahead..." Liu Changhai had given up trying to persuade him and was now sneering from the sidelines.

After this whole display, it made his status as a master seem completely meaningless. In fact, he wanted to see how long this arrogant Chen Zheng could last inside. Ten seconds?

Chen Zheng paid no mind to these remarks and headed straight inside with Zhao Feng. Just as they approached the entrance, several very tall figures appeared and followed the two of them into the darkness.

「In the underground parking lot.」

Not a soul could be seen, and even the air seemed to grow colder.

Chen Zheng glanced at the surrounding concrete pillars and gave a cold smirk. After he made a few hand signals, Zhao Feng and his men immediately vanished.

It wasn't long before the sound of sharp blades cutting something echoed through the area. But Chen Zheng, as if he hadn't heard a thing, continued walking deeper inside, only slowing when he reached the farthest parking spot.

There, a scruffy-bearded foreign man emerged, holding a white towel. He was dragging out a woman whose hands were bound and whose mouth was gagged with a white cloth.

The woman, upon seeing Chen Zheng, shook her head desperately, tears streaming down her face. Judging by her state, she was utterly terrified. Her eyes were filled with absolute panic, with no trace of calm whatsoever.

"Chen, the God of War, so it is you!" the man said in heavily accented and unpleasant-sounding Mandarin. As he spoke, his expression was grave, as if he were facing an unprecedentedly formidable enemy.

When Chen Zheng saw this person, his own expression turned grim. "Lone Wolf. I never thought we'd meet again so soon!"

The two of them were old rivals. Previously, while abroad, Lone Wolf had joined forces with a group of extremely powerful experts to launch a surprise attack on Chen Zheng. Although Chen Zheng had killed most of them, a few, including this man, managed to escape in the chaos.

Lone Wolf was a guard for a foreign royal family, specializing in collecting treasures from various secret realms. It was during that battle that he had witnessed Chen Zheng's truly terrifying power.

"I had my suspicions," Lone Wolf sighed deeply. "With the strength of these people from the Central Plains, how could they possibly have trapped us here? It turns out it was your Iron Pagoda unit!"

His face showed a hint of helplessness. If it weren't for Chen Zheng's men blocking every exit, he probably would have taken the treasure and left long ago.

"Since you know it's me, release the woman and hand over the item. This is your last chance," Chen Zheng said, the corner of his mouth curving up slightly.

"You can't be joking, right?" Lone Wolf scoffed. "I know exactly who this woman is. Even you must place great importance on her!"

"She's my last bargaining chip. If I let her go, do you think I'd get out of here alive?"

Chen Zheng's brow furrowed slightly. He had already recovered ten percent of his power, so getting rid of this Lone Wolf would be simple. However, ensuring Feng Yueyue's safety at the same time would not be so easy.

After weighing the pros and cons, Chen Zheng took a deep breath and said, "Release this woman now, and I'll spare you this once. I, Chen Zheng, never go back on my word!"

Yet, Lone Wolf shook his head resolutely. "You don't think I'm a fool, do you? With your Iron Pagoda unit outside, even if you intended to spare me, could we actually leave?"

If there had been any way to escape, he would have taken his men and left long ago; he wouldn't have waited until now. There would have been no need to take a hostage and negotiate with Chen Zheng!

"You've got a point. However, if you refuse this offer, it looks like you'll be dying immediately!" Chen Zheng said with a cold smirk, glancing at Feng Yueyue. "You should know full well that I, Chen Zheng, will not let anything alter my resolve!"

Hearing this, Lone Wolf froze on the spot. Feng Yueyue's eyes widened in disbelief, and she looked at Chen Zheng reproachfully.

The meaning of his words was clear! If it came down to a critical choice, he would absolutely abandon her.

Lone Wolf suddenly panicked. He knew very well that Chen Zheng would never joke about such things; he wasn't that kind of person. Lone Wolf was even more aware of how powerful the treasure he possessed was. Compared to obtaining that treasure, sacrificing one woman was truly nothing to someone like Chen Zheng!

"I agree…"

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.