Chapter 81: The Car Race

“How much?” The young man scoffed, “Let me tell you, this kind of car isn’t something you can just buy if you have the money. It requires connections and influence.”

“And how much would the boss sell it for, then?”

Instead of answering, the young man simply held up a finger.

“Ten million?”

“Heh,” the young man chuckled, his face filled with disdain.

“Could it… could it be one hundred million?” Everyone collectively swallowed, their voices carrying undertones of disbelief.

“Exactly, one hundred million. And even with that, you might not be able to get one. There are only ten of these worldwide. They’ll never be manufactured again, each one is an exclusive edition.”

“What?”

“My God!”

“That’s terrifying.”

Everyone gasped, the price tag shocking them to the core.

“That… that guy was driving this kind of high-end car?” The car thief who had been humiliated by Lin Xiao stared in disbelief. He had assumed the car might be worth a few tens of millions at most—but now he realized it was easily ten times that.

This instilled a sense of fear in him. He mused, “Could that guy be disguising himself as a fool to deceive the wise? Big brother, maybe we should let this go?”

He was sensible enough to understand his place—a mere car thief. Forget a hundred million; the vehicles he usually stole were worth, at most, a hundred thousand. A luxury car in this range was far beyond their reach.

He knew that people who could afford such cars weren’t the kind they could afford to provoke. A simple gesture from someone like that could erase them from existence.

Whether Lin Xiao had stolen the car or not didn’t matter anymore. The fact that he dared to drive it so openly meant one thing—this wasn’t someone to mess with. And the thief valued his life far too much to take that risk.

The young man seemed to be thinking along the same lines. His expression shifted as conflicting thoughts crossed his mind.

In the end, he gritted his teeth, his face hardening with determination.

“We’ll wait here. I want a word with the car owner. You all better be on your best behavior.”

After confirming the true value of the Rolls-Royce, the young man abandoned his original plan and opted for a different approach.

His position as the leader of the car theft gang wasn’t just due to his experience or fighting skills—it came from his strategic thinking and sharp judgment. He knew exactly who could be provoked and who couldn’t.

As Lin Xiao entered the parking lot, his eyes narrowed at the sight of the group clustered around the Rolls-Royce. A surge of anger rose within him. He had given them a chance to walk away—yet some people simply didn’t know how to recognize goodwill.

His expression darkened. Without a word, he started walking toward the car.

The group of thieves spotted him immediately and stood up, instinctively tense.

“So,” Lin Xiao said, arms crossed, his voice cool and detached, “are you here to avenge your friends?”

Confronted by Lin Xiao’s cool, icy gaze, the young man’s pupils contracted sharply. A chill crept up his spine. In all his years running the streets, he had never encountered such a terrifying stare—one that made him feel like an ant underfoot.

An instinctive urge to flee gripped him. He wasn’t just a petty thief like the others—he was a local boss, someone who had weathered his share of storms. But Lin Xiao… he was something else entirely.

Despite showing no overt hostility, Lin Xiao’s calm and indifferent demeanor concealed something far more dangerous—a chilling disregard for life and death.

It was a gaze found only in those hardened by the ruthless realities of survival—people familiar with the constant dance between life and death. Paired with the globally limited edition Rolls-Royce, the young man immediately understood that the seemingly unremarkable figure before him was anything but ordinary.

He was not someone he could afford to mess with.

“No, no. We’re here to apologize.”

The young man smacked one of the car thieves on the back of the head and barked, “Apologize to this gentleman. Now!”

The thief, dazed by the slap, stared at him in confusion. “Big brother…?”

“What Big Brother?” the young man snapped, his eyes wide and face fierce. “All three of you, apologize to this gentleman immediately! You tried to steal his car? Have you lost your senses? We’re law-abiding citizens, not criminals!”

The thief fell silent.

The three of them were so stunned by their boss’s sudden change in tone that it took them a moment to react. But after seeing the sharp look in his eyes, they didn’t dare delay. One after another, they quickly bowed and apologized to Lin Xiao.

“We’re sorry, big brother.”

Lin Xiao watched the scene unfold with mild intrigue. He wasn’t naive—he knew full well this group hadn’t shown up in the parking lot just to apologize.

If they were truly remorseful, they wouldn’t have brought a crowd armed with steel pipes and clubs. Still, what caught his attention was how quickly the tall young man—the obvious leader—had shifted his tone the moment he laid eyes on him.

The young man forced an awkward smile. He knew his excuse wouldn’t convince anyone, but he couldn’t come up with anything better.

“Let’s leave it at that. I didn’t suffer any losses, so we’ll let bygones be bygones,” Lin Xiao said calmly. His anger had cooled, and he decided to let them off.

The young man breathed a sigh of relief. But although he was acting prudently, his subordinates were perplexed as to why they had to be so courteous to Lin Xiao and continued to glare at him with hostile eyes.

The young man snapped, “What are you all doing? Put down whatever you’re holding. Now.”

“Big brother, this guy—” one of the underlings began, pointing at Lin Xiao with a steel pipe, clearly unwilling to back down.

Smack!

The young man stepped forward and delivered a hard slap across the underling’s face. “What do you mean ‘this guy’? You address him as Big Brother!”

The car thief, now bearing a red five-fingered mark across his face, clutched his cheek and dared not say another word.

The other thieves dropped their weapons in silence, standing empty-handed, staring blankly at their boss and Lin Xiao. They couldn’t understand why their boss was treating this man with such deference. Sure, the car was valuable—but as long as they didn’t provoke the owner, what was the issue?

Chen Xue paid no attention to their confusion. He stepped forward, gave Lin Xiao a polite bow.

“I apologize for my brothers’ lack of understanding. I’m sorry they caused you trouble. May I ask your name?”

“Lin Xiao,” he said simply, not getting into the car just yet. His curiosity had been stirred. He wanted to understand this man’s intentions.

“Brother Lin,” Chen Xue said, swallowing his pride without hesitation, even though he was clearly a few years older. “My name is Chen Xue. You can just call me Little Chen.”

Brother Lin? Little Chen?

Chen Xue’s words left his underlings stunned. Their eyes widened in disbelief. In their minds, Brother Xue was a tough, iron-willed figure—someone who stayed cool even when dealing with arrogant rich kids.

Because of this, the car thieves had always held Chen Xue in high regard, willingly calling him “Big Brother.” But now, he was showing a side of himself they had never seen.

Chen Xue wore an ingratiating smile, a stark contrast to his usual grim and icy demeanor.

“Alright, Little Chen, let’s cut to the chase,” Lin Xiao said, his gaze sharpening with a flicker of interest. “I know your real reason for coming here isn’t just to have your underlings apologize, right?”

Lin Xiao had seen through him.

Chen Xue was willing to swallow his pride, drop the bravado, and read the situation with sharp eyes. He was brave but cautious, thick-skinned but clever. If given the right opportunity, he had the potential to become far more than just a small-time gang leader.

However, it was merely a spark of interest.

Even if Chen Xue had the chance to rise to the top of Jinghai City’s underworld, he would only equal Wang Lin at best. Having effortlessly killed Wang Lin, Lin Xiao wouldn’t concern himself with Chen Xue.

“I can’t hide anything from Brother Lin, can I?” Chen Xue looked a bit embarrassed, but Lin Xiao knew this expression was nothing more than a facade, “I’ve got some information that may interest you, Brother Lin.”

“Speak.” Lin Xiao replied indifferently.

Chen Xue pondered for a moment before cautiously asking, “Brother Lin, if I may be so bold, is this Rolls-Royce Phantom yours?”

“More or less.” Lin Xiao answered, nodding and waiting for Chen Xue to continue.

Chen Xue enthusiastically clapped his hands together, praising, “Brother Lin is extraordinary, capable of owning such a high-end car. It’s a super-luxury vehicle, with only ten units available worldwide.”

“Get to the point.” Lin Xiao urged.

A flicker of embarrassment crossed Chen Xue’s face, but he quickly regained his composure.

“Alright, I won’t keep you guessing any longer,” he said. “I’ve heard about an underground car race happening soon in Jinghai City. A lot of rich young masters are planning to take part.”

His eyes gleamed with excitement as he continued, “Since Brother Lin owns such a luxury car, why not give it a shot? With a Rolls-Royce like that, the first-place prize practically has your name on it!”