Chapter 361: Fear

Hao Lifeng did not answer Lin Xiao’s question.

The brutal scene that had just unfolded sent shockwaves through his mind, as if a massive bomb had been dropped into a calm lake, stirring towering waves that left him paralyzed. He was unable to move, unable to speak. Even his body was trembling uncontrollably.

“He… how could he… how dare he…”

Though his lips could not form words, his heart was screaming in disbelief, overwhelmed by an intense and suffocating fear.

Cheng Pingyang was dead.

A man who stood on equal footing with him, a notorious underworld boss who wielded power across Jiangnan Province, had been killed, just like that.

As easily as a chicken being slaughtered.

The absurdity of it, the sheer ease with which it happened, sent chills down his spine.

At this moment, Hao Lifeng finally understood why Fu Lei had chosen to wash his hands of the underworld, why he had abandoned the gang he had spent half his life building, fleeing like a stray dog.

This man—Lin Xiao—was not human.

He was a monster.

And what made him even more terrifying was the unfathomable strength he possessed.

Cheng Pingyang had been nearly 1.8 meters tall, weighing at least 75 kg. Yet, Lin Xiao had effortlessly hurled him over ten meters, smashing him against a wall and killing him instantly, without even giving him the chance to resist.

Even an ordinary person trying to throw a fist-sized rock ten meters away would struggle, let alone a full-grown man.

But Lin Xiao had done it with ease.

Just how terrifying was his strength?

Hao Lifeng wasn’t the only one petrified. Ma Qingye was as well.

Even though he had mentally prepared himself for something like this, witnessing it firsthand still turned his face pale. He stood there stiffly, staring at Cheng Pingyang’s corpse in the distance.

The shock was so intense that his mouth hung open, wide enough to swallow a fist.

Mixed in with his astonishment was an indescribable fear, making his expression appear oddly ridiculous.

Yet no one laughed at him.

Because everyone—every single person present, from the hundreds of gang members surrounding them to Old Jin and his men behind Lin Xiao—was equally shaken to their core.

The previously rowdy and chaotic atmosphere had been muted, as if someone had pressed a button, plunging everything into dead silence.

No one spoke.

Only the sound of heavy breathing echoed through the air.

Several seconds passed before the crowd finally regained its senses, each reacting differently.

Hao Lifeng and Ma Qingye instinctively staggered backward, distancing themselves from Lin Xiao as much as possible, terrified that he might suddenly turn on them just as he had done to Cheng Pingyang. They retreated several steps before finally steadying themselves.

The hundreds of gang members surrounding them fumbled to draw their firearms, pointing their guns at Lin Xiao and Old Jin’s group, but not a single trigger was pulled.

Most of their hands were shaking.

Old Jin and his men also drew their weapons. Old Jin himself wielded two pistols, one aimed at Hao Lifeng and the other at Ma Qingye. Meanwhile, his subordinates, their faces cold and ruthless, pointed their submachine guns at the surrounding gang members.

A fierce shootout was on the verge of erupting.

Yet, no one dared to fire the first shot.

Everyone knew that if a gunfight broke out, this entire resort would turn into a bloodbath. No one would walk away unscathed.

“Do you… do you even realize what you’ve done?” Hao Lifeng clenched his teeth and roared at Lin Xiao, trying to mask his fear with anger. “Why did you kill Boss Cheng?!”

“Wasn’t that what he wanted?” Lin Xiao raised an eyebrow, his tone utterly indifferent. “He wanted to see what I’m capable of. I simply fulfilled his curiosity. Is there a problem?”

Listening to Lin Xiao’s calm, almost casual tone and looking at his composed, unwavering expression, Hao Lifeng felt an icy chill shoot through his spine.

The words he had intended to say stuck in his throat.

“Now, are you planning to avenge Cheng Pingyang, or are we continuing our unfinished business?”

Lin Xiao’s gaze swept across the crowd, his indifferent eyes passing over each and every gang member. Though his voice wasn’t loud, it carried clearly to all present.

“If anyone dares to fire a shot, I’ll kill every last one of you. None of you will leave this place alive.”

The chilling words, filled with murderous intent, made both Ma Qingye and Hao Lifeng shudder violently.

Ma Qingye was the first to react, shouting at the top of his lungs, “All Green River Gang members, lower your weapons. No one fires!”

Hearing their leader’s order, the Green River Gang members immediately lowered their guns.

However, the members of the Mad Fang Gang and Scarlet Tiger Gang remained hesitant.

Especially the Scarlet Tiger Gang. Their boss had just been killed right before their eyes—how could they possibly not want revenge?

But Lin Xiao’s overwhelming display of power left them paralyzed, too afraid to act rashly.

“Mad Fang Gang members, lower your weapons as well.” Hao Lifeng’s face twisted through several expressions before he ultimately gave in. “If we fight to the death, no one benefits.”

Hearing their leader’s command, the Mad Fang Gang members also hesitantly put away their guns.

The once volatile tension in the air gradually eased, leaving only the Scarlet Tiger Gang members standing there uncertainly, glancing at one another.

“Put your guns down!” Among them, a man who seemed to be one of their leaders took the initiative to holster his weapon. “Pick up the boss’s body, we’re leaving. We’re not getting involved in this mess today.”

After saying that, he turned toward the resort’s exit.

The rest of the Scarlet Tiger Gang members, as if finally finding someone to take charge, hurriedly lifted Cheng Pingyang’s corpse and followed, disappearing within moments.

“Phew—”

Old Jin let out a long sigh of relief and waved for his men to lower their weapons.

His back was drenched in sweat.

To say he wasn’t nervous would be a lie.

If a shootout had truly erupted, even if Lin Xiao could survive, they certainly wouldn’t have.

Luckily, it hadn’t come to that.

“Mr. Lin, this way, please.”

Hao Lifeng forced out a stiff smile, cautiously gesturing for Lin Xiao to proceed.

After what had just happened, there was no longer a trace of arrogance in his demeanor.

Instead, his heart was filled with nothing but dread toward Lin Xiao.

Even as he led the way, both he and Ma Qingye kept glancing back, making sure to maintain a seven or eight-meter distance from Lin Xiao. They were terrified that he might suddenly lash out at them just as he had done to Cheng Pingyang.

But they were overthinking it.

Lin Xiao was not a maniac who killed at random.

The reason he had slain Cheng Pingyang was simple. He had smelled thick, lingering blood on the man, and coupled with his provocation, it had triggered Lin Xiao’s killing intent.

Of course, Lin Xiao had no intention of explaining this.

He merely followed behind the two of them at a relaxed pace, as if he were taking a casual stroll.

His calm and unhurried demeanor left Old Jin in utter admiration.

The group quickly arrived at the resort’s main hall.

For Hao Lifeng and Ma Qingye, those few dozen meters had felt like climbing a mountain.

It wasn’t until they saw Lei Qianting and the other two seated inside the hall that they finally felt a sliver of relief.

At this point, their only hope was that Lei Qianting would be able to deal with Lin Xiao.

If Lei Qianting failed, then they were truly finished.