Chapter 22: Lin Wendong is nothing; who dares to lay a hand on my Taihao?!

"So, you've arrived?" Lin Wendong looked at the three men, asking calmly as if he had expected them all along.

In truth, he had realized he was being watched for some time. It was common sense; as a "foreigner" searching for money launderers to exchange a massive amount of cash, how could he expect the news not to leak? Nine hundred thousand dollars in cash—the temptation was immense, and once word got out, being targeted was an absolute certainty. Consequently, Lin Wendong hadn't relaxed for a single moment all night, waiting right there by the door.

"Gulp."

The three men froze in the doorway. Looking at the man sitting in the chair and the dark, menacing barrel of the AK-47 pointed their way, they found themselves unable to run, yet unable to stay.

"Don't be nervous." Lin Wendong stood up, gesturing for them to enter. "Close the door."

The three men dared not utter a word, but they were cursing internally. *Damn it, didn't they say this Chinese guy was unarmed? Where the hell did this AK-47 come from? Our intel was wrong; we've been royally screwed! It's over, we're definitely going to die here today!*

They all realized that their lives now hung entirely on the whim of this Chinese man holding the rifle. Lin Wendong walked over to them and confiscated their weapons: one handgun and three short blades. Once the threat was neutralized, he lowered the AK.

"Speak," he demanded. "Who are you, and who sent you?"

The three men exchanged glances, then lowered their heads in silence. Lin Wendong frowned. "If you tell me, I might spare your lives."

Seeing they still had no intention of speaking, Lin Wendong’s tone grew impatient. "Of course, if you refuse to talk, I can find out on my own, but then you three won't have a chance to survive. Think about your families. If you die, what will become of them?"

At the mention of their families, the men clearly wavered. After a moment of silence, one finally spoke with trembling lips: "We are... we work for Brother Hao. It was Brother Hao who sent us."

"Brother Hao?" Lin Wendong raised an eyebrow; he wasn't familiar with the local underworld yet. "Who is this Brother Hao?"

"Tai Hao. He's a big shot in the Geer City underworld. There are three major bosses in our city, and Tai Hao is one of them. He got word that you had over nine hundred thousand dollars in cash and sent us to take you out and steal the money."

Lin Wendong nodded, satisfied. "I see."

*Underworld?* he mused internally. He had been targeted by this Tai Hao, a local snake. If the man was going to cause trouble... Lin Wendong’s eyes turned cold, a chilling intent rising within him. While it is said that a powerful dragon should not bully the local snake, that only holds true if they can coexist peacefully. Since the local snake had already targeted him, he had no choice but to strike back.

There was another way, of course—to grease the palms with money. He could offer a million dollars to Tai Hao, call it a truce, and let bygones be bygones. But a flicker of cold light flashed in Lin Wendong’s eyes. *Does he even deserve it?*

Tai Hao was not like the Mayor of Geer City; the latter was an official of the Cambodian government, and moving against him would be akin to declaring war on the entire nation. But Tai Hao? He was merely a local gang leader. Was he really worth a million dollars?

*Micro-Timed Bomb.*

Lin Wendong looked at the item in the system store and purchased it immediately.

"Tai Hao, is it? I've heard of you and have been meaning to pay a visit. Tell you what, you can deliver a message for me." Lin Wendong’s expression shifted, and he smiled at the three men. "Go back now. Tell Tai Hao that I am very interested in making his acquaintance."

"Huh?" The three men were stunned. They had thought their lives were forfeit tonight, yet he was letting them go? They had come to kill him, and he was letting them leave, bearing no grudges? A sense of inexplicable gratitude washed over them.

Lin Wendong laughed heartily, patting each of them on the shoulder. "As the saying goes, we become friends through fighting. Go back now, find Tai Hao, and make sure to deliver my words!"

Thrilled to be alive, the men nodded eagerly. "Don't worry! As soon as we leave this hotel, we will find Brother Hao and pass on your message immediately!"

As they carefully shuffled toward the door, Lin Wendong called out, "Wait!"

Their hearts skipped a beat, fearing he had changed his mind and intended to renege on his word.

"You forgot your things." Lin Wendong handed back the weapons he had taken from them.

"This... he truly is a good man!"

When the three reached their van outside the hotel, they let out long sighs of relief. "Our intel was way off; we almost died in there. But this Chinese guy is so magnanimous—letting us go and even returning our weapons. Come on, let's go find Brother Hao and tell him what happened. This guy wants to cooperate with him."

None of them noticed the small, coin-sized black objects now stuck to each of their shoulders.

*Micro-Timed Bomb. Ten thousand currency points.*

"Three micro-bombs cost me thirty thousand. I wonder how powerful they are." Lin Wendong stood by the window, watching the night view of Cambodia as he murmured to himself.

On the streets of Geer City, a van sped along, soon stopping in front of a bar. The three men entered, passed through a side door, and arrived at a casino. They approached a man with slicked-back hair. "B-Brother Hao," they whispered cautiously.

Tai Hao looked up from the gambling table. "Back so soon? Is it done?"

The three looked at each other, then shook their heads, steeling themselves.

"You failed?" Tai Hao frowned, his voice dropping three degrees.

"Well... the intel was wrong. That Chinese man had a weapon. As soon as we walked in, he had an AK aimed at us..." They recounted the events, including Lin Wendong’s offer of cooperation.

Tai Hao scoffed in disdain. "Who does he think he is? He wants to cooperate with me, Tai Hao? In Geer City, even the mayor gives me face! I came here when I was fourteen, braved storms and licked blood off knife edges for over thirty years to achieve what I have today! Ten KTVs, five casinos, six gold shops... who in Geer City can touch me? Who would dare? That outsider? Hmph! I'll make him understand the methods of Tai Hao."

*Ding-ding-ding.*

Just as Tai Hao finished speaking, a cold, rhythmic beeping sounded throughout the quiet casino.

"What is that sound?" he asked, frowning.

One of the three men looked pale. "That sound... it sounds like the timer on a bomb."

"A bomb?!"

*BOOM!*

In an instant, an explosion rocked the room, sending everyone within a five-meter radius flying. Tai Hao, caught in the center of the blast, was killed instantly along with the three men. The blast radius of the micro-bombs was limited, so the rest of the casino suffered little impact.

The next morning, Lin Wendong learned of the incident through the news on the hotel television.

*"At approximately 11:00 PM last night, an explosion occurred at a local bar, resulting in four deaths and three injuries. The identity of one of the deceased has been confirmed as Tai Hao. There is speculation that this may have been the work of Xu Jiang."*

Watching the broadcast, Lin Wendong nodded. "Now, it's time to get down to business."

He picked up his two briefcases, left the hotel, and hailed a taxi toward the government building. He wouldn't stay in Cambodia forever; in his plan, selecting a site and building a factory would take time, and he could eventually have the owner of the second branch of Taizhai oversee operations.

Compared to the grand government buildings back home, the government office in Geer City was somewhat "shabby." It stood three stories tall, with the mayor's office on the top floor. Under normal circumstances, an unidentified foreigner would never be able to see the mayor, but Lin Wendong had no intention of using "normal means."

He went around to the back of the building and vaulted over the wall. He then strode confidently into the lobby and took the elevator to the third floor. The halls were filled with locals conducting business and busy staff; as long as he didn't act suspicious, no one took any notice of him.

Reaching the third floor, Lin Wendong followed the signs along the corridor until he arrived at the door to the mayor's office.