As Yang Chen watched Chen Feng slump unconscious, his body curling up in a hunched position, with a gruesome mess below him, he halted his actions. He cast a sidelong glance at the pale-faced young woman trembling beside him and once again revealed a harmless and gentle smile. "Don't be afraid, I'm not here to kill you."
That smile from Yang Chen nearly caused the young woman, already on the verge of passing out from fear, to lose control of her bladder.
"Pl-please spare me," she stammered, unable to utter anything else.
"Don't worry, I already said I won't kill you," Yang Chen furrowed his brows in frustration and asked, "Since you've had a thing with Chen Feng, do you happen to know where Chen Dehai is right now?"
The young woman, now slightly reassured that Yang Chen truly had no intention of killing her, whispered, "I... I'm not sure. Usually, Boss Chen would be in his study on the top floor."
"Hmm... It seems those idiots didn't deceive me," Yang Chen muttered to himself before heading towards the door.
Observing his actions, the young woman couldn't help but express her surprise amidst her fear. "Aren't you going to escape?"
"Escape? Why should I?" Yang Chen turned around.
"The commotion from earlier will definitely attract his henchmen, and they'll be rushing up here soon!" The young woman, still immobilized by the silk stockings binding her, worried about Yang Chen.
Yang Chen smiled indifferently. "It would be even better if Chen Dehai himself comes charging in." With that said, he walked out of the room, casually closing the door behind him.
Based on his memory, Chen Dehai's study was located in the central area of the top floor, precisely on the fourth floor. Once Yang Chen entered the corridor, he made his way directly towards the staircase.
Sure enough, as he had only taken a few steps, a group of individuals emerged from both the upper and lower sections of the staircase. They were all dressed in the same black uniforms as the thugs at the main entrance, but now their hands were armed with weapons—some with stun batons, while others wore steel-studded gloves.
Naturally, Yang Chen didn't naively believe that Chen Dehai's subordinates would be unarmed. However, this was still within the borders of the country, and the firearm regulations of the Huaxia government were famously strict worldwide. It was impossible for every henchman to be armed with guns. Therefore, the ones truly pointing firearms at him would undoubtedly be the select few elite individuals among them.
The shrimp soldiers and crab generals in front of Yang Chen didn't bother him at all as he effortlessly tossed them all down the stairs. It had been a while since he had a good fight, and having around twenty to thirty people rushing towards him provided a pleasant mood for Yang Chen.
As a group of thugs furiously attempted to beat the young man, who was still strolling leisurely, they soon realized that they couldn't even lay a finger on their target!
Yang Chen's movements were as fast as lightning, each step resembling a special effect seen in movies—a blur. Within what seemed like simple movements, Yang Chen gracefully maneuvered within the encirclement of a dozen or so individuals. With each brief pause, he would grab the wrist of one thug holding a weapon and forcefully use that thug's hand to strike the nearest accomplice. Some unlucky ones received blows to their arms or shins, while the unfortunate ones had a stick directly smacked against their foreheads!
There was no set pattern or technique—just rapid movements, precise calculations, and a simple yet effective approach! The corridor, spanning around twenty to thirty square meters, turned into complete chaos. All anyone could see was a black figure continuously darting back and forth in front of them, preventing them from easily striking with their stun batons, as they risked hitting their own comrades instead.
The corridor resounded with a series of screams. In less than a minute, out of the initial thirty-plus thugs charging at him, only four or five were left cowering on the side, while everyone else writhed on the ground in pain, too afraid to get up.
Yang Chen clapped his hands and smirked at the remaining five thugs who dared not approach him. "Aren't you going to join the fun?"
The five individuals shook their heads hastily, wearing pitiful smiles that looked more hideous than tears.
Without encountering any further obstacles, Yang Chen easily reached the fourth floor. He quickly located the central door leading to the study, which was surprisingly a specially reinforced steel door, and if not mistaken, bulletproof.
Yang Chen glanced at the monitors in the corridor and chuckled in boredom. Chen Dehai was indeed a cunning fox. He knew Yang Chen had entered the apartment but didn't rush to kill him. Instead, he sent over thirty henchmen to test and wear him down. Now, Chen Dehai was likely hiding within this iron-clad room, where he had probably set up an elaborate trap.
In truth, it would have been a decent plan if it weren't for Yang Chen. However, Chen Dehai definitely didn't know Yang Chen's true strength; otherwise, his wisest choice would have been to escape early on.
The seemingly indestructible steel door in front of Yang Chen didn't concern him much. If it were his former self from two years ago, it might have taken more effort to force it open. But now, with the changes in the peculiar martial arts he had cultivated, such defenses were of little use.
Taking a deep breath, Yang Chen's foot thundered straight into the thick steel door!
"Boom!"
A deep, muffled sound reverberated through the corridor as the steel door dented and sank into the wall, causing cracks to appear on the marble surface and debris to scatter on the ground!
Satisfied, Yang Chen retracted his foot and walked forward, giving the door a gentle push...
"Bang!"
A cloud of dust rose as the steel door toppled into the room, forcibly opened in this manner!
Inside the brightly lit study, there were indeed several people standing.
"Young man, impressive skills," a calm and somewhat hoarse voice came from a man seated behind the large oak desk in the study.
With just a glance, Yang Chen could recognize Chen Dehai. This man, except for his slightly gray hair, bore a striking resemblance to his son, Chen Feng, in facial features. He wasn't particularly tall, but he exuded a sense of desolation and shadow.
Behind Chen Dehai stood a row of more than ten suited bodyguards. Each of them had a serious expression, their hands already positioned inside their coats, ready to draw their handguns at any moment.
What surprised Yang Chen was that the man standing closest to Chen Dehai was the muscular bald man he had encountered at the bar. He had become one of Chen Dehai's most trusted henchmen, providing close protection for his safety.
The bald man's expression showed a hint of surprise and doubt upon seeing Yang Chen, but he didn't make a big fuss about it.
"Sorry for breaking your door," Yang Chen smirked, raising the corners of his mouth, and calmly strolled into the study.
Chen Dehai smiled insincerely and said, "No worries. Out with the old, in with the new. It's fine if the door is broken as long as someone compensates for it."
"What if I refuse to compensate?" Yang Chen asked.
"In that case, I'll ask the young man to first tell me why he came to my apartment and did all this, and then I'll make a decision," Chen Dehai calmly tapped the desk with his withered hand and said, "I, Chen Dehai, have been in the Zhonghai underworld for twenty or thirty years, but I'm not the unreasonable type. Young man, you have extraordinary skills, and if possible, I hope we can be friends rather than enemies."
Yang Chen casually nodded and glanced around. Chen Dehai's study was filled with massive bookshelves, stocked with various books and publications from both domestic and international sources. On a small table, there were writing utensils for calligraphy.
"It seems you've read a lot of books. You have a good level of education," Yang Chen replied nonchalantly.
Chen Dehai frowned, "Even in the underworld, in this day and age, it's not just about relying on sheer brutality." He seemed puzzled by Yang Chen's comment.
Yang Chen nodded in agreement, "I meant to say that if your son, Chen Feng, had half of your intelligence, you wouldn't be facing death today." Yang Chen smiled brightly.