The power of persuasion couldn't be said to be non-existent; on the contrary, there was a kind of beauty in dissuasion that made Ji Jue, who was watching from the sidelines, pause montarily in his actions.
In the prolonged silence, everyone exchanged glances; several tis, soone seed on the verge of speaking as if to offer so persuasion, yet under Uncle Lin's indifferent gaze, they couldn't utter a word.
Expressions changed, faces transford.
It was truly spectacular.
At tis like these, those who were angrily sullen might not necessarily be guilty while those with a clear complexion could not necessarily be deed loyal. The stances of most people, however, disclosed their hesitancy and wavering.
"I'm sorry, Uncle Lin."
The first to rise and break the silence was a middle-aged man with a scruffy beard, none other than a Chosen One sitting on the edge. After a mont of hesitation, he finally said, "If the boss were here, I'd wade through fire and water, unafraid of death, but..."
"There's no need to say more, I understand."
Uncle Lin waved his hand, yet his expression turned to one of warmth. He patted the man on the shoulder, "At a critical juncture like this, for you to step forward and ask to leave without backstabbing us is already the epito of kindness and justice.
Now that the boss isn't here, as an assistant, I don't have the right to ask everyone to lay down their lives.
We've worked hard all these years; let us part on good terms when we disband, and hope to et again if fate allows it."
The man was stunned, remaining silent for a long while before nodding. He left without even a backward glance, head down, in a rush.
With one leading the way, then ca a second, and a third...
Soon, six of the Chosen Ones present had left, leaving only three seated in their original spots without moving an inch. And among those who managed other aspects of the business, so hesitated before stepping forward, going downstairs to hand over their work and leave.
In less than ten minutes, the noisy atmosphere of the restaurant had grown empty and desolate.
Those who remained were less than one-third of the original number.
When the tree falls, the monkeys scatter. In these tis, isn't everyone out here scrambling for money? Talking about loyalty and righteousness to the White Deer was a joke to begin with. Moreover, those who took initiative to make the separation without betrayal were already considered good brothers.
And among those who stayed, their stances not necessarily firm, perhaps they were just waiting for a better offer.
A al that wasn't finished, with nothing left but the disbandnt.
After waiting for a long ti without anyone else standing up, Uncle Lin spoke again, "Nobody else wants to leave? Ah Yi, Shi Qi, Goldie?"
"What are you saying, Uncle Lin?!"
Goldie, having held it in for who knows how long, now had a red face, "One should always honor their commitnts. A man's word is his bond. The boss's brother is like... cough cough, my family. I'm not afraid of Lei Yaoxing at all!"
His words had force and conviction.
Unfortunately, it would have been better if his voice hadn't trembled.
"Does everyone else feel the sa way?" Uncle Lin looked around.
The man known as Shi Qi, smoking a cigarette, said indifferently, "The boss pays, I risk my life, you know. If it weren't for the boss dealing with the loan sharks for , I'd have been selling a kidney by now."
"Erm... I, I feel the sa..." Ah Yi, the young man, stood up nervously to answer and then, not knowing what else to say, sat back down awkwardly.
Others echoed in agreent, only those who were more intellectual in their pursuits spoke more eloquently, their words more convincing and reassuring.
At this mont, Ji Jue reflected on why he wasn't a Heart Core?
Could it be that his desires were not intense or nurous enough? So many Superiors had patronized them, yet Heart Core didn't even spare him a glance, did it?
Unfortunately, he didn't have any talent for becoming Ether, nor had he learned to read micro-expressions or anything of the sort. After watching the entire exchange unfold, he could only feel it loosely made sense. Who was genuine and who was fake? It was impossible to discern.
Yet unexpectedly, Uncle Lin turned and looked straight at him.
With respectful deanor, "Mr. Ji, may I trouble you to take a look?"
???
Ji Jue's action of eating lon seeds paused for a mont, "I only agreed to protect Chen Yubo, I never said I'd help you guys out."
"It would be great if you could help."
Uncle Lin implored, "We can't leave behind potential threats."
If there was a traitor left, no one would be able to sleep soundly; it was unacceptable to have a termite right under our eyes.
Ji Jue sighed.
"Alright."
As soon as he finished speaking, the silence was pierced by the ringing of two cellphones.
Intermixed and varied, each unique.
In the midst of everyone's stunned glances, Ji Jue raised his hand and pointed toward the two people who had received phone calls.
"This one, and this one."
As the words dropped, blood sprayed out.
Burning black smoke and sparks erged from Uncle Lin's hand, a montary flash, then afterward, the man nad Shi Qi's head fell from his own shoulders.
Thick blood dripped from the severed neck, eliciting a chorus of screams and gasps.
And that bewildered face, dead without understanding what had happened.
"This this this this..."
Chen Yubo trembled violently, frantically wiping the blood from his face, "What's going on here?"
"Yeah, what is going on?"
Ji Jue, chin in hand, eyes cast down, said, "So people claim to be loyal and faithful, yet behind the scenes, they've already colluded with others, ready to swallow Chen Xingzhou's inheritance tonight. Even after getting the money, your dear young master Chen's head could serve as a token to curry favor with their new boss."
He paused, then looked at another person, "Right?"
"Fuck you!"
Xu Jun, the man he was looking at, erupted in anger, furiously throwing his cup onto the floor, "Who is this little bastard coming from nowhere, accusing people of betrayal without evidence? I seem like a traitor to you? Lin, I've been working for the boss for so long, and you just stand there watching this little mongrel slander ?"
Lin remained silent, rely looking at him indifferently.
Ji Jue didn't speak either, but in his hand, the smartphone's screen flickered and spun, reflecting the panicked and suspicious faces in its rotation.
A helpless sigh.
He hadn't wanted to be so blunt and direct.
He had thought to ntion it to Lin after the eting, to let him deal with it himself, that would've been enough.
He had no desire to ddle in the internal strife of Desert Market, let alone play Werewolf with the gang left behind by Chen Xingzhou.
He wasn't Heart Core, unable to read people's thoughts like the legendary Empress, nor was he Ether, incapable of discerning the truthfulness of soone's words...
But he had chanical Descent!
Even though chanical Descent wasn't omnipotent, aside from what it couldn't do, it was quite capable in other respects!
These days, traitors didn't put much effort into their craft: no secret ssages by carrier pigeon, no covert communications, just blithely sending texts. What could he do? He couldn't even pretend to be unaware.
This godforsaken place was so far from the city and rarely traveled that not even a few fishern in helts could be found, thereby... even Boundaryless Communication didn't bother investing in infrastructure, letting only one signal tower serve the entire mountain range, situated right beside the villa!
Ji Jue didn't even need to step out the door, just a glance from the window beside the staircase was enough to connect with ease.
And then, he discovered just how convenient this device was.
In today's society, where people are inseparable from their devices and beco uneasy with even a weak signal, it was like having the whole map revealed at once.
Any phone that ca close would automatically connect, and Ji Jue didn't need to go through the trouble of checking each one!
Unless it was satellite communication or an encrypted call with Boundaryless Communication VVVIP, he would see any transmitted data.
Calls, text ssages, chat apps, virtual numbers, browsing history of short videos...
At his word, Tower Bro would send all relevant ssages right before his eyes.
He had tampered with the signal tower on the day he arrived, then went to the basent to ss with the network server, leaving behind preset commands, and this morning he had casually checked again.
With Tower Bro and Server Bro, it wasn't only undercover traitors' secret dealings he was privy to; he even knew who couldn't sleep at night and discreetly used the villa's WIFI to download adult content or search for the most cost-effective cat food.
Isn't that right, Chen Yubo?
Sadly, Chen Yubo wasn't in a position to laugh anymore.
Rather, he was on the verge of bursting into tears.
The mont he perceived the indifferent look in Lin's eyes, Xu Jun's hand produced a gun, unhesitatingly pressing it to the temple of the adjacent Chen Yubo.
Gone was the warmth and affection of their first eting.
With the truth revealed, all that remained was ruthlessness.
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