Inside the dimly lit abandoned warehouse.
Hu Sha and Tie Bi, two Dragon Hall Dragon Guards who were once terrifying overseas, were now like caged beasts with their teeth and claws pulled, imprisoned here.
Lu Cheng was not in a hurry to show himself.
He was skilled in psychological warfare, knowing that for desperate, hard-headed individuals like them, direct torture often backfired.
He had to first psychologically dismantle their will and crush their beliefs.
And the best candidate to carry out this 'initial psychological attack' was naturally the newly appointed Azure Dragon Gang leader—Black Wolf... Two buckets of ice water were poured over Hu Sha and Tie Bi's heads, instantly bringing them to their senses.
"Black Wolf! You ungrateful, treacherous bastard!" Hu Sha immediately began to curse loudly after regaining consciousness, a torrent of obscenities spewing forth.
"I must have been blind to ever trust a despicable and shameless scoundrel like you! We were going to help you rise to power! How dare you betray us, you bastard?"
Tie Bi glared at the approaching Black Wolf with his bell-like eyes, wishing he could tear him to shreds with his gaze!
Black Wolf felt their malice but showed no anger; instead, he spread his hands in feigned helplessness, his tone laced with a hint of mockery and the cynicism of someone who had seen it all.
"Oh, my two big brothers, why all this fuss? Getting so angry is bad for your health."
He pulled up a nearby chair, slowly sat down, crossed his legs, and looked at the two men tied in front of him.
"Don't be so agitated. Let me explain things to you two."
Black Wolf paused, a cunning glint in his eyes, and continued:
"First, let's tally up what you asked me to do."
"You asked my men to kidnap female college students, that's illegal, you know!"
"And then this time, you said it was to help me rise, but in reality, it was just helping to kill my big brother, and then I had to fight my way up all by myself!"
He leaned in closer, lowering his voice, which was full of temptation.
"On one side, you wanted me to kidnap and be a traitor to kill my big brother; on the other side, Young Master Lu only needed me to put on a show, and I could still become the leader."
"Gentlemen, if it were you, how would you choose?"
"Rather than me betraying you, it's more accurate to say that you were the latecomers; from beginning to end, you were all within Young Master Lu's calculations."
"Even the last kidnapping was specifically staged for you..."
"With Young Master Lu's help, now no one in the entire Azure Dragon Gang dares to defy me."
"Even my big brother had to obediently step down at Young Master Lu's request."
"Isn't this better than following you to kill my big brother and seize power?"
"You keep talking about loyalty and righteousness! But have you ever considered, when you asked me to send my brothers to be cannon fodder and kill my big brother, what about my loyalty and righteousness?"
"My choice, Black Wolf's choice, was for the survival of my hundreds of brothers! Is that wrong?"
Although Black Wolf's words were full of twisted logic and fallacies, it was undeniable that they pierced like sharp awls into the hearts of Hu Sha and Tie Bi, which were already somewhat shaken by repeated setbacks.
After Black Wolf completed the initial psychological groundwork and value system shock, Lu Cheng finally made his grand entrance, like a god controlling everything, at the moment when their emotions were most volatile and vulnerable.
His face still bore that gentle and polite faint smile, but in the depths of his eyes, a chillingly cold light flickered.
He walked in front of the two men and spoke calmly, as if stating an undeniable fact.
This was the first strike—the Dragon King values women over friends!
"Are you two still hoping that your wise and mighty, righteous Dragon King will rescue you from this predicament?"
He gently shook his head, a undisguised sneer on his lips.
"Heh heh... Don't dream about it."
"As far as I know, you loyal subordinates who have risked your lives for him are probably not as important in his heart as a single strand of hair from his so-called contract ex-wife, let alone a smile from his goddaughter whom he's barely met a few times."
Lu Cheng paused, his tone becoming even more playful and disdainful.
"Why did Xiao Zhan insist on risking so much to sneak back into Modu? Was it for the grand future of Dragon Hall?"
"Isn't it just for his ridiculous, pathetic, and one-sided personal feelings?"
"For his own selfish reasons, for his unrealistic fantasies, the elite forces of Dragon Hall who came to Modu were completely wiped out! Your brothers, one by one, died in a foreign land, their bodies unrecovered!"
"Do you two think they died worth it?"
These words were like a loud slap, awakening Hu Sha and Tie Bi, who had been numbing themselves. Yes, the Dragon King had indeed come to Modu for his personal feelings... Immediately after, Lu Cheng launched his second strike—Dragon Hall's upheaval!
He looked at Hu Sha and Tie Bi's slightly distorted faces, continuing to apply pressure unhurriedly, striking directly at their last illusions about the Dragon Hall organization.
"And your so-called Dragon Hall, which you constantly speak of, is actually just a commercial mercenary team."
"Do you really think you can call forth wind and rain and run rampant wherever you go?"
"It's just that no one bothered to deal with you."
Lu Cheng took a tablet from his subordinate, and with a light tap on the screen, a video conference recording began to play.
In the video, the several elders sitting around the conference table were clearly identifiable as members of the Dragon Hall Council of Elders!
And the other party in the video call was none other than Lu Cheng himself!
The core content of the negotiation was that Longteng Group and Dragon Hall's various industries had recently suffered a full-scale 'commercial ambush' from the Lu family and its allies.
They even faced joint investigations and sanction threats from multiple national governments!
And the Dragon Hall Council of Elders, in order to protect themselves, had no choice but to bow to Lu Cheng!
Among the most important conditions they agreed to was—to dismiss Xiao Zhan, this 'incapable and troublesome' Dragon King, abandon their forces within Longguo, and promise never to step foot into Longguo again!
Lu Cheng's face showed just the right amount of regret and sympathy as he looked at Hu Sha and Tie Bi, whose faces were already ashen and eyes vacant, and he sighed softly.
"Do you see?"
"This is the Dragon Hall you once swore to die for."
"In the face of absolute profit and brutal survival crises, so-called loyalty, so-called righteousness, so-called brotherhood, are all just ridiculous, worthless bullshit."
"Your Dragon King, in the eyes of those high and mighty elders, is nothing more than a pitiful pawn that can be discarded at any time once he loses his usefulness."
"Now, do you still think the Dragon King will come to save you?"
"In other words, does he still have the qualifications? Does he still have the ability?"
These words completely shattered the last shred of illusion and foolish loyalty that Hu Sha and Tie Bi held in their hearts for the Dragon Hall organization and for Xiao Zhan!
They realized that Dragon Hall was finished!
Xiao Zhan himself was in dire straits!
The sacrifices of their brothers before had become meaningless, utterly ridiculous!
Finally, Lu Cheng delivered the fatal third strike—brotherly betrayal!
His face revealed a cold and cruel smile, one that controlled everything.
Lu Cheng slowly spoke, like a devil's whisper.
"I imagine you two must be very curious as to why I know all your so-called secret plans like the back of my hand, right?"
He paused, enjoying their expressions, which twisted again with shock and fear, and then slowly, word by word, he said—
"Because..."
"Among the three great Dragon Guards of your Dragon Hall, the smartest, most capable, and most trusted by your Dragon King—"
"Phantom, Miss Ye Shuying..."
"She has long been my, Lu Cheng's, person."
"From the first day you stepped into Modu, all your whereabouts, all your plans, all your secrets have been under my control."
"The ridiculous Dragon King even sent her back to be an undercover agent?"
This final blow!
Harshly! Mercilessly!
Pierced through the last psychological defense line in Hu Sha and Tie Bi's hearts, the one called 'brotherly affection'!
It made them feel the extreme despair of being cruelly betrayed by their closest, most trusted comrade!
And the humiliation of being played like a fool in someone's palm from beginning to end, yet remaining completely oblivious!
Of course, they also couldn't have imagined that Lu Cheng was still deceiving them at this moment... The light in their eyes gradually dimmed, like two pools of stagnant water, no longer showing any trace of light or will to resist.