Chapter 139: Only a Fierce Dragon Crosses the River [3]

Capital City had been a sanctuary for hidden experts and unrecognized talents since ancient times.

In antiquity, it was also known as the Land of the Dragon’s Rise, and the emperors of several dynasties had even established it as their capital. Naturally, it remained the capital today. Therefore, within this Land of the Dragon’s Rise—a sprawling metropolis boasting a population of tens of millions—there were undoubtedly reclusive masters.

As the saying went, true masters concealed themselves among the masses. This was especially true for a power center like the Land of the Dragon’s Rise! There had to be quite a few extraordinary individuals hidden here.

At night, Lin Jian strolled around Wangfujing and sampled some traditional Capital City street food. To be honest, the taste was nothing special. It wasn’t until after midnight that he took a taxi to the Hongde Building.

The taxi driver was quite a talker with an authentic Capital City accent. Ever since Lin Jian mentioned the Hongde Building, the driver had been rattling on about its history. He rambled about how it was a favorite spot for celebrities, a prime location for politicians to host banquets, and the true inheritor of authentic imperial cuisine. In short, the Hongde Building was incredibly famous. The driver claimed its roast duck was the only truly authentic one in the city, a hundred times better than those overhyped internet-famous restaurants, largely due to its vastly superior ingredients.

The driver chatted the entire way.

At 12:50 AM, Lin Jian arrived outside the Hongde Building.

To his surprise, the Hongde Building was brightly lit. The lights from the first to the third floor were all on, and the parking lot was packed with at least thirty or forty cars, if not more.

"Look at this parking lot. It’s completely private!" The taxi driver bragged on the restaurant’s behalf. "And right behind the Hongde Building is a traditional courtyard house. Just that plot of land alone wouldn’t sell for less than a billion..."

The driver was right. Lin Jian also noticed that the Hongde Building was a massive restaurant occupying a large area, its retro architecture quite beautiful.

When Lin Jian stepped out of the car, he realized dozens of pairs of eyes were watching him from both the light and the shadows. There were people in the parked cars, people smoking in corners, and even people looking out from the windows inside the building!

Upon seeing him, a brief silence seemed to descend. In that moment, everyone held their breath.

Lin Jian had arrived an hour earlier than the agreed time.

Right then, the main doors of the Hongde Building opened, and a middle-aged man in a short-sleeved Tang suit strode out. This person was none other than Cui, Jin Er’s assistant!

Seeing Cui, Lin Jian raised an eyebrow.

Above the Innate Seventh Grade!

The reason he could tell Cui was above the Innate Seventh Grade was that the man was just a bit stronger than Xu Yunzong.

"Mr. Lin Xiao, hello!"

Cui observed that this young man looked even younger than his photos. He appeared to be in his early twenties, still sporting peach fuzz on his face. Yet, this very brat had somehow killed Young Master Chu and his three companions, along with Xu Yunzong. Now, he was coming straight here to crash the party, playing the role of a powerful outsider encroaching on local turf. It was truly unexpected and an eye-opening situation.

"Ah, Mr. Cui." Lin Jian smiled and cupped his hands in greeting. The moment the man spoke, Lin Jian recognized his voice as the one who had answered the phone earlier.

"Mr. Lin Xiao, the Second Master is on the third floor. He has instructed that once you arrive, you may head directly up to find him!"

Lin Jian took a deep breath. Through his Thought, he could already see over twenty people guarding the staircase on the first floor, with a robed expert standing on the stairs. There was another robed expert on the second floor, and two more on the third!

Inside a large room on the third floor, someone was indeed resting. This person was undoubtedly the legendary Jin Er.

But why did their setup look like something straight out of a movie?

Lin Jian’s Thought continued to map out the layout of the Hongde Building. He instantly registered the location of the kitchen, where the knives were kept, where the chopsticks were in the dining hall, the location of the breaker box, and so on.

At this moment, Mr. Cui made a gesture inviting him inside.

Lin Jian took a deep breath, suddenly flashed a smile, and strode toward the main entrance of the Hongde Building.

"He went in!"

"Such courage for a young man!"

"He’s going in, but he won’t be coming out."

"I heard Mr. Qin is here."

"Mr. Mei and Mr. Feng are both here too."

"You know Chen Guang, right?"

"Of course. Isn’t he known as the number one iron fist champion in Jingjinji? The guy who can kill a cow with a single punch!"

"Yeah, he literally shattered a cow’s skull with one punch, and it dropped dead!"

"He’s here too!"

"Fu Dongzi is also here! That guy who won three consecutive underground boxing championships!"

"Then... isn’t this punk going to be chopped to pieces? It’s full of top-tier experts inside..."

Nearby, many onlookers watching the spectacle from their cars were trembling with excitement, for the Hongde Building was truly swarming with experts tonight.

Meanwhile, Lin Jian had already stepped inside the Hongde Building.

As soon as he entered, someone automatically shut the doors behind him. The tables and chairs in the first-floor dining hall had been completely cleared out, leaving the space vast and empty. The restaurant featured retro architecture with a massive open hall. Both the second and third floors had circular walkways, allowing those standing above to look down at the first floor. To put it plainly, the layout resembled the ancient brothels seen in movies, with private rooms lining the second and third floors while the first floor remained entirely open.

Twenty men stood blocking the staircase to the second floor. One look was enough to tell they were all seasoned martial artists—each radiating fierce vigor and surging with vitality.

Standing at the entrance, Lin Jian’s gaze swept lightly across the room before landing on a utensil sterilization cabinet not far from the bar. Inside the cabinet were bowls, plates, and chopsticks. The chopsticks were made of a black alloy. They looked like hard black plastic, but were actually solid metal. Since plastic chopsticks were harmful to the environment and potentially toxic, high-end restaurants like this naturally opted for alloy ones.

Lin Jian suddenly smiled and said, "Fellas, this is my first time seeing such a grand setup in real life, though I’ve seen it in movies. So, is Jin Er’s intention that I have to beat all of you down to reach the third floor?"

"Heh, idiot, just get on your knees now. Kneel here and wait for the Second Master to come down, and you might just keep your little life."

"Punk, you don’t even know the rules, yet you dare cause trouble for the Second Master? Go home and drink your mother’s milk."

"Get on your knees, boy. Kneel down and admit your mistakes..."

The twenty men guarding the stairs all looked at Lin Jian with pitying gazes. They thought the kid was crazy. They heard he came from Jiang City—were all the kids from Jiang City this reckless?

"Phew." Lin Jian let out a long breath. "I understand now. But... kneeling is out of the question. When the fighting starts in a bit, please go easy on me, fellas."

As he spoke, Lin Jian swaggered over to the sterilization cabinet, opened the door, and grabbed a handful of chopsticks—dozens of them.

Seeing him grab the chopsticks, many were baffled. Was this kid planning to throw darts or something?

On the second floor, an elderly man in a long gown sat in a chair, wearing a black fedora reminiscent of the old society, like the kind spies used to wear. When he saw Lin Jian pick up the handful of chopsticks, he instinctively sat up straight.

At that very moment, Lin Jian slowly closed his eyes.

His action left everyone confused. Did he plan to throw his ’darts’ purely by feeling?

However, what no one knew was that in the kitchen at that exact moment, a kitchen knife vibrating on the counter suddenly sprang into the air on its own. With a flash of cold light, it struck the breaker box with a loud CLANG!

CRACKLE! CRACKLE! CRACKLE!

As the rapid crackling erupted from the breaker box, every single light from the first to the third floor went completely dark!