Chapter 426 - 280: Lin Xin Is Here
Since the reinforcements had arrived and the wall wouldn’t hold much longer, they might as well open the Door and greet their guests.
Leaving through the main Door would also be a more dignified exit.
Liu Xuan froze for a moment, unsure of what Lin Qi was planning.
But Liu Xuan trusted Lin Qi completely.
’Since Lin Qi said so, then... open the Door!’
Liu Xuan stood up, walked over to the terminal, verified her authorization, and issued the command to open the safe zone’s main Door.
Lin Qi also rose from his chair. He grabbed the case, walked over to the side of the Door as it was about to open, bowed slightly, and extended his other hand toward Liu Xuan in a classic "after you" gesture.
Of course, Liu Xuan wasn’t about to let Lin Qi go out first.
God only knew if there were any trigger-happy fools in the riot squad outside. They might not dare to touch her.
But if Lin Qi walked out first, she had no idea if they would open fire.
She moved to Lin Qi’s side, ready to walk out with him.
...
Outside the safe zone, the entire above-ground section of the villa had been reduced to rubble.
A single, hemispherical structure, now almost completely exposed, was all that remained standing on the villa’s original site.
A hole, a meter in diameter, had been bored through the hemispherical wall.
"We’re through! We’re through!"
"Stop shouting, the Door is already opening."
"Huh? Then what was the point of us working our asses off for half a day?"
Almost at the exact moment the passage was breached, the safe zone’s main Door began to slowly swing open.
Lin Qi and Liu Xuan walked out, shoulder to shoulder.
Lin Qi’s nose twitched. The air was thick with dust.
Lin Qi looked at his nearly demolished villa with a sense of resignation.
His room had been demolished, and most of his clothes were buried under the rubble...
After working for over a year, he hadn’t bought many clothes to begin with. This just made matters worse.
No, it wasn’t just the clothes.
The clothes were a minor issue.
Lin Qi’s gaze traveled past the villa’s ruins to his U107, which he had only been driving for a few days.
His U107, along with Liu Xuan’s, had been crushed under the treads of a heavy demolition platform.
Though its sturdy frame kept it from being completely totaled, it was now clearly a wrecked vehicle.
The one thing that gave Lin Qi a sliver of satisfaction was that his bootleg U107 seemed to be in better shape than Liu Xuan’s official model.
’The knockoff is actually tougher than the real thing!’
As Lin Qi surveyed the area, the HGPD riot squad surrounded him and Liu Xuan.
"Miss Liu Xuan, Mr. Lin Qi, please don’t make this difficult for us. Especially you, Mr. Lin Qi. Please do not attempt to resist with your Prosthetic Body. Otherwise, we can’t guarantee your safety."
Liu Weiyi stood before them, his tone surprisingly polite.
Liu Xuan stepped forward, shielding Lin Qi behind her. "I know you, Liu Weiyi," she said. "Liu Siqi is your grandfather."
Liu Weiyi was surprised she recognized him, but he showed no embarrassment at his identity being revealed.
A mocking smile touched Liu Weiyi’s lips. "How rare. I’m surprised Miss Liu Xuan still recognizes her own family."
Liu Xuan’s brow furrowed. His tone grated on her.
Liu Weiyi continued, "If you had remembered your family obligations at the board meeting, Miss Liu Xuan, things might not have come to this. My grandfather didn’t want to resort to such drastic measures."
"But alas, someone in the family sold out the company’s interests and was even planning a violent purge. Since you showed no regard for family ties, you can’t blame my grandfather for being ruthless."
"Put on the restrainers and come with us. Rest assured, Miss Liu Xuan, while your father and fourth uncle may disregard blood ties, my grandfather remembers you share the Liu name. I won’t make things difficult. Both Liu’s Heavy Industries and United Pharmaceutical still require your attention."
As he spoke, Liu Weiyi waved a hand.
A member of the riot squad immediately brought a restrainer over to Lin Qi.
It was a specialized device used by the HGPD to immobilize targets, equipped with a chip that could silence a Prosthetic Body.
The device could firmly immobilize a person while establishing a hardwired connection to their Prosthetic Body, temporarily seizing control of it.
Liu Xuan didn’t have a Prosthetic Body, so she didn’t need one. This thing was meant for Lin Qi.
Liu Xuan didn’t respond to Liu Weiyi. There was no point in talking. At a time like this, might made right.
She simply stood protectively in front of Lin Qi, clearly unwilling to let Liu Weiyi’s men put the device on him.
The man holding the restrainer glanced at Liu Weiyi, his brow furrowed.
Liu Weiyi waved his hand again, then turned his back.
’The message was clear: use force!’
’He would just pretend he hadn’t seen a thing!’
’What were these two putting on an act for?’
’Especially that Lin Qi—nothing more than a freeloader!’
’If it weren’t for his little bit of Talent in Pharmacy, there would be no need to take him alive!’
’A director at United Pharmaceutical?’
’He’d be better off dead!’
’It would make it easier for Grandfather to manipulate the stock!’
But the moment he turned, Liu Weiyi’s eyes went wide.
A dazzling crimson beam of light shot down from the sky. A flying vehicle had appeared overhead at some point without anyone noticing.
"Where did that come from? Why didn’t my detection prosthetics give a warning?"
Just as Liu Weiyi was about to issue an alert, a deafening warning blared out.
[Big Business Alliance Warning: All armed personnel below will now maintain silence and await orders.]
[Any hostile action will be considered a declaration of war against the Asian Political Zone Big Business Alliance.]
As the warning echoed, the crimson light expanded completely, forming a massive projection.
The projection cast a huge, red rectangular frame onto the ground, similar to the one Lin Qi had used to mark a parking spot with Liu Xuan’s vehicle.
Except this time, the red frame was much, much larger.
Text appeared within the frame.
[The demarcated area is now designated a Level 2 Alert Zone by the Asian Political Zone Big Business Alliance.]
[All personnel within this zone will maintain silence. The use of any form of force is prohibited. All information transmissions are prohibited.]
The red frame encompassed the entire area of the villa’s ruins, trapping Lin Qi, Liu Xuan, and the entire riot squad inside.
The expression on Liu Weiyi’s face instantly froze.
’The Big Business Alliance?’
’How is this possible?’
’Why would the Big Business Alliance be here?’
’What are they doing here?’
’They can’t be here for Liu Xuan, can they?’
Liu Weiyi’s mind raced. He desperately wanted to send a message to Liu Siqi, but the warning projected on the ground stayed his hand.
Even though Liu’s Heavy Industries was a massive corporation that could blot out the sky in Red Fruit City, they could not afford to defy the Big Business Alliance.
’The consequences would be dire!’
Liu Weiyi wasn’t the only one who was stunned. Liu Xuan, still shielding Lin Qi, was just as shocked.
’The Big Business Alliance?’
’When did Lin Qi call them?’
’Didn’t he say the reinforcements were from the Eastern Alliance?’
’Are these people from the Big Business Alliance really the reinforcements?’
Though shocked, Liu Xuan didn’t let it show. After all, Lin Qi hadn’t reacted yet.
Lin Qi tilted his head up, looking at the flying vehicle.
It had only been a little over half a month since he’d last seen his sister. He never imagined she’d be traveling in such style now.
As a veteran of United Pharmaceutical and a Quasi-S-Class Pharmaceutical Researcher, Lin Qi felt like his public status was now a step below Lin Xin’s.
The Assassin Alliance was ostensibly just a Tier One Mercenary Force, but the actual power it wielded was far beyond what most people could imagine.
Sensing Liu Xuan was still tense, Lin Qi gently lowered the arm she held protectively in front of him. "Relax," he said. "These are the reinforcements."
Lin Qi had no idea where Lin Xin had gotten this Big Business Alliance cover, but there was no mistaking his sister’s face.
’Just what is that girl up to?’
’Is she having fun with that big red light?’
’Why is she just sitting in the vehicle without doing anything?’
’Isn’t she going to come down?’
’Does she expect me to just stand here craning my neck at her?’
Lin Qi looked up, as if trying to glare at Lin Xin right through the hull of the aircraft.
However...
Lin Xin’s voice boomed through the vehicle’s external speakers: "Lin Qi, can you even handle yourself? Why is your first instinct in a crisis to hide behind a woman? Have you gotten used to being a freeloader?"
Lin Qi smiled. It was a rather stiff smile.
His fists were also quite hard.