Chapter 175: The Item is Here

The head of security retreated half a step, his voice stuttering slightly.

The imposing formation and grand momentum brought by Jiang Ce and his entourage were overwhelming.

Coupled with the fact that Jiang Ce clearly looked like someone of high status who should not be trifled with lightly, the head of security was too frightened to step forward and challenge them recklessly.

As the words fell, Jin Jiu walked past Jiang Ce, came right up to the head of security, and smiled.

"Don't worry, we're just here to pay a little visit to your General Manager."

"The General Manager?"

The head of security was momentarily stunned and replied, "Do... do you have an appointment? Our General Manager isn't someone just anyone can see."

"Hah—"

Jiang Ce couldn't help letting out a cold laugh, saying indifferently, "In all my years, this is the first time I've ever heard something so ridiculous."

Jiang Ce's tone was subtle, yet it possessed an overwhelming and formidable aura. Under the weight of his presence, no one dared to utter a word of contradiction.

When he finished speaking, Jiang Ce gave Jin Jiu a meaningful look.

Jin Jiu immediately curled the corners of his lips into a smile, stepped forward, and snatched the stun baton right out of the security captain's hands. Before anyone could react, he strode forward.

Escorted by the crowd, Jiang Ce took the private elevator straight up to Guo Cheng's office.

Guo Cheng was the General Manager of the Guo Group. In his early forties, he had built the current Guo Group relying on the property he had once received from his mother-in-law's family.

Guo Cheng was not only old, crafty, and cunning, but he also dared to take on anyone's business. Furthermore, knowing how to spend lavishly to buy people's loyalty, he had gradually built up a network of relationships in both official and business circles.

Relying on these connections maintained by money, Guo Cheng's net worth had steadily risen day by day.

Yet Jiang Ce never expected that even someone like this would be audacious enough to bite off more than they can chew and target him.

In that case, he would let Guo Cheng see what kind of miserable end awaited those who offended someone they shouldn't.

"Bang—"

Jin Jiu marched straight up and kicked open the door to Guo Cheng's office. The people inside were startled, and Guo Cheng was so frightened he almost tumbled straight to the floor.

"General Manager Guo, long time no see."

Jin Jiu stepped forward and greeted him directly.

Guo Cheng's instinctive hiding motion instantly froze, his face plastered with an expression of utter astonishment.

"President Jin? What are you doing here?"

After recognizing who had come, Guo Cheng immediately slapped the desk and stood up from his seat. Cursing and swearing, he walked out and yelled at Jin Jiu,

"President Jin, what is the meaning of this grand entrance? What? Are you planning to tear my place down?"

"Tearing it down wouldn't be out of the question."

A cold, aloof voice brimming with ruthlessness sounded from behind.

Guo Cheng's body stiffened as he glanced past Jin Jiu.

Who on earth is this person?

Doubts swirled in his heart.

When Guo Cheng caught sight of Jiang Ce's pitch-black eyes, he instinctively retreated half a step. For some unknown reason, he suddenly felt an extraordinarily oppressive aura emanating from this man.

Even though he had immersed himself in the business world for so many years, he had rarely encountered someone with such formidable presence.

"Who... who are you?" Guo Cheng asked, stammering.

Jiang Ce took two steps forward, not a shred of warmth in his eyes.

He demanded, "Guo Cheng, have you grown tired of living, that you even dared to set your sights on me?"

"My sights on you?"

Guo Cheng's gaze darted back and forth between Jiang Ce and Jin Jiu; it was evident how panicked his state of mind was at the moment.

Guo Cheng looked at Jin Jiu and questioned, "President Jin? What is the meaning of all this? We just signed a cooperation letter of intent, and you show up with this kind of attitude. Isn't that rather inappropriate?"

Unable to figure out Jiang Ce's background, Guo Cheng had no choice but to turn his sharp edge toward Jin Jiu.

He actually hoped to use the contract to hold them back—what a joke.

Jin Jiu scratched his brow and smiled. "I'm sorry, General Manager Guo, our partnership has already fallen through. Can't you even tell?"

"What?"

Guo Cheng's expression shifted drastically, and he asked in bewilderment, "What on earth are you people here for? Regardless of whether the partnership goes through, there's no need for us to be at each other's throats like this, is there? Isn't there anything we can talk about clearly?"

Jiang Ce paced slowly around Guo Cheng and casually sat down in Guo Cheng's executive chair.

Lifting his eyelids slightly, he looked at Guo Cheng and asked, "Those people outside Starfish Bay—were they your men?"

Guo Cheng felt a jolt in his heart, but managed to keep his composure on the surface.

"What Starfish Bay? What men of mine? What are you talking about? I don't understand."

"You don't understand, do you? Then I'll have someone help refresh your memory."

As soon as Jiang Ce finished speaking, Jin Jiu raised the stun baton he had just snatched from the head of security and delivered a fierce series of strikes directly onto Guo Cheng's legs.

"Ah!"

Guo Cheng let out a shrill, miserable scream, then stumbled and collapsed to the floor, hugging his legs and wailing in pain.

"You! Good grief, Jin Jiu! How dare you hit me? What gives you the right to be so arrogant? Aren't you afraid I'll call the police and have you arrested?"

Guo Cheng did not forget to issue threats, but Jin Jiu merely sneered.

He fished his phone out of his pocket and said slowly, "Call the police? That's definitely going to happen, but they'll be arresting you, not me."

"What?"

Guo Cheng's face turned pale, and he retorted, "What do you mean?"

Jin Jiu then pulled a USB flash drive from his pocket, waved it in front of Guo Cheng's eyes, and asked, "General Manager Guo, care to guess what's inside this thing?"

"How would I know?"

Struggling in exasperation, Guo Cheng thrashed about and roared, "Jin Jiu! What on earth do you people want? Daring to come and make a scene at my Guo Group, you must have a death wish! I'm telling you, if you know what's good for you, get lost right now, or else I'll have you—ah!"

Jin Jiu jabbed him with the baton once more, cutting Guo Cheng off mid-sentence and sending him curling up into a ball in agony.

Jiang Ce silently observed everything unfolding before him, his eyes completely ice-cold.

He indifferently remarked, "Since you chose to court death, I suppose fulfilling your wish is not out of the question."

Just as the words left his mouth, the wailing sound of sirens from afar came rushing closer and closer from outside the window.

As if seeing a glimmer of hope, Guo Cheng struggled twice more and gasped, "The police are here!"

It must have been the employees downstairs who called the police.

Guo Cheng said excitedly, "Just you wait! I will never let any of you off the hook."

Hearing this, Jiang Ce smiled coldly. He leaned back against the back of his chair, a mocking smirk playing at the corner of his lips, and calmly waited for the so-called police mentioned by Guo Cheng to arrive.

"Bang, bang, bang—"

Immediately following that, a series of fierce knocks echoed at the door, and Guo Cheng's curled-up body on the floor instinctively darted a look toward the entrance.

"Open the door! We are the police!"

Upon hearing this shout, Guo Cheng was overjoyed.

Jiang Ce's gaze, however, remained cold and gloomy. Jin Jiu tossed the stun baton aside, walked straight over to the door, and pulled it open.

Moments later, a group of people in uniform aggressively charged into the room.

"Officer, Officer! These people are detaining me illegally! They're trying to kidnap me! You have to save me!"

Seeing this scene, Guo Cheng immediately crawled toward the newcomers, shouting incoherently as he accused Jiang Ce and the others of their crimes.

Unexpectedly, Jiang Ce let out a cold snort as he rose from his seat, smoothly took the USB drive from Jin Jiu's hand, and said coolly to the officers,

"The evidence is right here. I'll leave the rest to you."