Jiang Shen was completely stunned. He never imagined things would escalate to this point.
The information he received indicated that the Su family was holding a celebration banquet in room 404 of the Yangjing Hotel, but upon arrival, he found the leadership of Wudu, headed by Cheng Zirong.
Where had the Su family gone?
Could it be that Cheng Zirong had colluded with the Su family to set a trap for him?
Impossible.
Absolutely impossible.
What right did the Su family have to make Cheng Zirong and the entire Wudu leadership team cover for them?
Moreover, from Cheng Zirong's demeanor, it was clear he hadn't anticipated the situation unfolding this way either.
Confused, truly confused.
Jiang Shen racked his brain, unable to comprehend why events were spiraling in a direction completely beyond his control. If this continued, it might implicate Fan Wentao.
Turning back.
Jiang Shen voluntarily placed his gun on the ground and addressed the soldiers, "All soldiers, lay down your weapons!"
The twelve soldiers simultaneously lowered their firearms.
Putting down their guns first was a way to signal their intentions, indicating they were not there to harm Cheng Zirong.
Other issues could be discussed afterward.
Jiang Shen swallowed and said to Cheng Zirong, "Mayor Cheng, I believe there must be some misunderstanding between us. According to the information I received, the Su family was hosting a celebration banquet here, so I brought my men to deal with them. However, I never expected to find you, Mayor Cheng, instead of the Su family upon entering. My intention was never to harm you, please forgive me..."
Before Jiang Shen could finish speaking, something even more unexpected happened.
A gunshot rang out, and it wasn't clear who had fired.
The sound came from downstairs.
Could it be?
Jiang Shen's expression changed, and he immediately went to the window to look outside. He didn't see who fired, but this single shot clearly ignited the anger of the official troops.
Immediately, the official troops chose to retaliate head-on.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
A series of gunshots erupted, bullets flying wildly. Jiang Shen's men were instantly mowed down, riddled with bullets like beehives.
"Why? How is this possible?"
Jiang Shen was utterly bewildered. He couldn't fathom why his men would open fire; it was completely out of the ordinary.
Without Jiang Shen's explicit orders, the soldiers would never have acted on their own initiative and fired their weapons.
This meant... someone intentionally fired the shot, aiming to provoke a conflict!
It also implied one thing: Jiang Shen had been framed.
Watching his subordinates being gunned down, Jiang Shen knew one thing for sure – he was unlikely to escape this hotel alive today.
Even if he managed to identify the mastermind and uncover the truth, Jiang Shen doubted he would survive.
Furthermore, uncovering the truth seemed almost impossible.
His only option now was to fight with all his might!
Jiang Shen snorted coldly, intending to retrieve his gun, then take Cheng Zirong hostage to cover his escape from the hotel and flee the country by plane.
Once he reached foreign soil, his life would be secured.
As the saying goes, if the green hills remain, there will always be wood to burn.
As long as his life was safe, nothing else mattered.
It was a good plan, in theory.
But someone present disagreed!
Besides the leadership team headed by Cheng Zirong, there was a very special individual present – the Five-Star General, Dragon King.
Seeing Jiang Shen reach for his gun, the Dragon King immediately drew the pistol he carried and fired at Jiang Shen.
Jiang Shen, true to his moniker "The Beast," sensed the Dragon King's movement instantly and leaped backward, narrowly evading the bullet.
Simultaneously, another group of people rushed in, all disguised as hotel staff, but each wielding a firearm.
The Dragon King explained, "Mayor Cheng, there's no need to fear. These are all bodyguards I arranged in advance to ensure everyone's safety. I thought they wouldn't be needed, as it's highly unlikely anyone would dare to resort to violence against Mayor Cheng and his party, but who would have thought these men I hired would actually be put to use."
They were more than just useful.
It was precisely these individuals who had secretly swapped the room numbers, luring Jiang Shen out of his room!
At this moment, Jiang Shen was truly like a trapped beast, with no possibility of escape. What he didn't anticipate was the Dragon King’s move to "cut the weeds and remove the roots."
The Dragon King waved his hand and roared, "Leave none alive, shoot them all!"
The Dragon King's subordinates immediately opened fire.
Bang bang bang.
Bullets pierced the chests of Jiang Shen's men. Twelve of the strongest soldiers from the Central Army lay dead on the spot.
Jiang Shen, with quick reflexes, rolled and dodged the bullets, then kicked a subordinate aside and fled through the door.
It had to be said, Jiang Shen's combat skills were top-notch.
He ran down the stairs, not daring to linger.
...
At the same time, in room "402," the Su family members simultaneously stopped eating.
They weren't deaf; everyone had heard the commotion outside, the continuous gunshots.
Someone tried to go to the window, but Lu Ming immediately stopped him, "Stay put! It's chaos out there, full of gunfire. If you stand by the window, what if you get hit by a stray bullet?"
Afterward.
Lu Ming rose and went to the door, opening it.
He turned back to everyone and said, "We'll proceed with the original plan. All of you stay here and wait for things to conclude. Trust me, finish this meal peacefully, and Jiang Shen will be finished."
With that, he stepped out of the room, closing the door behind him.
Lu Ming walked to the elevator, pressed the button, and stepped inside.
The doors closed, and he descended.
Four, three, two, one. With a ding, the elevator stopped.
Lu Ming adjusted his collar and strode out of the elevator. He scanned the area and immediately spotted Jiang Shen crouched beneath the bar, cautiously surveying his surroundings.
Their eyes met.
"Lu Ming?!" Jiang Shen immediately realized who had set him up. "You tricked me? The Su family did come to the Yangjing Hotel, didn't they?"
Lu Ming walked towards Jiang Shen unhurriedly, saying as he went, "Yes, everyone in Wudu knows our Su family is holding a celebration banquet at the Yangjing Hotel tonight. Is there anything to deny?"
Jiang Shen paused and pressed on, "But why didn't I see any of you in the private room? Instead, I saw Cheng Zirong! Did you and Cheng Zirong conspire to frame me?"
Heh.
Lu Ming smiled and replied, "No, our Su family has no connection with Mayor Cheng. How could he possibly cooperate with our plans?"
"Then why didn't I see any of the Su family in the private room?" Jiang Shen was almost driven to madness.
Things had reached this point, so there was no need to conceal anything further.
Lu Ming rolled up his sleeves and said with a smile, "Oh, I remember now. The server was careless today and swapped the room numbers for 402 and 404. Our Su family did go to room 404, but unfortunately, the room number displayed was 402."