The old man stared at his finger, which had been bitten until it bled, his face turning pale.

He cursed in a language she couldn’t understand, then raised his hand, ready to strike again.

Qin Qinxi instinctively squeezed her eyes shut and curled up into a tight ball.

Suddenly, there was a sharp brake.

The old man’s body lurched sideways and slammed hard against the partition.

“Useless!” he shouted, lowering the partition and berating the driver. “You worthless piece of trash! How are you even driving?”

But when he caught sight of the scene outside the windshield ahead, his words abruptly died in his throat.

Tears still clung to Qin Qinxi’s lashes, and she slowly turned her head to look as well.

What came into view was two black Maybachs blocking the road across from their vehicles.

Vio Mansello wasn’t wearing a jacket. He had on a black silk shirt, unbuttoned at two or three buttons, with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows.

His hands were shoved deep into his pockets as he leaned casually against the car door, squinting toward the cars ahead, a cigarette dangling from his lips.

He pulled out one hand and wiped the sweat trickling down his forehead from the heat.

“Damn.”

Vio took the cigarette out of his mouth, tossed it to the ground, and stomped it out with his leather shoe.

Especially men who know they’re good-looking tend to show off.

That was exactly Vio’s style.

He’d calculated the old man’s exact route and knew precisely when he’d arrive.

He’d gotten out five minutes earlier, but this old coot was so slow that he ended up being two minutes late—meaning Vio had been baking in the sun for two extra minutes.

He was already annoyed, and now he was even more so.

Inside the car, the old man squinted as he studied the scene ahead.

Three young men. Though young, their faces gave off an air of trouble.

The two Maybachs were worth a fortune, and their identities seemed anything but ordinary.

Still, there were only three of them. He had a total of three cars and brought along five or six bodyguards.

He had a vague inkling: these guys were here to snatch his woman.

Tuxi had already walked over to his side of the car, tapping gently on the window—just a tap, no words at all.

The old man wasn’t scared in the least. For one thing, he figured his age gave him the upper hand; for another, his son was high-ranking and hung out with big shots.

Ignoring Tuxi completely, he turned to the driver and said, “Drive straight through.”

Of course, the driver would do whatever his boss told him. He also thought these three young men were simply overreaching.

Just as he started the engine, though…

“Bang!”

A bullet shot through the windshield and lodged squarely in the driver’s forehead.

The driver jerked violently, his neck snapping to the side, blood streaming down from his brow.

His eyes were still open, but he went completely still—no sound at all.

The old man’s face turned deathly pale.

Qin Qinxi let out a scream of fright.

Outside, Vio was sweltering and growing impatient, furrowing his brow.

“Hurry up.”

Tuxi kicked open the rear window and pressed the muzzle of his gun against the old man’s temple.

In an instant, the old man began to tremble uncontrollably, raising both hands in surrender—completely transformed from who he’d been just moments before.

A hot stream ran down his pants as he peed himself in terror.

“Don’t kill me!” his voice cracked. “If you kill me, my son will never let you off the hook!”

Seeing Tuxi, Qin Qinxi’s tears burst forth immediately.

Tuxi ignored the old man and turned to Qin Qinxi, whistling cheerfully.

“My boss is here to save you—don’t be afraid.”

Qin Qinxi nodded vigorously, her tears streaming down with every movement.

Outside the car,

All of the old man’s bodyguards were forced out, crouching on the ground with their hands clasped behind their heads.

Bali dealt with them one by one.

Five gunshots rang out, and five men fell to the ground.

Only one remained.

Bali walked over, said nothing, and delivered a brutal kick.

“Get lost!”

The remaining guard scrambled away, rolling and crawling, his shoe flying off—but he didn’t even dare look back to pick it up, only glancing over his shoulder every now and then, terrified that Bali might suddenly open fire.

End of Chapter 36: Chapter 36