If he goes along, who knows whether Vio will pull a trick? That man is exceptionally sneaky.

Kavana stared in disbelief at his boss.

Was he really going to abandon his father?

His father had been hit by a car—no one knew how serious the crash was. If he wasn’t rescued in time, he’d be dead.

What were they suggesting? That Vio should bring his dying father here for a meeting? Even if it was just the body?

The boss had explicitly promised that his father would come back safe and sound.

Kavana’s lips moved as if he wanted to say something, but Dmitri didn’t even glance at him.

There was a brief silence on the other end of the line.

“Fine,” Vio said, then relayed the address.

San Shao jotted it down, his voice brimming with uncontainable urgency: “All right. I’ll head over and get ready right away.”

He hung up and looked up at Dmitri.

Dmitri forced a perfectly timed smile. “Third Young Master, I may not be able to make it.”

San Shao frowned.

“Here’s the deal,” Dmitri leaned forward slightly, softening his tone. “You go ahead first—bring a micro walkie-talkie earpiece. Once you’re there, if things really are as he says, then I’ll follow.”

San Shao let out a cold laugh. “Are you saying that Vio and I have set you up?”

“Not at all,” Dmitri replied, his smile unchanged but with an added note of caution in his eyes. “I may not have told you this before, but he’s extremely cunning.”

He hurriedly added, “It’s not that I’m doubting you’ve colluded with him to trap me—it’s just that I really do need to be extra careful.”

“The gold-level operative I trained for ten years, Crukbeel, fell into a trap because of exactly this kind of nonchalant attitude and was killed by him.”

“I’m afraid he’s using you to lure me over.”

Dmitri was telling the truth.

He wasn’t worried that Crukbeel would be tortured or forced to betray after being caught. People in their line of work all carry a tiny pill; if their identity is exposed, they commit suicide on the spot, leaving no chance for interrogation.

Crukbeel died so quickly—he must have taken his own life as soon as he realized he’d been discovered.

Thinking this, his tone grew even more sincere.

Only then did San Shao relax his brow slightly.

In his heart, he scoffed at Dmitri for being too cowardly.

After spending so many years in the Middle East, he was scared stiff by a young man in his twenties.

And he didn’t have much time to waste either.

“All right,” he said, standing up. “Hurry up and get ready.”

Dmitri immediately ordered someone to bring the equipment.

San Shao took the micro earpiece, slipped it into his ear canal to test it, then pulled it out again.

He straightened his suit collar and headed for the door. Just before stepping outside, he paused and didn’t look back.

“Mr. Dmitri, please wait here. Wait for my word.”

“Very well,” Dmitri replied, rising to see him off.

The door closed. He sat back down, picked up his glass—but didn’t drink, just twirled it in his hand.

Something still felt off.

Less than half an hour later, a message arrived.

But it wasn’t San Shao’s voice. It was one of his subordinates, his tone tense and his words rapid: “Boss, Third Young Master has been attacked. He was ambushed on the way. The bullets are our team’s mark.”

Dmitri’s glass froze in midair.

“He’s dead,” the subordinate said.

Dmitri put down his glass and slowly stood up.

He walked over to the window, staring out at the night. His mind raced.

San Shao is dead, and the bullets are their team’s mark.

Who fired them? Vio. But he used their bullets, their guns—and it’s even possible he used their people.

Those bullets will tell everyone that it was Dmitri’s men who killed the Third Young Master of the Mancello Family.

The Mancello Family…

How will they react? They’ll investigate. They’ll hunt. They’ll stop at nothing.

Dmitri took a deep breath. He turned around, about to speak, when there was a knock at the door.

“Come in.”

End of Chapter 47: Chapter 47