The four bodyguards who were jointly restraining Liu Tianlei all changed their expressions at once. They exchanged glances and increased the force they were applying. One of the bodyguards even viciously kicked the back of Liu Tianlei’s knees, causing him to collapse to the ground, his knees buckling under the pressure. He was held down tightly, unable to move.

Yet Tao Fengche, who had been provoked, remained silent for a long time.

He only squinted his eyes fiercely, then pressed his tongue against the inside of his right cheek, pushing it outward with such force that it hurt. Only when his tongue began to ache did he finally relax, closing his eyes and muttering a curse under his breath.

When he opened his eyes again, looking down at the kneeling Liu Tianlei, the casual indifference in his gaze had disappeared, replaced by a fierce, almost violent intensity.

Tao Fengche drew out a Glock from his lower back with one hand. After removing the safety, he aimed it at Liu Tianlei’s heart in one smooth motion. Even the sniper, who had been steadily aiming at Liu Tianlei’s forehead, was momentarily shaken, his aim trembling slightly before he regained his composure.

The faces of the surrounding bodyguards were filled with shock. Liu Tianlei struggled to raise his head, staring directly at the barrel of the gun that seemed like a vortex. His breath caught, and his blood froze, yet a strange sense of relief spread across his face.

Almost everyone believed that in the next second, Tao Fengche would pull the trigger and kill Liu Tianlei on the spot. But Tao Fengche’s finger, which rested on the cold trigger, hesitated.

It was a motion he had practiced countless times, something ingrained in his muscle memory. At this close range, he was confident he could shoot Liu Tianlei in the heart without missing, even with his eyes closed, ending his life instantly.

But at the crucial moment, Tao Fengche hesitated, and a trace of struggle appeared on his face.

Perhaps because he knew his death was imminent, after struggling through the earlier breathlessness, Liu Tianlei began to taunt him: “What’s wrong, Young Master Tao? Why haven’t you pulled the trigger yet? Are you afraid of hearing something you don’t want to hear? Or…”

He spoke slowly, not expecting a response, as he showed a look of sudden realization, sneering: “Could it be, Young Master Tao, that you’ve never personally killed anyone before…”

As Liu Tianlei spoke, he even sighed and shook his head, as if he had just heard the biggest joke in the world.

Tao Fengche did not interrupt him, and the bodyguards dared not act rashly, allowing Liu Tianlei to finish speaking. But that didn’t mean they were entirely powerless. From the moment Liu Tianlei began to mock Tao Fengche, the bodyguards had tightened their grip, forcibly twisting Liu Tianlei’s arms into unnatural angles. In the quiet room, the sound of bones and muscles grinding against each other was almost audible, but Liu Tianlei still managed to finish his words.

…A tough nut to crack. An inappropriate thought suddenly occurred to the bodyguards.

Tao Fengche remained silent.

In the dead silence, apart from the sound of Liu Tianlei’s sweat dripping onto the floor, the only noise in the room was Tao Fengche’s increasingly rapid breathing.

Ordering others to kill was one thing, but pulling the trigger and killing someone himself was entirely different.

Even today, Tao Fengche still remembered what Tao Zhixing had told him: once you kill someone with your own hands, there’s no turning back.

He understood what the old man meant. Being born into this family was a fate he could not choose, but if possible, the old man still hoped he could remain clean.

But the situation forced his hand, making it difficult to stay completely uninvolved.

After all, there’s an old saying: “If you walk by the river often, your shoes are bound to get wet.”

Pulling the trigger was a matter of a breath. The Tao family was powerful, with countless ways to cover up this incident, fabricating a story about Liu Tianlei going abroad, or at worst, faking an accident… Making someone disappear from the world was too easy for Tao Fengche.

Even if it did come to light, the police investigation would find many willing to take the fall for him…

But was it really worth it?

Was it worth staining his hands with blood and stepping onto a path of no return, all for Liu Tianlei?

Tao Fengche was torn, unable to make up his mind. The worry on the bodyguards’ faces became more apparent, while Liu Tianlei’s expression grew more triumphant—

At that moment, footsteps suddenly echoed from outside the room.

The bodyguard who had gone to the bathroom to fetch a towel had finally returned.

Upon entering, he instinctively held his breath, unsure whether he should proceed as planned or stand still and try to become invisible.

He was afraid that his presence might provoke Tao Fengche into making a decision he would later regret, leaving him in a dilemma. But his arrival broke the nearly suffocating tension in the room, ending Tao Fengche’s internal struggle.

He had finally made up his mind.

Tao Fengche took a deep breath, the cold air from the air conditioner chilling his lungs and sending a shiver through him. His mind had never been so clear as he narrowed his eyes, lowered the gun slightly, and pulled the trigger.

Tao Fengche had studied human anatomy, and the bullet seemed to have eyes, piercing through the air and burying itself in Liu Tianlei’s abdomen, carefully avoiding all vital organs and arteries.

This shot would leave Liu Tianlei in excruciating pain, but it wouldn’t be fatal.

Liu Tianlei’s pupils contracted sharply, and just before he could cry out, the bodyguard who had brought the towel quickly stepped forward and stuffed it into his mouth, ensuring it pressed against his tongue.

Liu Tianlei continued to struggle, but his voice was now muffled and unintelligible.

“Young Master, this…” The bodyguard looked nervously at Tao Fengche, glancing at the blood rapidly pooling on the floor and spreading, unsure of what to do.

These bodyguards, who had practically watched Tao Fengche grow up, were still young alphas, even though a few were only a few years older than him. Despite this, they looked at Tao Fengche with a kind of fatherly affection.

Seeing him so angry today, they cast blame-filled glances at Liu Tianlei. This man had caused such a big mess, and he had the audacity to mention the late Master Tao, trying to drive a wedge between the young master and his family…

This wasn’t just touching the young master’s sensitive spot; it was like digging it out with a shovel.

Tao Fengche holstered the Glock at his waist, his expression weary. “Stage a car accident, say that Mr. Liu had an unfortunate accident, and then take him to the family’s hospital for treatment.”

“Make sure he’s fully recovered. He must not die,” he said, looking steadily at the leading bodyguard, enunciating each word.

Liu Tianlei might have climbed from the bottom to his current position, perhaps driven by greed, but he was no fool.His earlier taunts were not only a counterattack but also an attempt to provoke Tao Fengche into killing him.

But Tao Fengche wouldn’t let him die until he confessed everything he knew.

Death would be too merciful for him.

Tao Fengche raised his hand slightly, and a bodyguard immediately approached with a prepared anesthetic, injecting it into Liu Tianlei’s artery. Within half a minute, the drug took effect, and Liu Tianlei collapsed, unconscious. The bodyguard quickly bandaged his wound with gauze, then carried him out. The remaining bodyguards efficiently cleaned up the scene, each with a clear role.

With everything back on track, Tao Fengche tiredly rubbed his temples and started walking out. As he entered the living room, he suddenly met Zhang Xinyu’s terrified gaze.

The petite omega had been completely paralyzed with fear by their loud, unrestrained conversation and the sound of the gunshot. Even worse, Liu Tianlei had been carried out in an unknown condition, leaving a trail of blood on the floor. She sat on the sofa, trembling like a leaf.

Tao Fengche glanced at her, then tiredly signaled to the bodyguard with his eyes.

The bodyguard understood instantly and stepped forward with a syringe. Ignoring Zhang Xinyu’s struggles, he injected her—thanks to Master Toro’s family, Jing Ning had received a firsthand human test report on the new hippocampal drug, and the first stage of the finished product was now available.

“Clean up the scene, find a hypnotist, and inform the sniper to withdraw. I’m heading down.” Tao Fengche felt a throbbing pain in his temples, which seemed to pull at his heart. He had no desire to stay in the room any longer, so he turned and walked downstairs, leaving behind a slightly frail figure.

…

On the way back, Tao Fengche stared out of the window, his expression dark and unreadable, leaving others unsure of what he was thinking.

Liu Tianlei suddenly went mad, his words sending a shiver through everyone present. Tao Fengche almost resorted to gunfire, which was also alarming. The bodyguards exchanged glances, worried about the impact of today’s events on Tao Fengche, but none dared to speak. Eventually, they all looked at the youngest among them.

The youngest among them was only a few years older than Tao Fengche, shared many common topics, and had a good relationship with him. Under the watchful eyes of his colleagues, who were silently eying him, he had no choice but to muster the courage and attempt to speak with Tao Fengche.

He searched for a topic to discuss but was at a loss for ideas. Finally, he could only awkwardly flatter, “Young Master, you truly are a master strategist. When Liu Tianlei walked out of the bathroom and saw us, his expression was really comical—”

“No.” Tao Fengche shook his head. “This time, it was just a coincidence. We happened to encounter him when he came here to see his lover. If we had acted at the base, we would have had little chance of success and it would have been almost impossible to catch him.”

Everyone likes flattery, and some people, even if they appear to reject it on the surface, still fall into the usual pattern. The bodyguard was relieved to have come up with a topic, but was surprised that Tao Fengche was so clear-headed, ending the conversation with a single sentence. His thoughts were completely disrupted by this comment, and he awkwardly nodded, unsure of what to say next.

He couldn’t just ask, “Young Master, are you alright? We’re all so worried about you.”

“If you want to ask something, just ask directly.” Unbeknownst to him, Tao Fengche had turned his head and was staring directly at him, his eyes clear and seemingly able to see through all worldly illusions.

Under such a gaze, the bodyguard unconsciously voiced his concern: “It seemed like he was about to reveal the mastermind behind everything. Why didn’t you let him finish his confession, Young Master?”