Chapter 456: We'll See How You Die
Zhu Chen understood. "It's my fault, really. I let my guard down and walked right into a trap."
Back then, he was so preoccupied with that person's strange features that he didn't notice anything was amiss.
Or perhaps, he was just too confident in himself.
As a member of the Zhu family, he was treated as a guest of honor wherever he went. He'd rarely faced any real danger, and besides, he could handle himself in a fight.
Over time, he had forgotten that danger could be anywhere.
But since it was a trap, there had to be a next step. He just didn't know what it was.
'That woman disappeared right after she entered the bar. Something is definitely wrong with her.'
"Hey, are you two done chatting? If your men don't get here soon, my blade will!"
Xiao Ye's phone vibrated.
He spoke coldly, "This place is surrounded. No one leaves until we find the woman in white."
The bar went quiet for a moment before erupting in laughter.
"Did you hear that? 'Surrounded!' That's hilarious. I get it now, you guys must be slow."
"This is beyond watching too many TV dramas. The guy's a psycho!"
"Do you have any idea who owns this bar? How dare you surround it!"
The words had barely left his mouth.
The sound of synchronized footsteps rang out.
Everyone instinctively turned to look, then froze on the spot.
A group of men in black filed into the bar. In moments, they had everyone surrounded.
There were at least thirty of them. Not only that, but they all had walkie-talkies clipped to their belts and matching electric batons.
Their imposing presence alone was enough to intimidate an ordinary person, let alone a group this size!
"What... what's going on?"
The men in black turned in unison to face Xiao Ye. One of them spoke. "Master Xiao, the bar is secure. The owner is on his way."
"Should we start the search now?"
"Search."
'Xiao Ye had no desire to waste time on these spoiled brats. Finding that woman was the priority.'
The drug in Zhu Chen's system had started to wear off. He had only been able to sit before, but now, with one of his men supporting him, he could barely manage to stand.
Everyone in the bar was dumbfounded.
'Is... is this bar really surrounded?'
The man refused to believe it. "Impossible! Don't think I'll fall for it just because you hired a bunch of actors! Just wait until my men get here. We'll see who's dead then!"
Xiao Ye frowned. With a single glance from him, one of the men in black slammed the man to the floor and gagged him.
"Restrain them all!"
"Yes!"
More men entered, restraining everyone in the bar while the others began a thorough search.
The bar had a back door. If they couldn't find her, she had probably already escaped.
But Xiao Ye thought that was unlikely. He had arrived before Zhu Chen was in any real danger.
'Since they were targeting Zhu Chen, they were probably still in the bar.'
'Could it be... a disguise?'
"Hey, let us go!"
Some people were still struggling.
One of the men in black punched him right in the stomach.
The man was in so much pain he couldn't even cry out, and simply vomited up all the alcohol he had drunk earlier.
Xiao Ye, meanwhile, sat on the opposite sofa, waiting calmly.
Zhu Chen sat beside him. Two silver needles had been inserted into his arm to help his body metabolize the drug faster.
"The strangeness of her features wasn't from a disguise. I would've spotted it in a heartbeat."
A true face reader never looks at the skin; they look at the bones.
A disguise is useless against that, unless it's so thick it completely covers the entire skull.
If only one or two parts of the face are altered, the incongruity is immediately obvious.
Xiao Ye nodded and gestured with his hand, signaling the men in black to bring the patrons forward one by one.
By now, everyone was compliant.
A few still wanted to cause a scene, but they were either gagged or beaten into submission. Seeing this, the rest of the crowd wisely quieted down.
Many were filled with regret. 'If I'd known this would happen, I wouldn't have stuck around to watch the show!'
'When Xiao Ye told everyone to step back, we should have just listened!'
'Who would have thought he could actually summon so many people?'
Although the man had stopped struggling, his eyes still flashed with defiance.
'Where are my men?'
'Why aren't they here yet?'
In reality, his men had already arrived. They were just blocked at the entrance, unable to even get through the door.
One by one, the patrons were brought before Zhu Chen.
The music had long since stopped, and the bar's lights were now turned up bright, making it easy to see everyone clearly.
Zhu Chen shook his head. "Not this one. Next."
They went through the line one by one, and soon it was the turn of the girl in the white dress. She was a woman, and a very attractive one at that.
But the man in black had no intention of going easy on a pretty face, slamming her roughly onto a table.
"Let me go!"
The woman cried out in pain. "If you don't let go of me, I'll get my sugar daddy to deal with you!"
"He's from a major family! You lowlifes just wait!"
As she was still screaming, the sound of more footsteps approached.
She looked up in delight, thinking her boyfriend's backup had arrived.
Instead, she saw the owner of the bar, his face a mask of terror.
The moment he saw Xiao Ye, he was so terrified he dropped to his knees.
He wasn't just afraid of Xiao Ye; he was afraid of the Zhu family!
Especially since something had nearly happened to Zhu Chen in *his* bar. If the Zhu family decided to hold him accountable, his own family would be driven out of the Imperial City.
Anyone who could open such a large bar in the Imperial City, where every inch of land is worth a fortune, was bound to have powerful connections.
The owner was a party animal himself and a frequent sight at the bar, so most of the regulars recognized him.
These patrons had always seen the owner as a big shot, tripping over themselves to flatter him whenever he appeared.
The defiant man and his friends were no exception.
But even among playboys, there were tiers. In front of the bar owner, they were strictly small-time.
They might be able to bully ordinary people, but the moment they ran into someone with a truly powerful background, they were bound to get crushed.
And now, this big shot, the man they all looked up to, was kneeling before Xiao Ye.
"Master Xiao, Master Zhu, I'm sorry, I... if I had known this would happen, I would have definitely stayed in the bar!"
"It's my two-year-old daughter's birthday today, so I went home... I never expected something like this to happen."
He was simultaneously making an excuse for his absence and using his two-year-old daughter to fish for sympathy.
Xiao Ye's fingers tapped rhythmically on the table.
He didn't say a word. This was Zhu Chen's show now.
Since Zhu Chen was the one targeted, it was up to him to handle it.
Zhu Chen understood Xiao Ye's intention. He let out a cold laugh. "Since you're the one who owns this bar, you're supposed to guarantee your patrons a certain level of safety. Am I wrong?"