chapter 24 A rough guy

"You don't have the right to know his identity," the Judge responded sternly. "If you don't want to meet your end here today, I suggest you take the opportunity he's offering," he continued. "Otherwise, I wouldn't mind sending you down there myself." Thud! Hearing these words, all three of them dropped to their knees, vigorously kowtowing in Randy Ling's direction. "Please, sir, spare my nephew," Umair Zhao spoke up first. "I'm willing to compensate Miss Zheng. You name the amount, and I'll arrange the transfer," he offered. The other two family heads quickly nodded in agreement, expressing their willingness to pay whatever it took to save their sons. "Are you wealthy?" Randy Ling took a sip of red wine. "How much are you willing to pay? One trillion or ten trillion?" He casually exhaled a puff of cigarette smoke, speaking calmly. Clang! Three Lengyue Scimitars were tossed before them, emitting a chilling aura. "I..." Umair Zhao struggled to speak, at a loss for words. Although the Zhao family was the largest in Dongzhou, their liquid assets wouldn't exceed 10 billion in a short time. Even if they sold all their properties, they might gather 70 to 80 billion at most. A minute passed, and the first call came in. But as soon as they heard it was the Shadow Group involved, the caller hung up instantly. Tick-tock! "I...I'll make a call..." Umair Zhao stammered, trembling as he took out his mobile phone. Umair Zhao was making a last-ditch effort. As the second head of the Zhao family, he had connections in Dongzhou's upper echelons, hoping to save his nephew. The third, the fourth, and the dialing continued... Bang! The phone fell to the ground, his face as pale as wax. A bead of sweat, the size of a soybean, dripped from his forehead. After a deep breath, he dialed the second number again. The outcome was no different. The call was abruptly hung up mid-sentence. The other two family heads, left with no choice, picked up the knives and staggered away. "Uncle...what are you doing...I'm your nephew..." Vinod Zhao shouted. "Vinod, don't blame your uncle. When you do wrong, you must face the consequences. For the sake of the entire Zhao family, I have no other choice," Umair Zhao replied. "One minute left!" the Judge's voice echoed. Phew! Umair Zhao exhaled deeply, tremblingly picked up one of the scimitars, and staggered towards Vinod Zhao. The next moment, he vanished into the night like a fallen leaf. The other two young masters suffered the same fate as Vinod Zhao. Their biological father severed the hemp rope and plummeted into the rolling lake. Boom! After Umair Zhao spoke his piece, he took a deep breath and raised the knife. For him, there truly was no other option. "No!!!" Vinod Zhao screamed hysterically. "What!?" After hearing his second brother's words, Donald Zhao, the head of the Zhao family, roared angrily. An intense, cold murderous intent emanated from him. That was his own son, and he wouldn't stand by while he met such a fate. Shortly after, Umair Zhao and the others collapsed on the ground in unison, as if they had aged decades in an instant, tears streaming down their faces in heart-wrenching grief. An hour later, in the western part of Dongzhou City, stood the Zhao family compound. "Brother, please forgive me. I couldn't save Vinod..." Umair Zhao collapsed on the sofa, tears flowing freely. Exhaling heavily, Donald Zhao lit a cigar, took a deep drag, and finally looked at Umair Zhao. Someone had dared to target the Zhao family; were they attempting a revolution? Bam! Donald Zhao, furious, struck the coffee table in front of him with his palm, shattering it into pieces. Shards of glass littered the floor. "Investigate!" Donald Zhao commanded the family manager by the door, his voice low. "Arrange an immediate search for any surviving remnants of the Zheng family from back then. Report any findings immediately!" "Understood!" The manager nodded vigorously before turning and exiting. "It's not your fault. I would've made the same choice," Donald Zhao consoled. After blowing out a series of smoke rings, he continued, "Are you sure this guy is here to avenge that Zheng family girl?" "Yes!" Umair Zhao nodded. "He said so himself!" "His relationship with the Shadow Group doesn't matter. If he's truly tied to the Zheng family, even if he's the master of the Shadow Group, I'll make sure he dies all over again!" A cold glint flashed in his eyes as he spoke. "Call Jack immediately. Tell him something's happened to his brother and ask him to return within two days," he ordered. "Brother, this guy's connection with the Shadow Group is extraordinary!" Umair Zhao remarked as he lit a cigar. "If he's indeed tied to the Zheng family, we must be cautious," he added. "Hmph!" Donald Zhao replied coldly. He hadn't anticipated that his elder brother would call Jack back. Jack was his eldest brother's firstborn, the pride of the entire Zhao family. Not only was he personally powerful, but he'd also become a candidate for deaconship at the Imperial Hall at a young age, earning respect from his superiors and had a promising future. "What's your plan, brother?" Umair Zhao inquired, his surprise showing. "No matter who he is, if he dares to harm my son, I'll make him regret being born," Donald Zhao vowed through clenched teeth. "Agreed!" Umair Zhao nodded solemnly. Young men who could successfully pass the Imperial Hall examination and become official members were exceptionally talented. "In addition, inform our third brother to invite the Pang brothers to Dongzhou. Say that it's an invitation from the Zhao family, and the reward will be 100 million," Donald Zhao instructed. "Understood!" The Imperial Hall was an institution considered as important as the Shadow Group in the two major countries. It attracted elites and wielded immense power. The Shadow Group's master aimed to eliminate violence, bring peace, and eliminate evil. The Imperial Hall's master primarily focused on resisting external threats and enhancing the nation's prestige. ... Ring! Around noon on the third day, Randy Ling and Sherod Lu were having lunch on the first floor of their hotel when their cell phones rang. Upon hearing the words "Pang Brothers," Umair Zhao's eyes lit up. Donald Zhao took a drag of his cigar, exhaled, and looked ahead with crimson eyes, emphasizing each word. "If he dares to harm my son, I'll make sure he experiences a fate worse than death." "Viola?" Randy Ling's expression brightened as he spoke softly. "Viola, ask Mom where you are. Dad will be there soon." "Really? Can you really come to see Viola right now? That's great! Dad, hurry up and come," Viola said excitedly. Randy Ling picked up the call and realized it was from Arabella Qin. "Arabella, have you arrived in Dongzhou?" Randy Ling answered. "Dad, it's Viola. Where are you? I miss you so much. Can you come see me?" A child's voice rang out from the phone. "We originally planned to return to Dongzhou later this evening, but Viola has been insisting on seeing you, so we came back early." "We're at our house in Dongzhou. I'll send you the address. If you're free, come play with Viola!" "I'm free now; I'll come right away," Randy Ling replied, his voice tinged with emotion. "I'll pass the phone to Mom, and she'll tell you our location." "Okay!" Randy Ling responded with a smile. "Viola has been asking for you since she woke up that day. I can tell she really misses you," Arabella Qin's voice came through the phone. "Yeah!" Sherod Lu nodded. "I asked the Judge to arrange it; it's already in the parking lot." "Okay!" Randy Ling nodded and quickened his pace. "Hello, Commander-in-Chief!" As they reached the parking lot, a man in fine attire greeted them. "Very well!" Arabella Qin ended the call after confirming. Shortly afterward, the address was sent to Randy Ling's phone. "Are the toys ready?" Randy Ling and the two men headed toward the hotel entrance. Randy Ling and Sherod Lu glanced inside and couldn't help but twitch their mouths simultaneously. There were toys everywhere! The entire vehicle was packed to the brim with toys! "Are these all the toys?" Randy Ling asked in astonishment. "They're all here," the man replied, walking to the back of the vehicle and opening the doors. "The Judge mentioned he wasn't sure what kind of toys Viola liked, so he got a little bit of everything." "You should've had him buy out the entire mall!" Randy Ling said, looking at Sherod Lu incredulously. "You're a rough guy." Sherod Lu added with a perplexed expression. ..