Chapter 427: Collapse and Disintegration

At that moment, Mu Chunsheng seemed to forget how to breathe.

Pale lightning flashed wildly among the clouds, illuminating Mu Chunsheng's already mottled face and draining it of all color. He looked at the cold golden mask and was instantly drenched in a cold sweat!

After a brief moment of stunned silence, he suddenly snapped back to his senses and frantically shook his head:

“No… this is impossible!! We prepared a Zitan Peace Buddha for you, this is not at all…”

Before he could finish speaking, he seemed to realize something and sharply turned to look down at the audience. His gaze locked onto the other four syndicate directors!

Mu Chunsheng knew very well in his heart that what he had sent was a genuine, precious Buddha statue. However, the withered piece of wood before him had a smooth, flat base. It was clear at a glance that it had been deliberately sawn off and shaped to closely resemble the outline of the Peace Buddha!

This was absolutely no misunderstanding. Someone must have secretly swapped his Zitan Peace Buddha with the intention of enraging the Emissary and causing him to completely break ties with the Beidou Syndicate!!

What a vicious scheme! What a malicious heart!!

Mu Chunsheng felt like he would explode with rage. He looked at the four syndicate directors, wishing he could tear them to pieces on the spot. Undoubtedly, the perpetrators could only be the other four rival syndicates. They knew they had no treasure comparable to the Zitan Peace Buddha, and wanting to prevent him from forming a good relationship with the Emissary, they resorted to such a despicable tactic!

However, Mu Chunsheng was still unsure which of them had plotted against him, or if all four had been involved.

As for the other four syndicate directors, their expressions were incredibly strange at this moment. Their thoughts were similar to Mu Chunsheng's: someone must have been secretly meddling. But seeing the Beidou Syndicate stumble secretly pleased them. All of them wore expressions of anticipation, waiting for the show to unfold.

Just then, the invisible giant python coiled around Zong Wen's shoulder opened its maw and poured all the suppressed joy and delight into his mind!

“Hahahahahahaha!!” Zong Wen couldn't help but laugh and applaud. “I thought you were going to pull out something good, and even said it 'symbolized our friendship with His Excellency the Emissary, lasting forever through all trials and tribulations'... Hahahaha! Old Mu, so your friendship with His Excellency the Emissary is just a piece of rotten wood, huh?”

As soon as these words were uttered, the other syndicate directors present could barely suppress the smiles on their faces. Only Mu Chunsheng stared fixedly at him, his gaze as if he wanted to devour him alive!

After Zong Wen finished laughing, he suddenly realized something was wrong and immediately shut his mouth. By jumping out to mock Mu Chunsheng at such a critical moment, even if he hadn't done it, it would now be attributed to him.

At this moment, on the auction table, a page filled with script gently turned over:

△Amidst the dense thunderstorm, a bolt of lightning struck directly onto the roof of the Hongchen Hotel. The hotel's power supply system instantly overloaded. All the light bulbs across the hall shattered in response.

BOOM—!!

Outside the window, thunder roared again.

This thunderclap was too close, as if it was right above everyone's heads. The next moment, all the lights in the banquet hall suddenly blazed brightly like fire and then shattered violently amidst gasps of alarm!

Tiny fragments of shattered light bulbs fell to the floor. The entire banquet hall plunged into darkness. Only a few floor-to-ceiling windows, illuminated by the pervasive lightning, flickered with an ominous pale light…

And at this moment, in front of the central window, a golden mask, illuminated by the flashing lightning, exuded a suffocating sense of oppression.

“Beidou Syndicate.” A low voice echoed in the darkness. “You had better provide this Emissary with an explanation…”

Sweat poured from Mu Chunsheng's temples. Gone was the calm confidence he'd shown upon entering, the belief that he could manipulate the Emissary. In its place was an unprecedented sense of mortal peril.

According to the original plan, flattering the Emissary while delaying negotiations would naturally pose no danger to them. However, openly mocking the Emissary in front of everyone was a completely different matter. This Emissary was already known for his authoritarian nature. If he were truly provoked, the entire Beidou Syndicate might very well be wiped out!

“Your Excellency Emissary!! Please, let me explain! This is absolutely not the Zitan Peace Buddha I intended to give you! Someone swapped it in secret! Someone wants to sow discord between us and the Emissary!!” Mu Chunsheng's voice trembled slightly. He was so agitated he almost stood up from his wheelchair on the spot.

Beneath the golden mask, the eyes reflecting the lightning narrowed slightly. “Oh? And who would want to harm you?”

Mu Chunsheng gritted his teeth, his gaze instantly fixed on the uneasy Zong Wen below the stage. A murderous intent furiously spread within him!

“Old bastard… I'm sick, not dead! How dare you scheme against my Beidou Syndicate, I'll make sure you don't leave this building alive today!!”

Mu Chunsheng, after all, had started in the underworld. Now gravely ill and on the verge of death, he was fearless, pushed to the brink. His ignited rage became unstoppable. He immediately smashed the wine glass in his hand and roared:

“Guards!! Kill this old bastard!”

The next moment, over a dozen Beidou Syndicate bodyguards swarmed into the hall. Each was armed. Several among them were Divine Path practitioners, emitting terrifying auras, and they directly surrounded Zong Wen!

The Huadu Syndicate, of course, wouldn't stand by idly. Their personnel, who had been waiting in the hotel lobby, immediately surged in, creating a standoff with the Beidou Syndicate's forces. A battle was imminent!

The previously harmonious banquet completely fell apart the moment Chen Ling pulled back the white cloth. A thick scent of gunpowder filled the air.

“Old Mu! What's wrong with you! I didn't do this!” Zong Wen hadn't expected things to escalate to this point. He immediately glared at Mu Chunsheng and roared.

“Who then?! If not you, then who could it be?!!”

“Ask them then! It wasn't me, anyway!!” Zong Wen was also growing anxious. Though he had many subordinates, if a fight broke out, they definitely couldn't defeat the desperate men of the Beidou Syndicate. If things went wrong, he might truly lose his life here. Mu Chunsheng now was a cornered madman, capable of anything.

He seemed to remember something and his gaze instantly locked onto Lu Yuanzheng, the director of the Dinglu Syndicate beside him. He spoke in a cold voice:

“I remember now, this hotel is controlled by that kid Lu Yuanzheng… Who else but him could have swapped the Zitan Peace Buddha without anyone knowing?”

As soon as these words were spoken, Lu Yuanzheng's heart sank. The next moment, he felt Mu Chunsheng's ominous gaze fix on him. It was the look of a leopard eager to devour its prey.

“It wasn't me!! Damn it! Didn't we reach a consensus?! What good would this do me?!”

“You tricked us into a consensus on the surface, then secretly manipulated things to incite the Emissary to purge the Beidou Syndicate… Isn't this kind of treacherous trick precisely what your Dinglu Syndicate enjoys most? During the Liuzhen incident, weren't you the one fanning the flames behind the scenes, trying to drive our Huadu to its demise?”

“It wasn't me! It really wasn't me… What benefit would destroying the Beidou Syndicate bring me?! If we're talking motives, isn't Paradise the most suspicious party?! The moment the Beidou Syndicate falls, they'll immediately take over Beidou's operations; they're sworn enemies!”

“What?! What does this have to do with me?…”

In the darkened hall, thunder roared incessantly. Under this suffocating and oppressive atmosphere, the major syndicates' suspicions of each other were thoroughly ignited. Their already fragile "alliance" crumbled at Chen Ling's subtle gesture. They even began to turn against each other.

Angry accusations echoed in the darkness. In the chaotic hall, the golden mask, seemingly forgotten by everyone, in the flickering pale lightning, appeared to narrow its eyes in amusement…

“The show… begins.”