Lian Jun didn't give Zhang Zhuoyuan a chance to gather his thoughts before delivering another heavy blow: "Let me remind you again, with the example of Annihilation, once the organizations of Meridian Gate, Thousand Leaves, and Snake Fang gain control of the situation, and have the power to dictate terms, it will be nothing but a pipe dream to find an ally like Annihilation again."

Zhang Zhuoyuan was shaken by Lian Jun's words and finally realized the gravity of the situation. He remembered how they were completely at the mercy of criminal organisations before they teamed up with Annihilation, and his expression turned ugly.

He looked at Lian Jun and asked, "So what should we do now? Should we just retreat? But, but..."

"But if we do that, won't you lose face... Is that what you're trying to say?" Lian Jun saw through his thoughts and voiced the unspoken dilemma for him.

Zhang Zhuoyuan felt embarrassed and tried to explain, "To be honest, when we first started our operation, the Tarantula tried to negotiate with me to resolve the misunderstanding. But I ignored them... After all, the Tarantula is a legitimate organization. It's one thing to dismantle them this time, but if we let them go, we may have to deal with them again in the future..."

Shi Jin couldn't help but roll his eyes at the incompetence of the authorities this time. Did they not think of a reasonable excuse before deciding to attack the Tarantula, knowing that it still had a legal label?

When dealing with Black Rose, they knew to label them as terrorists, and when dealing with Nine Eagles, they knew to label them as colluding with foreign forces. But when it came to the Tarantula, why did they just go straight to attacking without a second thought? Were they so confident that they could kill the Tarantula in one go and not give it a chance to seek revenge?

It's really unfair that they want to attack you without reason, refuse to negotiate with you, and now that they can't win, they want to back down and avoid being on the wrong side. They want to take all the benefits for themselves and expect others to just take the beating and never retaliate? Did he forget to consider all of this because he was too eager to create an illusion of being a loyal ally to Lian Jun?

Perhaps realizing how shameless he sounded, Zhang Zhuoyuan's voice gradually lowered, and the cold sweat on his forehead turned into hot sweat as he continuously wiped it away to conceal his embarrassment.

Unknowingly, the topic shifted from "how to continue fighting Tarantula" to "what the official response should be after not fighting Tarantula," completely changing the theme.

With Lian Jun's goal achieved, he relaxed his posture and poured Zhang Zhuoyuan another cup of tea, reassuring him, "Director, don't worry. The officials' action this time is well-known, and Tarantula is in the wrong. They won't come looking for trouble with you again."

"Lian Jun, do you have any ideas on how to manage this situation so they're in the wrong?" Zhang Zhuoyuan looked at him with a glimmer of hope in his eyes.

Lian Jun took a sip of his tea and replied, "The reason why criminal organisations are divided into legal and illegal is because there are things they can and cannot do. Since the Tarantula been legalised, it should naturally be subject to official constraints. Now that it has broken the rules, it's normal to punish them."

Zhang Zhuoyuan was puzzled and asked, "Broken the rules? But the Tarantula has been well-behaved lately and hasn't done anything out of line."

"How could you say it hasn't done it before? If it hasn't, then how did you randomly target it? After the Nine Eagles were disbanded, I remember you issued a document that stated while normal disputes over interests were allowed between legal criminal organisations, malicious competition against leaders' lives was strictly prohibited. The Tarantula not only broke this rule, but also chose to act in the capital city of B, adding insult to injury. Punishment is deserved," Lian Jun reminded, then glanced at Shi Jin sitting in the corner.

Shi Jin: "???"

Why is he looking over here with that suggestive look when we're discussing business?

Zhang Zhuoyuan was taken aback and turned to look at Shi Jin. His expression was a mix of excitement and confusion as he said, "There was indeed a rule like that, and the little guy kidnapped in B City was clearly taken by the Tarantula..."

Shi Jin glared back, thinking to himself, "Who are you calling a little guy?"

"Shi Jin is my partner, equal in position to me and considered the deputy leader of our gang. If you touch him, you touch me," Lian Jun said calmly, drawing Zhang Zhuoyuan's attention back to him.

"When my partner was kidnapped, I, as the leader, was furious. I dug up our rules and regulations and went to the authorities, hoping they would take down the Tarantula and make it easier for us to deal with them. The authorities struggled, but in the end, they agreed to punish the Tarantula appropriately and help them maintain their legal status... Is this reason enough for you to save face?"

After listening to the explanation, Zhang Zhuoyuan was dumbfounded, but then he became excited.

The reason was brilliant! Not only did it help the authorities save face, but it also earned them a favor from the Tarantula. This would prevent the Tarantula from openly seeking revenge on the authorities for this incident.

Zhang Zhuoyuan quickly nodded and said, "This reason is great, but it may require some sacrifice from you and everyone else..."

"It's nothing," interrupted Lian Jun, with a calm expression. "As a traitor of the underworld, I don't have much reputation to begin with. It doesn't matter if I make more enemies. Besides, isn't this what you all want to see?"

After speaking, he gave Zhang Zhuoyuan a cold glance.

"Erm..." Zhang Zhuoyuan suddenly felt embarrassed, unsure if the other person was just venting or hinting at something. He tried to reassure them, saying, "I know you've shouldered a lot for our common goal over the years, and I understand if you're feeling frustrated. But our sincerity..."

"Enough." Lian Jun interrupted him again, put down his teacup, and suddenly turned cold. "Sweet words can be said ten thousand times, but without action, they are just empty words. Director Zhang, perhaps the smooth sailing of these years has given you the illusion that you have forgotten one thing. When it comes to cleaning up the underwold, it has always been my opinion that takes the lead.

"You taking the initiative this time, although it is done in my name, cannot hide the fact that you have gradually ignored my opinions and treated me as a tool to use subconsciously. I am very dissatisfied with the signal you have released. I can help you clean up the mess once, but I cannot do it countless times. Giving and taking is mutual. To be blunt, I cannot see your sincerity in cooperation right now, only your intention to use me and then discard me."

The atmosphere suddenly became tense. Zhang Zhuoyuan's hands, which were placed on his knees, tightened, his face was taut, and the sweat on his forehead turned cold again.

Number One and Number Two, who were guarding in the corner of the study, suddenly moved their bodies and each took out their weapons from their pockets, carefully playing with them in their hands.

Zhang Zhuoyuan saw them walking out of the shadows and was shocked. He realized that there were more than just Lian Jun and Shi Jin in the study. His body stiffened, and he didn't even dare to look up at Lian Jun's expression at this moment.

-- Did Lian Jun find something? Zhang Zhuoyuan was frightened by Lian Jun's blunt words. Was he going to tear off their relations? H-he had been careless. In these years Lian Jun had been too cooperative, he had actually forgot that Lian Jun was the most difficult and dangerous organization leader he had ever encountered.

Recently, he had really been too absent-minded. He knew he had to say something. They couldn't afford to lose Lian Jun as an ally for now.

The tea in the teapot had grown cold, and the room was so quiet that one could hear a pin drop. Lian Jun's fingers lightly tapped the armrest of his wheelchair, but to Zhang Zhuoyuan, it felt like those fingers were tapping directly on his heart, causing his heartbeat to quicken.

The tension in the room grew thicker, and Shi Jin noticed that Lian Jun's progress bar was slowly rising. He couldn't help but sit up straight. Although he knew that Lian Jun was deliberately putting pressure on Zhang Zhuoyuan to gain absolute control over the authorities' clean-up efforts in the future, his emotions made him worry.

He was afraid that too much pressure would cause a backlash. The cooperation between Annihilation and the authorities absolutely cannot be broken now. Both Number One and Number Two cannot lay a hand on Zhang Zhuoyuan, or everything will be ruined.

"Shi Jin," suddenly called Lian Jun.

Shi Jin snapped out of his thoughts and realized that he had unknowingly torn the leather on the armrest of the sofa. He quickly released his grip and asked, "Yes, what is it?"

"Bring over a pot of hot tea," Lian Jun gestured towards the teapot with a gentle tone.

The progress bar suddenly stopped increasing.

Shi Jin was confused for a moment, then quickly got up and brought over the teapot. He secretly glanced back and forth between Zhang Zhuoyuan and Lian Jun - strange, why did the progress bar suddenly stop again? Was it because Lian Jun suddenly softened his attitude?

He picked up the teapot and turned to leave, but noticed that Zhang Zhuoyuan was secretly sizing him up. His brow furrowed and he glanced back at Lian Jun with a hint of worry before leaving the study with the teapot in hand.

After Shi Jin had left, Lian Jun's expression turned cold once again. Upon seeing this, Zhang Zhuoyuan was certain of what he needed to do.

He looked at Lian Jun and spoke earnestly, "Young Master Jun, we admit that we did not handle this situation well. I understand your doubts about our sincerity and your hesitation to continue our partnership, but I do not want you to misunderstand our trustworthiness.

"We do have sincerity, otherwise we would not have allowed your partner to attend the police academy, and we certainly would not have sabotaged our own efforts. We seek mutual benefit, and it serves us no good to anger you. I also do not wish to make empty promises and have you bear all the burden. Therefore, on behalf of the government, I am willing to exchange our interests for a successful resolution to this crisis."

Lian Jun remained noncommittal, appearing disinterested and having lost trust in him.

Zhang Zhuoyuan continued, "As far as I know, your partner seems to have some connection with Ruihang. Ruihang is preparing to shift its business focus back to the domestic market this year, and I may be able to help with that..."

He looked at Lian Jun, observing his reaction.

Lian Jun finally looked at him directly, squinting his eyes and showing a thoughtful expression. Suddenly, he raised his hand and waved towards the two Numbers in the corner, saying, "Please continue."

This is interesting! Lian Jun really values his lover.

Zhang Zhuoyuan breathed a sigh of relief and quickly promised several more favorable policies to support Ruihang. Then he tactfully said, "I am not in charge of economic matters. I need to go back and consult with professionals on how to support Ruihang specifically. Right now, the situation with the Tarantula is urgent. Why don't we discuss that first?"

Lian Jun had a half-smiling expression as he said, "Director, please don't make me angry by giving me an empty promise."

Zhang Zhuoyuan's heart skipped a beat at his laughter, and he quickly assured him that it was impossible and offered to sign a contract with him.

Lian Jun's expression softened at this and he said, "I'll have someone draft the agreement, and I'll need your help to sign it. But for now, dealing with the Tarantula is more important. Director, what do you suggest we do?"

Finally, what a relief!

Zhang Zhuoyuan was almost exhausted by Lian Jun's unpredictable rhythm of conversation, and he quickly redirected the topic to the Tarantula, afraid that he might bring up something else.

......

When Shi Jin entered the study with a freshly brewed pot of tea, the atmosphere had already eased down.

Zhang Zhuoyuan and Lian Jun were calmly discussing the matter of the Tarantula. Number One and Number One 2 had returned to their corner, and even Lian Jun's progress bar had reverted back to its original value, as if the previous turmoil was just his imagination.

What was going on?

Shi Jin was puzzled as he placed the teapot on the coffee table and observed the expressions of Lian Jun and Zhang Zhuoyuan. He couldn't see anything out of the ordinary, so he returned to his seat, looking back every few steps.

About half an hour later, the discussion between Lian Jun and Zhang Zhuoyuan came to an end. Zhang Zhuoyuan finally regained his usual relaxed demeanor and expressed his gratitude to Lian Jun, saying, "Let's settle this matter like this. Thank you for your hard work."

Lian Jun waved his hand, indicating that it was nothing, but his face showed signs of exhaustion as he politely saw his guest off.

However, Zhang Zhuoyuan seemed oblivious to his weariness and suddenly changed the topic, saying, "Lian Jun, you mentioned before that you wanted to maintain a balance among the four organizations in Meridian Gate. But what happens after they achieve balance? While they rest and recover, their respective damages will slowly heal and their strength will grow. Won't that make it even more difficult for us to defeat them? From this perspective, it seems like we can't ignore the Tarantula."

Shi Jin frowned as he listened - everything had already been settled, so why was Zhang Zhuoyuan suddenly bringing this up? Was he trying to pick a fight?

Lian Jun's expression became more subdued as he looked back at Zhang Zhuoyuan, his eyes darkening. Zhang Zhuoyuan locked eyes with him, his expression still gentle, but his determination to not give up until he got an answer was evident.

The atmosphere in the room grew heavy once again, with Lian Jun remaining silent. As a result, Zhang Zhuoyuan's gaze slowly became sharper.

In the corner, Number One and Number Two exchanged a glance, both seeing the regret in each other's eyes.

Although this old fox Zhang Zhuoyuan was initially thrown off track by Young Master Jun, a fox was still a fox. With just a little relaxation, he could regain his composure and find the loopholes.

Indeed, there was a major flaw in all the strategic analysis that Lian Jun had done at the beginning. The flaw was that if they let the Tarantula go, they would end up with more enemies than if they had killed it.

For Annihilation, killing the Tarantula meant facing a 3-on-1 battle, while not killing it meant facing a 4-on-1 battle. From an outsider's perspective, not killing the Tarantula was actually more dangerous than killing it.

"Now, if you kill the Tarantula, you'll face a 3-on-1 battle in the future. If you don't kill the Tarantula, you'll face a 4-on-1 battle in the future. Lian Jun, I'm not questioning the correctness of your decision, I'm just worried about the future. You've also said that the alliance between the other organizations is inevitable. Do you think it's better to face a 4-on-1 alliance by letting the Tarantula go?" Zhang Zhuoyuan asked, his tone serious and concerned for Annihilation's future.

"Are you mistaken about something?" Lian Jun finally spoke, as if he had seen through all of his schemes.

The corners of his mouth curled into a cold smile as he said, "The moment I decided to stand with you, Annihilation was destined to disappear. There is no future to speak of. The situation is not a simple addition or subtraction. Annihilation, who has suffered losses in strength, is up against the combined strength of Meridian Gate, Thousand Leaves, Snake Fang, versus the Annihilation at its peak, up against the other three who are all suffering from their own losses in strength. Which situation has a greater chance of success? Any smart person can see that.

"And there is also the difference in time between a war of attrition and a collective melee... Director Zhang, don't try to test me again. My patience is limited. If you say these things to force me to take a stand, then I can only say that you are using the wrong method."

Zhang Zhuoyuan's expression froze and he was at a loss for words.

"Also, don't tell me you don't know that the leaders of the three groups, Meridian Gate, Thousand Leaves, and Snake Fang, have already come to G Province. If we attack the Tarantula now, we not only have to find ways to preserve our strength against its frenzied counterattacks, but also guard against Meridian Gate, Thousand Leaves, and Snake Fang launching sneak attacks from behind. This is not a matter of one against a few, but whether or not we will be dragged to death by them."

Lian Jun's lips flattened and his attitude returned to being hostile: "Do you think it's easy to achieve balance among the four organisations? Do you think that after achieving balance, those four organisations will peacefully develop? Annihilation has been pushed step by step to the opposite side of all organizations by you. Now that you are openly inciting hatred against Annihilation, do you know what the other organisations will do after the incident with the Tarantula is resolved? Can you guess? When that time comes, besides fighting them to the death, do I have any other choice?

"Since it's inevitable, I am now trying to preserve my strength and buy time. What's the problem? Director Zhang, is the future situation really so difficult to understand that you need me to analyze it for you? Are you really not using your brain or do you really think I'm a fool?"

Zhang Zhuoyuan's expression stiffened. He didn't expect Lian Jun to understand everything and dryly said, "Lian Jun, that's not what I meant. I'm just worried that it will be even more difficult to deal with after releasing the Tarantula, especially in a one versus four situation."

"Difficult? No, that's when things will truly become simple." Lian Jun suddenly became indifferent and didn't want to continue the argument. He said, "Director, I never expected to be able to save everything after a one versus four situation... You wanted to know my attitude, so I'll tell you now. I pray that those four organisations will form an alliance soon. When that happens, I won't have to hold back anymore and can use all my strength to perish together with them."

"To perish together?" Zhang Zhuoyuan's eyes widened in disbelief as he looked at Lian Jun.

Shi Jin was also surprised, and looked towards Lian Jun.

Lian Jun raised his hand to support his chin and said calmly, "As for the remaining big fish, only a fire ignited during at the peak with such a self-destructive method can burn them all at once, leaving no future troubles. By then, there will be no big organizations on the road that can balance with the government, only some small fries that are easy to handle. Director, this is my sincerity and determination. I have already awakened, but it seems that you are still hesitating."

Zhang Zhuoyuan was greatly shocked and said hoarsely, "You..."

Lian Jun suddenly turned his head and called out, "Shi Jin."

Shi Jin quickly responded, "Yes."

"I'm tired. Push me back to my room to rest." Lian Jun lowered his head and covered his forehead, looking like he didn't want to continue the conversation. Shi Jin hurried forward to support his wheelchair and pushed him out of the study.