let out a hearty laugh, and the hand he held behind his back suddenly beckoned toward Zheng Zha, seemingly asking for something. Zheng Zha reacted quickly, swiftly retrieving a gold brick from his storage ring. Using his corrosive internal energy, he painstakingly tore off a piece no larger than a fingernail clipping and offered it to the Bawang, standing side-by-side with him as if presenting a gift.

The smile on Bawang’s face softened even further. He mimicked taking something out of his pocket, then tossed the small sliver of gold to the bald, burly man. The man caught it, then immediately froze, turning the gold over and over in his hand before looking back curiously at Bawang and his two companions.

Bawang leaned in with calculated familiarity, lowering his voice. “Brother, we’re from the international mercenary corps, so rest assured, we mean no harm to anyone here. We’re personnel on vacation from our unit, but unfortunately, all our luggage was lost. Right now, we have nothing but gold bricks. We’re looking to exchange some for cash with a powerful gang in this city. Don't worry, we’ll sell you fifteen gold bricks at seventy percent of the market rate. This is all the gold we currently possess. I wonder if your gang has any interest in making a little profit?” Fifteen gold bricks were hardly a 'little profit,' at least not for smaller gangs.

To be able to absorb the thirty percent market difference was certainly no small sum, and so the burly man stood there stunned, staring blankly at Bawang and the others behind him. Leaving Luo Gandao aside, both Zheng Zha and Chu Xuan exuded distinct auras: one carried the presence of a long-established leader, possessing an innate air of command, while the other’s detached indifference could easily be interpreted by ordinary people as arrogance and cold calculation.

The bald man scrutinized the trio intently, then pulled out his phone and began chattering away into it to someone on the other end.

A few minutes later, the bald man finally told Bawang, “Our boss wants to see you, over in the East District. Of course, you are free to decline…” Bawang chuckled. “Go? Why wouldn't we go? We’re people who genuinely want to sell these gold bricks right now. Alright, brother, you drive.”

With that, Bawang laughed loudly and settled into the front passenger seat of the sedan.

Zheng Zha didn't seem to mind, and he and Chu Xuan got into the car first. Only Luo Gandao hesitated for a moment, slowly squeezing through the door. Once inside, he whispered to Chu Xuan, “Aren’t you two afraid? That’s the mob we’re dealing with. If you really have fifteen gold bricks on you, aren't you worried this gang might turn on us—black-on-black crime? We’re heading straight for their headquarters, you know. A gun anywhere there could end us instantly…” Chu Xuan replied calmly, “…Bawang and I might not be able to stand up to firearms. But that strongest person among us you mentioned, Zheng Zha… he’s been through countless life-or-death battles. Unbeknownst to you, he has long since become a powerhouse. You can confirm that with your own eyes shortly.”

Confirm it with his own eyes? Did that mean a fight was actually coming? Luo Gandao immediately felt that the car seat was too hard; he felt utterly uneasy sitting there, constantly shifting. His eyes darted from the bald man to Bawang, whose physique resembled a bear, then to the impassive Chu Xuan, and finally landed on the smiling Zheng Zha. These three showed not the slightest sign of worry, appearing undeniably confident. Yet, even so, Luo Gandao continued to fidget restlessly. The sedan quickly crossed the river bridge, and on the opposite bank, the city was indeed sprawling. Looking out toward the river's edge, they could see the mouth of the estuary, where a modern port bustled with countless ships coming and going. That port was their necessary route; only by taking a boat from there could they reach Isla Sona, the island teeming with dinosaurs.

The bald man chatted and laughed with Bawang the entire way. It was clear the bald man had likely served in the military, as he even knew some slang used by international mercenary units. Bawang, who had indeed been a top-tier heavy weapons specialist in a national mercenary unit, playfully responded using this jargon. After about a twenty-minute drive, the bald man finally brought them to a building. In truth, all four had already noticed that the bald man had been intentionally leading them on a detour; those coded phrases were likely questions designed to verify their cover story.

The bald man stepped out of the car and offered an apologetic smile. “My deepest apologies, sirs. My boss asked me to verify authenticity. Heh, we’re currently in negotiations with another family, and if anything untoward happened, I truly couldn't afford the consequences. Now, please raise your hands.”

Only then did the others see several burly men positioned around the car, their handguns aimed at the occupants through the windows.

Before raising his hands, Zheng Zha had already slipped three gold bricks into his coat from his storage ring. When he lifted his hands, the three bricks tumbled out. Everyone’s eyes flickered. The bald man waited until all four had exited the car before grinning and bending down to retrieve the bricks. However, the moment he picked them up, his smile froze instantly. Simultaneously, a series of dull thuds sounded from behind him. When he spun around, he saw the four men standing unharmed, while several gunmen lay sprawled on the ground.

The bald man forced an awkward chuckle. “Hey, brother, I was just following protocol. My boss said we had to check you for weapons first. You putting up a fight like that just makes things difficult for me, you know? This is Anthony family territory. Even if you’re as strong as you look, fighting your way out might still be rough, right?” Zheng Zha smiled and raised his hands. “Rest assured, we are unarmed. You can send others to search us again, but please don't point guns at our heads. That makes us nervous. I apologize, but we are international mercenaries; if we get stressed, anything could happen that we won't be able to control.”

The bald man’s mouth twitched. At that moment, several men in black rushed out of the building, their hands instinctively reaching toward their jackets. The bald man quickly waved them back, then smiled at Zheng Zha. “In that case, I’ll have a few young ladies conduct the search. If no weapons are found… you can come with me to meet my boss.”

With that, he suddenly lifted one of the gold bricks, pointing out the clear two-finger indentations and the tell-tale signs where the gold had been forcibly ripped away. He merely glanced at it before walking alone into the building.

The rest of the proceedings were considerably smoother. All their weapons had been stowed in the storage rings, and Bawang’s tubular pulse projector was so outlandish in appearance that they couldn’t possibly carry it openly on the streets.

When the array of alluring women searched the four men, only Luo Gandao blushed deeply; the other three accepted the inspection silently. Once finished, the seductive women nodded toward a specific spot on the wall, and a voice echoed in the room: “The three guests will follow them. I will be waiting for you in the reception room.”

The voice sounded quite young. The four could only follow the alluring women as they moved locations again. After a short walk, they finally arrived in a lavishly decorated hall. A blond young man, his hair meticulously combed, sat smiling on a sofa. The bald man stood silently behind him. On the table before the blond youth were the three gold bricks.

While Luo Gandao appeared somewhat stiff, the other three were remarkably composed. They sat down opposite the blond youth, their demeanor eliciting a smile from him. He even spoke up, “My friend here should sit as well. There’s no need to be reserved; we can all have a pleasant conversation this afternoon.”

Zheng Zha ignored what the blond youth said and merely nodded slightly to Bawang, who immediately spoke up. “These are three gold bricks. The rest are stored elsewhere. We can’t elaborate on other matters, but we’d like you to name a price for these.”

The blond youth chuckled. “They are very pure gold, ninety-nine percent purity. But I believe you’ve already realized, our Anthony family isn’t lacking in this small amount of wealth. I was told by Alot that you are international mercenaries on vacation. I happen to have a few minor problems lately, so I was hoping you gentlemen might lend a hand. However, I see this…” As he spoke, he pointed to the two deep impressions on the gold brick.

The blond youth suddenly grew animated. “Fantastic! Since childhood, I’ve believed that true Chinese Kung Fu exists—not that fake stuff peddled by martial arts performers, or that Sanda nonsense. This—this is certainly real Chinese Kung Fu! Tell me, which one of you knows it? Teach me the real thing! How about five million USD for the lesson? No, make it ten million!” Zheng Zha could only offer a wry smile. He had intended the gold brick as a show of strength to these gang members; he had no interest in getting entangled with these plot characters. He never expected to run into a foreign Kung Fu fanatic—that was entirely unforeseen. But before he could speak, Chu Xuan suddenly interjected, “Do you know about Isla Sona? Has anything unusual happened there recently? On the bridge, I vaguely noticed what looked like small frigates docked at the harbor.”

The blond youth paused, then quickly replied, “Of course, I know! The Navy has blockaded the area. Rumor has it that besides the dinosaurs, the island’s flora is mutating, beginning to revert to ancient forms. And the insects there are changing too, getting larger and larger… Uh? Is there a problem?”

There was a major problem indeed…