Volume 1 Chapter 55 I Am the Capital Tycoon 9

Lin Weiwei had no desire to answer the phone; right now, she just wanted to drag An Qianqian over and give her a sound beating.

An Qianqian glanced at the screen—it was a call from Lin's father.

Recalling what Lingyi had told her yesterday, the corners of An Qianqian's lips curved upward.

Lopes skillfully brought the ball down on the run, while Salgado applied constant pressure from the side. Instead of forcing a breakthrough, Lopes squared the ball to Mendieta at the edge of the penalty area. Mendieta trapped the ball and immediately fired a shot, but Casillas reacted with lightning-fast footwork, dropping low to gather the ball securely into his arms.

As the voice trailed off, the grinding sound of mechanical gears slowly echoed through the air. Everyone watched as two more gates, positioned perpendicularly to the previous two, slowly began to open.

In the distance, Alexis, who had been monitoring the situation, smiled with a visible sigh of relief upon seeing that they were safe. Natalie also withdrew her gaze with a smile, and the rest of the crew went back to their respective tasks with focused attention.

All of this served as indirect evidence of John Woo's esteemed status in the film industry. Yet, starting from June 14, 2002, it felt as though some terrifying curse had been cast upon him, plunging him into a relentless and genuine series of catastrophic box-office failures.

At this point, Wei Miao suddenly thought back to those two intimately romantic encounters between herself and Ma Liang. Had she not exercised restraint back then, judging by Ma Liang's eager and lustful demeanor at the time, he clearly would not have been able to hold himself back.

Big Stone and Mute were also watching in absolute awe, momentarily forgetting all about their defensive duties. Fortunately, the veteran soldiers on the attacking side had no wish to miss out on such an intense and fierce battle scene, so they likewise temporarily halted their assault.

Old Madam Diao's sorrowful expression gradually gave way to a happy smile. That was right! As long as Qin Fen remained in the military, he would be protected by the Snake King. But if he were kicked out of the military and stripped of his protective umbrella, he would be reduced to nothing more than a lump of soft dough, ripe to be kneaded and molded in any way they pleased.

The Crane-Control Mansion was located in the southeastern corner of the Taichu Palace, originally forming a part of the imperial garden. Composed of over a hundred various structures, it was now enclosed by high walls, and a magnificent, gold-inscribed plaque bearing the three large characters for "Crane-Control Mansion" hung above its grand entrance.

The score of mercenaries hailing from the Golden Triangle all possessed a strength of at least the eight-star level at the very minimum. Reaching such a level in middle age might not seem like much, but when pitted against the younger generation of today, they held an innate advantage in terms of time and experience.

On the battlefield, many soldiers died in combat and met tragic ends; some suffered severe injuries, losing limbs and suffering mutilations; while others returned with all their physical parts intact, yet long exposure to warfare and the constant sight of bloodshed had left them permanently scarred with psychological trauma.

Although Guo Zhuocheng still stubbornly believed that a war between China and the United States was inevitable—viewing it as a necessary price China had to pay for its rise and eventual surpassing of America, where sitting merely at the negotiation table could not resolve the differences between China and the United States, or rather between China and the entire Western world, and could only be settled through the highest and most tragic form of conflict, which was war.

Mo Li bowed slightly as a gesture of courtesy to see her off. When the Empress witnessed this action, a flash of understanding crossed her mind; she realized that he was deliberately maintaining a distance between himself and Qingling. With the clear boundaries between monarch and subject, it appeared that his feelings toward Qingling were not at all what Qingling had imagined them to be.

Therefore, the Charlotte players were in no particular rush, because the side currently feeling the pressure was the Cleveland Cavaliers. For the Cavaliers, the situation they were now facing was one they desperately wished to avoid.

Deep in the mountains south of Xiangjiang City, there was a secret underground passage that led to a concealed chamber. After leaving the testing grounds, Langkun headed straight for this tunnel. The passage was narrow and secluded, wide enough for only two people to pass side by side, and its walls gleamed with a silvery-white luster.