Upon hearing Lin Beichen’s words, the Dongchuan Clan’s subordinates finally realized that the Great Elder was in the car that had just exploded. They rushed forward to rescue him but were stopped by Lin Beichen.
"The car is already burned to that extent, do you think there’s still a chance for anyone to survive?"
Faced with Lin Beichen’s somewhat sharp tone, the Dongchuan Clan’s subordinates glanced at each other, their faces filled with grief and anger.
However, it wasn’t because the Great Elder held an important place in their hearts, nor because he was greatly loved by them, but rather because these subordinates were die-hard loyalists of Dongchuan Ichiro.
They clearly understood that the Great Elder now stood with their master. If the Great Elder returned to the family and convened the heir’s meeting, the heir to the Dongchuan Clan would undoubtedly be their master, Dongchuan Ichiro.
But now, with the Great Elder mysteriously blown to pieces, the heir’s meeting this time was unlikely to conclude easily.
Dongchuan Ichiro, standing by, had the same look of anger on his face. He punched the car beside him, his massive strength causing a dent in the car’s body.
"That damned bastard, I’ve really underestimated him. He’s even more ruthless than I imagined!"
Everyone around heard Dongchuan Ichiro’s words, exchanging glances but remaining silent. They didn’t need to ask to know to whom Dongchuan Ichiro was referring.
Although they knew who it was, it wasn’t their place to judge the core members of the Dongchuan Clan. They could firmly support their master in the struggle for the family’s inheritance, but commenting on the core figures was beyond their purview.
After a moment, five black cars drove up from the direction of the Dongchuan Clan’s villa. As soon as the cars stopped, a figure darted over at high speed.
Seeing the person running over, the anger on Dongchuan Ichiro’s face vanished, replaced by a full smile. Lin Beichen also retreated to the car he had just exited, before the other party saw him.
"Brother, are you hurt? Just now I heard from the subordinates that there was a car explosion on our family’s internal road, so I rushed over."
The person who appeared was none other than Dongchuan Tairou. Faced with his brother’s concern, Dongchuan Ichiro outwardly seemed deeply touched, but inwardly he was sneering.
"You’re actually concerned whether I’m hurt? I think you just hope I wasn’t blown up along with the Great Elder."
Of course, Dongchuan Ichiro only thought this to himself. After all, the Great Elder was already dead, and there was no evidence. Even if he wasn’t, there was no clear proof that his elder brother was behind this.
"It seems the family’s internal defense system has had some issues recently. We had just entered the family’s internal road when an unknown car hit us, causing both cars to explode!"
Hearing Dongchuan Ichiro’s words, a look of dissatisfaction crossed Dongchuan Tairou’s face.
He then turned to a confidant beside him and said sternly:
"Why are you still standing here? Arrest everyone responsible for today’s duty shift and interrogate them. I need to know if they were negligent or bought off!"
"Alright, big brother, what’s done is done. Let’s hurry back. After all, today is the critical moment when you are about to officially become the family heir!"
When Dongchuan Ichiro spoke, he emphasized the words "critical moment," and although Dongchuan Tairou heard it, he didn’t rush to leave. Instead, he looked at the exploded car.
At this moment, the flames of the car had just extinguished. Dongchuan Tairou asked in a low voice:
"Who was in that car?"
"The Great Elder."
As he spoke, a look of desolation appeared on Dongchuan Ichiro’s face, and his eyes seemed filled with endless sorrow.
Hearing Dongchuan Ichiro’s words, Dongchuan Tairou opened his mouth but ultimately said nothing. No one knew what he was thinking.
After arranging for the family’s subordinates to handle the accident scene, Dongchuan Tairou and Dongchuan Ichiro each got into their cars and drove back toward the family estate.
On the way back, Dongchuan Ichiro’s face was full of gloom. Seeing this, Lin Beichen suddenly laughed.
Hearing Lin Beichen’s laughter, Dongchuan Ichiro looked at him helplessly.
"Mr. Lin, how can you still laugh at a time like this?"
"Why shouldn’t I laugh?"
Lin Beichen looked at him with a puzzled expression, and one had to admit that Lin Beichen’s face at that moment looked somewhat endearing.
"Now that the Great Elder is dead, this family meeting won’t be as easy to pass as it was before."
The so-called family meeting referred to the Elder Council meeting. Although there were four other elders, the Great Elder was the one who held the real power.
In other words, whatever the Great Elder decided, almost no one would oppose. But with the Great Elder gone, a chaotic situation was bound to arise.
"If I had known this would be the outcome, I wouldn’t have gone to such lengths to get the Great Elder on my side. It would have been more straightforward to eliminate everyone."
Dongchuan Ichiro muttered to himself.
"Are you sure that’s your true thought?"
Lin Beichen, sitting next to him, asked.
"What other better solution is there?"
Dongchuan Ichiro was extremely frustrated. What was supposed to be a sure thing turned out to be filled with uncertainties.
"If you really did that, your family would be completely taken over by other forces under some pretext because killing all the elders and your brother would make your position illegitimate."
In terms of legitimacy, there was perhaps no country more concerned about this than Dragon Country.
Dongchuan Ichiro understood this, which is why he sought Lin Beichen’s help to solve many of his problems.
"So, tell me what I should do next?"
At this moment, Dongchuan Ichiro had no ideas of his own and placed all his hopes on Lin Beichen.
"Don’t worry, leave that to me. Since I agreed to help you, I’ll think of all possible scenarios."
Lin Beichen spoke with a calm smile, which made Dongchuan Ichiro look at him again.
Dongchuan Ichiro racked his brain but couldn’t figure out where Lin Beichen’s confidence came from. However, seeing the sincere look on Lin Beichen’s face, he knew that Lin Beichen’s calm demeanor was genuine.
As time passed, they soon arrived at the Dongchuan Clan’s dedicated meeting courtyard. Dongchuan Ichiro originally intended to invite Lin Beichen to step off the car with him but was declined by Lin Beichen.
"You go first and see the situation inside. If things become critical, I’ll show up with the final card."
As he spoke, Lin Beichen placed a listening device on Dongchuan Ichiro. To prevent any violent incidents during the heir meeting, all participants’ communication devices would be confiscated.
Hearing Lin Beichen’s words, Dongchuan Ichiro felt somewhat relieved. After getting off, he subconsciously glanced at the third car they had been riding in, as the person in that car had always been a mystery to him.
"Perhaps that’s Mr. Lin’s final card."
Dongchuan Ichiro thought to himself.
Under the guidance of family members, they arrived at the meeting room, which was essentially a large traditional Japanese-style room, enough to accommodate twenty people.
The elders of the family, along with Dongchuan Tairou and Dongchuan Ichiro, who were the candidates for inheritance, sat in the center, each flanked by their security personnel.
"I just heard from Dongchuan Tairou that the car the Great Elder was in met with an accident and he died."
After the Second Elder delivered this news, everyone was visibly shocked. The Second Elder looked at Dongchuan Ichiro, seemingly seeking confirmation.
"What my brother said is true. The Great Elder returned with us, but his car was ahead, and soon after entering the family internal road, it was hit by a mysterious vehicle, and both cars exploded."