Boss Colton had already given the order, so his men couldn’t insist any further. They not only released Mia Lane but also untied the ropes on her hands. She looked around and saw two people guarding the stairway. There were six standing behind Elias Colton, two beside her, making a total of ten visible subordinates. The situation on the first floor was still unknown. Her hands were tied so tightly behind her that even though they were now free, they still felt sore. Mia rubbed them and pondered a strategy. One of the subordinates brought over a chair thick with dust. Mia did not sit down but walked toward Elias Colton. "Stay further away." He was playing a game, and without looking up, he knew from the footsteps it was her. "I have nothing to say to you, nor do I want to negotiate." "..." She stopped in front of him. "I want to plead on his behalf, and also beg for your own sake." He said nothing, as if he hadn’t heard. Mia’s heart was frantic. How would things develop? She felt very uncertain inside. New ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄhapters are published on NoveI-Fire.ɴet It seemed like Elias Colton was all in this time, playing with fire as someone used to the thrill. She surveyed the area again. There were at least a dozen large cans, were they all filled with gasoline? The ground was wet everywhere, including where she stepped. Three hundred meters from the factory, Elias Colton had already stationed people on the only accessible road. Whatever happened on their way, he would know immediately. To send the address later, and if they dared to bring a large team, dared to break the rules of his game, then everyone would die together! At a checkpoint, three men dressed as farmers halted their steps. "What are you doing?!" Elias Colton’s men walked over to them, stopping with a disdainful eye, examining them. One carried a hoe, another a pair of empty baskets, and the third held a dirty woven bag. Their pant legs were rolled up, their clothes and pants covered with mud, their heads sweaty, as if they had just finished working. "I’m asking you, what are you doing?!" someone raised their voice. "Boss, we are residents nearby." One of them spoke in not-so-fluent Mandarin with an honest and simple smile on his face, pointing not far away. "There are lots of lotus roots planted in that pond, planning to dig some while the weather’s good and sell them at the town market tomorrow." "Ah yes, the harvest is good this year." Before they could think much, another quickly chimed in, "Last year, the lotus roots weren’t dug in time, and many rotted in the mud. Such a pity." Another asked, "What about you guys, what are you doing here? In this desolate place." The subordinates’ expressions changed, their gazes turning colder! The three farmers continued to wear their simple smiles, but as they kept smiling, it became awkward. They asked questions they shouldn’t have. One of them wiped his hands on his clothes, took a pack of cigarettes from his pocket, and offered it along with a lighter. "Come on, guys, have a cigarette! You’ve worked hard!" The men had a big craving for cigarettes, but because this operation involved gasoline, Boss Colton had repeatedly ordered no smoking allowed. Standing here for a long time, they naturally craved it. This spot was a distance from the factory, it should be a safe area, right? They held a hope. And Boss Colton couldn’t see them smoking anyway, just a few minutes of indulgence. So, they couldn’t resist, each taking a cigarette offered by the farmers and lighting it, indulging in a deep puff, exhaling rings of smoke, feeling on cloud nine instantly.