Am I really doomed this time?

"I'll follow you, but you must promise not to harm me!"

He put forth this request shamelessly.

That man snorted and spoke in a tone brimming with ridicule and contempt, as though mocking his ignorance and naivety, "Not harm you? Don't be naïve! You have no right to negotiate with us! Leave with us with dignity, or else we'll drag you by your feet, dead or alive!"

The man spelled out their terms to him sans mercy!

Dead or alive!

Mu Lianjue was aghast.

What does he mean?

Does he mean that, as long as I show any signs of struggle, they'll use force on me?

He stood stubbornly on the ground, refusing to give in still.

The man lost his patience finally and signaled his henchmen behind him with his eyes. "We're running out of time; seize him!"

"Understood."

The few mercenaries behind him, all bulky and muscular in size, immediately circled the elder.

He swept his gaze across them warily. With his face appalled and eyes wide open, he stuttered, "Y-You… What do you people think you're doing?!"

"Fourth Master Mu, sorry for this offense!"

Just as the man finished his words, the few men standing near him closed in on him and grabbed hold of him. In no time, they had his hands tightly cuffed behind him!

The man reached and grabbed the elder's collar with his hand. "We have limited time on hand. Since you refused to cooperate with us, don't blame us for being rude!"

The latter struggled. "Let me go! You'd better watch your manners with me; no matter what, I'm still the fourth master of the Mu family! What do you mean by doing this?! Don't think you can rebel against my family now!"

"How interesting, sir! Who cares if you are the fourth master or whatever other ranks you have? There would be no room for negotiation even if the second master were here now! Take him away pronto!"

With that, the man refused to say anything else. Waving his hand, two mercenaries carried the poor captive, side by side, out of the house while the rest equipped their guns to provide cover.

As he was leaving the base, Mu Lianjue glanced around and, to his horror, saw that the sentry and patrol guards had all fallen to the ground, unknown whether dead or alive.

There were no signs of struggle at the scene. It was apparent that they had been finished off in one move.

Before he could throw a few more glances, he was blindfolded and gagged. Before long, he was hurled into an armored escort vehicle.

He was unprepared when darkness descended upon his eyes out of the blue. He was rudely pushed into the barren car seat, his teeth almost knocking to a hard and cold surface when his face was shoved against it.

How formidable is my nephew now to take me away right under my second brother's nose?

This is a military base—a strategic fortress—as well as a tightly guarded drill site. This is a top-secret military location.

Hence, the defense was unusually strict, with groups of elite soldiers from the capital guarding this place in a few hundred miles' radius.

Mu Linfeng also held all authority and power in the capital with his name alone!