Urban Seduction: Housewives Club Chapter 2128 - 449: The Zhang Family Collapses 4

"Time’s up. Whatever’s left, we leave behind for the Zhangs to choke on." Zhang Jianyuan heaved a deep sigh, yet he didn’t return the ring to Zhang Lingtian. Rather, he smoothly slipped it onto his own finger.

A sharp glint flashed in Zhang Lingtian’s eyes, but he swiftly lowered them, staring at the ground to mask his emotions. "Father, what’s the plan?"

"We move. Now," Jianyuan declared resolutely. "If we wait for the rest of them to hit their breaking point, the Ancestor is going to have eyes on every single person in this compound. If that happens, we’re grounded for good."

The entire act in the meeting hall—the grand speech, summoning the Alliance—wasn’t because he truly believed rescue was on the way. It served as a clever distraction. He had to hold the clan together just long enough to create an opening for his disappearance. Without offering that glimmer of hope, chaos would have erupted, and the Ancestor would have sealed the entire estate shut.

"Genius, Father," Lingtian praised, his tone devoid of enthusiasm.

The pair crept into the backyard, where a sleek, compact aircraft waited silently. It measured scarcely two meters across and five meters in length. Lingtian’s eyes sparkled the moment he laid eyes on it. This wasn’t an ordinary commuter vehicle; it was state-of-the-art technology, rumored to outpace any other flyer by five times.

Armed with this, their odds of survival skyrocketed to ninety percent.

Jianyuan leaped into the pilot’s chair, motioned for his son to strap in beside him, and activated the controls.

Whirrr—

Accompanied by a soft hum, the craft rocketed skyward. In less than two seconds, they soared a hundred meters high.

The Zhang estate simmered like a powder keg right then. Tension gripped everyone, with the air thick of "impending doom," so no festivities were in swing. The manor lay in utter silence. Though the aircraft made minimal noise, its whir cut through the stillness like a chainsaw’s growl.

As clan members gazed upward and spotted the ship’s occupants—and its takeoff spot—their hearts plummeted collectively. The Family Head was fleeing and leaving them behind.

From deep within the manor, a furious bellow shook the windows: "YOU FILTHY ANIMAL!"

But anger can’t halt a jet’s engine. All, including the seething Ancestor, stood powerless. The craft had already transformed into a silver blur streaking north. It flew so swiftly that even if the Ancestor sacrificed his life essence for pursuit, he’d only choke on exhaust.

In a flash, the ship breached the estate’s boundary, blending into the night.

Then, the sky cracked open.

A piercing, metallic clash of a blade rang out across the heavens. A vast crescent of white light surged from the earth, smashing straight into the aircraft’s hull.

The Zhang family required no speculation. It was that stern-faced youth. Yet, in place of terror or wrath, a strange relief swept over them. Traitors always draw more loathing than outright foes.

Jianyuan’s vessel was engineered for durability, however. And with Wang Yue unable to unleash his trademark "Level 8 Gale" without exposing himself, his basic sword art fell short of the power needed to split the ship. The blow struck true, but the structure withstood.

Even so, it served its intent. The collision drained ninety percent of the ship’s speed. It lurched erratically in the air, teetering on the edge of a stone-like plunge.

Wang Yue had no intention of granting them mercy. He launched from the ground, vaulting tens of meters upward, and unleashed a second slash.

Now half the distance away, the attack promised double the devastation. The already compromised ship faced certain destruction from this impact, reduced to twisted wreckage.

But prior to the blade’s glow landing, a dull thump reverberated from the craft. A minuscule, single-occupant escape pod burst from the ship’s front. It flared with acceleration three times the original’s, streaking into the darkness like a comet.

Wang Yue’s eyes widened in astonishment. By the time he steadied himself for pursuit, the ultra-compact pod had vanished far beyond reach.

He released a brief sigh. He saw no point in following. Despite his Level 7 cultivation and God-Speed leg techniques, he couldn’t surpass a purpose-built escape drive.

Muttering under his breath, he redirected his focus to the main aircraft.

Luck proved an odd force. The powerful kickback from the pod’s ejection had yanked the primary ship rearward precisely enough to evade Wang Yue’s follow-up strike.

Inside the cabin, though, Zhang Lingtian sensed no such fortune. Misery etched his features.

He’d long suspected his father might sacrifice him in a pinch, but not with such abruptness. Yet the young man wasn’t utterly defenseless. He leaned out at once and hollered down at Wang Yue.

"Senior! Wait! Don’t kill me! I’ll trade seventy percent of the Zhang family’s resources for my life!"

Seventy percent?

Wang Yue’s curiosity stirred. He floated back down to earth. "Get down here and we’ll talk." At the Mortal Shedding realm, prolonged flight wasn’t possible for him.

Lingtian accepted his fate. He guided the ship to land, clambered out, and faced Wang Yue with bowed head, appearing every bit the whipped cur. "I’ll give you seventy percent of our cultivation resources. Just let me live."

"Seventy percent?" Wang Yue laughed lightly. "That guy who just bolted was Zhang Jianyuan, right? If you really had seventy percent of the loot, you think he’d leave without it?"

"You’re right, Senior. He did take my spatial ring," Lingtian conceded. "But there wasn’t much in there. Most of the real hoard is hidden elsewhere. If you promise to let me go, I’ll give you the coordinates right now."

Far away in the distance, Zhang Jianyuan at last exhaled a huge sigh of relief. He’d succeeded in escaping. He lifted his right hand, eyeing the spatial ring he’d snatched from his son.

He’d forfeited all else, but this would pave his entry into the Kong family in the Capital. It acted as his "start-over" fund.

Moments later, Jianyuan’s features contorted. He exploded into wild, bitter laughter. "Haha... good. Very good! That’s my boy!"

The ring brimmed with contents, true enough. But only the uppermost layer held any true value. Beneath lay nothing but valueless scrap and rubbish.

With Jianyuan’s naturally wary temperament, he’d normally inspect it twice over, but the intense pressure left no room. Examining it before his son would brand him untrusting, and then the assault struck.

A flawless alignment of mishaps, and he’d been thoroughly outmaneuvered by his own blood.