Vic's consciousness was somewhat hazy, and he laughed wildly, saying, "I lost! I lost, but what does it matter? If I die, I'll take you with me!" With that, Vic firmly pulled the trigger.

A gunshot rang out, but Louis remained seated without moving. Anne, on the other hand, stood in front of Louis with a bullet hole in her chest. Anne didn't make a sound, as if the injury was not her own. She quickly drew her gun and aimed it at Vic. Vic was startled by Anne's action, not expecting the beautiful girl behind Louis to shield him from the shot. He thought to himself, "If you want to die, I'll grant your wish!" Without hesitation, Vic pulled the trigger again.

Emmanuel watched with intense focus, feeling as if Anne's chest wound was on his own body. In the moment Anne got injured, he shouted and rushed to Anne, holding her tightly.

Two gunshots rang out, and time seemed to freeze as everyone in the meeting room stared in shock. Anne was hit by Vic's first shot and felt a searing pain and numbness in her chest. Her consciousness began to blur, but almost simultaneously, she fired a shot at Vic. Anne's bullet pierced Vic's head, while Vic's bullet struck Emmanuel in the back.

The three of them slowly collapsed to the ground. In her brief moment of unconsciousness, Anne saw Emmanuel's pale smiling face and knew he had taken the bullet for her. A tear rolled down Anne's cheek.

Louis stood up, feeling a strange mix of emotions. Dragon Elder Vic was dead, and he wasn't sure if Emmanuel was alive or not. The Dragon organization now seemed like a headless dragon, ready to be taken over by Louis. He should have been happy, but he couldn't muster any joy. Walking over to Emmanuel, he took off his coat and pressed it against the wound on Emmanuel's back, then shouted, "What are you all waiting for? Get Emmanuel and Anne to the hospital!"

The guys in the conference room snapped out of their stupor and hurriedly carried Emmanuel and Anne outside. Louis initially wanted to go to the hospital to check on them, but he couldn't leave. There were more important matters at hand. He took a deep breath, calming his emotions, and told his subordinates, "Dispose of Vito's body, and remember, leave no trace, not even a single hair!"

The others immediately removed Vito's body. Louis then said, "Leave Vic's body here; don't touch it! The rest of you, leave for now!" With that, Louis sat down and waited quietly.

After a while, a group of police officers entered the room, led by a middle-aged man with a tall and imposing stature, dressed in a sharp suit. He glanced around the room and saw only two people inside, one of them dead, and the young man sitting in the middle of the conference table. The man said to his officers, "You all wait outside; I have something to ask him." The officers nodded and left the room.

The man walked over to the conference table sat down across from Louis, and said seriously, "You must be Louis, right? I've heard about you before, and I couldn't believe it until I saw you in person. You're even younger than I imagined."

Louis smiled and replied, "Commander Peter, I'm not sure if you're complimenting or insulting me, but it doesn't matter. I am who I am, and I have a name that you will remember."

Peter smiled and pointed at the body on the floor, saying, "I didn't come here to discuss your age. Vic is dead, and it looks like the day you take over Dragon is not far off, right?"

Louis smirked and said, "I hope you're not trying to provoke me. I'm saddened by Vic's death; I don't want to kill, but he wanted to kill me. I acted in self-defense, and legally, you can't touch me for that."

Commander Peter stared at Louis, grunted, and didn't say anything. Louis continued, "You must have arrested quite a few guys just now, and I'm sure you've seized a lot of weapons. A big case like this is a significant achievement, and perhaps a little gratitude should be shown to the person who tipped you off?"

Peter looked at Louis and felt that this man was truly extraordinary. He had encountered many formidable guys, but there were very few like Louis, who could sit in front of him and chat casually. It seemed as though everything was under his control. Peter sighed and asked, "What do you want?"

Louis smiled and said, "What I want is quite simple."

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Peter said, "You can go ahead and tell me, as long as it's not illegal, I'll do my best."

Louis shook his head, thinking that this guy was both stubborn and arrogant. He couldn't go a few sentences without mentioning the word "law." Such people are rare in today's society. Louis replied softly, "I can handle legal matters myself. Do I need to trouble you? My request is simple – just turn a blind eye to Nightmare from now on."

Commander Peter sneered, "That's not possible, Louis. Remember this: as long as I'm the police chief, no one can commit crimes under my watch. Others can't, and you, Louis, can't either! Don't think that just because you're a big shot in the criminal underworld, I'm afraid of you. If you like me, feel free to come see me anytime!"

Louis said, "It's good that you know I'm part of the criminal underworld. If you're not concerned for your own life, do you not worry about the safety of your family?"

Peter stood up in anger and said, "I thought about that before coming here. You don't need to threaten me with my family. If it's really like that, you'll only make me hate you more. If you make me hate you strongly, it won't end well for you either!"

Louis cursed under his breath, never having seen someone like this. He stood up and said, "My request is beneficial for everyone. If you let me go, the entire underworld will be mine, and I guarantee there will be no more conflicts. This city will become the safest and most peaceful place with the lowest crime rate. Your promotion is just a matter of time. What reason do you have not to agree?"

Peter smiled and said, "There's only one reason. I have to live up to my conscience and duty."

Louis fell silent, and after a while, he asked slowly, "Do you not care about money and power?"

Peter said, "It's not that I don't care, but as I mentioned before, I have to live up to my conscience."

Louis chuckled. In truth, Peter's personality was quite similar to his own. Both were moral individuals, but they had chosen different paths. One had kept his conscience, while the other had abandoned it. Louis knew that if he were in Peter's shoes, he would make the same choice. However, he wasn't Peter; he was the boss of the criminal underworld, and in the same city as Peter, there could only be one outcome – one of them had to back down. Louis also knew that he would never be the one to back down because he had abandoned his conscience.

Louis sighed, "It seems there's nothing more to discuss. Arguing further won't lead to a resolution." With that, Louis left the meeting room and stopped at the door, saying, "I hope one day you won't regret your steadfastness."

Watching Louis walk away, Peter quietly affirmed, "I never will."

Louis walked into the lobby and saw Jack waiting there. He walked over and asked, "Jack, do Emily and Emma know about Emmanuel being shot?"

Jack shook his head and replied, "They don't know! I think they were tired and asleep. We didn't want to disturb them. A lot has happened today, and if they find out about Emmanuel, it could be problematic."

Louis nodded and said, "You're right. Let's go to the hospital to check on Emmanuel and Anne's condition." When Louis and his group arrived at the hospital's emergency room, it was crowded with people. Upon seeing Louis, they greeted him in unison. Louis asked Jerry, "How are their conditions?"

Jerry replied, "Emmanuel and Anne have just entered the operating room. We don't know if there's a life-threatening situation yet. I'm afraid Anne's injuries are more severe."

Louis nodded sadly and said, "This is the second time she's saved me. I don't know how to repay her in the future. I hope there will be a chance."

Jerry spoke seriously, "Louis, you don't need to blame yourself. Joining Nightmare, we should have anticipated a day like this. We're in the underworld, making much more money than others, but we're playing with our lives too."

Louis leaned against the wall and took out a cigarette. Jerry lit it for him. The group remained silent, waiting at the emergency room door. Louis had mixed feelings; he hoped Emmanuel would survive, but at the same time, he wished he would die, as a confrontation between them was inevitable, and Louis had a "do it first" mentality with no second chances. Taking down the Dragon was only a matter of time.

After nearly two hours, the emergency room door opened, and a young nurse with a few bloodstains on her rushed out. Jack quickly approached and asked, "Doctor, how are the people inside? Can they be saved?"

The nurse replied as she walked away, "We don't know yet. The surgery isn't over. Please continue to wait." She passed by Louis, noticed the cigarette butt on the ground, and scolded, "Smoking is not allowed here, don't you know?" Louis glared at her but didn't say anything, and suddenly, everyone else stood up, scaring the young nurse away.

Finally, close to 2 AM, they received the exciting news that both Emmanuel and Anne were safe. Emmanuel had minor injuries and would recover with some rest, while Anne had more complicated injuries with potential long-term effects.

The next day, Louis brought Emma and Emily to visit Emmanuel at the hospital. Outside the room, there were Dragon members with worried expressions. The Dragon elder who led the rebellion was dead, Emmanuel was seriously injured, and the Dragon gang was now leaderless. They were concerned. These guys were loyal to Emmanuel, and the police had arrested Vic's right-hand men. The Dragon's situation had mostly stabilized. When they saw Louis approaching, they were initially surprised but quickly nodded in acknowledgment.

Regardless of everything, Louis was still Emmanuel's good friend and had also taken down Vic, which was a significant help to the Dragon. Most importantly, it was because he was Louis, and no one in the criminal underworld dared to underestimate this young man anymore.