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Shawn Young and Max followed Leo Chen up the mountain trail. In less than ten minutes, they reached the back of the mountain, where a three-story mansion stood at the innermost part. The group walked inside, passing through a grand, solid redwood door guarded by two burly bodyguards wielding American-made M5 rifles.
As soon as Leo Chen approached, the two bodyguards respectfully opened the redwood door and greeted him, "Mr. Chen, Mr. Jehad is waiting for you inside. Please, come in!"
"Thank you for your hard work!" Leo Chen smiled and nodded at them, leading everyone inside at a relaxed pace.
Once inside, Shawn Young realized that although the mansion looked unremarkable from the outside, its interior was lavishly decorated. A giant Sri Lankan crystal chandelier hung from the ceiling, Italian handmade red carpets covered the marble floors, and all the furniture and sofas were made of genuine leather, complemented by luxurious gold and silver utensils—everything exuded high-class opulence.
"Wow, this is gorgeous! I've been around here for almost half a year and only knew this was Nick Carter's private place. He's never let me in before! I can't believe it's this extravagant!" Max exclaimed, marveling at the luxurious surroundings.
"Heh, this is Mr. Carter's Private Palace, his personal entertainment venue. Normally, no other men are allowed in here!" Leo Chen entered the hall with a host-like smile, introducing the place.
"Oh? Why's that?" Max couldn't help but ask, curiosity piqued.
Leo Chen just smiled and said nothing. Instead, he clapped his hands, and soon, a door beneath the hallway opened. Over a dozen beautiful, seductive women streamed out. Except for Leo Chen, every man present—including Shawn Young—couldn't help but have their eyes light up, feeling their whole body ignite with excitement.
These dozen or so women were all top-tier beauties in both looks and figure. Among them were Asians, Caucasians, and even two especially hot mixed-race black girls! The most lethal part: each woman was draped in sheer, barely-there veils, with bikinis or even more provocative lingerie underneath. Their curves teased and tempted, mysterious places half-revealed. Every beauty wore a sweet, seductive smile, their eyes sparkling with mischief, as if professionally trained to entice men.
"Whoa—my god! This place is a paradise for men!" Max couldn't help but shout, his eyes glued to the gorgeous and seductive women. The excitement was so intense, it made his camouflage pants bulge.
"Heh, that's right. This is Mr. Carter's Private Palace—he lives here like a king! These women are all handpicked top-tier beauties, experts at pleasing men. They're here to serve only Nick Carter, so of course he doesn't let other men in!" Leo Chen introduced with a smile.
"Oh, I see! But then, why did you bring us in? If Nick Carter finds out, he won't be happy, will he?" Max noticed something off about Leo Chen.
"Heh—yeah, if Mr. Carter knew I did this, he might kill me. But things are different now!" Leo Chen replied, still smiling.
Max was stunned. He knew Leo Chen wouldn't be so bold in Nick Carter's stronghold without a good reason, so he quickly asked, "Oh! What do you mean by that?"
Leo Chen raised his eyebrows and burst out laughing, "Hahaha—Max, I'll tell you, it's simple—the regime here has changed! This is no longer Nick Carter's territory!"
"What?! Something happened to Nick Carter?" Max realized something was wrong.
"Yep, I just got word from my insider at the Mai Zayan Casino—Mr. Carter has been captured alive by the Hongmen and Kachin rivals! He was way too careless! Sigh—" Leo Chen sighed, but his eyes sparkled with excitement.
"What? You mean—Nick Carter was captured alive?! Is your source reliable?" Max's face changed drastically, quickly asking. After all, his fat commission came from Nick Carter, so he still considered Carter his boss.
"Heh—my own people sent me the news, so it's definitely reliable. Now that Mr. Carter's been carelessly captured and his fate is unknown, he's left behind this huge operation. We've got over a thousand people here who need to survive. As his assistant, I have to solve the big problems Nick Carter left behind—I can't just let this prime spot slip away! So Max, don't worry. Even though Mr. Carter's gone, all your contracts and commissions will stay the same! In fact, if you're willing to stick with me, I'll double your pay! Everyone else will get a raise too! Are you satisfied?" Leo Chen smiled, trying to win Max over.
Leo Chen knew Max was here for the money, so he was confident he could win him over. The same went for the others—just offer generous pay and they'd switch sides. Leo Chen had worked with Nick Carter for a while, and he'd noticed that while Carter was generous, he wasn't great at managing rewards and punishments. Aside from a few die-hard loyalists, most of Carter's men worked for money. Leo Chen understood the power of cash and how to win people over. All he had to do was recruit the key people and deal with Carter's stubborn loyalists, and Carter's hard-earned empire would fall into his hands.