Chapter 274 - 185: How Did the Fire Spread to Me? (2)
[Kill Condition: After generating aggro, knock the target down within five minutes until they are unable to stand.]
[Kill Reward: Gourmet MSG Formula, 200,000 cash]
’So he’s here.’
Lin Qiangwei had said that Lang Zhenglian was still holding a grudge over what happened that day.
Because he didn’t know Lin Jiang’s true identity, he insisted on getting revenge. But Lin Jiansheng had been scared out of his wits, and after their disagreement, Lang Zhenglian ended up working for Wang Xianping.
Wang Xianping’s business interests overlapped with his own, and with the noodle shop about to open, Lang Zhenglian’s actions were easy to understand.
"Be careful. It’s about time. Someone’s coming."
The three men’s expressions turned serious as they tightened their grips on the clubs in their hands.
Just then, Lang Zhenglian’s voice came from outside.
"Everyone, be quiet. This is a residential area. Don’t make a big scene."
"Brother Lang, the door doesn’t seem to be locked!"
"The construction workers probably forgot to lock up when they left," Lang Zhenglian said. "Looks like we came at the perfect time."
"Do we start smashing as soon as we get in?"
"Yeah. Smash everything you can, then we run."
"Got it."
"Chaozi, you keep watch outside. Old San and Old Bai, you’re with me."
"Got it."
CREAK—
Pushing the door open, Lang Zhenglian led his men and tiptoed inside.
"Start smashing!"
And at that exact moment, Lin Jiang and his three men stepped out.
"Coming to trash my shop in the middle of the night... how presumptuous of you."
Suddenly hearing Lin Jiang’s voice, Lang Zhenglian and the two men he brought with him jumped in fright.
Sneaking in during the dead of night, only to have several people suddenly appear in front of you—coupled with a guilty conscience, anyone would be terrified in that situation.
"You’re actually here!"
Seeing that it was Lin Jiang, Lang Zhenglian’s eyes narrowed, and he tightened his grip on his club.
"I was waiting for you right here."
[Enemy aggro detected. Combat Mode initiated.]
[Level 2: Lang Zhenglian, Martial Force: 23]
[Level 1: Bai Wei, Martial Force: 14]
[Level 1: Liu Qishan, Martial Force: 14]
[Level 1: Jiang Chao, Martial Force: 12]
...
[Level 2: Zheng Jiachun, Martial Force: 24]
[Level 2: Yang Tao, Martial Force: 20]
[Level 1: Yan Ming, Martial Force: 16]
"I’ve been dying to get revenge on you! Since you came to me today, I’m going to settle the score for good!"
Wielding iron rods, Lang Zhenglian and his men charged forward, gritting their teeth.
Lin Jiang took a step back. A small skirmish like this didn’t require him to act personally.
Zheng Jiachun was ruthless and a man of few words; he met Lang Zhenglian’s charge head-on.
The remaining three were left to Yang Tao and Yan Ming.
Although they were outnumbered by one, the fight was over quickly.
After all, Yang Tao’s Martial Force was much higher than theirs. One swing of his club was enough to take one down.
Before long, only Lang Zhenglian was left standing on their side.
He didn’t last long either. Soon he was on the ground, clutching his leg and howling in pain.
"Brother Chun, you really went for the kill, damn. You probably broke his leg," Yan Ming said.
"This way, he won’t be coming back."
"With a broken leg? How the hell is he supposed to come back?"
[Kill Successful: Reward - Gourmet MSG Formula, 200,000 cash]
The system prompt appeared. Mission complete.
Lin Jiang walked over to Lang Zhenglian. "Did Wang Xianping send you?"
"N-no, he didn’t send me. I came on my own," Lang Zhenglian stammered.
"But... with your noodle shop opening soon, he gave his tacit approval for me to do this."
"So, you two hit it off immediately."
Lang Zhenglian said nothing. That was the truth.
Lin Jiang took out his phone and dialed the police.
"This is 322 Moon Star Street. There’s a robbery in progress."
Lin Jiang then described the situation and hung up.
The four men lay on the floor, not daring to say a word.
"Old Yang, go smash the back door’s glass."
"Huh? If we smash it, won’t that be a waste of money?"
"If we don’t smash the glass, how can it be considered breaking and entering? I can’t very well say I deliberately left the door unlocked to trap these morons, can I?"
"I get it. This makes the crime more serious."
Lang Zhenglian: ???
Yang Tao went to the back door, smashed the glass with a club, and locked it from the inside.
Before long, the police arrived.
They looked at the four men on the ground, then at Lin Jiang.
"You subdued them all yourselves?"
"We know a little self-defense," Lin Jiang said.
"My shop is about to open. They came to trash it, smashed the back door glass, and I happened to catch them in the act."
"Officer, the back door was unlocked when we got here! He’s the one who smashed the glass!"
"Are you kidding me? Why would he leave it unlocked? To deliberately let you in to wreck his shop?" the officer said sternly.
"But it really was unlocked when we got here!"
"Alright, that’s enough. Come with us."
Afterward, Lin Jiang’s group of four was taken to the police station, while Lang Zhenglian’s group of four was sent to the hospital.
As the plaintiffs, Lin Jiang and his men were treated quite well.
They were shown to a break room, and then left alone. The police needed to rest, too.
Just like that, the four of them managed to get some sleep and weren’t woken up until just after six in the morning.
"While this was self-defense, there’s a possibility it was excessive. I need to ask you some questions."
"My lawyer will be here shortly. Can you talk to her instead?"
"A noodle shop owner has a lawyer?"
"Yes, we have a legal department."
’Well, that’s a new one.’
"Go ahead and call your lawyer over."
"Alright."
Lin Jiang first sent a message to Qin Yangyang.
At this hour, she would be waking up soon. There was plenty of time for her to see the message and come over.
About an hour later, the CLICK-CLACK-CLICK of high heels echoed from the entrance.
Qin Yangyang walked in, dressed in a sharp business suit.
Height: 5’6". Presence: 6’5".
"Hello, I am Mr. Lin’s lawyer, Qin Yangyang."
Qin Yangyang proactively extended her hand, and the police officer in charge of the case shook it.
As she was led away, Qin Yangyang gave Lin Jiang a look, signaling for him not to worry.
The four men sat on a bench in the main hall. They weren’t needed for what came next.
He leaned back on the bench, killing time on his phone, when he saw a friend request.
Zhang Jingjing?
’What does she want with me?’
Normally, to avoid any suspicion, they shouldn’t be adding each other as friends unless it was absolutely necessary.
After a moment’s thought, Lin Jiang accepted the friend request but didn’t say anything.
Zhang Jingjing: [Grinning.JPG]
Zhang Jingjing: "You’re up so early."
Lin Jiang: "Yeah. What’s up?"
Zhang Jingjing: "Nothing, just wanted to add you as a friend. This will make it easier to communicate if anything comes up."
Lin Jiang didn’t reply. Looking at her messages, he could sense a thick, flirtatious undertone.
With Zhou Jingliang’s level of experience, he definitely wouldn’t be able to handle her.
And that phone call from the other night... nothing about it seemed normal.
’But it doesn’t matter,’ he thought. ’They aren’t married yet. I’ll just let that rebellious son of mine have his fun with this free piece of ass.’
Before long, Qin Yangyang came out and walked over to Lin Jiang.
"What are your thoughts? Press charges or settle privately?" Qin Yangyang asked.
"This is breaking and entering with intent to commit robbery. It’s enough to put him away for several years."
"Definitely press charges. And I want to dig deeper into this," Lin Jiang said.
"He’s one of Wang Xianping’s men. Wang Xianping is the boss of Jinyuan Catering. We’re competitors. I don’t need to say more, do I?"
After a pause, Lin Jiang continued,
"But don’t reveal anything about Wang Xianping just yet. I have other plans for him later. I want to give him a few more surprises."
"Alright, leave the rest to me."
After that brief exchange with Lin Jiang, Qin Yangyang went back inside.
He checked his rewards. The formula had come at the perfect time.
Otherwise, with three shops consuming it, the Gourmet MSG from the previous reward wouldn’t have lasted long at all.
He sorted through the formula, assigned the Chinese herbal medicine portion to Xu Lin, and gave the rest to Yang Tao. With that, the tasks at hand were all delegated.
BUZZ BUZZ BUZZ—
Lin Jiang’s phone vibrated a few more times. It was another message from Zhang Jingjing.
Zhang Jingjing: "I’m so tired. Is your noodle shop busy?"
Zhang Jingjing: "I’m thinking of coming to your place for noodles tonight. I kinda miss you...r noodles."
’Why is this trollop trying to hit on me?’
Lin Jiang: "Sure."
Zhang Jingjing: "The other night, an upperclassman recommended a really good wine to me. Want to try it? I can bring it over after I get off work tonight?"
Lin Jiang just smiled.
’She might as well have "DTF" written on her profile picture.’
There were two possible reasons she was acting this way.
First, she might just be naturally promiscuous, willing to spread her legs for any man who wasn’t ugly.
But people like that were an absolute minority, and even if she was one of them, she wouldn’t be this desperate and blatant about it.
Adding him so early in the morning and being so overtly flirtatious—she definitely had an ulterior motive.
’No need to play games or bait the hook for a wild one like her.’
’Just let her keep trying. When she can’t hold it in anymore, she’ll spill the beans herself.’
...
The college entrance exams are tomorrow! I wish everyone great success and victory, and that you all get into Tsinghua University, just like I did back in the day~~~
Since I’ve gone this far, asking for a monthly ticket is totally reasonable, right?