Chapter 70: Hope
The driver was given a huge fright, but Cheng Yuan’s expression was so terrible that he didn’t dare question it. He quickly made a U-turn!
In less than five minutes, the taxi was back at the Hope Welfare Institute. Cheng Yuan scanned the QR code to pay, got out of the car, and with a single, powerful leap, fluidly vaulted over the large iron gate. He then sprinted toward the cafeteria at top speed!
When Cheng Yuan reached the cafeteria, he was met with the sight of Zhu Wenhu about to stab Shen Youchu with a knife!
A moment ago, Cheng Yuan had clung to a sliver of hope that Shen Youchu had exaggerated. But seeing this with his own eyes, that hope was utterly shattered.
In fact, Cheng Yuan felt that what Shen Youchu had written on the note was merely the tip of the iceberg!
"Zhu Wenhu! You stop right now!!"
Cheng Yuan let out a furious roar, and with a flick of his wrist, shot out a Silver Needle!
Zhu Wenhu heard a sharp whistling sound cut through the air behind him. If he followed through on his attack on Shen Youchu, he could certainly kill her, but his own life would be at risk!
Zhu Wenhu chose to save his own skin. He twisted sharply to the side, dodging the Silver Needle!
Zhu Wenhu turned his head to see Cheng Yuan, who had returned. Zhu Wenhu’s heart sank. ’How did this Cheng guy come back? Has my secret been exposed?’
’I wonder if he called the police?’
The security guard, Xiaozhou, also paled, but he managed to force a smile. "Mr. Cheng, why are you back? Vice Director Zhu was just joking with Shen Youchu. Don’t be alarmed."
Zhu Wenhu shot a warning glance at Shen Youchu before giving Xiaozhou a look of approval. He then plastered a friendly smile on his face. "Xiaozhou is right. I was just joking with Shen Youchu."
Of course, Cheng Yuan wasn’t about to believe their bullshit. He demanded coldly, "Joking with a child while holding a knife?"
Shen Youchu shouted, "Uncle Cheng, don’t worry about me, just run! Call the police! If you don’t, you won’t make it out of Hope Welfare Institute either!"
The expressions on Zhu Wenhu and Xiaozhou’s faces changed. They absolutely could not let this man surnamed Cheng call the police!
The two lunged at Cheng Yuan simultaneously. They had already reached an unspoken agreement: since this man knew some of their secrets, he had to be permanently silenced at Hope Orphanage!
Xiaozhou was closer to Cheng Yuan. He rushed forward in an instant, throwing a vicious punch at Cheng Yuan’s face. He had learned a few moves from Zhu Wenhu and was confident he could handle an ordinary person.
Unfortunately for him, Cheng Yuan was no ordinary person. Even before becoming a Grandmaster, he had been without equal in prison!
And that was before—let alone now?
Cheng Yuan whipped out a sweeping kick!
It landed heavily on Xiaozhou’s knee!
A sharp CRACK was heard!
Xiaozhou’s kneecap shattered!
"AHHH!!"
Xiaozhou let out a blood-curdling scream and collapsed to his knees!
Zhu Wenhu’s expression darkened. ’He’s a Practitioner! It’s a good thing I dodged that Silver Needle, or I’d be dead already!’
However, Zhu Wenhu didn’t back down. He could also take out Xiaozhou in a single move. He had a knife, while the man named Cheng was unarmed!
"You dare touch my man? You’re courting death!!"
All pretense of friendliness was gone. Zhu Wenhu revealed his savage nature, brandishing the dagger and lunging violently at Cheng Yuan!
WHOOSH!
Zhu Wenhu’s vision blurred. The next second, a sharp pain shot through his wrist, and he instinctively let go.
With a CLANG, the dagger fell to the floor!
THUD! THUD! THUD! THUD!
Cheng Yuan landed several consecutive punches on Zhu Wenhu’s abdomen!
Cheng Yuan was an excellent doctor, and his fists landed precisely on Zhu Wenhu’s spleen!
How powerful was Cheng Yuan’s strike? He had instantly ruptured Zhu Wenhu’s spleen. At most, Zhu Wenhu had less than three days to live.
"Ugh..."
Zhu Wenhu let out a muffled groan, his face turning deathly pale. He instantly lost all his strength and collapsed limply to the ground.
Seeing Cheng Yuan take down Zhu Wenhu and Xiaozhou with just a few quick moves, the children erupted in earth-shattering cheers!
"Uncle Cheng is so strong!"
"This is great! Someone finally defeated the Great Demon King!"
"Sister Youchu was right! Hope Welfare Institute will finally have hope! Uncle Cheng is our hope!!"
"We won’t be bullied by the Great Demon King anymore, boo hoo hoo..."
...
Shen Youchu’s eyes shone with immense adoration. She knew her gamble had paid off!
This Uncle Cheng was truly a man with a strong sense of justice!
Moreover, Uncle Cheng had rushed back to save them without ever having seen her face; he didn’t have a single selfish motive!
’An Uncle Cheng like this... is someone you could entrust your entire life to!’
’If only I could be adopted by Uncle Cheng!’
Shen Youchu decisively stepped forward and said in a grave voice, "Uncle Cheng, you need to take their phones, quickly! They’re in collusion with a lot of bad people. If those people find out what happened at the orphanage, you’ll be in great danger!"
Zhu Wenhu, brandishing his phone, endured the excruciating pain in his abdomen and cackled, "You bastard Cheng, your biggest mistake was leaving me alive! I’ve already sent the message! I’m a dead man, but you won’t live either! Your whole family is going to die! HAHAHAHA!"
Before the Jujube Tree Immortal, Cheng Yuan might have worried about his parents’ safety. But now, he had no such concerns.
"Didn’t you realize I left you alive on purpose? My goal is to lure out the big fish behind you and wipe out all you vermin in one go! If they have the guts, tell them to come find me!"
As he spoke, Cheng Yuan stepped forward and snatched Zhu Wenhu’s phone.
He also confiscated Xiaozhou’s phone.
Zhu Wenhu laughed wildly. "Kid, you’re too cocky. You have no idea what kind of mess you’ve just stepped into! You have no idea how many people’s interests you’ve threatened!"
Cheng Yuan snorted coldly, not bothering to waste any more words on Zhu Wenhu. He took out his own phone, intending to call the police.
However, Cheng Yuan hesitated, then decided to call Wu Fei instead.
The call connected quickly. "Brother Cheng, what’s up?"
"Do you know anyone reliable at the Patrol Office? There’s a huge case here, and I suspect the corruption runs deep. If I just call the police, I’m afraid I’ll tip them off."
Wu Fei replied, "I do. My sister works at the Patrol Office. She’s Captain Xing. Her number is 138-XXXX-XXXX."
"Okay, I’ll contact our sister now."
"Hahaha, if my sister solves a big case because of this, she’ll have to treat you to a nice meal, Brother Cheng."
"No problem."
============
「Patrol Office.」
「Captain Xing’s Office.」
Wu Mengyao’s expression was grim. A moment ago, she had been ruthlessly chewed out by Director Dai.
In the past three months, seven children had gone missing in Luocheng!
The traffickers were getting more and more brazen, daring to snatch children in broad daylight! They were completely lawless!
Wu Mengyao had immediately pulled up the relevant surveillance footage, but after watching for hours, she still had no leads. The traffickers were too cunning; they specifically targeted blind spots in the camera network and used disguises, making the investigation extremely difficult.
Director Dai had ordered Wu Mengyao to solve the case within three days, or else resign in disgrace!
Wu Mengyao knew perfectly well that Director Dai wasn’t making an empty threat. Director Dai was on good terms with the main Director, and she was Wu Fei’s sister.
Director Dai had never liked her.
Just as Wu Mengyao was at her wit’s end, she received a call from an unknown number.
Wu Mengyao took a deep breath, forcing herself to remain calm. "Hello, this is Wu Mengyao."
"Sister Wu, hello. I’m a friend of Secretary Wu. My name is Cheng Yuan, and I need to report a crime."
Wu Mengyao’s voice softened slightly. "Oh, a friend of Xiaofei? Go ahead, Xiaocheng."
"Sister Wu, could I trouble you to come to the Hope Welfare Institute? Please come alone and don’t tell anyone. It’s crucial that you don’t breathe a word of this to anyone."