Chapter 1706 - 2008: Collecting a Debt
At this moment, it was already past three o’clock in the morning. Ling Chen and his group left the Dragon Tiger Hall and drove straight to the toll station on the highway. Since Zhu Hong and his men wanted to escape via the highway, they would certainly pass through the toll station.
Before long, two cars had already entered the road connecting to the highway. From Hu Fei’s feedback, they were only about ten kilometers away from the Mercedes van that Zhu Hong was riding in. Because it was early morning, the spacious road was desolate without many vehicles, enabling Ling Chen to drive confidently.
Soon, the speed of the two cars reached over 130 km/h, racing towards the toll station like the wind. Minutes passed, and the porridge girl in the front passenger seat put down her phone and said, "Hu Fei just sent the latest news; the Mercedes van that Zhu Hong is in has already arrived at the toll station."
Hearing this, Ling Chen asked, "Can you find a way to stall them?" It would take at least two or three minutes to get there; once Zhu Hong passes through the toll station, he would have no chance of catching up.
"They’re still queuing at the toll station; Zhu Hong and his men should be delayed for a few minutes."
Ling Chen nodded and focused on driving the sedan. It wasn’t long before the toll station on the highway finally appeared in his view. As the sedan approached, he saw a Mercedes van at the toll station receiving a toll card. Seeing this, Ling Chen slammed the gas pedal to the floor, and the front of the car surged forward, passing through another toll lane.
Bang!
With a loud crash, the barrier at the toll lane was smashed broken by the speeding sedan. Then, the body of the sedan swung sideways and stopped right in front of the Mercedes van, blocking its exit. At the same time, the other sedan with Tong Zhentian arrived from behind, blocking the Mercedes van from both the front and back, trapping it at the toll station and preventing it from leaving.
Stepping out of the car, Ling Chen stood in front of the car, staring at the front of the Mercedes van, trying to see inside through the windshield. However, apart from the driver, there was no one in the front passenger seat; the others must be in the rear compartment.
At this moment, Tong Zhentian, Chen Junfeng, and He Ziyun got out of the car. The three of them slowly approached from behind, coordinating with Ling Chen and the porridge girl to surround the Mercedes van in the middle.
Seeing the situation outside, the driver hurriedly pushed the door open, jumped out of the car in a panic, and stumbled his way out of the toll station.
Watching the driver disappear into the distance, Ling Chen retracted his gaze and continued to focus on the Mercedes van. He wanted to capture Zhu Hong; he had no interest in anyone else.
However, minutes passed, and apart from the driver who had escaped, there was absolute silence inside the car. After waiting for a moment and seeing that those in the car were not coming out, Ling Chen hesitated slightly, then gestured to Tong Zhentian and the others and began to walk towards the Mercedes van.
As he approached, Ling Chen was ready to open the car door when he saw the door of the rear seat being opened from the inside. Then, a middle-aged man slowly got out of the car, followed by two young men. Seeing the middle-aged man before him, Ling Chen furrowed his brow slightly and asked, "Where’s the other person?"
The middle-aged man chuckled lightly and asked in return, "Mr. Ling, who are you looking for?"
Ling Chen looked at him and said, "Master Guo, I think you know who I’m looking for. Ask him to come out."
"Mr. Ling, I’m really sorry to say that I don’t understand what you are talking about. Apart from the three of us, there’s no one else in the car." Master Guo paused and gave Zhu Hong’s companions a glance, then with a smile added, "It’s quite flattering that all the major pillars of Dragon Tiger Hall have come here. Mr. Ling, too bad I have many important things to handle and don’t have time to visit the Dragon Tiger Hall. If I have time in the future, I will definitely come to visit in person."
Hearing this, the porridge girl immediately walked to the front of the Mercedes van and peered inside a few times through the window. As expected! The compartment was empty without any trace of Zhu Hong and Chen Quan. Seeing the porridge girl shaking her head at him, Ling Chen’s brow furrowed. Could Hu Fei’s intelligence be wrong?
Unfortunately, there was no time to pursue this now.
"Master Guo, let’s not speak in riddles. I am looking for Zhu Hong. You are in cahoots with him, so you must know where he is. Tell me, and I will let you go immediately."
"Mr. Ling, I have no idea what you’re talking about. Moreover, I don’t know anyone named Zhu Hong."
"Alright." Ling Chen nodded and said, "Since you refused to tell, I won’t force you. But since we’ve met here, let’s settle some accounts."
"Settle accounts?" Guo Halong squinted slightly and asked, "What do you intend to do?"
"Master Guo, paying debts is a matter of course. The Heavenly Dragon Sect has committed offenses against Dragon Tiger Hall, isn’t it right to settle this debt?"
"Mr. Ling, you might have misunderstood. I’ve just come to handle some stuff in East Sea City, and I absolutely have not done anything to harm the Dragon Tiger Hall. If you don’t believe me, you can ask my two subordinates; they’ve been by my side the whole time." Guo Halong defended.
Ling Chen said with a half-smile that didn’t reach his eyes: "Master Guo, neither of us is a three-year-old child, so why say such self-deceiving words? Since you have the courage to act, couldn’t you have the courage to admit it?" He paused, not waiting for Guo Halong to respond, and continued, "Of course! I don’t expect you to admit it; we don’t need to fuss over some matters." With these words, he signaled to Chen Junfeng.
The latter understood, carrying a silver spear, and slowly walked toward Guo Halong.
Seeing Chen Junfeng approach, Guo Halong’s complexion slightly changed and he anxiously exclaimed, "Ling Chen, let’s talk this over."
"Besides Zhu Hong’s whereabouts, there’s nothing else I’m interested in knowing." Ling Chen replied indifferently.
"I... I truly don’t know."
Ling Chen shrugged, spreading his hands and said, "If that’s the case, don’t blame me for not giving you a chance." As he finished, a sound of air tearing was heard, and Chen Junfeng, wielding a silver spear, pushed aside the two youths beside Guo Halong, the sharp spear tip aimed directly at Guo Halong’s face.
"Stop!" Guo Halong shouted urgently. However, Chen Junfeng paid no attention to his cry. With one swift motion, blood spattered, and the tip of the silver spear pierced through Guo Halong’s body, going through his chest.
A mouthful of blood spewed forth, and Guo Halong’s face turned pale, his legs slowly kneeling to the ground. Watching Guo Halong’s head gradually fall forward, Ling Chen’s expression remained indifferent. Having chosen such a path, one should be mentally prepared to die. In the martial world, there is never sympathy or pity.
"Sir Chen, dispose of the body."
Chen Junfeng responded, retracted his steel gun, then lifted Guo Halong’s body and threw it into the Mercedes van.