The scenery by Moon Lake on the eastern outskirts of Chengguan was beautiful. Beside it stood a conspicuous two-story detached villa, surrounded by high walls, a large courtyard, and lush trees. It was quiet and mysterious. This was Liu Ming's home.
Hong Ying, Liu Ming's wife, was feeding their son, who was just over a year old. The nanny had left after preparing dinner. Her husband was out for a business engagement and hadn't returned, leaving her and their son alone in the house.
Suddenly, darkness descended. Their son started crying, frightened.
The power had gone out. Apart from the hallway, there were no emergency lights in the rooms or the dining area. Hong Ying quickly took out her phone for light, found candles from a drawer, lit them, and then called her husband.
The other end of the line was noisy, clearly indicating a drinking party. Upon learning about the power outage at home, her husband told her not to worry, that he would immediately arrange for the company's electrician to come over and check, and that he himself would return as soon as possible.
Ten minutes later, the villa's doorbell rang. A young face appeared on the intercom's video screen.
"Sister Ying, I'm the electrician Ming Ge sent to check the circuits."
The young man held up his electrician's tools.
Hong Ying didn't suspect anything. She pressed the intercom button, and the villa's courtyard gate automatically opened. A small car drove in.
The young man, carrying his toolbox, walked to the villa's entrance. Hong Ying had already opened the door. Just as she was about to speak, the young man moved instantly, grabbing her throat and pushing her into the living room.
Following him, two young men wearing masks emerged from the car, carrying wooden sticks about a meter long, and entered the villa. The real electrician was still lying in the car.
"Don't make noise, don't cause trouble. As long as you cooperate, I won't hurt you and your son."
Biao Biao put on a mask, took Hong Ying's phone, and told her to sit next to her child.
Perhaps due to accompanying her husband through many martial world skirmishes, Hong Ying remained remarkably calm. "Who are you people? What do you want?"
"I need to talk to your husband in person. As long as you cooperate well, I guarantee your and your son's safety."
"Guarantee our safety? You're going after my husband?"
"Stop the nonsense. If you don't want your son to die prematurely, you'd better follow my instructions and continue feeding him."
Yang Jian stopped talking to her and gestured for Biao Biao and Liang Liang to survey the villa's layout.
Fifteen minutes later, Hong Ying's phone rang. It showed Liu Ming calling.
Yang Jian handed the phone to Hong Ying. "Tell him that Master Wu came to check earlier and that all the circuits inside the house are fine. The problem must be with the external lines, and repairs can only be done tomorrow. Tell him to come back early, and if you say anything more, you'll regret it for the rest of your life."
Seeing the fierce look in his eyes, Hong Ying couldn't help but tremble. She took a deep breath, took the phone, turned on the speakerphone, and communicated with her husband as Yang Jian instructed.
Upon hearing that there was still no electricity at home, Liu Ming immediately agreed to return within ten minutes, without any suspicion.
To avoid arousing Liu Ming's suspicion, Biao Biao got out and parked the car on a side road outside the villa.
Less than ten minutes later, a black SUV drove into the villa. Liu Ming got out. He wasn't tall, but he was stocky and strong. Seeing the darkness inside the villa, he frowned and opened the villa's main gate.
"Yingzi, why aren't you lighting candles?"
Liu Ming called out as he opened the door. Before he could finish, he suddenly sensed a great danger. Reacting with extreme speed, he instantly performed a forward roll, darting to the center of the living room.
Yang Jian was greatly surprised. This Liu Ming truly lived up to his reputation, managing to dodge his baton strike aimed at his legs in the darkness.
However, what Liu Ming didn't expect was that he wasn't facing just one attacker. Before he could regain his footing, two wooden sticks simultaneously swept towards his face and stomach.
With nowhere to evade, Liu Ming instinctively used his arms to block the fatal blow to his face, but he couldn't dodge the strike aimed at his stomach. A heavy blow sent him reeling in pain, forcing him to bend over.
Immediately, another blow landed on his back. Unable to control his body, he fell to the ground. Just as he was about to roll and counter-attack, his neck was pinned by a powerful foot, completely incapacitating him.
Yang Jian and the other two breathed a sigh of relief. From the information provided by Hu Yunfei, they knew that Liu Ming was a retired athlete from the provincial sports team, twenty-eight years old, specializing in mixed martial arts. He had won rankings in national competitions and possessed formidable combat strength.
He was a relative of Pan Wenbin. After retiring, he followed Pan Wenbin and, in just three years, helped Pan Wenbin transform from a street thug into the top boss in Xinhe, controlling half of the underworld in Chengguan.
Before the operation, Yang Jian had assessed their respective strengths. He admitted that he was no match for Liu Ming in a direct confrontation. Although he had learned martial arts since childhood, those styles lacked significant offensive power.
The Sanda he practiced with the sports teacher during his three years of high school was also self-taught. Compared to Liu Ming, who had received formal, systematic training and achieved national recognition, even with Biao Biao and Liang Liang, the three of them might not be able to defeat him.
Having successfully ambushed him, Yang Jian turned on the prepared flashlight, shining it on Liu Ming's face.
"Who are you people? What do you want?"
Being pinned to the ground, Liu Ming felt incredibly humiliated, but his character was resolute; he had no intention of begging for mercy.
Confirming that it was indeed Liu Ming, as described by Hu Yunfei, Yang Jian flicked the flashlight towards Biao Biao. "Break one of his legs and one of his arms. Take him to the basement to talk."
As soon as he finished speaking, Biao Biao and Liang Liang acted simultaneously. The wooden sticks smashed into Liu Ming's knee and elbow joints.
A scream pierced the night, but the villa's soundproofing was excellent, so it was unlikely to be heard outside. Furthermore, there were no residences within fifty meters.
Biao Biao and Liang Liang helped Liu Ming to the basement, while Yang Jian also brought Hong Ying and her son down.
"Please, don't hit my husband anymore. I'll give you money."
Seeing her husband, who had fainted from the pain, Hong Ying's face turned ashen with fear. She tried to help him up but was stopped by Yang Jian.
Biao Biao used a bottle of mineral water to splash on Liu Ming, waking him up.
"Who exactly are you people? Let my wife and child go, and face me alone if you have the guts."
Liu Ming, now completely unable to fight back, remained defiant.
"It's no problem to let your wife and child go, but you need to cooperate properly."
Yang Jian kept the flashlight shining on his face, preventing him from seeing clearly.
"Tell me, how should I cooperate?"
"Who attacked Gao Daqiang? Name them all."
"You're avenging Gao Daqiang?"
Biao Biao landed a blow on his back. "Did I tell you to talk nonsense? Answer the question."
This blow injured his internal organs. Liu Ming spat out a mouthful of blood. Hong Ying immediately knelt on the ground. "Please, don't hit him anymore, husband, hurry and tell them."
Yang Jian sneered. "You pity your husband now, but do you know how many innocent people he has crippled or severely injured? How many families he has broken apart, leading to ruin? Even if he were executed, it wouldn't be enough to quell public anger."
These words were all based on evidence. Hu Yunfei had clearly documented every misdeed he had committed.