Outside the community gate.
An Iveco Jinbei van was parked by the roadside. Two burly men motioned for Wang Xiao and the other seven to get in.
Upon seeing the Iveco Jinbei van, Wang Xiao felt a shiver of fear. He weakly pleaded, "Brother, I'll kowtow to you, alright? We were just following orders, and we didn't specifically target her. If you don't believe me, I can swear."
"What's the use of swearing!" the man cursed in a low voice.
"Everyone get in the van. It should be enough if we squeeze."
Fearing that the two men would lose their temper, Wang Xiao had no choice but to obediently board the van. The seven of them crammed into the crowded compartment, struggling to breathe. The jolting vehicle carried them towards an uncertain future.
Ring, ring!
The phone in the co-pilot's hand rang. It was a call from Beijing.
The man answered, and a male voice came from the other end, "Dispose of these people. I don't want them to see the sun rise tomorrow."
"Master Li, I understand!" the man replied.
"Hmm."
He hung up the phone.
The Iveco Jinbei van drove towards the mountainous region of Leyang County.
A night passed.
Wang Xiao and the other seven failed to reappear in the world, and all traces of their existence were erased.
As the first ray of morning sun streamed through the floor-to-ceiling windows of the villa and fell onto the bed, Chu Zixiong woke up early and checked his phone for messages.
To his surprise, Wang Xiao had not sent him any messages last night. A gut feeling told Chu Zixiong that this was highly unusual. Thus, Chu Zixiong frowned and called Wang Xiao, intending to clarify what had happened last night.
Wang Xiao's phone was unreachable!
Chu Zixiong's heart sank. He tried to contact the remaining six people again, but to his eerie surprise, none of their calls went through.
This made Chu Zixiong feel a surge of unease.
Something had likely gone wrong!
Chu Zixiong decided to dispatch someone in Leyang to check on Li Qiurong's situation. Soon, a reply came back ā Li Qiurong was no different than usual. She had breakfast downstairs after waking up and then went to work, showing no signs of having encountered any trouble last night.
"This is really strange!" Chu Zixiong muttered.
"Alright, you keep an eye on things. But you must not make a move now, do you understand?"
"Third Master, I understand."
He hung up the phone.
Chu Zixiong smoked in his room, his brow furrowed.
After a few more calls, Chu Zixiong felt certain that Wang Xiao and the others must have met with misfortune. Therefore, he dared not delay and immediately called Ning Fei, "Master Ning, it seems Wang Xiao and them have been eliminated!"
Ning Fei said grimly, "What do you mean? I didn't see any major accidents reported in Leyang's news today. Who could eliminate six people so stealthily? Old Chu, are you joking with me?"
"Master Ning, how could I dare joke with you?" Chu Zixiong replied.
Ning Fei tapped his desk lightly and said to Chu Zixiong, "What about Chen Jinzhao? Did he return to Leyang last night?"
To his surprise, Chu Zixiong's answer was no!
"Then who the hell did it?" Ning Fei was furious.
Chu Zixiong said timidly, "I think this matter is rather strange. Perhaps we should put our plan on hold for now, to avoid drawing attention from those people! I have a feeling that whoever orchestrated this event has a very powerful background."
Ning Fei grunted, leaving the decision to Chu Zixiong.
Chu Zixiong's heart was filled with anxiety, especially when he thought of the mysterious individual who had yet to reveal himself, sending shivers down his spine.
Nine in the morning.
As Chen Jinzhao arrived at Ninghai University, he encountered Liang Zhichao, who was pacing back and forth at the entrance. After a moment's thought, he walked over.
"Are you waiting for me?" Chen Jinzhao asked.
Upon hearing Chen Jinzhao's voice, Liang Zhichao immediately looked up. "Chen Jinzhao, I finally found you."
Chen Jinzhao frowned, thinking that Liang Zhichao's search for him probably meant trouble.
"Let's cut to the chase. Last night, Third Master Chu asked me for your mother's address and personal information. I gave it to him without thinking much. But later, I kept feeling that something was wrong, and it felt like something big was about to happen."
Hearing Liang Zhichao's words, Chen Jinzhao's heart sank, and a chill emanated from him!
Chu Zixiong!
He actually intended to harm his mother!
Chen Jinzhao took a deep breath and didn't lash out at Liang Zhichao. In that kind of environment, one sometimes had no choice, and moreover, Liang Zhichao had already informed him of this matter, making amends.
"Chen Jinzhao, hurry up and contact Auntie. Please don't let anything happen," Liang Zhichao said, swallowing hard.
"Okay."
Chen Jinzhao immediately called home.
Li Qiurong, who had just arrived at her workplace on the other end, heard her son's anxious voice and chuckled, "I'm fine. What could happen to me?"
"Did anyone bother you last night?" Chen Jinzhao asked patiently.
"Nothing happened, you can rest assured. Besides, I'm quite familiar with the people at the police station. If they dare to bother me, I'll make sure they regret it." Li Qiurong's tone somewhat reassured Chen Jinzhao, but he still felt that his mother was not safe staying alone in their hometown. He was simply unable to get away to protect her.
As a son, he couldn't stand by and watch his mother be harmed.
Li Qiurong repeatedly expressed that she was unwilling to leave the county town, but in reality, she didn't want to be embroiled in any whirlpools, which was an inevitable outcome.
Chen Jinzhao's persuasion was futile, so he had to abandon his plan.
After the call, Chen Jinzhao contacted Shangguan Yu'an, hoping she could put in a word with the Leyang County Bureau to keep an eye on Li Qiurong's personal safety.
It didn't take long, a few days were enough.
Liang Zhichao listened nearby. When he heard certain words, he realized that Chen Jinzhao was definitely not an ordinary person. Seeing Chen Jinzhao's calm gaze as he looked at him after the call, Liang Zhichao trembled and almost fell to his knees.
Fortunately, Chen Jinzhao quickly grabbed his arm, preventing him from kneeling.
"What are you doing? Get up," Chen Jinzhao said.
Liang Zhichao said, covered in sweat, "Did Iā¦ did I do something wrong? As classmates, can you please not hold my mistake against me?"
Chen Jinzhao said calmly, "I haven't dwelled on past events; they didn't harm me. In this instance, you actually did well by informing me in time, preventing a disaster."
"However, I must warn you, Chu Zixiong is on the verge of ruin. You'd best stay away from him."
Liang Zhichao's heart trembled. He had guessed correctly.
"I understand. I will break ties with him immediately and will no longer work for him," Liang Zhichao quickly promised. Chen Jinzhao nodded and then pointed him in a direction, telling him to find Shi Chengzhi at a nearby bar. Shi Chengzhi was someone under Water Master, and it shouldn't be difficult for him to arrange legitimate work for Liang Zhichao.
Liang Zhichao was filled with gratitude.
"Oh, right, do you know where Chu Zixiong is? I plan to have a chat with him," Chen Jinzhao's eyes flashed with sharp light.
Liang Zhichao replied without hesitation, "Today is Wednesday. According to custom, he'll be at the golf course in the Donghu Villa district to play golf. If you go there, you'll most likely run into him."
"Alright, thanks!"
As Liang Zhichao left Ninghai University, his head was still swimming.
He had expected to be severely reprimanded by Chen Jinzhao, but instead, Chen Jinzhao had shown him a way forward, giving him hope in life.
"He really isn't an ordinary person," Liang Zhichao murmured.
He was also pondering a question in his heart.
Would the decision he made today change the course of his life?
Time would tell!