Chapter 426: The Reason
Chapter 426: The Reason
The man signaled for the others to halt, then approached the bar alone. He sat beside Chen Chuan and, noticing the iced water in his hand, apologized, "Old Huang doesn't know any better. Please accept my apology."
He instructed the bartender, "Bring a hot drink instead." The bartender promptly replaced the iced drink with a hot one.
"I'm the owner here, Mr. Ai," the man said, then tentatively asked, "Are you a friend of the person you're looking for?"
Chen Chuan replied, "I guess you could say that."
Mr. Ai glanced at him and said, "Since you've found this place, we'll give you face, but I must say that we're not closely involved in the capture. We have no grudge against your friend, but someone asked us to do this. We have to rely on others for our livelihood, so we had no choice."
Chen Chuan looked at him, "Mr. Ai, you seem very honest."
Mr. Ai shrugged, "I know who you are, Mr. Chen. We still want to do business here, and we don't want to be your enemy." He gestured behind him, "Bring the person out."
Two henchmen immediately headed inside the bar. After a few minutes, they returned, escorting a man by his arm. The man's head hung low, and his body emanated a bloody aura, mixed with other unpleasant odors. His body showed signs of multiple injuries.
One of the henchmen lifted his face, revealing a bruised and swollen visage with dried blood at the corners of his mouth and eyes. He seemed to have been drugged, appearing dazed and instinctively avoiding the bright lights.
Chen Chuan took a look. Despite the man's swollen face, he could roughly identify him as the person in the photo Lao Qi had sent.
Mr. Ai addressed the man, "Hao Zhuo, your friend is here."
Hao Zhuo, as he was called, forced his eyes open and peered at the figure before him. He mumbled, "Who... who is my friend?"
He didn't recognize Chen Chuan at all, which seemed to contradict Chen Chuan's claim of friendship. However, Mr. Ai showed no signs of suspicion and politely said to Chen Chuan, "As you can see, the person is here. Hao Zhuo has suffered some injuries, but they're only flesh wounds. We've covered his medical expenses."
As he spoke, he tapped his Boundary Token, transferring a sum of money to Chen Chuan.
Chen Chuan declined the money, saying, "Since that's the case, I'll take him with me. Thank you for your cooperation, Mr. Ai."
He stood up, unbothered by the dirt on Hao Zhuo's body, and effortlessly took him from the henchman's grasp, leading him towards the exit.
"Please wait," Mr. Ai called out from behind. "You can take the person, but... can you give us some explanation?"
Chen Chuan turned to look at him.
Mr. Ai quickly raised his hands, saying, "Don't get the wrong idea. I just meant an explanation..." He gestured around, "After all, you're taking the person away, but we should also set an example, right?"
Chen Chuan gave him a glance, seemingly ignoring him. However, as he passed by the decorative wall in the middle, he punched it, causing a loud boom. The wall shattered, and the decorative bricks and stones crumbled to the ground.
Mr. Ai and the henchmen all paled, swallowing hard.
But soon, they saw that inside the wall was a statue of an unknown creature, sitting there, nearly a meter tall, with a pair of horns on its head and a hideous face. Its mouth was twisted into a smile that reached its eyes, but it looked eerie.
Upon seeing the statue, Mr. Ai's expression changed, and he stood up. The henchmen, noticing his reaction, also tensed up and gripped their weapons tighter.
Chen Chuan paid them no mind and gently patted the statue, causing it to shatter into pieces. Only the head remained intact, falling to the ground and rolling towards the center of the bar, mixing with the flashing blood lights. At the same time, the second self on Chen Chuan's body exhibited strong signs of fading.
Chen Chuan glanced at them and said, "Your explanation is right here." He continued to escort Hao Zhuo towards the exit, and the gang members at the door quickly opened it at Mr. Ai's signal.
As they watched Chen Chuan leave, one of the henchmen asked, "Boss, are we just letting him take the person?"
Mr. Ai sighed, "What else can we do? He's an executor from the Handling Bureau. I still want to live a few more years."
"But what if they come looking for the person later?"
Mr. Ai removed his sunglasses and stared at the statue's head, "Why do you think I asked for an explanation? But..." He pointed at the statue, "When did this thing get here? Who put it in?"
The henchmen looked at each other and shook their heads.
They had been hired by the boss, and the bar was already open when they arrived. How would they know?
At that moment, Mr. Ai felt a sudden discomfort, unsure if it was just a trick of his mind. He instructed, "Throw this thing out," then added, "And throw it far away."
Chen Chuan led Hao Zhuo out, and the man, still dazed, was placed in the back seat of the car, where he promptly fell into a deep sleep.
Chen Chuan used his Boundary Token to verify the identity, asking, "Lao Qi, is this him?"
"Lao Qi said, 'It's him!'"
"Chen Chuan said, 'I'll bring him back and get to the bottom of this.'"
After picking him up, they brought him to the residence Lao Qi had arranged for Hao Zhuo. Lao Qi examined his injuries, feeling relieved, "Although he was beaten up pretty badly, thankfully, there are no broken bones or torn muscles. He was just fed some hallucinogenic drugs."
Lao Qi took a syringe and injected it into Hao Zhuo's neck. After a while, Hao Zhuo began to cough and then cried out, "Water! Give me some water!"
Lao Qi poured him a glass of water, which he gulped down. After a moment of relief, he started moaning in pain again. Lao Qi threw him a painkiller, and only then did he calm down.
After a while, Hao Zhuo regained some strength and looked at Lao Qi, "Lao Qi, you sent someone to save me?"
Lao Qi, slightly annoyed, said, "Do you think I wanted to save you? Those people came to me because of you. What exactly did you do?"
Hao Zhuo coughed, "Lao Qi, this time I've dragged you into trouble. I'm sorry, but I didn't mean for this to happen. I told them it had nothing to do with you, but they didn't believe me."
"What did you do? You need to tell me everything today."
"Well..."
Hao Zhuo hesitated, glancing at Chen Chuan sitting on the sofa beside him.
Lao Qi said, "He's one of us. How else would he have gotten out?"
Hao Zhuo said, "I see. It's a big shot. Lao Qi, you're quite capable. When did you get to know him...?"
"Are you going to talk or not?" Lao Qi grew impatient. "If you don't, I'll leave you here to figure it out yourself."
"Alright, alright. I'll talk. What's the problem with talking...?"
Hao Zhuo explained the situation. It wasn't complicated. In the Lower City District, he was a warehouse manager for a gang, mainly handling mystical teachings materials. Sometimes, he would find ways to smuggle out "odds and ends" to sell as his side hustle. The materials he sold to Lao Qi were obtained this way.
However, he didn't know who he sold them to or what they were used for.
In a 16-19 book, he saw a mistake-free version!
But the problem was that not long ago, the gang's supplier came looking for him. During their inventory check, they discovered a significant shortage and demanded an investigation. Sensing trouble, he fled to the Upper City District.
He complained, "I don't understand why they're making such a big deal over a small amount. Many people make a living from warehouses, and I only took some scraps. Why are they singling me out?"
Lao Qi muttered, "Something's not right here. These materials aren't worth much, and they think they can trace them back after so long?"
"Exactly. I can't figure it out either. Do these materials cover their expenses for hiring people and coming to the Upper City District?"
Lao Qi said, "Damn, it's not like you lost something and they're making you take the fall, Often, resolving conflicts involves improving communication and negotiation skills. The ability to calmly and effectively communicate your perspective and negotiate a solution can be essential in such situations.
"Yeah, it's possible they're framing you."
At this moment, Chen Chuan said, "That bar might be under the Plague Gang's influence. Is this batch of goods related to them?"
"Is Mr. Ai from the Plague Gang?"
Hao Zhuo was taken aback, his face changing as he spoke with a hint of panic, "Now I can't stay in the Lower City District. Lao Qi, you have to help me find another place to stay. Don't worry, I'll pay you every cent I owe you."
Lao Qi, slightly agitated, said, "It's not about the money!"
Chen Chuan thought for a moment and said, "The Plague Gang has its own biotechnology. They might not be framing you. It's likely that the batch of materials you sold had issues, so they want them back."
Hao Zhuo considered this, "That makes sense, but I've sold so much, and apart from a few regular customers, I don't know where the other materials went."
Chen Chuan said, "Lao Qi, you should move to a different place first. The Plague Gang is under tight surveillance up there, so it's not a place they can easily access. That's why they didn't take direct action but hired help. Don't worry about this. I have some matters to attend to. I'll handle this after I'm done with my defense mission."
Wu Bei spoke up, "Let me handle this, Chen Xiao Ge. I'll find a place for them."
Lao Qi hesitated, "I don't have any issues, but I'm concerned about Xiao Qi's studies..."
Chen Chuan asked, "Isn't she in her first year of middle school?"
"Yes. It's a private school."
Chen Chuan thought for a moment. The Fusion Border Corporation also invested in various private schools, so he contacted Yan Yi.
After confirmation, Chen Chuan said to Lao Qi, "I'll arrange for your daughter to transfer schools. The new school should be no worse than her previous one, and we'll ensure your move remains discreet."
Lao Qi was delighted, "That's wonderful! Thank you, Chen Xiao Ge."
Hao Zhuo looked at Lao Qi with envy, thinking to himself, 'Lao Qi, you've got some serious connections. I wonder if I can get in on this.'
After making these arrangements, Chen Chuan exchanged a few words with Lao Qi and, seeing no further issues, left directly.
He knew Hao Zhuo might still be hiding something, but this matter was already a mess. He didn't have the energy to clarify it. For now, letting the two of them lay low was the best option. If something came up later, he'd deal with it after his defense mission.
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Chapter end
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