"He always intentionally or unintentionally makes you think he might know something, then waits for you to bite, and after swindling your money, he runs back home to hide for a while. Some bolder ones just take the money and get away with it."
Li Chonglou was a bit stunned.
"That can't be right. His shop is right here. Isn't he afraid we'll come and smash his shop if he scams us?"
"People who dare to do such things are usually not ordinary folk. They're either desperate souls or local power brokers. Why would they fear an outsider like you?"
Regardless of where they were from, local powers generally shared one trait: they were fiercely united against outsiders.
They might cheat, fight, or even kill their own, but if an outsider dared to lay a hand on one of their own, it changed everything. It wasn't just an attack on one person, but on their entire local influence!
What Li Chonglou didn't know was that Ah Dong and Ah Hai had fallen for such tricks several times in the past. The second and third times, they still believed the old man was genuinely helping them, that their meeting was a coincidence that provided them with intelligence. But in the end, after being swindled out of their money, they finally realized it wasn't help at all, but a setup!
Li Chonglou had no idea the two had such rich experiences, and for a moment, he began to doubt his own suspicions.
"So, you mean he's also trying to scam us?"
Ah Dong nodded. Since there weren't many useful clues at the moment, Li Chong楼 decided to take a gamble.
However, he certainly wouldn't give them money. Li Chonglou said directly to the shop owner, "Whether you know where he is or not, if he comes back and you see him, just tell him his father is in trouble."
"Let's go."
Li Chonglou beckoned to the two of them, while the owner stood there, completely frozen.
Big Dog's father is in trouble? Father, old man?
Seeing that Li Chonglou was finally willing to leave, Ah Dong and the other felt a wave of relief. But a new problem arose.
Where could they inquire about that Big Dog this late at night?
"Let's ask the shopkeepers who are still awake first. If they don't know, we'll have to start with his granddaughter."
As soon as he finished speaking, Li Chonglou's body suddenly stiffened.
Wait, if the old man was truly murdered, wouldn't his granddaughter also be targeted?
He had already encountered a pervert who enjoyed torture and murder. Li Chonglou felt that encountering someone even more twisted wouldn't be surprising!
Just then, his Heavenly Eye divine ability, which he had been using all along, saw the shop owner they had just spoken to walk behind his shop and pull out his phone to make a call.
Without any time to spare, Li Chonglou strode quickly towards the owner's direction.
Ah Dong hurriedly asked, "Brother Hua, aren't we supposed to ask the other shops?"
The direction isn't this way, is it?
"I still think that boss might really know something. I want to try again."
Uh, Ah Dong and the other exchanged glances, seeing the helplessness in each other's eyes.
"Forget it. He'll learn his lesson after being scammed once. We weren't the ones who were tricked three times before we finally accepted it, were we?"
That made sense. Ah Dong couldn't help but nod.
After following Li Chonglou back to the shop entrance, the owner was nowhere to be seen. Just as Ah Dong was about to speak, Li Chonglou suddenly made a shushing gesture.
The two listened carefully and indeed heard the owner's voice coming from a room inside the shop. He seemed to be on the phone with someone.
Could there really be something going on?
The two were somewhat astonished, but they still followed Li Chonglou, moving closer slowly.
The owner's voice grew clearer.
"I don't know who they are. They didn't mention money. They just said your father is in trouble. Why don't you call back and ask?"
"Uh, you don't even have your father's phone number? How can I go over there in the middle of the night?"
"Alright, just remember to transfer the money to me."
A moment later, the owner, having finished his call, opened the room door only to see the faces of Li Chonglou and the other two.
The scene froze for a moment.
As soon as the owner recovered, his first instinct was to turn and run. Ah Dong, quick as lightning, grabbed him by the collar.
To their surprise, the owner, without a second thought, turned back and threw a punch. The reaction was so fast that even Li Chonglou didn't have time to react.
"Ouch!"
Ah Dong cried out and let go, squatting down in pain. Ah Hai immediately followed up with a shoulder throw, taking the owner down to the ground.
The latter yelled excitedly, "What do you want! Big Dog owes the money, not me! You won't get away with killing me!"
Damn it, he really is someone who's been through a lot. Nobody even mentioned killing!
Li Chonglou said somewhat speechlessly, "Didn't I say we're not here to collect debts?"
"You son of a bitch, you dare to hit me!"
Ah Dong, having recovered, with a black eye, was about to retaliate, but Li Chonglou stopped him.
"The mission is important."
Ah Dong looked very unwilling, but he didn't attack again.
Li Chonglou also told Ah Hai to let the owner go.
The owner struggled to get up and looked at them curiously.
"You're not here for money, so why were you eavesdropping on my call? What did you hear?"
Li Chonglou rolled his eyes and stopped wasting his breath. "Hurry up and get Big Dog out here. We have something to ask him. If you delay further, his daughter might also be in danger."
The owner's face instantly changed.
"What do you mean by that? A threat?"
"Are you going to make the call or not? If not, we're leaving. If anything happens, you'll have to explain it to him yourself."
With that, Li Chonglou turned to leave.
"Hey!"
The owner panicked. What a joke. If one old man dies, and his daughter, his very lifeline, might also be in danger, how could he possibly explain that?
However, the owner had a backup plan and raised his phone.
"I can't get him out here, but I'll call him. You can talk to him yourself."
After connecting the call, the owner directly said, "They need to talk to you urgently about your daughter."
Then he handed the phone to Li Chonglou, muttering as he walked away, "It's just about swindling some money, why does it have to be so complicated?"
Li Chonglou's mouth twitched involuntarily.
At this moment, a man's voice came from the phone.
"Who are you! What do you want with my daughter! How dare you extend your reach to family members. Aren't you afraid I'll expose you, and the entire industry will blacklist you!"
"Don't get excited. Answer me, are you Big Dog?"
There was a long silence on the other end of the line, and then a "yes" was finally heard.
To ensure safety, Li Chonglou asked some questions about the old man's numbers, and only then did he confirm that this should be the old man's son.
It was then that Li Chonglou said softly, "The old man is dead. I've seen the body. There was poison in him. Where are you? Can you come out and meet me? If my guess is correct, I suspect your daughter is also in danger."
The voice on the other end fell silent again.
Aside from the initial outburst, this "Big Dog" had been remarkably calm.