Xingzhi Group remained unaffected.
Police mobilization required time and planning, and could not be executed with lightning speed.
However, while the surface was calm, a storm was brewing beneath.
"Pack your things and follow me to the airport!" Kong Mo's face turned ashen after reading his phone, and he hastily called his secretary.
"Are we picking up Madam and Young Master?" The secretary, unaware of what had happened, knew from his demeanor that the situation was dire.
"We're in too much trouble to worry about them. If we delay any longer, we might spend the rest of our lives in prison." Kong Mo's eyes gleamed with malice and determination.
He had received inside information that the police were preparing to arrest them, the Xingzhi Group.
This was due to the assassination arrangement.
Three police officers had died on the spot, and Li Chonglou, who should have been dead, had vanished without a trace.
This sent a chill down his spine.
Only now did he realize that Xingzhi Group had been under police surveillance all along, and such a major incident had forced them to act decisively.
Fortunately, someone had tipped him off; otherwise, he would have been doomed.
He was the publicly acknowledged head of Xingzhi Group, a president in name, but in reality, a scapegoat, a fall guy.
If anything went wrong, he would be the first to be held accountable.
As for the mastermind behind the scenes, he wouldn't dare betray them even if given a hundred chances.
His only chance now was to escape Zhonghai and flee abroad before the police closed in. Perhaps then, he might have a sliver of hope for survival.
"Bang!"
Just then, the office door exploded inwards.
Splinters of wood and debris flew everywhere.
The secretary's face contorted in shock, and he immediately shielded Kong Mo with his body, his suit jacket slashed with bloody gashes on his back.
At the doorway stood Xu Liehu, his gaze like that of an eagle, his eyes burning with killing intent, like two sharp swords piercing into Kong Mo and his secretary within the room.
Behind him, the seemingly frail Li Chonglou followed.
"Li Chonglou, you're not dead!" Kong Mo turned around immediately, his pupils contracting violently upon seeing the two, his eyes filled with immense hatred.
He had orchestrated a plan to kill Li Chonglou, only to be outmaneuvered by Li Chonglou, who had exposed Lü Fang as an informant.
Reluctantly, he had followed the orders of that influential figure and silenced Lü Fang directly.
Little did he expect that even after Lü Fang's death, Li Chonglou would still be alive and well.
How could this be?
"How could I bear to die without seeing you die with my own eyes?" Li Chonglou, with his hands behind his back, strode into the room.
Though he appeared frail, his aura was surging, his presence commanding.
"What do you want? I warn you, the police are coming any minute, don't do anything rash..." Kong Mo's gaze met Li Chonglou's, and he felt as if struck by lightning.
The look in Li Chonglou's eyes made his scalp tingle and his body go cold.
His imposing demeanor suddenly collapsed, and he involuntarily retreated a few steps, bumping against the wall before stopping.
He was all bluster, a paper tiger.
"Of course, I'm here to kill you." Li Chonglou's face remained devoid of any emotion.
Cold and calm.
He knew the police were on their way.
Therefore, he had to seize the opportunity to deal with Kong Mo. Otherwise, how could the deep-seated grievances of the two deceased officers be avenged, and the accountability for countless cultural relics lost overseas be settled?
Some things were either to be done or not to be done.
A true gentleman would act when necessary!
He, Li Chonglou, disliked trouble but was never afraid of it.
Kong Mo, this scoundrel, must be executed!
Before entering the office, he had accompanied Xu Lie to the control room and disabled all surveillance cameras, precisely to carry out this swift and decisive action.
"You want to kill me? You dare to kill me?" Kong Mo exclaimed in disbelief, his eyes wide. "Even if you kill me, you won't escape!"
He was indeed afraid of Li Chonglou. His repeated attempts to suppress Li Chonglou had backfired, leaving him with a deep-seated fear and a burning desire to tear him apart.
And today, it was supposed to be Li Chonglou's death anniversary, yet here they were, face to face.
With a guilty conscience, how could he not be afraid?
Furthermore, that hulking figure beside Li Chonglou, like a colossal mountain pressing down, exuded a suffocating aura. How could he not be afraid?
However, no matter how scared he was, he was still Kong Mo, the nominal leader of the vast Xingzhi Group.
He wouldn't be completely terrified.
"Have you heard of the law of self-defense?" Li Chonglou stated calmly, not in a hurry. "When a person is threatened with harm, they can counter-attack indefinitely until the assailant is incapacitated."
"Any resulting death or injury will not be considered excessive self-defense."
"The nation's legal system is becoming increasingly clear. Although not yet perfect, it has cornered those who abuse their power."
"You can exercise unlimited self-defense, and so can I. Let's see who laughs last!"
Before coming, Li Chonglou had considered all the potential consequences.
Despite his usual rationality, he didn't want to be rational today.
The burning passion in his chest yearned to be unleashed.
What would be the meaning of life if it were only filled with rationality!
"Kong Mo, I'm here today to take your dog's life!" Li Chonglou's killing intent flared, his voice like a chilling ice as he strode towards Kong Mo.
Before coming, he had already instructed Xu Lie not to make a move.
Although he was now no different from an ordinary person, he had to settle this score personally today.
"You want to touch President Kong? Did you ask me first?" Just as he was three to four meters away from Kong Mo, the secretary, who had remained silent until then, suddenly lunged forward and attacked Li Chonglou's neck with a sinister smile.
"A master?" Li Chonglou could see his movements but couldn't dodge. His heart was slightly alarmed, but his face showed no panic.
Xu Lie's strength surpassed his own at his peak. How could he not anticipate this move?
Indeed, before his hand could reach his neck, Xu Lie had already darted beside him and blocked the secretary's claw with the edge of his hand.
*Clang!*
Xu Lie's body trembled slightly as he shielded Li Chonglou and retreated two steps.
The secretary also stumbled back four or five steps, almost hitting Kong Mo.
"Xiao Li, you know martial arts?" Kong Mo was utterly shocked.
He had been in Xingzhi Group for over a decade, and Xiao Li had been his secretary for just as long. He knew Xiao Li was sent by "that person," so he had never dared to replace him.
During their time together, he had found Xiao Li to be quite loyal.
However, he never expected that over the years, he had a hidden master beside him.
A chill ran down his spine.
If he had ever harbored any disloyal thoughts, he might have already met his demise at Xiao Li's hands.
"That person's" intentions were unfathomable...
As long as he survived today, even if arrested, he was confident "that person" would be able to get him out.
Amidst his shock, Xu Lie and Xiao Li were already locked in combat again.
Fists and palms clashed back and forth. In the blink of an eye, they exchanged over a dozen moves. Li Chonglou could clearly see that Xiao Li was slightly inferior to Xu Lie, but it wouldn't be realistic to take him down quickly.
It didn't matter; his target had always been Kong Mo.
"You have the right of self-defense now. Either I kill you, or you kill me." Li Chonglou didn't hesitate and charged forward, grabbing Kong Mo by the collar.
With a swift punch, he directly struck Kong Mo's left cheek.
He couldn't use martial arts, so he resorted to his fists, like fighting in his school days.
However, he had never actually fought in school, and all his movements were imagined.
All the pent-up frustration from before was now unleashed fiercely upon Kong Mo's face.
Kong Mo's head spun from the punch. Before he could react, Li Chonglou choked him and slammed him to the ground.
He kicked and punched without any semblance of technique.
He had lived a life of luxury for too long and was unfamiliar with the ways of street brawlers.
However, he was relatively fat, and his weight advantage gave him a slight edge over Li Chonglou. After struggling for a moment, he found an opportunity to break free.
He retaliated with a punch to Li Chonglou's eye socket.
Stars flashed before his eyes, and his vision blurred.
But it didn't matter. Li Chonglou didn't care and continued to punch Kong Mo's face with all his might.
Kong Mo also fought back with all his strength.
Neither of them possessed any skill, nor did they need any.
Fist met flesh.
Soon, their faces were bloody and bruised. Li Chonglou's physical condition was significantly better than Kong Mo's.
He pinned Kong Mo down and continued to rain punches upon him, breaking his nose and shattering his eye socket.
He longed to smash his skull.
Unfortunately, without martial arts, he couldn't achieve that.
But killing him was more than enough.
"Spare me... spare me... I'll give you anything you want..." Kong Mo finally couldn't endure it anymore, letting out a piteous plea.
However, Li Chonglou remained deaf to his entreaties, ignoring him completely.
"I beg you... he's not my boss..." Kong Mo's mouth was distorted, his remaining eye filled with despair.
But immediately, he could no longer utter any sound.
For Li Chonglou landed another punch, knocking out two more of his teeth and blocking his airway.
Without pause, his fists continued to rain down.
After an unknown amount of time, Xu Lie had finished his fight and subdued Xiao Li. He looked at Li Chonglou's vengeful punches with shock in his tiger-like eyes.
He had never seen Li Chonglou so ferocious.
He was like a raging lion.
Even without his true qi, his frail body still contained a terrifying power.
It was a belief, and more importantly, a conviction.
Xiao Li was utterly terrified and petrified. He watched in horror as Kong Mo was beaten to death, unable to utter a sound.
His eyes were filled with despair.
He knew he had lost completely this time and might even implicate "that person." He deserved a thousand deaths.
"Stop! Hands up!" Soon, heavily armed police officers arrived at the office, their dark muzzles pointed at Li Chonglou and Xu Lie.
Only then did Li Chonglou cease his assault.
His hands were raw and bleeding, but his blood-crusted face radiated a smile of relief.
"Kong Mo, you won't be judged by the law. I sentence you to death."
This scene made the police officers' scalps tingle.
"Take them away!"
The three, along with Kong Mo's corpse and various executives from Xingzhi Group, were all arrested.
However, Li Chonglou showed no fear.
He was certain he would be fine.
Not because of Fan Da, but because his master had once said that he would never be imprisoned in his lifetime.
As expected, before they could be taken to the police station, the escorting special police received instructions informing them that Li Chonglou was a special forces soldier who had gone undercover in Xingzhi Group.
He had the responsibility to apprehend criminals and the authority to take lives.
Killing Kong Mo was to avenge his deceased police colleagues.
He was immediately released without charge and bid farewell by all the police officers with a salute.
This gesture was for his two fallen comrades.
Watching the police cars depart, Li Chonglou collapsed onto the ground, grinning widely.
He was as happy as a child.
"Are your hands and face alright?" Xu Lie also began to laugh.
"They'll be fine by tomorrow. Let's rest tonight, and tomorrow you'll accompany me home." Li Chonglou lay back on the roadside, suddenly finding the sky so clear.
Although the matters in Zhonghai were not entirely resolved, he was eager to return home.
Father, a name he had yearned for since childhood, was finally getting closer.
However, before finding his father, he had to return to Qinzhou to see his mother and Jiang Yuxin.