Director Chang was unlike Director Zhang.
Though both frequented places of pleasure and knew many figures from the underworld.
Director Chang was considerate towards his workers, unlike Director Zhang's harshness.
He held some respect in the underworld.
In recent years, he had been thriving in Yong'an, taking on numerous large projects, which led to extreme arrogance.
Despite his womanizing, he possessed strength, yet he now knelt and begged for mercy in front of all his subordinates.
Who exactly was this shifty-eyed old man?
What could make two bosses so terrified?
“Xiao Ying, you weren’t mistreated, were you?” Cao Chunhua asked noncommittally, raising an eyebrow at Lin Ying.
Clearly, he was asking for her input on how to proceed.
Yong'an was his territory. If Li Chonglou and Lin Ying were bullied here, it would be a direct affront to him.
These two clueless individuals, given Cao Chunhua’s status, wouldn't even qualify to lick his boots if not for Lin Ying and Li Chonglou.
“Old Master Cao, you’ve arrived just in time. It was a scare but no harm done,” Lin Ying chuckled. “Tell them to get lost; they’re an eyesore.”
This scene filled Zhang and Chang with trepidation.
This woman was so familiar with Cao Chunhua; they truly had been blind.
How could they have provoked someone like this?
Truly, lust was a double-edged sword. It was fortunate they were slapped by that young man, bringing them to a timely halt.
Otherwise, continuing further might have cost them their lives.
There’s always someone better, a sky beyond the sky.
To run into such a powerful figure while simply having coffee.
This was truly unlucky.
Fatty Chang sighed internally.
“Hold on!” Just as Cao Chunhua was about to wave them away, Li Chonglou intervened. “Old Master Cao, while these people are despicable, they might be useful to me.”
With that, he stood up and walked towards the kneeling Fatty Chang and Skinny Zhang.
He crouched down. “You two, do something for me.”
“If you accomplish it, today’s matter will be considered settled.”
“How about it?”
Hearing this, Skinny Zhang dared not question him, nodding repeatedly. “Brother, just say the word, and we’ll absolutely handle it for you.”
*Bang!*
As soon as he finished speaking, Cao Chunhua kicked him over.
“Who are you calling brother? Address me as ‘Grandpa’!” Cao Chunhua said, clearly displeased.
Because of Lin Ying, he addressed Li Chonglou as “young brother.”
How dare these two scoundrels call him brother.
It was as if they were arbitrarily placing themselves on the same generation level as him.
They were asking for a beating.
“Grandpa Cao, Grandpa Cao, I won’t dare again! I’ll call you Grandpa, I’ll call you now…” Skinny Zhang cried, his earlier arrogance completely gone.
Fatty Chang, still shaken, remained silent, not daring to speak.
The more he said, the more mistakes he’d make; silence was golden.
If he angered Cao Chunhua, he wouldn’t be able to operate in Yong’an anymore.
“Alright.” Li Chonglou couldn’t stand watching such subservience any longer and interjected, “You have so many subordinates; help me find two people.”
“As soon as possible!”
His mother and wife had been brought to Yong'an.
Even Lin Ying couldn't trace their whereabouts, indicating the terrifying methods of the person behind Li Hanlong.
The Xiao family was a prime example; they were manipulated to the point of near disintegration.
Even such a prominent family couldn't contend with that person.
Yet, even an elephant feared a mouse.
Anyone who played the board game "Conquer the Beasts" as a child knew that a stick could hit a tiger, and a worm could eat the stick.
Zhang and Chang had very low moral boundaries, and with their numerous contacts and informants, they might prove surprisingly effective.
In any case, he had no other options now. It was worth a shot, better than being completely in the dark.
As for the results.
He would do his best and leave the rest to fate.
“Yes, yes, yes, we will definitely accomplish it!” Fatty Chang nodded like a pecking chicken only now.
He didn’t care how difficult the task was; he agreed first to avoid physical pain.
Li Chonglou wasted no more words, instructing Lu Yunxu to send the photos of Jiang Yuxin and his mother at the hospital from her phone to Fatty Chang.
Then, with a wave of his hand, he dismissed everyone.
Only after the two men and their workers dispersed did Cao Chunhua reveal an expression of admiration and sit down.
He chuckled and said, “Young brother, I heard about your situation from Xiao Ying.”
“It’s just that my abilities are lacking, and I couldn’t find the people. I am ashamed!”
Lin Ying’s first action upon arriving in Yong'an was to contact Cao Chunhua, and all information originated from him.
He couldn't trace the whereabouts of Jiang Yuxin and Zheng Xiumei.
In truth, it wasn’t a lack of ability, but rather someone interfering.
And this person, he couldn't afford to offend.
Furthermore, the Xiao family was currently in dire straits. With his relationship with Xiao Yun, he couldn't spare much attention for Li Chonglou.
Therefore, seeing Li Chonglou entrust the matter to Zhang and Chang, he felt a pang of embarrassment.
This utterance of shame was sincere.
“Old Master Cao, you speak too highly. I appreciate your concern and will repay you in the future,” Li Chonglou, having lived two lives, could see the flicker of guilt in Cao Chunhua’s eyes.
However, this matter was far from simple.
Given his relationship with his senior sister, Cao Chunhua would have helped if he could have.
Favors were like bank accounts.
You deposit as much as you withdraw. Expecting someone to risk their life for a couple of words was preposterous.
Li Chonglou didn't believe his charisma extended that far.
After they chatted for a while, Cao Chunhua arranged rooms for them at the Hilton.
This was a Xiao family property. Cao was Xiao Yun’s man and a prominent figure in Yong'an’s underground forces. Everyone, from top to bottom, had to give him face.
Even Lu Yunxu moved from her previous hotel.
In the evening.
Lin Ying knocked on Li Chonglou’s door, her expression grim. “Junior disciple brother, Yanbin is dead.”
She patiently tracked the time and called Yanbin, but Li Duo’er answered.
Li Duo’er blamed her for Yanbin’s death.
She understood.
Li Hanlong was reluctant to kill his niece, so he staged a dramatic warning by eliminating his adopted son, whom he used as a pawn.
Unfortunately, he missed the lead to Shi Boqiong again.
Truly, fate was playing tricks on him.
“What about the base?” Li Chonglou’s heart skipped a beat.
He was waiting for the base to exchange for his people.
Unexpectedly, this incident occurred. With Yanbin dead, who would find the base?
“I don’t know where he put it. The only way now is to trace his entire network and conduct a thorough search,” Lin Ying said with a helpless expression.
Things had been going poorly lately.
First, the golden Buddha from the Imperial Tomb in Yucheng was stolen, and its whereabouts were still unknown; the tomb collapsed and was destroyed.
This led to Professor Song taking responsibility.
Then, the Donglin pawnshop was smashed, and her father's and her life's work was gone.
Now, a clue they had finally encountered was broken.
Anyone else would have lost their temper by now.
“I’ll handle this,” Li Chonglou knew there was no other way.
He returned to his room, took out his new phone, and called Wu Hao, telling him and his team to put aside their current work.
They were to find all information about Yanbin.
He also informed Wu Hao about the disappearance of his mother and wife, letting him know the urgency of the matter.
“Damn it, I’ll have you satisfied within two hours!” Wu Hao exclaimed indignantly, gathering his employees who were working overtime and explaining the seriousness of "human flesh search."
He let them choose whether to join.
Those who joined would receive a hundred thousand reward each after the task was completed.
Humans die for wealth, birds die for food.
Even if "human flesh search" was illegal, no one could resist the temptation of a hundred thousand.
In just an hour and a half, all information about Yanbin was presented to Li Chonglou and Lin Ying.
Li Chonglou shared half of this detailed document, which even included where Yanbin ate breakfast, with Lin Ying.
His eyes, sharp as knives, scanned the document.
He analyzed the places Yanbin might have gone or hidden things.
Soon, he concluded.
Yanbin did not live with Li Hanlong. After becoming an adult, he bought his own apartment. Besides this apartment, he also frequented a paintball club.
Within it, there was a private VIP room.
If he were Yanbin, he would definitely hide things in one of these two places.
“Senior sister, you go to his house, and I’ll check out the club.” Li Chonglou was already getting impatient.
He changed into a gray tracksuit to blend in.
He hailed a taxi and headed straight for the paintball club.
By this time, the sun had already set, and the streetlights were illuminated.
The night sky was clear, revealing scattered stars and the moon.
Upon arriving at the Loft office building where the club was located, it was brightly lit, with young men and women entering and exiting, creating a lively atmosphere.
According to the information, the paintball club operated until midnight. Young people had abundant energy, and many who couldn't come during the day due to work came after hours to de-stress.
Yong'an’s nightlife was far richer than Qin Zhou's.
Li Chonglou pushed open the door and entered.
*Slam!*
At that moment, a figure suddenly darted out. Just as it was about to collide with Li Chonglou,
he elegantly dodged it, causing the figure to crash directly into the glass door.
A crisp impact sound was accompanied by a delicate cry of pain.
The figure fell backward, revealing itself to be a short, beautiful young woman.
She appeared to be around twenty, wearing a Level 3 bulletproof helmet from a popular game and a camouflage uniform.
Her exquisite face was contorted in pain.
Her large eyes were tightly shut, and tiny tears seeped from the corners.
Her small mouth pouted in anger, trembling as if she were about to cry.
Fortunately, she was wearing the helmet; otherwise, that impact would have caused a bloody head.
Li Chonglou had urgent matters and didn't intend to bother with the girl, intending to leave.
“Stop right there!” However, three men who followed closely behind her let out rough, angry shouts at him.
It was evident that this scene would naturally make people suspect that the girl was pushed down by Li Chonglou.
The leader, with well-defined muscles and a proportionate physique, also wore a camouflage uniform identical to the girl's, exuding a noble aura.
Unlike ordinary people.
The one who told Li Chonglou to stop was him.
The other two were carrying paintball guns, models of an AR-15 and an M14, respectively.
They had also smeared camouflage paint on their faces, glaring menacingly at Li Chonglou.
One of them tried to help the girl up, but she waved him away.
Clearly, she didn't appreciate the gesture.
“This has nothing to do with me.” Li Chonglou knew they had misunderstood.
No one liked to take responsibility for matters unrelated to them.
“Nothing to do with you?”
The burly man snorted, “My sister was knocked down by you, and you say it has nothing to do with you?”
“Kid, why haven’t I seen you at the club before?”
“Speak up, how do you want to settle this today?”
With a pre-existing assumption, Li Chonglou’s words were taken as an attempt to shirk responsibility and make excuses.
The girl lying on the ground, one eye squinted open, the other half-closed, no longer groaned but secretly watched Li Chonglou.
A sly glint appeared in her eyes, as if she were curious to see how Li Chonglou would handle the situation.
She showed no inclination to clarify the situation for Li Chonglou.
“I already said it has nothing to do with me. I have nothing to discuss. Get out of the way.” Li Chonglou’s brows furrowed, and his voice turned cold.
Instantly, his words caused the three men’s expressions to change drastically, their faces contorted in rage.