In the presidential suite of the Hilton Hotel, atop the highest floor in Modu.
Zhao Gongzi, with his white hair and bangs covering his eyes, stood by the window, gazing at the night view of Modu.
He slowly exhaled a smoke ring and said in a hoarse voice, "Lin Hao is mine."
"Go investigate. I want his most detailed information."
"Yes."
Bald Boss Long nodded quickly.
Zhao Gongzi turned around and looked at the young man beside Boss Long.
The young man had his arm in a sling, and his right cheek was red and swollen. He was one of the six who had previously attacked Lin Hao and Xiao Hei.
However, he was the strongest among them, having reached the Minor Accomplishment stage of External Strength, and was also the leader of the six.
"A Long, what do you think Xiao Hei Zi's realm is?" Zhao Gongzi asked, looking at A Long, whose right cheek was red and swollen.
A Long pondered for a moment, then looked at Zhao Gongzi and said, "Very strong. At least at the Great Accomplishment stage of External Strength, perhaps even perfected External Strength."
"Perfected External Strength, two minor realms higher than you? No wonder..."
"I didn't expect Lin Hao to have such a master by his side."
"Alright, you two can leave now."
Zhao Gongzi waved his hand and exhaled another smoke ring.
A Long and Bald Boss Long quickly exited the room.
After the door closed, Zhao Gongzi took out his phone and made a call.
He was calling their family's enshrined expert, who was also his father's personal bodyguard.
His martial arts realm had already reached the Minor Accomplishment stage of Internal Strength.
It was someone his father had found through connections and paid a hefty sum for.
As far as he knew, there were very few people in Modu who had reached the Minor Accomplishment stage of Internal Strength.
"Hello, Uncle Feng, could you come over to my place?"
"What's wrong, Xiao Ming? Are you in trouble?"
"There's a bit of trouble. Even A Long was defeated, so I need Uncle Feng to step in."
"Even A Long was defeated? Then wait a moment, I'll inform your father and come over."
"Okay, I'm at the Hilton."
Zhao Ming hung up the phone, a cold smile appearing on his face.
What if that Xiao Hei Zi was there?
He was determined to have Lin Hao.
When the time came, he would make Lin Hao kneel at his feet and lick his shoes!
As for Xiao Hei Zi, he could find a way to subdue him and make him his personal bodyguard.
Perfected External Strength was considered a top-tier expert in all of Modu.
With Xiao Hei Zi protecting him, who else could possibly stand in his way?
Zhao Ming thought about these things, and the smile on his face grew even wider...
...
After returning home, Lin Hao could finally focus on his cultivation in peace.
Three days passed in the blink of an eye.
That afternoon, Liu Yongchang and Lai Qingsheng arrived at Dong Jiao Yi Hao with anxious expressions.
Seeing Lai Qingsheng and Liu Yongchang looking so worried, Lin Hao asked in confusion, "Director Liu, Manager Lai, what's wrong? Did something happen?"
"This..." Liu Yongchang and Lai Qingsheng exchanged glances, appearing somewhat hesitant to speak.
But in the end, Lai Qingsheng looked at Lin Hao and gritted his teeth, "Brother, we didn't want to trouble you, but we really have no other choice."
"Our... Liu and I's businesses are under siege and are about to collapse."
"It's better for Liu. His core business is online e-commerce, and he might be able to hold on for another three to five days. But my main business is mostly in the real economy."
"Now, the companies and businesses that were cooperating with us are cutting off supplies, demanding repayment, and breaching contracts. I really can't hold on much longer."
"How could this happen? Weren't your companies always operating smoothly?" Lin Hao asked, surprised, looking at Lai Qingsheng and Liu Yongchang.
From the anxious expressions on Liu Yongchang and Lai Qingsheng's faces, Lin Hao could tell how worried and tormented they were at the moment.
However, even if they were anxious, coming to him wouldn't help.
He knew nothing about business and was completely clueless about commercial matters.
Lai Qingsheng and Liu Yongchang exchanged glances, then finally looked at Lin Hao and gritted their teeth, "It's the Zhou family."
"The Zhou family?"
Lin Hao was stunned. He was about to ask which Zhou family, but then he suddenly understood.
"Is it Zhou Renjie?" Lin Hao asked Lai Qingsheng and Liu Yongchang.
"Yes, he's using the Zhou family's connections to launch a massive attack on Liu and me," Lai Qingsheng said angrily.
"Brother, we really didn't want to bother you, but we truly have no other option," Liu Yongchang said to Lin Hao, looking distressed.
He felt embarrassed about constantly troubling Lin Hao.
"It's alright," Lin Hao waved his hand and then said to Liu Yongchang and Lai Qingsheng, "Tell me in detail, what exactly happened?"
Liu Yongchang nodded and then said to Lin Hao, "It's like this, although Lao Lai and I are well-known and our businesses appear to be substantial."
"I've even been called the richest man in Modu by many."
"That's right, on the surface, I am indeed the richest man in Modu. However, in terms of actual strength, we are far inferior to local families like the Zhou family."
"The Zhou family has been operating in Modu for several generations. It can be said that this is their territory, and their influence is incredibly complex."
"Moreover, even in terms of wealth alone, our net worth compared to local families like the Zhou family is not even close."
"To put it bluntly, Lao Lai and I are like dung balls – shiny on the outside."
"We seem glorious, but in terms of our foundation, we are far inferior to established old families like the Zhou family."
"Therefore, as soon as the Zhou family made their move, we didn't even have a chance to fight back and could only struggle to hold on..."
At this point, Liu Yongchang and Lai Qingsheng exchanged glances, their expressions extremely grim.
Lin Hao nodded and said, "It seems I've implicated you both."
"No, no, brother, what are you saying?"
Liu Yongchang and Lai Qingsheng were startled and quickly shook their heads.
"Brother, please don't misunderstand. We didn't come to you at first because we were afraid you would misunderstand. If you really think that way, then we'll leave now."
"I understand what you mean. Please sit down," Lin Hao waved his hand and then said to Liu Yongchang and Lai Qingsheng, "You two have some tea here. I'll go find Zhou Renjie and ask him about it."
After speaking, Lin Hao got up and prepared to go find Zhou Renjie.
Although he didn't understand business, he knew that the business world was like a battlefield.
Especially for people like Liu Yongchang and Lai Qingsheng, every second of delay could mean losses of millions.
Moreover, this matter had arisen because of him. Now that Liu Yongchang and Lai Qingsheng were being suppressed like this because of him, he naturally had to seek an explanation.
The first time, he had shown mercy and spared Zhou Renjie's life.
This time, he thought, he wouldn't need to show mercy anymore.
Since they dared to lay hands on his friends, they should be prepared for the consequences of harming his friends...