It seemed overnight, all the chess and card rooms owned by Xia Yunyan across Modu were sealed! This was definitely not a coincidence; someone was clearly targeting him.
Who?
Xia Yunyan immediately took out his phone, preparing to have the top elites of his debt collection company investigate. No matter who the enemy was, they had to be found and dealt with!
But then came the awkward part. Before Xia Yunyan could make the call, a high-ranking executive from the debt collection company rushed in, his face covered in blood.
Xia Yunyan was shocked. This person was a high-ranking executive of the debt collection company, usually protected by many subordinates. How could he come running with a bloody face?
"What happened to you? How did your face get covered in blood?" Xia Yunyan asked nervously.
The executive replied with tears, "It's bad news, Boss Xia! A large group of masked thugs just stormed into our debt collection company. They started smashing things and beating people without a word! Dozens of our subordinates were beaten half to death, and the higher-ups were all captured. They deliberately let me come to inform you."
So bold? Xia Yunyan froze. First, his chess and card rooms were sealed, and then his debt collection company was raided. The other side had clearly used connections in both the underworld and the legitimate world! Xia Yunyan swallowed, sensing the gravity of the situation.
"No, I need to find some people." He still had many good buddies, and with the situation escalating, he needed help.
Unexpectedly, every call Xia Yunyan made was either turned off or met with outright refusal. No one was willing to help him. Coincidentally or not, those who were willing to help Xia Yunyan were all mysteriously eliminated. Some were hit by cars, others died in gas explosions at home. Anyone even remotely associated with Xia Yunyan met a terrible end.
At this point, Xia Yunyan was beyond terrified. Regardless of who the other party was, their ability to mobilize such extensive forces clearly indicated a non-trivial identity.
Finally. After two agonizing hours of fear and trepidation, a subordinate brought Xia Yunyan crucial intelligence. He said, "Boss Xia, someone just informed me and said to go to a small bar in the north of the city. They sent me the specific address."
Xia Yunyan hesitated, "At this critical moment, I don't have time to go to some small bar!"
The subordinate said, "The person claims his name is Lu Ming. If you don't want to suffer any more, bring Chang Yuyang to the bar to meet him."
Lu Ming? That made sense! Xia Yunyan suddenly realized that if he had offended anyone recently, it was Lu Ming. But the problem was, Xia Yunyan had investigated; Lu Ming was merely the live-in son-in-law of the Jiang family, and before that, a useless doorkeeper! How could such a person simultaneously command connections in both the underworld and the legitimate world? It sounded preposterous.
But! The facts were before him. Xia Yunyan had been thoroughly beaten by Lu Ming. He had no room to negotiate.
"He wants to see me?"
"Fine!"
"I'll go and meet this Lu Ming. I want to see what kind of god he is."
Since Xia Yunyan was the one going to see Lu Ming, the plan to ambush and surround him was completely abandoned. All the prior preparations for an ambush were now useless. Xia Yunyan had his subordinate drive a minivan, bringing Chang Yuyang along, to the small bar to meet Lu Ming.
At one in the morning, they met. The minivan stopped at the entrance of the small bar. Xia Yunyan walked in front, his subordinate dragging Chang Yuyang by the collar behind him. They pushed open the bar door and went inside. The bar had been cleared out. Besides Lu Ming, there was no one else.
Xia Yunyan was quite surprised. He looked around carefully to confirm no one else was present.
"Are you Lu Ming?" Xia Yunyan asked.
Lu Ming nodded and gestured to an empty seat next to him. "Sit."
Xia Yunyan didn't stand on ceremony, plopping down. He said with a grim expression, "Lu Ming, you're quite something. I don't know how you did it, but sealing all my chess and card rooms overnight shows you have powerful means."
Lu Ming smiled and said, "Someone like you, who has committed countless evils, should have been dealt with long ago. You've been lucky to live this long."
Lu Ming was the first to dare to speak such harsh words to Xia Yunyan! Xia Yunyan frowned and scanned his surroundings again.
Lu Ming said, "Don't worry, besides me, there's no one else."
Xia Yunyan sneered, "No one else? Lu Ming, you're quite arrogant. While you sealed my chess and card rooms and injured my debt collection company's elite, you think that's enough to defeat me? Don't get me wrong, my dozens of subordinates here can easily tear you to shreds!"
He snapped his fingers. His subordinates then drew their knives, their expressions menacing. Xia Yunyan said, "So Lu Ming, tell me, how are you going to face my dozens of subordinates alone?"
Is this difficult? Heh. Lu Ming didn't seem to care at all. He sipped his cocktail with casual ease and said, "Actually, I didn't call you here to fight. I just want to resolve this problem with you peacefully."
Xia Yunyan snorted, "How peacefully?"
Lu Ming held up three fingers. "First, shut down all your chess and card rooms and your debt collection company. Second, release Chang Yuyang. Third, take your money and get out of Modu, never to return. If you do these three things, I can guarantee your safety and the safety of your wealth."
In Lu Ming's opinion, these were very generous terms. Although Xia Yunyan would lose some assets, he could still live comfortably elsewhere with a large sum of money. After all, Xia Yunyan had already earned a fortune, more than he could spend in a lifetime. There was no need to resist stubbornly.
Unfortunately, good advice is wasted on deaf ears. When you try to persuade someone kindly, they won't listen. They'll dismiss your words as nonsense, thinking you're weak and have no right to tell them what to do.
As expected. Xia Yunyan burst into laughter, pointing at his subordinates. He said, "Lu Ming, are you an idiot? Look at the situation! I have dozens of subordinates here, and every single one of them is a formidable fighter! You're all alone, what can you do against me? You want me to shut down my business, release someone, and run away? Bah! Are you telling me what to do? Do you think you're qualified?"
"Sigh..." Lu Ming let out a long sigh and retorted, "So, you refuse to agree to my conditions?"
"Nonsense!" Xia Yunyan slammed the table hard and sneered, "As long as I have these brothers with me, I will never surrender!"