19: Zhao's plan

At the same time, at the entrance of Qingteng High School, students were pouring out in twos and threes.

Yellow Hair leaned against the wall, his eyes anxiously scanning the crowd, the cigarette in his mouth forgotten.

Yesterday, the Boss ordered him to keep a close eye on that kid, Lu Yuan.

But he didn't see him yesterday afternoon!

And all day today, he hadn't even seen a shadow of him!

Where did this kid run off to?

Did he know the Boss was looking for trouble and ran away early?

The more Yellow Hair thought about it, the more panicked he became.

If the Boss found out he lost track of the person... he shivered, not daring to think further.

He pulled out his worn-out phone, which he had used for years, and with trembling fingers, dialed Zhao She's number.

"Hello?!" Zhao She's impatient voice came from the other end of the line.

"B-Boss..." Yellow Hair's voice was tearful, "Th-that Lu Yuan, today... today he didn't come to school again."

"What?!" Zhao She's voice instantly rose, "He didn't come all day?!"

"Y-yes, I asked several people, and no one saw him."

There was silence on the other end for a few seconds, only Zhao She's heavy breathing remained.

Yellow Hair could imagine the Boss's expression at that moment, and he was so scared he didn't dare to breathe loudly.

"What about yesterday afternoon? Where did he go after school?"

"Yesterday... yesterday afternoon he seemed to have gone to the library, and then I didn't see him. Oh, right! I remember now! Someone saw him heading towards the West District yesterday!"

"West District? Hunter's Market?"

"And then he didn't come to school today..."

A deduction formed in his mind.

"This kid has some guts, actually daring to go to the Beast Hunting Zone alone."

Yellow Hair listened, stunned.

Beast Hunting Zone?

"Boss... then... what should we do now?"

"What to do? Hmph! You useless trash, you can't even keep track of one person."

"Forget it, you continue to watch the school gate. As soon as he comes back, notify me immediately!"

"Yes! Yes! Boss!"

Hanging up the phone, Zhao She's expression was volatile.

Lu Yuan went to the Beast Hunting Zone.

An ordinary student suddenly getting a gold card, either he had incredibly good luck, or there was someone backing him.

Now it seems, could this kid have also had incredibly good luck in the Beast Hunting Zone before? And got a gold card?

The more Zhao She thought about it, the more he felt it was possible; it all made sense now.

But then, he frowned again.

gold card!

That was a gold card!

Even someone of his Boss's caliber hadn't managed to get one!

The fate of Ah Hu and the others last time was still vivid in his mind.

"Damn it..."

"This bone is too hard, I can't chew it!"

But he was unwilling to just let it go like that.

Zhao She paced back and forth, damn it, he gave up!

Just because he couldn't chew it didn't mean others couldn't!

His Boss, "Black Crow", was a prominent figure in Jiang City's underground forces, with connections everywhere!

Selling this news to the Boss, at least as one of his own, he might even get some benefits!

Coincidentally, tonight was the day the Boss gathered gang members for a meeting.

And as a small leader of the Black Water Gang, he naturally had the qualification to attend.

He glanced at the clock on the wall; it was almost time.

Zhao She put on a leather jacket with a skull print, walked out of the billiard room, and got into a black car parked at the entrance.

"To Nightclub."

The car started and merged into Jiang City's evening traffic.

Zhao She leaned back in the seat, thinking about how to maximize his profit tonight.

As for that gold card... it no longer mattered whose hands it eventually fell into.

What mattered was that he, Zhao She, would be the guide for all of this.

Nightclub.

The facade was luxurious, with two rows of burly men in black suits and sunglasses standing at the entrance, each exuding a fierce aura, all possessing peak First-Order Apprentice strength.

Zhao She looked on with envy; it had to be his Boss, even the doorkeepers had such strength.

He quickly walked through the revolving door; the lobby was opulent, with scantily clad waitresses moving through it, speaking in soft whispers.

"Oh, isn't this Brother Zhao? A rare visitor!"

A harsh voice rang out.

Zhao She looked in the direction of the voice, only to see several other rough-looking men in leather jackets, embracing women and drinking in the center of the lobby.

The one who spoke was a Bald Head Qiang, with a scar running across his head, making his face indescribably ugly.

"Bald Head Qiang, watch your mouth."

These were other small leaders in the gang, who usually didn't get along with Zhao She, and now seeing him lose power, they were even more eager to kick him while he was down.

"What? Is Brother Zhao getting rich? You look so pleased with yourself, even though all your subordinates have run off, you still have time to come to Nightclub to enjoy yourself?"

Bald Head Qiang said sarcastically.

"I heard your several capable henchmen were beaten back like dogs? Tsk tsk, what a disgrace to our Black Water Gang!"

"Hahahaha!" A burst of laughter erupted in the hall.

Zhao She's face was ashen, his fists clenched in his sleeves, these beasts!

The news of Ah Hu and the others being crippled had long spread throughout the gang.

He, Zhao She, was now a laughingstock in the eyes of others, a useless person who couldn't even protect his own territory or his subordinates.

"Mind your own business."

"Lest one day, you don't even know how you died."

At these words, Bald Head Qiang and the others' expressions changed slightly. Although Zhao She had lost power, he was still a small leader personally appointed by Boss Black Crow and had the qualification to go upstairs. Moreover, this guy was notoriously petty; if he was truly pushed to the limit, who knew what he would do.

"Tch, you can only talk big." Bald Head Qiang turned his head away sulkily. "Just you wait."

Zhao She snorted coldly, no longer paying attention to these clowns, and walked directly to a private elevator in the depths of the lobby.

The elevator went straight to the top floor.

This was Boss Black Crow's exclusive territory.

The elevator door opened to a corridor carpeted with thick rugs, with a few incomprehensible abstract paintings hanging on the walls.

At the end of the corridor was a heavy mahogany door.

Two black-clad bodyguards with even more profound auras stood at the door, their Source Power fluctuations indicating peak Second-Order strength.

These were Black Crow's confidants, and also his security personnel.

Zhao She walked forward, and one of the bodyguards reached out to stop him.

"Brother Ya is in a meeting inside, wait."

Zhao She nodded and bowed, "Yes, yes."

He stood obediently outside the door, like a dog waiting for its master's call.

He knew that this so-called exchange meeting today was actually a distribution of spoils.

Every qualified small leader had to report their monthly performance, which meant how much money they had acquired through various means and how much tribute they had paid to the gang.

And this month for him... Zhao She's heart sank.

His main subordinates were crippled, no one dared to collect the high-interest loans he had put out, and his territory was being encroached upon by others. Forget about making money, he himself was almost unable to make ends meet.

If he couldn't produce decent results today, with Brother Ya's temper... Zhao She dared not think further.

After waiting for about ten minutes, the mahogany door finally opened.

A middle-aged man in a suit, wearing gold-rimmed glasses, looking refined, walked out. He was Brother Ya's "White Paper Fan," responsible for the gang's finances and management.

"Zhao She? Go in, Brother Ya is waiting for you."

"Thank you, Brother Fan."

...