112: Chapter 112 Setting a Trap to Deal with Liu Zhen

"Right on time," Brother Dao said, sizing up Cao Kun with a cigarette dangling from his lips. "All alone? Got guts."

Cao Kun got out of the car and leaned against the door. "Say what you have to say."

"Straight to the point." Brother Dao blew a smoke ring. "You beat up my brother. This can't just be let go."

"Two options: First, pay a hundred thousand in medical fees and kneel to apologize to Liu Zhen."

"Second, my brothers here beat you up. Fair and square."

Liu Zhen shouted from the side, "Brother Dao, don't waste words on him. Just hit him!"

Cao Kun smiled. "I choose the third option."

"The third?" Brother Dao frowned.

"Knock all of you down." Cao Kun said.

The air went quiet for a second before erupting in raucous laughter.

"Fuck, you're cocky enough!" Brother Dao threw his cigarette down. "Get him! Just leave him breathing!"

Seven or eight men charged forward, wielding Steel Pipes and baseball bats.

Cao Kun moved.

With the boost from Mastery of Combat, these thugs' movements seemed as slow as snails to him.

He sidestepped the first Steel Pipe, snatched it in passing, and swung it backhanded onto the man's shoulder. A sickening *crack* echoed—the sound of a shattered scapula.

Before a scream could even escape, Cao Kun was already in front of the second man. He kicked the guy's knee. Another sharp *crack* followed.

The third man swung a bat at him. Cao Kun ducked under it and swept the Steel Pipe across the attacker's shin. The sound of bone breaking was unmistakable.

In just twenty seconds, three men were down, writhing and wailing on the ground.

The remaining men froze.

They'd been in plenty of fights, but they'd never seen someone so efficient and ruthless.

"Fuck! Use your weapons!" Brother Dao, also shocked, pulled a machete from behind his waist.

But Cao Kun was faster.

He shot toward Brother Dao like a leopard. The Steel Pipe struck the man's wrist with pinpoint accuracy, sending the machete flying.

Then a heavy punch landed in Brother Dao's gut. The two-hundred-pound brute doubled over like a shrimp.

Cao Kun grabbed his collar, hauled him up, and slammed him against the door of a wrecked car.

"So you're Brother Dao?" Cao Kun's voice was terrifyingly calm. "Now let's talk terms."

Brother Dao was in too much pain to speak, only able to nod.

"First, from today on, Liu Zhen is no longer your brother. I'll pay back the money he owes you," Cao Kun said.

Liu Zhen's face paled dramatically beside them. "Brother Dao, don't listen to him!"

Cao Kun didn't even glance his way, continuing, "Second, you and your men are never to trouble Feng Hua Lian or her family again. If anything happens to them, I guarantee you'll spend the rest of your life in a wheelchair."

Brother Dao nodded frantically.

"Third," Cao Kun finally looked at Liu Zhen, his eyes icy, "this man, I'm taking him."

Liu Zhen turned to run, but the Steel Pipe flew from Cao Kun's hand, smashing precisely into the back of his knee.

Liu Zhen sprawled face-first on the ground. Before he could get up, Cao Kun was already there, planting a foot on his back.

"Cao... Brother Cao, I was wrong, I was really wrong..." Liu Zhen was so scared he wet himself. "Please spare me. I swear I'll disappear, I'll never show up again..."

Cao Kun bent down and whispered softly by his ear, "Too late."

Cao Kun didn't cripple Liu Zhen on the spot.

Not out of mercy, but because he thought it would be letting him off too easy.

Pure physical injury was just a temporary fix, not a permanent solution.

Someone like Liu Zhen would think about revenge as long as he could still breathe. To make him vanish completely required a more thorough method.

Cao Kun let Brother Dao and the others go but kept Liu Zhen.

"Brother Cao, you're magnanimous, just let me go like passing gas..." Liu Zhen kowtowed on the ground, his forehead bleeding.

Cao Kun squatted down and looked at him. "Liu Zhen, I'm giving you a way out. Leave Zhongzhou and never come back. I'll pay off all the debts you owe. But if you dare set foot in Zhongzhou again..."

He patted Liu Zhen's cheek. "I'll make you wish you were dead."

Liu Zhen's eyes lit up. "You... you'll really pay my debts?"

"I keep my word." Cao Kun stood up. "But you have to agree to one condition."

"Name it! A hundred conditions!"

"Before you leave, do one thing for me." Cao Kun gave a meaningful smile. "After it's done, I'll give you fifty thousand for travel expenses, and your debts are cleared. How's that?"

Liu Zhen's greed overcame his fear. "What thing?"

Cao Kun didn't answer immediately.

He drove Liu Zhen to a remote warehouse and tossed him a bottle of water and a bag of bread.

"Eat something first. We'll talk slowly."

After Liu Zhen wolfed down the food, Cao Kun finally spoke. "Ever heard of 'Boss Xue'?"

Liu Zhen's hand trembled, and the bread fell to the ground.

Boss Xue, real name Xue Jinlong, was one of the true heavyweights in Zhongzhou's underworld.

He controlled multiple entertainment venues and underground casinos, had over a hundred lackeys, and was rumored to be involved in drugs.

Unlike small fries like Brother Dao, Boss Xue was genuinely ruthless and might have blood on his hands.

"Cao... Brother Cao, you want me to..." Liu Zhen's voice shook.

"Relax, I'm not asking you to confront him head-on." Cao Kun smiled. "I heard Boss Xue is recently looking for buyers for a batch of 'goods.' Help me make the connection. Tell him you know an out-of-town boss who wants to make a purchase."

Liu Zhen's face turned ghostly pale. "Brother Cao, this... this is a deadly business! Boss Xue deals in heroin. Getting caught means execution!"

"That's why it's you." Cao Kun patted his shoulder. "You're a hopeless gambler. Wanting to make quick money and taking desperate risks makes perfect sense. After it's done, I'll give you an extra hundred thousand."

A hundred thousand!

Liu Zhen's heart stirred.

"But... but I don't know any out-of-town bosses..."

"I'll arrange it." Cao Kun said. "You just need to do as I say. Don't worry, it's not really about drug trafficking. It's just a setup."

Liu Zhen hesitated.

He feared Boss Xue, but he really needed the money.

Plus, Cao Kun was too good a fighter. If he didn't agree, he might not walk out of this warehouse today.

"Okay... I agree," he said through gritted teeth.

Cao Kun smiled. "Smart. Come here, I'll tell you what to do."

Over the next three days, Cao Kun meticulously set up the trap.

Through Long Huili's connections, he found a businessman who had once been involved in drugs but had since gone clean.

The man owed Long Huili a favor and agreed to help play the part.

At the same time, Cao Kun had Liang Lingmeng secretly investigate evidence of Boss Xue's crimes—not to use it immediately, but to hold the initiative.

Everything was ready.

All that was left was for Liu Zhen to step into the trap Cao Kun had so carefully laid.

...