49: Chapter 49 Midnight Counterattack! The thugs who vandalized the property were all driven away! The three properties are secured!

Li Wei’s fingers tightened around the iron bar, his knuckles turning white as his gaze locked onto four dark shadows outside the iron gate of the old property. The cold, hard sensation of the iron bar surged up from his palm, adding a sharp edge to his already tense nerves.

The Slum District at midnight was completely submerged in silence. The old streetlights at the mouth of the alley flickered, casting mottled light on the peeling plaster of the walls. Rubble and dried weeds were scattered across the ground. Aside from the clattering of the wind blowing against a trash can at the end of the alley, only the sound of those four shadows' footsteps remained—deliberately light, yet still clearly audible as they crept toward the property's entrance.

“This is the place. Brother Ma said to smash the doors and windows and splash red paint. Let Lin Chen’s gang know who’s boss!” A shrill voice emerged from the shadows, carrying a hint of sneaky pride.

Another coarse voice chimed in, already pulling out a baseball bat wrapped in rusty wire. “Hurry up, make it quick. Don't let anyone see us!”

The four shadows instantly dispersed. Two stayed at the alley entrance to keep watch, while the other two raised their weapons, preparing to smash them against the iron gate of the property.

“Not on my watch!”

Li Wei let out a low shout and suddenly yanked open the side door of the property, swinging the iron bar out with a whistling sound.

The thug holding the baseball bat was caught off guard. The iron bar grazed his arm, making him howl in pain as the baseball bat flew two meters away.

“You dare stand in Marcus Guerrero's way? You're dead!” The shrill-voiced thug reacted, swinging a steel pipe at Li Wei. His eyes were full of ruthlessness, yet they couldn't hide the panic beneath.

Li Wei sidestepped the blow and struck the man's wrist with the iron bar, his strength perfectly controlled. The steel pipe hit the ground with a clang. With a quick trip of the foot, the thug fell flat on his face, groaning on the ground.

Seeing their companions at a disadvantage, the two lookouts at the alley entrance immediately rushed over to help. The four of them surrounded Li Wei, a chaotic brawl of punches, kicks, and mindless swings of their weapons.

Li Wei’s skills were extraordinary. He dodged left and right, his iron bar dancing in an impenetrable defense. Every strike landed precisely on their arms or legs, keeping them away from the property without using lethal force—a posture of pure protection.

But there were four of them after all. After a moment of fighting, Li Wei took a punch to the back, causing his footsteps to waver slightly.

Just then, a dark figure darted out from the shadows at the end of the alley. It was Lin Chen, who had circled around to the rear.

He had just followed the AI pop-up’s prompt—[Enemy rear defense is weak. Suggest flanking from the right-side junk pile for a surprise attack]—to the end of the alley. Seeing Li Wei surrounded, his eyes instantly turned cold without a hint of hesitation.

Lin Chen pushed off with his feet and instantly rushed behind one of the thugs, slamming his elbow hard into the man’s back. The thug let out a muffled groan and collapsed to the ground, his strength gone.

Immediately after, he reached out to grab a wooden club swung by another thug and gave it a fierce twist. The man let go in pain, and Lin Chen kicked him in the knee. The thug knelt on the ground, gasping from the sharp pain.

“Do it. Leave no one standing!”

Lin Chen’s voice wasn't loud, but it carried a bone-chilling coldness. Though clearly meant to intimidate, it struck the ears of the remaining two thugs like a thunderclap.

The two thugs looked at their three companions lying on the ground, then at Lin Chen’s ruthless and efficient skills, and finally at Li Wei’s raised iron bar. Their courage shattered instantly.

“Run! We can't beat them!” The shrill-voiced thug scrambled up from the ground, not daring to care for his companions as he turned and bolted toward the alley entrance.

The other standing thug followed suit, running for his life and disappearing into the night at the end of the alley, not even daring to look back.

Li Wei panted heavily, shaking his numbed arm as he looked at Lin Chen. “Brother Chen, you got here just in time! Two minutes later and I really would have been pinned down.”

“Are you okay?” Lin Chen glanced at him. Seeing that he had only taken a punch to the back and was mostly fine, he turned his gaze to the three thugs on the ground.

“They're just weaklings, can't even take a hit.” Li Wei spat, walked over to the three thugs, and poked them with his iron bar. “Should we tie them up and hand them to the police?”

“No need.” Lin Chen shook his head, his tone decisive. “Keeping them will only invite Marcus's frantic retaliation. Our priority right now is to protect the properties. Let them crawl away. Give Marcus a message: if he comes to cause trouble again, it won't be this simple.”

Li Wei understood immediately and roared at the three thugs, “Did you hear that? Get lost! Tell Marcus that if he dares come again, I’ll break his legs!”

The three thugs felt as if they had been granted a divine pardon. Supporting each other, they limped out of the alley, disappearing into the night.

Silence returned to the alley, leaving behind only scattered steel pipes, baseball bats, and a few footprints on the ground.

Lin Chen led the way into the property, with Li Wei following closely behind.

The two carefully inspected the property's condition: the iron door was intact, the window glass was unbroken, the walls were clean without paint or damage, and the furniture inside was neatly arranged, exactly as it was when they acquired it.

“Brother Chen, it's all good! The property didn't suffer any damage at all!” Li Wei reported with a smile after finishing his check.

Lin Chen nodded, took out his phone, and sent a message to Uncle Zhao: [The attackers have been repelled. The property is undamaged. Bring the final agreements for the three properties over immediately.]

In less than twenty minutes, Uncle Zhao arrived on his electric scooter, clutching a file folder containing the final acquisition agreements for the three properties.

By this time, dawn was just beginning to break. A few breakfast stalls appeared in the alleys of the Slum District, the air wafting with the scent of soy milk and fried dough sticks.

In the living room of the property, in the presence of witnesses left by The Homeowner, the three of them completed the final process of signing and fingerprinting.

Uncle Zhao carefully tucked the signed agreements into the folder, his tone relieved. “Xiao Lin, Li Wei, it’s done! Three properties, all paperwork in order, completely finalized. Our initial asset layout is complete!”

Li Wei pumped his fist excitedly. “Great! With these three houses in hand, we’ve finally taken root!”

Lin Chen looked at the copy of the agreement in his hand and felt a sense of relief. Just then, the AI pop-up before his eyes lit up, refreshing with a new prompt.

[Important Notice: The demolition compensation standards for the target area have been officially announced. The compensation amount per square meter has increased by 15% compared to previous estimates. The estimated total profit for the three properties will increase by over 1.2 million.]

Lin Chen’s eyes narrowed, and a slight curve appeared at the corner of his mouth. This news was undoubtedly the icing on the cake after the storm. With profits higher than expected, the value of these initial assets far exceeded his imagination.

“The demolition compensation standards are out. They're quite a bit higher than we expected,” Lin Chen told Li Wei and Uncle Zhao.

Uncle Zhao’s eyes lit up. “Really? That’s fantastic news! This move of ours was absolutely right!”

Li Wei was even more excited. “Brother Chen is brilliant! Planning ahead, beating back the thugs, and now a compensation hike—this luck is unbeatable!”

The three of them tidied up briefly, locked the property door, and walked toward the Grocery Store.

By now, the sky was fully bright. Pedestrians gradually filled the streets, and the old streets of the Slum District returned to their usual bustle.

But just as they reached the entrance of the Grocery Store, Lin Chen, Li Wei, and Uncle Zhao all stopped dead in their tracks.