24: Chapter 24 Avoiding? Inevitable

Lin Ning put down his phone, his fingertips tapping lightly on the desk. His gaze fell on the wanted poster for Zhang He on the screen. A lingering smile still hung on his lips, but his mind was already busy calculating the ledger: the wanted poster offered a reward of 100,000, but since he only provided the lead and didn't participate in the arrest, by the rules, he would likely only get 50,000 to 60,000. Still, even 50,000 or 60,000 was enough to take a big step forward in his debt repayment plan; it wasn't a small amount.

Jin Er and the other two had to be acknowledged. Without their reminder, he might have missed this "tough guy" entirely. Eating alone? That wasn't something a real man would do.

He stretched, and a soreness-filled crack came from his joints—the soreness from the afternoon Fighting Gym training hadn't eased yet. Just as he wanted to get up to move his stiff limbs, a WeChat message popped up from Officer Li Feng: "The station chief approved it! We'll arrive at Juma Bridge in twenty minutes. The local Police Station will assist in the lockdown. This time, it's in the bag!"

Looking at the message, Lin Ning's tense nerves finally relaxed a bit, and the smile on his lips deepened a little. He walked to the window, lifted a corner of the curtain with his fingers, and looked out. The night had already fallen. On the streets of Juma Bridge, the lights were sparse. In the direction of the old building, a few dim streetlights were vaguely lit, like pairs of half-open, half-closed eyes reflecting against the mottled wall plaster.

But he didn't stay happy for more than two seconds before his brows furrowed again. Jin Er, Xu San, and Zhang Shitou still lived in that old building.

There would likely be a commotion during the arrest. Zhang He was a desperate criminal with major criminal cases on his back. If he were cornered and forced to do something desperate, what if innocent bystanders got caught in the crossfire...

Lin Ning pulled out his phone and dialed Jin Er's number.

"Hello, Lin Zi? Why are you calling now?" Jin Er's voice was mixed with noisy background sounds.

Xu San's shouting came through: "Hey! Shunzi! Hurry up!"

Jin Er: "Pass! Pass! Pass!"

Lin Ning couldn't help but laugh. These three really played from morning until night, never resting for a moment: "Brother Jin Er, call Brother Xu San and Brother Zhang Shitou, and come out! I'm treating you three to a late-night snack at Old Yang's BBQ. Let's liven things up!"

Jin Er was puzzled: "What? Did you strike it rich?"

"Thanks to you three brothers, I caught a little bit of good luck." Lin Ning left a hook in his words, not saying it explicitly, then added, "Just got back from the Fighting Gym, my whole body is falling apart. Looking for you guys to have a drink and relax. And by the way... there's some good news to share."

He paused, his tone becoming more natural: "Can you come out now? Old Yang just set up his stall, there are few people, so we can grab a good seat."

On the other end of the phone, Jin Er laughed: "Yo, a timely helper in the world! We only nibbled on some edamame this afternoon and were just worrying about what to do for dinner. Alright, wait for us!"

"Don't dawdle, I'll be waiting for you." After hanging up the phone, Lin Ning felt at ease—the people were moved out, the risk was avoided, and the expression of gratitude would also be logical.

Returning to the computer and looking at Zhang He's photo, he had a plan in mind: the thank-you gift for Jin Er and the others, including cigarettes, alcohol, and red envelopes, would be calculated at 10,000. The rest would be added to his investment capital. The numbers on Tao Shuyu's side were still rising; once this wave ended, the wheels of making money would spin even faster.

Lin Ning took one last look in the direction of the old building. In the night, it was as quiet as a deep well. But he knew that in twenty minutes, this well would boil over.

He grabbed his keys, went downstairs, and headed straight to the convenience store downstairs.

The proprietress was binge-watching a show and glanced at him: "Lin Zi, what are you buying?"

"Six cartons of Yuxi, six bottles of Xifeng, and three red envelopes."

The proprietress smiled while grabbing the goods: "Yo, celebrating something happy?"

"Yeah, that's right, haha." Lin Ning laughed it off.

He paid, took the red envelopes, and efficiently stuffed thirty red bills into each one—three thousand, neat and tidy.

He settled the bill readily—Lin Ning loved money, but when it came to money that needed to be spent, he never held back.

On the way, he thought about what he would say later: hand over the cigarettes and alcohol first, slip the red envelopes into their pockets, and then casually add, "Thanks to you reminding me about that neighbor, I managed to pick up a small profit." Keep it brief. Old hands at the game were crystal clear in their hearts; no need for many words, as long as the sentiment was conveyed, that was enough.

When he reached the entrance of Old Yang's BBQ, he saw Old Yang squatting by the stove starting the fire. The charcoal fire crackled, and sparks flew upward.

Seeing Lin Ning coming over carrying the cigarettes and alcohol, Old Yang greeted him with a smile: "Lin Zi, you're here? Why so generous today, bringing so much stuff?"

"Treating a few brothers to a meal!" Lin Ning replied with a smile, found a table in the back, sat down, and placed the cigarettes and alcohol on the corner of the table. He turned to shout at Old Yang, "First, bring twenty lamb skewers, twenty beef tendon skewers, twenty grilled kidneys, and a serving of grilled eggplant and chives. And bring four bottles of ice-cold beer first!"

"Alright! I'll grill them for you right away, guaranteed to be crispy on the outside and tender on the inside!" Old Yang replied happily, his hands already skillfully threading the skewers.

In less than two minutes, the three of them—Jin Er and the others—strolled over. As soon as they sat down, they laughed: "Lin Zi, hurry up and confess, what good thing landed on your head?"

Lin Ning opened the beer, filled the glasses for the three of them, and pushed the cigarettes and alcohol toward them: "You brothers start smoking and drinking, it's just a small token from your little brother." Then he took out the red envelopes and stuffed one into each of their hands: "I heard you guys say that the new neighbor was acting strange, so I went to 'keep an eye' on it and picked up a small profit. Everyone who sees it gets a share."

The three of them, Jin Er and the others, showed a look of "as expected" realization on their faces. They openly accepted the cigarettes and alcohol, and without even looking at the red envelopes, they stuffed them directly into their pockets.

Jin Er smiled and patted his shoulder: "You've got a conscience!"

Xu San gulped down some beer, feeling pleased: "We just let it slip out, the money was earned by your own ability. And you still thought of us brothers—that's what I call a real friend!"

Zhang Shitou raised his glass and put an end to the topic: "Alright, that's enough talk about this. Let's drink!"

The four glasses clinked together, foam splashing out, mixing with the smoky air rising from the grill, blooming into a lively scene in the night.

Lin Ning accompanied them with smiles, chatted, and ate skewers heartily, but the corner of his eye was always fixed on the direction of the small white building—he had to wait for the police side to settle the matter before he could truly put his heart at ease.

Meanwhile, inside the old building, Zhang He was sitting on the edge of the bed, his fingers unconsciously twisting the strap of the black backpack on the headboard. He suddenly looked up, vigilantly scanning the night outside, which was so thick it couldn't be dissolved. He stood up abruptly, grabbed the backpack, and slung it onto his shoulder—the inexplicable sense of unease in his heart made him decide to leave immediately.