98: Chapter 98 What are you grabbing?

The afternoon sunlight slanted into the room; it was so empty and quiet that one could hear the sound of dust dancing in the beams of light.

Lin Ning stood in the living room, looking east and then west.

Playing cards were scattered on the coffee table, a cigarette butt still emitted a faint trail of blue smoke from the ashtray, and the boisterous voices of Jin Er and the others seemed to still linger in his ears.

He clicked his tongue. He hadn't even finished what he was saying—when did this bunch of idiots become so proactive?

"Buzz—Buzz—"

Wang Qiao!

Lin Ning's eyes lit up, and the corners of his mouth curled into a smile.

As they say, old friends are the best; those met later are all in it for the "money," none are as considerate as the original partner.

He swiped to answer, his voice carrying a hint of affection as he drawled, "Qiao'er..."

On the other end of the line, the sound of rapid keyboard clicking served as background noise as Wang Qiao interrupted Lin Ning's flirtatious nonsense at a breakneck speed, "Brother Tao recommended two stocks and a cryptocurrency. I've assessed them; the risks are controllable and the prospects are good. I plan to diversify the investment."

"..." The bit of affection on Lin Ning's face froze.

"Do you have any objections?" Wang Qiao pressed.

"No, just do as you see fit," Lin Ning said dryly. "Didn't we agree that you'd handle the external affairs while I handle the internal... wait, no, you handle the investments and I handle..."

"Fine, then I'll get to it. I'm busy, hanging up."

"Hey? Hey? Hello~~?"

Beep—Beep—

The only response was a long busy tone.

Lin Ning held his phone, standing there completely stunned. Was he some kind of NPC? Or just a piece of toilet paper to be discarded after use?

A few seconds later, he put down his phone and let out a cold, teeth-gritting sneer toward the empty living room.

"Good! Very good!" If you ignore me today, don't blame me for being cold-hearted tomorrow!!

Who the hell isn't busy! I'm busy as hell too!

He went home, grabbed his gym bag, and headed straight for the Fighting Gym.

The Fighting Gym was filled with the smell of sweat, leather, and disinfectant.

Muffled thuds echoed from the training area, one after another.

Lin Ning's tank top was already soaked, clinging to his body; with every exertion, the lines of his tensed muscles became clearer beneath the fabric.

He stared at the vertical post in front of him, his eyes turning red.

Lin Ning was a bit excited. He was already close to finalizing the most suitable power angles and speed trajectories for himself. Today, he had pushed his limits for an extended period, and unexpectedly, he had finally—finally finished.

With every punch, every kick, and every transition between movements, the smooth sense of satisfaction gave Lin Ning the feeling that he was invincible today.

The vertical post swayed violently under the blows, letting out groans of being overburdened.

Sweat flew from his forehead, tracing fine, bright lines under the lights before hitting the floor mats and soaking in as small, dark spots.

"Yo, Lin Zi!" Coach Chen Hu leaned against the side with his arms crossed, looking surprised. "Did you take the wrong medicine? Usually, you slip away faster than anyone when the time's up, but today you're putting in extra hours? Working this hard?"

Lin Ning stopped, messily wiped his hair, his eyes sparkling with joy and a sense of eagerness.

"I suddenly realized... I need to train better. If I really run into trouble on a narrow path, at least the strong get to survive."

Coach Chen Hu scratched his head, a bit puzzled. "How come I remember that when you first signed up, you shamelessly told me you wanted to learn how to dodge and run for your life??"

Lin Ning paused for a moment, then tilted his chin up, his eyes full of disdain as he said, "Your memory is failing you. My original words were—'learning how to carry out a strategic transfer more scientifically and effectively'."

"..." Coach Chen Hu was so choked by this shamelessness that he rolled his eyes. "So what are you so proud of?"

"And what about now? You're not learning strategic transfers anymore, but switched to strategic head-on confrontations?"

Lin Ning didn't reply further, only beckoning Coach Chen Hu with his finger. "Come and test my progress. I've finished my adjustments."

Lin Ning thought to himself, 'I didn't expect myself to be such a piece of crap either!'

Sure enough, any feeling of invincibility was just his own delusion.

Lin Ning lay on the ring, still stubbornly trying to save face as he said to Coach Chen Hu, "I trained too hard earlier, I'm out of energy and my reactions have slowed down. Just you wait until I'm in top shape!"

Coach Chen Hu let out a scoff, jerked his head, and turned to leave the ring.

Slipping into his own locker room, Coach Chen Hu grimaced as he bent down to rub his shins and pressed on his ribs.

Damn, I almost messed up. Is talent really this unreasonable? How long has he even been training?

In terms of killing techniques, Coach Chen Hu could easily crush Lin Ning. But in this kind of sparring, he was almost unable to suppress him.

Lin Ning was only disappointed for a short moment; after all, even with a body modified by the Golden Finger and the assistance of Psychic Power, he still couldn't beat Coach Chen Hu.

But the man was a veteran of the Special Forces, so this was only normal. It wasn't like this was some high-power martial arts world.

He took a good hot shower, the hot water hitting his skin and bringing a prickling, numbing sensation.

By the time he came out, it was already getting dark. The streets were lit with brilliant lights, like another sun.

Lin Ning rode his electric scooter, slowly meandering back.

His body was exhausted, but the strange irritability in his heart seemed to have been washed away by the sweat, leaving behind a weary sense of peace.

The accidental encounter with Jason Wu today made Lin Ning suddenly realize that even if he yielded and endured, handed over the case, and avoided the man, he couldn't completely escape the danger.

If they really met on a narrow path, he had to have the ability to protect himself.

Besides, this was his home turf. Damn it, this was China! Could he really be afraid of those bastards?!

He passed an intersection; the light was red.

He propped one foot on the ground and waited.

His gaze instinctively scanned the surroundings until—in the motor vehicle lane next to him—a black SUV stopped at the roadside, the passenger window rolled halfway down.

A person was sitting in the car, head turned, looking in his direction.

Every muscle in Lin Ning's body tensed instantly, as if an invisible electric current had surged through him.

Jason Wu.

The red light numbers ticked down one by one: 28, 27, 26...

This time, there was no glass of a cafe to separate them, no afternoon laziness to act as a buffer. Right here on this twilight street where the bustle was fading, across a few meters of air, their gazes collided without any obstruction.

Jason Wu's gaze was the same as before—cold, scrutinizing, like a scalpel gleaming under a surgical light.

The peace in Lin Ning's heart that had just been softened by sweat reignited with a "boom."

He twisted the throttle, and the electric scooter let out a slight hum as it glided next to the SUV and came to a steady stop.

Propping one foot on the ground, he looked straight into Jason Wu's eyes through that half-open window.

He no longer pretended to be oblivious, nor did he look away.

He just stared at the other man, the level of anger in his eyes steadily rising, his face practically screaming that he was looking for trouble.

"What are you looking at?!" Lin Ning spoke. His voice wasn't loud, but it carried a peculiar kind of power.

Jason Wu was stunned.