19: Old Chen's advice

Jiang Feng was alive and well.

After many twists and turns, he finally shook off the pursuit, returned from West Street to East Street, and the signal jamming on his wristband disappeared.

He immediately connected to Iron Clad Gold's camera and saw the dim, sad eyes of Lin Xiaoyu.

Jiang Feng let out a breath and quickly sent a message: "I'm back, I'm downstairs, safe!"

Turning the corner, he saw the familiar apartment building, that old gray structure standing like an isolated island in the darkness.

He parked the vehicle downstairs, quickly jumped out, and looked up at the third-floor window; the light was still on. A figure suddenly pulled back the curtain, and the faint light shone out, illuminating the figure who was waving and bouncing repeatedly.

It was Lin Xiaoyu; she was crying tears of joy, making a rare jumping motion.

After only a few jumps, she frowned. Her chest hurt too much; her ample bosom did not like bouncing and had already lodged a serious protest.

Jiang Feng showed a slight smile and quickly waved back. This was a feeling he had never experienced before.

Glancing around, the parking lot had been cleaned up. He saw drag marks on the asphalt; it seemed the Iron Hand Gang had come again and taken away all their remaining wounded. Jiang Feng observed carefully but saw no other traces.

The main door was blocked, but judging by the clanging noises from inside, it seemed someone was there, opening the door for him.

Jiang Feng pondered for a moment; he knew this matter would not end here.

The Iron Hand Gang was a syndicate, and every retreat meant a loss of face. Jiang Feng could imagine the gang members starting internal arguments, each sticking to their guns; some would call for revenge, while others would fear the consequences.

Eventually, someone would step forward, call for internal unity, and then send people to investigate.

Once they thoroughly investigated his background, the next step would be multi-faceted oppression.

Either he would die, or the Iron Hand Gang would die; the possibility of negotiation was extremely slim.

Unless he could quickly inflict heavy losses on the Iron Hand Gang, which would not only make the opposition realize his capability but also trigger the greed of other rival gangs by weakening the Iron Hand Gang.

Jiang Feng did not believe the Iron Hand Gang was without rivals; every lion had hyenas constantly watching its rear!

Once the lion weakened, the hyenas would bite straight below its tail until they had completely gutted the lion.

Since society was such a jungle, he needed to become the strongest predator.

To prevent the hovercar from being targeted, Jiang Feng drove it into the underground parking lot and covered it with a car cover. The elevator in the underground parking lot was broken, so he circled back to the main entrance.

"Hurry and come in!" Old Man Chen called out to him, and the young men moved the metal table aside.

Jiang Feng squeezed in sideways and then helped them move the table back. It was then that he noticed the young men's faces were filled with excitement, and their eyes were full of admiration for him, like an audience completely hyped up at a music festival.

"Brother Feng!"

Several people immediately surrounded him, talking over each other, and Jiang Feng couldn't understand what they were saying.

He could only look at Old Man Chen for help. The elder sternly tapped his cane: "Little Jiang, come here, let's talk alone."

After shaking off the young men, Jiang Feng and Old Man Chen walked toward the stairwell entrance, just as a rapid thudding of footsteps approached. The moment he looked up, a fragrant breeze rushed into his arms.

"You finally came back..." She inhaled greedily, her arms wrapped around Jiang Feng's neck, her whole body relaxing.

"I'm fine, and Old Liu and his family are also doing well," Jiang Feng said, patting her back reassuringly.

"It's good that you're okay."

Lin Xiaoyu's tone was heavy, emphasizing the word "you."

Jiang Feng understood her implication and smiled faintly: "Mm."

Just then, Iron Clad Gold ran out from behind Lin Xiaoyu, circling Jiang Feng happily while making electronic "woof woof" sounds.

"Iron Clad Gold, sit," Jiang Feng said, smiling as he patted its head.

The Robot Dog immediately lay down obediently, its tail gently tapping the ground.

Jiang Feng glanced at his wristband, which displayed a line of text: "Iron Clad Gold Battery: 99%"

No wonder it was so energetic—it was fully charged.

Old Man Chen looked at the couple's happy appearance and also showed a relieved smile. He was old, and his wife had passed away long ago. What he loved most was seeing young people supporting each other and truly embracing one another.

This reminded him of his youth, when he was just as passionate and full of love.

However, to prevent the couple from kissing, Old Man Chen lightly cleared his throat with a closed fist near his lips: "Ahem, ahem, ahem..."

Jiang Feng put Lin Xiaoyu down and looked at Old Man Chen; he also had some questions he wanted to ask.

"Old Chen, in your estimation, when will this Iron Hand Gang business be considered over?"

"Over? It's not over, and it won't be over," Old Man Chen said with a faint, bitter smile.

"Why?" Jiang Feng was puzzled.

Old Man Chen shook his head slightly: "Little Jiang, you young people are too used to peaceful times. You think some things are too simple. I lived through the 'Superluminal Great Expansion' era. Back then, the Earth was also ruled by gangs."

"Economic turmoil and unstable situations rapidly breed gangs. Some of these gangs are just ordinary people banding together for warmth, and others are supported by big figures, specifically doing work for them."

Jiang Feng didn't quite understand: "What kind of work?"

Old Man Chen sighed: "Getting people to strike, getting people to protest in the streets, getting people to vote against things, getting people to riot—all kinds of bad things."

"The Iron Hand Gang is one such force. They have ties to several major lobbying consortiums. In the current council of City Planning Area No. 03, over a dozen influential council members have received their assistance."

"It is precisely because of this that the Public Security Bureau turns a blind eye."

Hearing this, Jiang Feng's expression grew serious: "It sounds like this gang is unusually strong. Are we just waiting for death?"

"Not entirely," Old Man Chen stated solemnly. "Precisely because this gang is large, there is more internal conflict. And precisely because of that, we only need to deal with small-scale harassment. The big figures in the gang will want to maintain stability."

"That's good," Jiang Feng relaxed.

"You showed great restraint this time by not causing any fatalities, so this matter is still negotiable. When the Public Security Bureau comes tomorrow, I will handle them for you. I will also contact the landlord and have him step forward to reach an agreement with the Iron Hand Gang."

Old Man Chen smiled, his face growing more weathered and his body more hunched: "Our 'property management fee' and 'cleanup fee' will probably cost an extra thousand or so credits, but as long as everyone is safe, it will be fine."

"It's just you. You and Little Lin must be extra careful. The people in the Iron Hand Gang are petty. Even if they don't attack the apartment again, it is very likely they will target you two individually."

"You absolutely must not let them capture you, otherwise..."

Old Man Chen's voice was hoarse; he gripped his cane tightly, tears streaming down his face: "It would be a fate worse than death!"

Jiang Feng and Lin Xiaoyu exchanged a look. He gazed at Old Man Chen and nodded seriously: "Thank you, Old Chen."

"Mm, you two go on, go on..."

Old Man Chen turned around, leaning on his cane, his face sadly hidden in the shadows.

Only Iron Clad Gold saw a drop of water fall from above.

[Electrolyte Concentration: Matches the saline composition of tears]

[Protein Identification: Lactoferrin and lysozyme detected]

[Trace Elements: Cortisol metabolites (stress hormone indicator) found, concentration high]

[Risk Assessment: Combined with environmental and behavioral data, determined to be emotional distress. Target's current psychological state is unstable]

It watched the old man walk away shakily, then lowered its head, looked at the spreading tear drop on the ground, and tilted its head in thought for a moment.

The Robot Dog turned around, squatted beside Jiang Feng, and looked up at him.

Jiang Feng was actually relaxed inside. His unique experiences had given him a perceptiveness that surpassed that of ordinary people. Regardless of the era, power was always the same: derived from economics, yet superior to economics.

The methods used by those at the top of the pyramid against the bottom layer were all the same.

Allowing small-scale conflict was intended to assert presence, but they were extremely wary of anyone completely destroying order.

Whether that person was their subordinate or someone else, anyone who dared to rock the boat had to disappear from the table!

He didn't let Iron Clad Gold kill them this time because the Iron Hand Gang's actions tonight were a collective effort. But next time, when these bastards decided to kill him or Lin Xiaoyu...

He would show no mercy!

That would be a private grudge and would not escalate into a full-scale conflict.

"After all is said and done, it's still about insufficient strength," Jiang Feng said with a self-mocking smile.

"Then what should we do?" Lin Xiaoyu looked up at him, her eyes sparkling.

"Change," Jiang Feng lowered his head. Something seemed to be brewing in his dark eyes.

Lin Xiaoyu saw clearly: it was a profound calmness, and... a hysterical ambition.

"Mm." She turned her head and pressed her ear against Jiang Feng's chest.

No matter how her man changed, she would change with him. That was how a couple should live their lives.

Iron Clad Gold looked up at this scene and quietly snapped a photograph, marking it with a special timestamp in its processor.

[Family Portrait]

[July 21, 2254, 3:15:54 AM]