129: Scarface Qiang

Chen Li stared at his phone screen. Right now, the only way to quickly get clues was to trouble Zhong Hao one more time.

The hideous scar on Scarface's face was too conspicuous. In a small county town like this, it shouldn't be hard to inquire about any hoodlum with a bit of a reputation.

He stopped hesitating and pressed the dial button directly.

"Hello, A Li." The call was answered quickly, and Zhong Hao's voice carried a hint of confusion.

Chen Li got straight to the point: "Brother Hao, help me ask about someone else. He's a gang leader with a scar on his right cheek."

"A scar?"

Zhong Hao pondered for a moment on the other end of the line. "Are you talking about Scarface Qiang? I have indeed heard of someone like that.

He usually operates around the vegetable market in the Old City East District, collecting protection fees and helping people settle minor disputes."

At this point, Zhong Hao's tone suddenly became cautious. "A Li, why are you asking about him? This guy is not someone to mess with."

Chen Li chuckled, "What can I do? I'm just asking around."

"Don't try to fool me, kid."

Zhong Hao's voice became serious. "I'm telling you, these people are not like us.

Don't mess around by yourself. If anything happens, you must call your brothers, okay?"

"Got it, Brother Hao. Seriously, it's nothing. Stop overthinking it."

Chen Li reassured him, "Let's leave it here for now. Talk later."

After hanging up, Chen Li stood still for a moment, holding his phone, letting his thoughts settle.

He turned and walked toward the bedroom, gently pushing open the slightly ajar door.

Inside the bedroom, Liu Nansheng was still sound asleep.

The afternoon sun filtered through the gaps in the curtains, casting soft spots of light on a corner of the floor.

She was lying on her side, one hand tucked under her cheek, her breathing even and deep. She looked to be sleeping soundly.

Chen Li tiptoed to the bedside, leaned down, and whispered in her ear: "Nansheng, I'm going out to run an errand. I'll be back later."

Liu Nansheng mumbled a response, her long eyelashes fluttering, but she didn't fully wake up.

Unconsciously, she snuggled deeper into the quilt, like a sleepy kitten.

Chen Li couldn't help but reach out to tuck the corner of the quilt around her, then gently pressed a kiss on her forehead.

Only then did he turn to leave, gently closing the door, putting on his shoes in the entryway, grabbing his car keys, and heading out.

The afternoon sun was a bit harsh. He walked up to the Audi, unlocked it, pulled open the door, and got into the driver's seat.

The car gave a low roar and slowly drove out of the Residential Complex.

More than thirty minutes later, Chen Li parked the car on the side of the road, one intersection away from the vegetable market.

He rolled down the window, his gaze sweeping over the crowds coming and going at the entrance of the vegetable market.

This was the busiest time for the vegetable market, with the sounds of noisy chatter and vendors hawking their goods filling the air.

Chen Li leaned back in his seat, waiting patiently.

A local big shot like Scarface Qiang should show up, right?

After waiting for over an hour in the stuffy car, Chen Li's eyes felt sore, and his vision started to blur.

Forget about Scarface's signature face, he hadn't even seen a single decent-looking hoodlum.

He started to doubt his judgment—was he taking too much for granted? Wasting time here like an idiot.

"Have I been watching too many movies?" He shook his head self-mockingly.

How could real-life hoodlums parade around the streets with their underlings all day, like in 'Young and Dangerous'?

They were more likely holed up in some Water Bar, Pool Hall, or Internet Cafe, killing time.

Thinking of this, Chen Li immediately started the car and drove toward the Old City's famous Entertainment and Leisure District.

This area was clustered with all kinds of Water Bars, Pool Halls, and Internet Cafes—exactly where these types of people frequently hung out.

After parking the car and walking onto the street, Chen Li immediately felt an atmosphere completely different from the vegetable market.

Every storefront was filled with smoke, and deafening music blasted from inside.

Young people with various colored hair were everywhere. Some were covered in tattoos, clustered in groups of three to five, smoking and chatting.

Every time Chen Li walked into a Water Bar, he drew many scrutinizing glances.

His clean, crisp appearance and decent clothing made him look completely out of place in this environment.

A few small-time hoodlums exchanged meaningful glances; clearly, he wasn't one of them.

"Hey, what are you doing?" A burly man with full-arm tattoos blocked his path, sizing him up with ill intent.

Backed by the 1000 Martial Power points granted by the System, Chen Li's mindset was exceptionally calm at this moment.

He observed the aggressive tattooed man before him, and a strange perception naturally surfaced in his mind—

Without needing any probing, he could clearly sense the flaws in the opponent's movements and the weak points in their muscle exertion.

This perception was not visual; it was more like an intuition directly imprinted on his consciousness.

A single, precise strike would be enough to instantly render this seemingly fierce strongman incapable of resistance.

This was not fantasy, but a nearly instinctive, precise judgment stemming from an absolute gap in strength.

"I'm looking for Brother Scar," Chen Li showed a gentle smile. "I'm here to pay him back. Do you know him?"

"Looking for Brother Scar to pay him back?" The tattooed man narrowed his eyes skeptically.

"Yes. Can you take me to see him?"

The tattooed man thought for a moment, then nodded toward Chen Li: "Follow me."

Chen Li followed him through the Water Bar's back door and into a narrow alley.

At the end of the alley was a medium-sized Office, inside which sat a long table scattered with tea sets and ashtrays.

Scarface was sitting around drinking tea and smoking with a few of his subordinates—it was the same group who kidnapped him that night, plus three unfamiliar faces.

"Brother Qiang, this kid is looking for you." The tattooed man announced, then stepped aside.

Scarface looked up and saw Chen Li, and his heart immediately sank.

Since the last incident, he had resolved not to get involved in these people's affairs again.

Now that Chen Li had come knocking alone, it made him both surprised and uneasy.

"How did you find this place? What do you want?" Scarface stared at Chen Li cautiously, his tone aggressive.

Although he was wary of Chen Li's financial power, he wasn't someone to be trifled with.

"Nothing special," Chen Li said straightforwardly. "Tell me, who ordered you to kidnap my girlfriend?"

"I won't tell you. You'd better scram."

Scarface waved his hand impatiently. "My patience is limited."

"So, nobody ordered it—you did it yourself?" Chen Li's gaze suddenly sharpened.

"Kid, are you looking for a beating?!" A volatile tattooed lackey rushed forward, ready to slap Chen Li before Scarface could speak.