Chapter 39: The Storm Unfolds
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The first was Lang Feilang, the head of a food company who single-handedly established a roast duck brand.
The second was businessman Li Fuyi, owner of a clothing company.
The third was the big shot Fang Jianjun, commanding numerous henchmen.
The fourth was also a local boss, nicknamed Scarface, with many enforcers under him.
The fifth was businessman Wang Defu, who made his fortune in bottled water.
The sixth was a Vietnamese guy named Hu Zhuoma, who had made his way here.
The seventh was Wang Zhengfu, CEO of a pharmaceutical company.
The eighth was Zhang Jie, CEO of an educational support website; as for his behind-the-scenes dealings, well, that’s another story. Of course, Zhang Jie didn’t currently reside in Yangcheng, only maintaining a foothold there.
The ninth was a powerful figure nicknamed “The River Dragon.”
These nine, whether involved in white-collar or black-market affairs, were considered local overlords, each with many subordinates. Naturally, they shared one thing in common: all had committed various misdeeds in the past.
So when the death notices arrived, it caused a massive stir. Many whispered behind their backs, condemning these nine for their clandestine evils. Now that the “Chopsticks Hero” was coming for them, it was deeply satisfying to many.
But these nine were already trembling with fear.
How was this to be played? The things they had done years ago, which they thought no one knew about, had somehow been uncovered by the Chopsticks Hero. Impossible! And now he was coming to kill them.
Despite their wealth, power, and retinues, the reputation of the Chopsticks Hero was enough to frighten them.
Among them, several decided to seek police protection. No matter how arrogant the Chopsticks Hero was, they still had to respect the authorities. A few were so scared they prepared to flee—where to? The northern provinces of the homeland? After reconsideration, some thought better of it and decided to go abroad. Since the Chopsticks Hero was obviously Chinese, it would be easier to hide overseas among whites and blacks than at home among their own people.
Yet a few others, fiercely bold, thought the Chopsticks Hero was no match and were ready to fight. Especially the ninth, The River Dragon, a master under the Beggars’ Sect classified as a Third Elder. He immediately reported up the chain and called in specialists from a branch, vowing to chop the Chopsticks Hero down if he dared come.
In an instant, the winds of change began to stir!
...
At this moment, in Yangcheng’s Special Operations Unit—
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Team leader Nangong Zhu, with several subordinate officers, sat before a long table piled high with dossiers.
On them were detailed records of Qin Zhengtian, Lang Feilang, Li Fuyi, Fang Jianjun, Scarface, Wang Defu, the Vietnamese Hu Zhuoma, Wang Zhengfu, educational site CEO Zhang Jie, and The River Dragon. The files included their professions, assets, and the evils noted on the death notices.
Nangong Zhu, a statuesque beauty with long legs and slightly closed phoenix-shaped eyes, propped her flawless chin on her hand. “Don’t you think this is strange? The secret misdeeds these ten men committed are things even our police didn’t know. How does the Chopsticks Hero know?”
“Last time, when the Chopsticks Hero faced off against the Thunderbolt King, he displayed advanced high-tech weaponry. After that, we investigated along those lines.”
“But with our resources, we should have uncovered everything.”
“The Chopsticks Hero is one person, so he can conceal some things. But a large group with advanced technology cannot hide.”
“If we can’t find it, it simply doesn’t exist.”
“At the time, this struck me as odd.”
“So I hypothesized that the Chopsticks Hero might not have a high-tech backing group, but just happened to obtain high-tech gear by chance.”
“But now, the Chopsticks Hero can uncover old secrets from years ago—this is even stranger. Such long-buried secrets would be known to only a handful of people, and even we would find them very hard to discover.”
“The Chopsticks Hero truly carries many mysteries. We must capture him to uncover the truth.”
“Let’s analyze further. The death notices all specify a time three days from now at night. But the Chopsticks Hero is only one person; he cannot target all ten.” Nangong Zhu continued, “Therefore, among these ten, nine are likely decoys to mislead us. Only one is the real target. Which one?”
“Qin Zhengtian, Lang Feilang, Li Fuyi, Fang Jianjun, Scarface, Wang Defu, Vietnamese Hu Zhuoma, Wang Zhengfu, educational site CEO Zhang Jie, and The River Dragon.”
“Among them, two have had conflicts with the Chopsticks Hero before: Qin Zhengtian and Wang Zhengfu. Qin Zhengtian’s son, Qin Yan, was killed by the Chopsticks Hero. The Thunderbolt King Yang Feikuang, whom Qin Zhengtian hired at great cost, also died.”
“Wang Zhengfu, though a businessman, has extensive reach. For example, Bei Luluwei in N County is under his command. So the Chopsticks Hero’s target is more likely to be one of these two.”
“The educational site CEO Zhang Jie, Wang Defu, Fang Jianjun, and Li Fuyi all received death notices and immediately fled abroad by plane, so we don’t need to protect them.”
“The Vietnamese Hu Zhuoma escaped back to Vietnam.”
“The River Dragon and Scarface both have powerful factions behind them—the Beggars’ Sect and the South Sea Sword Sect respectively—so they don’t concern us.”
“So, that leaves only Qin Zhengtian, Wang Zhengfu, and Lang Feilang.”
“Lang Feilang’s chance is very slim.”
“The probability that the Chopsticks Hero’s true target is Qin Zhengtian is about seventy percent, and Wang Zhengfu about thirty.”
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“So we will dispatch large forces to protect Qin Zhengtian, and smaller teams to guard Wang Zhengfu.”
At that moment, a knock sounded at the door.
“Come in,” Nangong Zhu said.
The door opened, and in strolled a young man with bleached blond hair, a devil-may-care look, smoking a cigarette, twirling a lighter between his fingers.
He looked nothing like a police officer.
He was Hu Kuan, team leader of Special Operations Group C—a rebellious figure with exceptional skills.
“Hu Kuan, what are you doing here?” Nangong Zhu asked, frowning; she wasn’t fond of this rebellious youth.
“I was sent by higher-ups. Your hypothesis is quite accurate. I also believe the Chopsticks Hero’s main target is Qin Zhengtian with about seventy percent certainty, possibly even more. But the order from above is not to protect Qin Zhengtian—at most, send two officers as a token gesture, no real effort needed.” Hu Kuan nonchalantly played with his lighter.
“Why?” Nangong Zhu asked.
“What else could it be?” Hu Kuan smirked sarcastically. “Qin Zhengtian’s backing has been removed. The newcomers aren’t his supporters and want to favor other real estate businessmen. If Qin Zhengtian dies, those people can better divide the spoils. The Chopsticks Hero killing Qin Zhengtian suits their agenda.”
“I see.” Nangong Zhu’s lips curled into a bitter smile. “That’s why I prefer to stay in Special Operations rather than transfer elsewhere. Since the higher-ups want Qin Zhengtian dead, they’ll just use the Chopsticks Hero as a pawn to do their dirty work.”
“Exactly. But there’s another problem: the higher-ups no longer want the Chopsticks Hero around,” Hu Kuan said. “His strength has been assessed. After his narrow victory over the Thunderbolt King, he’s roughly at the level of a Fourth-Level Elder of the Beggars’ Sect.”
“We both are around Fifth-Level Elders.”
“Knowing when and where the Chopsticks Hero will appear, regardless of his identity, we’ll set an ambush nearby.”
“Once he kills Qin Zhengtian, we strike immediately and capture him.” Hu Kuan’s eyes gleamed with cold killing intent.
“That’s a solid plan,” Nangong Zhu nodded in acknowledgment. “But I don’t want to work with you.”
“This plan is either mine or yours. Or find someone else,” Nangong Zhu sneered. “Show him out.”
Hu Kuan’s brow twitched. “That’s the order from above.”
“So what if it is? I can be willful just once.” Nangong Zhu smiled coldly.
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