Chapter 169: The Mastermind Appears
Chapter 169: The Mastermind Appears
“It’s just ahead there—Victory Bar, one of Jingdu’s most famous bars.”
“You can find anything you want to have fun in there. They say the connections behind it are very solid; that’s all I can say. The person you’re looking for goes by the nickname Jin Qianbao, and I don’t know his real name.”
Lu Kun drove Lin Mu to a busy street, stopping on a small road far away from the bar, then pointed it out to him.
“If you’re tricking me, even if you flee to the ends of the earth, I will find you.”
Lin Mu calmly glanced at Lu Kun, then got out of the car and walked away.
Lu Kun shivered a little. A cold feeling shot up from his tailbone instantly, and goosebumps spread over his skin. Though Lin Mu hadn’t spoken in a threatening tone, he still felt a chill.
“Bro Kun, what should we do now?”
The underling in the passenger seat asked. The other two had already gone to the hospital, because one of them had a broken dagger stuck in his leg.
“We won’t pursue this matter anymore. Keep a tight lip; whoever is involved is someone we can’t mess with. Let’s head to the hospital to check on Xiao Feng’s injury.”
Lu Kun sighed, looked at Lin Mu’s retreating back, started the engine, turned the car around, and drove off.
Lin Mu walked up to the Victory Bar entrance. Before entering, he heard loud music booming from inside, mixed with screams and laughter of countless men and women. Frowning slightly, he looked at a doorman by the door.
“I’m looking for Jin Qianbao.”
Glancing at the underling with dyed yellow hair, Lin Mu said directly.
“Looking for Brother Bao? Who are you?”
The yellow-haired man took a cigarette from his mouth, eyeing Lin Mu suspiciously.
“Who I am isn’t important. What matters is whether Jin Qianbao is here.”
Lin Mu said coolly.
“Pah! Where’d this idiot come from? Get lost! You think you can just see Brother Bao?”
The yellow-haired man cursed on the spot. With a flick of his right hand, he tried to throw the cigarette butt at Lin Mu.
Lin Mu’s eyes turned cold. His left hand shot out like lightning and caught the flying cigarette butt. Stepping forward, he grabbed the yellow-haired man’s hair, kicked the back of his knee, and the man fell to the ground with a thud.
“Swallow it!”
Lin Mu pried the man’s jaw open, forced the still-lit cigarette butt into his mouth, and closed it. The man screamed as it burned, but it was too late.
Using a Hand Blade strike on the yellow-haired man’s throat, the man swallowed involuntarily and actually choked down the cigarette butt.
“Get him! Take him down!”
The other hoodlums outside the door finally reacted. With a wild cry, they charged over, ready to teach Lin Mu a lesson.
The next moment, the bar door shattered into pieces. Figures flew in screaming, knocking over chairs inside.
The whole bar was so noisy that only the customers near the entrance were affected. Those inside kept dancing wildly, unaware of the trouble.
Lin Mu dragged the yellow-haired man into the bar by the hair. Glancing around, he spotted a DJ at the counter intensely spinning records. Seeing the drunken, reckless youth, he scoffed and drew his Colt.
Without aiming, he fired once and broke the machine the DJ was controlling. The blaring music stopped instantly, and the dancing crowd paused, confused, looking around.
Lin Mu said nothing. Seeing them stop, he raised his right hand and fired three shots at the ceiling. The sharp gunshots echoed loudly, startling the entire bar.
At the sound of gunfire, everyone screamed and rushed for the exit, trying to flee fast.
Lin Mu smiled with satisfaction. This was exactly what he wanted—clearing out all bystanders to avoid trouble.
In just minutes, the packed bar was nearly empty. The floor was a mess, with toppled chairs and tables and broken bottles everywhere, looking as if a storm had struck.
Clap! Clap! Clap!
Just then, applause rang out through the bar. A man walked down from a VIP booth upstairs. He looked around forty, with a thick gold chain around his neck and two huge gold Rings on his fingers.
“This takes guts! Haven’t seen a young man this tough in ages!”
Revealing his yellow teeth, Jin Qianbao laughed as he descended the stairs. His triangular eyes sized up Lin Mu, then briefly shifted to the yellow-haired man held by the hair.
“You’re Jin Qianbao?”
Lin Mu also gave the gold-covered man a once-over, raising an eyebrow to ask.
“Exactly. You stormed in here looking for me, right? Get to the point!”
Jin Qianbao glanced behind him. An underling dashed over, righted a stool, wiped it fast with his sleeve, and placed it for Jin Qianbao, who sat down like a king without looking.
A boss-level figure made a grand entrance, and just his presence showed he was leagues stronger than Lu Kun.
Lin Mu kicked aside the kneeling yellow-haired man, blew away a few stray hairs from his hand, eyed Jin Qianbao with interest, and tucked his Colt back at his waist.
“Last night, a guest named Mr. Dong—did you set him up?”
Getting straight to it, Lin Mu didn’t waste time.
“Mr. Dong? So you’re that kid from last night?”
Jin Qianbao’s triangular eyes narrowed, a dangerous glint flashing in them.
“I see you know about it. Was it your idea to have Shen Xue drug and knock out Xianxian yesterday?”
Lin Mu’s eyes turned cold. It seemed that what Lu Kun had said was mostly true—this Jin Qianbao was the culprit.
“So you’re here for that celebrity. You’re into starlets? Listen up, kid: celebrities are for fun, not love. Find a normal girl instead.”
Jin Qianbao rubbed his large Ring and smiled faintly.
“Good. I’ve found who I need. The rest of you can go, unless you want to share the trouble.”
Smiling, Lin Mu announced to those nearby.
Nobody moved. Everyone stared at him like he was a fool, even with pity. Those who knew Brother Bao well understood that whenever he twisted his Ring, a killing intent flared up.
“Youngsters are a bold bunch! I was like you once, risked my life to climb this high. Survive this place, and you might go far in Jingdu!”
With a wild laugh, Jin Qianbao barked, “Get him now!”
The nearby underlings rushed forward en masse. Some near the counter pulled out half-meter-long knives and leaped over to attack.
With this display, they intended to slice Lin Mu to pieces.
Dealing with thugs like this didn’t need a sword—that’d be overkill. Lin Mu walked forward casually, turning and moving his arms and legs. Thugs flew back from all sides, downed instantly.
The smooth moves made Jin Qianbao’s eye twitch. He stood up quietly, stepped back, and three young men behind him moved forward to protect him.
In under a minute, Lin Mu handled the thirty-or-so thugs, and the bar quieted down. The fallen hoodlums were all out cold, silent.
If they could fight back under Lin Mu’s blows, they wouldn’t be stuck as lowly gangsters.
“Bravo, impressive skills! No wonder you dared to invade alone. But they say two fists aren’t enough against many hands—today, I’ll teach you!”
Jin Qianbao stated coldly.
As he finished, the three young men dashed out. One threw a long punch straight at the center, while two flanked on either side: one aimed high at the head, the other low at the joints. Their teamwork was flawless—clearly practiced.
They were trained fighters with decent skill; their punches moved fast, creating a whoosh sound—a sign of training that ordinary people couldn’t achieve.
When the three attacked, Lin Mu lifted his right leg once. Three phantom kicks appeared simultaneously. The youths flew back instantly.
With incredible speed, Lin Mu used only his right leg to block all three strikes at once.
“Brother Bao, this guy’s dangerous. You should run!”
The middle youth retreated near Brother Bao and whispered quickly.
“Hah! Forget running! He’s one guy—how can we fear him?”
Clapping hard twice, Jin Qianbao summoned five young men with handguns from upstairs. They all aimed at Lin Mu.
“Kid, times have changed. Fighting alone won’t get you far. You’re smart—you brought a gun—but you’re not the only one armed. How do you fight all my gunmen?”
Seeing Lin Mu standing still, Jin Qianbao smirked smugly, thinking he controlled things and relaxing inside.
Ignoring the proud Jin Qianbao, Lin Mu blurred like a flash. Everyone lost sight of him for an instant. Then screams came from upstairs.
Startled, Jin Qianbao glanced up quickly, and what he saw sank his heart.