Chapter 84: Do Not Mess with People You Cannot Afford to Provoke
Chapter 84: Do Not Mess with People You Cannot Afford to Provoke
“Misunderstanding, it’s all a misunderstanding. May I ask which path you follow, young brother?”
Although his hand was in unbearable pain, the middle-aged man still forced a smile.
“Heh, I dare not claim such honor. The path I follow, even if I told you, you wouldn’t know. As long as you don’t provoke me, everyone can live in peace. Otherwise, I don’t need to spell out the consequences—I think you understand very well.”
Lin Mu smiled slightly. He casually squeezed the iron bed frame, and with a creaking sound, the frame as thick as two fingers was actually broken off by Lin Mu.
The prisoners who saw this immediately swallowed hard. None of them expected Lin Mu to be such a fierce person. With such immense strength, if he grabbed a person, wouldn’t it be enough to kill them instantly?
After realizing Lin Mu was a dangerous person, all the serious offenders no longer dared to disturb him. In fact, the beds near Lin Mu were completely empty, as no one dared to sleep there.
Just as Shen Zhuguang was leaning back in his soft leather chair, dreaming of getting promoted and becoming rich, the phone on his desk suddenly rang. Glancing at the phone, Shen Zhuguang didn’t answer it but continued humming a little tune smugly.
The phone rang for a while and then automatically stopped, but not long after, it rang again. After this repeated a few times, Shen Zhuguang finally grew impatient. He abruptly sat up straight and snatched the phone.
“What is it?!”
Shen Zhuguang sounded very irritable.
“Shen Zhuguang, this is Li Yaorong.”
A deep yet authoritative voice came from the other end of the line.
For a moment, Shen Zhuguang didn’t recognize who was speaking and was somewhat stunned. The person on the other end, thinking there was a problem with the call, immediately said “hello” several times in a row.
Li Yaorong was the director of the Jingdu Headquarters and also Shen Zhuguang’s direct superior. He was in charge of the entire public security system of Huaxia—a truly powerful figure. He was actually calling personally?
Could it be that the Yan Family had put in a good word and he was about to be promoted?
Shen Zhuguang’s eyes lit up. He hastily stood up, a smile spreading uncontrollably across his face.
“Yes, this is Shen Zhuguang. Director, do you have any instructions for me?”
“Did you arrest someone named Lin Mu?”
“Yes, Director. This person is a troublemaker who shows no regard for the law. I have already taken him into custody.”
Shen Zhuguang said excitedly. With such quick handling of the matter, surely the Director would be very satisfied, right?
“You idiot!”
But what came from the other end of the phone was a furious shout. Shen Zhuguang’s smile froze, and he was stunned once again.
“Director, what… what did you say?”
“You idiot! You must have pig fat clouding your mind! Who gave you the nerve to arrest Lin Mu?”
“But, that Lin Mu really didn’t obey the law. I was just following the rules…”
Shen Zhuguang stammered. By now, he was completely bewildered and didn’t understand what was happening.
“Enough! Don’t use bureaucratic talk with me. This Lin Mu is not someone we can touch. He has deeper connections behind him. Release him immediately!”
“But, Director, the Yan Family…”
In his panic, Shen Zhuguang actually mentioned the Yan Family. As soon as the words left his mouth, his heart sank. He knew things were about to go badly.
“Hmph! I was wondering why you’d go after a young man for no reason. So it’s the Yan Family behind this. Let me tell you, if anything happens to this Lin Mu, even ten Yan Families won’t be able to save your head!”
The other end spoke angrily and then hung up with a slam, making Shen Zhuguang shudder. His gaze became somewhat dazed.
Just what background does this Lin Mu have? The head of the Headquarters actually called him directly, demanding he release Lin Mu immediately without any delay!
“Yan Family! You’ve really done me in this time!”
Shen Zhuguang inwardly lamented. He immediately grabbed his coat, called for someone, and rushed to the prison.
When he arrived at the prison, the scene made Shen Zhuguang inwardly sigh with bitter amusement. This Lin Mu truly had an unusual background. The area around his bed was completely empty—no prisoners dared to approach, forming a strange vacant circle.
The serious offenders were also puzzled. They naturally knew who Shen Zhuguang was. Why would such an important person come to this prison for serious criminals today on a whim?
“Mr. Lin, I was really rude earlier. Ignorance is no sin. I hope you won’t hold it against me.”
Rubbing his hands together, Shen Zhuguang gave an awkward smile as he walked to Lin Mu’s bedside.
Lin Mu showed no reaction, as if he were truly asleep.
An embarrassed expression flashed across Shen Zhuguang’s face. He glanced at the serious offenders, then waved his hand. Several prison guards immediately came forward and escorted all the prisoners out.
“Mr. Lin? Mr. Lin?”
He called out softly several more times. Shen Zhuguang didn’t feel angry at all; he just stood quietly by Lin Mu’s bed.
Lin Mu wasn’t actually asleep, but he wanted to teach Shen Zhuguang a lesson. Otherwise, this man might really think he was easy to bully.
“What’s going on? Oh! Isn’t this Chief Shen? What brings you here in person?”
Pretending to have just woken up, Lin Mu turned over. Seeing Shen Zhuguang, he put on a surprised expression.
“Mr. Lin, please don’t make fun of me. I was very rude earlier. I hope you won’t take it to heart. Let me treat you to dinner tonight to make up for it.”
Shen Zhuguang gave a dry laugh.
“But isn’t this about handling things according to the law? The investigation isn’t even complete yet. How can you let me out? I’m a law-abiding citizen. Chief Shen, you should finish the investigation before coming to find me.”
Lin Mu yawned, turned over, and went back to sleep.
“Mr. Lin, we’ve already gotten to the bottom of this matter. It really was those hooligans who caused the trouble. We’ve arrested all of them. I’m here to inform you that you can leave now.”
A cold sweat broke out on Shen Zhuguang’s forehead. He spoke rapidly.
“Is that so? That’s great! The real bad guys have finally been brought to justice. It seems your efficiency is quite good. Not bad, I’m satisfied!”
Lin Mu rolled over and sat up in one swift motion. He stared at Shen Zhuguang and grinned.
“I’m very glad you’re satisfied, Mr. Lin. This place isn’t very comfortable. Why don’t we go somewhere else to talk?”
Shen Zhuguang tentatively suggested.
“That won’t be necessary. I have matters to attend to back home. I hope Chief Shen won’t arrest the wrong person again in the future.”
Lin Mu patted the dust off his clothes and said casually.
“Absolutely, absolutely. I will definitely pass on your suggestions. My subordinates will be much more careful in their work from now on.”
Nodding, Shen Zhuguang hastened to agree.
“Good. Then please arrange a car to take me back to the city.”
“No problem, no problem. This way, Mr. Lin.”
Shen Zhuguang felt relieved and wiped the sweat from his forehead. He had finally managed to send this troublesome figure away. When he got back, he had to find a way to distance himself from this matter. As for the Yan Family, he couldn’t worry about them anymore—let them do whatever they wanted!
Not long after Lin Mu left the prison, Yan Zhongqing received the news. He immediately instructed the old steward to find out what had happened. After a short while, the old steward returned.
“Family Head, I’ve found out. Shen Zhuguang received a call from Li Yaorong. He got orders from above and had no choice but to release him.”
The old steward stood in the study and reported to Yan Zhongqing, who was handling documents.
Yan Zhongqing’s hand, which had been flipping through the files, immediately stopped. He lifted his eyelids and glanced at the old steward.
“Li Yaorong gave the order? How does he know that kid Lin Mu?”
“Li Yaorong doesn’t know Lin Mu. He also received a call, after which he personally called Shen Zhuguang and told him he must release Lin Mu immediately.”
The old steward replied respectfully.
“Someone can give direct orders to Li Yaorong? This Lin Mu actually has such influence? Who exactly is protecting him from behind?”
“That… we haven’t been able to find out yet. Their phone lines are encrypted. If we try to force our way in, it will raise suspicions.”
The old steward shook his head helplessly.
Yan Zhongqing’s expression also turned grave. Clearly, the person behind Lin Mu made him somewhat wary. After thinking for a moment, Yan Zhongqing suddenly asked again, “What about the matter with the Guo Family? Any progress?”
“We’ve already found out. Guo Songyun of the Guo Family is engaged to Song Yuru of the Song Family. However, Song Yuru seems to strongly oppose this marriage and has been getting very close to that kid Lin Mu.”
“Oh? Find an opportunity to contact the Guo Family. Try to form an alliance with them and break their power from within.”
Yan Zhongqing’s eyes gleamed with a sharp light as he spoke calmly.
“But the Guo Family and the Song Family are already very close. Wouldn’t it be inappropriate for us to approach them so abruptly? What if the Guo Family turns against us instead?”
The old steward seemed somewhat hesitant.
“It’s fine. Their future daughter-in-law ran away—that’s a huge loss of face. I doubt the Guo Family doesn’t have any grievances. Moreover, the Guo Family is quite skilled in business. We can just help them out.”
Yan Zhongqing chuckled dryly, looking completely confident.
“Family Head, you mean…?”
The old steward seemed to understand.
“Right. In the next two years, the financial circles in Europe and America are going to be turbulent again. Many major families have started secretly withdrawing their funds. A new round of financial storm is about to begin. If we help them get through this crisis, what do you think they will do?”
Yan Zhongqing smiled triumphantly.
“But… this is top-secret information. If we tell them, what if…?”
The old steward still seemed somewhat uneasy.
“Don’t worry. How could I directly warn them? I’ll just inadvertently leak a little information so they can be mentally prepared.”
“Besides, their East Sea Military Region isn’t a monolithic bloc either. It’s already in a state of turmoil. These people are all making their own plans in private.”
“In any case, go make contact first and see what the situation is like.”
Yan Zhongqing had single-handedly brought the Yan Family to its current status; he was certainly not a man of mere courage without strategy. Describing him as both wise and brave was most fitting.
“Yes, Family Head. I will go take care of it right away.”