Chapter 103: Forced Demolition

Soon after, Yang Jiekai quickly received a message from Han Ning, which was exceptionally brief—just one word: "Get lost!"

Yang Jiekai smirked but paid it no mind. If his icy wife agreed with him, that would be the real surprise. The earlier comment had been nothing more than a joke.

The next morning, having rested for several days, Yang Jiekai woke early feeling refreshed. He decided it was time to contact Qin Feng and the others to inquire about the company’s situation.

“Brother Yang, you finally showed up! Hurry to the company, something’s gone wrong!” Qin Feng’s voice over the phone was tense.

Yang Jiekai frowned. “Hold on, I’m on my way!”

After ending the call, Yang Jiekai sped along the road. He knew Qin Feng well enough to realize that if it weren’t serious, Qin Feng wouldn’t sound so urgent.

By the time he arrived, the group was already waiting at the company. As soon as Yang Jiekai appeared, they surrounded him.

“What happened?” he demanded.

Seeing their worried faces, he suspected trouble. His gaze landed on Gongsun Tiedan, whose head was bandaged—clearly someone had beaten him.

“Gongsun, what happened to your head?” Yang Jiekai asked sternly.

“Brother Yang, I was beaten up. You’ve got to help me get back at them. I’m just so unlucky… I don’t know who I offended…” Gongsun stammered, unable to give a clear explanation. It wasn’t until Zhang Hua stepped forward that the full story emerged.

In the few days Yang Jiekai had been away, several of them had been attacked by unknown assailants, all suffering varying degrees of injury. Even Chen Shishi was not spared; someone splattered paint on her in broad daylight. The company had been vandalized by a mob just yesterday and was only now cleaned up.

As they stood there unsure of what to do, Yang Jiekai’s call came through.

“Do you know who’s behind this?” Yang Jiekai asked, frowning.

Qin Feng shook his head. “No, but I suspect it’s Blind Wu. If you don’t get back today, a few of us are thinking of confronting him tonight.”

“That’s unlikely,” Zhang Hua, the most level-headed among them, countered. “Wu had a run-in with us recently. If he wanted to make a move, he’d do it openly—not sneak around like this.”

“If not Blind Wu, then who?” Qin Feng demanded angrily.

Zhang Hua pondered for a moment. “Probably a rival detective agency. We’re not the only private investigators in this area. Setting up shop here means making enemies. These attacks are meant to drive us out.”

Yang Jiekai nodded thoughtfully. “Minister Zhang’s analysis makes sense. It probably isn’t Blind Wu. He acts with boldness, not stealth.”

He continued, “Besides what Zhang said, there’s another possibility: these attacks might be targeting Blind Wu indirectly.”

“Targeting Blind Wu?” Qin Feng and the others looked confused.

Yang Jiekai nodded. “Everyone knows we have a feud with Blind Wu. These assaults might be designed to frame him, to stoke the flames between us. While we fight each other to the death, the real culprits sit back and profit.”

At that moment, a usually silent elder spoke up. “Whatever the reason, sooner or later, we have to deal with Blind Wu. Otherwise, the company can’t survive.”

“Exactly,” Yang Jiekai agreed, lighting a cigarette. “Whether my guess is right or not, if we want to stay in this area, we have to handle Blind Wu.”

“Everyone stays put at the company. I’m going out—no one leaves and be careful!” With that, Yang Jiekai hurried off, driving straight to Dragon Palace Bar.

“Well, well, the sun rises in the west! I thought someone had forgotten me!” Long Xiaoman greeted him with a sarcastic grin. She’d been fuming over his recent disappearance, unable to reach him by phone.

“No time for your nonsense. I’ve got a question,” Yang Jiekai said, grabbing a bottle of red wine from the bar and taking a few quick swallows before recounting the attacks on Gongsun and the others.

“Definitely not Blind Wu,” Long Xiaoman said, her years in the underworld giving her insight. Her reasoning matched Yang Jiekai’s own suspicions.

“So, what do we do next?” Yang Jiekai asked, frustrated. Though he was a battlefield veteran with countless battles behind him, the underworld of Huaxia was unfamiliar territory. He had no clear plan.

“Two options: fight Blind Wu, or pack up and leave,” Long Xiaoman replied, pouring herself a drink and settling on Yang Jiekai’s lap with a bold grin. “Of course, there’s a third choice.”

“Oh? What’s the third?” Yang Jiekai asked, running his hand over her bare shoulder without resistance.

“Join us,” Long Xiaoman said, taking a delicate sip. “You can’t play both sides here. If you join us, you can leverage our strength against Blind Wu.”

“Are you sure you can beat him?” Yang Jiekai inquired.

She shook her head honestly. “I know my limits. I can’t defeat Blind Wu outright, but I can dirty his name and cause him trouble.”

Yang Jiekai shrugged helplessly. “Forget it. I’d rather handle this myself than drag you into it.”

He was genuinely troubled. He wouldn’t drag Long Xiaoman into his mess, but he didn’t know how to solve this dilemma alone.

Fear of Blind Wu? Ridiculous. Raised amid war and chaos, Yang Jiekai had faced far greater storms. Taking down Blind Wu was no problem.

The issue was that killing Blind Wu wouldn’t solve anything. Blind Wu was a local kingpin with deep roots. Eliminating him would only invite more troubles. As Blind Wu himself said, if he died, someone would surely bring all his debts and enemies right to Yang Jiekai’s doorstep.

Yang Jiekai’s power was formidable, but he wasn’t a superhero with infinite clones. He couldn’t watch over everyone he cared about twenty-four-seven.

Suddenly, his phone rang. It was Lin Sha.

“Lin Sha, what’s up?” Yang Jiekai answered with a smile.

“Where are you?” Her voice was uneasy.

Something felt wrong. Yang Jiekai pushed Long Xiaoman off his lap, stood, and frowned. “I’m at the bar. What happened?”

Lin Sha’s voice quivered. “I’m back home. Our house was forcibly demolished, and my father was beaten and hospitalized. I don’t know what to do…”

“Hold tight. I’m coming right now!” Yang Jiekai said, hanging up and rushing out.

He sped along the road, cutting a three-hour journey to under an hour.

Lin Sha waited at the village entrance, eyes red as she recounted everything. The brothers Wang Hu and Wang Bao, whom Yang Jiekai had dealt with before, had come back this morning to tear down the house. This time, they dragged Lin Sha’s parents out and beat them badly before bulldozing the home.

Lin Sha had rushed back after the call, stunned by the scene. In the village clinic, seeing her father’s bloodied face ignited a fierce anger in Yang Jiekai.

“Where do those bastards live?” he demanded.

“The biggest house at the east end of the village…”

“Take me there immediately!”

Yang Jiekai stormed to the Wang brothers' hideout without hesitation, kicking the door open. Inside, Wang Hu, Wang Bao, and a group of thugs were gambling in a haze of smoke and chaos.

“Who the hell kicked down my door?” Wang Hu was the first to react, grabbing a stick and charging at Yang Jiekai. Yang Jiekai kicked him flying, seized the stick, and soon a fierce brawl erupted.

Yang Jiekai wielded the stick with deadly precision, and soon the ground was littered with groaning bodies.

Pointing the stick at the Wang brothers, he demanded, “You demolished my friend’s house. What do you have to say for yourselves?”

Wang Hu wiped blood from his mouth, stood, and recognized Yang Jiekai but showed no fear. “Kid, I know you’re tough, but here’s the deal: the house is down. Either you kill us all, or you stay here every day. Otherwise, I’ll make sure to ‘visit’ the Lin family regularly.”

Yang Jiekai swung the stick, knocking Wang Hu down. Bloodied and lying on the ground, Wang Hu laughed bitterly. “Go ahead, kill me. As long as I’m alive, the Lin family won’t have a moment’s peace in this village!”

Yang Jiekai was at a loss. On the battlefield, he’d have finished them off without hesitation. But here in Huaxia, he dared not be so reckless.

He hadn’t expected such shamelessness from the Wang brothers, and their words struck a vulnerable chord. He couldn’t possibly stay here twenty-four-seven.

At that moment, a woman’s voice came from behind: “I’m not brave enough to kill you, but I can make your life miserable.”

Yang Jiekai turned to see Long Xiaoman.

“Why are you here?” he asked, surprised.

She raised her brows. “If I didn’t come, do you think you could fix this?”

With a single hand raised, she ordered, “Take them down!”

Suddenly, dozens of thugs surged from behind her, beating the Wang brothers into screams.

Long Xiaoman leisurely lit a slim cigarette and watched the scene, turning to Yang Jiekai. “It’s too noisy here. Let’s go outside to talk.”

Yang Jiekai first sent Lin Sha to care for her injured parents at the clinic, then asked Long Xiaoman why she had come.

She explained that after seeing Yang Jiekai rush out earlier and gleaning some clues from their phone conversation, she had gathered her men and followed.

“These guys are like sticky taffy; hitting them doesn’t help much,” Yang Jiekai said, lighting a cigarette.

“I’ll make you a bet,” Long Xiaoman said with a sly smile.

“What bet?” Yang Jiekai asked.

“If we settle this today, you owe me a night’s company,” she said teasingly.

Yang Jiekai was speechless.

A moment later, a bloodied blond man emerged, reporting to Long Xiaoman, “Sister Long, it’s all settled. These guys won’t dare trouble the Lin family again. They’ve agreed to pay for a new house and cover all damages and medical expenses.”

Long Xiaoman nodded approvingly. “Good work. Tell the men to stand down.”

Yang Jiekai’s eyes widened in surprise. When he fought, the brothers never flinched, but Long Xiaoman’s intervention had resolved the matter so easily—and with the same rough method of beating people up. What was the difference?