Chapter 127: The So-Called Friends
“Say what?”
Li Hongji thought that his hearing was having a problem, even his footsteps abruptly stopped. He blinked his eyes as he looked at the doctor in white coat and indignantly spoke, “Are you joking with me? Tang Xiu himself made more than 20 thugs severely wounded? Are you sane? Are you talking in your dream?”
The doctor in white said with a forced smile, “President, do you think I’d dare lie to you? Even if you give me more courage, I wouldn’t dare to. I witnessed it myself, Mr. Tang’s martial arts is very powerful. He really has injured more than 20 thugs. And that gang is the one that have ganged up somebody in front of the hospital’s entrance this morning.”
Li Hongji angrily replied, “Nonsense! Who the hell can fight more than 20 people? Do you think I can believe that 2 fists are able to contend against 4?”
Long Zhengyu at the side said with a wry smile, “Uncle Li, perhaps what he said is true. As far as I know, Tang Xiu is indeed a martial artist, and even a quite powerful one at that.”
Li Hongji stared blankly for a moment. Then, he said in disbelief, “Even if he’s a martial artist and very powerful, how could he be able to hit more than 20 people? Even those retired special forces, could they be able to do it? Even if the Head of the largest Martial School in Star City, Magnificent Dragon Martial School’s Grandmaster Jiang Feng, could he even be able to do that?”
Long Zhengyu calmly said, “If Tang Xiu’s medical skill is no better than your Junior Brother’s, will you think that Tang Xiu’s medical skill level is stronger than your Junior Brother’s?”
“This…” Li Hongji was speechless.
Long Zhengyu looked at the doctor in white coat and asked, “Where’s Tang Xiu now?”
The doctor in the white coat said, “After Mr. Tang injured those people, he quickly left. I don’t know where he is now.”
Long Zhengyu nodded and then took out his phone to call Tang Xiu.
“What’s up?” Tang Xiu’s ice cold voice transmitted from the phone.
Long Zhengyu said, “Tang Xiu, I’m at Star City Chinese Medical Hospital. I heard that you have injured more than 20 youth thugs outside of the hospital’s entrance, is this real?”
“Yes!”
Long Zhengyu replied with anger, “Who the hell are they? I’ll help you solve them out.”
Tang Xiu directly refused, “I’ll solve the problem myself. Thanks for your good intention.”
“…”
The hung up tone came out from his phone as a forced smile expression was written on Long Zhengyu’s handsome face. He was perfectly aware of Tang Xiu’s personality.
At one of the upscale amusement clubhouses in Star City…
Inside the luxurious decorated KTV private room, although the gambling house was re-started, Tie Long was obviously slightly absent-minded. His hands were no longer as good as before.
“Old Tie, I think you don’t need to let your imagination run wild. Whether it was a blessing or a calamity, you can hide if it’s a disaster. But now what you’ve got to do is to prepare for it. If the ones who investigated you have a strong background, then you should immediately run. If they are weak, then play with them as you like. Panicking at the slightest moves and threats of an enemy will only make your mind chaotic. It would be troublesome for you and throw you into confusion.” The middle-aged big man pulled out a cigarette and said lightly.
The other guy also said, “Yes. If the opponent is very strong, we are also helpless even if we want to help. But if they are at the same level as us, we can team up to trample him. So you need to prepare in advance. If the enemy stays still, then stay still we will. But if the enemy moves, then move we will.”
Tie Long nodded with a thoughtful expression and said, “What you said makes sense. It looks like I asked too much. Nowadays, I’ve offended too many people, causing me to stay on guard at all times. Otherwise, I don’t know when will someone stab me behind my back.”
After having said that, Tie Long threw his cards on the table. He looked at one of the middle-aged man and said, “I’ve prepared 4 million yuan to take the parking lot project next to the Star Park Plaza. Anyone of you have the interest to take up this project with me?”
“Ring ring ring…”
Along with the fading voice of Tie Long, his mobile phone rang again.
Tie Long frowned. He grabbed the phone, and after it was connected, he asked, “What happened?”
After a moment…
Tie Long suddenly stood up from the chair with a shocked expression on his face, shouting, “What the bull you fucking told me? A person making more than 20 of you severely injured? Are you a fucking idiot or me? What? For real? I got it…”
Tie Long hung up the phone. Then, he looked at the three others with an ashen face and spoke with a sank tone, “Everyone, this time I’m afraid that I really have provoked some trouble. And this trouble is one that I really have never ever expected before.”
“What kind of trouble?”
Amongst one of them, his expression moved and immediately asked.
Tie Long said, “Do you remember what I’ve told you? Yesterday I went to a restaurant to eat. And they did not give me any tables. So I injured the restaurant’s boss and the staffs, as well as smashing the restaurant. Since I’m still angered, I sent more than 20 people to wait at the Chinese Medical Hospital’s front entrance to wait for them. As long as they came out, the people I send must fuck them up. And just now, those men I sent, all more than 20 of them, have all been seriously wounded.”
“What’s their background?”
“No clues.”
Tie Long let out a forced smile. He shook his head and said, “Regardless of what their background is, this time’s trouble isn’t small. Do you believe that the person who fucked up more than 20 of my men is only a youngster in his 20s? How fucking nefarious. How could a person alone able to fuck up more than 20 people and make them seriously injured?”
“Could it be that your man lied to you? Even those of the retired special forces, or Shenglong Martial Schools’ Head, Jiang Feng, they won’t be able to do that, right?” One of them said.
Tie Long shook his head and said, “Never will my men dare to lie to me. Because they know what fate they will get if they do that.”
The other three men looked at each other in dismay. A dreadful feeling also began breeding inside their hearts. If the opponent also sent more than 20 people and completely routed Tie Long’s men to the ground, they might not think that it was a problem. But the key point was that… the other party only sent one person.
A person alone, and he made more than 20 people seriously injured. Even if he was the God of War reincarnated, but he would only be barely able to do so, wouldn’t he?
“Old Tie, I just recall that I have some stuff to take care of. Let’s call it a day for today’s gambling! If there’s anything you need, call me! And about the parking lot issue, we’ll talk about it later.”
“I gotta go back. My wife has gotten noisy at home recently. So I gotta appease her. Old Tie, we are friends, if you need anything, speak anytime.”
“Heck, since the gambling house is done, it’s boring to stay here. I’ll go with you!”
Shortly after…
There only remained Tie Long and his 2 trusted aides inside the big KTV private room, as an unsightly expression appeared on their faces. Whilst looking at the back of his 3 so-called “friends” who were leaving him, Tie Long forcefully grabbed a bottle of liquor and smashed it to pieces with anger across all over his face.
However, his heart was as though a crystal clear mirror. These so-called friends were, in fact, a group of people with linked interests. Everyone used each other and mutually sought their own benefits. Once something happened, and it was truly a disaster, the sentence that exactly happened was, everything flew by itself by the imminent great catastrophe.
“What a bullying the weak and fearing the strong—fucking bastards! The trashes who have no righteousness and justice.”
Tie Long cursed in rage before he turned around and sat down on the sofa. Things had gone beyond his control and he needed to think about what he should do next.
First: he needed to save his own butt.
His safety must be ensured, otherwise, when he encountered that merciless and ruthless little bastard… Perhaps by then, even if he did not die, he would be wasted.
Second: investigate the other party’s identity.
As the saying goes, know yourselves and know your enemies, only then will you be ever-victorious in battle. Now, the present situation was that, he was in the light and the enemy was in the dark. He must clarify the enemy’s identity as to prepare to fight or run away.
Third: prepare in advance and meet the enemy head-on.
It was already too late to make up for everything. The 3 friends of his tonight were the seasoned veterans who had gone through challenging experiences for decades. They had meticulous thoughts and were as cunning as foxes. Their suggestions were highly unlikely to be mistaken. So he must increase his vigilance and prepare to brace the fire and risk his life.
Tie Long raised his hand to touch his chin whilst the lights in his thinking eyes turned brighter. He himself came from a perfectly clean family, and he did not have something to rely on such a huge family business in the past. He only had the courage and the brains to scheme in his life. After having thought for a moment, he grabbed his phone and dialed his friend’s number.
“Dazhi, I heard you have some friends with people from Magnificent Dragon Martial School, yes? Do you think you can help me to mediate and build a connection with them and let me see them? I do have something I wanna ask them for help. Don’t worry about your benefits! Mmm, that said, let’s meet in the Long’s Dining Hall, and I’ll treat you for lunch.”
Tie Long put away his phone as the smiling expression on his face was as though the receding tides. He looked at his 2 underlings as he spoke with a sinking tone, “Call some men, go and wait at the Long’s Dining Hall. And tell them to carry the guns. We’ll immediately act if the situation changes. And the 2 of you also must carry a gun. Humph… millions of people practice martial arts nowadays, and never once has this Big Daddy heard that anyone is able to block bullets.”
The 2 tall and sturdy big fellows looked at each other as fierce expressions cast on their faces. They nodded repeatedly and heavily. Then, all of them went out of the private room.
At Star City Chinese Medical Hospital.
Two police cars howled as they entered the parking lot in front of the hospital building. The valiant and formidable-looking Cheng Xuemei stepped out of the police car and hurriedly rushed toward the hospital security squad captain, Chen Tao.
“Captain Chen, we meet again!”
Cheng Xuemei stepped forward a few steps and spoke with a deadpan expression.
With a slightly confused and apologetic smile, Chen Tao said, “Captain Cheng, I didn’t expect that you would honor us with your presence today. Do you have something important by coming to our Chinese Medical Hospital, and something that I can help you with?”
Cheng Xuemei frowned and said, “Cut the confused act will you? The nearby police station received a report that more than 20 youth thugs encircled and ganged up on a youngster in front of the hospital’s entrance, similar to a situation in the early morning. Those people ran away and didn’t dare to show up. And where are those beating youngsters a moment ago? Our bureau has taken a serious attention to this mob event. And we hope that you would cooperate with us and help us to the best of your abilities to bring those thugs to justice.”
Chen Tao had received an important order from the hospital’s higher ups: that he must never divulge Tang Xiu’s identity. So he spoke nonsense through his teeth and said with a dry laugh, “Officer Cheng, I think you’re mistaken, no? It’s all quiet, nothing has happened here. Are some youth gangsters who have ganged up and beaten people somewhere in the community just now?”
“You…”
Cheng Xuemei glared angrily at Chen Tao as she snapped with a stern voice, “Captain Chen! You do know our identity. So, it should be clear for you the consequences for lying to us. If we, the Criminal Police Division, wants to investigate clearly, no matter what and how you cover up the truth, we can get the information we want.”