He hung up the phone, a hint of anticipation in his eyes.
"It wouldn't hurt to get out and change my mood. I entered that state in front of those people last time, and perhaps I can find a breakthrough with them this time."
So, he took a taxi to the red-light district, only to find it had been sealed off. It wasn't the authorities who had blocked it, but a group of men wearing white T-shirts, standing in two rows with a path cleared in between.
What kind of old movie gangster vibe was this? Wen Wen raised an eyebrow, wondering if this was directed at him.
If so... that would be too embarrassing.
He got out of the car and was about to walk into the red-light district when he saw a greasy, balding man, less than 1.6 meters tall but with a waistline of nearly 1.6 meters, scuttling over like a ball.
Those with poor eyesight wouldn't be able to tell if he was running or rolling.
The "ball" man ran up to Wen Wen and bowed, saying,
"You must be Mr. Wen, I've heard so much about you, and seeing you in person confirms the rumors."
As the man spoke, he revealed a mouth full of gold teeth, which looked rather comical.
Wen Wen narrowed his eyes and said, "I don't think I'm that famous, so don't try to fool me with clichés. I'm just here to collect my car, I don't think it warrants such a grand display."
The man said humbly, "Not at all, not at all. Who are you, sir? Your presence here is a great honor."
This man was named Zhao Jinwu, known in the underworld as Fifth Master Golden Tooth. He looked endearingly clumsy, but was actually a terrifyingly ruthless figure.
However, he was only a big shot to ordinary people.
In a unified federation, forces like these from the shady side of society had to compromise to survive. Therefore, despite his seemingly prosperous appearance, he had to tread carefully.
Lin Zheyuan wouldn't personally handle such a matter, so he had delegated it to his subordinates. His subordinates, in turn, treated this as a serious affair.
When the Hunter Association considers something a serious matter, the entire city, from top to bottom, must cooperate. Thus, it was understandable how much pressure Zhao Jinwu was under.
After all, as a gangster, he wasn't the biggest outfit in Furong River City.
It was precisely for this reason that Zhao Jinwu had made such a grand spectacle, even if it was just to compensate for a car.
Besides the compensation, he also wanted to personally meet the man who had caused such a stir – Wen Wen.
He had personally examined his subordinate's injuries; the bones in the entire arm were twisted and broken, and every tooth was completely shattered. There was no way the subordinate could continue in this line of work.
Therefore, he knew Wen Wen was no ordinary person.
Before meeting Wen Wen, he had already indulged in speculation about Wen Wen's identity, eventually concluding that Wen Wen was a "city king" from an online novel!
The kind who used to be a high-ranking figure in the army, then retired and made a great success in the city.
People like Zhao Jinwu were usually the villains who were easily defeated in stories, so to avoid that fate, Zhao Jinwu maintained a very humble attitude.
As an ordinary person who had no access to another world, Zhao Jinwu could not fathom who Wen Wen truly was.
Lost in thought, he led Wen Wen to the car that was to be compensated.
It was a black and red sports car, with flowing lines and a perfect color scheme. Every corner of the car exuded an aura of wealth.
Wen Wen usually paid little attention to car information. Besides the common models, he couldn't even name the others.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have bought a beat-up car for transportation. Thus, he didn't recognize the model of this car, only knowing that it was very expensive.
Before becoming a superpowered being, he couldn't have afforded it even if he sold everything he owned.
"Tsk, tsk, decadent... but I like it."
Wen Wen circled the car, shaking his head, occasionally reaching out to touch it.
A car was a man's wife. His original wife had been ruined by these people, so getting a new wife with top-tier beauty wasn't bad.
Men were fickle creatures, after all.
"The scoundrels who provoked you that night have all been tied up. You can deal with them however you see fit," Zhao Jinwu said sinisterly, leaning closer to Wen Wen.
Wen Wen slapped his greasy forehead and reprimanded, "Why are your thoughts so dark? It's enough that the car is compensated. Don't do anything extra."
It was highly likely that Zhao Jinwu had paid for the car himself. If Wen Wen hadn't said this, those thugs might not have seen the next sunrise.
After patting his forehead, Wen Wen put his arm around his neck and said softly,
"By the way, do people in your line of work always act so despicable and shameless? Do you do whatever makes others uncomfortable?"
Zhao Jinwu's expression turned strange, unsure how to respond. Either this person had zero emotional intelligence, or he was deliberately picking a fight.
As the saying goes, a scholar can be killed but not insulted. For people in his profession, face was paramount. Wen Wen's words were equivalent to him losing face, and he should have immediately turned hostile.
However, recalling the miserable state of his subordinate and seeing his own neck in the other man's grasp, he didn't dare to.
"Don't misunderstand. Just tell me if you do. I have some work for you, dirty work. The dirtier you are, the happier I'll be. You won't be shortchanged afterward."
Wen Wen said with a shifty look, and then wiped his hand on Zhao Jinwu's clothes, having gotten oil on it when he patted his head.
Zhao Jinwu hesitated for a moment and said, "It depends on the job. While we're not on the right path, there are some things we won't do."
"It's nothing much, just have you kidnap me and then torture me, as cruelly as possible," Wen Wen said nonchalantly.
Zhao Jinwu jumped on the spot, breaking free from Wen Wen's grasp, and looked at Wen Wen in surprise.
Wasn't this person a masochist? Even for certain intimate games, they would at most use a whip or drip wax, and that would be the end of it. Yet, he was looking for people to kidnap him?
Then Zhao Jinwu thought of Wen Wen's combat prowess. Was this guy fishing, trying to find their criminal evidence to round them all up?
Zhao Jinwu said mournfully, "If you want to deal with us, why go to such lengths? You only needed to say the word, and I would have surrendered without a fight."
"Hey, don't overthink it."
Wen Wen picked at his ear, fiddling with a few gold ingots in his hand – these were his last remaining gold pieces.
"If you do this, all of this will be yours. If you don't, then the matter of my car is far from over," Wen Wen threatened.
Wen Wen felt no psychological pressure when threatening such people.
Upon hearing this, Zhao Jinwu immediately caved and quickly agreed.
For the sake of a mere car, with so many important people giving orders, if this matter wasn't resolved, he, a minor figure, couldn't afford the consequences.
Thus, Wen Wen walked over, slung an arm around Zhao Jinwu, and began discussing the details.
"Do it this way, and don't be afraid of not being ruthless enough, only of not being ruthless enough."
Zhao Jinwu frowned at Wen Wen's requests. He hadn't expected someone to treat him like this, and even his enemies rarely resorted to such torment.
...