Chapter 130: A Leopard Cannot Change Its Spots

"Is that it?"

After watching the recording, this thought crossed everyone's mind. Some were furious, others were relieved, but every gaze cast toward Lin Yang, who stood to the side nonchalantly smoking, was filled with profound bewilderment.

Suddenly finding himself the focus of such attention, Lin Yang, who had been puffing away at his cigarette with ease, knit his brows into a deep, furrowed "chuan" shape. He exhaled a thick cloud of smoke, gave a dry cough, and reached up to scratch his head, grinning slyly. "Hey, what are you looking at? What kind of expressions are those?"

Indeed, the look everyone was giving Lin Yang meant one thing: *You idiot.* It was a sentiment everyone present, whether happy or displeased, was dying to scream at him.

The recorded content was simple—so simple it was unimaginable. Aside from the sound of Fang Ming’s whip lashing flesh and the agonizing screams of his victim, there was only Fang Ming’s repetitive, droning question: "Will you talk or not?"

"Will you talk or not?" sounded far too ambiguous. Even after replaying the footage five times, Secretary Zhu and his team could not find any evidence that would drive the Fang family into a dead end. It was merely a clip of a private interrogation; the Fang family could easily pin all the blame on Fang Ming, and in fact, they had already done so.

Sacrificing a pawn to save the king—everyone understands this strategy and would execute it without hesitation. However, the ruthlessness with which Fang Muren had acted was truly rare. By putting a few extra bullets into the vital organs of the dead, Fang Muren might not have been the first to do such a thing, but he was certainly the most extreme.

The reason Secretary Zhu’s side was so angry and indignant was not without cause. From a certain perspective, the footage Lin Yang had recorded hadn't helped at all; instead, it had aided the Fang family, who were now able to use their shameless tactics to shift all culpability onto the deceased Fang Ming.

Compared to the long, sour faces of Secretary Zhu’s contingent, Fang Muren was beaming with joy. This was an unexpected windfall—a massive stroke of luck. He had never imagined that the very people trying to eradicate his family would end up giving him a helping hand.

Under the scrutiny of dozens of resentful eyes, even someone as thick-skinned as Lin Yang felt a bit ashamed. Others had gone to great lengths to rescue him, and he had risked his life to film the footage, only for it to backfire. It was truly infuriating.

"My mistake, my mistake."

Apologizing awkwardly, Lin Yang turned his gaze toward Fang Muren, who was secretly stifling a laugh. Looking at that hypocritical man, he longed to step forward and teach him a harsh lesson. However, without evidence, acting rashly would only put Secretary Zhu in a disadvantageous position. After all, the man was a bureau chief; if Lin Yang were to physically assault him, the charge of attacking an officer would be set in stone.

Gritting his teeth in frustration, he suppressed his rage, secretly deciding that the moment an opportunity arose, he would show no mercy in retaliating against this fat, pig-like bastard.

The deed was done, and the counter-attack strategy for the day had been a complete failure. Secretary Zhu couldn't press the issue further; after all, Lin Yang had no obligation to help him take down the troublesome Fang family. Without concrete evidence to wipe out the Fang family in one fell swoop, Secretary Zhu was at his wit's end.

Meanwhile, Bureau Chief Fang Muren, watching Secretary Zhu’s face cycle between shades of green and white, was inwardly ecstatic. Only out of a need to save face did he refrain from mocking him openly, though his smug, provocative smile made it clear he was relishing the Secretary's discomfort.

"Secretary Zhu, the matter is clear. While it is true that Fang Ming was a member of our family, you can’t possibly pin all the blame on us! And as you heard, it’s obvious that Fang Ming was acting on his own initiative, trying to get his hands on something valuable. How can you hold our family accountable for that?" His voice was not loud, but it was dripping with accusation.

Left speechless and backed into a corner, Secretary Zhu could only swallow his frustration. The mission had failed; there was no helping it.

Just as the situation reached a breaking point, a sharp shout rang out.

"We found them! We found them!"

Following the direction of the voice, everyone looked over to see several armed officers carrying five figures dressed in white lab coats, hurrying toward them.

The shouting caught the attention of Fang Muren, who had been preparing to leave in triumph. He halted his steps and glanced at the five figures, unsure if they were corpses or barely clinging to life.

Fang Muren was no fool. The white lab coats identified them immediately. As the mastermind behind this scheme, his heart skipped a beat at the sight of them. He had been forced to execute Fang Ming—a man who couldn't accomplish anything and only ruined things—to solve his family’s immediate crisis, but he had failed to extract the precious, natural formula he wanted. Now, having lost so many subordinates, the losses were indeed heavy.

Seeing the five men, Fang Muren’s clenched fists tightened. If they weren't dead, he would have to plan his next move.

He would never let go of something like the "Natural Beauty" formula, which promised infinite profit. Furthermore, his family’s current situation was dire. Not to mention the massive resources spent trying to swallow all the pharmacies in Jinhai, the cost of sabotaging the Bai family’s "Natural Beauty" had already been immense. If they couldn't consume the Bai family within a few days, the Bais would recover and counter-attack, leaving the Fang family in a passive position. At that point, the dream of swallowing Bai Jing whole would become nothing more than a fantasy.

"How are they?" Bai Jing rushed forward, asking urgently upon seeing the five bodies in white coats.

For any family business starting in the pharmaceutical industry, five experts were treasures. Losing five at once was a devastating blow! One had to understand that training a single herbal expert wasn't a matter of mere five million; it required talent. Losing five at once was a blow her family could barely withstand.

One dead, four injured—that was the best news the Bai family could hope for.

Bai Jing’s tense nerves relaxed slightly, though she felt a deep sense of guilt for the expert who had died; after all, he had paid the ultimate price because of their commercial war.

However, since the four survivors had been subjected to Fang Ming’s torture, they would likely be unable to work for some time, which was a significant loss. She knew that given the Fang family’s methods, they would never pass up an opportunity to devour the Bai family.

Seeing that nothing more could be gained, the Fang family group left in a dispirited huddle, empty-handed and having lost their men.

They came quickly and left just as fast. Yet, this incident had created an invisible rift between the two giants of Jinhai City, one that could erupt at any moment and tear away the last shred of pretense.

Watching Fang Muren leave, Secretary Zhu could only suppress his immense fury and remain silent. He lacked the solid evidence to take the man down, and tearing off the mask completely would benefit no one.

The ground was littered with bodies, and the scent of blood was nauseating. Looking at the gruesome state of Fang Ming and the others who had died, Secretary Zhu shook his head helplessly. After ordering his men to deal with the corpses, he commanded coldly, "Retreat."

The single word carried the weight of his utter frustration.

After walking a few steps, Secretary Zhu stopped, turned back, and gave a complicated look at the smirking Lin Yang, then glanced at his daughter, Zhu Yunyun. With a heavy sigh, he walked away quickly.

As the roar of engines echoed and the armed forces followed, they soon disappeared from the desolate, abandoned factory. The once-silent site returned to a deathly stillness, leaving only Zhu Yunyun and Bai Jing behind.

He had botched it. Lin Yang knew he hadn't left a good impression on Secretary Zhu—if anything, it was the opposite. But it was too late now; he could only let things take their course. He had truly never expected such an outcome.

Watching her father leave, his disappointment plain to see, Zhu Yunyun felt a deep sense of debt. She knew how determined her father had been to deal with the Fang family this time. Instead of succeeding, they had merely alerted the enemy. Although Fang Muren hadn't made any overt threats upon leaving, she knew it was impossible for her father and the Fang family to coexist peacefully anymore.

Bai Jing didn't dwell on it, focusing instead on comforting the four injured experts. She knew the physical and mental torture they had endured would leave deep scars, and if not addressed now, it would surely lead to major problems in their future work.

Five minutes after her father, Zhu Yunyun departed as well. Unlike her father, she didn't blame Lin Yang for the mistake.

As the others left one by one, Bai Jing and Lin Yang naturally didn't want to stay in such a dangerous place. The Fang family hadn't gotten what they wanted and wouldn't let it go easily. With Secretary Zhu and the armed forces gone, there was no guarantee the Fang family wouldn't launch another attack. If they stayed, there would be no way to escape.

As Bai Jing feared, the Fang family had indeed left spies around the site.

Just as Lin Yang sat in the car and prepared to head to the villa, his phone rang incessantly. The day’s adventures had left him physically and mentally exhausted, and being disturbed while trying to rest only added to his irritation.

"Damn it, who’s the bastard calling at this hour?" Lin Yang grumbled, though his hand moved without hesitation to fish the phone from his pocket.