Chapter 26: A Special "Gift"
"Pa~" A soft mass landed on Lin Dong's face with a faint thud.
Yet, the surrounding crowd—Er Long and his companions, along with the throng of reporters—remained boisterous and oblivious. No one noticed anything amiss until a vile stench swept through the air. Only then did two guards realize the horror beside them: Lin Dong’s face was smeared with a sickly yellow.
"Ugh—"
Forget about martial artists of the second rank—anyone witnessing such a scene would be utterly dumbfounded!
The fat man tossed a black plastic bag, and somehow produced another identical one, flinging it at the crowd on the periphery. Fearing the crowd’s reaction, his two-hundred-pound frame moved with startling agility, vanishing into the layers of people.
Er Long had indeed been told by Zhang Ze to expect something, but he never imagined Liu the Fatty would deliver such a pungent gift. Fortunately, Zhang Ze had repeatedly warned everyone before coming. As soon as they saw Lin Dong’s “tragedy,” not a word needed to be spoken—the once indignant crowd demanding answers from Lin Dong melted away from the Lin family’s grand courtyard.
...
In truth, for Liu the Fatty to commit such a reprehensible act—especially in front of the Lin family estate—the whole group shouldn’t expect to escape unscathed.
Yet, luck favored them. The dozen reporters on the outskirts provided perfect cover.
The young master of the Lin family, humiliated in such a way? Who had ever witnessed someone plastering his face with excrement?
This was bound to shake the entire Anqing Province—no, it would become sensational news across the Dragon Nation!
Driven by this, the reporters stayed glued to the scene, heedless of any splatter, their cameras clicking madly at Lin Dong’s excrement-stained face.
“No photos! No photos!”
The two guards could hardly control the chaos. They wanted to wipe Lin Dong’s face, but dreaded getting filthy themselves.
...
Chaos and clamor!
And so, Liu the Fatty and his crew scattered. Zhang Ze and his two companions had already parked three cars at a pre-arranged spot. The Fatty had barely climbed in before urging, “Drive, hurry up!”
“Damn—”
“Did you clean out the sewers? Why does it stink so much?”
In another car, Er Long and two middle-aged men had just gotten in when they heard Wang Chao’s furious curses. Despite their protests, all three cars sped away, vanishing around the corner.
...
That night, at a hotel on the outskirts of Heyue City.
“This was your idea?”
Wang Chao’s eyes were bloodshot with rage.
“Heh heh~”
Zhang Ze, unfazed by his anxiety, chuckled lightly. He kicked the Fatty and said, “I never told him to slap it on Lin Dong’s face—it was pure coincidence.”
“Damn!”
Huang Ming, who was initially confused, fell into stunned silence as he scrolled through the flood of news on his phone. Shocked at first, he soon couldn’t help but read aloud:
“Is this the collapse of morality, or the extinction of humanity? The young master of Anqing Province’s Elixir Company gets his face plastered with excrement…”
“Lin family! What have you done to drive someone to deliver manure from thousands of miles away?”
“You have to admit, these reporters are quite the talents~”
Huang Ming was reading enthusiastically when he noticed Wang Chao’s grim expression.
“…”
A single glance from Wang Chao silenced Huang Ming’s impassioned recitation.
“Do you realize what consequences this could bring?”
He stared at Zhang Ze, now much calmer.
“Does the Lin family know who’s behind this?”
“Er Long’s group are obvious, but would the Lin family dare retaliate?”
“Believe me, if anything happens to Er Long’s group again, combined with the Chen Family Village incident, the Lin family could drown in public condemnation!”
Whether it was reckless courage or feigned composure, Zhang Ze’s voice remained steady.
Watching the young man before him, Wang Chao suddenly realized he didn’t know Zhang Ze as well as he thought. A man who could storm the Investigation Bureau headquarters alone had already proven much.
Seeing Wang Chao’s silence, Zhang Ze turned and said, “Don’t forget—once this incident gains traction, that fire in Chen Family Village won’t stay suppressed by the Investigation Bureau of Mengyang County.”
“At that point, would the Qian family miss their chance?”
Wang Chao suddenly realized that Er Long’s uproar at the Lin family estate was exactly what Zhang Ze wanted. Even Liu Neng, the ‘Manure Thrower,’ was likely arranged ahead of time.
“Tell me honestly—do you have your own agenda here?”
After a pause, Wang Chao asked in a deep voice.
“Are you trying to get Er Long’s group to buy elixirs from you?”
Zhang Ze shook his head gently.
“Though this incident has caused an uproar, I’ve never used the elixir business as a bargaining chip with Er Long’s group.”
Zhang Ze’s answer was firm and unequivocal.
“No need to doubt Xiao Ze.”
Just then, Er Long appeared before them. He strode over to Wang Chao and explained, “Xiao Ze advised me to blow the situation up as much as possible.”
“That’s the only way to get the Investigation Bureau headquarters—and society at large—to pay attention.”
“And I can guarantee that from the start, this kid never used elixirs as a bargaining tool.”
With that, Er Long didn’t linger. He glanced at Zhang Ze and Liu the Fatty and said quietly, “We’ll head back to the village. Once things settle, come find me about the elixirs.”
He finished speaking and strode away.
“If you ask me, you’re…”
Seeing Wang Chao fall silent, Huang Ming spoke gravely, “Since the Lin family took over the Elixir Company, the price of elixirs in Anqing Province has soared by over thirty percent.”
“These years, compared to neighboring Nanhe Province, the growth of martial artists here has dwindled.”
“The Lin family… their ‘contributions’ are remarkable!”
A note of resentment crept into Huang Ming’s voice.
“I just worry this kid is too reckless—it’s bound to land him in trouble someday~”
...
Lin Dong ended up with a mouthful of excrement at his own doorstep.
Within hours, the news swept across Anqing Province. Even the neighboring Nanhe Province reported the story by evening.
The Lin family’s response was swift. Lin Wanli immediately called Liu Ming at the Investigation Bureau.
“Director Liu, I’ll spare the pleasantries.”
“My family’s contributions to Anqing Province and the Elixir Company are plain for all to see.”
“I want to see the culprit brought to justice within two days!”
Lin Wanli’s voice was low, the anger in his heart barely concealed.
On the other end, Liu Ming chuckled silently. When Lin Wanli finished, Liu Ming replied, “Brother Lin, if you have time, you’d better come to the Investigation Bureau yourself.”
“A fire report just came in from Mengyang County.”
“…”
Lin Wanli knew exactly what his son had done. Listening to Liu Ming, he understood the implication.
You want me to arrest someone?
Should I start with the arsonist, or the Manure Thrower?
Even if I arrest ‘Manure Thrower,’ what charge would I use?
What—public defecation?