Chapter 70

The man kneeling was Xiao Long, who used to work as a server at Lu Hua Nightclub five years ago; over these past few years, Chang Huaqiang rose with miraculous speed, and those around him also benefited, proving Chang Huaqiang was skilled in interpersonal relations and had gathered many followers.

So when he learned that Xiao Long had secretly colluded with Zhang Shaojie’s people and that someone was selling powder at Point Water New World, he was utterly shocked!

He was shocked for two reasons: first, someone dared to target his operation! Second, the police had raided his venue without his knowledge! If Point Water hadn’t installed the most advanced surveillance system, Hu Xu Yong would have been caught red-handed today!

In shock, he immediately identified Xiao Long as the one who tipped off the police—but he never expected that the rookie cop would have summoned Lu Haoxuan from the Criminal Investigation Team! That caught him completely off guard. Fortunately, the rookie had led them astray, so this time it had been a close call but no disaster.

Still, Zhang Shaojie was always a threat—it’s not the thief you fear, but the one who keeps thinking about stealing! Chang Huaqiang sighed deeply and said, “Xiao Long, tell me what I should do. If you were me, what would you do?” His tone was calm, as if discussing matters with an old friend.

Xiao Long trembled violently, his head bowed, unable to lift it, his voice shaking as he begged, “Strong Brother! I’m wrong! I made a huge mistake! Please! Give me one chance! I was fooled by Zhang Shaojie—I shouldn’t have trusted him! Strong Brother, please!”

Chang Huaqiang continued to look at him calmly, his demeanor serene, as if utterly unconcerned by the betrayal—but those who knew him well understood: better to be beaten and cursed by Strong Brother than to see him smile politely at you. That meant he no longer considered you one of his own.

“Give you a chance? When you tipped off the police, did you ever think of giving me a chance? Or giving the brothers a chance? I told you, any mistake can be forgiven—but the three absolute taboos of this company? Never touch them! They’re red lines! High-voltage wires! Touch them and you die! Have you forgotten?”

“Strong Brother, have mercy! I’ve been with you since Lu Hua! I’ll leave Zizhen City forever and never come back—please, just let me go!” Xiao Long pleaded desperately.

Chang Huaqiang turned his head aside and waved his hand lightly, saying nothing. One of the big men standing behind Xiao Long suddenly raised his hand and brought it down hard, a palm as large as a fan slamming against Xiao Long’s nape. “Crack!” “Thud!” Xiao Long collapsed instantly.

“Big Brother, same old rule?” another big man asked Chang Huaqiang respectfully.

“Sigh… Since he wants to side with Zhang Shaojie, then give him to Shaojie. Clean it up. I want the police to have something to do—so they won’t just wander around here doing nothing!” Chang Huaqiang said, half-closing his eyes.

December 11, Saturday, 10 a.m., “Snow Wolf Valley” Disco. The club’s bouncer, Xiao Jun, stepped out of the duty room; he’d been drinking half the night and was now parched. He headed toward the staff kitchenette for water, passing the DJ booth, where behind lay a row of private rooms—normally gathering spots for “dharma friends” (drug users) to smoke and party.

Since drug use produced foul odors, staff usually kept the room doors wide open all night after sessions to air them out. But when Xiao Jun reached one of the private rooms, he found the door tightly shut. He pushed it open out of habit—and froze. Someone was lying on the sofa inside!

Xiao Jun quickly flipped on the light. A young man with yellow hair lay slumped on the sofa, head dangling downward, eyes wide open, foam still clinging to his lips.

Xiao Jun cautiously leaned in and sniffed—a thick, sour stench.

Had he overdosed and killed himself?

He instinctively stepped back. He’d seen plenty of people on ketamine, ice, or MDMA—but never one who’d actually died like this.

Fighting the nausea of having spent the entire night in the same room as a corpse, Xiao Jun immediately called his boss, Li Jun, the club manager.

Ten minutes later, Li Jun arrived with two subordinates. Seeing the body already stiff and cold, he cursed loudly. One of his men, a guy named Datou, said, “Boss, this kid looks familiar. Isn’t he Xiao Long? He was with Chang Huaqiang!” Datou stared at the yellow-haired corpse for a moment.

“What? Xiao Long? Are you sure?” Li Jun exclaimed in shock.

“No mistake, Boss. This kid was dating my buddy’s sister. I’ve seen him a few times at banquets—I know him well!” Datou looked puzzled at his boss.

Li Jun felt as if plunged into ice water. He muttered, “This is bad.”

Xiao Jun, confused, asked, “Boss, shouldn’t we call the police?”

Li Jun stared at him like he was an idiot. “Are you crazy? He died from snorting powder—when the cops come, how are we going to explain it?”

“But someone’s dead…”

“Enough! First, tell Jie Ge about this.” Li Jun’s mind was in turmoil. He knew this could spiral out of control if investigated.

After thinking it over, Li Jun dialed his boss—the rising star of recent years, Zhang Shaojie.

After listening to Li Jun’s report, Zhang Shaojie said only one thing: “Settle it privately. Pay them off.”

With his boss’s order, it was Li Jun’s turn to act. He told Datou to quietly move the body, arrange an ice coffin to store it, and find out where the dead man’s family lived…

A private settlement meant the boss would pay the family to keep quiet—once the family was silenced, no one else would dare speak up.

Unfortunately, Zhang Shaojie’s plan was flawless—until someone set a trap. Just as Li Jun ordered Datou to dispose of Xiao Long’s body, shouts erupted outside “Snow Wolf Valley.”

Li Jun recognized the voice as Er Lai, the guard at the entrance. Then came a stern male voice: “What are you doing? We’re from the Criminal Investigation Team! Get out of the way!”

Footsteps approached. A group of six entered through the entrance and arrived at the DJ booth, where they spotted Li Jun and his men.

Leading them was Gu Changzheng. They’d received an alert from the 110 dispatch system: a citizen reported a murder at “Snow Wolf Valley” on Yinxing Road, Jiangdong District.

Upon receiving the alert, Gu Changzheng immediately mobilized his team, arriving at the scene with a forensic expert and three detectives in just fifteen minutes.

There, they saw Datou and Xiao Jun carrying away Xiao Long’s body.

The scene was unclear: two men were lifting a man who appeared dead, trying to leave. Gu Changzheng roared, “Don’t move!”