[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-lawful-tyrant":3,"chapter-lawful-tyrant-lawful-tyrant-chapter-19":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","Lawful Tyrant",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2284903,4469,"Chapter 19: The World","lawful-tyrant-chapter-19",19,"\u003Cp>The Blue Turban Gang has come back to life?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The diners in the restaurant all couldn’t help but show expressions of terror.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Although the Blue Turban Gang hadn’t been on Iron Stone Street long, and few had been robbed or extorted, the horrific fates of those who refused to pay were enough to make people tremble at the mere mention of them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Worse still, this large group of Blue Turban Gang members had stormed in with such menacing force! Among the intruders, only two men weren’t wearing blue neckerchiefs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One was the short-haired, lean young man at the front, his face always wearing a smile.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was none other than “Camel.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The other was the tall, burly man beside Camel—at least two meters one centimeters tall, like a towering, solid iron tower; his stature was impossible to ignore in any setting, and he followed Camel with a blank expression.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Business is booming, Miss Ji.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Camel grinned at the young woman behind the counter, his gaze boldly scanning her body, “It’s been a month—we’ve missed you. You’ve gotten prettier. Was I blind before? I never noticed?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Blue Turban Gang thugs behind him laughed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The young woman’s face turned pale; she instinctively stepped back half a pace.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the past, whenever she appeared in public at the restaurant, she always dressed as plain as possible—only because the Blue Turban Gang had disbanded, and because Lin Qing had returned, had she bothered to put on makeup.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I didn’t expect… the Blue Turban Gang had returned? “Brother Camel.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that moment, a thirty-something man in a suit hurried over, stepping in front of the young woman with a forced smile: “What brings you here?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Brother…” the young woman bit her lip—she knew another large sum of money was coming.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Your business is doing so well, Miss Ji. You must’ve made a fortune lately.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Camel smiled warmly, “I didn’t come for anything special—just been busy these past four weeks and haven’t stopped by. Could you settle the fees for the past two months?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Two months?” The man in the suit’s expression changed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Camel glanced around the restaurant’s patrons and said, “So many customers, such thriving business—shouldn’t you be grateful for our protection?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As he spoke, he pulled out a pack of cigarettes, tapped one out, and placed it between his lips, smiling: “Miss Ji, mind lighting it for me?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The man in the suit took a deep breath, pulled out a lighter from his pocket, and forced a smile: “Brother Camel, the shop’s cash flow is tight right now—could you just take payment for one month for now?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oh?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Camel laughed. “So you mean you’ll pay last month’s fee, but won’t need our protection this month?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The man in the suit’s face darkened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He knew what that truly meant—once protection was withdrawn, endless harassment and sabotage would follow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then, not only would business be impossible, even personal safety wouldn’t be guaranteed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What about calling the police?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If that worked, would he still be forced to bow his head like this? The man in the suit hurriedly pleaded: “Brother Camel, that’s not what I meant—I just can’t afford it right now because…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I don’t care.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Camel cut him off. “Who doesn’t have troubles? I’ve got a whole crew of brothers waiting to eat. Miss Ji, let’s show some mutual understanding, don’t you think?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>By the end, impatience crept into his voice: “Hurry up—the boys are waiting to move on to the next place.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The man in the suit took a deep breath.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just then—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hey! You kid, what are you filming?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One thug suddenly pointed at a customer and roared: “Hand over your phone, you bastard!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Someone was filming?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Camel turned his head, a mocking smile curling on his lips.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This wasn’t extortion—it was legitimate business, taxes paid. What’s wrong with negotiating face-to-face?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even if they called the police, he didn’t care—someone would speak for him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Still, he was curious—someone actually had the guts?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hmm?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The next moment, Camel’s smile froze when he saw the young man filming.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’m talking to you—are you deaf?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The thug who’d first noticed the filming, enraged that the man still hadn’t stopped, pulled a collapsible baton from behind his back and stormed over. But he’d barely taken a few steps when a heavy blow struck the back of his head—he saw blackness, lost his balance, and collapsed to the floor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Fuck, who the hell—?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He scrambled up, furious, whirled around—and found Camel staring at him with icy eyes. Instantly, it felt like a bucket of ice water had drenched him; his rage vanished completely.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“B…Boss?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Camel’s face was cold. “Go apologize to Group Leader Lin right now.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Group Leader Lin?” The thug suddenly remembered the new patrol officer Camel had mentioned on Iron Stone Street—his heart lurched.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ignoring the pain, he scrambled up, walked over, bowed his head, and said: “Group Leader Lin, I didn’t recognize you—I beg your forgiveness…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Apologize to the police.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lin Qing cut him off, holding up his phone to capture the thug’s full face, “You dare openly extort protection money in front of a law enforcement officer?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The thug turned pale.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Haha, Group Leader Lin, you’re mistaken.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Camel strolled over, smiling, “We’re a security company—just doing business. Don’t believe me? Here’s our business card.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He extended the card toward Lin Qing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lin Qing didn’t even look at it. “Forced sales count as business?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Forced sales?” Camel feigned surprise. “You’ve misunderstood.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He turned to the man in the suit, smiling faintly: “Miss Ji, tell the truth—have we ever forced you? Say it now if we have.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The man in the suit remained silent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Camel had never directly threatened him—but if he refused, there were countless ways to ruin his business, and the perpetrators always hid well. Even if caught, they’d deny any connection to the Blue Turban Gang.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just splashing paint, dumping feces, smashing windows—none of that meant long jail time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And Camel seemed to have powerful connections—he wasn’t afraid even if reports were filed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What could he do?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That’s why, even though he knew this young man was an official patrol officer, he never thought of asking for help.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Patrol officers only patrol and investigate—what could they really do against these people?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Group Leader Lin, you see—Miss Ji says nothing happened.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Camel smiled at Lin Qing. “You’ve misunderstood us entirely.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Misunderstood?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lin Qing said, “You know what you’re doing. I know too. No need to play pretend in front of me.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He glanced at the towering, burly man behind Camel, then at the shattered glass door. “That door was kicked in by you, right? Deliberate destruction of public property?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Camel immediately smiled apologetically: “Sorry—it’s just that this restaurant’s glass door was so clean, my brother didn’t see it was glass. He kicked too hard by accident. Don’t worry—we’ll pay for it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What a convenient accident.” Lin Qing lowered his phone. “Pay for the damage, then leave.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The towering, burly man stared at him, eyes filled with vicious malice.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Camel wasn’t angry—he just nodded and smiled: “Had I known you were dining here, we wouldn’t have disturbed you now.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He turned to the man in the suit, urging: “Miss Ji, how much is the door? Deduct it from the two months’ protection fee. Since Group Leader Lin is dining, we won’t bother you further—this gives you time to gather the money. We’ll come back tomorrow.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The man in the suit reluctantly said: \"Brother Camel, I'll try to gather the money tonight.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lin Qing sat quietly to the side, saying nothing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even if he intervened, nothing would change—the Blue Turban Gang simply didn’t want to provoke the patrol officer’s uniform.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the money they earned? They’d still earn it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This world… is just like this.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The World Government doesn’t care much beyond the urban zones—as if everything outside were irrelevant. Civilization and order seem real only within the cities.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Outside the urban zones, laws are merely veils to hide shame.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1327,"2026-06-20T02:41:34.488Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","22fd2b126eda43f2e83de18f5a169db437053202d93af39ab1b7eb3c621dd535","lawful-tyrant-chapter-20","lawful-tyrant-chapter-18",442,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Flawful-tyrant-cover.jpg"]