Chapter 713: Laogui's Broken Halberd

"Lin Fuxing's parent?"

The school guard sized up the scar-faced, fierce-looking Laogui, his eyes full of suspicion.

He had worked at this school for seven years, having seen many parents picking up and dropping off children; this person…… no matter how you look at it, doesn't look like someone coming to pick up a child.

"What, you don't believe?"

Laogui frowned, the murderous aura honed in prison bursting forth: "Get out of the way!"

He reached out to push the guard aside.

"Wait." The guard sidestepped, his hand already on the walkie-talkie at his waist: "You say you're Lin Fuxing's parent—what class is your child in? What's the homeroom teacher's surname?"

Laogui froze.

He Qixing never told him these details, and Li Hengbo only gave him the school's name and a photo of the child.

"I…… I'm usually busy, so the nanny handles pick‑ups and drop‑offs."

Laogui forced a smile and made up an excuse: "The nanny at home has something come up, so I'm coming myself. Hurry up and let me in—if anything happens to the child, watch out, I'll make you regret it!"

He spoke while trying to force his way inside.

"Stop him!" the guard shouted, and two more young guards rushed out of the guardhouse, the three of them forming a line.

The surrounding parents were also startled, turning to look.

"What's going on?"

"Who is that person?"

"They say they're Lin Fuxing's parent, but they don't look like it……"

Amid the murmurs, Laogui's face grew uglier. He realized he'd been too impulsive—this was hardly different from exposing himself directly.

Just as he found himself caught between a rock and a hard place, a tall man in a black suit and sunglasses strode quickly out of the school gate.

This was exactly the Wang-surnamed bodyguard who had just apprehended He Qixing.

The bodyguard Wang swept his gaze over Laogui's face, especially the vicious scar running from his brow to the corner of his mouth, and already knew in his heart: this was the accomplice He Qixing had mentioned—Laogui!

"What's going on?"

To avoid alerting the opponent, the Wang-surnamed bodyguard pretended nothing had happened, preparing a sneak attack.

"Mr. Wang, this person says they're Lin Fuxing's parent and wants to enter the school, but I don't think they are……" the guard's words weren't even finished when Laogui grew impatient.

"What nonsense! Let me in!" Laogui said, trying to force his way in again.

Just as Laogui lifted his foot.

The Wang-surnamed bodyguard, without a word, lunged forward in a single stride, his right hand clamping onto Laogui's outstretched wrist like an iron vise—this was the standard opening move of a grappling technique.

Laogui, too, was a veteran of the underworld, his reaction extremely fast; seeing the situation turn bad, he instantly pulled his hand back and retreated.

But he was fast, and the bodyguard Wang was faster!

That grab seemed to miss, but it was actually a feint.

The bodyguard Wang shifted his foot, his whole body already slipping into Laogui's centerline, his left elbow thrusting forward like a spear, slamming hard into the opponent's chest!

"Bang!"

A dull thud.

Laogui grunted in pain, his chest throbbing, he staggered back three steps and almost fell to the ground. In his eyes flashed disbelief—this person's skills were terrifyingly strong!

"Damn it!"

Laogui gritted his teeth, his right hand moving toward his waist.

The bodyguard Wang's eyes turned cold, giving Laogui no chance to draw a weapon. He stepped forward and delivered a precise low sweep kick to Laogui's knee pit!

"Ah!"

Laogui cried out in agony, dropping to one knee.

Seizing the momentum, the bodyguard Wang turned, his right arm locking around Laogui's neck while his left hand grabbed Laogui's right wrist and twisted hard!

"Crack!"

The wrist dislocated.

Laogui's face twisted from the pain, his left hand still trying to resist, but the bodyguard Wang struck the back of his neck with a knifehand.

His vision went black, and Laogui slumped limp to the ground.

The whole process took less than ten seconds.

The school's few guards stared, mouths agape.

The bodyguard Wang, however, acted as if it were a trivial matter, pulling out handcuffs from his waist, swiftly cuffing Laogui's hands behind his back, then searching him.

As expected.

Sure enough, Laogui's waist bore a pistol and a walkie‑talkie.

"Wang, Mr. Wang……" the captain of the guard stammered.

"This person intended to kidnap Young Master Lin Ai." The bodyguard Wang spoke concisely, meanwhile pressing his earpiece: "Target Two is under control at the school gate—inform Fan Ye."

……

Half an hour later, in the basement of the Zhengtong Group.

Laogui and He Qixing were bound, each cuffed to a chair.

He Qixing's right eye was red and swollen, still tearing; his dislocated wrist had been simply immobilized, but his whole spirit was listless, his whole body exuding an air of pessimism as if grief outweighed even death.

Laogui, by contrast, was tough—though his face was bruised and his wrist dislocated, his pair of sinister eyes remained locked on Lin Dongfan across from him.

Lin Dongfan sat on the sofa, legs crossed, idly playing with an unlit cigarette in his hand.

Lao Ba stood at his side.

"You……" Lin Dongfan glanced at the two, his tone calm: "Who wants to speak first?"

He Qixing shuddered all over, instinctively wanting to speak.

"Shut up!" Laogui snarled, glaring at He Qixing, then turned to Lin Dongfan: "Nothing to say, you're done for—kill or chop, it's up to you!"

Lin Dongfan laughed: "You're pretty loyal—how much money did Li Hengbo give you to throw away your life?"

Laogui remained silent.

"Let me guess." Lin Dongfan stood up and paced slowly: "Li Hengbo can barely protect himself now, so he probably can't give you much cash. What he promised you, isn't it just a big pie?"

Upon hearing "drawing a big pie", Laogui's eyelids twitched, but he still kept silent.

Lin Dongfan then shifted his focus to He Qixing, staring at this already collapsed poor wretch: "And you? What did Li Hengbo promise you?"

"I… I…" He Qixing's voice trembled: "The boss said… said that after the job succeeds he'll give me a sum of wealth and send… send me abroad…"

"How much money?"

"Five… five million…"

Lin Dongfan snorted: "Five million to buy your life—you actually believe that?"

He Qixing wanted to cry but had no tears: "I dare not disbelieve… he wants to kill me… he really will kill me…"

"Where is he now?" Lin Dongfan asked.

He Qixing was about to speak when Laogui suddenly bellowed: "Fatty He! Dare you utter a word, I'll kill you right now!"

He Qixing shuddered in fear, and the words at the tip of his throat were swallowed back.

Lin Dongfan glanced back at Laogui.

His gaze turned cold.

"Lao Ba." Lin Dongfan issued a cold order: "Take him out and have a good 'chat'. Mind the limits—don't kill him."

"Understood."

Lao Ba grinned, stepped forward, unlocked Laogui's handcuffs, then hoisted him up like a small chicken.

"You… what are you going to do?!"

Laogui struggled, but his dislocated wrist had no strength.

"Don't worry, it's just a chat."

Lao Ba said with a squinting smile, dragging the person out of the room.

The door closed.

Only Lin Dongfan and the ashen-faced He Qixing remained in the basement.

"Now…" Lin Dongfan sat back down on the sofa, looking at He Qixing: "We can talk properly now."

He Qixing trembled all over: "I… I… I'll say… I'll say everything…"

"Where is Li Hengbo?" Lin Dongfan asked.

"Wu Zhou… the western suburbs of Wu Zhou, the abandoned warehouse of the old steel factory, the underground cell in the third section…" Under pressure, He Qixing spilled the beans like pouring beans from a bamboo tube, not daring to conceal anything: "The boss's chest wound is severe, he can't go far. He had me and Laogui come kidnap… kidnap Young Master Lin, saying he'd use a child to force you to submit."

"Does he have any other plans?" Lin Dongfan pressed.

"I… I don't know…" He Qixing shook his head: "The boss doesn't trust me, he won't tell me important matters… he only trusts Laogui, who served time with him, they're cellmates…"

Seeing He Qixing's tense, desperate-to-live appearance, it didn't look like he was lying.

Lin Dongfan temporarily set aside the topic and asked again: "What about Xu Yaqiu?"

He Qixing's face instantly showed regret: "She… she's already dead… killed by Li Hengbo himself, a shot to the head, her corpse is already hidden in the warehouse in Wu Zhou's western suburbs…"

The room fell silent for a few seconds.

Lin Dongfan's face showed no expression, he just nodded: "Thanks for your frankness."

Saying that, Lin Dongfan stood up and continued to instruct the bodyguards behind him: "Watch him; when the police arrive, hand him over directly."

"Yes."

The bodyguards responded and took the order.

Lin Dongfan walked out of the basement, and Lao Ba followed him up.

"Going to Wu Zhou?" Lao Ba asked.

"Hmm." Lin Dongfan glanced at his watch: "We'll leave tonight,. Li Hengbo is just a mad dog now—we need to deal with him before he bites more people."