Chapter 452: The Mantis Stalks the Cicada, the Sparrow Follows Behind!

Hong Langman Club.

Feng Lin was curled up on the sofa in a private booth.

His left arm was wrapped around a newly arrived girl, and from time to time, he would peck at her delicate face.

The girl knew he was one of the club's shareholders, and although she loathed his wandering hands, she still squeezed out a flattering smile.

She picked a grape from the fruit platter, peeled it, and fed it into his mouth.

The door to the booth was pushed open at this moment.

It was Wu Ji, a partner in the landscaping company.

Feng Lin raised his hand to signal a pause.

The music stopped abruptly, and for a moment, there was no sound in the booth.

"I need to report to you about the internet trolls," Wu Ji said with his head bowed. "The company I found is very capable, but the posts were deleted less than half an hour after they went up. The other party sensed something was wrong and refunded the final payment."

"If one company won't take it, find another!" Feng Lin frowned. "Who turns their nose up at money these days? Gossip about official misconduct is the most popular thing on the internet. As long as you throw a spark into the brushwood, it will immediately turn into a raging fire."

"Most troll companies don't want to touch government-related work; they're afraid of trouble," Wu Ji said, looking troubled. "This one is considered the largest in scale. If they can't handle it, the others are even less likely to."

"What about the complaint letters?"

"I sent them as you instructed, but there's been no movement so far."

Feng Lin began to smoke irritably.

Wu Ji said in a low voice, "Sun Gang wants to see you."

"Didn't I already give him money and tell him to get as far away as possible once the job was done?" Feng Lin glared with wide eyes.

"He says he wants another fifty thousand..."

"What kind of trash did you find!" Feng Lin grabbed a wine bottle and smashed it on the floor; glass shards splashed to Wu Ji's feet.

In the end, Feng Lin still took fifty thousand in cash out of his bag!

"You decide what to do with this fifty thousand—whether it's to buy him a coffin or to be your own severance pay. If the job doesn't get done, I never want to see you again."

Wu Ji's Adam's apple bobbed, and he replied in a deep voice, "Understood."

Walking out of the booth, Wu Ji took out his phone and dialed Sun Gang's number.

"Where are you? I asked Young Master Feng, and he agreed to give you another twenty thousand, but this is the last of the money."

"I'll give you an address. Three hours from now, leave the money there, and I'll come to pick it up myself."

Wu Ji laughed, "Aren't you being too cautious? Don't you trust me?"

Sun Gang said in a deep voice, "The police are looking for me everywhere right now; I don't trust a damn soul!"

Hearing the busy signal from the other end, a look of gravity appeared in Wu Ji's eyes.

This kid Sun Gang is very cunning; it's going to be quite difficult to get him killed.

Wu Ji walked out of the Hong Langman Club, and just as he gripped the steering wheel, his phone beeped with a text message.

"Have the money ready. Three hours later, I'll tell you where to meet."

A cold sneer appeared on the corner of Wu Ji's mouth. If this kid knew he was using his name to ask Feng Lin for fifty thousand, he wondered what he would think.

Wu Ji started the car and drove out of the parking lot.

A moment later, a black Santana followed closely behind.

The person sitting in the driver's seat was none other than Er Zi.

He had served in the military and possessed first-class investigative instincts.

Although Wu Ji had a certain level of counter-surveillance awareness, Er Zi was a cut above.

He kept a sufficient distance so the other party wouldn't know, but not so far as to lose him.

Er Zi dialed Wan Ming's number to report his whereabouts.

"Chief Wan, I've been staking out Hong Langman for several days. I've discovered that this playboy Feng Lin just hangs out at the club every day and doesn't leave until the early hours of the morning. It's useless to keep watching him. His partner is named Wu Ji; he used to be a street thug and knows a mixed crowd. Feng Lin usually hands off all the dirty and tiring work to him. I'm following him now to see if I can find a breakthrough."

Wan Ming warned in a deep voice, "You must be careful and protect yourself."

Er Zi laughed confidently, "Thanks for your concern, I'll be careful!"

Wu Ji withdrew the money from the bank, then sat in his car, resting while waiting for Sun Gang's reply.

He didn't know how much time had passed when his phone vibrated.

The screen displayed an unknown number.

Wu Ji frowned and answered the call.

"Why did you change your number?"

"The previous number ran out of credit, so I just bought a card without any identity information," Sun Gang said in a deep voice. "Come to the Riverside Hostel on Cuiqiao Road now."

Wu Ji noted the address in his notebook, "I got it! I'll be there in half an hour!"

Wu Ji arrived at the Riverside Hostel, saw a deli stall on the side of the road, walked over to buy pig head meat, peanuts, and duck wings, and then went to a supermarket to buy a few bottles of liquor.

Arriving on the second floor of the hostel, Wu Ji knocked on the room door.

The lock clicked, and then he heard Sun Gang say, "Come in!"

Wu Ji walked through the door.

A chill ran down the back of his neck, and then a thick arm choked his throat.

Wu Ji quickly raised his hands high and said with a grin, "Sun Gang, we're brothers; there's no need to point a knife at me, right?"

Sun Gang sneered, "Brothers? How do I know if you'll stab me in the back?"

Wu Ji sighed and persuaded him patiently, "Put the knife down. I brought the money, and I also brought food and liquor. Let's drink and talk."

Sun Gang took a deep breath and slowly loosened his arm. Wu Ji slowly turned around, smiled at Sun Gang, and took two stacks of money out of his pocket, "This is thirty thousand! Ten thousand of it is my own personal gift to you. Relax, I really do treat you like a brother!"

Sun Gang had been hiding here and there for the past few days, and his mood was highly strained.

Seeing that Wu Ji truly had no ill intentions, he gradually let down his guard.

The two of them began to drink.

After drinking for nearly an hour, Wu Ji saw that Sun Gang was somewhat intoxicated and slipped sleeping pills into the liquor.

Sun Gang soon lost consciousness; Wu Ji stared coldly at Sun Gang, fished that dagger out from his bosom, and pressed it against his neck, leaving a bloody mark.

In the end, he stopped, added thirty or forty more sleeping pills to the liquor, and poured it all into Sun Gang's mouth.

Afterward, Wu Ji went downstairs, took a large woven bag from the car, and stuffed the unconscious Sun Gang inside.

He shoved the woven bag into the trunk.

Wu Ji drove the car north along the canal.

Arriving at a desolate spot, he threw the woven bag into a deep pit that had been dug long ago.

Before leaving, Wu Ji knelt before the pit, pressed his palms together, and prayed devoutly, "Sun Gang, don't blame me for being ruthless; die early and be reincarnated early, be a good person in your next life."

Wu Ji then climbed into the car and returned to his own residence.

Back home, Wu Ji put the thirty thousand and the twenty thousand together, placed them into a black box hidden under the bed, and sneered to himself, "I didn't expect that in Feng Lin's eyes, Sun Gang's rotten life could be worth fifty thousand."

Wu Ji did not know that not long after his car left.

Er Zi walked out from a small grove of trees not far away.

He made sure Wu Ji was far away, then strode quickly to the large pit.

He moved the stones on top, desperately dug away the soil with his hands, and dragged the woven bag out.

After opening the woven bag, Er Zi used his hand to check Sun Gang's breath.

The person was still alive!

Er Zi hurriedly moved him into the car...