Chapter 196: Scheming Against Xu Damao

"Don't worry, Officer, we won't be able to run!" He Yuzhu wrapped his arm around Liu Rusi's shoulder and walked quickly toward the seaside.

Liu Rusi, however, refused to budge, asking in a low, questioning voice: If we leave, what will happen to my godfather?

"We can't worry about that now. We have a hope of living if we get to the seaside; otherwise, we will definitely die here. I don't think these people will let you go either!" He Yuzhu said in a hurried tone, using his arm to push and support her as he accelerated their pace.

Just as they had walked over ten meters away, the sound of a bolt being pulled back came from behind them.

"Stop! Move any further and we'll open fire!"

He Yuzhu knew these people were about to kill them.

His gaze sharpened, and without hesitation, he raised his hand and struck the back of Liu Rusi's neck.

Liu Rusi let out a muffled groan and slumped softly into his arms, and he took the opportunity to tuck her into his space.

The soldiers were stunned for a moment, wondering how a living person had just vanished.

At the same time, He Yuzhu fiercely pressed the button on the Remote Control in his hand, and then he, too, flashed into the space.

Boom—!!!

The earth-shattering sound of an explosion echoed through the sky. With the truck as the center, everything within a hundred meters instantly turned into a sea of fire.

A scorching heatwave, carrying shredded iron and mangled limbs, shot into the sky. Piercing screams rose one after another, only to return to deathly silence in an instant.

When the smoke and dust cleared slightly, all that could be seen was scorched earth and scattered limbs and remains—a veritable hell on earth.

He Yuzhu flashed out of the space, looked at the horrific scene, and sighed softly: Who told you to insist on taking my life? I'm sorry!

He walked quickly to the distance and found over a dozen trucks and one military Jeep parked behind some shipping containers.

He quickly got into the Jeep before releasing Mayor Tian and Liu Rusi from the space.

Liu Rusi slowly regained consciousness, and upon seeing the carnage in the distance, she slammed a fist onto He Yuzhu's shoulder: Why did you knock me out?

"If you really want to see it with your own eyes, I'll take you back right now!" He Yuzhu said with a bitter smile.

Mayor Tian looked at the scene of carnage outside the car, his voice trembling: "Kid, your methods are too ruthless. Over two hundred lives..."

"Godfather, Zhuzi was forced into this." Liu Rusi hurriedly explained, "That Regimental Commander said clearly that whether they found you or not, they were going to take his life."

Mayor Tian sighed deeply and leaned back against the seat in despair: "Xiao Si, I finally see it clearly now; there's no going back to Nanjing."

"Do you know how dangerous the world is now? If it weren't for Zhuzi, you would have met your end today!"

"I'll go! I'll go! This time, it's my own choice!" Mayor Tian said firmly.

He Yuzhu brought the two of them to the place where the cargo ship was docked, met Su Qing, and handed him a Passport: "The forgery of Mr. Tian's identity is up to you!"

"No problem. Aren't you coming with us?"

"I'm not going on this trip. There might still be inspections on the road; it's better to be extra cautious!"

"Understood!" Su Qing said.

Time was of the essence. As Mayor Tian was about to board the cargo ship, Liu Rusi's tears could not stop falling.

She held Mayor Tian's hand and choked out: "Take care of yourself on the journey!"

Mayor Tian looked at the vast sea and suddenly realized: "I am old. If I leave today, I fear I will never return. Xiao Si, if you find you can no longer get by, come to the United States to find your godfather!"

Liu Rusi suddenly burst into tears, grabbed He Yuzhu's sleeve, and said: "I, I also want to go with my godfather?"

He Yuzhu was startled, then advised: "Actually, we still have a lot to do. So many people died today; that group won't just let it go. We..."

Liu Rusi wiped away her tears, her gaze resolute: "I understand. We must find the person who orchestrated this behind the scenes."

Inside the Siheyuan next to the Gongwangfu, Xu Damao came by at mealtime again.

The hunchbacked old man opened the door and whispered: "Damao, Mr. Luo just got back and his expression isn't good. Go on in!"

As soon as Xu Damao entered the room, he saw Luo Jiangtao sitting at the dining table cracking melon seeds.

Seeing him enter, Luo Jiangtao beckoned, and the two went into the living room one after the other.

A fawning smile spread across Xu Damao's face: "Dad, how did the inquiry go?"

Hearing the word "Dad," Luo Jiangtao immediately smiled, then sighed again: "Your Siqiang is locked up in Jingshi Prison. The other side has laid down their terms: either bring fifty thousand Big Ocean or exchange the person for the Bronze Sword; otherwise, in half a month, they will execute him by firing squad at Caishikou."

"Dad, are you telling the truth?"

"Absolutely true!"

Xu Damao stood up abruptly and ran outside: "Tell Mom for me, Dad; I'm going to be away for a while."

Luo Jiangtao watched his retreating figure and shook his head helplessly.

He Yuzhu and Liu Rusi did not stay in Tianjin and drove straight back to Beiping.

After dropping Liu Rusi off at home, He Yuzhu drove back to the Nanluoguxiang Siheyuan without stopping.

Along the way, he made a decision—no more forbearance. He would act against Shen Shichang and his people directly, just as he had dealt with the little devils back then.

When He Yuzhu returned to the Siheyuan, the way everyone in the courtyard looked at him was strange.

Even Yan Bugui didn't come up to talk; he just nodded and hurried home, afraid of inviting trouble upon himself.

He Yuzhu lived in the Siheyuan for two consecutive days and discovered he was out of coal balls, so he went out to buy some and had a porter unload the coal balls from the tricycle at his doorstep.

He Yuzhu was using a shovel to organize the coal balls.

Xu Damao had recently taken a trip to Tianjin to find his Siqiang's senior fellow apprentice, Hu Yunshui, but when he heard that Hu Yunbin had offended the Kong Family, he also expressed that he was powerless to help.

After returning, Xu Damao felt particularly depressed and came to the Siheyuan today wanting to find some friends to talk about it.

Seeing He Yuzhu working with the coal balls, he stepped forward to mock him out of spite: "Hey! He Yuzhu, weren't you arrested? How come they let you back out?"

He Yuzhu turned his head to glance at him and retorted: "Haven't seen you lately; did you go to your stepfather's house with your mother to enjoy the good life too?"

"Get lost! I've got money, I don't need that!" Xu Damao said haughtily.

"How could someone with your build earn money?" He Yuzhu looked at him with disdain and continued stacking the coal balls.

Xu Damao pulled a Jade Bi from his bosom and proudly held it up in the sunlight: "This thing is worth a whole house of yours!"

He Yuzhu leaned in to look and found that the jade was indeed very special and possessed a certain spirituality, but he still curled his lip and said: "It looks like a piece of junk to me. It's not white at all; it's definitely not mutton-fat jade. I wouldn't even buy it for one Big Ocean!"

"You bumpkin! This is an antique from the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods!" Xu Damao rubbed the Jade Wall repeatedly, looking proud.

He Yuzhu laughed: "The stones on the mountain have been there for hundreds of thousands of years! Aren't they still just stones!"

"I can't be bothered with you, this thing of mine is from a Western Zhou tomb..." Xu Damao hurriedly stopped mid-sentence.

He Yuzhu snatched the Jade Bi and examined it carefully.

The Jade Bi was a mix of red and white; although he couldn't tell what was good about it, the system's voice rang in his mind: "Host, an Ancient Precious Jade has been discovered. Do you wish to store it in the space?"

He Yuzhu was shocked; he hadn't expected this unremarkable piece of jade to be an Ancient Precious Jade.

He asked inwardly: "If I store it in the space, what benefits will I get?"

The system responded: "The space is currently in a Primordial State. Storing it can cause a major system upgrade, allowing part of the rocky ground in the space to be suitable for planting and breeding, and allowing your detection range to be further..."

He Yuzhu's eyes lit up; this piece of junk actually had such a wonderful use! He had to get his hands on it. He calculated quickly, but his face remained calm.

"Damao, I think this thing of yours is indeed a bit old, but the jade quality isn't good. It's not worth much money, maybe ten Big Ocean at most."

Xu Damao hurriedly snatched the Jade Bi back and mocked: "Ignorant!"

"Damao! It's been a long time since we two brothers met, let's go to my place and have something to eat!" He Yuzhu suddenly invited him enthusiastically.

"You're treating me to a meal? The sun must be rising in the west!" Xu Damao looked him over with suspicious eyes.

"To tell you the truth, the people in the courtyard won't talk to me now, fearing they'll be implicated. I feel so lonely!" He Yuzhu sighed, his expression dejected.

"There isn't a single good person in this courtyard! When my mother remarried, they treated me the same way! Now that they know my stepfather has money, they've started sucking up to me again!" Xu Damao opened up for a moment.

"Exactly, they are all petty people!" He Yuzhu agreed.

"Fine, let's go to your place. I haven't had lunch yet, you make two dishes for me, and we'll have a drink." Xu Damao finally relented.

He Yuzhu let Xu Damao into the room and said: "Wait for me, I'll make a few dishes in twenty minutes."

He Yuzhu quickly took the sliced fish and prepared meat out of the space, and in less than twenty minutes, he made four dishes: Boiled Fish, Twice Cooked Pork, vinegar-glazed cabbage, and stir-fried pork with wood ear mushrooms.

He also took out two bottles of red wine and placed them on the table.

Xu Damao looked at the wine bottles curiously: "What is this?"

"This is grape wine!" He Yuzhu said while opening the bottle.

"Foreign stuff? He Yuzhu, you kid have some skills. What do you rely on to make money?" Xu Damao asked.

"I have a distant relative on my mother's side who does trade. It's just moving our country's things outside and moving things from outside in. You understand, right!"

"I work as her bodyguard!" He Yuzhu poured a glass of wine for each of them.

Xu Damao nodded and thought to himself: "Nothing special, it's about the same as what I do; we're all in a line of work where we carry our heads on our belts."

"Who exactly did you offend to have people blocking your front door?" Xu Damao asked.

He Yuzhu sipped his wine and replied: "It has nothing to do with me. My older sister had a conflict with someone in power, but it's almost resolved now!"

"Your sister seems to be quite powerful?"

"You bet she is! Her godfather is a mayor!" He Yuzhu said, pretending to be proud.

"Are you bragging?"

He Yuzhu chuckled: "I'm not bragging, it's just that her godfather has already stepped down. However, she still has some connections in Si Jiu Cheng."

"Since your sister is so capable, buddy, can you do me a favor?"

"Let's hear it!" He Yuzhu said indifferently.

"I... my Siqiang, he is going to be executed by firing squad at Caishikou in a few days. Do you have any way to save him?" As he spoke, Xu Damao shed tears.