Chapter 23: Fish on the Chopping Block

"Ah—"

Struck so viciously below the belt, Zhang Hao instantly collapsed to the ground in unspeakable agony, rolling desperately. The cronies Zhang Hao brought, along with the burly men following Lin Jiahao, paused in surprise before their faces twisted with rage, charging toward Hong Yu with murderous intent.

But Hong Yu was faster.

Knowing full well he stood no chance, Hong Yu had no intention of pressing his advantage. He turned and fled at once.

"Stop, you bastard!"

"Damn it, we’re in big trouble now. If anything happens to Young Master Hao..."

"We’re already taking the fall for this, no more talk—catch him first!"

"Shit! That dog runs pretty fast. I knew he was just pretending to be weak!"

Everyone chased after him with all their might. Lin Jiahao, sweating profusely, hurried to Zhang Hao’s side and crouched down. "Young Master Hao, are you alright?"

"You try getting hit there, damn it!" Zhang Hao cursed, rolling on the ground. "It hurts! It hurts so much I’m going numb, damn it, stop standing there like an idiot!"

When he was struck, Zhang Hao had felt as though something shattered inside him. After a moment of agony, he was horrified to realize he had no sensation at all below the waist.

"Should we call an ambulance?" Lin Jiahao asked anxiously.

"You idiot! By the time the ambulance gets here, there’ll be nothing left to save!" Zhang Hao spat, his face ashen. "Get two guys to carry me to the car, and drive me to the hospital as fast as you can!"

Those who hadn’t joined the chase hurriedly lifted Zhang Hao, but with too few hands, even Lin Jiahao—the head of the Lin family—had to act as the driver.

"Damn it, this is a disaster!"

"Hong Yu, can you stop bringing ruin to my family? And you, Lin Shuyu, you’re a walking calamity!"

Lin Shuqi shouted and hurried into the car as well.

In front of the Zhang family’s grand gates, only Lin Shuyu stood there, dazed, as though the music had ended and the crowd dispersed.

Then a wave of dread swept over her.

Hong Yu’s strike was nothing short of suicidal.

Not to mention the future—those men chasing after him now would certainly show him no mercy.

In her panic, Lin Shuyu fumbled for her phone, intent on calling the police, but then hesitated, thinking of Zhang Hao’s injury.

Although Hong Yu had been beaten, he’d run so quickly and struck with such force, he was likely only superficially wounded. Zhang Hao, on the other hand—she’d seen the bloodstains on his trousers. She wondered if he would ever recover.

Lin Shuyu was no naïve newcomer to society. She knew that with the Zhang family, and now the Lin family allied with them, their wealth and influence would guarantee Hong Yu’s defeat in any legal battle.

She couldn’t call the police, and reaching out to her parents would do nothing but frighten them and earn her a scolding.

As things had spiraled out of control, Lin Shuyu now felt both anxious for Hong Yu and deeply guilty.

She’d always known the phrase "a beauty brings misfortune," but never imagined she would one day embody it.

If only she’d agreed to Zhang Hao’s demands from the start, perhaps none of this would have happened...

"Huff, huff—"

Hong Yu panted heavily.

He was fleeing for his life with every ounce of strength, but seeing those men gaining on him, he gritted his teeth and dove into a nearby copse.

Wherever the advantage lay, that’s where he would go.

If he were caught, there was a real chance they’d beat him to death this time.

"Damn, that bastard ran into the woods."

"No worries, it’s not a big grove. We’ll split into four teams of two—he won’t get far."

"Just our luck! Why not catch him and beat him half to death? After what he did to Young Master Hao, his life is over anyway."

"That’s his problem! Now he’s dragged us down with him."

"Wait—we need to fight fire with fire. We’ll let Young Master Hao take his anger out this way."

The men cursed and divided themselves, quickly fanning out into the woods.

"Seems like they’re not so close now," Hong Yu thought, glancing back to see no pursuers in sight. He breathed a sigh of relief.

But he knew the woods wouldn’t hide him for long. Zhang Hao’s injury would certainly provoke the Zhang family to act. If they found him still hiding, he’d be trapped like a rat.

After some thought, Hong Yu looked around, found a large tree, and climbed up, hiding himself among the thick leaves, holding his breath.

"Where is he?"

"He can’t be moving that fast—shouldn’t we at least see a glimpse of him by now?"

"Maybe he found a place to hide?"

"Unlikely—this place is wide open, short grass, no caves, nowhere to hide."

"Keep looking. The woods aren’t big; if we don’t find him, the others will."

As two men walked off into the distance, Hong Yu relaxed a little.

He took out his phone, set it to silent, and dialed Chen Dayong.

He’d considered calling Old Da Gong first, but figured the man probably wasn’t in Fengzhou. He’d have to call Chen Dayong anyway, so best not to waste time. Every second was precious in this situation.

In his office, Chen Dayong was puffing on a cigar, his left eyelid twitching ever since he’d told Hong Yu about Lin Shuyu earlier that day.

"Left eye twitching means trouble," he thought, too anxious to eat, sitting in worry.

"Boss, you should get some food. Nothing’s more important than eating. Besides, Hong Yu should be fine," his confidant urged.

"What do you know!" Chen Dayong snapped, then, seeing his phone ring, raised a hand for silence.

Hong Yu’s number...

Please, let nothing have happened!

Chen Dayong answered, voice trembling. "Mr. Hong, are you alright?"

Hong Yu had no time for pleasantries. "I’m hiding in a tree in the small woods about 1,200 meters in front of the Zhang residence. Send help, now."

A tree? In the woods?

Was he being hunted?

Chen Dayong jumped from his chair in fright. "Mr. Hong, hang on! I’ll send my men immediately!"

Hong Yu dared not stay on the line, urging haste before hanging up.

Not wasting a second, Chen Dayong barked, "Xiao Fei! Call everyone—whoever’s available, everyone, get to the Zhang family’s place now!"

"Did something happen to Mr. Hong at the Zhang family’s? Damn it, if he goes down, don’t drag us with him," his aide muttered.

"This isn’t the time to complain. Hong Yu hasn’t been caught yet, but if we’re late, who knows?" Chen Dayong retorted. "Call everyone. No matter what they’re doing, they must go."

His aide nodded, dialing as he went, while Chen Dayong searched the map for the woods Hong Yu described, screenshotting the location and sending it to his men.

"Here’s the location. When you get to the Zhangs, head straight there."

"I’ve got it, boss. I’ll take all the security staff with me," his aide replied.

"Go!" Chen Dayong said gravely. "I’m counting on you—bring Hong Yu back safely."

"Don’t worry!" The aide nodded and dashed out.

Left alone, Chen Dayong slumped in his chair, drained.

He knew how important Hong Yu was to Hong Gang, and what terrifying power the Hong family wielded.

At first, when Old Da Gong called, he’d been excited, thinking of ways to curry favor with Hong Yu.

Now, before he’d even gotten close, it looked like the opportunity might be lost forever.

And if Hong Yu was lost, he’d be caught in the backlash himself.

The more he thought, the more uneasy he became. He picked up his phone and called Old Da Gong.

In Fengzhou, Chen Dayong was a big shot, but his reach was limited. The Zhang family, for one, had no reason to fear him.

Calling Old Da Gong would serve two purposes: to give him a heads-up, and to mobilize the Hong family’s influence, just in case.

He was not built for such crises—if Hong Yu died, he’d probably die of a heart attack himself.

Ten minutes passed. Hong Yu was still perched in the tree.

At first, he’d seen another group of men pass by, but things had grown quieter since, and he began to relax.

But then, hurried footsteps approached, growing louder, and Hong Yu held his breath, barely making a sound.

"Still no sign of the bastard who hurt Young Master?"

"Not yet—a bunch of useless idiots!"

"At least they’re smart enough to spread out. With so few people, it’s hard to search the woods. They’ve ringed the area. The moment that bastard leaves, they’ll spot him."

"We have to catch him. Word just came—Young Master is ruined."

"Damn! Hao is the eldest son and grandson of the Zhang family. Imagine how furious the old man will be."

"The old man has spoken: when we catch him, break both his balls, then bring him back for punishment."

"Forget that—did you get what I asked for?"

What did they borrow?

Curious, Hong Yu parted the leaves. When he saw the unfamiliar thugs pull out a machine, sweat beaded his forehead.

A bio-detector! They’d brought that too!

He wouldn’t last much longer.

"Beep, beep, beep—"

"There! He’s ahead."

As soon as they set up the device, it blared an alarm.

"This thing’s range is about a hundred meters ahead. Search carefully—don’t let him escape!"

These men were sharper than the last. Soon, they spotted Hong Yu hiding in the tree.

"So you’re up there. No wonder they couldn’t find you," they snickered, beckoning him down. "Come on, did you think being in a tree would save you?"

"I know you have ways, but my legs are weak. Could a couple of you come up and get me?" Hong Yu tried to buy every second he could.

"Bastard! You’re meat on the chopping block and you still want to bargain?"

One man raised three fingers. "Jump down—three seconds, that’s all you get."

"Three... two..."

Damn! Is Chen Dayong trying to get me killed? Why aren’t his men here yet?

Hong Yu’s nerves were frayed. As he racked his brain for ways to stall, he suddenly glimpsed figures thirty feet behind the thugs.

"Over here!"

"I’m here!!"

Hong Yu shouted with all his might, hope and joy blazing in his eyes.