Capítulo 77: Chapter 79: Trouble in the Underworld
At the head of the bed, Ren Xuesong lay awake, staring at the ceiling.
Above him was an overhead light, typical of a hospital, but he distinctly remembered passing out in his car. This couldn't be a hospital, especially not one this barebones. The room only contained some basic medical equipment and nothing else.
At that moment, the sound of a door opening caught his attention.
Ren Xuesong turned his head and saw a man walk in—someone he recognized but wasn't familiar with.
"Awake?" Wu Zhiming asked with a smile.
"Mr. Wu, why… why are you here?" Ren Xuesong asked in surprise.
"Why wouldn't it be me?" Wu Zhiming replied, still smiling.
"I…" Ren Xuesong was at a loss for words. In his weakened state, he didn't know how to respond to Wu Zhiming.
"Just rest," Wu Zhiming said.
"Where am I now?" Ren Xuesong asked.
"In the Wu Group building," Wu Zhiming replied.
"Oh…" Ren Xuesong nodded, then, after a brief silence, asked, "Did you save me?"
"I owed you a favor. I'm repaying it," Wu Zhiming said.
"That's quite a big favor to repay—a life-saving one at that. I'm speechless," Ren Xuesong said with a bitter smile.
Wu Zhiming smiled and said, "Still, we were a bit late. I couldn't save your men."
"Ah!" Ren Xuesong sighed heavily.
"So, what's your plan? Your injuries aren't serious. The doctor said you'll be fine in a few days. Do you want to recover here, or would you prefer to go outside and meet your people?" Wu Zhiming asked.
"I'll leave. I don't want to impose," Ren Xuesong said.
"Alright. When you're ready to move, someone will take you out. I'll be going now," Wu Zhiming said.
"Aren't you curious about who tried to kill me?" Ren Xuesong asked.
"No. I don't get curious about things that don't concern me," Wu Zhiming replied with a smile.
"But what if I told you it's related to you?" Ren Xuesong asked.
"Related to me?" Wu Zhiming looked surprised. "How is it related to me?"
"After Yang Sandao was killed, someone approached me," Ren Xuesong said.
"But I didn't kill Yang Sandao," Wu Zhiming said, shaking his head with a smile.
"True, but everyone knows his death is linked to you. You left Yang Sandao's body at Shen Hongyue's doorstep, along with the animal corpses he sent you. That move caused quite a stir in our world. People say you acted too decisively and too domineeringly, leaving those bodies together without any concern that we might discover you killed Yang Sandao," Ren Xuesong said.
"And then?" Wu Zhiming prompted.
"Not long after, someone found me. They tried to recruit me, hoping I'd become the next Yang Sandao. That's when I realized that person was likely Yang Sandao's boss," Ren Xuesong explained.
"Oh!" Wu Zhiming nodded, not saying much, just waiting for Ren Xuesong to continue.
"The person offered me many things if I agreed to be his dog and kill you," Ren Xuesong said.
"It seems he also believes I killed Yang Sandao!" Wu Zhiming laughed.
"But I refused his offer," Ren Xuesong said.
"Why? If he dared to approach you, he must have made you an offer you couldn't refuse," Wu Zhiming said.
"He did. His offer was incredibly generous, almost too good to believe. But… in my years in the underworld, the one thing I can't stand is being someone's dog," Ren Xuesong said, shaking his head.
"So that's why you were attacked tonight?" Wu Zhiming asked.
"Yes. Many of the attackers were Yang Sandao's men. Though his power was largely dismantled, some remained. There were also some highly skilled fighters among them, far stronger than ordinary thugs. This convinces me that the attackers were working for Yang Sandao's boss. If I died, the underworld in Haixia City would descend into chaos. He could then elevate one of my men or Yang Sandao's remaining followers, making that person the new power in the city," Ren Xuesong explained.
"The underworld…" Wu Zhiming chuckled. He had always avoided getting involved in underworld affairs. They attracted too much attention and were too complicated. Without sufficient incentive, he had no interest in meddling in such matters.
"The underworld is a captivating place. Once you're in, you can't get out, nor do you want to," Ren Xuesong said with a bitter smile.
"So what will you do? Fight back?" Wu Zhiming asked.
"Fight back? I don't even know the other party's true identity. How can I fight back? All I know is that he might be from the provincial capital, judging by his accent. His power far exceeds mine. Fighting back seems impossible," Ren Xuesong shook his head.
"Then you're left to silently endure and wait for his second and third attacks until he eventually kills you," Wu Zhiming said with a smile.
Ren Xuesong hung his head, remaining silent.
"Alright, I don't want to get too involved in underworld matters. Each person has their own destiny. I've repaid my debt to you. Once you're well, you can leave. I'll be going now," Wu Zhiming said.
"Mr. Wu, perhaps we could work together," Ren Xuesong suggested.
Wu Zhiming waved his hand dismissively as he walked towards the door. "I'm not interested in your affairs and don't want any further entanglements. I also don't want anyone else to know I saved you, aside from yourself."
"I understand. I'll forever be grateful for your life-saving help," Ren Xuesong said, clasping his hands in respect.
Wu Zhiming smiled faintly and left the room. He then took the elevator upstairs with Li Sina.
"I thought you were going to recruit him!" Li Sina remarked.
"Recruit him? No, no, I was just repaying a debt. Matters of the underworld are trivial and troublesome. Getting involved is pointless and dangerous—you could end up dead without knowing how it happened," Wu Zhiming shook his head.
Li Sina nodded in agreement. She understood that the complexities of the underworld made it perilous to meddle in its affairs.
Wu Zhiming stepped out of the elevator and got into his car.
As night fell, his car drove towards a nearby hotel.
"Tonight is quite unsettling," Wu Zhiming murmured, hearing police sirens in the distance.
"Indeed," Li Sina nodded. Tonight, Haixia City was anything but peaceful.
Before dawn the next day, Wu Zhiming was already in the hotel's gym, working out.
The gym was nearly empty, with only Wu Zhiming and Li Sina present.
Wu Zhiming set the treadmill to its highest speed and ran swiftly, his face showing no signs of strain.
Watching this, Li Sina couldn't help but find it strange. Wu Zhiming, a businessman, had such remarkable stamina. Maintaining such a pace for so long was something only professional athletes or martial artists could do.
Wu Zhiming kept running at top speed for over half an hour before finally pressing the stop button.
Panting heavily, he moved to the strength training equipment and began lifting weights.
"You don't need to do so much exercise. With me around, your safety is ensured. Just stick to basic workouts," Li Sina suggested.
Wu Zhiming didn't respond. He kept lifting the dumbbells, breathing heavily.
The weights weren't actually heavy for Wu Zhiming, but with Li Sina watching, he had to feign fatigue to avoid startling her.
Even so, Li Sina was surprised. Wu Zhiming's speed, stamina, and strength were astonishing, comparable to a third or fourth-grade martial artist.
"Have you ever practiced martial arts?" Li Sina asked.
"I did some training when I was young," Wu Zhiming replied. Denying it entirely would be too implausible.
"I thought so. Your speed, endurance, and strength match those of a third to fourth-grade martial artist," Li Sina commented.
"What about you? What grade are you?" Wu Zhiming inquired.
"Me? Around seventh grade," Li Sina answered.
"Seventh grade?" Wu Zhiming chuckled. He knew Li Sina's true strength far exceeded that. During her time on the battlefield beyond the borders, she was already a second-grade martial commander. Her current abilities were likely even stronger. However, she had never revealed her full power, not even at the ceremony for assuming her family's leadership. Perhaps she was cautious about exposing too much.
Just then, a man in a suit hurriedly entered the gym.
"Boss, we just got news—the Song family was massacred last night. Song Jingsheng and his wife were killed, along with several other family members," the man reported gravely.
"The Song family was massacred?!" Wu Zhiming asked in shock. "Are you sure?"
"Yes, it happened around midnight. The police initially suspect it was a home invasion robbery," the man explained.
"What about Song Desheng?" Wu Zhiming asked.
"Song Desheng was at a club drinking last night and didn't return home, so he survived," the man replied.
"Did the Song family lose anything?" Wu Zhiming asked.
"That's unclear at the moment. Song Desheng is currently assisting the police with their investigation," the man said.
"Well, this is interesting," Wu Zhiming said, narrowing his eyes. "A home invasion robbery, occurring precisely at midnight, only discovered now. It's obvious the Song family was killed swiftly. If it were just a simple robbery, there's no way the entire family would be killed in such a short time."
"What are you implying?" Li Sina asked, frowning slightly.
"Nothing in particular. Let's keep working out!" Wu Zhiming smiled and moved to another piece of equipment, resuming his intense training session.
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