After parting with Jiang Weiwei, Tang Zhong began to wander around Jianghai. He didn't have any particular demands now; finding Jiang Weiwei was all he needed to do, call off the marriage, and then head straight back to Liga Continent, taking advantage of being under eighteen to do more good deeds.
The so-called good deeds involved killing more bad guys; over the years, the number of people who had died at Tang Zhong's hands was countless.
But where was Jiangdong Group located?
Surrounded by skyscrapers that all looked identical.
"I'm sorry, the number you have dialed is currently unavailable."
A system voice came from the Nokia phone.
Tang Zhong felt so angry he wanted to smash the phone again.
Not being able to make a call must be related to that damn monkey.
The Monkey was Tang Zhong's partner, a genius hacker who could infiltrate any computer. It was the Monkey who had helped him find Jiang Weiwei's address.
Tang Zhong was calling to ask the Monkey to resend the address, but he couldn't get through to him at all.
Tang Zhong also knew why; the last time the Monkey had told him that Liga Continent was only a few thousand miles from the country, he had mentioned it, fearing that Tang would come after him, which is why he had turned off his phone.
There was no choice but to search on his own now.
Whoosh.
A taxi stopped beside Tang Zhong.
A balding middle-aged man popped his head out from the driver's cabin and said with a smile, "Brother, looking for someone? Do you need a ride? I'm very familiar with Jianghai City. Just tell me where you want to go, I can take you there."
Tang Zhong had seen taxis when he was younger but had never seen them again after his grandfather had sent him away.
However, this taxi had come at just the right time.
"Do you know where Jiangdong Group is?" Tang Zhong asked.
Upon hearing this, the bald man got out of the car, then reached out and pulled Tang Zhong into the vehicle.
"Jiangdong Group, how could I not know? Come on, I'll take you there."
Tang didn't resist and got into the car right away.
The bald man also got in and drove off immediately.
The vehicle drove for about half an hour; originally, the surroundings were filled with high rises, but now they were low buildings, only two or three stories high.
The car finally stopped in an old alley.
"If you go through this alley, it's Jiangdong Group. Just 20 bucks and we're there," said the bald man with a smile.
Tang Zhong scanned the alley; low buildings were everywhere. Was this Jiangdong Group?
Probably, he had never been here before; he'd find out soon enough.
But entering this alley, who knew when he would reach the end, what if he got lost?
"How about this, Master? I'll give you double the fare if you take me right to the front door of Jiangdong Group," Tang suggested.
Money was not an issue.
Hearing this, the bald man's eyes shifted, and he answered, "Okay, seeing as it's your first time in Jianghai and you're unfamiliar with the area, I'll help you out, no need to double the fare."
"Sounds good."
"This alley isn't passable by car. Let's do this, you come down with me, and I'll walk you there. Bald man."
"Okay," Tang Zhong nodded.
The two men got out of the car, and the bald man didn't bother closing the car door, he just took Tang directly into the alley.
As they walked,
Tang Zhong's instincts as a mercenary felt something was off.
It was eerily quiet around them, not a soul in sight, not even a ghostly shadow.
"Is Jiangdong Group really ahead?" Tang Zhong asked, surprised.
"Of course not, this is our territory," the bald man's voice suddenly turned icy cold.
A knife suddenly appeared in his hand, held close to Tang Zhong's neck.
Tang Zhong didn't move, letting the knife rest against his neck, judging by the bald man's technique, he seemed to be an old hand at this. It looked like he had gotten into a pirate taxi this time.
Abroad, Tang Zhong also watched domestic news; pirate taxis were infamous. Once you got in, women could be robbed and assaulted, and if they met a psychopath, they could even be kidnapped, though men had it slightly easier, only likely to be robbed if they didn't encounter someone with excessive tastes.
"Just walk, I advise you not to resist, otherwise my knife won't obey orders."
Tang Zhong didn't resist. These people seemed to be operating as a group and probably had a hideout. He would wait until he got there.
At that moment, the bald man led Tang Zhong to a gate painted in red and knocked on it.
Soon, a voice came from inside.
"Who is it?"
"Delivery of rice," said the bald man.
Tang Zhong couldn't help but laugh, they were actually using a code.
Creak, the door opened, and a skinny head poked out.
"Come in!"
The bald man looked around cautiously before leading Tang Zhong inside.
The courtyard wasn't large.
At a glance, one could see a group of people, naked, squatting on the ground, holding their heads, too scared to look up, both men and women among them.
Tang Zhong knew they must have been deceived by an illegal taxi, just like he was.
Besides them, there were about seven or eight ruffian-looking people.
At that moment, a fat man came up: "Brother Three, what's the catch? Is the pick good?"
"It's a migrant worker, it's really bad luck lately, haven't eaten well in a while. When will we finally get a rich person? Come here, take him over, strip his clothes, take whatever money he has," the bald man told the fat man.
"Alright," the fat man responded immediately.
Tang Zhong realized that the bald man must be the leader of these people, it seemed they were part of a criminal gang focusing on robbery, and this courtyard was their base.
Understanding everything, Tang Zhong prepared to take action. The thing he hated most was such nefarious criminals; they all deserved punishment.
But just at that moment, there was a noise from the red gate again.
The skinny man who looked like a monkey immediately went to open the door.
After exchanging the earlier code, he opened the door.
A strong man entered, holding an elderly man who looked to be in his seventies, with greying hair, dressed in a white top and black pants, and shuffling in cloth shoes, likely a farmer by his attire.
Right then, the elder clung tightly to the bag in front of him.
"What are you doing? Let go of me, I need to go to the hospital. Didn't you say you would take me to the hospital? Why have you brought me here? My granddaughter is still waiting for me at the hospital. Why are you capturing me? If I get there late, my granddaughter might die."
"Give me the bag in your hand, and we'll let you go to see your granddaughter," said the strong man.
"No, no, this is my granddaughter's hospital fee, you can't take it," the elder said nervously.
"I fucking told you to hand it over. Stubborn old man, believe it or not, I'll kill you right now!" the strong man yelled.
The elder stepped back in fear but still clutched his bag tightly, refusing to let go.
The bald man had been watching, his expression extremely ugly: "Xiao Huang, why aren't you acting yet, didn't you hear? It's hospital fees, definitely a good sum, why aren't you robbing him? You can't beat an old man?"
Xiao Huang, the strong man, smiled sheepishly at this: "Brother Three, sorry for the embarrassment, I'll rob him now."
Then he turned a sinister gaze to the elder, saying viciously, "You old man, because of you, I got scolded by Brother Three. If you don't give me the money, I'll kill you."
"I won't give it, I won't!" the elder said stubbornly.
"Damn, you refuse a toast only to drink a penalty." Xiao Huang stepped forward and kicked fiercely.
He kicked the elder in the stomach, then snatched the bag from his hands.
The elderly man, no match for a younger opponent, rolled out like a balloon.
Lying on the ground, he cried, "You can't do this, this is the money for saving a life, my granddaughter is waiting, you heartless beasts!"
Upon hearing this, the bald man took a one-yuan coin from his pocket, saying, "Elderly sir, it's indeed wrong of us to rob, but it's also your fault for wandering around with the money. We had no choice. Alright, I know your money is for saving a life. We'll let you go now, go save your granddaughter with the money."
"You're bullying an old man, I'll fight you!" the elder shouted.
Hearing this, Xiao Huang suddenly became furious: "Fuck, old man. Brother Three is being merciful, and you don't appreciate it, looking for death!"
He aimed another kick.
Tang Zhong watched it all, unable to bear it any longer: "It's not right for you to bully an old man like this."