As night fell, He Baobao and his entourage were hosting the director who was always proclaiming how he "devoted himself fully" to his work.
The director, in his fifties with thinning hair, would have looked a few years younger if he weren't so often toiling in the seedy underworld.
By 1 a.m., after a night of revelry and negotiations, the main business was concluded. The discussions about who would take the fall were settled, arrangements were made, and activities were planned. Once the storm blew over, they could renew the outsourcing contract in a different way.
Satisfied with the results, He Baobao decided it was time for the director to focus on his own business. He summoned two princesses and then, with his subordinates, discreetly left for a remote repair shop on the outskirts of the city.
Perhaps the drinks at the clubhouse weren't enough to alleviate their worries. At the repair shop, He Baobao called a meeting with his subordinates, arranged for hiring new mechanics, and looked into tracking down the mechanics who had "absconded with the funds." He then sent someone to buy more alcohol, planning to drink the night away.
However, on the way to buy the alcohol, several of his subordinates happened to spot Li Bin's underling trailing them. After a brief chase, they managed to subdue him with two blows and brought him back to the repair shop.
When He Baobao saw the "spy," he immediately recognized him as Li Bin's man and mocked, "You're following me? What, trying to avenge your little brother? Hahaha..."
Li Bin's underling, bloodied and trembling, glanced around the yard. There were at least twenty or thirty people, and in this remote place at this late hour, he feared he might face a tragic fate similar to Douzi's.
"Where's your boss, Bin?" He Baobao sneered. "Isn't he known as the local tyrant of Binhai Road? If he's sending a useless person like you after me, he must want to face me himself. Call him and let him come; I'd love to play with him!"
Li Bin's underling swallowed nervously and put on a fawning expression. Trembling, he said, "He... He Boss's phone is off. He... He might be afraid of you..."
"Hahaha..." He Baobao laughed heartily. "Following such a boss, it's no wonder you're having a bad time!"
"That's true!" The underling wiped the blood from his face and forced a smile. "I... I've figured it out. I want to join you! Anyway, it's just a matter of earning a living. Following a capable boss is much better than sticking with that useless fellow! He even told me to follow you last night, saying he wanted to avenge Douzi, but his phone was off, and I couldn't reach him. Tonight, I... I realized he's just pretending to be brave and scared of trouble. I wanted to come and surrender, but was hesitating outside. Your people... misunderstood. It's all a misunderstanding!"
"Oh? Surrender? What makes you think you deserve that?" He Baobao teased. "I don't keep useless people around!"
"I... I have important information to report!"
He Baobao smiled, and just then, one of his subordinates who had captured the "spy" earlier said, "Boss, look, this headset is his, and the light is still flashing!"
He Baobao took the headset, put it on, but heard nothing. Then he looked at Li Bin's underling coldly and said, "Show me your phone!"
The underling obediently took out the phone, which was still on a call, and handed it over. He had called Chu Yuxuan before being knocked out, and the call hadn't been disconnected yet.
"He Boss, the person calling me is Li Bin's helper," the underling said, rising and slowly moving closer to He Baobao, eager to prove himself.
He Baobao looked at the unfamiliar number on the screen and tentatively said, "Hello?" but received no response.
"Not speaking? Then listen up. I'm here at the repair shop waiting for you. If you have the guts, come here and let's see what happens."
Just as he finished speaking, Chu Yuxuan's voice suddenly came from the phone, "It's not related to him. Don't harm him. I'll be there in five minutes. I'm almost there."
He Baobao was momentarily stunned. Then he grabbed a liquor bottle from the table and smashed it on Li Bin's underling's head, laughing and saying, "Hurry up! I'm afraid your little brother won't last until you get here!"
He didn't hang up the phone but left it on the side, intending to let Li Bin's helper listen to the sounds of his subordinate's suffering.
"Ha! You killed our brother! Even if I become a ghost, I won't spare you!" Li Bin's underling, who was actually just a petty thief and usually avoided fights, found his courage amplified by hatred.
He Baobao sneered and smashed three more liquor bottles over his head, telling his elite subordinates, "Get your weapons. Let's see what kind of people this spineless Li Bin can bring!"
At this moment, a figure rapidly appeared from the darkness.
"He Baobao, d*mn you! Try touching my brother again!"
Li Bin, holding a gun in one hand and a grenade in the other, abruptly appeared in the yard of the repair shop like a savior.
The underling, severely beaten and seeing the gun and grenade in Li Bin's hands under the dim light, thought he might be hallucinating due to his injuries.
He Baobao frowned, puzzled by where a bunch of petty thieves had gotten military weapons from.
The others were stunned and dared not move, frozen in place.
Li Bin entered the yard, glanced at his bloody underling, and stopped at the boundary of light and darkness. From five or six meters away, he aimed his gun at He Baobao and shouted, "He Baobao, let my brother go first. We'll talk about Douzi later!"
Due to the poor lighting, He Baobao couldn't clearly see Li Bin's expression but noticed several grenades hanging from him. He hesitated to act, forcing a smile, and said, "Bin, it's been a while. Did you get better at this?"
He looked around, feeling something was off. The person on the phone was Li Bin's helper, but where were his other people?
"Enough of your b*llsh*t! Let him go!" Li Bin shouted.
He Baobao clenched his teeth and said fiercely, "Do you think I'm easily scared? Hmph. Do you know how to use a grenade? Huh?"
Without wasting words, Li Bin pulled the pin from the grenade, holding the handle tightly and extending it forward, saying, "Never seen a pig run before? He Baobao, if you let my brother go, I'll throw this grenade far away and just make a noise. Otherwise, I'll throw it among your men and let you all hear it!"
Several of He Baobao's subordinates, clearly nervous, took a few steps back.
He Baobao hesitated, unsure of what to do.
Li Bin shouted, "Are you deaf?! I don't want to escalate things. Don't push me! So many people? I've got six grenades on me! If my hand slips and this grenade falls, we'll all be finished!"
He Baobao, grinding his teeth, glared at Li Bin and said, "Let him go!"
Several subordinates quickly helped the injured underling up.
The underling, badly hurt, staggered toward Li Bin, shouting, "Bin, I'm coming!"
As he reached Li Bin, he stumbled.
Seeing the underling about to fall, Li Bin instinctively reached out to help. Unfortunately, the grenade he was holding fell to the ground.
He Baobao and his group were stunned, scrambling frantically to escape.
"D*mn it! Are you crazy?"
He Baobao watched as a grenade lay at his feet. It felt like the end of the world, but then, the grenade on the ground suddenly began playing a children's song: "What is Grandpa's father called?"
The grenades scattered on the ground slowly opened like birthday candles, and out popped tiny figures singing the song: "What is Grandpa's father called..."
In an instant, the once menacing repair shop was filled with cheerful music. All the subordinates, who had been fleeing in panic, were stunned in place.
He Baobao, dazed, picked up a children's "grenade" that was still flashing with lights. He finally understood that Li Bin had kept his distance to avoid exposing the trick.
Seven toy grenades had scared thirty grown men into a frenzy. If word got out, He Baobao would lose face in the underworld forever.
"D*mn it! Playing with me!"
Furious, He Baobao looked up to see Li Bin and his men had already fled the yard.
"Chase them! I want to skin them alive!"