After kowtowing ten times, Lin Ming felt dizzy.
He stood up and staggered, but Master Hu came over to support him.
After his head cleared, Lin Ming gritted his teeth and said, "Is that okay?!"
"Of course, you can go!"
Wang Haoran was in a good mood. Every time Lin Ming kowtowed, his system would "ding."
Lin Ming's protagonist's halo decreased by 200 in total, while Wang Haoran's luck value increased by 200, and his skill points increased by 20.
If I had known earlier, I would have asked him to bow more.
Seeing Wang Haoran's proud look, Lin Ming angrily left with Master Hu.
However, before leaving, he hesitated and looked back at Wang Haoran unconsciously. His eyes were stubborn, and his voice was loud and clear.
"Wang Haoran, don't be complacent. Thirty years in Hexi, thirty years in Hedong, don't bully young people into poverty!"
"I, Lin Ming, am not inferior to you!
"One day, I will repay you a hundredfold!"
Listening to Lin Ming's bold declaration, before Wang Haoran could say anything, Master Hu hurriedly pulled him away.
So embarrassing!
Lin Ming, have you read too many online novels? Why do you say such nonsense?
Moreover, those lines are spoken by protagonists in fantasy novels; it doesn't even fit our scene here.
It's truly embarrassing to hear you force it like this!
After Lin Ming left, Wang Haoran curled his lips in disdain.
Your protagonist's aura is only 420, less than half of mine. How could you fight me?
You've been defeated by me five times, not to mention I have a system now!
Wang Haoran checked his panel
[Wang Haoran: Host of "Villain Counterattack System"
Luck Points: 480
Ability Points: 38
Force: 70
Constitution: 100
Mental Strength: 200
Charisma: 100
Skills: Appraisal; Capture; Ability Shield;
Item: None]
"System, add all my points to 'Force'!"
> [Ding! Successfully added! Host's current Force: 108]
With the upgrade completed, Wang Haoran left the stone gambling den.
---
It was evening in an office of the municipal government.
Wang Haoran sat upright with a serious expression.
Across from him was a man, who, though silent, looked at the son of an old friend with suspicion.
"Haoran, did you seek me out specifically?"
"Uncle Xu, you have to stand up for our Wang Group! We work hard, pay taxes diligently, and provide countless jobs for City S. But just because we're rich, we're being targeted by the Fierce Tiger Gang!"
Wang Haoran angrily took out the evidence collected by his men over the past few days, along with the recording of Li Hu threatening him earlier that day.
"Li Hu said that if we don't submit to the Fierce Tiger Gang, our project in the southern part of the city won't proceed!"
Looking at the evidence Wang Haoran brought over, Xu Ting skimmed through it and, based on his knowledge and years of experience, judged that it was likely true.
However, he was puzzled. He didn't really believe that a dignified company like the Wang Group would be helpless against the Fierce Tiger Gang.
On the surface, the Wang family seemed like ordinary businessmen who could easily be bullied by gangsters like the Fierce Tiger Gang. But Xu Ting knew that if it came down to it, even ten Fierce Tiger Gangs wouldn't be enough to handle the Wang family.
With the evidence in his hand, Xu Ting could essentially dismantle the Fierce Tiger Gang by targeting their key members.
Wang Haoran continued.
"The Wang Group has an important project in the south of the city tomorrow. If it's disrupted by the Fierce Tiger Gang, we could lose hundreds of millions in profit!"
"So, I hope you can send someone to put an end to their arrogance!"
Hearing the hidden meaning in Wang Haoran's words, Xu Ting frowned.
"With this evidence, there's no issue with arresting people, but there are so many members in the Fierce Tiger Gang, and our personnel are limited. It'll take at least a week!"
"Uncle Xu, if there were no Fierce Tiger Gang, the net profit from our project could reach 300 million!"
"When the time comes, the Wang Group will announce to the media that half of the project's profits will be donated to the city hall for staff welfare and equipment updates!"
"Half?!"
Director Xu could tell the project itself was only a pretext.
He was even more puzzled—why was Wang Haoran so determined to eliminate the Fierce Tiger Gang by tomorrow morning, even at the cost of such a large amount?
After some hesitation, Xu Ting agreed.
He had his own challenges to consider, and the promise of a substantial fund before him was tempting.
"Alright! Let's take action tonight!"
"Then I'll leave it to you, Uncle Xu!"
---
After the discussion, Wang Haoran drove back to his villa.
Throwing his coat aside, he lazily leaned back on the sofa and closed his eyes to think.
Beside him stood Xu Fu, the butler.
Xu Fu had been serving the Wang family even before the original owner was born, having shown unwavering loyalty for over thirty years. He was older than Wang Haoran's father.
The original owner's father regarded him as a brother, making him a figure of absolute trust.
Through the system, Wang Haoran could also see that Xu Fu's trust level reached 92, and his strength was at the peak of Mingjin.
If it hadn't been for the old master's concerns about Lin Ming, he could have simply ordered Xu Fu to take him down.
"Uncle Fu."
"Yes, Master?"
Xu Fu originally addressed Wang Haoran as "Young Master," but after Wang Haoran inherited the family, he was compelled to call him the head of the family. This made Wang Haoran slightly uncomfortable.
"Where's Lao Mo?"
"Near the target already."
Lao Mo—Mo Yidao—was Xu Fu's adopted son and was at the late stage of Ming Jin. He was also the sharp blade used by Wang Haoran's father to carve his path to success, demonstrating equal loyalty.
In the original plot, Lao Mo and Xu Fu fought to protect Wang Haoran, ultimately sacrificing themselves in battle against Lin Ming and the third heroine, Yun Ning'er. They were defeated by the combined efforts of the protagonists and died in failure.
After losing these two, Wang Haoran became fully manipulated by Lin Ming, losing all means of resistance.
Across five lifetimes, both had been invaluable assistants to him.
Now, Wang Haoran had sent Lao Mo to investigate the Fierce Tiger Gang.
"The officials will begin their operation at 10 p.m. tonight."
"Revenge can't wait until tomorrow—have him collect on my behalf from Lord Tiger!"
Wang Haoran opened his eyes, his voice cold.
"Tell Lao Mo, I'm want to eat fish."