"Ugh, don't get started." Lin Chuan walked over and said, "Now my head is just full of worries."
"What's bothering you?" Zhou Kai offered Lin Chuan a cigarette.
"Money." Lin Chuan replied with a bitter smile, "I've promised to help Nuo Xiaoxi repay her debts and then support her education."
"Nuo Xiaoxi?" Zhou Kai was taken aback, then grinned and said, "Chuanzi, she's a good seven or eight years younger than you, man. You're like an old cow eating tender grass. Bro, I know you've been looking for a wife lately, but is Nuo Xiaoxi really worth all that money?"
"Get lost!" Lin Chuan glared at him, then plopped down on the sofa beside him and said, "Don't project your dirty thoughts onto pure . I just want to give her a hand. To get her to go to school as soon as possible—she has college entrance exams coming up in June next year."
"Really no ulterior motives?" Zhou Kai asked with a wicked smile.
"None." Lin Chuan shook his head.
"Then you're truly a great man," Zhou Kai laughed heartily. "But there are plenty of rich guys willing to spend tens of thousands to keep her, yet Nuo Xiaoxi has turned them all down. The girl really has so backbone. It's just a sha she was born into a poor family."
"That's all the more reason for us to help her." Lin Chuan responded.
"How are you going to help?" Zhou Kai said hopelessly. "You know she's in debt for over a hundred thousand, not to ntion that tuition fees for her future studies are a major issue."
"Right now, the focus is on how to help her clear her debts." Lin Chuan took a drag of his cigarette and said, "If we don't help her repay her debts, I reckon she won't have the mind to study. As for the tuition fee, that's not worrying. How much could it be a year."
"Chuanzi, over a hundred thousand is no small sum," Zhou Kai said as he used an iron rod to reshape the collapsed car door, which still needed body work and repainting. The old clunker finally looked a bit more like a car again, with the door fixed back into place.
"Mm-hmm." Lin Chuan nodded.
"How about we rob the rich to help the poor?" Zhou Kai casually laughed. "All that money those corrupt officials have, taking a bit from them wouldn't be too much, right?"
Zhou Kai's words indeed gave Lin Chuan so inspiration; indeed, those corrupt officials had so much money, getting so from them wouldn't be excessive, right? And it wouldn't go against his principles, would it? Besides, he would be using the money for a good cause, to help a girl who had to drop out of school. He shouldn't disgrace his comrades nor the General.
With that thought, Lin Chuan imdiately walked out.
"Damn it, Chuanzi, where are you going?" Zhou Kai, with his pot belly, hastily followed him to the factory entrance.
"Robbing the rich to help the poor," Lin Chuan said coolly, tossing the cigarette butt into a nearby gutter.
"Bro, I was just talking nonsense." Zhou Kai panicked: "Don't do anything illegal. The brothers are counting on you."
"Hahaha..." Lin Chuan burst into laughter.
Zhou Kai's words had given him a wake-up call; naturally, he would not do anything illegal. Robbing a corrupt official wouldn't be a cri, would it? One might even say he'd be carrying out justice on behalf of the heavens, punishing lawbreakers for the people.
In Lin Chuan's mind, a clear target had ford: that person was Song Ming.
Although Song Ming didn't engage in business himself, his family was involved in comrcial activities. Coupled with his behind-the-scenes support, the Song family's business thrived, and naturally, Song Ming didn't lack his cut. Wasn't his villa in Jiangdong District proof of that? His brother was in the real estate industry dostically, and this villa was a gift from brother to brother.
However, with the sun blazing down so intensely in the late afternoon, making a rash visit to the villa might end in getting caught red-handed. If that villa were hiding a good amount of money, it would surely be fortified with nurous traps and asures for strict defense. Therefore, Lin Chuan decided to take action at night.
When night fell, after Mrs. Lin went to bed, Lin Chuan glanced at his phone. It was exactly ten o'clock at night.
The outside was swept by a cold wind. It was pitch dark – a perfect ti for murder and arson.
Lin Chuan stepped on the fallen leaves outside and left the Changlin Community. On this early winter night, the Changlin Community looked even more sinister. The factory area housed many sycamore trees that were decades old, very tall and large. Walking down the road, there were no people around, and the streetlights were mostly broken, making the dark path even more creepy and terrifying. Lin Chuan, with a cigarette clamped in his mouth, stepped on the dry leaves, and the crunching sound could be heard with each step.
After leaving the community, he could see an area not far away lit up brightly.
Lin Chuan casually hailed a taxi and headed towards the riverbank.
The East River is a tributary of the Yangtze River, and Jiangbei City is located on its backside, which is also the origin of the city's na. About a hundred kiloters south of the East River lies Jiangnan City. The two cities are almost like brother cities, and their developnts are quite on par with each other, each flaunt their success, one to the south and one to the north.
Upon reaching the riverside of the East River, the traffic on Yanjiang Road was bustling. This Ring Road was very busy, and even at night, there were nurous vehicles passing through, with many large trucks rushing from the direction of the docks. Jiangbei City developed by relying on water transport, and although road and air transport have now developed as well, water transport, being cost-effective, remains popular, especially among large logistics companies and so foreign trade firms who prefer waterway transportation.
Standing on Yanjiang Road, ten years ago, this was just a two-way street with four lanes, but now it had evolved into a spacious road with eight lanes in both directions. By the riverside, one could occasionally hear the sound of ships' horns.
"The world really changes too fast," Lin Chuan chuckled to himself.
Indeed, the world changes quickly. What was once ordinary and rundown has now beco a bustling tropolis. Ten years ago, Lin Chuan used to swim here with his friends. Despite the annual deaths by drowning, the fun of playing in the water still attracted many people to co and enjoy themselves.
The East River is a hundred ters wide, with the widest part said to be over two hundred ters. There is an island on the East River, which was once an uninhabited wasteland but has now been developed. A Daoist temple was built on it, turning it into a tourist island. A constant stream of visitors cos to the temple to pray and seek divination.
Not far away, at a turn of the East River, there is a large piece of riverside land. This plot of land has been secured by a well-known developer who built more than fifty villas on it. The most luxurious villa with the best scenery was bought by Song Ming. According to the market price back then, that villa would have cost at least five million. Now, its price has skyrocketed to tens of millions.
This villa area is probably the most luxurious residential area in Jiangbei City now, with an entrance built like a triumphal arch. The entrance has an electronic gate and a security booth with two guards on duty. The entire residential area is surrounded by wrought iron fencing. The fence is topped with barbs, and there are surveillance caras installed. Inside the security room within the residential area, two guards are monitoring the screens.
Lin Chuan circled the periter of the residential area, maintaining a certain distance from the guard booth, as he was keenly aware of anti-surveillance asures. After scouting out the terrain on-site, Lin Chuan turned and left. The surrounding area was full of thickets, which provided a great opportunity for Lin Chuan's operation. He quickly dived into the undergrowth, shedding his jacket to reveal a set of black clothes for night operations, thin and without any markings.
In the deserted underbrush, he found a spot to hide his clothes. Then he quickly found a cara's blind spot and skillfully climbed over the fence to enter the residential area.
Thanks to the concealnt of his nightwear, coupled with a piece of black cloth he used to cover his face, even if he montarily appeared in front of the caras, it wouldn't cause the guards in the monitoring room to suspect anything. Once inside the residential area, Lin Chuan sprinted along the lush greenery. In this darkness, Lin Chuan did not have to worry about any disturbing gazes.
In a distance of a few hundred ters, Lin Chuan took twenty seconds – a speed that would certainly surpass Jamaica's Bolt. Even with his nine-seconds-plus 100-ter world record, Lin Chuan had already broken through his limits. Such speed was virtually undetectable by the caras. Or rather, it appeared as nothing more than a fleeting shadow, which wouldn't be believed to be a moving object by most people, who'd rather think their eyes were playing tricks on them.
Song Ming's villa was located closest to the river, and it was perfectly situated at the very top of the land, commanding an excellent position with scenic views on both sides. The river water was channeled into the villa area, and Song Ming's villa was the first to have its swimming pool filled with the water from the East River. This villa was awarded to Song Ming by the governnt, but he only had the right to use it, not the property rights.
Lin Chuan quickly approached Song Ming's villa, which was a three-story mansion. Although it had only three floors, the land area was more than three hundred square ters. With a floor height of over three ters, the first-floor hall had an even higher ceiling, nearly six ters, with a massive crystal chandelier hanging directly from the top, dazzling with crystals.
Currently, Song Ming and his wife were living in the villa, and besides them, there was a maid in the house. Song Ming's children were all abroad.
Lin Chuan approached Song Ming's villa with caution. There was a security cara outside the villa, but Lin Chuan avoided its range and quietly moved to a blind spot. He then climbed up the pillar to reach the second-floor balcony. Lin Chuan tried opening the balcony door, but it was locked tight. Not wanting to alarm the occupants, he continued to climb up. Upon reaching the third-floor balcony, which was also locked, he noticed a window next to it that was open.
Lin Chuan risked stepping on the air conditioning unit on the balcony and flipped into the third-floor window.
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