Central Avenue

As they reached the entrance, Chen Hao suddenly remembered something and sighed. "Here's a little benefit for you guys. The presidents of the second- and third-ranked guilds are on our side. They won't be coming back anymore, so handle them however you like."

He turned around and looked at Wu You. "See? I really am a good person!"

With that, Chen Hao waved toward the back.

"See you. Enjoy your Legend, young masters! No need to see us off~"

If only he'd known, he would have bought a trench coat. In a scene like this, he could have whipped it around with a flourish, radiating such overpowering charisma that everyone would have taken him for the King of Cool, perfectly living up to Long Aotian's name.

What a shame. Next time, for sure.

"Old Ban, tell those people to withdraw."

Pang Ban pulled out his phone, made a call, and gave a few instructions.

At the exit, they happened to pass several men in black coming in from outside.

Once they were outside, with the sky growing dark, Chen Hao removed one of the phone cards, snapped it in half, and tossed it into the grass nearby.

Then he and Pang Ban got into a stretch limousine that had been waiting at the entrance. Lin Lang was already sitting inside, and half the champagne was gone.

"Brilliant, brilliant." Lin Lang applauded in praise and poured himself another glass.

After they got in and closed the door,

Chen Hao shook like a sieve for a while before finally calming down. His back was drenched in sweat from the tension—it had all been forced composure.

Damn, that scared the hell out of me!

A perfectly good IT elite had insisted on cosplaying as a crime boss. This wasn't a gangster novel!

Once he had steadied himself, Chen Hao handed the bug hidden in his cuff to Lin Lang, then took the champagne the latter offered him. "Have a glass to calm your nerves!"

Lin Lang poured a glass for Pang Ban as well, and the three of them clinked glasses.

"Driver, get us moving. Just drive around. This car costs several thousand a day to rent, so we can't waste it."

Lin Lang asked, "Haozi, are you really planning to let go of Greedy Blue Moon just like that?"

"What else can we do? Force them into a corner and have them fight us to the death? There's no need. Private servers aren't the proper path in the end. With this money, we can do something worthwhile."

"Something worthwhile?" Lin Lang asked, curious about what his younger brother meant.

"Not yet. You'll know once we get to Korea in a couple of days." Chen Hao kept him in suspense. When he saw Old Ban hang up, he hurriedly asked, "Are they done over there?"

Pang Ban nodded.

Chen Hao had been working customer service these past few days, while Pang Ban hadn't been idle either. Using his own special qualities, he had successfully attracted a crime boss.

The boss had taken pity on his talent and warmly invited Pang Ban to join him. In the end, not only had he failed to recruit Pang Ban, he had also lost several dozen of his men.

They hadn't become brothers, but the other side had instead become his own client daddy.

There was nothing he could do about it. His subordinates were numerous and talkative, and funds were tight. These days, whoever paid the most was the daddy.

Patting the seat in front of him, Chen Hao said, "Driver, take us to Central Avenue!"

"What are you going there for, Haozi? How many times have we already walked around there? Aren't you sick of it yet?"

As he curiously examined the stretch limousine's luxurious interior and stroked the genuine leather seat beneath him, Chen Hao was filled with emotion. The first thing to do after getting rich was, of course—

"What else? Spend money! We used to travel on a shoestring. Do you think it'll feel the same now?"

The black stretch limousine was like a ghost dragging a long tail,

in this city known as the Paris of the East,

swaying onward

Inside Apex Bowling Alley.

Listening to his subordinate's report, Wu You learned that not long after Chen Hao and the others had gone inside, a stretch limousine and two large buses had arrived. Nearly seventy or eighty people had gotten out and subdued their group.

Wu You swallowed as he listened. Luckily, he hadn't tried to pull any tricks earlier. Otherwise, he would have died far from home by now.

Then he remembered his first meeting with Long Aotian and grew even more aggrieved at the memory of the other man's penniless appearance.

Damn it, he'd read too many novels. Long Aotian? The name was probably fake too.

He was ridiculously good at playing the pig to eat the tiger. Was he putting on an act for him?

Central Avenue was a bustling commercial pedestrian street in Ice City, as well as its commercial and historical-cultural center.

It began in the north at the Flood Control Monument Tower Square by the river and connected to Xinyang Square in the south, stretching 1,400 meters in total. Built in 1900, the avenue had a history of more than a century. Its buildings encompassed a variety of architectural styles, including Renaissance and Baroque.

It was also a national 4A-rated tourist attraction, known as Asia's First Street.

Some people said that never visiting Central Avenue was equivalent to never visiting Ice City.

Shopping malls and stores stood everywhere here, with people constantly coming and going. Countless tourists who had come because of its fame streamed through without end.

Today, a stretch limousine stopped at the entrance to Central Avenue, drawing the attention of many people.

Three handsome young men stepped out of the car. Their clothes, however, were quite plain: hoodies paired with jeans.

Ignoring the gazes around them, Chen Hao led Lin Lang and Pang Ban straight toward their destination.

Men and women shopped in completely different ways. Men often had a clear target and were extremely efficient!

Their first destination was Central Mall, where they headed straight for the various branded watch shops.

In his previous life, the most expensive watch he had owned was an iWatch that cost several thousand yuan. Whenever he went to a mall and saw Longines, Rolex, or Vacheron Constantin boutiques, he hadn't even dared to look inside.

Things were different now. The bulging backpack on Pang Ban's back wasn't there for show.

Their first stop was a Tissot boutique.

Aside from two shop assistants chatting, there was hardly anyone inside.

When the three of them came over, one of the pretty assistants gave them a glance, and her eyes lit up. Three handsome guys. But after looking at their clothes—from head to toe, all cheap street-market goods—she decided they didn't look like they could afford anything in the shop. The light in her eyes dimmed. Being handsome couldn't put food on the table, so she continued chatting with her colleague about gossip and family matters.

Seeing that no one came to serve them, Chen Hao walked straight toward the Longines boutique next door.

The three of them looked at the dazzling array of watches in the display cases. Apart from the prices being different, they couldn't tell which were better or worse.

At that moment, an exquisitely made-up shop assistant came over and asked politely, "Sir, would you like me to introduce some to you?"

"Miss, bring me the ten most expensive watches in your store. Let us take a look."

The shop assistant was clearly experienced, and her hands moved nimbly and efficiently.

Before long, ten watches—some exquisite, some grand, and some simple—were laid out on the counter. Chen Hao and the other two discussed them, but neither Chen Hao nor Pang Ban found one they liked.

In the end, Lin Lang chose one. It had a deep-blue dial and a rounded face, and it suited the scholarly air about him perfectly when worn on his wrist.

"How much is this watch?"

"Sir, you have excellent taste. This Master Collection watch is the pride of our store. It costs 128,000 yuan."

Chen Hao walked straight behind Pang Ban, unzipped the backpack, pulled out thirteen stacks of cash, and slapped them onto the counter.

The bold and decisive move was noticed by the shop assistants next door. Both of them froze. They had missed out on a huge customer. Their eyes burned with envy as they stared at the cash on the opposite counter. Judging from the amount, the commission alone was probably enough to cover a month's salary. They immediately regretted it so much their guts turned green.

Another shop assistant came over from inside the Longines store. After politely greeting them, the two divided the work clearly: one went to get a counterfeit detector, while the other went to pour tea and bring water. They became exceptionally enthusiastic.

While the money was being counted, the exquisitely made-up woman introduced the other expensive watches in the store. "Sir, take a look at this one. It's one of our classic models, blah blah blah..."

One minute later, the change was returned.

"Old Ban, see anything you like?"

Pang Ban shook his head.

"Let's go to the next one." With that, Chen Hao and the other two left directly.

The shop assistant's anxious voice came from behind them. "Hey~ Sir, your watch box and receipt!"

Chen Hao waved his hand, indicating that he didn't want them!

They followed the same process and visited several more watch stores.

At the Rolex boutique, Pang Ban chose a classic model with a black dial and a silver metal strap.

Finally, Chen Hao took a liking to a Vacheron Constantin watch that suited his eye. He also chose a slightly flashier watch for Big Bird, at the same price, planning to give it to him the next time they met.

The three of them followed one principle when choosing things: they only picked what looked pleasing to them, without worrying about the price. Whether it cost tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands, hundreds, or thousands, it was all the same to them.

After buying the watches, they set out to reduce Pang Ban's load.

Apart from watch shops, cosmetics stores, and gold and jewelry shops, there was nothing else on the mall's first floor. Chen Hao spotted a mall directory nearby.

A moment later, Chen Hao waved his hand grandly.

"Men's clothing is on the third floor. Let's go!"