Central Avenue

As they reached the doorway, Chen Hao suddenly remembered something and sighed, "Here's a little bonus for you guys. The leaders of the second and third Guilds are on our side, and they won't be showing up anymore. You can deal with them however you want."

He turned back to look at Wu You, "See? I'm a genuinely good person!"

With that, Chen Hao waved to the people behind him.

"Alright, I'm off! Have fun playing your Legend of Mir, young masters! No need to see me out~"

If only I'd bought a trench coat. In this situation, with a dramatic flourish of a trench coat, I'd have been the epitome of cool, truly living up to the name Long Aotian.

What a shame, maybe next time.

"Old Ban, tell those guys to stand down."

Pang Ban took out his phone and made a call, giving a few instructions.

They crossed paths with the men in black outside the exit.

Stepping outside, the sky was already darkening. Chen Hao pulled out a SIM card from one of the phones, broke it, and tossed it into the nearby grass.

Then, he and Pang Ban got into a stretched Lincoln that was already waiting at the entrance. Lin Lang was inside, with half a bottle of champagne already finished.

"Brilliant, absolutely brilliant," Lin Lang applauded and praised, then poured himself another drink.

After getting into the car and closing the door, Chen Hao trembled like a sieve for a moment before calming down. He was drenched in sweat from the tension, having forced himself to stay calm.

Damn it, that scared the life out of me!

Why did I have to cosplay as a mob boss when I'm just an IT elite? This isn't some gangster novel!

Now that he had calmed down, Chen Hao tossed the bugging device from his sleeve to Old Brother, who handed him a glass of champagne. "Have a drink to steady your nerves!"

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

"Driver, just drive anywhere. Renting this car costs thousands a day, we can't waste it."

Lin Lang asked, "Haozi, are you really just letting Greedy Blue Moon go like this?"

"What else? Should we let them go desperate and fight us to the death? No need. Private servers aren't the right path anyway. With this money, we can do some real business."

"Real business?" Lin Lang was curious about what his younger brother meant by "real business."

"No rush, you'll find out in a couple of days when we get to Korea," Chen Hao said cryptically. Seeing Pang Ban hang up the phone, he quickly asked, "Are they done over there?"

Pang Ban nodded.

While Chen Hao had been working as customer service these past few days, Pang Ban hadn't been idle. Instead, using his unique talents, he had successfully attracted a powerful mob boss.

The boss, impressed by Pang Ban's abilities, had enthusiastically invited him to join their ranks. Not only did Pang Ban not join, but he also managed to cost them dozens of their men.

Instead of making them brothers, the boss had become their client.

There was no helping it. With so many subordinates and so many mouths to feed, funds were tight. Nowadays, whoever paid more was the boss.

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

"What's Haozi going there for? We've walked down that street so many times! Aren't you tired of it yet?"

Curiously examining the luxurious interior of the stretched Lincoln and touching the leather seats beneath him, Chen Hao felt a surge of emotion. The first thing he wanted to do after getting rich was, of course...

"What else? Spend money! We were always traveling on a shoestring before. Will going there again feel the same now?"

The black stretched Lincoln, like a long-tailed phantom, glided through the city, hailed as the Paris of the East.

Inside the Apex Bowling Alley.

Listening to his subordinate's report, Wu You learned that shortly after Chen Hao and his group had entered, a stretched Lincoln and two large buses had arrived. Nearly seventy to eighty people had disembarked and taken control of their men.

Wu You swallowed hard, realizing how lucky he was not to have played any tricks earlier, or he would have died far from home.

Then he remembered how poor Long Aotian had looked when he first met him, which only made him feel more indignant.

Damn it, he's read too many novels. Long Aotian? His name is probably fake. He's really good at playing the weakling to hide his strength. Was he acting for me?

Central Avenue is a very prosperous commercial pedestrian street in Ice City, serving as its commercial and historical cultural center.

It stretches 1400 meters from the Flood Control Memorial Tower Square by the river in the north to Xinyang Square in the south. This long street, built in 1900, has a history of over a hundred years. The architecture along the street incorporates various styles, including Renaissance and Baroque.

It is also a national 4A-rated tourist attraction, known as the "First Avenue of Asia."

Some say that not having visited Central Avenue is equivalent to not having visited Ice City.

Shops and malls line the street, bustling with people, and countless tourists arrive, drawn by its fame.

Today, a stretched Lincoln parked at the entrance of Central Avenue, drawing considerable attention.

Three handsome young men emerged from the car. However, their attire was quite simple, consisting of hoodies and jeans.

Ignoring the surrounding stares, Chen Hao led Old Brother and Pang Ban directly towards their destination.

Men shop very differently from women; they usually have clear objectives and are highly efficient!

The first stop was directly to the central mall, browsing the various brand-name watch stores.

In his previous life, the most expensive watch Chen Hao ever bought was an iWatch for several thousand yuan. Every time he went to the mall, he wouldn't even dare to look at the Longines, Rolex, or Vacheron Constantin boutiques.

Things were different now. The bulging backpack Pang Ban carried wasn't just for show.

The first stop was the Tissot watch boutique.

Besides two salesclerks chatting, there weren't many people in the store.

When Chen Hao and his two companions entered, one of the attractive salesclerks glanced over them. Her eyes lit up at the sight of three handsome young men. Then, she took in their attire – from head to toe, they were wearing cheap street clothes. She concluded they likely couldn't afford anything in her store. The light in her eyes dimmed. Handsomeness doesn't pay the bills, she thought, and she went back to gossiping with her colleague.

Seeing no one attending to them, Chen Hao walked straight to the adjacent Longines watch boutique.

The three of them looked at the dazzling array of watches behind the counter. Apart from the different prices, they couldn't tell good from bad.

Just then, a salesclerk with exquisite makeup approached them. "Sir, may I introduce our watches to you?" she asked politely.

"Miss, please show us your ten most expensive watches."

The salesclerk, with her ample bosom and nimble hands, was very efficient.

Soon, ten watches, some exquisite, some grand, some simple, were laid out on the counter. Chen Hao and Pang Ban discussed amongst themselves, but neither found anything they liked.

In the end, Lin Lang picked one – a watch with a deep blue dial and a round case. It looked perfect on his wrist, complementing his scholarly aura.

"How much is this watch?"

"Sir has excellent taste. This Master Collection watch is our store's pride and joy, priced at 128,000."

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

This swift and generous action caught the attention of the salesclerks in the next store. Both were stunned. They had let a big fish slip away and now looked enviously at the cash on the counter opposite. Judging by the sheer volume of bills, the commission alone would be enough for a month's salary. They instantly regretted it.

At this point, another salesclerk entered the Longines store. After a polite greeting, the two staff members clearly divided their tasks: one went to get the money counter, and the other prepared tea and water. They were exceptionally enthusiastic.

While the cash was being counted, the salesclerk with the exquisite makeup introduced other valuable watches in the store. "Sir, look at this watch, it's our store's classic model, blah blah blah..."

One minute later, the change was given.

"Old Ban, did you find anything you liked?"

Pang Ban shook his head.

"Let's go to the next one," Chen Hao said, and the three of them left.

From behind them, the anxious voice of a salesclerk called out, "Hey~ Sir, your watch box, receipt..."

Chen Hao waved his hand, signaling they didn't need them!

Following the same procedure, they visited several other watch stores.

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

Finally, Chen Hao spotted a Vacheron Constantin watch that caught his eye. He also picked out a slightly flashier-looking watch of the same price range for Da Niao, planning to give it to him later.

When picking out items, the three of them adhered to one principle: they only chose what they liked, without considering the price. Whether it was tens of thousands or hundreds of thousands, it was still just a watch.

After buying the watches, and with the goal of lightening Pang Ban's load, they continued.

The first floor of the mall housed only watch stores, cosmetics shops, and gold and jewelry stores. Chen Hao saw the mall directory map nearby.

A moment later, Chen Hao waved his hand.

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