Those Who Steal Business

In the snow-covered Inner World, Qing Chen sat in a floating vehicle parked in front of the Begonia Boxing Gym, quietly waiting for something.

He looked out the car window at the crowds of people coming and going; even the heavy snow couldn't stop people from enjoying the vibrant nightlife.

The dancers, dressed in sheer gauze, stood gracefully in the club's display windows, like expensive merchandise in the luxury shop windows of Outer World shopping center.

On the street, some drunkards were already completely intoxicated, walking out of the nightclub with beer mugs in their hands, and staggering to their deaths on the snow.

Then they were taken away by the nightclub's security guards in a trolley; they were there to ensure their customers' kidneys weren't stolen.

At this time, the outside world was unaware that Zhang Chengze was already in danger.

However, three hours had passed since they arrived, and the other party had neither contacted Liu Dezhu nor appeared in the Fourth District.

"You're planning to use this stupid method to wait for Zhang Chengze to appear? Although Hu Xiaoniu said that the Fourth District is what he longs for the most, he might not come tonight," Yi asked curiously. "But you don't have that much time. You know, you have to go back to the Banshan Manor in two days."

Qing Chen calmly said, "The key is that you can't find it either. I've already agreed to pay you, and you still can't find it."

"I'm surprised too," Yi said. "My records show he has a criminal record with the Public Security Management Committee, belongs to the Evil Ghost Society, and was one of the gang members who raided the Heng Society. But I can't find any trace of him now. He must be a very professional person who has hidden him away..."

"Extremely professional? So professional that even you can't find it?" Qing Chen asked in surprise.

"Yes, the cameras in the Lower Three Districts have all been smashed by the gangs more than twenty times. The federal government is unwilling to repair them in order to save on fiscal expenditures. Even if they are repaired, they will be smashed again," Yi said. "So once Zhang Chengze is taken into the Lower Three Districts for protection, it will take a lot of effort to find him."

Qing Chen was speechless. In a world with such advanced technology, how come the Lower Three Districts have become like the slums of Brazil and Mexico, completely turning into a lawless place?

Yi said, "Of course, if it were just ordinary protection, I could still find him with my abilities. The people protecting him this time were very professional, and all the leads went cold."

"How many people in the entire City No. 18 can do that?" Qing Chen asked.

"More than ten, mostly big dealers in the black market," Yi replied.

"A major black market dealer..." Qing Chen suddenly seemed to remember something. "Su Xingzhi is also a major black market dealer in City No. 18, isn't he?"

"Hmm, he's one of the more reputable ones in the black market," Yi said. "What, are you planning to go ask Su Xingzhi? I suggest you don't, because it's hard to judge the character of a black market bigwig. They're all ruthless and have no bottom line."

Qing Chen felt something was off. If someone had no principles, would they let Li Shutong entrust Qin Tong, Qin Cheng, Qin Yiyi's family to him? After all, the Qin Family were relatives of Li Shutong's close friends.

Should I go find Su Xingzhi? Qing Chen pondered.

Yi suddenly said, "If Zhang Chengze had fallen into the hands of these people, he might not be intact now... The darkness there is unimaginable to outsiders."

Qing Chen remained unmoved. "There's nothing we can do if we can't find him. We can only hope that he's smart enough to survive the first seven days if he really encounters danger."

"Actually, I've already made it very clear. He's most likely in danger now and it's impossible for him to be in the Fourth District," Yi said. "You don't need to keep waiting in the snow."

"I might not necessarily be waiting for Zhang Chengze," Qing Chen calmly closed his eyes and began to recall everything that had happened within the past three hours.

Suddenly, Qing Chen noticed something unusual.

He discovered four young men in leather jackets walking back and forth in the Fourth District seven or eight times in three hours.

The four people did not stay together, but kept moving back and forth, only shaking their heads slightly when they met each other.

The four people on the other side looked cautious, glancing around as if searching for something.

After thinking it over and over, Qing Chen straightened his suit and suddenly opened the door and got out of the car, his face now resembling Zhang Chengze's.

He discreetly stepped forward and stopped one of them, saying in a low voice, "What are you all doing loitering around here?"

The young man's eyes lit up. "Finally found you! Why didn't you contact us after you time-traveled?"

Qing Chen said matter-of-factly, "Isn't it normal that I don't trust you? Besides, I need to observe you to see if you're qualified to protect me. What about the others?"

The young man made a phone call that brought the other three together.

Inside the hovercar, Yi muttered, "This works too? You've really found a way to use the Forbidden Item ACE-005..."

She never expected that Qing Chen would spend three hours here, not finding Zhang Chengze, but instead finding the person who stole Bai Zhou's business!

Yi roughly understood Qing Chen's meaning. Although it was a bit of a pity that Zhang Chengze couldn't be found, punishing those who stole business was also one of Bai Zhou's goals.

At this moment, Qing Chen stood in the cold wind and looked at the three of them. "Why do you four look so disheveled? You didn't say that before. If I had known, I would have switched to another organization."

One of the young men grew anxious. "Boss Zhang, who wouldn't be disheveled in this snow? You can't send someone else! We already said that the other organization is struggling to survive; how can they possibly protect you?"

Another young man said, "Besides, Liu Dezhu is still in prison. His claim of protecting you, boss, is just a scam. He might be trying to kidnap you, take you to the black market, and sell you to organ traffickers for money."

"Yes, they're demanding that you, boss, cut off all contact with the outside world, cut off all communication, and even restrict things like making friends. I suspect they have ulterior motives!"

"In contrast, we don't have as many rules here. Boss, you have absolute freedom. The four of us are only responsible for providing you with the best service. You can go wherever you want! If you say east, we wouldn't dare go west!"

"Our prices are cheaper; a one-week trial period is only 200,000!"

The four of them didn't doubt Qing Chen's identity at all. After all, the other organization had never seen them before, and people from the Inner World wouldn't just blurt out Zhang Chengze's name for no reason.

Qing Chen was speechless. So this is how you guys ganged up on each other, using slander to steal Bai Zhou's business...

If it were a legitimate business competition, that would be one thing, but smearing someone is unacceptable!

Vicious price competition is also unacceptable!

Qing Chen considered for a moment, then pointed to one of them and asked, "Alright, let's not talk about replacing anyone for now. By the way, what's your name again?"

"Boss, I told you my name before," the young man said timidly.

Qing Chen raised an eyebrow. "As a big boss, I have mountains of work to deal with every day, how could I possibly remember all your names?"

The Time Walker thought about it and realized that it was indeed true; there's an old saying that important people tend to forget things.

It has to be said that these Time Walker really cherished this business opportunity. The trial period was 200,000 per week, and the official period was 500,000 per week. This money couldn't be easier to come by!

The young man thought for a moment and said, "Boss, my surname is Gu, and my name is Gu Huozai. You can just call me Zaizai."

"Zai Zai?" Qing Chen thought the name was quite polite. "Are you guys carrying guns? The rules are too strict in the Outer World. I've never owned my own handgun in my life."

Gu Huozai pulled out a pistol. "Boss, since we're here to protect you, how could we not have something tough?"

"Just this one?" Qing Chen asked with a hint of doubt.

Gu Huozai forced a smile and said, "Yeah, just this one..."

"Alright, I'll keep this pistol for now," Qing Chen said, casually taking the gun from the other person. "I'm going to the Begonia Boxing Gym to watch a boxing match now. That place looks chaotic, so remember to protect me."

The young man patted his chest with a smile, "Don't worry, boss! We know Begonia Boxing Gym very well! I have a really good relationship with the owner there!"

Qing Chen glanced at the other person with a puzzled look. No matter how well you know them, can you be as familiar as I am?

However, he had never seen this guy at the Begonia Boxing Gym before, and didn't know what he did. Ninety-nine percent of the time, he was just bragging.

Qing Chen suspected that these four people were still ordinary people, and there wasn't even a single gene warrior among them.

This is probably the person who really wants to swindle money from Zhang Chengze.

Qing Chen took the lead and walked into the Begonia Boxing Gym. The gym was bustling with people, and Qing Chen's eyes were constantly searching among the crowd.

The next moment his eyes suddenly lit up.

Yan Yu, the featherweight champion he had once defeated, was walking towards him in casual clothes.

Yan Yu has a well-proportioned figure, and you can't tell how strong he is when he's dressed.

However, while Qing Chen recognized Yan Yu, the four people behind him might not.

Qing Chen rammed into him without flinching, then glared angrily. "Don't you have eyes when you're walking?"

Featherweight champion Yan Yu was taken aback. He looked at the five people in front of him and said, "You bumped into me while you were walking!"

"Bullshit!" Qing Chen roared, furious. "You were the one who bumped into me first! Do you even know who I am? Beat him up!"

The four people vying for business. "..."

They never expected that this seemingly gentle and refined boss, Zhang Chengze, would be such a troublemaker behind the scenes.

This is completely different from what I imagined!

Didn't we agree that we wouldn't deliberately cause trouble?

Boss, if you keep doing this, the price will have to go up.

The four people who were trying to steal the business sized up Yan Yu and found that he didn't look very big, so they were temporarily relieved.

At this moment, Yan Yu almost laughed in anger in the corridor, "Beat me up? You guys?"

Qing Chen turned to look at the four of them, his eyes narrowing dangerously. "What are you waiting for? Beat him up! Don't you want your salary anymore?"

Upon hearing this, the four-man team, eager to steal the business, realized they couldn't back down in their first battle and immediately pounced.

However, although the featherweight champion is still just an ordinary person and not in a superhuman category, fighting is his profession. Don't use your hobby to challenge someone else's livelihood.

But just as Gu Huozai lunged forward to throw a punch, Yan Yu had already pulled back, causing Gu Huozai's punch to miss its mark.

Immediately afterwards, Yan Yu punched him in the nose with his backhand, instantly freezing Gu Huozai in place!

The other three Time Walker tried to run away, but Yan Yu refused and chased after them, knocking them down one by one.

They were left lying on the ground, groaning in pain.

One of the Time Walker squinted as he searched for Zhang Chengze, only to find that the boss had already run away!

What bad luck!

There will be another chapter tonight.