A Meeting Gift

This time, Cheng Hong was the one left stunned.

Cheng Hong could tell that Han Yang was not deliberately deceiving him. From his utterly unconcerned tone, Cheng Hong could hear that he truly did not know Cheng Hong had been behind it!

What was going on? You did not know I was behind it? Then why did you kidnap me?

A surge of anger suddenly rose in Cheng Hong's heart. "President Han, are you joking?"

"I don't joke."

Han Yang shook his head. "I've figured it out. If you want to make it in the Vegetable Market District, you can't get by without connections or someone backing you. So I came looking for Supervisor Cheng. If you can be my backer, I'll be secure."

Cheng Hong looked at the burly men with tense expressions, their hands constantly resting on their gun grips, and suppressed the anger in his heart. "You want me as your backer, yet you kidnapped me?"

"What else could I do? Normally, I can't even get to see you."

"It's not impossible for me to be your backer. I'll take half your shares. Let me go now, and come see me again tomorrow."

Han Yang smiled. "Supervisor Cheng, do you take me for a child you can fool? You want to be my backer without offering a pledge of loyalty?"

Cheng Hong could no longer suppress his anger. "You asked me to be your backer, and you still want me to offer a pledge of loyalty?"

Unexpectedly, Han Yang nodded very seriously. "That's right. Bring him up."

Two security guards dragged up a tightly bound man. Cheng Hong took one look and was quite surprised to see Zhou Da'an.

"Supervisor Cheng, why are you here?! Han Yang! It was you, just as I thought! You even dared to kidnap Supervisor Cheng—you must have a death wish! Hahaha, just wait, you won't live much longer!"

Zhou Da'an burst into loud laughter.

Han Yang's expression did not change. He directly tossed a dagger in front of Cheng Hong. "Kill him."

Then he turned to Shen the Butcher. "Make sure you record everything."

Shen the Butcher kept a cold face as he picked up his phone, opened the camera, and aimed it at Cheng Hong.

Clearly, a recording of Cheng Hong personally killing a mid-ranking Public Security Bureau officer was the pledge of loyalty Han Yang wanted from him.

Under normal circumstances, Cheng Hong had a hundred ways to kill Zhou Da'an silently and without leaving any trouble behind. But once it was recorded, and that footage leaked, things would be different.

No matter what, Cheng Hong's future would be finished.

"Do it, Supervisor Cheng. If I don't get some leverage on you, how can I trust you to be my backer? Tell me, isn't that reasonable?"

Cheng Hong said nothing and bent down to pick up the dagger. Zhou Da'an struggled desperately and shouted, "Han Yang, you lunatic! You dare threaten Supervisor Cheng! Do you know who Supervisor Cheng is? If anything happens to him, the Earth Guard will deploy immediately! Your whole family will die!"

Cheng Hong looked at Han Yang with a faintly sarcastic expression. "What if I refuse?"

"Then that would be unfortunate. Zhou Da'an will have no choice but to kill you." Han Yang sighed. "Zhou Da'an's position is too low. I'd have to spend money grooming him before he could become a qualified backer. Too troublesome. You're much more straightforward."

Cheng Hong said coldly, "Can you bear the consequences of killing me?"

Han Yang smiled pleasantly. "Supervisor Cheng, you must be joking. Given the situation today, if I let you go, would you really not retaliate against me? If I kill you, I die. If I don't kill you and let you go, I still die. What do you think I'll do?"

Cheng Hong said, "I guarantee that I won't pursue what happened today. We'll all pretend nothing happened."

Han Yang laughed loudly. "Supervisor Cheng, do you take me for a child you can fool?"

Cheng Hong lowered his eyelids slightly, his thoughts racing.

This was the situation.

No matter how much power he wielded, he was still in Han Yang's hands at this moment.

If Han Yang killed him, he would die, and Han Yang would die too.

If Han Yang released him, Han Yang would still die. Before Han Yang died, he would certainly kill Cheng Hong first.

There was only a third choice: kill Zhou Da'an and offer a pledge of loyalty. Only then could both he and Han Yang live.

Fine. No matter what, he had to get through today first and save himself.

Even if he killed Zhou Da'an and was recorded doing it, giving Han Yang leverage over him, given enough time in the future to plan carefully, he might still be able to quietly eliminate the danger.

The only difference would be how great a price he had to pay.

No matter what, this danger had to be removed. Otherwise, Han Yang would use this leverage to threaten him every few days. Wouldn't that make Cheng Hong his dog?

That was absolutely unacceptable.

Having made up his mind, Cheng Hong gripped the dagger and walked straight toward Zhou Da'an.

Zhou Da'an struggled desperately and shouted, "Supervisor Cheng, Supervisor Cheng! Don't fall for it! If you kill me, Han Yang will have leverage on you, and your end won't be any better! He doesn't dare kill you!

Supervisor Cheng! I've been utterly loyal to you—you can't kill me! Han Yang! President Han! Everything I did was ordered by Cheng Hong! It has nothing to do with me! Ah!"

Held down by two tower-like brutes, Zhou Da'an could not move no matter how hard he struggled. Cheng Hong did not say a word. He silently drove the dagger straight into Zhou Da'an's chest.

Zhou Da'an's eyes widened, his body went rigid, and within moments, he stopped breathing.

"Did you record it all?"

"Recorded."

"Supervisor Cheng, don't move yet. Get a close-up. Brother Shen, move closer and film it—get his chest. Yes, yes, yes."

With a cold expression, Shen the Butcher shoved the phone right up to Zhou Da'an's chest.

"Now get a full-body and facial close-up of Supervisor Cheng. What if people can't recognize him?"

Shen the Butcher carefully filmed Cheng Hong again. Cheng Hong remained expressionless throughout.

"Finished filming? Send me the video."

After fiddling with it for a moment, Han Yang said, "Done. I uploaded the video to ten email accounts that only I know about. Every day, I'll send a blocking email. If there's ever a day I don't send one, those ten accounts will automatically send this recording to ten thousand email addresses prepared in advance.

I don't need to tell you whose email addresses those ten thousand are, do I?"

Cheng Hong said coldly, "I've given you your pledge of loyalty. What else is there?"

"How are you going to handle Zhou Da'an's death?"

"Simple. I'll arrange evidence that says the Iron Wolf Gang killed him. Then I can wipe out the Iron Wolf Gang and vent your anger at the same time. President Han, you can rest easy too. From now on, no one in the Vegetable Market District will dare cause you trouble."

At this moment, Cheng Hong's heart was filled with venomous hatred.

He had already made up his mind that even if he had to spend ten million bribing his superiors, he would settle this matter and personally kill Han Yang.

But there was no rush. He could plan it slowly.

Han Yang walked over and extended his hand. Cheng Hong also stiffly extended his hand, and the two shook hands.

"From now on, Supervisor Cheng, you're my backer. Happy cooperation."

"Happy cooperation."

Cheng Hong suppressed the hatred and anger in his heart, his tone calm.

Yet Han Yang unexpectedly burst into laughter. "Since we're cooperating happily, and there will be many things I'll need to rely on Supervisor Cheng for in the future, I ought to show some sincerity."

He walked over, carried in a case, and opened it. Inside were stacks upon stacks of cash.

"Two million in cash, as a meeting gift."

This time, Cheng Hong was completely stunned.