Loan Sharking

Three strangers stood in the rental apartment. His mother stood in the corner of the room, clutching a kitchen knife.

Many things had been smashed on the floor—ceramic bowls, glass bottles, chopsticks, and spoons were scattered everywhere. Seeing this, Lu Chengchuan hurriedly rushed inside and shielded his mother behind him.

"Who are you? What are you doing here?!"

Lu Chengchuan's voice was icy, his emotionless gaze fixed on the three men.

"Hey, brat! Do you know who we are?" The three men were not the least bit afraid when they saw him squeeze in. They remained arrogantly defiant. "Your mom borrowed money from our company—six hundred thousand in total. The deadline's up. Pay it back, now."

"I only borrowed two hundred thousand from you. In less than half a year, I paid back two hundred and thirty thousand including interest. How could it possibly be six hundred thousand?"

Huang Yuyun had been hiding behind her son. Hearing that they demanded six hundred thousand, she immediately stepped out to refute them.

She had borrowed money, yes, but only two hundred thousand. Why should she have to repay six hundred thousand in less than half a year?

"How could it not be? The contract spells it out clearly. Don't even think about denying it!" The man pulled out a small knife and swiftly slashed it through the air several times in front of Lu Chengchuan.

They had many people borrowing money from them, but very few dared not repay it.

"Usury, fraudulent contracts—you're breaking the law." Lu Chengchuan spoke unhurriedly.

He had thought these guys had some sort of background. So they were just loan sharks. Debts had to be repaid, that was only natural, but he would not be a sucker and pay interest he did not owe.

"Breaking the law? Watch that mouth of yours, brat. We're a legitimate company." The man sneered. He had seen plenty of people like this—none of them gave up until they saw the coffin.

"Who's your boss? Take me to see him."

Lu Chengchuan did not want to waste too many words on underlings. He wanted to meet the real boss and have a proper talk with him.

"Who the hell do you think you are? You want to see our boss? Pay up already! We can't be bothered with you."

The leader said nothing, but one of the lackeys beside him stepped forward. As he spoke, he tried to go up and teach Lu Chengchuan a lesson. The other two did not intervene either. They had done this kind of thing plenty of times and did not think it was anything bad.

But they had picked the wrong person today. The lackey walked up to him and had just raised his hand when he suddenly flew backward.

Lu Chengchuan threw a fierce punch, sending the man flying. He crashed into his two companions, and none of the three understood what had happened before they all fell to the floor.

"You'd better listen obediently and take me to see your boss. Otherwise..." Lu Chengchuan walked over and spoke to the three groaning men.

"Y-you... do you know who my boss is?! You dare lay a hand on us... Aah!"

The leader tried to put on a tough front and make Lu Chengchuan afraid, but Lu Chengchuan stepped on his palm. With only a little pressure, the man could not help crying out in agony.

"Don't threaten me. Take me to see him, now."

Lu Chengchuan's tone remained emotionless. The man whose hand was being crushed also realized that they had run into a ruthless opponent.

"I'll take you there, I'll take you there..."

The man immediately caved. Didn't Lu Chengchuan want to see the boss? Fine, he would take him there. They would see who was more afraid when the time came.

"Xiaochuan, don't go. They're gangsters..."

Hearing that her son was going to find their boss, Huang Yuyun hurriedly tried to stop him. She did not want anything to happen to him. In her eyes, those people surely had connections behind them, or they would not dare act like this.

Her son might be an Esper, but could Espers truly make people like them afraid?

"Mom, don't worry. I'll handle this." Lu Chengchuan told her not to worry.

Huang Yuyun could not talk her son out of it and could only let him go meet the so-called company boss.

Lu Chengchuan escorted the men downstairs. They had driven here, so he got into their car with them. Another lackey took the wheel, while the leader sat in the back seat with him.

"Team Leader, someone wants to see you."

Once they were in the car, the man immediately called to notify his superiors.

"I know. I'm heading back now."

The man spoke with the person on the other end for a while, then hung up and told the lackey to drive back.

No one spoke on the way back. Only the hum of the air conditioner and engine filled the car.

An hour later, the car stopped in front of an office building. Lu Chengchuan had rarely come here before. The street environment was nice; though it was somewhat dark, there were still plenty of pedestrians. The area was fairly bustling.

"Our boss is upstairs. Let's go."

The three men led the way ahead, while Lu Chengchuan followed them into the office building and took the elevator to the eighth floor.

Even at night, quite a few people were moving about on the eighth floor. Each floor was divided into several rooms—some were shared offices, while others were private offices.

The three men led him to a large office. There were people inside, and more than just one.

More than a dozen burly men sat inside. Baseball bats, iron pipes, and even short blades lay on the table. This did not look like a company at all; it looked more like a gang hideout.

"Come in. Our boss is right here."

The three men quickly ran inside, then mocked Lu Chengchuan, who stood at the doorway.

There were more than a dozen of them now, and they had weapons. If this guy entered without wetting his pants, they would count him as brave.

Under everyone's watchful eyes, Lu Chengchuan calmly walked into the room and approached them. "You think these things can scare people?"

No one spoke. The dozen or so burly men merely stared at him, their eyes seeming ready to kill. But Lu Chengchuan was no helpless weakling. Killing these people would be effortless for him.

Since they said nothing, Lu Chengchuan said nothing either. He simply stood where he was and met their gazes.

The office remained silent for a long time. In the end, someone from the Loan Shark Company lost patience. A man in a well-tailored suit seated at the back suddenly spoke. "Who are you? What do you want with me?"

Lu Chengchuan looked up, his gaze locking onto the man who had spoken. "You're the owner of this company?"

"Cut the crap. If you've got something to say, say it. Don't stand there pretending to be somebody important!" The man's tone abruptly turned harsh as he raised a hand and slammed it onto the desk before him.

The man's slap struck the desk with a bang. The dozen burly men immediately stood, reaching for the weapons on the table as they crowded around him.

The man did not want to waste words, so Lu Chengchuan would not waste words with him.

Lu Chengchuan took a deep breath. Inner Energy instantly erupted from his dantian, and he raised his hand before striking down toward the right.

His palm struck the air, and invisible internal force surged from it. The burly man blocking the right side saw nothing at all before his body was sent flying into the wall by the projected Inner Energy.

After breaking through the Acquired Realm, his Inner Energy could be projected outward. Within three meters, he could send people flying.

After sending the man on his right flying, Lu Chengchuan struck down with his left hand, and the people on his left were sent flying as well. Once he had dealt with both sides, he swiftly turned and took care of the people behind him.

In less than two seconds, only a few people in front of him remained standing. Everyone else had been sent flying.

Everyone was terrified by the sudden change. This was something beyond all common sense. The suited man seated at the back gaped, his expression blank as he could not believe what he was seeing.

Lu Chengchuan walked forward, knocked down the remaining men with several punches, and slowly approached the man in the suit.

"Now, can you tell me who you are?"