Chapter 73

Ruan Qingshuang quickly returned from the pharmacy. Guo Guo, pretending nothing had happened, hurriedly deleted the photos on her phone and then skipped over to Ruan Qingshuang with a bright smile, "Mom, you forgot to take your phone when you went out."

"Thank you, Guo Guo." Ruan Qingshuang took the phone and put it in her pocket, completely unaware that she had just been betrayed by this little one.

Xu Yun felt a chill, suspecting that Guo Guo might have also betrayed him. What a devious little devil, truly the kind who would sell someone and then make them count the money.

...

Qiu Yan said she was going out for a walk and left the herbal restaurant. Now that the Red Scorpion had appeared, she had to be more cautious. Qiu Yan almost walked around the entire Hedong area and found that the most significant change was that many conspicuous places were plastered with wanted posters of the Red Scorpion. No wonder Qin Wan'er had come to Xu Yun and her for help with the wanted poster.

Since the police had put in so much effort, Qiu Yan directly sought out the Three Tigers of Nancheng, instructing them to mobilize all the hooligans. If anyone discovered the Red Scorpion, they were to notify her immediately. She also promised, in Qin Wan'er's name, that whoever provided accurate information would receive a 500,000 yuan reward.

Hearing about so much money, many people were tempted. Shan Hongning timidly asked, "Sister Yan, if we catch this person ourselves, how much would the reward be?"

Qiu Yan gave Shan Hongning a cold look, "I'm afraid you won't live to spend that money. The police only offer intelligence rewards, not bounties. If you want a bounty, I can tell you that this person's head is worth over eight digits."

Eight digits? Holy crap, over ten million?!

The bounty Qiu Yan mentioned was not from the police, who didn't have that much money. The bounty she referred to was from the underground world's recognized Soul Slayer List, a wanted list where only those who had made a name for themselves in the underground world could be listed.

Qiu Yan didn't know who set up the list or how they determined the value of the wanted individuals. She only knew that her own head, worth 13 million, had been coveted by many.

"Don't make a fuss if you don't want to die," Qiu Yan said coldly. "This person is not someone you can deal with."

The Three Tigers of Nancheng involuntarily swallowed their saliva. The person Qiu Yan described was so terrifying that it made them feel uneasy. Even with Xu Yun and Qiu Yan backing them, the three couldn't help but feel a bit frightened.

...

Qin Wan'er received a call from the bureau, and Chief Chen Wei temporarily assigned her to the special task force to assist the criminal investigation team. This added more pressure to Qin Wan'er. Chen Wei only thought that Qin Wan'er had a powerful backer, but Qin Wan'er didn't tell him that her backer had refused to help with this matter.

Xu Yun had a reason for not agreeing to help her. He knew that the police were full of troublemakers, and once you agreed, Qin Wan'er's superiors would make all sorts of demands, which would ultimately be a headache for him.

Now, although Xu Yun didn't agree, he wouldn't stand idly by if the dangerous person really showed up, especially since the person's target was his goddaughter, Guo Guo. He should be more anxious than the police.

Although Guo Guo understood that things might not be peaceful recently, she couldn't fully grasp the adult world. She had no concept of how dangerous the situation was, but having experienced the fall of the Feng family, she was mentally stronger than most children.

Ruan Qingshuang, who was still unaware of everything, focused all her attention on the herbal restaurant. Today, Hedong TV was broadcasting the recorded program from the herbal restaurant, and she excitedly turned on the TV.

With this publicity, she believed the business of the herbal restaurant would improve. Now, besides the main store, six branches had opened, and many hotels and restaurants had added herbal dishes to their menus. Some were promoted through the Three Tigers of Nancheng, while others were pirated for profit. The herbal dishes quickly became a sensation in Hedong City.

Xu Yun planned to deal with the pirates. Franchising was fine, but they had to pay franchise fees. It wouldn't be right to use the Ruan family's name without paying, would it?

After watching the TV interview, Ruan Qingshuang was quite happy. In the afternoon, many customers discussed the TV broadcast, praising the herbal restaurant.

After giving instructions to the Three Tigers of Nancheng, Qiu Yan returned. Qin Wan'er, due to the S-level wanted criminal, had to attend an emergency meeting and wouldn't be back for a while.

Hearing that Qin Wan'er was involved in such a dangerous mission, Ruan Qingshuang was somewhat worried, but it was Qin Wan'er's job, and she couldn't not support her. She could only pray that she wouldn't encounter any danger.

...

The police launched a swift operation, quickly forming a special task force. The wanted posters plastered all over the city made the citizens feel more tense.

However, some people didn't know the meaning of tension, like the person on the wanted poster himself.

The bearded Red Scorpion laughed as he looked at the wanted poster Ma Pinghai handed him, sighing helplessly. These police were like dog stickers, still chasing him even after so much time had passed. He was tracked after just one flight, truly a stroke of bad luck.

"Mr. Kai, why don't you... just lay low for a while?" Ma Pinghai was drenched in sweat, feeling very nervous.

Ma Pinghai, the powerful figure in Hedong City, known as Secretary Ma, had never been so humble before. But in front of Hao Kai, he was like a grandson.

Hao Kai, known as the Red Scorpion, was the top expert under the Blue Ghost Sect, a name that carried significant weight in the underground world. A top expert in the underground world was a treasure to the strong and a terror to the weak.

Any big boss who had made a name for themselves in the underground world would have a top expert to assist them. For example, the great chieftain Feng Qiansui of Suzhou and Hangzhou had a top expert, the Violent Fox, who was assisted by Qiu Yan.

Now, the same principle applied. For instance, Wei Yishan, known as the Maitreya Buddha, the giant of the Jianghuai region, had a top expert named Bear Feng, nicknamed the Mad Bear.

The regional overlord of Lunan, Wang Longhuang, known as the Son of Heaven, had top experts like Executioner Miaodao and Black Tiger Luoxing.

These were all fierce individuals, not inferior to the Violent Fox. Of course, the powerful chieftains who could recruit them were no less remarkable, with exceptional charisma, or they wouldn't be able to make these unruly top experts serve them.

"Secretary Ma, I hate hiding," the Red Scorpion Hao Kai said impatiently. "It seems you're afraid of being implicated, or do you want that 500,000 yuan?"

The wanted poster clearly stated, "Anyone who knows but does not report, harbors, or conceals a criminal will be held criminally responsible!"

Ma Pinghai's face changed, "No, no, Mr. Kai, I wouldn't dare think that way. I'm just worried that if the police find you, it... I'm really thinking about your safety."

"Police have already died at my hands," the Red Scorpion Hao Kai's eyes flashed with a cold light. "I don't mind killing a few more. If the police of Hedong City want to die, I'll have to oblige them, don't you think?"

Ma Pinghai was drenched in cold sweat. He was a ruthless person, having led the demolition of many stubborn households in the urban-rural areas, leaving countless people crippled or dead. He was unflinching in the face of violence.

But even he didn't dare to kill police officers casually. He was just a villain, while the Red Scorpion Hao Kai was a true demon.

"Yes, yes, yes..." Ma Pinghai drew a cold breath, unable to understand why this ruthless person had targeted him.

A few days ago, the Red Scorpion Hao Kai found Ma Pinghai's villa. Ma Pinghai wasn't home, and Hao Kai acted as if it were his own home, sleeping with the two girls Ma Pinghai kept, using his private massage tub, and eating and drinking freely. He even opened a bottle of extremely valuable liquor from Ma Pinghai's collection...

Ma Pinghai was shocked that someone dared to barge into his home. He was furious and his first thought was to kill the person who had wreaked havoc in his house.

The result was predictable. All of Ma Pinghai's most capable and strongest henchmen were severely injured and hospitalized. Ma Pinghai, the powerful figure, was completely defeated and had to accept the situation, providing for this person at home.

The Red Scorpion Hao Kai's demands were simple. He gave Ma Pinghai two photos and said that if he could find the people in the photos, he would leave.

Ma Pinghai dared not complain. Although Hedong City wasn't large, it had a population of several million. Finding two people in such a vast sea of people was no easy task, especially with most of his henchmen in the hospital. He couldn't do it alone.

Later, Ma Pinghai decided to think positively. Since this person wasn't in a hurry, he could take his time, providing him with good food, drink, and women. The person didn't have much of a temper.

But when Ma Pinghai went out today, he was stunned. Everywhere he went, there were wanted posters of this person. He then realized that this person was the nationally S-level wanted criminal Hao Kai, which terrified him.

Harboring such a wanted criminal was a much more serious crime than harboring ten thousand petty thieves! This alone was enough to make him tremble for days. Now, he couldn't get rid of this person, and if the police came and were killed, he would be in deep trouble.

Ma Pinghai could only grit his teeth and pray that no one knew this dangerous person was with him. To ensure his safety, he even found the taxi driver who had brought Hao Kai to his villa, threatening his family and giving him 200,000 yuan to keep quiet.

But these were temporary measures. Ma Pinghai knew that to be free of worry, he had to get this person out of his house as soon as possible. The only way to do that was to find the people in the photos!

Ma Pinghai, who didn't want to owe favors to the eastern boss Jin Biao and the western boss Wu Lei, finally decided to call them for help.