Chapter 76

Single Hongning was in a hurry, and as soon as Xu Yun appeared at the stairs, he couldn't wait any longer: "Brother Yun, hurry up, it's urgent!"

"Coming, coming!" Xu Yun shouted while rushing down the stairs: "What's the rush, what's so important?"

"Brother, today Jin Biao's little brother came to me and asked me to pass a message to you," Single Hongning said impatiently. "He said that tonight he will treat us to a dinner at the largest hotel in the eastern part of the city, the He Dong International Hotel, and he will be hosting Sister Shuang and you. Moreover, the northern boss Ma Pinghai and the western boss Wu Lei will also be there!"

Xu Yun stroked his chin. That old fox had just been beaten by him, and now he wanted to invite him to dinner? This banquet was too obviously a trap.

Could it be that Jin Biao wanted to show off his power, telling him that even if he committed a crime, no one would dare to arrest him? If Jin Biao were so shallow, he definitely wouldn't be the boss of the entire eastern region. This was clearly impossible.

Moreover, the leaders of the northern and western regions were also attending, which made the matter seem even more suspicious.

"Brother Yun, I think they want to curry favor with our southern district," Single Hongning said. "Jin Biao, Ma Pinghai, and Wu Lei are the leaders of the eastern, northern, and western regions, respectively. Now that they are inviting Sister Shuang and you, it's clearly to establish the leader of the southern district."

Xu Yun smiled helplessly: "So you mean they want Sister Shuang to be the boss of the southern district of He Dong?"

"Yep!" Single Hongning nodded.

Xu Yun slowly shook his head: "I don't think so. Who in the southern district would dare to disrespect Sister Shuang now?"

"Whoever dares, I'll be the first to cut him down!" Single Hongning declared his loyalty angrily.

"This makes things clearer. Since Sister Shuang is already the leader of our southern district, it's not their place to meddle," Xu Yun said with a cold laugh. "Jin Biao is just afraid we'll expand our territory and target him, so he's trying to put pressure on us by teaming up with the northern and western bosses."

Single Hongning finally understood. Brother Yun was right. That old fox Jin Biao clearly had no good intentions.

This dinner was clearly a trap. The three of them must want to make things clear at the dinner, hoping to maintain a balance of power in He Dong, in other words, to keep the peace. If Xu Yun had any intentions of overstepping, the three of them would definitely unite against him.

"Brother Yun, should we go or not?" Single Hongning was unsure.

Xu Yun didn't rush to make a decision. It didn't matter to him whether they went or not, as he didn't take those three seriously: "Let's decide this afternoon. Making a hasty decision would make us seem too casual."

Single Hongning nodded, knowing that Brother Yun was being deep and mysterious: "I'll tell that person to have Jin Biao wait for Brother Yun's instructions."

"By the way, have you all done what Qiu Yan asked you to do?" Xu Yun suddenly changed the topic.

Single Hongning was taken aback: "Brother Yun, you mean the matter of the person on the wanted list?"

Xu Yun didn't deny it and nodded.

"Brother, I won't hide it from you. We know you and Sister Yan want to help Officer Qin earn credit, but this wanted criminal is really too dangerous for us to handle," Single Hongning frowned. "Although a large reward can attract brave men, who wants to risk their life for money? The police won't give fifty thousand for nothing. They'll definitely use the media to create a model, and whoever takes the fifty thousand will surely become a target."

Xu Yun smiled inwardly. This guy was speaking the truth.

Single Hongning continued: "Think about it, a man who killed six police officers and rescued a nationwide wanted criminal is not someone to be trifled with. His friends are also dangerous, and everyone is afraid of retaliation."

"I was just about to tell you that you don't need to help with this," Xu Yun said. "This isn't something we should get involved in. The police don't pay us, so we don't need to risk our lives for them."

Hearing this, Single Hongning felt relieved. Originally, they had to follow Qiu Yan's orders, but now they didn't have to.

"Alright, I'll tell Kong Zhong and Lü Feng."

After Single Hongning left the herbal restaurant, it was lunchtime. With only him and Ruan Qing Shuang, they were definitely going to be busy. They really needed to hire more help, or they would be exhausted.

After all, the herbal restaurant business was booming. Even if Ruan Qing Shuang did nothing, their monthly income from other sources was substantial. Just the split with Single Hongning's hot pot city alone brought in about fifty to sixty thousand a month.

Just as they were about to finish lunch, Qin Wan'er suddenly returned and pulled Xu Yun upstairs without a word. Fortunately, there weren't many customers downstairs, and Ruan Qing Shuang was mostly just tidying up the tables.

"What's the big news that's so urgent?" Xu Yun was surprised.

Qin Wan'er took a breath and drank a glass of water before starting: "The criminal investigation team has been investigating for several days. Based on solid evidence, it's now almost certain that the suspect, after leaving the He Dong airport, hailed a taxi with the license plate He H20156 from the Jie Yun taxi company, and the taxi drove to the Jiu Yan Mountain area in the northeastern suburbs of He Dong."

Xu Yun was quite proud of his judgment. The police's investigative skills were indeed impressive, and they had found a lead so quickly: "Then just bring in that taxi driver for questioning."

"That's the problem," Qin Wan'er frowned. "The taxi driver claims he doesn't remember anything. We've tried everything, but he won't say where the suspect was going."

"Then what?" Xu Yun asked calmly.

Qin Wan'er sighed: "With a fifty-thousand reward, we think the driver might really not remember, or the suspect didn't show his face after getting in the car. In any case, this lead ends here. We only know that the suspect is likely hiding on Jiu Yan Mountain."

"Alright, I understand." Xu Yun smiled. "Do you know the address of that taxi driver?"

Qin Wan'er took out a piece of paper and handed it to Xu Yun: "I knew you'd ask. Here. But I think he's not lying. Who wouldn't want fifty thousand?"

Xu Yun took the paper, memorized the address, and didn't respond to Qin Wan'er. Single Hongning's words echoed in his ears: "Although a large reward can attract brave men, who wants to risk their life for money? The police won't give fifty thousand for nothing. They'll definitely use the media to create a model, and whoever takes the fifty thousand will surely become a target."

Because of these words, Xu Yun didn't think the taxi driver had forgotten about Red Scorpion. Instead, he remembered very clearly and was just pretending to forget out of fear.

Xu Yun looked up: "Have you eaten?"

"Uh... I just had a bowl of instant noodles with the police team," Qin Wan'er said unhappily.

"Come on, let's go downstairs and eat together." Xu Yun shrugged. "Sister Shuang and I haven't eaten either."

After they had a quick meal, Qin Wan'er left. Since she joined the case, she had been extremely busy. Ruan Qing Shuang, feeling unwell, went to rest in her room upstairs.

Xu Yun called Qiangzi, who was recovering at home, to watch the store. To his surprise, Qiangzi arrived in a nearly new Audi A6.

"Where did you get it?" Xu Yun was really skeptical about where this kid got the money.

Qiangzi grinned: "Lü Feng gave that punk a beating, and this is the new car he gave me as compensation. Ha, how about it, Brother Yun, we've got the four rings now!"

Xu Yun was speechless: "What's so great about a black car with no proper documentation? Give me the keys, I need to go out."

Qiangzi handed the car keys to Xu Yun: "Brother, what's up? I'll go with you."

"You're here to watch the store. Don't disturb Sister Shuang upstairs, got it?" Xu Yun glared at Qiangzi. "If I go with you, what's the point of having you here?"

"Hehe, got it, understood!" Qiangzi laughed foolishly.

Xu Yun got into the new Audi A6 and sped off to the address in the northern district that Qin Wan'er had given him. To find Red Scorpion, he had to first find the taxi driver who knew his first destination.

From Wenhui District to Beijia District, it was a direct route through the city from south to north, about 130 kilometers. For Xu Yun, a skilled driver, it was just over an hour. However, Xu Yun wasn't very familiar with the city routes in He Dong, and he had to ask for directions for over half an hour to find the place.

This was a rural resettlement area in Beijia District, a bit out of the way. It was already quite an achievement for Xu Yun to find it.

Xu Yun thought he would have to wait for hours to find the person he was looking for, but unexpectedly, as soon as he arrived, a taxi with the license plate He H20156 drove in.

Xu Yun followed without hesitation.

The taxi stopped in front of a building in the third row, and a man in his thirties got out.

"Brother." Xu Yun called out as he parked.

The taxi driver was taken aback, first nervously checking the license plate of Xu Yun's Audi, then looking at Xu Yun.

By this time, Xu Yun had already gotten out of the car and said nonchalantly: "The license plate is fake, so it's no use remembering it."

The taxi driver's expression changed: "Who are you?"

"I just need to ask you something, no need to be so nervous." Xu Yun opened a pack of Hongtashan cigarettes left in the car and casually threw one to the taxi driver. "I'm Xu Yun, what's your name?"

"Feng Wei." The taxi driver took the cigarette and lit it without much ceremony, but he was still tense. "We don't seem to know each other. What do you want?"

Xu Yun put the cigarette pack in his pocket and smiled: "A small matter, hehe, the thing the police couldn't get out of you."

Feng Wei's face suddenly changed, and his fingers holding the cigarette visibly trembled, dropping the newly lit cigarette to the ground. Xu Yun saw everything. If the taxi driver really knew nothing, why was he so nervous?