Chapter Fifty-Two: The Test of Courage Program

"That's Liu Jingye?" Huang Xing spoke in disbelief. "How could that be possible?"

Huang Xing knew Liu Jingye—just a small-time innkeeper in the countryside. Because of Liu's connection to Yuan Xiaoying, Huang Xing had sent men after him several times. Though Liu had managed to fend them off each time, Huang Xing never considered him worthy of serious attention; at best, he was a country bumpkin with a bit of skill.

But now, Huang Xing had no choice but to reassess the man. To be able to carry out a precision sniper shot from nearly 2,800 meters away—such a person would be feared anywhere in the world.

"I told you to investigate him. What have you found?" Huang Xing tried to steady himself, feigning nonchalance as he asked.

His subordinate replied, "So far, all we know is that he runs a small country inn and only returned from elsewhere half a year ago. As for his past, we asked his neighbors, but the information is vague. Some say he went away to college, others say he served in the military, and some even claim he was abducted by aliens. We don't know which story is true."

"The military!" Huang Xing concluded. "He must have served; otherwise, how could he be such a marksman? But Yuan Xiaoying and Wei Xiaorou—how did they get mixed up with someone like him? And why is he so willing to risk his life for them?"

"Boss, do you want us to pay him another visit?" the subordinate asked, unwilling to accept defeat.

"No need." Huang Xing's nerves trembled, but he kept his composure. "We have more important business right now. Go find Old Zhu, pick a dozen or so loyal and daring brothers, and get ready for a big job. Remember, there can be no failures—no matter the cost!"

"Yes, boss."

"Liu Jingye..." Huang Xing gripped a cigarette between his teeth as he sat in a shadowy corner. Ever since the last shooting, he never dared sit near windows. Muttering to himself, he said, "I'll settle accounts with you after I get through this. And with Yuan Xiaoying, and Wei Xiaorou, and..."

He listed every enemy he had, finally ending with a heavy sigh. In this world, a man is often not his own master.

Meanwhile, Liu Jingye had just seen Lin Shengnan and her group off. The crackdown on crime was over, and knowing Liu's principles, the group returned to their usual lives. Though they continued to drift as small-time gangsters, something within them had changed.

At the very least, they no longer saw themselves as mere street thugs. They were just waiting for the right opportunity to do something big.

As she was leaving, Lin Shengnan suddenly fell two steps behind the others and whispered to Liu Jingye, "You still owe me a dowry—don’t forget!"

Liu Jingye, never the most emotionally astute, was left dizzy and confused by her ambiguous words. All he could do was nod foolishly. By the time he came to his senses, Lin Shengnan and her group were already gone, leaving only a promise to meet again someday.

"Those rascals left without paying for their rooms, and they emptied my fridge," Liu Jingye said with a helpless smile. "No customers at the inn, and now I have to spend money to restock."

He set off for the market to buy supplies. While walking down the street, he suddenly spotted Li Yue on the other side. Li wore a wide-brimmed hat, black clothes, and trousers, moving briskly with his head down as if to hide the terrible scar on his face.

Liu Jingye considered going over to greet him, but saw that Li Yue was hurrying, as if pressed for time. Liu also noticed a bulge at Li's lower back, partially concealed by his jacket—a gun, no doubt.

"Why is Brother Yue carrying a gun and moving so urgently? What's he up to?" Liu Jingye wondered, surprised. "From what I've seen, he's got something going on, but he never talks about it."

Men like them carried a fierce sense of pride. Whether in society or on the battlefield, if challenged to a duel, they would never allow comrades to intervene. Solo combat was the pride and honor of every warrior.

"I'll follow and see," Liu Jingye thought. Not out of suspicion—he was just idle and curious, so long as Li Yue didn't notice or require his intervention.

He quietly crossed the street, keeping more than ten meters behind, and followed. Li Yue, in his hurry, didn't notice.

Liu Jingye trailed him out of the bustling city center. Li Yue entered a nearby park, sat in a pavilion, and leisurely lit a cigarette.

Liu Jingye hid not far away, watching. Soon, a man in a black suit approached, carrying a pack of cigarettes and a cigarette in his mouth. He asked Li Yue for a light; Li handed him a lighter. They exchanged few words, appearing like strangers meeting by chance.

The suited man quickly left, but Liu Jingye noticed something odd. After the man departed, he left the pack of cigarettes beside Li Yue and took away Li's lighter. Looking closely, Liu saw a spider-shaped tattoo on the man's neck—clearly no ordinary person.

"Is this a clandestine exchange?" Liu Jingye thought. He watched as Li Yue got up, took the pack, and examined it as he walked. After crossing a street and checking his surroundings, Li threw the pack into a roadside trash bin.

Just as Liu Jingye prepared to retrieve the pack and see what was inside, a diligent sanitation worker beat him to it, dumping all the bin's contents into his tricycle cart and pedaling away at speed.

Undeterred, Liu Jingye followed, watching the worker turn into an alley where other merchants stored their rubbish. He hurried after him, but the worker was swift, quickly loading his cart and pedaling out the other end of the alley.

"Uncle, I have to give you credit for your dedication," Liu Jingye said with a wry smile. This delay meant Li Yue was long gone and the cigarette pack was lost. Liu hesitated, frustrated.

At that moment, two burly men suddenly emerged from the dim alley—one wielding a dagger, the other, shockingly, a handgun.

"Don't move!" the gunman growled. "You're being kidnapped. If you want to live—"

He never finished. Liu Jingye, his face dark, stepped in front of him, seized his wrist, and with a crack, broke it.

The man screamed and collapsed. Liu Jingye didn't pause. With a flying kick, he struck the other man's wrist, sending the dagger flying, then punched him square in the nose. Blood gushed as the man fell backward, tears streaming from his eyes.

"You fools chose the wrong guy to mess with," Liu Jingye spat in disdain, turning to leave.

Because of these two idiots, he had lost Li Yue and the sanitation worker, his anger mounting.

Just as he exited the alley, a crowd appeared—some with cameras, others with microphones—rushing to the side of the two injured men.

The man with the broken wrist cursed, "What kind of trash reality show is this? Faking a kidnapping to scare people—and now my hand's broken! This has to count as a work injury, right? Damn, it hurts!"

The other, blood streaming from his shattered nose, wept, "Work injury or not, I'm done! This is life-threatening! Who was that guy—so fast and ruthless? Are we testing his courage or our pain tolerance?"

At that moment, a beautiful woman in a smart suit appeared. Had Er Niu been there, he would have gone mad with excitement, for this was the glamorous anchorwoman, Chen Yuxin.

Wearing a look of embarrassment and apology, she said to the two men, "I'm so sorry. We never expected that man to be so skilled—and so heavy-handed. Quick, get them to a hospital; let's pause the show for now."

The crew quickly carried the two men away, while Chen Yuxin could only smile bitterly, gazing in the direction Liu Jingye had left. Her eyes sparkled with interest, as if she had found a new fascination.

These days, most people's lives had become stable; survival was no longer their main concern. They sought enjoyment, and television became a central part of that. TV producers racked their brains to come up with fresh ideas—talent shows, variety programs, challenges of all kinds.

The local TV station had planned a reality show themed around human nature—courage, fear, emotion. This was the first episode, but unexpectedly, they'd run into a moody Liu Jingye. As executive producer, Chen Yuxin could do little but smile ruefully.

By now, Liu Jingye had lost all leads and could only continue to the market to restock supplies.

Just as he reached the mall, he again spotted that black-clad man with a spider tattoo—the one who’d met Li Yue.

Outside the mall, many vendors had set up stalls. Among them was a ring-toss game with cigarettes, cosmetics, wallets, and toys on display. For a small fee, players tried to hook prizes with a plastic ring from a meter away.

It was a scam, of course, but what made Liu Jingye speechless was the sight of Daniu and Shitou running the stall. They'd just left that morning, and now here they were, already back at work—if nothing else, they were diligent.

Just then, the tattooed man strode up, grabbed a pack of cigarettes from their stall, and turned to walk away. Daniu called out, "Hey, friend, that's not cool!"

The man stopped and glared at him. Daniu froze, then hastily put on a smile. "Brother Zhu, that's a fake pack you took. The real ones are over here."

With a fawning grin, Daniu offered a legitimate pack. The man snorted, took the cigarettes, and left.

Daniu flipped him the finger behind his back, muttering, "One day, I'll beat you senseless."

"You could do it right now," Liu Jingye suddenly whispered beside him.

Without looking, Daniu replied, "Quit joking. That's the second-in-command of the Huangchao gang. I wouldn’t dare. Just talking tough... Boss?!"

Shitou and Daniu turned, faces alight with surprise and delight. Clearly, Liu Jingye's position in their hearts was unshakable.