Chapter Seven: Debt Collectors at the Door

After all the arguing, it was ultimately Ling Feng who cooked the meal. Only when he brought the dishes to the table did he finally silence Lin Fang. Throughout the meal, Ling Feng endured no fewer than seventy or eighty scornful glares from Lin Fang.

Once they went upstairs, Chu Biyue reminded Ling Feng to find an opportunity to apologize to Chen Mingsheng and Li Shishi. Though she admitted it would be difficult, she suggested seeing if Huo Du could help, while Ling Feng still had some borrowed authority to wield. If one day Chen Hei Bai discovered Ling Feng’s lack of driving skill and fired him, he’d be finished—and might even drag the Chu family down with him.

On her part, Chu Biyue planned to reach out to her classmate Yuan Dongyang for help, since the day’s trouble had originated with her. She made it clear to Ling Feng that, now that he’d offended someone like Chen Mingsheng, if it ever came back to hurt the Chu family, she would not lift a finger to help him.

The name Yuan Dongyang was unfamiliar to Ling Feng, but he didn’t dwell on it. Before going to sleep, he sent out a few text messages, then lay down on the living room sofa and soon drifted off.

Chu Biyue hadn’t wanted to contact Yuan Dongyang, but with things having escalated so far, she had no other choice. Besides, since Yuan had already gone to great lengths to get her bail, she owed him a favor. As the saying goes, one shouldn’t trouble two hosts for one affair; she could only try his connections now.

The next day at noon, Ling Feng checked his phone. Not to mention two hundred million, he hadn’t even received two cents. So, grabbing the loan contract, he set out to collect the debt.

As he passed through the living room, Lin Fang tossed a contract at him with a snort. “Take a look. Weren’t you going to revive my daughter’s company? This is your only chance.”

Ling Feng glanced at it and realized it was a draft of a car purchase contract, unsigned by Chu Biyue, and the other party was none other than Sifang Group. His brow immediately furrowed.

Within Jiangdong Province, Sifang Group, Elite Real Estate, Tycoon Financial Investments, and more than a dozen of the country’s top listed companies had merged into the Ling Feng-Biyue Consortium.

Ling Feng said nothing, slipped the contract into his pocket, and headed out.

“Sire, your subordinate Zhao Che pays his respects.”

Not far from the Chu family gate, in a small grove, a swift figure appeared before Ling Feng, dropping to his knees with imposing strength.

Zhao Che, First Commander of the God of Slaughter Legion, and one of its ten great generals.

After learning of Ling Feng’s disappearance, Zhao Che had requested three times to follow him in death, only to be stopped by Chen Hei Bai. For the past three years, his search for the War Emperor had taken him all over the world.

After so many years, memories surged back. Ling Feng quickly composed himself and smiled warmly at the burly Zhao Che.

“Zhao Che, it’s been three years. Are you well?”

“Sire, your humble servant has missed you day and night. Now that you’ve returned… Sire, who dared lay a hand on you? I will annihilate his entire clan!” Tears welled up in Zhao Che’s eyes. “If you die, I will not live alone.”

“Get up. Let’s put this aside for now. There’s something else we need to do today. Didn’t I ask you to get a car from Chen Hei Bai?”

“Sire, Chen Hei Bai gave me a Rolls-Royce Phantom.”

“Take me to Maosheng Chamber of Commerce.”

On the way, Zhao Che filled Ling Feng in on the development of the Nine Streets Overlord Plan, which Ling Feng listened to with nods of approval.

Maosheng Chamber of Commerce, one of Jiangzhou’s three great commercial associations, boasted assets of over ten billion. Their conduct was notoriously domineering; in Jiangzhou, their infamy was widespread. Reason was not their creed—intimidation was. Even before regaining his memories, Ling Feng had heard of them.

Since regaining his memories, Ling Feng had much more important matters to attend to. Small-fry like Maosheng Chamber of Commerce would never have entered his sights. But since Chen Mingsheng was courting death by provoking him, Ling Feng could hardly be blamed for what would follow.

The Rolls-Royce Phantom pulled up in front of Maosheng Chamber’s headquarters. Zhao Che got out and strode directly into the lobby. He addressed the receptionist, “Hello, we’re here to collect a debt. There’s someone named Chen Mingsheng here who owes my master two hundred million. The repayment is due—please call him out.”

Chen Mingsheng! That name sounded all too familiar!

“Vice President!”

The receptionist, dressed in black business attire with gold-rimmed glasses and a crisp white blouse, her hair sleek and straight, was strikingly beautiful. Her appearance was pure, but her words were anything but polite. She immediately put on a frosty expression. “Coming here to collect a debt? Are you joking? We’ve never been asked to repay a debt before.”

“For years, we’ve only ever gone out to collect debts from others. No one’s ever dared to ask us for repayment. Take a good look—this isn’t a place for you to show off. If you know what’s good for you, get lost.”

Forget whether Vice President Chen could possibly owe anyone two hundred million. Even if he did, so what? Chen Mingsheng had borrowed money before, but had he ever paid it back? Creditors either swallowed their resentment or, if they dared ask, ended up dead or crippled. Soon, no one dared ask at all.

Zhao Che’s face darkened. He handed her the phone and said coldly, “Call him.”

“Fine, since you’re so eager to die, don’t blame me.” Zhao Sisi’s lips twitched, and she wanted to curse Zhao Che, but the murderous glint in his eyes made her swallow her words.

“Hello, Vice President? There’s some hick out here saying you owe them two hundred million…”

“What?”

Chen Mingsheng was lounging on a wide leather sofa in his office, flirting with a woman in business attire. Hearing the message, he instantly recalled yesterday’s incident and flew into a rage, shoving the woman aside.

“Damn, he really came! He’s looking for death. Some nobody wants to mess with me? Does he think I’m afraid of Huo Du? Tell him to wait.”

Click—the call ended.

Unable to hide her glee, Zhao Sisi gave Zhao Che a saucy whistle. There was going to be a good show soon.

“Prepare to die,” she said, crossing her long legs and filing her nails, watching Zhao Che with mocking anticipation, eager to see him humiliated.

But Zhao Che remained serenely indifferent, as if the Maosheng Chamber of Commerce meant nothing to him.

This only angered Zhao Sisi further.

“Who’s looking for me?”

Before long, the elevator doors opened and Chen Mingsheng emerged, flanked by seventy or eighty subordinates.

“Who are you?” Chen Mingsheng held a pistol, intending to shoot Ling Feng on sight—he could always smooth things over with Chen Hei Bai and Huo Du later with a drink or two. They wouldn’t make a fuss over a mere driver.

But when he saw Zhao Che, Chen Mingsheng froze. Who was this guy?

“So you’re Chen Mingsheng? Good. Listen up: my master, Mr. Ling, sent me to remind you—the agreed repayment date has passed. Now you owe twenty billion. Will you pay by check or cash?”

“You’ve got to be kidding me. Are you insane?” Chen Mingsheng was so angry his eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets. He raised his gun and fired three shots at Zhao Che.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

For years, Chen Mingsheng and the Maosheng Chamber of Commerce had ruled Jiangzhou. Aside from Sun the Cripple, Huo Du, the Five Halls, the Three Chambers, and a handful of great families, everyone else bowed and scraped before him. How many had he tormented to the edge of death? Who had ever dared make such outrageous demands of him? If he didn’t destroy this fool today, how would he keep his reputation?

Three shots in a row—decisive and ruthless—displaying his dominance before his men, who cheered loudly.

“Boss is amazing!”

“Boss is unbeatable!”

“We are the kings of Jiangzhou!”

Zhao Sisi, though, was disappointed—she’d been hoping to see Zhao Che beaten and groveling. But the boss was so ruthless, dispatching him the moment he appeared.

“Damn it, they dare try to extort me…”

Chen Mingsheng blew on his gun barrel, ready to swagger off, but then saw Zhao Che raise a hand. With three crisp sounds, three golden bullets fell to the floor.

“What the hell? What the hell? What the hell?”

“What’s going on? Did I just see him catch bullets barehanded? Am I hallucinating, or is this a trick?”

“It has to be a trick.”

“It’s forty billion now,” Zhao Che said with a wide grin.

“Kill him! Take him down!” Chen Mingsheng suddenly roared.

Instantly, his subordinates surged toward Zhao Che.

But when they were still five meters away, Zhao Che threw a punch. Shadows danced around his fist, and in a heartbeat, a hundred streaks of blue light shot forth, vanishing as quickly as they appeared. The dozens charging at him all collapsed to the ground.

A hundred punches unleashed in an instant—too fast for the human eye to follow. That was Zhao Che’s true strength.

What terrified Chen Mingsheng and Zhao Sisi even more wasn’t just that, but the realization that all one hundred men lying on the ground had stopped breathing.

Killing people was as effortless for him as mowing grass.