168 "Murder! Someone's dead!", Working Bear (Chapter 4 - Seeking Monthly Tickets~)

"Hehe, of course I know you don't have the final say. You surely didn't think I came looking for you just to get that project through your hands, did you?"

The bleached-blond young man made an exaggerated gesture, his tone dripping with mockery and sarcasm. In truth, bad blood had run between the two families for a long time. The bleached-blond's family had made their fortune in construction, while the blonde-haired youth's family relied on the entertainment industry.

Right here in this small town, the two families constantly tried to encroach upon each other's markets and swallow up one another's assets. The older generations still exercised some restraint, keeping each other in check, but the younger generation was entirely different, always plotting to trip up their rivals.

This time, the blonde's family had actually snatched a demolition project right out from under the bleached-blond's family. Everyone knew the Bai family had built their empire on projects like this; even if such contracts were no longer easy to come by, they would never allow a competitor to muscle in. That was precisely why the bleached-blond had come looking for trouble.

"Then what do you want? Spit it out."

The blonde felt a twinge of regret for not bringing his lackys along. He liked trapping women, then wearing them down with coercion and enticement, but he also loved maintaining his refined persona. Consequently, whenever he was courting women, he preferred not to drag around those flashy, delinquent-looking henchmen.

He had figured that since the bleached-blond had only come to harass him yesterday, the guy would lie low for a few days. He hadn't expected the troublemaker to show up again so soon.

"What do I want? That's simple. You stole our business, so hand over a slice of your entertainment venues."

Lowering his voice, the bleached-blond leaned close to the blonde's ear and whispered a few words. Because the two groups were right out on the main street and onlookers were already gathering, it was obvious the bleached-blond didn't want anyone else overhearing their conversation.

"No way. Keep dreaming."

The blonde rejected the demand instantly without a second thought, his hands dropping from the waists of the two women to clench into tight fists.

He never could have imagined that the other party would actually demand a stake in their property management company. Since the entertainment sector had started going downhill, that property firm had become their ultimate cash cow. How could they ever let outsiders get a finger in the pie, let alone their arch-rival? Such a notion was completely out of the question.

"Look at you, getting all worked up again. We didn't even get mad when you stole our demolition project. Now we're just talking about acquiring a share, so why are you freaking out? It's not like we're not paying."

Naturally, the bleached-blond knew the other side wouldn't agree right away; asking like that was merely a probe.

"Alright, go back and give it some serious thought. As for these two lovely ladies, I'll take good care of them for you."

With that, the bleached-blond slapped one of the women on the backside and reached out to grab their arms, continuing to hurl sarcastic remarks. He burst into loud laughter as he spoke:

"Ladies, let me tell you, why are you wasting your time with this loser? Does a guy like this have any use for beauties like you? He probably goes home to watch a video and finishes before he even pulls his pants down. Come with me, and tonight I'll show you what a real man is like. Hahaha!"

"Pfft—"

None of the others laughed, but a young girl standing nearby watching the spectacle let out a snort. Seeing everyone turn to look at her, she quickly lowered her head and hurried away to avoid trouble.

Such a giggle was inherently harmless. In everyone's eyes, they were just onlookers watching a free show that had nothing to do with them, something they would likely forget in a few minutes.

Yet, to the blonde, it felt like the ultimate humiliation. Having someone try to snatch his women right in broad daylight and openly mock his impotence was something no man could stomach.

Consequently, the blonde began to tremble slightly, feeling his face burn as a surge of hot blood rushed upward. The knuckles of his clenched fists turned stark white.

"Yo—still clenching your fists? You wanna hit me? I'm so scared. Come on, hit me right here. You got the guts? Come on! You spineless piece of trash."

The bleached-blond watched the blonde standing there with clenched fists and bloodshot eyes, laughing so hard he doubled over and nearly wept tears of mirth. He stuck his chin out, thrusting his face close to the blonde and pointing at his own cheek, daring him to strike.

Everyone in their circle knew the blonde had a notorious reputation for cowardice. Aside from bullying and preying on women, he had zero skills or backbone; otherwise, he wouldn't have acted so recklessly.

The bleached-blond's final taunt struck the blonde's heart like a sharp needle, compounding the mockery, the spectators' gloating gazes, and the giggles of the girl from moments before.

"Boom!"

All of it combined to push the long-suppressed fury past the breaking point. The boiling blood surged straight to his head in an instant, blowing away his last shred of reason.

At that moment, the blonde's mind went completely blank, his rationality utterly shattered. Acting purely on instinct as he stared at the bleached-blond's outstretched neck, his clenched hand instinctively formed a phoenix-eye fist.

Deep inside his mind, Du Ruo's words seemed to echo: "Before exerting force, shift your weight onto your toes to drive the energy upward, engaging your waist, then your arms, and finally unleashing an upward punch with all your might."

Almost instinctively, the blonde grasped the concept of generating power from the ground. His entire body moved in unison, violently driving an uppercut straight upward.

"Bang!!"

To be fair, the bleached-blond's posture had been utterly reckless. With his neck craned and head tilted, he looked almost identical to the training dummy Du Ruo had set up earlier. The blonde's punch landed solidly on the bleached-blond's neck, the concentrated impact of the phoenix-eye fist striking the vulnerable carotid sinus.

The carotid sinus was a fatal spot precisely because the blood vessels there were thin and fragile; even a moderate impact could cause insufficient cerebral blood flow and fainting. Because the blonde had struck with full force, the bleached-blond's blood vessels ruptured. A fleeting flash of pale skin on his neck was instantly smothered by a spreading crimson rush, staining his skin bright red.

With that single blow, the bleached-blond's eyes widened in horror, the whites rapidly veined with blood. Instantly clutching his neck by sheer reflex, his body slowly went limp and crumpled to the ground.

The hot-headed rage came and went just as quickly. The moment the punch landed, the blonde felt an overwhelming chill spread through his limbs. Panic and regret flooded his soul; he was the only one on the scene who knew with absolute certainty that the bleached-blond could not possibly survive this blow. After all, the man named Yang Guangzhou had told him more than once that this was a punch capable of killing a person.

A torrent of emotions crashed over him, coupled with the immense exertion of the strike. The blonde felt a violent dizziness wash over his brain, immediately followed by a sharp, wrenching pain in his chest as if an explosive pressure had burst open within his heart. Darkness fell over his vision, his body went weak, and he collapsed slowly to the pavement. A stream of fresh blood gushed from his nose and mouth as his heartbeat ground to an instantaneous halt and his breathing stopped dead.

One of the glamorous women standing beside the blonde was utterly terrified by the sudden turn of events. Trembling uncontrollably, she extended a finger to check for a pulse under his nose.

Feeling no breath, a complicated expression crossed the woman's face. She realized that perhaps she wouldn't have to pay back the money she owed this man. Suppressing the rising bubble of excitement inside her, she opened her mouth wide and let out a hysterical scream:

"A dead body! Someone's dead!!!"

The shriek tore through the quiet air...

***

"I have to admit, these chestnuts actually taste pretty good. Fragrant, sweet, and crunchy. Hey, hurry up and shell some more. I'll pack up a batch to take back later; Yuanyuan will probably love them."

Du Ruo sat cross-legged on the ground, casually patting the black bear sitting right beside him.

The bear kept its head lowered, clutching a prickly chestnut burr in one paw and a section of a wooden log in the other. It pressed the burr against the log and rolled the wood back and forth until the burr split open.

The bear then picked out the freshly squeezed chestnuts and placed them neatly beside Du Ruo, tossed the spiky husk aside, grabbed another burr, and resumed the exact same routine. A towering pile of shelled chestnuts had already accumulated next to Du Ruo, yet the bear didn't dare slack off for even a second, moving through them one after another.

This was the result of a friendly "negotiation" between Du Ruo and the black bear, after which the bear had "voluntarily" offered to work for him.

"Jingle bell—"

Du Ruo's phone rang. Pulling it out, he saw it was a call from Xing Anming.

"Captain Xing, what's up? Do you need me to help with something?"

"Where are you? I've made it up to your cabin, but you're nowhere to be seen."

Xing Anming's voice came through, devoid of preamble as he simply asked for Du Ruo's location.

"I'm up on the mountain picking chestnuts. Why did you come up? I'll head back right now."

With that, Du Ruo stood up, brushed the dirt off the seat of his pants, and prepared to return to the cabin.

"Alright, come on back. I'll wait for you here."

Xing Anming hung up immediately.

Du Ruo took two steps before turning back to strip off his outer shirt, gathering up all the chestnuts the bear had shelled and tying them securely inside the fabric.

"Alright, you've worked hard. You can keep and eat the rest from now on."

Carrying the makeshift bundle of clothes and patting the bear's massive head, Du Ruo turned and strode away.

The "working bear" looked deeply aggrieved as it tossed yet another freshly cracked chestnut into its mouth, chewing it with a melancholy *crunch, crunch*. For some reason, chestnuts that had tasted sweet and fresh just moments before now tasted thoroughly bitter.

Ten minutes later, Du Ruo arrived outside the cabin.

"What on earth have you been up to?"

Xing Anming was seated in front of a large barbecue grill, rolling up his sleeves to tend the charcoal fire. Nearby, a young police officer was meticulously scoring a whole sheep with a knife. Seeing Du Ruo emerge from the tree line stripped to the waist, Xing Anming looked rather surprised.

"Oh, I found a chestnut tree up the mountain just now. They tasted pretty good, so I picked a few. What brings you guys here?"

Du Ruo shook the bundle of clothes containing the chestnuts and offered an explanation.

"Didn't I say last time that we needed to have a proper meal together? Since this case is finally wrapped up—and thanks largely to you, no less—I bought a local sheep, had it freshly slaughtered, and brought the whole thing over. Tonight, we are definitely going to have a proper drink. I brought the liquor myself."

Xing Anming beamed, flashing a row of white teeth as he gestured toward a large crate of Chinese white liquor sitting proudly on the table.

"Haha, sounds good. Then we'll drink till we drop tonight."

Du Ruo chuckled. Society was complicated, but some people were so forthright and hospitable that it was impossible to refuse or dislike them.

"Alright. But Du, old pal, you'll still need to wrap up a formal statement later. Since the roasted lamb and sheep offal soup will take a while, we can knock out the paperwork right here. I brought the camera and the forms with me, so it won't waste your time. Once the statement is done, your travel restrictions will be completely lifted."

Xing Anming watched Du Ruo closely, carefully reading his expression for any trace of annoyance or displeasure.

The crime scene had already been thoroughly investigated, and the events of that day had been largely reconstructed. The only mystery remaining was how Du Ruo had managed to dodge point-blank gunfire and how he had accurately driven two arrows deep into the skulls of two men from a distance of twenty to thirty meters.